Progressive Palaver

Episode 152 – Styx & Kansas Part 5, 1978 – Pieces of Eight The year 1978 brings us just one offering from Styx, Pieces of Eight. This album was well known for it’s monster single Renegade (go Tommy Shaw!!), but the conversation gets a lot deeper. In this episode, the group sifts through often contradictory views of this offering. There should be something for everyone here. X (formerly Twitter): @...

Episode 151 – Styx & Kansas Part 4, 1977 – The Grand Illusion and Point of Know Return The year of 1977 is a huge one in the Styx / Kansas timeline. Point of Know Return is the album that sent Kansas into the stratosphere. With the title track and the timeless Dust In the Wind, Point of Know Return is truly a classic album that you should listen to before you die. The Grand Illusion shows Styx as...

SCS33 – King’s X in Houston, May 2023 Joe gets a chance to share his experience seeing King’s X for a second time as they toured to promote Three Sides of One. This show was in Houston in the spring of 2023. From the venue and the opening acts, it was a show to remember. Watching from the pit, Joe got to experience the full glory of King’s X as they tore through their standard set. Luckily the sou...

Special Episode – Interview with Brian Heaton and Brian Naron on Roads to Madness Progressive Palaver are thrilled to welcome back authors Brian Heaton and Brian Naron to discuss their new book Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensrÿche (1981 – 1997). Following on the heels of their first book Building an Empire, Roads provides a comprehensive look at all the tours for the original band...

Episode 150 – Styx & Kansas Part 3, 1976 – Crystal Ball and Leftoverture In this episode, the group covers 1976 in the combo Styx / Kansas timeline. Crystal Ball sees the introduction of Tommy Shaw to the Styx lineup. Some of the results are immediately remarkable and some of the results are as uneven as the rest of the catalog to this point. Crystal Ball shows a band that is still working to perf...

Episode 149 – Styx & Kansas Part 2, 1975 – Song for America, Masque, and Equinox In this episode, the group covers 1975 in our combined Kansas and Styx timeline with three strong albums. Song for America, the sophomore effort from Kansas, shows a band that is racing ahead in their development behind the strength of the title track and Lamplight Symphony. Masque, Kansas’ third record later that yea...

Episode 148 – Styx - Kansas Part 1, Preamble and 1972 to 1974 In the start of our new combined segment on Styx and Kansas, we explore how we all got into these bands. Our plan is to cover these bands on a year by year basis, to the extent we are able. Family stories abound as we discuss our earliest experiences with these two American stalwarts. We then continue on to a brief, unfocused discussion...

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...

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 discussi...

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 give...

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...

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...

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...

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 K...

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 wh...

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 Pala...

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/ch...

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...

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 perfec...

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...

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...

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...

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 deme...

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...

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...