By Andrew Bansal
November 1st 2016, Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles CA: A little over a year after the release of their fourth full-length album ‘Dust And Disquiet’, Beverly, Massachusetts progressive rock group Caspian embarked on their biggest North American headline tour till date, with support from The Appleseed Cast, and arrived in Los Angeles for a gig at the Teragram Ballroom, along with Strawberry Girls as the local opener. Fans of prog/post/experimental heavy music gathered in good numbers, and were treated to a splendid show of smoothly flowing musicianship from three distinct bands that each stood out yet formed the perfect lineup together.
Doors opened at 7:30, and this show progressed very swiftly, which can be attributed to the timeliness of the band and venue, as well as the quality of the actual music which made it seem like a short period of time. Starting proceedings promptly at 8 o’ clock were Salinas, California instrumental prog rock trio Strawberry Girls, which of course does not have any girls in the band. This set of theirs was filmed for broadcast on late night television show ‘Last Call With Carson Daly’, the air date of the episode unknown at this time. The band presented an easily enjoyable 30-minute set exhibiting an excellent combination of grooves and melodic patterns, and found themselves to be in favor amongst fans of Caspian and The Appleseed Cast in this audience. Having started out in 2011, the band is relatively young but has already released three full-length albums including the highly impressive latest effort ‘American Graffiti’ in 2015, and with appearances like this in front of the right audiences, they are well on their way towards joining the ranks of the most respected and admired prog luminaries of our time.
Next up were The Appleseed Cast from Lawrence, Kansas, with their brand of post/prog rock, boasting mainly of extremely clean guitar tones and singing, and a melodic sound as a result. In existence since ’97, The Appleseed Cast are by far the most senior band among the three in this lineup, and had a number of fans of their own at this show. They weren’t as heavy as Caspian or Strawberry Girls, but the richness in the layering of their tunes was very much evident in the sound emanating from the stage, with two guitar players and a keyboardist doubling up as a third guitarist, while the skillful drum fills kept the set lively. Their tunes transitioned between soaring melodies and quieter interludes, although the impact of the latter was somewhat lost, unfortunately, as a few overzealous fans kept yelling over the music, a complete no-no at a prog show, and it became a bit hard to hear all the layers of the music completely. Regardless, it was still a highly compelling performance that should have lasted longer than its eventual 30-minute duration, and for first-timers and fans alike, The Appleseed Cast put forth a set that served as a glowing representation of their 20-year career. For fans of Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Anathema and the like, The Appleseed Cast’s 8-album discography is certainly worth delving into.
At 9:45, Caspian took the stage for a 75-minute set that was nothing short of incredible, awe-inspiring, captivating and spellbinding. These fantastic musicians went from strength to strength as they moved through their set and played tunes from all four of their albums, and there was simply not a single moment where their impact and grip on the audience lessened even one bit. Caspian’s style of instrumental progressive/atmospheric rock does not rely on million-notes-per-hour shred, nor does it depend on wild rhythmic shifts, but rather focuses on patterns and builds intensity and tension gradually and smoothly. It goes from nearly silent to ultra-heavy, and the usage of stage lights in conjunction with their musicianship on this occasion was truly exemplary. The stage was completely back lit and Caspian’s members all looked like silhouettes, much like Meshuggah, except that the lighting patterns were nowhere near as seizure-inducing. Most in the audience stood in silent captivity, some banged their heads to the heavier parts, but everyone applauded Caspian as loudly as they could, and by the looks of it, did not leave the hall until the band was completely done and off the stage. Such was the brilliance of this performance that anyone witnessing this band for the first time here would have instantly put them in the top bracket of bands in this genre. And what’s more, Caspian were offering their latest album ‘Dust And Disquiet’ at a pay-what-you-want price at the merch table, further compelling compelling the audience to fall deeper in love with the music.
The turnout was appreciable for a Tuesday night, and even though the Teragram wasn’t packed shoulder-to-shoulder, the attendance was strong enough to justify booking this event at this venue. All three of these absolutely incredible bands are either fully or mostly instrumental, which was the common underlying theme that made it easy for the audience to relate to the entire show and turn first-timers into fans. An enthralling evening of great music from start to finish.
Caspian + The Appleseed Cast remaining tour dates:
11/02 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
11/04 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
11/05 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
11/08 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
11/09 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
11/11 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
11/12 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
11/13 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11/14 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme
11/15 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
11/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
11/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
11/18 – Boston, MA @ Royale
11/19 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz