PROG DAY LINEUP DEUS EX MACHINA BENT KNEE
Cuneiform Artist
DEUS EX MACHINA
Performing at ProgDay 2016 on 9/3/16
ProgDay headliners Deus Ex Machina are one of the most renowned bands on the international progressive rock scene, acclaimed for their high-energy live performances, astounding vocals & musicianship, and use of Latin in addition to native Italian lyrics. This legendary Italian group has not appeared in North America since its performance at Cuneiform Records' Label Spotlight, held June 26, 2001 in NYC at the Knitting Factory (Leonard St.), the turn-of-the-century epicenter for avant music in the US. Since then, Deus Ex Machina has performed on the European continent. Their ProgDay 2016 performance, celebrating their first album in 8 years and first U.S. appearance in 15, promises to be one of the top progressive rock concerts on any continent for the year 2016!
“…one of the most extraordinary bands in the entire music universe.” -All Music Guide
Deus Ex Machina formed in the late 1980s, when it hit the ground running by staging an ambitious rock opera. Garnering critical praise, the opera was recorded and released in 1991 as the album Gallium Cœli.
In the final decade of the 20th century, prior to signing with Cuneiform, Deus Ex Machina released three additional studio albums – 1992’s Deus Ex Machina, 1995’s De Republica and 1998’s Equilibrium da Insofferenza – along with two live albums: 1996’s Diachronia Metronomiche and 1997’s vinyl-only Non Est Ars Quae ad Effectum Casus Venit – all on the Italian Kaliphonia imprint. But it was upon joining the Cuneiform roster in 2002 with the release of Cinque – widely considered to be amongst the group’s best work – that Deus Ex Machina began to garner broader international praise.
Of Cinque, AllMusicGuide writes, “This remains pure Deus Ex Machina: lyrical, provoking, and genre-pushing.” In 2008, the band released a CD/DVD on Cuneiform, called Imparis. Exposé describes Imparis as, “Driving, aggressive fusion mixed with wickedly complex rhythms, hints of RIO/avant-garde sounds, and Alberto Piras’ unbelievable vocal skills,” while All About Jazz enthuses that, “what’s best about Imparis is the opportunity to follow Deus Ex Machina from its prog-metal beginnings to the more sophisticated group it is today. Everyone in DEM is a virtuoso.”
Following an eight-year absence, the Italian rock/progressive group has burst back onto the international scene with Devoto, its 8th album and first release since Imparis. Blazing into contemporary forcus with Devoto, Deus Ex Machina is poised to transcend the accomplishments of its past. In Devoto, this phenomenal band sharpens its musical focus and expands its conceptual depth to create a release that is nuclear in its power and universal in its spiritual, emotional, and musical appeal.
Deus Ex Machina's live shows are legendary; their incendiary 1996 ProgDay performance was a highlight in the history of the festival. Their ProgDay 2016 appearance promises to be equally memorable. Deus Ex Machina are also celebrating the release of Devoto with shows on the European concert and festival circuit, and are available for booking worldwide.
Deus Ex Machina is Alberto Piras (vocals), Mauro Collina (guitar), Luigi Ricciardiello (keyboards), Allessandro Poreca (bass), Alessandro Bonetti (violin), and Claudio Trotta (drums.)
Deus Ex Machina
Devoto
[In CD or Digital]
"Figli (Sons)"
Purchase @:
Deus Ex Machina's Previous Recordings on Cuneiform Records:
Deus Ex Machina
Imparis
[In CD/DVD Set or Digital]
"Il Testamento Dell'Uomo Saggio"
Purchase @:
Deus Ex Machina
Cinque
[In Digital]
"De Ordinis Ratione"
Purchase @:
[Listen to Deus Ex Machina's "Figli (Sons)" HERE]
[Watch Deus Ex Machina's "Coro" Live HERE]
Cuneiform Artist
Bent Knee
Performing at ProgDay 2016 on 9/4/16
“Across the span of its three full-length discs, the silo-smashing, Boston-based sextet taps into cabaret, ‘70s piano-based folk, chamber pop, industrial rock, metal and prog rock – with the snap of funk and hip-hop in some of its rhythms. Featuring the versatile, ever-appealing voice of Courtney Swain on top, Bent Knee’s unique mix is equal parts ingenuity and deliciousness…” – Wall Street Journal
Bent Knee is a band without frontiers. The Boston-based group seamlessly connects the worlds of rock, pop and the avant-garde into its own self-defining statement. On its Cuneiform debut release Say So, the band focuses on the sound of surprise. It’s rock for the thinking person. The group’s lyrics are dark and infused with themes focusing on the emergence of personal demons, unwanted situations and the difficulty of conquering them. Its mercurial sound matches its subject matter. It’s a thrilling aural roller-coaster ride with arrangements designed to make listeners throw their arms up in wild abandon as they engage with them.
“Say So resoundingly demonstrates the increasing refinement and confidence of a group that doesn’t quite fit any conventional pigeonhole, with emphatic crunch, a knack for complexity, mixed with lively wit,” said Steve Smith of The Boston Globe. “Live, the band projects visceral glee, exactingly harmonized and wholly infectious.”
Founded in 2009, Bent Knee is a true collective. The band operates as a democratic entity with sky-high standards and a determination to push boundaries. Frontwoman and keyboardist Courtney Swain’s acrobatic, multi-octave vocals are nothing less than extraordinary. Guitarist Ben Levin morphs between the hauntingly melodic and extreme, dissonant sonics – sometimes within a single verse or passage. Bassist Jessica Kion and drummer Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth deliver deep and thunderous grooves, full of engaging, intriguing ornamentation. Violinist Chris Baum’s driving melodic overlays and atmospheres further take the band’s sound into wild territory. And all of it is brilliantly processed and produced by sound designer Vince Welch.
“What Bent Knee does is fuse the most extreme ends of pop and avant-garde music together,” says Welch. “We feel those things aren’t nearly as mutually exclusive as most people think.”
One of the elements that significantly distinguishes Bent Knee is its adventurous arrangements. Each track is a true journey. In fact, pieces like “Eve” and “Counselor” are so diverse they reflect an almost “songs-within-a-song” approach.
“We try not to repeat ourselves within our structures,” says Kion. “It we find we’re creating a pattern such as ramping into a loud section and landing in a soft section right after it twice in a row, we’ll break it as soon as we notice it. We don’t want to bore ourselves. We also want to surprise and intrigue listeners. We’re always trying to do new things…”
And intriguing they are. Bent Knee has journeyed through adventurous music-making in order to arrive at Say So, that journey bringing them into Cuneiform’s orbit – a transition the band is thrilled with on every level.
“It means a lot for us to be on Cuneiform because of the incredibly high standards of the other artists on the roster,” says Levin. “It’s a world where music is treated as art. Working with Cuneiform means we can make the music we love and connect with a lot of like-minded listeners. It’s fantastic to be in such great company, both in terms of the musicians they work with, as well as the uncompromising vision the label adheres to.”
Bent Knee's New Recording on Cuneiform Records:
Bent Knee
Say So
[In CD or Digital]
"Leak Water"
Purchase @:
[Watch Bent Knee's “Leak Water” music video HERE]
[Watch Bent Knee's "Hands Up" Live HERE]
[Watch Bent Knee's "Good Girl" music video HERE]
Bent Knee are celebrating the release of Say So by touring extensively in North America and Europe. For information about the Bent Knee tour and other concert dates, visit the Cuneiform Artist Tour Page here.
Find Bent Knee on:
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