Sun 7 Nov – Joe Bonamassa

The first time I got to know Joe Bonamassa‘s music was when web store Amazon.com recommended me the album “Sloe Gin”. This recommendation was based on the fact that I ordered a couple of CDs and instruction DVDs from blues guitar player Robben Ford. I remember listening to the album “Sloe Gin”, thinking it was okay but not completely my cup of tea, and lost sight of Joe Bonamassa.

That was until a friend of mine mentioned Mr. Bonamassa to me and asked if I was interested to go and see him at the…

When I picked up my mail from my mailbox last Friday I was pleasantly surprised to find a package from Voices UK, the UK based Dream Theater fanclub. Since the previous issue was sent to me more than a year ago I thought that they had stopped existing or had totally forgotten about me.

As soon as I stepped into my apartment I ripped open the envelope and I found a brand new fanclub CD inside and the new issue or the fanzine. When I checked the label of the CD I just could not believe my eyes. The CD…

Last week Last.fm announced the next version of the site which is currently in beta. Since I am a subscriber to Last.fm I have the privilege of browsing new beta version of the Last.fm site.

I have browsed through the site for an hour or so and my first feelings are quite positive. The artist pages look better and more informative and structured. The profile pages of the Last.fm users have changed drastically too.

My first thoughts on the restyle of the profile pages are mixed. I took the time to write some feedback and post it using the yellow…

25 March: Jean-Michel Jarre - Royal Theatre Carré

The moment I saw that tickets where going to be on sale for the 30th anniversary tour of Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygene album, my heart skipped a beat! And the venue that he chose to play this piece of music surprised me even more. Royal Theatre Carré is not a very big venue, which is a big contrast with the enormous outdoor events that mister Jarre conceived in the past. So this was really too good to be true! A friend of mine even managed to get tickets for the third row…

Sometimes someone has an idea for a website that at first glance looks incredibly useless and stupid. Take for example Twitter. What is the point of posting messages that may not exceed the number of 140 characters? I asked that question myself numerous times.

The first time I heard about Twitter was at the Adobe Live 2007 event. A couple of presenters took a sidestep in their presentations, briefly talking about Twitter, showing the site to the audience, and telling them how excited they were about it. When I looked at it I thought: "You got to be kidding me!"…

CD Review: Moongarden- The Gates of Omega

As you could have read in one of my previous journal entries I was having quite some trouble getting Moongarden's album "Round Midnight". Because I got a gift coupon for my favorite local record store I decided to let them try and get an other album of this great band called "The Gates of Omega".

This almost turned out to become a disaster! It took them more than two months to get a hold of a copy. But the good news is that they did succeed! And I am a happy…

CD Review: The Flower Kings - The Sum of No Evil

Yep, this record is definitely Flower Kings! The fantastic guitar playing, the great keyboard sounds, the magnificent bass chops, it's all there!

There is only one problem: it's too much. Far too much! At least in my humble opinion. One epic song I can handle, but not four. It's just too much prog, too bombastic, arranged too death with yet another section added and another section, and another. Structure is totally lost at some places. It's just too much.

The previous record (Paradox Hotel) is so much better than…

Yesterday I ordered the CD "Round Midnight" from an Italian band called Moongarden. I can recommend this band to anyone who likes progressive rock in the style of bands like Marilion and Carptree.

I started looking for the album at the web stores I usually visit when I order albums on the Internet, but I had a hard time finding it. In the end I had to use Google to find a site that had the album in stock. The search led me to a site called CD Baby where I could finally place my order.

Today I…

28 June: Porcupine Tree (support: Pure Reason Revolution) - Melkweg

My first introduction to Porcupine Tree was the album "Stupid Dream". I read a raving review about the album in a Dream Theater fan club magazine and got interested in the band. After listening to a couple of tracks in the record store I decided to give the album a try and bought it. I would never have thought that now, eight years later, I would be sitting here writing a review for one of their concerts.

I saw Porcupine Tree earlier once, also in Amsterdam in Paradiso, and they…

16 June: Dream Theater (support: Riverside) - Museumsmeile

Finally I have recuperated from my trip to Bonn, which is almost a 4 hour drive from the place where I live. Yesterday a friend of mine and myself had the privilege to see a very special Dream Theater live show. When we took of on Saturday morning to Bonn we did not have the slightest idea what would happen during that show. I can tell you I was flabbergasted and extremely happy that I was there to experience it!

But what am I talking about here? I think the people that…