Words for Penga - Prose (2014-2015)

http://www.wordsforpenga.com/

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Words for Penga are a relatively new progressive metal band from my home state of Minnesota. I guess they formed in Ely, MN, but have moved to the Twin Cities relatively recently.

Long story short: I happened to meet their guitarist Ben Balitch, of all places, walking my Fiancee's dog in her neighborhood. He and the woman he was with (girlfrend/fiancee/wife? unsure) were walking their dog, etc. And he made a comment on my The Reign of Kindo hoodie, etc, etc.

Anyway, so timing was pretty good as this debut album of his band Words for Penga literally was released like a week or so after I met him. And I have been slowly checking it out and probably more surprisingly, really digging a lot of it (my Minnesota biased could be included, but I really don't think it would matter where they are from actually).

Musically, Words for Penga and this debut album Prose I would describe as progressive metal of a sort. But not like Dream Theater or even that much like Between the Buried and Me who Ben mentioned they either get compared-to or lumped-in with.

I would maybe compare them to East of the Wall (something like The Apologist) and some others. Their lead singer reminds me somewhat of Daron from System of a Down when he's singing clean, although I suppose you could say he has a bit of the Grunge/Post-Grunge style in his voice, but at the same time, I am beginning to appreciate his vocals the more I hear them. And the screams also do work well, and I suppose that is one reason I thought of East of the Wall.

They use saxophone in spots, which while it seems to be becoming more common, still is rare and very much something I enjoy in Metal in the right arrangement. The beginning of the record even on "The Mouth of the Nile" has some among some other moments (I want to say the closing track "Drown" as well "This Was Icarus Drowning"..which might be a reference/reprise per a Concept?).

But I will certainly be taking this in more this year, and maybe add more here or another entry in terms of details (or a Video).

I am enjoying this enough though to maybe regard this as 2015's Brice Plays Drums or RisingSide in that it's another local band doing progressive stuff that I am surprised how good and how much I am enjoying them. And for that matter, where they will go, as this is just their debut record.

I'd love to also see them live, perhaps with another band like The Royal Veil, Nomia, Maeth among other favorites. I wonder if the members and their fans know any of those bands.




1 The Mouth of the Nile 8:11
2 I Cover All 5:55
3 This Was Icarus Drowning 4:41
4 It Was Dark and Then It Isn't 6:26
5 Skinny Bells 9:44
6 Drown 7:15

The Royal Veil: Live From Studio 5 (at KFAI)

This performance/interview was conducted a few weeks ago, but it's only now I'm checking some of it out. However, I haven't listened to all that much of it yet (just the 1st 10 mins of the video), but hopefully time will allow for that soon (along with a few other things just online like The Polyphonic Spree documentary and the latest update from Rob Thomas about the Veronica Mars movie).

But it is cool the radio station I volunteer at (and wish I could more in the last 2 years, but sadly, my time has been compromised per work, gf, and other things unfortunately), had a local band I really like and support included on 1 of their shows.

http://kfai.org/node/39733
Entire (1 Hour?) Show, Perfromance, Interview Stream/Download
http://livefromstudio5.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-royal-veil-on-live-from-studio-5.html

Twin Cities Metal Blog

http://twincitiesmetal.blogspot.com/

At the Between the Buried and Me concert a few weeks ago, I met a guy who like me, keeps a blog about the music he feels deserves some recognition. Music, specifically Metal hence the name. He was kind enough to pass a link and write a little bit about myself on his blog here:

http://twincitiesmetal.blogspot.com/2013/10/all-media-reviews-blog.html

And so I am returning the favor. As his "About" mentions, he used to publish a physical zine that I imagine covered a lot of what this blog of his now does. And it received a fair amount of distribution, being at places like Hot Topic, Virgin Megastores and Tower Records among others I imagine. I suppose I wonder if he was based in another town at 1 point, or like my friend That Drummer Guy, maybe he published and covered a lot of music that wasn't necessarily based in Minnesota. It's just he was, and thus the zine was made here.

But in that sense, I get the sense he can relate to me, unlike many other (music) blog writers in Minnesota, in that he covers a lot (maybe mostly) music/Metal that isn't from here. And the local connections are mostly from THE TOURS that do come to town.

Which is one thing I never got about all-local music radio shows and sites like http://mplsmusic.com at least considering INCLUDING LOCAL EVENTS even if the music is not from artists that are/were from Minnesota. Because for whatever reason, a lot of the best music I and a lot of other folks enjoy, tour here, but aren't from here. But because they at least PLAY LIVE HERE, and in some cases QUITE OFTEN (Fair to Midland for example), they should be regarded as PART OF THE MUSIC EVENTS/SCENE HERE. At least in my mind, and I suspect in the Twin Cities Metal Blog owner's mind.

That's not saying there is not a lot of good local music in Minnesota, including Metal, such as bands like After the Burial, Deretla, Iron Thrones (RIP), The Royal Veil, Maeth, and others. But when referring to the music people are into here, including Metal, it's silly not to also include the live shows/tours and radio shows like The Root of All Evil (and Locust Lecture on Radio K, although that may not be around anymore sadly).

Anyway, it's cool to have met and made a contact with someone else in town blogging about music, and not catering what he includes to be about what's popular or hip, even in Metal circles. That Drummer Guy I'm sure knows him and it would be fun to see them both at some event and talk. Perhaps even on an Epic Rock Talk. Unfortunately, TDG has been battling some medical issues the last couple of months, and his activity and stuff like his radio show and the little podcast we have tried to do, have to likely be put on hold until things come around on his front (and mine in terms of free time I suppose).

But hopefully I'll run into the TC Metal Blog writer at another show or 2, even though my focus doesn't include that much Metal comparably to his or That Drummer Guy. But still enough where I might still see him, or even just be in contact online. I dunno, for even suggested music. I wonder if he's a fan of East of the Wall and heard their new album for example (I will admit, I still have not).

The Royal Veil - King of the Ocean (2013)

8/13/13 9:30AM
edit: the whole album is available to STREAM now above/their bandcamp page and buy/download what you want.

I haven't been able to listen to it in-full, due to some unforeseen circumstances with my gf's mother. It kind of puts things in perspective I guess. But I do think it's great they have made it available for free.

8/10/13 12:19AM
 https://www.facebook.com/theroyalveil

I saw them play this whole thing last night (August 9th, 2013), along with seeing Yes at Mystic Lake Casino in fact.

It slayed. Pretty much ballsy, intricate, dynamic, almost theatrical at-times stuff, that I while I wasn't surprised, still very impressed. They spent a long time making this debut record of theirs, and just guessing here, but I think that extra time, patience and effort may have made this album coming out all the better.

I'll try (of course time permitting) including more details about it soon in here, but I would hardly be surprised if this album is not only among, if not the best album to be released from any Minnesota band in 2013. But I also wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being 1 of my 2013 favorites overall, much like Brice Plays Drums from 2012 , Lehto & Wright in 2010, etc.

But, also it would come as no shock, if it finds only a fraction of the audience it deserves, But, that is what this blog is supposed to be for in some ways (failing, or not at that, lol). If they are my and some others little brilliant secret from Minnesota this year or however long after, it's not the end of the world, as I've seen this pattern far too many times before. It doesn't detract from the actual music and even the band continuing to make more regardless.

Maybe the most jaw-dropping part, seeing this whole album played live, was from "Into the Sun." There's a unison section that is just that, jaw-dropping, among other things.



1. The Waters 2:19
2. The Entity 4:15
3. A Circle of Violence 11:08
4. Wake 1:54
5. Tonic 4:42
6. Into the Sun 7:06
7. Battletoad 9:49
8. Entity ü 2:25

http://theroyalveil.bandcamp.com/

2012 Citypages "Picked to Click" (HAS PROG!!!!)

http://www.citypages.com/2012-10-17/music/picked-to-click-2012/

The winners of the 22nd Picked to Click poll:

1. The Chalice 83 points
2. Pony Trash 78 points
3. John Mark Nelson 71 points
3. Wiping Out Thousands 71 points
5. Heavy Deeds 63 points
6. Actual Wolf 58 points
7. Strange Names 39 points
8. Observer Drift 36 points
9. Prissy Clerks 34 points
10. Audio Perm 32 points

Hey Shittypages, thanks for getting in touch with me again to vote for this poll.

While I don't know any of these bands well, on the surface, I could name at least a few bands who deserve to at least get votes/points if not usurp some of these names. The only noteworthy name on there is Prissy Clerks, and not so much due to my interest in their music, but ex-Total Babe frontwoman Clara Sayler is a founder of that band. And I'm happy to see her at least get some recognition.

But the likes of Brice Plays Drums, The Royal Veil, Mike Linden, There Are No Words, The Bewitched, The Book of Right On, Media Addicts, Lehto & Wright, The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra,  etc ..I wasn't even able to vote. After I wasn't able to  last year as well, I EMAILED Citypages about doing it, and got NOTHING.

I mean maybe every August/September I need to frequent their website looking for Voting Forms? or maybe CALL them, because emailing them sure doesn't seem to work too well.

Hipsters, Blech.

Media Addicts - Autonomy (2012)

9/7/12 1:05AM

Media Addicts on Facebook
CD Baby link for Autonomy: with samples



1 Seven 7:58
2 Pocket Snake 6:37
3 How the World Ends 0:56
4 Whimper 5:56
5 Mr. Nice Guy 6:12
6 Someday We'll Tell It About You 5:57
7 Intuition Pump 7:39
8 Legend 3.0 5:31
9 Old Hat 5:39
10 Zeitgeist 15:15

I want to bump this entry, as I have finally been able to hear this album, since I picked it up a few weeks ago at the CD release show.

It is terrific. Very much, like Elsewhere, the more I play it, the more each track seems better. The closing epic of sorts "Zeitgeist," while seems soft and quiet, has this nice repeated theme, that goes in and out, and then strays only to eventually be reprised in a coda.

I spoke to their saxophone player David Hirsch at that show about this album, and he remarked how it was heavier than Elsewhere, and I might agree to a small extent. Billy Graczyk their guitarist, does use some dark, heavy riffs, that almost border on a Doom Metal-side.

But this band is outstanding using dynamics and crescendos. "Seven," "How the World Ends," "Intuition Pump," etc all include them. And the new version of "Mr. Nice Guy" might be even better than the original from Elsewhere.

I really enjoy their layering, and the busy drum work from Eric Miller. David's sax of course works well as a lead melody and counter melody to Billy's guitar. While bassist Brent Wallace stands out frequently, namely some of his upright bass parts which act as lead-ins or lead parts.

Like most jazz/jazz-related music, they are even better live. But this album is rather mesmerizing at times, so much so, I likely will continue to back a lot before the end of the year.

The cover art even almost reminds me of The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra's All Out of Peaches in a way with a crazy head piece on a body (see here).

What is a bit sad and ironic, is the fact I finally got to see them live after wanting for a couple of years, and their drummer Eric Miller is apparently moving away soon. I'm not sure how that will effect his and the band's future, but in the short term, they may not have many shows to support this album for awhile. It makes me glad I didn't miss that cd release show even more too. Also Eric's a really good drummer, whose very busy and precise (which you kind of have to be to play this kind of music), who I wonder how easy it may be to find someone good enough to fill-in or replace him.


Also, they played a couple of new tunes live that were not on either of their records. 1 being this extremely cool, almost Pink Floyd or Space Rock-like echoing sections from Billy's guitar effects specifically, that had my jaw dropping. I really hope that song gets recorded, as it would be a shame to never get to hear it again.

7/17/12 2:38PM
This is the 2nd full-length record from this Twin Cities-based Jazz-Rock group. I honestly can't trace where I 1st saw their name, but I know I picked up a copy of Elsewhere their 2008 debut record, in June of 2010. I may have even mentioned them in this blog then, but my memory escapes me right now.

As far as Jazz and Jazz-Rock/Jazz-Fusion or even progressive rock-related artists in Minnesota, these guys are definitely in there. Although I'll confess, I haven't grown attached to their debut album, and maybe more importantly, I still have yet to see them live.

But they have a CD-release show scheduled for Friday August 24th at The Artist Quarter in downtown St.Paul. So, hopefully that'll finally give me a chance to see them in person, and pick up a copy of this new album of theirs.

Could this be one of, if not the best local record of 2012? Lehto & Wright, The Bewitched, The Royal Veil, Brice Plays Drums and The Book of Right On of course will likely factor in there, among others. But I'm pretty excited to finally hear this next month.

The Royal Veil - The Royal Veil [2012 EP]

1 False Kings 5:30
2 Why? 5:23
3 Spiraling Lights 5:13
4 Trip* 12:14

Wow, some of this is totally badass. Very riffy, intricate, and not boring or repetitive. But also dark, textured, trippy and sludgey at times.

I've known Steve Bergquist, The Royal Veil's drummer, for a few years now from seeing him at shows. Their bassist Andy Klockow I first met when he played with SOAP to perform the entire Animals record from Pink Floyd live.

I got to see them a few times last year, including at the "Prog Gasm" at the 400 Bar last Spring with some other talented up-and-coming progressive rock bands in Minnesota (Brice Plays Drums namely), and certainly was optimistic about what and when they may release their 1st music, officially anyway.

So, I just purchased and listened to this 4 Track Self-Titled debut EP of theirs. And even just the 1st time hearing it, via my PC here at home, I'm already more impressed than I might have expected.

Comparisons can be made to Pink Floyd and especially The Mars Volta. But also groups like Mastodon or Tool.

I've already heard enough to know I'm going to be playing this EP of theirs a lot this year. I knew they were good, but they just hadn't released anything. Now that they have, they probably go with The Book of Right On, Between Two Skies, Lehto & Wright, Greg Herriges and Brice Plays Drums among my favorite acts, progressive or otherwise in Minnesota.

Hopefully more people will catch on in 2012 as well with this EP and seeing them live.

The Royal Veil's facebook

The Book of Right On - All These Songs About Music (2010)

1 Pinpointing the Exact Moment Hollywood Said Good Enough 5:18
2 Year of the Acronym 4:28
3 Obligatory Jam for the Lady Folk 3:51
4 Manchild at the Helm 4:50
5 Frankly, Ms. Janke 3:07
6 Silk Scarves & White 'Zin 5:04
7 Sense of Entitlement is the New Herpes 6:57

Wow, yet ANOTHER local Minnesota band who are really good, who I just heard about. This band opened for Zebulon Pike on Saturday night at the Triple Rock. There's more to why I even ended up at that show, and ZP themself which hopefully I can share soon in here.

But this band more or less floored me. After their set, I had to pick up both this record on vinyl (+ a download card of course) along with a limited to 100 pressing 7" single of theirs which I have yet to hear actually (no d/l card, although it's supposedly online on 1 of their links to stream).

But referring to this, their debut LP of around 30 minutes, it's pretty much without an uninteresting song. Quite percussive, very organic sounding at times, and many of the songs transition rather well into different sections, including 1 with I think 3-part vocal harmonies. They even use 2 drummers at times, one of them named Kelly, also plays keys and guitar.

The lead vocals are a bit odd, and pretty lyrical in emphasis, but at the same time, the lyrics seem so random and esoteric, they almost sound like they are being used for-how-they-sound (rather than what they mean literally).

I should try reading through them though, as I have yet to do so, and I recall noticing on their myspace blog seeing them posted. And in chatting with their trumpet/sax player, David I think he said his name is, the lyrics are rather significant to what they're doing. Their singer, seems rather opinionated, almost to the point of outspoken-ness, but I think he actually gives them a distinct element that adds a lot to what they are doing. At the show on Saturday, at one point, he was doing a Spoken Word of sorts and ranting pretty good at times. And I guess some of the Hip-Hop fans/community actually digs them, perhaps even just due to that side of the band.

Is there any spoken-word specifically on this album? no, not really. But there certainly are many moments to enjoy. I guess comparing them to other music, stuff like Primus, Battles, or King Crimson makes a little bit of sense, but the melodies, namely from the guitar parts, really adds more to their style.

At times they're atonal or just rythmically driven, but other times the melodic sense shines.

My only really criticism about this album is how short it is. It seems more like an EP being only 7 songs and about half an hour. I guess that's why among other reasons, I am really curious on what they do next. Definitely one of the best new bands, or bands in general, in Minnesota. And one of the best I've found out about for the 1st time in 2011.

Minnesota, land of 10,000 sadly unknown, yet still incredible bands. The Book of Right On being another, and one of the best, which a lot more people would like if they were given the exposure to them. Including the progressive rock scene, as they are most definitely doing (the good kind of) prog. They should get on bills with local bands like Brice Plays Drums, The Royal Veil or even Run at the Dog among a number of others.

The Book of Right On facebook
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