What happens when you put together some of the best and versatile musicians around in a band devoted to playing the greatest progressive rock music of all time? You get ProgJect, a group spearheaded by drummer extraordinaire Jonathan Mover.
Devoted to performing the music of prog rock greats like YES, Rush, U.K., and Emerson Lake and Palmer, to name just a few, ProgJect features Mover, Ryu Okumoto (keyboards), Pete Griffin (bass), Mike Keneally (guitar), and Alessandro Del Vecchio (vocals). The band’s tour begins this week, and we were lucky enough to have Jonathan Mover answer some questions over email about the genesis of ProgJect and what prog rans can expect to hear when the play live.
Andy Burns: Jonathan, you’ve got an incredible lineup of musicians for ProgJect! Tell me how the idea came together for the band, and how each member got involved.
Jonathan Mover: The idea for ProgJect came from my rekindled love of playing prog after touring with the Genesis tribute band, The Musical Box. I got a last-minute call to jump out with them while they were sorting out some visa issues with their drummer. And when I say last-minute, it really was–they called on a Tuesday evening, which happened to be the very day I had just returned from the East Coast, and the first show was the next day, Wednesday, and where of all places…New Hampshire, back on the East Coast. I took an early flight the next morning and was onstage with them that night. And right from the start, the minute I began playing those amazing Genesis songs that I grew up listening to, practicing to, and dreaming of playing one day, it was like I was fifteen again, in my basement, playing the part of Chester [Thompson]. The opener of the set was a medley consisting of “Unquiet Slumbers”, “In That Quiet Earth”, “Robbery, Assault and Battery”, “Blood on the Rooftops”, “Dance on a Volcano” and “Los Endos”; I immediately felt right at home and was very happy.
I was only out with them for a few weeks, but that was enough for me to know and feel that I wanted to continue playing that music, prog music, in some way, shape or form. But I didn’t want to put together a ‘tribute’ band, per se. I wasn’t interested in covering just one artist, and had no interest in dressing like any particular artist, or using the exact same gear and playing the exact same drum fills in a tune, so the idea came to me to put together a band that would be a ‘tribute to a genre’, instead of a single artist–I wanted to play all of my favourite prog, of which Genesis is just a part, along with YES, King Crimson, ELP, Gentle Giant, U.K., Rush, Bruford, Floyd, Tull, etc.
As soon as I got back home to Los Angeles, I jumped on the computer, as I do with everything I’m working on, and began mapping it all out. The name ProgJect came to me straight away, and from there, I began compiling a list of the artists I wanted to cover and the songs I wanted to play. Deciding it was going to be a quintet, I wrote down the names of various players to contact and also called a few industry friends to see who they might know and recommend beyond my list, and then I started making calls to see who might be interested. I also started piecing together the ideas for the kit, which was very exciting, as I wanted to be as authentic as possible and avoid the use of electronics and samples to cover a variety of voices out of convenience. I put together a custom Pearl kit that has a bit of everything and everyone in it. In order to cover Phil [Collins], Bill [Bruford], Carl [Palmer] and Neil [Peart], you’re going to need lots of drums, and cymbals, as well as a wide array of percussion–cowbells, woodblocks, tambourine, bongos, congas, bell tree, wind chimes, crotales, gong, glockenspiel, and of course, tubular bells!
Ryo was the first person I reached out to and he said ‘yes’ straightaway, so keyboards were covered. The first guitarist I called was Jason Bieler, who I’ve known and worked with for many years, and he was onboard as well. From there, I took a couple of recommendations for bass and vocals and got in touch with Matt Dorsey, and Michael Sadler from Saga; both guys were in. So, it came together quick and easy. We began rehearsing and got dates for the first tour, which would have been 2020, and then Covid hit and it all came to a screeching halt. Needless to say, as time went by, things changed a bit, and Jason, who lives on the East Coast, got very busy with the duo he has with Jeff Scott Soto, and that’s when I called Mike [Keneally], and once again heard ‘yes’ as soon as he saw the setlist!
We went out and did the first tour in 2022, which was great, but that’s when you really see what works and what doesn’t, what to modify, rework, rethink, etc. For various reasons, there were some personnel changes–we got a new bassist, Pete Griffin, who I love playing with, and I knew that Michael Sadler’s time was going to be limited, as Saga was also getting some new attention and offers to go out and play more. We did another run with Michael, which was previously booked, but it was time to think about another lead singer/frontman, and one with a range that could preferably cover all the prog that I want to play, which is not an easy person to find. I tried a modified lineup last year for some shows, but that also didn’t work very well, because even with technology, you can’t fake YES, or Rush, or Peter Gabriel. Instrumentally, the band was nailing it, but vocally, it was still falling short. I began thinking about which singers out there have that kind of range, and that I’d want to work with. One of the first names that popped into my head was Bob Harris [Zappa]. If you listen to him on the Tinsel Town Rebellion record, you’ll know why he’s one of my favourites; there’s nothing he cannot sing. I got in touch with Bob, who kindly declined the offer, as he doesn’t tour/travel much anymore, but he loved the idea of ProgJect and immediately recommended Alessandro Del Vecchio. I wasn’t familiar with Ale`, but Bob raved about him and basically said that Alessandro had the range to cover everything, and also, that he was a wonderful person to hang and work with. While Bob and I were speaking, I was searching Alessandro on the Internet, and was immediately into the idea of working with him; not only can he sing everything that is in our repertoire, and he’s a serious keyboardist, but he really knows music–he produces, he writes, records, engineers, and mixes, and has worked with many of the same people I have and know well, like Steve Lukather, Tony Franklin, Joe Lynn Turner, Doug Aldrich, James LaBrie, Carmine Appice, Rudy Sarzo…and everyone loves him. Anyway, Bob reached out to Alessandro and got back to me…and within a few hours, Ale` and I were communicating and sealing the deal.
Also, I have to add that there was no audition for Ale`, but I did send him a folder full of song snippets to check out and sing to, just so I could hear his vocal style and personality, which could influence my choice of songs and/or the medleys that I piece together. I uploaded the folder and before I knew it, he sent them all back. He sang every one of them, from Rush and YES, to U.K., Kansas, and Crimson, all in full voice, and absolutely crushed them!
So, I found the impossible–one person that can sing everything!
Andy Burns: What prog bands were/are your favourites and why?
Jonathan Mover: I really love classic ’60s – ’70s prog as a whole, and I got so much, and still do, out of all of them, but if I had to pick and all-time favourite prog band, it would have to be Genesis. Prog gives me everything I want, need and love in music – elaborate compositions, various time signatures, multi-layered arrangements, meaningful and poetic lyrics, the full range of dynamics, aural soundscapes, big melodies, great grooves, long(er) songs, superior musicianship, etc. And although most, if not all prog bands, have all of that, Genesis to me, on a whole, stands above the rest and does it the best. Now, that’s not to say that Gentle Giant doesn’t blow my mind, they most certainly do. Very few bands have the level of musicianship that GG has, and not to mention their vocals, too! Who else can sing and play like that?! And of course, YES has written some of the greatest prog epics; and ELP’s “Karn Evil 9” is a masterpiece and what a show they put on; and King Crimson broke more ground and boundaries than anyone; and Jethro Tull played more time signatures than all of them put together–all of those bands are amazing and I do love them all, but Genesis does have all of that, and then some…not mention the unbelievable combination of sick groove and incredible chops, otherwise known as Phil Collins.
And I’ll add, for an all-time favourite prog record, it would have to be the first U.K. record, that’s a desert-island disc for me. It’s the perfect combination of everything. It has it all–the production, the compositions, the lyrics, the solos, the parts, the dynamics, the time signatures, the vocals, the musicianship… no other record comes close. I feel the same about The Beatles and Frank Zappa, my two favourite artists…they give me everything I could ever want in music from an artist. That U.K. record lived on my turntable longer than any other record from any other artist. Each time I played it, I heard something new, and it never got old. Even today, it stands up one-hundred percent in every way and with everything I mentioned. It’s a perfect record as far as I’m concerned. AND… it was recorded/mixed in Dec 1978 – Jan 1979, in about one month’s time, to analog tape; no Pro Tools, no samples, no digital copy/cut/paste–those guys could play! A true ‘supergroup’ in every sense of the word.
Andy Burns: How did you choose the songs in the set list for the ProgJect shows?
Jonathan Mover: The setlist is really just a bunch of my favourite prog songs, that I loved playing and practicing to as a kid, and always wanted to play live, but never had the opportunity. Some songs were immediate and obvious, like “Firth of Fifth” and “The Cinema Show” for Genesis, “Siberian Khatru” and Perpetual Change” for YES, “Karn Evil” for ELP, “Lark’s Tongues” and “Red Nightmare” for Crimson, and then lots of others came to me straight away as soon as I started thinking about the ‘other’ prog bands that I also wanted to cover. I think of ProgJect and the set as a combination of material from “the big four”, which is Genesis, YES, Crimson and ELP, and then all the others round it out–U.K., Gentle Giant, Rush, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Peter Gabriel, etc. Of course, there’s no shortage of material, but there is a limited amount of time to play each night, and that’s why I love putting together the medleys. With the medleys, we can cover many songs from an artist, without having to play each song in its entirety. For example, I’ve taken five of my favourite Bruford songs–”Hell’s Bells”, “Abingdon Chasp”, “Age of Information”, “Sahara of Snow” and “Land’s End”–sliced them, diced them, and (re)arranged them into “The Bruford Medley”. And, on the last tour, I put together, what we called “The US Prog Medley”, which consisted of parts of songs from U.S. prog bands, The Tubes, Utopia, Captain Beyond, Kansas, and Happy The Man. And just like the other songs in the set, it’s just all material that I love listening to and have fun playing.
But, what’s most exciting for me and this upcoming tour, is having Alessandro onboard; we can now play Rush tunes with vocals, as well as cover YES, Kansas and Gentle Giant more authentically, not to mention being able to cover anyone else as well, moving forward.
Andy Burns: Looking at the songs you’ll be playing, you’ll be playing drum parts created by some legends – Peart, Palmer, Bruford, to name just a few. What sort of impact did these musicians have on your own playing, and how exciting is it to tackle their parts live?
Jonathan Mover: They had a huge impact on me, Collins and Bruford, especially. But I listened to them all – Palmer, Barlow, Peart, Weathers, Craney, Morgenstein, White, Giles, etc. As for how exciting is it to play that material and many of their parts, VERY! I’m having an absolute blast every night, not only playing the music and parts, but also playing the actual instruments that it was all originally played on. As mentioned, beyond drums and cymbals, my kit includes lots of percussion, including a glockenspiel, gong and the tubular bells. From the moment I heard, and then saw Palmer, with tubular bells, and Phil Collins, and then of course, Neil, I always wanted a set. Of course, they’re not very practical for everyday drumming in your average band, but hey, ProgJect is not your average band, nor is the music we’re playing. So, I’m very happy, not only to be playing this music, with this level of musicians, but also to be playing it authentically.
Andy Burns: Are there any particular songs that you’re playing that have left you scratching your head, wondering “How did they come up with this?”
Jonathan Mover: As a whole, nothing in particular comes to mind, but I think each band had their own individual head-scratching aspects and in many cases, capitalized on them. Gentle Giant’s classical background spoke through their music loud and clear, not to mention what they did with vocals. The multi-layered vocals and counterparts of YES were amazing and very defining. ELP took showmanship and chops to another level. Genesis broke so much ground early on, with compositions (and lyrics) like “Get ‘Em Out By Friday”, “The Return Of The Giant Hogweed” and “Supper’s Ready”, not to mention, they wrote and recorded, The Lamb… say no more. Jethro Tull’s musicianship was second to none, and just got better and better as the years went by, from A Passion Play to A, etc. So, I don’t necessarily scratch my head, but must admit, when I hear a song like “On Reflection” [Gentle Giant], or “Lark’s Tongue’s In Aspic” [King Crimson] or “In The Dead Of Night” [U.K.], or “Down And Out” [Genesis], I do smile, shake my head and think, “Thank god they came up with that!”
Andy Burns: You’ve got lots of tour dates lined up for the summer. Do you envision an opportunity to take ProgJect into the studio to create some new prog of your own?
Jonathan Mover: I’m getting asked that a lot lately, so it’s nice to know that there’s so much interest, if we should decide to go down that road at some point. Anything is possible. Speaking for myself, I have a lot of ideas and material that would be great for ProgJect, and I’d love to collaborate with the guys, but it would have to be in a way that did not detract or distract from what ProgJect is about–paying homage to our favorite classic prog artists and their music. If the right opportunity presents itself to possibly try a tune, see where it goes, play it live and receive some feedback, which hopefully would be positive…you never know. That being said, one thing that we do want to do is record a live show for audio and video. At the very least, I’d like to put out a great DVD to showcase what we’re doing. There’s too much talent not to.
Thanks so much to Jonathan Mover for his time, and to Roie Avin for making it happen. ProgJect is on the road beginning this week. You can see their tour dates below and get more info at ProgJect.com.
Tour Dates
*6/20/24 Chicago, IL – Reggies
*6/21/24 Hamilton, ON – Bridgeworks
*6/22/24 Quebec, QC – Salle Octave Cremazie
*6/24/24 Sydney, NS – Highland Arts Theatre
*6/26/24 Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount
*6/27/24 Portland, ME – Portland House of Music
*6/28/24 Arlington, MA – Regent Theatre
+6/29/24 NYC, NY – Sony Hall
+6/30/24 Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
* Guest Support – Travis Larson
+ Guest Support – Bill Bruford
