It was especially refreshing to bask in the 100-degree heat at Somerset, Kentucky's Master Musicians Festival, a truly unique two-day musical melting pot that brought together hippies, hipsters, and hillbillies in equal measure.
Fly From Here is arguably the band's finest work since the '70s, due in large part to the resilient six-string elegance of guitar wizard Steve Howe. Glide recently caught up with the world's busiest guitarist as Yes (now with another new lead singer, Jon Davidson) were preparing for a highly-anticipated North American tour.
The Pink Floyd Experience, a highly skilled veteran sextet from San Diego, is the most perfect kind of tribute band imaginable. Taking the stage late in the evening in Knoxville's grand, cathedral-like Tennessee Theatre, there was—thankfully—an absence of look-alike wardrobes, distracting make-up, and dated retro swagger.
As the frontman and main songwriter of Yes, Jon Anderson has simply changed music forever—at least, he's changed the landscape of music that tries to break ground, music that strives to explore ideas not bound to the confines of popular radio. Unfortunately, the last few years have been somewhat unkind to Anderson.
When not functioning as the composer, guitarist, producer, and overall "dictator" behind the experimental prog-rock of The Mars Volta, Lopez has been known to release a solo album or 400. Since he started recorded solo projects in 2004, he's put out around 30 discs (including a whopping 10 in 2010), not including the five Mars Volta albums, dating back to their 2003 debut, De-Loused in the Comatorium.
Radiohead may have more commercial success and critical accolades; Sigur Ros might write prettier, more easily recognizable tunes. But if you told me Mogwai is the most influential band on the face of the planet, I wouldn't argue.
Cold War Kids' recorded mission since the beginning has been to "match what they've done on-stage." With their latest album, Mine is Yours (their third full-length), the goal was to finally realize that vision, taking a little more time in the studio to craft a long-lasting sonic monument, one that would stack up to their peers like TV on the Radio and Arcade Fire, who, according to Willett, "sound very labored with so many layers of tracks." Working in Nashville with big-name producer Jacquire King (well-known for his contributions to Kings of Leon and Modest Mouse albums), Cold War Kids wanted to go the next step in their journey, achieving a "eureeka" moment that could serve as a fresh start.
Washington D.C. legends The Dismemberment Plan released four hugely influential albums in the burgeoning indie rock scene of the late '90s and early 2000s, earning vast critical praise for their unique blend of calculated math-rock rhythms, dexterous instrumental skills, and quirky, off-beat tunes about disconnect and confusion in a rapily changing world. They've also proved to be one of the most influential bands of its era, along the way influencing everyone from Death Cab for Cutie to At the Drive-In.
Hackett's been especially busy lately: Besides his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis (Finally, prog rock gets some Hall of Fame love!), he's released two albums within the last year-and-a-half (2009's full-length Out of the Tunnel's Mouth and the 2010 live album Live Rails). Glide recently had the chance to catch up with Hackett, touching on his recent projects, his inspirations, and the inevitable Genesis questions…
Showroom of Compassion, Cake's newest album, is no exception to this recipe. After a nearly seven year break (Has it really been that long?), McCrea and company have returned with another great—not mind-blowing—but great album. Which is totally fine—in today's "Make A Grand Statement" age, it's nice to know that Cake are still the great little band we've always loved, even if they aren't blowing anyone's minds. This time around, the band did decide to record with 100% solar energy, which is undeniably impressive, but outside of that press release-clogging tidbit, pretty much nothing has changed.
