It was a crisp, yet somewhat mild January night as a sizable and attentive crowd made their way to JD's Macomb Theater, just outside of Detroit, for the fourth annual Motor City Progshow.
On hand were three of the Midwest's premier progressive outfits: House of Usher, Discipline and Tiles. Each have fresh releases to promote so the proceedings took on a celebratory atmosphere.
Beginning promptly at 8:30 pm, House of Usher graced the vast and ornate theater with their unique brand of symphonic-based rock. Of course, "rock" is a rather loose description when you consider the plethora of elements and influences that comprise their music.
Following a short instrumental introduction led by keyboardist Richard Kaczynski, they segued into "Faith," which coincidentally is also the lead track off their new album, Body of Mind. Charismatic vocalist Aaron delved into the song's bittersweet lyrics of lost love with conviction and sincerity. Bassist Mark Jardine and drummer Mark Evans maintained a soft, flowing groove underneath.
"Don't Remind Me" began with power and thunderous asymmetrical beats which were matched effectively by the guitar and keyboards. Brought down to barely a whisper, Aaron's clear, operatic styled vocals provided a rich sense of drama to the material. Guitarist Michael Moore truly shined on this tune with his beautifully sustained lead and melody lines.
A nice departure was the 'Flight of the Bumblebee/Boogie Woogie' break between Kaczynski and Evans. It was highly entertaining, pleasantly surprising and a sweet homage to ELP.
Other standouts in their set included the Latin-tinged "Body of Mine," featuring Wes Montgomery-type soloing from Moore and Wakeman-Emersonian virtuosity from Kaczynski; the emotional waltz-like "Father Me," and some stunning solo semi-classical performance was captivating and, for that brief hour, transported you to a very serene and alternate place...
All in all it was a momentous evening, and this Detroit crowd roared favorably with approval! -Eric Harabadian