SCS32 – King’s X in Dallas, November 2022 Back at Thanksgiving of 2022, Joe and Sarah had the opportunity to see King’s X in Dallas. This was Joe’s first show with the band in a very long time and Sarah’s first show ever. A cold and rainy night combined with terrible club sound couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm. Both King’s X and the opening band, Bezel, provided some fantastic memories. X: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_...
Mar 05, 2024•56 min
Episode 147 – Whitesnake Part 1, Whitesnake (87) We know! We know! Whitesnake is decidedly NOT progressive rock, but the lure was too great. Take a carefree trip back to the kooky times of 1987 with us as we relive our high school times. This is an album that is remarkable for many reasons (production, lineup drama, old song reinterpretations) and we have no regrets for spending some time discussing it. Tease your hair a bit and enjoy this look at a landmark album from another genre. X (formerly...
Mar 01, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Special Episode – Interview with Mark Anthony K of Projekt Gemineye – Feb 2024 For this special episode, we get to catch up with our friend Mark Anthony K (Projekt Gemineye, The Dark Monarchy, The Yes Music Podcast, and Kiss FAQ) to discuss the latest Projekt Gemineye release What’s On Your Mind?. Mark provides his usual fascinating level of detail behind his writing and recording process and gives us all insights into the songs on this latest release. Of course, we have to delve into a wide ran...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 22 min
SCS31 – The Cure in Philadelphia, June 2023 The Palaver takes a side trip off the prog road to consider Ken’s experience seeing The Cure in Philadelphia. One of the most anticipated tours of 2023, The Cure delivered a show worthy of the hype. Ken is able to share his thoughts on many aspects of the show including the band, sound, and the state of the band’s gear. While many wish they had seen this band, we are thrilled that one of our own had the chance. X: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Fa...
Feb 26, 2024•49 min
Bonus Episode – Ranking the Albums from Episode 139 Through 146 Everyone knows that we here at the Palaver love to rank things. It seemed obvious then to rank the albums in our most recent “Less Old” segment. How does one compare recent releases from the likes of Yes and Marillion to those from Tears For Fears and Porcupine Tree? Where does King’s X fit into the conversation? We think this ranking episode is surprising in several ways with some pretty different opinions about records in some are...
Feb 23, 2024•1 hr 12 min
SCS30 – Seal and The Buggles in Houston, April 2023 On a trip to Texas, Paul and Ken had to opportunity to catch a concert of Seal with The Buggles opening. Falling squarely in the prog-not-prog category, this show provided ample opportunity to the group to appreciate top-tier songs and musicianship. From the dual role of the Buggles band through the staying power of Seal’s voice, this concert was definitely one to experience. Paul and Ken even had time to check out the Rothko chapel (famous for...
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Episode 146 – Sound of Contact Part 1, Dimensionaut The Palaver finally gets to discuss an album that has changed our views of the world. Sound of Contact are deep in Palaver lore even if we didn’t know it at the time. We “discovered” this album long after SoC had gone their separate ways, but the impact is not in the least diminished. The quartet of Simon Collins, Dave Kerzner, Matt Dorsey, and Kelly Nordstrom were able to construct one of the all-time strongest prog albums. With deep songwriti...
Feb 16, 2024•1 hr 51 min
Episode 145 – Tears For Fears Part 1, The Tipping Point The group goes to the edge of prog-not prog for their first episode on Tears for Fears. A sublime album that was 18 years in the making. The group marvels in all aspects of this recording, amazed that such a gem exists. The Tipping Point find Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith in a fertile collaborative zone creating meaningful and catchy songs while wrapping them in almost perfect production. The Palaver finds so many things to gush about in th...
Feb 09, 2024•1 hr 32 min
SCS29 – Porcupine Tree, Philadelphia & Dallas, September 2022 The group relives some of the highlights of seeing Porcupine Tree on the Closure/Continuation tour in the fall of 2022. Ken saw the show in Philly and Joe saw it in Dallas. The C/C tour was a sheer powerhouse of sound and sight. Excellent stage production and the addition of Randy McStine really pushed these shows over the top. The Palaver stands in awe of Porcupine Tree and this tour. X: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebo...
Nov 26, 2023•1 hr 15 min
ProgStock 2023 Part 5 – ProgStock The group relives their experiences at ProgStock 2023. Rutherford NJ seemed to be an inspired choice of venue. We cover all the highlights that we saw throughout the weekend. A huge shoutout to Tom and Ann and the whole ProgStock crew. It was a marvelous weekend! X: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt
Nov 10, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Episode 144 – Porcupine Tree Part 1, Closure/Continuation Despite the Palaver’s general love affair with Steven Wilson, we have never officially covered a Porcupine Tree album. This segment on (relatively) newer records opens the door for us to correct that. Closure/Continuation is a monumental album from a talented group of musicians that manifest music that is greater than the sum of their parts. To cut to the chase, we find C/C to be a great album. This episode is related (in a way) to SCS29,...
Oct 20, 2023•1 hr 28 min
SCS28 – Yes in Lititz PA, 2023 In this Special Concert Series episode of Progressive Palaver Paul and Ken share their experiences seeing Yes in the dress rehearsal for their The Classic Tales of Yes Tour. The show was, as usual, performed at Mickey’s Black Box in Lititz, PA. Friend of the Palaver Ken Fuller has previously described the experience at MBB and Paul and Ken’s descriptions match perfectly. This show seems to find Yes in a more comfortable, dare I say stable, place as the settle into ...
Oct 15, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Episode 143 – King’s X, Three Sides of One It was 14 long years between King’s X albums. That amount of time can create several different outcomes. We here at the Palaver were eagerly awaiting 2022’s Three Sides of One. We were not disappointed. Three Sides finds King’s X in an excellent creative and expressive place resulting in a truly delightful album. Songwriting, tone, and delivery are all on this excellent outing from one of our favorite bands. Having seen the band several times in support...
Oct 11, 2023•1 hr 24 min
SCS27 – Kansas, Nashville TN with Len and Dave Boclair Joe’s brothers Len and Dave join the show for an all-Boclair palaver! A rare face-to-face discussion in Nashville a day after Len and Dave saw Kansas at the Ryman Auditorium on their 50th Anniversary tour. Kansas has been a shared understanding amongst these brothers for nearly 35 years and it was nice to share the experience with our audience. We cover the usual special concert series topics including the venue, the band members, and the se...
Oct 02, 2023•33 min
Special Episode – ProgStock 2023 Part 4, Matt Dorsey In our final installment of pre-ProgStock 2023 episodes, we have the chance to catch up with friend of the Palaver Matt Dorsey. We have a great conversation with Matt about the upcoming ProgStock including his own set and working with Dave Kerzner including the Sound of Contact special. Matt is, as always, very gracious and informative about his upcoming plans (new music soon?), some historical perspective on Sound of Contact, and how his Prog...
Sep 30, 2023•46 min
Special Episode – ProgStock 2023 Part 3, Tom Palmieri and Ann Rinaldi In part 3 of our special ProgStock 2023 series, we manage to score some time with the duo responsible for all the wonderfulness that is ProgStock - Tom and Ann! They are able to provide their usual delightful level of insight into what it takes to make a prog rock festival happen. How they are able to maintain such pleasant demeanors while doing what they do is a mystery, but they manage admirably. Tom and Ann let us in on how...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 34 min
Special Episode – Progstock 2023 Part 2, Joe Deninzon of Kansas In this special episode, part 2 of our Progstock 2023 series, the group gets to meet Stratospheerius and new member of Kansas Joe Deninzon in anticipation of his performance at Progstock 2023 with the Dave Kerzner Band. Joe proves to be a thoughtful musician with a lot to say on his own works as well as Kansas and other projects he’s been in. We have a great time discussing classis distortion pedals and Joe’s reputation as the “Jimi...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr
Special Episode – Progstock 2023 Part 1, Dave Kerzner In this special episode, the group gets to catch up with Friend of the Palaver Dave Kerzner in anticipation of his performance at Progstock 2023. Dave is his usual forthright self, letting us in on some of his myriad projects. We talk about the series of albums he is planning as well as plans with Sound of Contact bandmate Matt Dorsey and even an upcoming tour with Genetics! Dave dives deep into his thoughts about a host of subjects. Buckle u...
Aug 13, 2023•1 hr 33 min
Episode 142 – Marillion Part 15, An Hour Before It’s Dark Regardless of what season it is, Marillion’s An Hour Before It’s Dark is a powerful experience. As the Palaver considers this collection of songs born of the pandemic, we struggle with where to put the meaning. Hogarth and company provide us a rich tapestry to consider. From the power of the opening of the album to the sometimes-confounding Sierra Leone, AHBID offers us much to enjoy and contemplate. While the Palaver’s opinions of this r...
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 42 min
Bonus Episode – Foundation Season 2 Preview SPOILER ALERT – This episode contains spoilers for Foundation season 1 and all of Asimov’s published Foundation novels. On the eve of the second season, Joe and Sarah revisit the world of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation to celebrate the return of the Apple TV series. Our season 1 recap episode had some knowledge gaps that we have since closed. Armed with more knowledge, we wanted to take a fresh look at what the first season of the Apple TV adaptation tells ...
Jul 11, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Episode 141 – Steven Wilson Part 5, The Future Bites Another pandemic-impacted album with Steven Wilson’s The Future Bites. The group has an enjoyable time exploring Steven’s commentaries on modern life, presented over a more sparse and electronic musical bed. We continually play “spot the influence” and “what is the message” with this fantastic collection of songs. There is a wide range of opinions on this album that reflect what a deep and meaningful texture it is. Twitter: @progpala Facebook:...
Jul 08, 2023•2 hr 1 min
Episode 140 – Yes Part 22, The Quest The Palaver returns to the glory days of the pandemic to discuss The Quest from Yes. Other things kept some members away, so Paul and Joe take a stab at this record. While many have praised this record, we at the Palaver had a somewhat difficult experience. There are obviously some shining moments here, but we also find some aspects not to our liking. Regardless, a Yes record of any variety if better than most. We are curious to hear your thoughts on this one...
Jul 01, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Special Episode – Interview with Kevin Mulryne, Author of Yes - The Tormato Story In this special episode we have the chance to speak with friend of the Palaver, host of The Yes Music Podcast, and now published author. Kevin provides us some insight into his new book, Yes - The Tormato Story. We go into all the usual Palaver corners covering his motivations for writing this particular book, his methods of research, and things that he learned along the way. Kevin’s answers are, as expected, illum...
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Episode 139 – Yes Part 21, From a Page The group returns to the late-model Yes catalog with From a Page. This release is a very welcome look back at the lineup-that-never-really-was. These tracks which were ultimately put aside for the sweeping (and wonderful) Fly From Here give us a glimpse of what the Oliver Wakeman, David, Howe, White, Squire configuration could have been. These tracks retain the hallmarks of Yes while showcasing a bit of Benoit David’s range and demonstrating that Oliver has...
May 25, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Special Episode – Interview with Matt Dorsey, April 2023 In this special episode we have the opportunity to learn more about Matt Dorsey (former Sound of Contact, Progjekt, and others) and his first solo release, Let Go. We greatly enjoyed getting to know Matt, hearing about his process and inspiration for his songs. He was kind to share some of his journey that led to this brightest of solo debuts. There is a comfortable feel to this discussion and we hope you enjoy it as much as we all did. Tw...
May 19, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Episode 138 – Yes Part 20, Awaken On the heels of our episode ranking Yes epic songs, we thought we would take some time to dive deeper into (perhaps) our favorite Yes epic, Awaken. We considered five different versions spanning some 40 years. While there are many more that we could have ranked (and that we listened to), we focused on the original studio recording and the live versions from the Union, House of Yes, ARW, and Yes50 tours. These different versions each provide their own charms and ...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 34 min
SCS26 – Yes Close to the Edge 50, October 2022 with Ken Fuller Friend of the Palaver Ken Fuller shares his experiences attending a rehearsal by Yes for their 50th anniversary tour of the Close to the Edge album. The rehearsal took place at Mickey’s Black Box in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Ken F enjoyed the drive out to Amish country and scored himself some first row seats in front of Billy Sherwood. In his usual style and detail, Ken F provides the Palaver with insight and memories of a full-on show, ...
May 03, 2023•51 min
Episode 137 – Queensryche Part 12, Best of the Rest The group finishes out (we think) our Queensryche segment with this free-flowing episode where we explore the band’s general catalog post Promised Land. There is no format and each Palaver member brings up the things that caught their attention from Queensryche and related projects. Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music prov...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Bonus Episode – Marillion Weekend Musings As Joe prepares himself to attend the 2023 Marillion weekend in Montreal, he is deeply immersed in the band’s music and has some thoughts to share. From past Marillion weekend experiences to the size and care of the Marillion catalog, this is just a fun, short collection of thoughts on various topics. Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme m...
Apr 27, 2023•27 min
Episode 136 – Queensryche Part 11, Take Cover Given how Progressive Palaver has chosen to review Queensryche, it may seem surprising for them to tackle a late-model covers album like Take Cover. This episode actually came about because Ken and Joe wanted to fill a hole in the recording schedule. The original plan was to review Take Cover and then review some of the information that is available around the exit of Geoff From the band. In the end, we spent more time talking about the music and les...
Apr 23, 2023•1 hr 13 min
