Taking place on Wednesday 5th September at Kew Gardens
Prog Magazine Celebrate The Best And Most Innovative Of The Prog Rock Scene
Prog Magazine is proud to announce the first annual Progressive Music Awards, presented by Orange Amplification, which will take place at the stunning, verdant and unique environs of Kew Gardens, London on Wednesday 5th September.
The awards will celebrate the biggest achievers in the world of progressive music. The afternoon-cum-evening event will be a sit-down dinner, and will play host to approximately 200 people.
From the visionaries and pioneers of early Prog rock, to the innovators of the present day, the awards will celebrate and embrace forty years of a groundbreaking and unique genre of music. Steven Wilson leads the nominations with five, followed by both Steve Hackett and Ian Anderson, who are nominated in four categories each. Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt and It Bites both feature in three different categories.
A full list of all the nominees can be found below and at www.progrockmag.com/awards where readers can have their say by voting in five of the categories – New Blood, Live Event, Anthem, Album Of The Year and Grand Design.
Readers who vote will have the chance to win a bumper prize of prog goodies from all the band’s nominated as well as a piece of prog-related framed artwork from The Flood Gallery (www.thefloodgallery.com) who will be hosting a prog art exhibition at the Awards themselves.
Jerry Ewing, Editor of Prog Magazine, says, “These awards have been a long time coming. But certainly when one considers the enormous amount of success that progressive artists have garnered over the past four decades, and perhaps more importantly the enjoyment they have given millions of fans over the years, it’s only right we give something back to the musicians themselves and given the buoyancy of the genre in recent years, we felt that the time was certainly right.
We think we’ve managed to get the balance of nominations right with acknowledgement of the original wave of progressive artists who have been such an inspiration to so many people, and today’s new wave of forward thinking musicians who carry the flame ever onwards.”
Chris Ingham, Group Publisher, says, “The idea of an award ceremony to celebrate prog rock is something that we have been thinking about since the inception of Prog Magazine. With the ongoing success of the magazine, and a rejuvenation in the genre, we felt this was the perfect opportunity. Early reaction from the artist and sponsors has been fantastic and given us a great platform to start this new annual awards ceremony. Prog Magazine has been a massive success for us and an award ceremony is testament to that.”
Prog Magazine has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2009, and has had a market-defying three years at the forefront of the prog scene. Originally part of the Classic Rock Magazine brand, Prog became its own entity this year and continues to find success, and The Progressive Music Awards are a credit to this. Having been embraced by prog’s affluent and notably dedicated cult following, the magazine has established itself at the heart of this most unique and underground of rock scenes.
The full list of categories and nominations is:
NEW BLOOD [Sponsored by Kscope]
The best up and coming act of the year, unsigned or signed and fledgling.
TesseracT
Gazpacho
Von Hertzen Brothers
Headspace
The Reasoning
Haken
Touchstone
LIVE EVENT [Sponsored by Esoteric/Cherry Red]
For the band or act who made the greatest show on earth this year.
Ian Anderson – Thick As A Brick tour
Summer’s End Festival
Opeth – Brixton Academy
Steve Hackett – ChildLine Rocks Charity Show, Islington Assembly Rooms
Steven Wilson – Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Marillion – Forum/US Tour
Anathema – Union Chapel/Koko
ANTHEM [Sponsored by Roadrunner Records]
Prog comes in all shapes and sizes these days. We salute the most creative songs of the past 12 months.
Steven Wilson – Raider II
Panic Room – Song For Tomorrow
Arena – One Last Au Revoir
Karmakanic – Turn It Up
Crippled Black Phoenix – Laying Traps
It Bites – The Last Escape
Squackett – A Life Within A Day
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Sponsored by InsideOut]
The best of the progressive full length releases.
Anathema – Weather Systems
Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion
Opeth – Heritage
It Bites – Map Of The Past
Rush – Clockwork Angels
Yes – Fly From Here
Nightwish – Imaginaerum
GRAND DESIGN
Celebrating the artistic achievement for the raft of Special and Deluxe Editions that populate the modern progressive genre.
Pink Floyd – Immersion Reissues
King Crimson – Panegyric Reissues
Peter Gabriel – New Blood Deluxe Edition
Steven Wilson – Grace For Drowning Deluxe Edition
Rush – Sectors Box Sets
Jethro Tull – Aqualung 40th Anniversary Special Edition
Tangerine Dream – Zeit Box Set
VIRTUOSO [Sponsored by KEF]
The musician who’s the cream of the 2012 prog crop chop-wise – could be a tub-thumper, a singer, keyboard king or guitar slinger. Being prog, it could even be the nose flute.
Mike Portnoy (Flying Colors)
John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
John Mitchell (It Bites/Arena)
Nick Beggs (Steve Hackett/Steven Wilson)
Rob Reed (Magenta)
Carl Palmer (ELP/Asia)
Roine Stolt (Flower Kings/Transatlantic)
VISIONARY [Sponsored by Eagle Rock]
The spirit of prog independence, the rogues in our midst who make their own niche in a progressive direction.
Hawkwind
Kraftwerk
Radiohead
Muse
Can
Peter Hammill
Kate Bush
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT [Sponsored by Prog Rocks!]
Who do you think of when you think of prog? These are the people who have kept the flag flying and are synonymous with the genre. Their unswerving dedication and nerve has built the foundations for generations to come.
Jehtro Tull
Pink Floyd
Yes
Moody Blues
Genesis
Van der Graaf Generator
ELP
GUIDING LIGHT
The person at the pinnacle of progressive thought today, this award is for the men and women who keep pushing boundaries, keep prog in the public eye and continue to inspire the young artists just setting out on their own paths.
Mikael Akerfeldt
Matt Bellamy
Robert Fripp
Steve Hackett
Mike Portnoy
Steven Wilson
Fish
PROG GOD [Sponsored by Orange Amplification]
The biggest movers and shakers within the progressive field over the last 40 years. Without this person prog would be a different, lesser place.
Ian Anderson
Rick Wakeman
Roger Waters
Peter Gabriel
Jon Anderson
Kate Bush
Steve Hillage
For more information please contact Ben Pester, Communications Manager at ben.pester@futurenet.com or 0207 042 4035 and 07737 138 384
Ends
About Future:
Future plc is an international media group and leading digital publisher, listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR). Founded in 1985 with one magazine, today we have operations in the UK, US and Australia creating 200 specialist publications, apps, websites and events. We hold market-leading positions in Games, Film, Music, Technology, Cycling, Crafts and Automotive. Our biggest-selling products include TechRadar, T3, Total Film, BikeRadar, MusicRadar, Classic Rock, Mollie Makes, GamesRadar and Official Xbox Magazine. TechRadar is the UK’s number one consumer technology website. Future sells 2.9 million magazines each month; we attract more than 35 million monthly unique visitors to our websites; and we deliver over 100 digital editions and bespoke apps on tablet. Future exports or syndicates publications to 89 countries, making us the UK’s number one exporter and licensor of magazine content. Future is the Association of Online Publishers’ Consumer Digital Publisher of the Year.
About Orange Amplification:
Founded in 1968 by Cliff Cooper, Orange Amps have always been a pioneering force in guitar amplification and built their reputation on delivering high quality without compromise on construction and tone. Known as the best British guitar amplifier manufacturer for both design and build, the company were awarded The Queens Award for Enterprise and International Trade in 2006 and 2009, the highest award that the Queen can confer on a UK company and it is recognised throughout the world.
Contact:
USA info@orangeusa.com or outside USA info@omec.com
http://www.orangeamps.com/
Tel ; +44 208 905 2828
Fax ; +44 208 905 2868
The Progressive Music Awards are sponsored by: