The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, is a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 and eclectic music in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and around the world. The event is held annually in early summer in Bethlehem

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, approximately one hour north of Philadelphia and less than two hours west of New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. The festival was founded in the spring of 1998 by Robert LaDuca and Chad Hutchinson, with the first event occurring in 1999. NEARfest quickly grew to become "the most prestigious progressive music festival in the world."

On October 17, 2011, founders Hutchinson and LaDuca, and current production manager Kevin Feeley announced that the final edition of the festival, entitled NEARfest Apocalypse, will take place on the weekend of June 22, 23, and 24, 2012 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The lineup for NEARfest Apocalypse was announced live on the long-running Gagliarchives Radio Program on Saturday, October 29.

The May 2008 issue of SPIN Magazine listed NEARfest as one of the top 72 festivals in the United States.

NEARfest is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

. The name "NEARfest" is a registered trademark of Progressive Arts, Inc.

Venues

NEARfest is held in Baker Hall, at the Zoellner Arts Center which is located on the campus of Lehigh University

Lehigh University

Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...

 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...

 (2000–2001, 2004–present). Baker Hall has a capacity of 1,002 seats in acoustically superior conditions. However, in its inaugural year, NEARfest was held in Foy Hall at Moravian College

Moravian College

Moravian College a private liberal arts college, and the associated Moravian Theological Seminary are located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Lehigh Valley region.-History:...

 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...

 which has a capacity of 428 seats. In 2002 and 2003, NEARfest was held in Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

 at the Patriots Theater in the Trenton War Memorial, which has a capacity of 1,850 seats. All NEARfests were complete sellouts, outside of the 2011 cancellation.

Future

In 2008, the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary with NEARfest X and marked the last event organized by Hutchinson and LaDuca. NEARfest and New Jersey ProgHouse veterans Jim Robinson, Ray Loboda and Kevin Feeley are their successors.

On March 25, 2011, due to insufficient ticket sales, the management announced that 2011 edition had been cancelled.

On October 13, 2011, Hutchinson, LaDuca and Feeley announced that NEARfest would return in 2012. However, on October 17, 2011, a subsequent announcement indicated that NEARfest Apocalypse, to be held the weekend of June 22, 23, and 24th, 2012, will be the final edition of the festival.

Recordings

NEARfest Records was launched in 2003 to release select live performances from NEARfest. The first compilation DVD, "NEARfest 2005: Rising to the Surface," was released on April 10, 2007. Other releases includes live CDs of Steve Hackett, Djam Karet, Nathan Mahl, Thinking Plague, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, Glass Hammer, Steve Roach, Pure Reason Revolution (out of print) and Hidria Spacefolk (out of print).

Despite the festival ending in June 2012, NEARfest Records will continue to be an on-going concern.

List of All Performers by Festival Year

NEARfest Apocalypse

Eloy, Renaissance

Renaissance (band)

Renaissance are an English progressive rock band, most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock classics like "Carpet of the Sun", "Mother Russia" and "Ashes Are Burning".-Original incarnation :...

, Van der Graaf Generator

Van der Graaf Generator

Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s...

, Änglagård

Änglagård

Änglagård is a Swedish progressive rock band, with influences including Cathedral, King Crimson, Genesis, Trettioåriga Kriget, Schicke Führs Fröhling, and Van der Graaf Generator. The band was established in 1991 by Tord Lindman and Johan Högberg , and broke up in 1994...

, Mike Keneally Band

Mike Keneally

Michael Joseph Keneally is an American guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Allmusic says: "With his wide-ranging talents and ability to be creative in almost any musical situation, Keneally is the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era."Born on Long Island, New York, he...

, Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night (band)

Twelfth Night are an English neo-progressive rock band of the 1980s, reformed in 2007.-Formation:The seeds of Twelfth Night were sown when guitarist Andy Revell and drummer Brian Devoil joined forces on 23 February 1978 to win a talent competition at Reading University. The road crew included Geoff...

, Il Tempio delle Clessidre, Gösta Berlings Saga, Helmet of Gnats, and Aranis

NEARfest 2011 (cancelled)

NEARfest 2010

Steve Hackett

Steve Hackett

Stephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...

, Eddie Jobson

Eddie Jobson

Edwin "Eddie" Jobson is an English keyboardist and violinist noted for his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K., and Jethro Tull. He was also part of Frank Zappa's band in 1976-77...

's Ultimate Zero Project, Three Friends

Three Friends

Three Friends is a concept album by the British progressive rock band Gentle Giant. The group's third album was also their first American release to chart, peaking at #197 on the Billboard 200...

, The Enid

The Enid

The Enid is a British rock band founded in 1975 by Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart and Francis Lickerish. Another early member was William Gilmour, who subsequently founded his own band Craft and now plays keyboards in Lickerish's band Secret Green....

, Riverside

Riverside (band)

Riverside is a progressive rock band from Warsaw, Poland. It was founded in 2001 by friends Mariusz Duda, Piotr Grudziński, Piotr Kozieradzki and Jacek Melnicki, who shared a love for progressive rock and heavy metal...

, Pineapple Thief, Iona

Iona (band)

Iona is the name of a progressive Celtic rock band from the United Kingdom, which was formed in the late 1980s by lead vocalist Joanne Hogg and multi-instrumentalists David Fitzgerald and Dave Bainbridge....

, Forgas Band Phenomena, Astra

Astra (band)

Astra is a rock band from San Diego, California. Their sound is in the style of the '70s progressive rock and psychedelic rock, and includes a variety of keyboards and long jams.-History:...

, and Moraine

NEARfest 2009

PFM

Premiata Forneria Marconi

Premiata Forneria Marconi is an Italian progressive rock band. They were the first Italian group to have success abroad, entering both the British and American charts. Between 1973 and 1977 they released five albums with English lyrics...

, Gong

Gong (band)

Gong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...

, Van der Graaf Generator

Van der Graaf Generator

Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s...

, Steve Hillage Band

Steve Hillage

Steve Hillage is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the Canterbury scene and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s...

, Trettioåriga Kriget, Beardfish

Beardfish (band)

Beardfish is a Swedish progressive rock band formed in 2001. Their style resembles progressive rock bands from the 1970s, such as Yes and Genesis. The band was signed by InsideOut Music after releasing two albums independently; they have since released three more albums.In 2008, the band toured...

, DFA

DFA (Italian Rock Band)

DFA is an Italian progressive rock band from Verona, Italy.Their musical style is varied, but has elements of "space rock" bands such as Pink Floyd and jazz-rock fusion bands like Nova or In Cahoots.-Personnel:...

, Cabezas de Cera, Oblivion Sun, Quantum Fantay

NEARfest X (2008)

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso is an Italian rock band. A popular progressive rock band in the 1970s, they continued making music in the 1980s and 1990s...

, Liquid Tension Experiment

Liquid Tension Experiment

Liquid Tension Experiment is an instrumental progressive rock/metal supergroup, founded by Dream Theater's former drummer Mike Portnoy in 1997. The band has released two albums through Magna Carta Records...

, Fish

Fish (singer)

Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...

, Peter Hammill

Peter Hammill

Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill is an English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano...

, Synergy, echolyn

Echolyn

Echolyn is an American progressive rock band based in eastern Pennsylvania.- Origins and first phase :Echolyn was formed in 1989 when guitarist Brett Kull and drummer Paul Ramsey, members of a recently split cover band called Narcissus, joined with keyboardist Chris Buzby to form a new band to...

, Discipline, Radio Massacre International

Radio Massacre International

Radio Massacre International are a trio of British musicians, Steve Dinsdale , Duncan Goddard , and Gary Houghton . They specialize in improvisational experimental electronic music, utilizing vintage synthesizers and sampled sounds alongside electric guitar. They are also leading exponents of the...

, Mörglbl, and Koenji Hyakkei

Koenji hyakkei

, also known as Kōenjihyakkei, is a Japanese Zeuhl band led by Yoshida Tatsuya of Ruins fame. The band released their first album in 1994 with Aki Kubota from Bondage Fruit on vocals and keyboard...

NEARfest 2007

Magma

Magma (band)

Magma is a French progressive rock band founded in Paris in 1969 by classically trained drummer Christian Vander, who claimed as his inspiration a "vision of humanity's spiritual and ecological future" that profoundly disturbed him. In the course of their first album, the band tells the story of a...

, Hawkwind

Hawkwind

Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....

, Pure Reason Revolution

Pure Reason Revolution

Pure Reason Revolution are a British rock group formed at the University of Westminster in 2003 and who are playing their final dates together in November 2011. Their music incorporates elements of progressive rock and electro. Their music has been variously described as 'Astral Folk' and 'New...

, Magenta

Magenta (Welsh band)

Magenta are a Welsh progressive rock band formed in 1999 by ex-Cyan member Rob Reed. Reed takes his influences from bands like Genesis, Mike Oldfield, Yes, Eurythmics and Björk.-Current Lineup:*Christina Booth: lead vocals....

, La Maschera di Cera, NeBeLNeST, Indukti

Indukti

Indukti is a progressive metal band from Poland, founded in 1999. Indukti's debut album, S.U.S.A.R., featured Mariusz Duda of the Polish band Riverside on vocals....

, IZZ

IZZ

IZZ is a New York based progressive rock band. Its music is inspired by such classic progressive groups as Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Renaissance and is often infused with pop hooks à la The Beatles...

, Robert Rich

Robert Rich (musician)

Robert Rich is an ambient musician and composer based in California, United States. With a discography spanning over 30 years, he is widely regarded as a figure whose sound has greatly influenced today's ambient, New Age, and even IDM music.-Early life:At an early age he thought he disliked music...

, and Bob Drake

Bob Drake (musician)

Bob Drake is an American multi-instrumentalist musician and recording engineer. He was a founding member of the avant-rock band Thinking Plague in the early 1980s, and a member of the 5uu's, Hail and The Science Group . He formed his own band, Bob Drake's Cabinet of Curiosities in 2007...

(Progressive Arts Preshow: Allan Holdsworth

Allan Holdsworth

Allan Holdsworth is an English guitarist and composer. He has released twelve studio albums as a solo artist and played many different styles of music over a period of four decades, but first drew attention for his work in jazz fusion...

, Secret Oyster and One Shot)

NEARfest 2006

Keith Emerson

Keith Emerson

Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...

, Ozric Tentacles

Ozric Tentacles

Ozric Tentacles are an instrumental rock band from Somerset, England, whose music can loosely be described as psychedelic or space rock. Formed in 1983, the band has released 28 albums as of 2011, and become a cottage industry selling over a million albums worldwide despite never having major...

, Ange

Ange

Ange is a French progressive rock band formed in September 1969 by the Décamps brothers, Francis and Christian .-History:...

, FM

FM (Canadian band)

FM is a progressive rock band from Toronto, Canada which existed from 1976 to 1996, with a brief return in 2006, although they had a period of inactivity between 1989 and 1994. Their music has been categorized as space rock, and lyrics are dominated by science fiction themes...

, Michael Manring

Michael Manring

Michael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...

, Richard Leo Johnson, Niacin

Niacin (band)

Niacin is a neo-fusion instrumental trio featuring Billy Sheehan, Dennis Chambers and John Novello. Founded in 1996, the band's name comes from the timbral foundation of the Hammond B3 organ; vitamin B3 is also known as niacin....

, Riverside

Riverside (band)

Riverside is a progressive rock band from Warsaw, Poland. It was founded in 2001 by friends Mariusz Duda, Piotr Grudziński, Piotr Kozieradzki and Jacek Melnicki, who shared a love for progressive rock and heavy metal...

, Guapo

Guapo (band)

Guapo is a British experimental rock/art rock band formed in the mid 1990s by drummer/percussionist Dave Smith and guitarist/vocalist Matt Thompson...

, and KBB

(Progressive Arts Preshow: Hatfield and the North

Hatfield and the North

Hatfield and the North were an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter.-Career:...

 and The Tony Levin Band

Tony Levin

Tony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....

)

NEARfest 2005

Le Orme

Le Orme

Le Orme is an Italian progressive rock band formed in 1966 in Marghera, a frazione of Venice. The band was one of the major groups of the Italian progressive rock scene in the 1970s...

, IQ

IQ (band)

IQ are a British neo-progressive rock band founded by Mike Holmes and Martin Orford in 1981 following the dissolution of their original band The Lens...

, Present

Present (band)

Present is a Belgian progressive rock group formed by guitarist Roger Trigaux in 1979.- Biography :Trigaux was a founding member of Univers Zero and participated on the first two albums. After Heresie he left Univers Zero to concentrate on his own vision and founded Present...

, Kenso, Steve Roach, Matthew Parmenter, The Muffins

The Muffins

The Muffins are an American Maryland-based progressive rock/avant-jazz group. They were formed in Washington, DC in the early 1970s and recorded four albums before disbanding in 1981. In 1998 the group reformed and recorded a further five albums and a DVD...

, Frogg Cafe, Wobbler

Wobbler (band)

- History :The band was formed near Hønefoss , in the spring of 1999 with a burning desire to create or perhaps recreate some of the musical expressions of the early seventies, especially in the use of the instruments of that time and the somewhat "strange" compositions of the progressive rock...

, and Knight Area

Knight Area

Knight Area is a Dutch progressive rockband which was formed in 2004 by brothers Joop and Gerben Klazinga.-Biography:Knight Area originally started as a solo project of Gerben Klazinga...

(Progressive Arts Preshow: PFM

Premiata Forneria Marconi

Premiata Forneria Marconi is an Italian progressive rock band. They were the first Italian group to have success abroad, entering both the British and American charts. Between 1973 and 1977 they released five albums with English lyrics...

 and Proto-Kaw

Proto-Kaw

Proto-Kaw is an American progressive rock band. Featuring Kansas guitarist Kerry Livgren, the group is a reformation of a band formed in the early seventies which served as the direct precursor to Kansas.-History:...

)

NEARfest 2004

Strawbs, Univers Zero

Univers Zéro

Univers Zero are an instrumental Belgian band known for playing dark music heavily influenced by 20th century chamber music. The group's name has had three variant spellings, the others being Univers Zéro and Univers-Zero....

, Mike Keneally Band, Planet X

Planet X (band)

Planet X is an instrumental rock/progressive metal supergroup, founded by keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Virgil Donati. Throughout a decade of activity, they have released three studio albums and one live album, each with a variety of guest musicians and oft-changing...

, Richard Pinhas, Sean Malone

Sean Malone

Sean Malone is an American musician who plays primarily fretless bass guitar and Chapman stick. However, Malone also plays piano, keyboards, and guitar. He is most well known as a member of the progressive band Cynic.- Biography :...

, Metamorfosi

Metamorfosi (band)

Metamorfosi are an Italian symphonic rock band from Rome.They have released three albums, ...E Fu Il Sesto Giorno , Inferno and Paradiso . The two latter are concept albums based on Dante's The Divine Comedy. Inferno in particular has received critical acclaim amongst progressive rock fans....

, Pallas

Pallas (band)

Pallas are a progressive rock band based in the UK. They were one of the bands at the vanguard of what was termed neo-progressive during progressive rock's second-wave revival in the early 1980s...

, Yezda Urfa

Yezda Urfa

Yezda Urfa is an American progressive rock band founded in the fall of 1973. The band recorded two albums before breaking up in the spring of 1981. The band's music is currently distributed by Syn-phonic.-The name:...

, and Hidria Spacefolk

Hidria Spacefolk

Hidria Spacefolk is a Finnish folk-influenced progressive / psychedelic rock band. The group's space rock sound is often compared to Kingston Wall and Ozric Tentacles. The band describes their musical style as Astro-Beat...

(Progressive Arts Preshow: The Musical Box

The Musical Box (band)

The Musical Box is a prominent Genesis tribute band.-Covering the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis:Taking their name from the 1971 track of the same name, The Musical Box formed in Montreal, Quebec in 1993 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the 1973 album Selling England by the Pound...

)

NEARfest 2003

Camel

Camel (band)

Camel are an English progressive rock band formed in 1971. An important group in the Canterbury scene, they have been releasing studio and live recordings steadily, with considerable success, since their formation.-1970s:...

, Magma

Magma

Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...

, The Flower Kings

The Flower Kings

The Flower Kings are a Swedish progressive rock group. Formed in August 1994 by veteran guitarist Roine Stolt as a touring band to support his solo album The Flower King, the band stayed together after the tour and have gone on to become one of the most prolific studio recording units in rock music...

, Änglagård

Änglagård

Änglagård is a Swedish progressive rock band, with influences including Cathedral, King Crimson, Genesis, Trettioåriga Kriget, Schicke Führs Fröhling, and Van der Graaf Generator. The band was established in 1991 by Tord Lindman and Johan Högberg , and broke up in 1994...

, Kraan

Kraan

Kraan is a German band based in Ulm and formed in 1970. It had several minor hits through the 1970s and 1980s. After a break of ten years, the group reunited in 2000...

, Tunnels, Glass Hammer

Glass Hammer

Glass Hammer is a progressive rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee. They formed in 1992 when multi-instrumentalists Steve Babb and Fred Schendel began to write and record Journey of the Dunadan, a concept album based on the story of Aragorn from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...

, Alamaailman Vasarat

Alamaailman Vasarat

Alamaailman Vasarat is a cult avant-garde Finnish group. Their music covers a wide range of styles and influences and is therefore difficult to classify; on their official website they jokingly refer to their style as being "kebab-kosher-jazz-film-traffic-punk-music." Much of their music is...

, High Wheel

High wheel

High Wheel may refer to:*Penny-farthing bicycle*High Entrance/Exit Turnstile *High wheeler, an early automobile body style...

, and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is an American experimental rock band, formed in 1999 in Oakland, California. The band fuses classical, industrial, and art-rock themes throughout their music...

(The Laser's Edge/Cuneiform Records

Cuneiform Records

Cuneiform Records is an independent record label based in Silver Spring, Maryland.The label releases a mixture of musical styles, including progressive jazz, modern fusion music, progressive rock, the Canterbury Scene and electronic music...

 Preshow: Miriodor

Miriodor

Miriodor is a Canadian musical group in the field of what is known as Rock in Opposition; the band combines jazz, progressive rock and chamber music into a powerful sound reminiscent of better known artists like Univers Zéro or Art Zoyd...

, Woodenhead

Woodenhead

Woodenhead is the name of a 2003 New Zealand film directed by Florian Habicht.The film is a dark fairy tale in the style of the Brothers Grimm, and is based around the life of a dump-hand called Gert and a mute princess called Plum. The two wander into the forest with a donkey and mysterious things...

, and IZZ

IZZ

IZZ is a New York based progressive rock band. Its music is inspired by such classic progressive groups as Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Renaissance and is often infused with pop hooks à la The Beatles...

)

NEARfest 2002

Steve Hackett

Steve Hackett

Stephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...

, Nektar

Nektar

Nektar is a 1970s English progressive rock band originally based in Germany.- History :The band formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969, members included Englishmen Roye Albrighton on guitars and vocals, Allan "Taff" Freeman on keyboards, Derek "Mo" Moore on bass, Ron Howden on drums, and Mick Brockett...

, echolyn

Echolyn

Echolyn is an American progressive rock band based in eastern Pennsylvania.- Origins and first phase :Echolyn was formed in 1989 when guitarist Brett Kull and drummer Paul Ramsey, members of a recently split cover band called Narcissus, joined with keyboardist Chris Buzby to form a new band to...

, Caravan

Caravan (band)

Caravan are an English band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan. Caravan rose to success over a period of several years from 1968 onwards into the 1970s as part of the Canterbury scene, blending...

, Isildurs Bane

Isildurs Bane

Isildurs Bane is a progressive rock band from Halmstad, Sweden.- Origin of the name :Isildurs Bane is, both in the original English version and in the translated Swedish one, one of the several names of the One Ring in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings...

, Enchant

Enchant (band)

Enchant is an American neo-progressive rock band, formed in 1989. Their music is characterized by ambitious lyrics and melodies along with harmonic experimentation.-History:...

, Miriodor

Miriodor

Miriodor is a Canadian musical group in the field of what is known as Rock in Opposition; the band combines jazz, progressive rock and chamber music into a powerful sound reminiscent of better known artists like Univers Zéro or Art Zoyd...

, Gerard

Gerard (band)

Gerard is a Japanese progressive rock band.The current members are :* Toshio Egawa : keyboards* Kenichi Fujimoto : drums* Atsushi Hasegawa : bass-Biography:Gerard is led by the keyboardist Toshio Egawa...

, La Torre dell'Alchimista, and Spaced Out

Spaced Out

Spaced Out is a 2002 animated series, co-produced by Alphanim and Cartoon Network Europe, in association with several other companies and television networks...

(The Laser's Edge/Cuneiform Records

Cuneiform Records

Cuneiform Records is an independent record label based in Silver Spring, Maryland.The label releases a mixture of musical styles, including progressive jazz, modern fusion music, progressive rock, the Canterbury Scene and electronic music...

 Preshow: McGill/Manring/Stevens, Doctor Nerve, and Dysrythmia)

NEARfest 2001

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso is an Italian rock band. A popular progressive rock band in the 1970s, they continued making music in the 1980s and 1990s...

, Porcupine Tree

Porcupine Tree

Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...

, Deus Ex Machina

Deus Ex Machina (band)

Deus Ex Machina is an Italian Progressive rock group. Members include Claudio Trotta , Alessandro Porreca Maurino Collina , Alessandro Bonetti Fabrizio Puglisi and Alberto Piras .-Discography:...

, After Crying

After Crying

After Crying is a Hungarian musical ensemble, established in 1986, which composes and performs contemporary classical music or symphonic rock. They use instruments ranging from classical acoustical instruments like cello, trumpet, piano, flute to the instruments of a modern rock band. They...

, White Willow

White Willow

Salix alba is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia. The name derives from the white tone to the undersides of the leaves....

, California Guitar Trio

California Guitar Trio

California Guitar Trio is a band of threeguitar players founded in 1991. Paul Richards of Salt Lake City, Utah, Bert Lams of Brussels,...

 with Tony Levin

Tony Levin

Tony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....

, Djam Karet

Djam Karet

Djam Karet is an instrumental progressive rock band based in Topanga, California. The band was founded in 1984 by guitarists Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson, bassist Henry J. Osborne, and drummer Chuck Oken, Jr....

, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic is a musical group founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1980.The music of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic is almost entirely instrumental, and incorporates many different musical elements; critic Rick Anderson writes, "Very few bands have ever managed to straddle the worlds of...

, The Underground Railroad

Underground Railroad (band)

Underground Railroad are a French post-punk band based in London, United Kingdom. The band are on independent label One Little Indian Records and have released two albums, 'Twisted Trees' in 2007 and 'Sticks and Stones' in 2008, as well as an E.P, 'Pick the ghost...' in 2009.They toured both albums...

, and Under the Sun

(Independently organized preshow: Land of Chocolate, The Red Masque

The Red Masque

- Biography :The Red Masque was founded by vocalist Lynnette Shelley and bassist Brandon Ross in February 2001, incorporating elements of psychedelia, heavy rock, rock-in-opposition, zeuhl, gothic, and kraut rock...

, Electric Sheepdog and Wine of Nails)

NEARfest 2000

Transatlantic

Transatlantic (band)

Transatlantic is a progressive rock supergroup consisting of Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings, Pete Trewavas of Marillion, Mike Portnoy formerly of Dream Theater and Neal Morse formerly of Spock's Beard. They formed in 1999 as a side project to their full time bands until 2002...

, Happy the Man

Happy The Man

Happy the Man is an American progressive rock band from the 1970s specializing in virtuoso instrumental tracks within complex time signatures.-Early days:...

, Anekdoten

Anekdoten

Anekdoten is a Swedish progressive rock band, composed of guitarist/vocalist Nicklas Barker, cellist/keyboardist Anna Sofi Dahlberg, bassist/vocalist Jan Erik Liljeström and drummer Peter Nordins. They are notable for the use of the mellotron and their heavy sound dominated by a pounding bass guitar...

, Pär Lindh Project, Iluvatar, Il Balletto di Bronzo

Il Balletto di Bronzo

Il Balletto di Bronzo was an Italian progressive rock band from Naples. They formed in the mid 1960s, and released two albums, Sirio 2222 and Ys, before disbanding in 1973....

, DFA

DFA (Italian Rock Band)

DFA is an Italian progressive rock band from Verona, Italy.Their musical style is varied, but has elements of "space rock" bands such as Pink Floyd and jazz-rock fusion bands like Nova or In Cahoots.-Personnel:...

, Thinking Plague

Thinking Plague

Thinking Plague is a United States avant-rock group founded in 1982 by guitarist/composer, Mike Johnson, and bass guitarist/drummer, Bob Drake. Based in Denver, Colorado, the band has been active off and on since 1982, taking on a number of musicians over the years...

, North Star, and Nexus

Nexus (argentine band)

Nexus is a progressive rock band from Argentina. They are known all around the entire world, have performed many shows in different countries and have experienced good sales, reception and reviews of their albums....

(Official Preshow: echolyn

Echolyn

Echolyn is an American progressive rock band based in eastern Pennsylvania.- Origins and first phase :Echolyn was formed in 1989 when guitarist Brett Kull and drummer Paul Ramsey, members of a recently split cover band called Narcissus, joined with keyboardist Chris Buzby to form a new band to...

 and Priam

Priam

Priam was the king of Troy during the Trojan War and youngest son of Laomedon. Modern scholars derive his name from the Luwian compound Priimuua, which means "exceptionally courageous".- Marriage and issue :...

)

NEARfest 1999

Spock's Beard

Spock's Beard

Spock's Beard is a progressive rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles by brothers Neal and Alan Morse. Neal played keyboards and was the lead vocalist, as well as being the primary songwriter before leaving the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career. Alan plays electric guitar...

, IQ

IQ (band)

IQ are a British neo-progressive rock band founded by Mike Holmes and Martin Orford in 1981 following the dissolution of their original band The Lens...

, Solaris

Solaris (band)

Solaris is a progressive rock band from Hungary. Established in 1980, the band went through several formations. Their music has a strong melodic content, often laced with Eastern European themes, and is highlighted by the use of dynamics and extended thematic development...

, Mastermind

Mastermind (U.S. band)

Mastermind is an American progressive rock band from New Jersey, formed by the brothers Bill Berends and Rich Berends in 1986.There is a power metal band in Japan also named Mastermind which has no relation to the better-known American Mastermind .-History:Mastermind was founded...

, Larry Fast

Larry Fast

Lawrence Roger 'Larry' Fast is a synthesizer expert and composer. He is best known for Synergy, his 1975–1987 series of synthesizer music albums, and for his contribution to a number of popular music acts, including Peter Gabriel, Foreigner, and Hall and Oates.- Biography :Fast grew up in...

, Crucible

Crucible

A crucible is a container used for metal, glass, and pigment production as well as a number of modern laboratory processes, which can withstand temperatures high enough to melt or otherwise alter its contents...

, Scott McGill's Hand Farm, Ice Age

Ice Age (band)

Ice Age was a progressive band from New York, USA.Founded by guitarist Jimmy Pappas, vocalist/keyboardist Josh Pincus, drummer Hal Aponte and bassist Arron DiCesare, the band released their debut album in 1999, titled The Great Divide...

, Alaska, and Nathan Mahl

Nathan Mahl

Formed in 1981, Nathan Mahl are a Canadian Progressive rock band with Jazz fusion elements. Throughout a constantly evolving lineup of rock and fusion musicians from the Ottawa and Gatineau regions, keyboardist Guy LeBlanc is widely regarded as the essence and constant of the band.Guy appears to be...

Logo

From 2001 to 2008, the ever-changing festival logo was designed by British artist Roger Dean, famous for his work with Yes

Yes (band)

Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...

 and Asia

Asia (band)

Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...

. Starting in 2009, Mark Wilkinson

Mark Wilkinson

Mark Wilkinson is best known for his detailed cover art that he created for a number of British bands, most prominently the progressive rock band, Marillion...

 (Marillion

Marillion

Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...

 and Fish

Fish (singer)

Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...

 album covers) took over the logo duties for the show. For the final edition of the festival in 2012, NEARfest Apocalypse, both Roger Dean and Mark Wilkinson will be providing artwork. Both artists plan to attend the show.

Prior to Roger's and Mark's involvement, there were two other logos for the show. The NEARfest 2000 logo was designed by Paul Whitehead

Paul Whitehead

Paul Whitehead is a painter and graphic artist known for his surrealistic album covers for artists on the Charisma Records label in the 1970s, such as Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator.-England: Liberty Records and Charisma Records:...

, who is known for his album artwork for Van der Graaf Generator

Van der Graaf Generator

Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s...

, Genesis

Genesis (band)

Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...

, and Italian prog-rock band Le Orme

Le Orme

Le Orme is an Italian progressive rock band formed in 1966 in Marghera, a frazione of Venice. The band was one of the major groups of the Italian progressive rock scene in the 1970s...

. The inaugural NEARfest logo was designed by co-founder Chad Hutchinson in 1999.

In addition to Roger Dean and Mark Wilkinson, Annie Haslam

Annie Haslam

Annie Haslam is an English progressive rock vocalist and songwriter.Originally a fashion student, she began studying under opera singer Sybil Knight in 1970 and developed her five-octave vocal range...

 of Renaissance

Renaissance (band)

Renaissance are an English progressive rock band, most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock classics like "Carpet of the Sun", "Mother Russia" and "Ashes Are Burning".-Original incarnation :...

has attended several NEARfests to display her oil paintings. Annie was in attendance at NEARfest 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009.

External links

• NEARfest Official Site
• NEARfest Records
• Progressive World NEARfest Overview