#this is what i imagine ultimate prog looks like in-universe

[johnnylandslide]

"We died HOW many times??"

[rockrevoltmagazine]

PONTUS Releases Official Music Video for Title Single off of 'Black Hole BBQ'

New York based Progressive Instrumental Space rock band PONTUS has released the official music video for the title single off of their album, Black Hole BBQ. The video for “Black Hole BBQ” was pieced together by different videos taken from the recording process and edited in with some live footage taken throughout the years. Included are short videos of the live studio tracking of drums, cello, and the percussion. The making of the album and the video was a collaboration with both Faculty and students at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema in Brooklyn. Pontus’ day gig is at Feirstein graduate school where he manages the post production facility and teaches music technology. The musicians performing on Black Hole BBQ include Pontus H.W. Gunve (All guitars, composition, and production), Tripp Dudley (Drums, Tabla, and Percussion), Ian O’Brien (Modular Synth), Chris Kelly and Dan Kramer (Bass), Eric Allen (Cello), Katie Thode (Flute). The album was mixed by Rocky Gallo at Virtue and Vice Studios and mastered by Mike Kalajian at Rogue Planet Mastering.

“Have you – like me – missed Pontus H.W. Gunve’s magic of melting contradictory modes and impressions into rich melodic canvases? Go and grab a bunch (Not forgetting your friends) of it! ‘cause you are missing big time! ” – Salim Ghazi Saeedi – Art Rockin’ Magazine

“If you like your music laid back and intense at the same time, with an eastern vibe that won’t quit, this is right up your alley … In fact to me it’s so awesome that I will be not only recommending for years to come, I will be following this artist’s progress from here out.” – Larry Toering – Music Chronicles

“There are few musicians in the mold of Pontus Gunve. Rarely content to rely on the traditional, but instead plundering it for his own uses…” – Jason Hillenburg – Music Street Journal

Black Hole BBQ Track List: 1. Black Hole BBQ – Shelagh’s Quest 2. March of Mysceria 3. Sukhothai – Dawn of Happiness 4. Exotic Matter 5. Infinity Plus One 6. Polar Vortex 7. For Jules 8. Telus Mater

Download / Stream Black Hole BBQ Online: iTunes | Spotify | Amazon | Bandcamp

  People make music to get a reaction. Music is communication.”              – Yoko Ono

If there is truth in that statement, then perhaps the true measure of a musician is the reaction and response his or her music gets. Pontus Gunve has garnered quite a few reviews over the years that can be an indication of that relationship. It’s a great place to start in understanding Pontus Gunve and his group PHWG.

Pete Feenstra at Get Ready to Rock said, “Pontus has a keen sense of the musical possibilities his impressionist style offers him.” Translated from Swedish, Jan-Erik Zandersson said this in Nya Upplaga, “Musically, this is a kind of progressive post-rock with a historical focus.” In a review of Gunve’s latest disc, Andrew Metzgler of Mountain Weekly News said, “The only way I can describe The Observer is by comparing it to Pink Floyd, Beats Antique, Umphrey’s McGee, Queen, and The John Butler Trio (2006 period)…Take elements from all of those bands, combine them with a few classic instruments and you can have an inkling as to what Pontus HW Gunve is bringing to the table.”

So, where does Pontus Gunve come from? The simple answer is New York City. That’s only the geographical location for his current stop on the musical journey that is his life, though. Gunve grew up in Sweden and was first fully gripped by his passion for music there when he saw Jean Michel Jarre’s Rendezvous Houston: A City in Concert on television as a child. Blown away by Jarre’s all-encompassing high-tech stage show and the endless layers of his album Oxygene, he began to explore the capabilities of computers to create different sounds and textures. His fascination with rock music led him to electric guitar, which he began to study voraciously, simultaneously imagining ways to expand its boundaries. At the same time, he experimented with sequencing and learned how to build computer and synthesizer modules that could be used practically during performances and on recordings.

Pontus Gunve’s music embraces the theory that music is a multi-dimensional experience and an adventure in wordless storytelling that fully absorbs the audience’s mind, body and spirit. Flowing through time and space, the lush sonic textures he creates evoke the ethereal landscapes of other-worldly multi-media artists such as Jean Michel Jarre and Boards of Canada while still clearly inspired by the thick, dark compositional textures of legendary heavy metal bands like Megadeth. And his energy as a guitarist celebrates numerous influences, from the technical proficiency of Steve Vai and the raw, exotic approach of Marty Friedman, to the minimalistic moments created by legendary blues performers. Gunve’s finely-tuned skills in the studio as both a producer and engineer allow him to seamlessly unify many different musical styles and a wide range of instruments into intricately-crafted, mesmerizing recordings resonating with unexpected surprises.

Of course, again, looking to reviewers can give us more insight into that sound. AtMusic Street Journal, Jason Hillenburg said of Gunve’s latest disc, “There are few musicians in the mold of Pontus Gunve. Rarely content to rely on the traditional, but instead plundering it for his own uses, Gunve brings a European sensibility to dense, intensely musical instrumentals. His album, The Observer, ranks as one of the most challenging and, ultimately, rewarding releases of the year.” Scott Kahn had this to say of the single “Cavalry of Camels” at MusicPlayers.com: “World Music meets Prog Metal in the latest single from Pontus Gunve. This is big orchestral stuff that rocks thanks to the solid guitar and drums anchoring the complex rhythms. The percussion and string section really give the music its international, ethnic vibe… Melodic, rocking, beautifully produced… I’m not fully sure how we’d categorize it, but we definitely enjoy listening to it.” At Mr. Music Chronicles, Larry Toering said, “There is just no describing the sheer quality on offer here. It’s something one must hear for themselves to really dig into properly, so it comes highly recommended…If you like your music laid back and intense at the same time, with an eastern vibe that won’t quit, this is right up your alley. In fact, to me it’s so awesome that I will be not only recommending for years to come, I will be following this artist’s progress from here out.”

Ludwig Von Beethoven said, “Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. “ Gunve translates his sensual impressions of the universe into intricate, personal and melodic musical passages that vividly illustrate his life’s rich and complex journey and allow him to connect powerfully with his own musicians, the audience and with each space he performs. He has composed music and worked as a sound designer for a wide range of independent films and Web projects as well as for various large-scale art projects in Sweden. He founded his own instrumental project, PHWG in 2007, a group that combines video, electronic instruments, cello, violin, drums and tabla/darbuka. With that group he has released Four full albums and ONE EP, Black Hole BBQ (2019), IV (EP – 2016), The Observer (2013), Movements (2008), and Great Wall of Sound (2006).

Connect with PONTUS: Official Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

PONTUS Releases Official Music Video for Title Single off of ‘Black Hole BBQ’ was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

[sentrava]

Live from Copenhagen: Danish Rock Band De Underjordiske

This week acclaimed Danish band De Underjordiske, headlining Pumpehuset on December 1st, is our featured act.

In 2015, the group released Ind I Flammerne, a debut album brimming with reverb-heavy guitar riffs and foot-stomping rhythms.

After earning a nomination at the 2016 Danish Music Awards, they retreated to Rømø and Bornholm, finding inspiration for their 2018 follow-up, Flænger I Luften, amid the islands’ bucolic landscapes.

The new album, produced by Simon Littauer (Reptile Youth, School of X), is a more sophisticated, experimental departure from the group’s initial sound – but retains a bewitching live session energy.

Peter Kure, De Underjordiske’s lead singer, spoke to us about the band’s tour life, their Copenhagen music scene influences, and the divinity of their concert performances.

After playing Roskilde Festival, you’ve spent autumn touring Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Have there been any notable experiences?

We received so much positive feedback from the crowds everywhere we played, and generally, we’ve been very satisfied with our performances. But Kristian Bengtsen, the band’s founder and guitarist, became a father just a month before the tour began, which was naturally very challenging for him and affected the tour a lot.

At some point, he simply couldn’t make ends meet, and we had to cancel shows in Oslo and Drammen five days in advance. We were scheduled to play Blå, our favorite venue in Oslo, and we felt canceling that show was not an option. On the other hand, we didn’t find the idea of playing a show without Kristian’s guitar appealing at all.

We found a last minute solution when Anders “Psyko” Christiansen [of Lightwave Empire] picked up the bass, and our bassist, Anders Hvass, visited Kristian to learn his guitar role. We didn’t have an opportunity to rehearse as a band, so we just drove to Oslo hoping for a miracle. Psyko wasn’t even sure if he could do it; at the soundcheck, he couldn’t remember any of the songs in full.

But then the adrenaline kicked in, and we played a killer show to an absolutely packed venue. Psyko remembered all the songs, and Hvass managed to almost fill Kristian’s shoes on the guitar – beyond what anyone could’ve expected. Musically, it was far from the best show on the tour, but the fact that we actually managed to go through with it was such a big victory for us.

    Do you think there’s a certain identity found in the Copenhagen alternative-psychedelic-prog scene that influences Danish bands, such as De Underjordiske, working across those genres?

As a band, we’ve always been very much into the local scene. Groups like The Wands, The Road to Suicide, The Woken Trees and Shiny Darkly were all influences when we started out. They were hanging out at Drone – a bar in Nørrebro where we played our first Copenhagen show, and where we spent so many nights after first moving to Copenhagen.

But like us, they were all oriented towards an international scene, rather than looking for inspiration in Danish music. Even though a lot of Copenhagen bands manage to establish themselves outside of Denmark, I still think there’s a sort of a bubble – especially when it comes to those of us who write lyrics in Danish.

Lyrics are a big part of De Underjordiske, and they’re in Danish, so we’re automatically part of the bubble. But maybe that’s why we still look for outside inspiration. Who knows, maybe we’ll start looking for inspiration within the bubble for our next album. At least then we wouldn’t feel misunderstood when compared to good old stuff from the Danish scene anymore.

      On December 1st, you’re playing Pumpehuset in Copenhagen. What do you look to give those who come to your performances?

In a word: transcendence. We want people to disappear in the music and slide through different universes – forget themselves, remember themselves, go through different feelings We want them to create pictures in their heads with words, sounds and expressions that trigger their imagination.

That’s what we also aim to give ourselves when we play. The energy in the venue during a show is dialectic: our performance is tightly connected to the crowd’s feelings and behavior.

When you see an old man letting his head fall back or look into the dreamy eyes of those in the first row, you’re so much more able to let yourself become carried away. And the same goes for those watching us in the audience. If we are able to express how the music is affecting us, we are more likely to start the pendulum between the band and the crowd, which ultimately leads to transcendence.

For us, there is something holy about the “ordinary” rock concert. By recognizing this holiness, the ordinary can become extraordinary.

    Do you have any more upcoming events or performances scheduled before the new year?

After our show in Copenhagen, we will hibernate for a while. Hopefully, we’ll come up with some great new songs during the winter. We already have a handful of scheduled shows for next year in the spring and summer. So far, a highlight is a support show for D-A-D in Horsens in June.

  See De Underjordiske in Copenhagen:

Saturday 1st December 1st, 9 pm

Pumpehuset

Studiestræde 52 1554 København V

Ticket price: 190 DKK

Buy tickets here

Photos by Søren Christian Bech

Live from Copenhagen: Danish Rock Band De Underjordiske published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS