Exposé Online banner

FM — NEARfest 2006
(Esoteric Recordings EANTCD 21038, 2006/2014, CD+DVD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2014-12-31

NEARfest 2006 Cover artThe fans who assembled at NEARfest in 2006 to see this Canadian trio playing one of their several reunions since they called it a day in the late 80s got a blast of the best sounds from their sci-fi progressive heyday from 1977 to 1979. Apparently at the time this performance was in the planning and rehearsal stages neither of the band’s original violinists / mandolinists (Nash the Slash or Ben Mink) could commit to the reunion gig, so original members Cam Hawkins (vocals, keys, bass) and Martin Deller (drums) recruited an outstanding replacement in Claudio Vena, who, at least from this writer’s perspective was the most interesting character on the stage that night, playing viola along with a solid body 8-string mando, as well as composing the smoking opening instrumental “Planet Vega.” Master of the drum kit Deller and jack-of-all-trades Hawkins were in great form, just like it was 1977 again, Hawkins’ voice sounding even better than it did on live tapes I’ve heard from back in the day. The CD and DVD contain exactly the same material with the exception of some between-song banter that was omitted from the 79 minute CD. Most of the material from their debut Black Noise is featured here, as well as three songs from Surveillance (including an extended version of the instrumental “Sofa Back”), and one cut (“Surface to Air”) from City of Fear as the encore. Besides Vena’s opening instrumental, another new twelve-minute piece “Trial by Fire,” composed by Hawkins, was introduced late in the set just before the launch into “Black Noise.” It’s hard to imagine why this set took eight long years to release, especially given that it’s such an excellent recording, but here it is finally, and well worth the wait.

Filed under: Archives, 2014 releases, 2006 recordings

Related artist(s): FM

Latest news

2019-06-05
Legendary Co-Founder of The 13th Floor Elevators Passes Away at Age 71 – Sadly, Roky Erickson passed away on May 31, 2019. Known as the father of psychedelic music and co-founder of the ground breaking 13th Floor Elevators, Roky had a profound influence on music from the 60s to today. Plagued by his own personal demons, Roky had a difficult life and is now free of these burdens. » Read more

2019-04-24
Help MoonJune Bring Great Music to Life – Like many music lovers around the world, we’ve been thrilled and amazed to hear the recordings that have been released by MoonJune from sessions at La Casa Murada in Spain. Such label stalwarts as Mark Wingfield, Markus Reuter, Asaf Sirkis, Tony Levin, Dusan Jevtovic, Vasil Hadzimanov, and many more have gathered in various combinations at the studio to produce some of the most creative music in recent years. Now, label head Leonardo Pavkovic is offering a compilation, La Casa Murada - MoonJune Sessions, Volume One, as a fundraiser for upcoming sessions. » Read more

2019-04-10
The Pineapple Thief to Tour North America – November and December of 2019 will see The Pineapple Thief bringing their music to Canada, Mexico, and the US, and famed drummer Gavin Harrison will be on board. The band has been touring extensively in Europe, but North America will be new territory for them. » Read more

2019-03-25
Scott Walker RIP – Noel Scott Engel, better known as Scott Walker, was one of the most intriguing and enigmatic musical figures in the second half of the 20th Century. His strange career started with The Walker Brothers, an American pop group that featured no one named Walker and no brothers. After moving to England in 1965, they had a series of hit singles. Scott's solo work started with Scott in 1967. Starting in the 80s, his work took an increasingly avant-garde turn. » Read more

2019-03-20
Freedom to Spend Unearths June Chikuma's Archives – Jun (June) Chikuma is well known for her video game and anime soundtracks, but she also released an album of experimental electronic music back in 1986 called Divertimento where she indulged the kind of spontaneity that wouldn't work in a soundtrack. RVNG Int'l label Freedom to Spend is bringing this overlooked item to broader attention with a deluxe reissue. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

Kaipa - Angling Feelings – What is Roine Stolt doing? First he leaves The Tangent and now he's flown the coop from Kaipa, a band he helped form in 1975. I can only guess he's focusing his efforts on getting Flower Kings...  (2008) » Read more

Random review

Listen & discover

Seaprog 2013 video from Alex's Hand

More recommendations
The Seventeenth Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival 2019

Print issues