Phil Lively

Big Big Train – Folklore

Bands like Crimson and Van der Graaf Genesis were the past for me. I was now living under a rock. An Industrial Rock – not a Prog Rock (I know where my coat is. I’ll get it later…). I’d get…

Gandalf’s Fist – The Clockwork Fable

Gandalf’s Fist… …Gandalf’s…Fist. Hmmmm. Right, let’s get something out of the way. Surgens is a rose by any other name. You probably have to be as mashed as they were when they came up with their name to get the…

Stick Men feat. David Cross – Midori: Live In Tokyo 2015

So who are Stick Men? They are the latest incarnation of one of Tony Levin’s personal band projects. Tony Levin should need no introduction. The original line-up of Stick Men appeared in 2007 and included Pat Mastelotto (who had hits…

GEPH – GEPH

Everything is all Sticky lately. Tapping strings as a technique isn’t new, it is no longer just associated with the Chapman Stick either. But tapping has inspired a new generation of musical intruments and a couple of new generations of…

Pavlov3 – Curvature-Induced Symmetry…Breaking EP

I may be in danger of becoming The Progressive Aspect’s default Chapman Stick Artist Reviewer. Personally I think that is possibly one of the coolest titles out there and that’s good because here’s another review of a “tapper”, and there’s…

Isaac Vacuum – Isaac Vacuum EP

I’m listening to Isaac Vacuum’s eponymously entitled EP. Based in Krefeld, Germany, Isaac Vacuum describe themselves as Post Rock. I’m not sure what that is, but they manage to put together something that sounds as menacing as your yardstick for…

N.y.X – The News

Bad Elephant Music have fresh act with a new release, and what a signing this is! Martin Hutchinson (Head of Sales, Marketing and PR for Bad Elephant) says of the album: “It isn’t for the faint hearted but (it’s) bloody…

Rhys Marsh – The Black Sun Shining

Without wishing to cover old ground and to answer the question “who is Rhys Marsh”, I’d recommend reading my reviews of the beautifully realised Heartbreak In ((Stereo)) album by Mollmaskin, and also Rhys’s prior solo album, Sentiment. I really was…

Dean Pascarella – Running With Scissors

With a talent for producing catchy melodies, Dean Pascarella, from Long Island, New York, is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and he has a penchant for unusual instruments. Despite having a background in guitar, Dean uses the Chapman Stick as the foundation…

Simon Godfrey – Black Bag Archive (Volume 1)

British musician Simon Godfrey is responsible for a lot of things. But there simply isn’t enough evidence. He also does quite a lot of music. He lives in Philadelphia, in the United States. When resident in the UK he was…

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Author: Phil Lively