Storybook Farm
Chatham County (Chapel Hill), NC
Sunday, August 31, 2008
General Admission
The first day of ProgDay this year had been alright, you know, it was good to see everyone and be at Storybook Farm again, none of the bands really excited me live. Day 2 however, was one of my all-time favorite festival days.
The day started out well. It was Roy's and my sixth anniversary. We actually got married at ProgDay in 2002, so our anniversary falls on or near the festival. People come up to us all weekend to wish us a happy anniversary. It's sweet. Anyway, we went to Foster's Market for a nice breakfast and then we drove down to Storybook Farm.
We set our chairs up in the second row of people. We were in the sun at first, but after noon, the sun shifted and we'd be in the shade for most of the day. This day's lineup was different than usual. There were five bands playing, and some bands were playing very short sets - less than an hour.
The first band, Cheer Accident, was great for a festival. They had so many different sounds, from more traditional songs to noise, that never got same-y sounding. They were interesting to watch too, with a lot of visual elements too. At one point a band member who wasn't playing on a particular song did a goofy dance on stage to the music. They looked like they were having fun, and they kept my interest the whole time. At first, I was worried the morning ProgDay crowd was too sedate for them. Then at the end of one song, they stopped playing but one note still lingered on. After the note died down, we all applauded. I hoped they could tell that we were really *listening*.
The next band Pinnacle, I didn't know anything about. They were one of the bands with a 45 minute slot. They were one of the big surprises of the festival for me. Nothing hugely special, but they were a power trio with vocals and harmonies. The bass player played upfront melodic lines, and that reminded me of Yes. I like things that remind me of Yes. They played with a lot of enthusiasm. It was a nice change of pace from some of the heavier or more experimental bands. I'm sure the short set helped, because I never felt like they wore out their welcome. They got to do an encore, and it was a cover of Peter Gabriel's Here Comes the Flood.
I grabbed lunch after Pinnacle's set. The next band was Canvas Solaris, a prog metal band. This type of music normally leaves me cold, but their MP3 samples showed some dynamics to their sound. I was sitting under the pavilion chatting with Richard and Mike, and they both left to watch the band, so I did too. This was the one band that day that didn't too much for me. The band's speed and heaviness just made it easier for me to zone out. I think I sat there by the stage for their entire set, but I wasn't really paying attention. Their set was also just 45 minutes, at their request. I heard different stories, that that's all the music they had prepared or that they notice the audience starting to zone out around then.
The next band was one I was really looking forward to, Mirthandir. I should explain that when I started going to festivals, Roy would buy CDs from all the bands' playing and I'd listen to those. Now, I'm not keeping up with the scene and I've gotten lazy. I might not even listen to MP3 samples beforehand, but Roy knows my tastes. If he tells me he thinks I'll like a particular band, he's usually right. Mirthrandir was a real 1970s symphonic progressive rock band that recorded an album that Roy considers a lost classic. He also said they'd remind me of Yes. That's always a good thing. Just before they started, it started to ever so lightly rain. I went to the car and got my raincoat this time.
I thought Mirthrandir were great. The thing that reminded me of Yes was their rhythms. Too many American bands seem to use a regular blues based backing to their music, but Mirthrandir's rhythms just skipped along. I'll mercilessly tease bands if I think they're influenced too much by Yes (like, when I can recognize what song they're trying to copy) but little parts like what Mirthrandir did made me happy. I thought they were a band that could have had a hit like Roundabout - something that found a mass audience but still was true to their sound. We recognized one guy in the band as having played ProgDay last year with the band Advent.
And then, here comes the flood. About halfway through their set, it started to rain. I have this cute little rainhat with a brim to keep water off my face and glasses. I use that at outdoor concerts. I put it on and my raincoat as well. Like the day before, most people moved undercover, either back to their tents or to the pavilion. Roadies covered the speakers and monitors with tarps. Sitting out there, you almost don't notice how much heavier the rain is getting. It wasn't until I looked through the stage to the back side of it and saw the rain coming down hard there.
There were only about six people left sitting in the audience in front of the band. The atmosphere got this epic quality to it, as if we were die-hard fans willing to whatever it takes for this band. And the band too, for playing through the distractions of the audience running to take shelter and the roadies moving around on stage. It was a special moment and it elevated the excitement level of sitting there and getting soaked.
Here's a picture that Debbie Sears took of the band. You almost can't see me. I'm wearing a black raincoat, sitting in a pink chair on the left. Roy's next to me with his umbrella up. Just this little group of people staying close by the stage.
During one song, we heard some thunder. Now a rainstorm, ProgDay can handle, but you don't want to play around with lightning. One of the stagehands came out and had the band stop in the middle of a song. Quite a few people bring their laptops to ProgDay and blog throughout the day. They asked if someone could check the weather reports to see if a thunderstorm was moving in. It looked like we were safe, so Mirthrandir continued. They picked up their song right where they had to stop it before.
After their performance, I went to the pavilion to get out of the rain. Bought a snack to tide me over to dinner. One thing I didn't do was move my chair out of the rain, or at least turn it over. A big pool of water was in my seat. Even though the rain eventually stopped and I tried to dry it off first, I got soaked all the way through.
The final band was Secret Oyster, another band from the 1970s that broke up a long time ago and recently reunited. They were a jazz fusion band, and were even on a major record label. The experience showed. Their polish, stage presence, presentation of music, it was all miles ahead of any other band at the festival this year. But it was fun and sincere too and the music was just wonderful. It was one of the strongest performances at a festival that I've seen. They actually go called back fo a second encore - some of the band members had already wandered away from the stage and had to come back to play some more.
I think I'm going to call Mirthrandir my favorite band at the festival this year, and Secret Oyster second. The festival ended with Steve Sly, the organizer, coming up and giving credits to all the volunteers who made ProgDay happen this year. Then, at the very end, Geoff Lodgson, one of the stagehands, came to the microphone to wish Roy and me a happy anniversary. A group of people behind us applauded. I'm not even sure who they all were, but it's so nice to be a part of this community.
I never really want the festival to end. After the show, Gerhard came over. He wanted to introduce us to his new girlfriend. A group of us stayed around and chatted for over an hour. We ended up not going out to dinner with anyone else, but Roy pointed out later that this was very similar. A group of friends catching up with a low key conversation. It's just what we would be doing waiting for the food to come. It's just nice to have this time together.
Roy and I went back to the hotel. By this point, we both wanted dinner quickly. There's an Outback in the hotel parking lot, so that was it. Roy got there first, in case there was a wait, and I went to the hotel room to put on some warm dry clothing. There's a big party by the hotel pool every year. I'm not much of a party person, but we checked in when we got back from dinner. It was still small and low-key and we knew everyone, so we hung out a while and talked. Once more people came, between the smoke and too many conversations going on at once, we said our goodbyes and went up to our room. That was the end of another fun ProgDay.
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