On Air

Captain Phil's Planet playlist for 10/08/2020

ArtistTitleAlbum (* = New Release)
GnarbotAt Both EndsMeinl Sessions, Vol. 1*
Total Mass Retain (Yes Tribute)Changes90125
Cell 15Street LightsRiver Utopia
Solar FederationAnalog KidSignals
Mile Marker ZeroArchitectLive and Confined*
Crack the SkyAnother Civil War
Big Big TrainTheodora in Green and GoldGran Tour
Joe Deninzon & StratospheeriusStorm SurgeStorm Surge*

It's giving day for SUNY Stony Brook on October 8th. Make a donation between 3pm and 5pm to WUSB and Captain Phil will also make the same donation up to $250.00. Double your donation this Thursday! Pledgers can get thank you CDs as well listen on Thursday to find out how!
http://www.tinyurl.com/wusbgive

Thursday on Captain Phil's Planet join us as we celebrate the virtual ProgStock Festival (https://www.progstock.com/2020/) featuring all the bands performing over the weekend! We will be zooming in members from:
Total Mass Retain – YES Tribute Band
Solar Federation – A Rush Tribute
Mile Marker Zero
Cell15
Gnarbot
Crack The Sky

Virtual ProgStock 2020 will be streamed LIVE on Saturday, October 10 from the Hamilton Stage Theater of the Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) in Rahway, NJ, and on Sunday, October 11 from the Temple Stage at Tellus360 in Lancaster, PA.
With the pandemic in mind, and the rules and regulations in place, these shows will not have an in-person audience, so this is the ONLY way you can see them! We will be taking every precaution to protect the health and safety of our bands and crew.
The Virtual ProgStock 2020 shows will all be full-band, full-production shows with theater sound and lighting! It will be just like you are actually here, but everyone gets a front-row seat!

Show times (all times are in US Eastern):
Saturday, October 10:
1:00PM: Total Mass Retain YES Tribute Band https://www.totalmassretainband.com/
Bringing you one of the greatest YES music experiences on earth! We love when we play, and we’re here to awaken the first 50 years of Yes’s vast repertoire.
Band Lineup
Joe Cass – Drums and Vocals
Terry Dey – Lead Vocals
John Rittweger – Keyboards
Mark Gonzalez – Guitars
Joel Simches – Bass and Vocals
https://www.facebook.com/TMRyes
https://www.instagram.com/tmryestribute/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0D7hdB0pb5obVNix7zPCGA

4:30PM: Mile Marker Zero
http://www.milemarkerzero.com
Mile Marker Zero was formed in 2005 when brothers, vocalist Dave Alley and drummer Doug Alley, alongside childhood friend keyboardist Mark Focarile, and original bassist Tim Rykoski met guitarist John Tuohy at Western Connecticut State University. They released their debut EP, The Haunted, in 2006, and began to captivate audiences as they were seen performing alongside the likes of Porcupine Tree, Underoath, Spock’s Beard, and Devil Wears Prada.
Having created a buzz on the Northeastern prog circuit, the band returned to the studio to record their debut full-length effort in 2009, and were the first-ever unsigned artist to be featured in the popular Harmonix/MTV Games videogame series, Rock Band.
MMZ continued to make several live appearances, including gigs with Periphery, Scale the Summit, Nothing More, Adrenaline Mob, Fair to Midland, and more. In 2014, the band released the electrifying Young Rust EP, which was lauded as “a must-listen for fans of commercial progressive music” (Metal Insider) and saw the band receive the award for “Best Band (Connecticut)” at the 2016 New England Music Awards.
In 2017, bassist Jaco Lindito joined the band to complete the current line up and produce the band’s latest work THE FIFTH ROW, a concept album released in March of 2018. The narrative of the album is focused on the exponential growth of Artificial Intelligence, and its effects on humanity. It has received rave reviews stating “The Fifth Row is remarkably confident, meticulously mapped out, and ceaselessly interesting, making it the band’s crowning achievement thus far and one of the first great genre albums of 2018.”
Band Lineup
Dave Alley – VOCALS
John Tuohy – GUITAR
Mark Focarile – KEYBOARDS
Jaco Lindito – BASS
Doug Alley – DRUMS
https://mmzofficial.bandcamp.com
http://www.youtube.com/mmzofficial
Digital Warrior Live at Rosfest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzj9qFOJPvY
The Architect Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alI11gv-Ysw
http://www.facebook.com/milemarkerzero
https://www.instagram.com/mmzofficial/
https://twitter.com/mmzofficial

8:00PM: Gnarbot
https://www.gnarbotband.com/
Drawing from a broad palette of influences, GNARBOT strikes a unique balance between complex structure and daring improvisation. A true democracy in the way of creative contribution, the sum of its parts is a force to be reckoned with.
GNARBOT was founded in 2017 after a few jams between Zach LoPresti (guitar), Rodrigo Pichardo (bass) and Chris Paprota (drums) resulting in the writing of the band’s first couple of songs. A few weeks later Zack Smith (guitar, vocals) became the 4th member and the quartet released their first EP titled Sun Sessions, entirely recorded live, later that year.
Since its inception GNARBOT has been focused on spontaneous improvised performances over progressive, fusion and metal grooves, stretching the boundaries of what can be done both musically and technically within this aesthetic framework.
https://gnarbot.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/gnarbotband/

Sunday, October 11:
1:00PM: Solar Federation – A Rush Tribute
http://solarfederationband.com/
In 2015, the iconic Canadian progressive rock trio Rush celebrated its 40th anniversary with a career-spanning tour that is likely to be the band’s last. With interest in the band at an absolute peak, there is a high demand from fans to see and hear this music played live on stage.
Enter Solar Federation.
Hailing from Central PA, Solar Federation performs the music of Rush with passion and precision, tuning into all of the fine details that die-hard fans analyze with every spin of an album. The brainchild of seasoned drummer Ffej Herb, Solar Federation begins with his life-long obsession with Rush. Although the idea of starting a band exclusively dedicated to Rush’s music sparked many years ago, it wasn’t until he finally met fellow Rush fanatic and guitar virtuoso Eric Wirsing that the idea became a reality. With two of the core members of the band solidified, they set out on the daunting task of finding a “Geddy Lee.” This quest resulted in the inevitable splitting of Geddy’s role between two equally qualified musicians: local legend Mike Bitts on bass and keys, and the four-octave voice of Berklee-trained Julie Schreiber.
In order to tackle the enormous undertaking of performing Rush’s music at a level deemed acceptable to its fans, Solar Federation spent an entire year honing its initial set list and rehearsing what is often called the most complex and difficult catalog of songs to perform in all of rock music. After only a handful of live performances, the band quickly established itself as the premier female-fronted Rush tribute band on the East Coast, garnering praise from fans for its accurate interpretation of the material, meticulous attention to detail, and vocalist Julie Schreiber’s passionate delivery of Rush’s dynamic melodies and thought-provoking lyrics.
“You can’t fake it with this band,” said Herb. “Rush fans are incredibly loyal and know the music inside and out. We didn’t even post a teaser video on the Internet until just before our first show.”
And fans are definitely starting to take notice. Chatter on Clockwork Angels, the leading Rush fan page on Facebook, and other related sites has been overwhelmingly positive. The band also captured the attention of RushCon, the largest North American gathering of Rush fans, and in August 2016 appeared as its “Tribute Band of the Month” at RushCon.org. Members of the band have also appeared on Digital Men, the premier podcast dedicated to all things Rush.
Rush has long been recognized for its legions of devoted fans from all corners of the world. “I was floored to learn that people travel from all over the Mid-Atlantic region to attend our shows,” said Herb. “To me, that not only speaks volumes about the loyalty of Rush fans, but it’s also a testament to the quality of our band.”
Band Lineup
Mike Bitts – bass, keyboards, backing vocals
Ffej Herb – drums, cymbals, percussion
Julie Schreiber – lead vocals
Eric Wirsing – lead guitar, backing vocals
http://solarfederationband.com/shop/
https://www.instagram.com/solar_federation_band/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLK56pJgmvwSTEjUMbV0Xmg
https://www.facebook.com/solarfederationrush

4:30PM: Cell15
https://www.cell15.com
Cell15 is the brainchild of Robert Scott Richardson. In 2011, Robert had decided he wanted to write the progressive rock style that he loved. Raised on the great prog of the past, his love for King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd influenced this musical decision. Twenty years of recovery had given him the subject matter, the advantage of owning his own recording studio gave him the place to work, and Cell15 was born. The idea of a concept album to tell the story of what happened twenty years ago to present served as the guide for where the music would go.
“This is the first time I had the lyrics in mind before the music was written. I had to keep the focus on the story being told.”
From the first recoil of the complex kit’s snare drum, followed by locomotive-strength symphonic keys, listeners are propelled like shot in a sling into Cell15’s powerful breakthrough debut album, “Chapter One.” This is a driving progressive rock concept album that’s befitting of the most-capable, well-powered sound system. Cell15’s Chapter One album goes beyond masterful poly-rhythmic drums, full-bodied keyboards and driving bass, though. It’s one hell of a story that portrays a dark life, capture and prison time, followed by twists of realization, understanding and an epic light show conclusion that begs for cathedral acoustics.
Listeners are strapped into this soulfully sung script that was penned over a 20-year timeframe.
Cell15 will remind listeners of Transatlantic, Genesis and IQ, but its classic rock influences and meaningful vocals would also entice any Kansas or Queen fan.
https://cell15.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8ocIJ7BXNOYHpAtjUmHi1Q
https://www.facebook.com/cell15band/
https://twitter.com/cell15band
https://www.instagram.com/cell15band/

8:00PM: Crack The Sky
http://www.crackthesky.com/
https://carryonmusic.com/artists/crack-the-sky/
Critically acclaimed progressive-rock pioneers Crack The Sky have released their new single, “Tribes.”
Crack The Sky—John Palumbo (Lead Vocals, Guitars, Keys), Rick Witkowski (Guitars & Vocals), Joey D’Amico (Drums & Vocals), Bobby Hird (Guitars & Vocals), Glenn Workman (Keyboards & Vocals) and Dave DeMarco (Bass & Vocals)—have enjoyed a forty-plus year career and have garnered critical acclaim from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Modern Drummer Magazine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Baltimore Sun, Philadelphia Weekly, Relix and more.
“The song, ‘Tribes,’ is an observation of the sharp divide in our country. Everyone has a tribe. Everyone believes their tribe is the one with all the answers when the real answer is unity,” says writer/lead singer/guitarist/keyboardist John Palumbo.
The track comes from Crack The Sky’s anticipated new album, Tribes, due out January 2021 on Carry On Music.
https://crackthesky.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRKOkw_76nay0ScZ1OXq7yg