Starcross70
Cadet
Hi everyone,
First, the introduction. My name is Kevin, and I have been a sci-fi fan ever since I first saw Star Wars at age 7. Since then sci-fi movies, books, and tv shows have been a huge part of my life. I grew up on Star Wars and Star Trek, and more recent favorites include Firefly/Serenity and Battlestar Galactica among many others. I also love such authors as Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Gene Wolfe, Robert Charles Wilson, and many, many more. I also play in a sci-fi leaning art rock band called Farpoint. We've been around since 1997 and have put out 4 albums, currently working on the 5th...
Which leads me to my question...In a recent discussion with some music friends, the thought was put forward that fans of sci-fi/fantasy/comics/gaming etc. would likely be fans of progressive/art rock, at least to some degree. Prog rock is generally based on imaginitive, open minded arrangements, with an intellectual slant, and often (but not always) some direct sci-fi or fantasy lyrical content. (For those who are not aware, prog or art-rock is a style of music pioneered by such bands as Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, King Crimson and many others in the late '60s and early '70s, now carried on by a multitude of highly creative and talented bands that mostly operate outside of the music mainstream.) It seems to me that this kind of music would be embraced by lovers of imaginitive and intellectual fiction. To further add to this premise, certain prog or art-rock bands have performed in the past at events such as Dragon Con, and artist Roger Dean (of Yes and Asia album cover fame) was once a featured guest there. My own band once performed at Trinco-Con in Durham, NC to a small but very enthusiastic response. However the "prog-rock" marketplace seems to be much smaller than the general sci-fi market. Of course I would never expect anything like a 100 percent overlap, but I'm wondering, is there really no connection or is it just that most sci-fi people are not aware of prog or art rock in general? How many of you out there are aware of the prog rock, and how many listen to it with any degree of regularity?
Just curious, and I'd love to get some other folks' input. Incidentally, I do know that many of the founding prog-rock musicians are sci-fi fans (Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues for example), and conversely some well known sci-fi folks are proggers (Joss Whedon, whose "Mutant Enemy" productions is named after a line from the Yes song "And You and I").
Anyway, thanks in advance for any thoughts or input.
First, the introduction. My name is Kevin, and I have been a sci-fi fan ever since I first saw Star Wars at age 7. Since then sci-fi movies, books, and tv shows have been a huge part of my life. I grew up on Star Wars and Star Trek, and more recent favorites include Firefly/Serenity and Battlestar Galactica among many others. I also love such authors as Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Gene Wolfe, Robert Charles Wilson, and many, many more. I also play in a sci-fi leaning art rock band called Farpoint. We've been around since 1997 and have put out 4 albums, currently working on the 5th...
Which leads me to my question...In a recent discussion with some music friends, the thought was put forward that fans of sci-fi/fantasy/comics/gaming etc. would likely be fans of progressive/art rock, at least to some degree. Prog rock is generally based on imaginitive, open minded arrangements, with an intellectual slant, and often (but not always) some direct sci-fi or fantasy lyrical content. (For those who are not aware, prog or art-rock is a style of music pioneered by such bands as Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, King Crimson and many others in the late '60s and early '70s, now carried on by a multitude of highly creative and talented bands that mostly operate outside of the music mainstream.) It seems to me that this kind of music would be embraced by lovers of imaginitive and intellectual fiction. To further add to this premise, certain prog or art-rock bands have performed in the past at events such as Dragon Con, and artist Roger Dean (of Yes and Asia album cover fame) was once a featured guest there. My own band once performed at Trinco-Con in Durham, NC to a small but very enthusiastic response. However the "prog-rock" marketplace seems to be much smaller than the general sci-fi market. Of course I would never expect anything like a 100 percent overlap, but I'm wondering, is there really no connection or is it just that most sci-fi people are not aware of prog or art rock in general? How many of you out there are aware of the prog rock, and how many listen to it with any degree of regularity?
Just curious, and I'd love to get some other folks' input. Incidentally, I do know that many of the founding prog-rock musicians are sci-fi fans (Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues for example), and conversely some well known sci-fi folks are proggers (Joss Whedon, whose "Mutant Enemy" productions is named after a line from the Yes song "And You and I").
Anyway, thanks in advance for any thoughts or input.