After my last post, I got an email from Dave Douglas asking me to put together a list: "top ten little things that a scruffy tour manager/band leader/bassist/travel agent needs to know to lead a band around Europe". Scruffy? ...guilty as charged.

Here's what I came up with. Some obvious things like "hire musicians you get along with" and "don't work for jerks" were omitted and I've left the bottom of the post open for comments so please feel free to add to the list.

So in no particular order, here is my non-exclusive, non-comprehensive list of things that a "scruffy tour manager/band leader/bassist/travel agent needs to know to lead a band around Europe".

10-Make lists. Lots of them. Commit as much to memory as possible. Include: projected incomes and expenses, a complete tour itinerary, tour budget, contacts, travel days with estimated trip durations, days off, club/hotel addresses and travel documents. ***Make sure to carry hard copies with you, on your computer and also email them to yourself.

9-Invest in a GPS....and depending on the distance, add 1 or 2 hours to your travel time.

8-Get a contract. Be clear with club owners, promoters and your band about fees, dates, responsibilities, visas, riders, meals, pick up and departure times etc etc.

7-Rest is a weapon/food is a weapon. A good night's sleep and eating properly will drastically increase your tolerance for any unforseen challenges on the road. (***This might be the most important tip I can offer!)

6-As the leader, be flexible. It's your attitude that sets the tone for the tour. Be prepared to take a hit for the team. It shows you'll do what you can to keep the band happy (and buying the band a nice meal every once in while can go a long way towards that too.).

5-Promote the gigs/tour to the best of your ability and don't rely on clubs to do it for you. Be sure to send out posters and press releases to newspapers, magazines, journalists, fellow musicians and anyone else you can think of. Also, post bulletins on Myspace, Facebook, All About Jazz and every other source you can find.

4-Community. Use your contacts! Friends in other cities make all the difference. I often think that if I hadn't taken part in the Banff Jazz Workshop, I would never have gotten any tour of the ground.

3-Personal space. Respect it as much as possible and always get individual hotel rooms...even on days off. Don't underestimate this. If you need to do a homestay once in a while it's ok but don't push it. Also do what you can to have the hotel as close to the venue as possible. That way everyone in the band can choose what they want to do after the gig.

2-Book flights through a travel agent. It can save you HOURS-trust me because I know first hand. Also, travel agents can find tickets for the same price as most websites and often they can book flights that you can change for a fee. Sites like Expedia don't often allow this and there can be real consequences as tours can change in the blink of an eye.

1-Think big picture. Remember that touring is an investment in the future. Keep in mind that everyone in this industry is somehow connected. I always work on the premise that I want to come back to play for the next 20 years. So make a good impression: Play your heart out every night, have good manners, thank the promoter, thank the audience, be kind, be honest, be patient, stand up for yourself when necessary but choose your battles.

...oh yes....and we all must remember number eleven:

the music is why we all do this...can't forget that.

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In my opinion this fusion between Metal, Jazz, Rock and viruoso Rock is good. But not Prog metal, also if it is Prog Metal, or maybe Tech metal (in my view... see also my king's X 'Dogman' review). Of course 'The Ultra Zone' have the best moments in 'The Blood & Tears', 'OOOO', 'Window To The Soul', 'The Silent Within', 'Fever Dreams' and 'Here I Am' but unless you loveVai or electric guitar virtuosi will not be abducted by these songs, well played, written and produced.

In conclusion 'The Ultra Zone' is a good album. But in my head 'The Ultra Zone' do not send me those feelings and emotions that I try in an album because it sounds very cold for me.

by Mandrakeroot


VAI, STEVE Music Online:
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First track A Rather Odd Tribute is a good example for the comparison. Complex rhythms and instrumental contribution changes is typical for this composition. There is some melody line detectable but I can't say melody is the intention of the song. It's obviously challenging music and it will take some listens to get into this one. The next one Moodswings is a little more accessible at least so it seems in the beginning but after half a minute the complexity is there again. And in fact this goes on with the next tracks as well. It's an all instrumental album and I always respect those because they don't have lyrics or vocals to score with. It all depends on the instrumetal compositions and that's not easy if you ask me. But that's the bands choice also of course so they will have to deal with it. I think these guys are doing real fine from what I hear on this release.

Does this mean it's a monotonous album with the same kind of songs ? No way, it's pretty versatile. The music is full of twists and turns, fierce playing on both drums as well as guitar and keyboards and yes, that's coming back in most songs but continuously in a different way. At second listen I'm even more enthusiastic than at first so that's promising and I think it will take a lot more spins of the disk to really get the hang of this fascinating music. And there is also a bit of humor detectable in their songtitles. How about Half of eighteen, Threw the Looking Glass and The Camera Ear ? I mean it's not hilarious, it's subtile and that's why I like it.

I'm even contemplating a 5 star rating here but maybe that's going a little overboard in the end. Well, at least it's close, I think this will be a 4,5 to me and our policy is to give the 5 to the scarce masterpieces and I have always supported that policy so I'm giving 4. So you could say: Where's the Nine ? Here it is: 9 out of 10 for this album !

Highly recommended to fans of Planet X and lovers of modern and stirring jazz rock. For my personal taste it's even better than Planet X due to better compositions and more melody.

by progrules


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The music is in jazz/ rock territory. The dominant lead instrument is saxophone and the music is generally more jazz than it is rock. There are a few vocal parts but the music is predominantly instrumental. The most notable vocal part is the last section in the 15:20 minute long Last Song. Last Song by the way also hosts an unbearably long drum solo. I hear both influences from Soft Machine and Frank Zappa but a band like Pazop also comes to mind when Moving Gelatine Plates are at their most loony. Moving Gelatine Plates doesn´t reach the excellence of Pazop IMO though.

The musicianship is excellent. Lots of jamming parts that are really well played.

The production is good even though I don´t enjoy the drum sound much.

This album is highly praised by most reviewers on PA, but for me this sounds very much like most other jazz/ rock albums from the early seventies. Way too much wailing sax ( it´s actually not as wailing as on many other albums), extensive jamming and too little structured song writing. I know this is an aquired taste and I´ll aknowledge that this is good music but personally I don´t enjoy it much. 3 stars is all I can give. If you like more jazz than rock in your jazz/ rock this will be a treat I´m sure.

by UMUR


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The main features of the Magma sound at this point are mellowness, plaintive and yet gentle vocal harmonies, omnipresent flutes, and highly poetic lyrics in Spanish. It is definitely not for those into heavier prog or even heavier symphonic prog, but more for those among us who enjoy reflective beautiful music, but even there I find much to be somnolent. In the end, while it's all nice, only those tracks which go beyond mere pleasantness end up distinguishing themselves. "Araucaria" does so by its strong and varied melodies. The real highlight of the first half (and hence the first original album) is the 12 minute "Un pequeno tema para jugar", which builds slowly into a simply stunning vocal and electric piano exercise.

The second half, and what I can only conclude represents the second album, "Transformacion" from 1985, is the stronger, incorporating more sprightly jazz elements as in "Posdata para una resureccion", which has a gorgeous melody in the emotional chorus. "El loco de las puertas" is a relatively lively blend of Andean folklore and prog, and the closer, the song "Transformacion" itself, creates a concoction of combined expressive flute and vocals which displays Magma at their best.

Not an all guns blazing type of progressive group, Magma nonetheless possesses the capacity to cool and solidify in your subconscious. Recommended for those who like prog but also want to relax.

by kenethlevine


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