Steve Hackett To Headline NEARfest Alumni-Night Friday

NEARfest is honored to present in a sophomore appearance, Steve Hackett and his band. There is very little that Prog fans don’t know about the legacy of Steve Hackett. He is a renowned, iconic and immensely talented and innovative rock musician. He was lead guitarist with Genesis as part of their classic lineup with Gabriel, Collins, Banks and Rutherford that produced acclaimed albums such as Nursery Cryme and Selling England by the Pound (a favorite of John Lennon). From the post Gabriel era came the classics, A Trick of the Tail and Wind and Wuthering. With Steve’s extraordinary versatility in both his electric guitar playing and his composing, he involves influences from many genres, including Jazz, World Music and Blues. His classical albums include renditions of pieces by composers from Bach to Satie, as well as his own stellar acoustic and classical guitar compositions.

With Genesis, Steve’s guitar playing produced some of the most memorable moments, from the sensitivity of his acoustic sound on Horizons and Blood on the Rooftops to the dramatic rock guitar solos of Firth of Fifth and Fountain of Salmacis. As he embarked on his solo career he developed his exceptional range, pushing musical boundaries into exciting areas, inventing new sounds and also techniques such as ‘tapping’. Steve’s solo career as well as his collaboration with fellow guitar icon Steve Howe in GTR, gained favorable momentum in the 1980’s. After GTR, Steve worked further with many renowned musicians such as Paul Carrick, Bonny Tyler, John Wetton and Brian May, who has credited Steve as an early influence. He went on record Genesis Revisited and even further back to his roots with Blues with a Feeling, whilst continuing to challenge his own ‘horizons’ with an amazingly eclectic mix of sounds, genres and a sense of the exotic that excites his many followers to this day.

Recent albums have possessed a high level of sophistication, along with an ever-present powerful dynamic, from the dramatic and atmospheric darkness of Darktown and Wild Orchids to the colorful voyage through time and space of To Watch the Storms. Steve’s live electric gigs take his fans on an extraordinary journey that embodies his Genesis days right through to the present, all woven together with his exceptionally unique and distinctive rock guitar sound. With a new album entitled, “Out of the Tunnel’s Mouth,” Steve is poised to continue his legacy of creating excitement through his music. His return to the NEARfest stage will be a fantastic journey; from classic tunes to Steve’s most recent material. A big NEARfest round of applause is in order for Steve Hackett and his band as they grace our stage on Friday, June 18th for an Alumni-Night aural feast. This was announced live on the Gagliarchives Saturday, November 21st, 2009

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http://hackettsongs.com

Iona To Play Nearfest 2010

Philadelphia-November 17, 2009
NEARfest is proud to announce the addition of Iona to the 2010 lineup! Hailing from England, Celtic symphonic progressive rock band Iona was formed in 1989 by multi-instrumentali sts David Fitzgerald and Dave Bainbridge and joined soon after by lead vocalist Joanne Hogg. The inspiration for the band and its name came from a visit that Fitzgerald made to the serene and beautiful Scottish island of Iona the year prior. By the time Iona released their self-titled debut album in 1990, Nick Beggs (bass), Fiona Davidson (Celtic harp), Peter Whitfield (strings), Troy Donockley (Uillean pipes) and Frank Van Essen (drums, violin) had joined the band.

In 1992, the band released "The Book of Kells," a concept album based on the legendary Irish tome . Terl Bryant took over on drums and percussion for this album after the departure of Frank Van Essen. Fitzgerald also left the band to pursue a degree in music. The band's third album, "Beyond These Shores" (1993), which included guest musician Robert Fripp, was loosely based on the voyage of St. Brendan. "Journey into the Morn" (1995) was a more straight-forward release inspired by the hymn "Be Thou My Vision," which bookends the album in Gaelic and features Máire Brennan, lead singer of Celtic/New Age band Clannad.

After two live albums, Bryant left the band and Van Essen returned to play drums on 2000's "Open Sky," which was followed in 2002 by a boxed set called "The River Flows," the first release on the band's own label. The box contains their then-out-of- print first three albums remastered, as well as a fourth disc of unreleased tracks. After six years without a new studio album, the band released the gorgeous "The Circling Hour" in 2006 as well as a 2-disc live DVD "Iona: Live in London," featuring a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround mix.

Since then, the band has continued to play live shows across Europe to enthusiastic crowds. The band has also returned to the studio to begin work on a new album which will see the light in 2010 to coincide with their 20th anniversary. In helping to celebrate the band's milestone, NEARfest is very pleased to welcome Iona to the stage to treat us to their wonderful stylistic weave of Celtic music and symphonic rock.

Iona website: http://www.iona. uk.com