Progressive rock in France
has but two consecrated European festivals which
are developed in similar way, but in opposite latitudes
within the French territory.
The Prog'Sud Festival
is organized by a group of musicians and friends
of the music who decided to carry out a project
in their city (Jas'Rod
DES Pennes-Mirabeau) and resulted in being
a festival of great importance and with a presenting
a scene that rises to the level of well-known festivals
of other countries. In its last edition the line-up
was made up of artists like Aftercryng
(Hungria), Quidam
(Poland), Fanstasmagoria
(Japan) and Oxygene
Eight (USA). Guillermo
Cides was presented as one of the few solo
artists of the Stick.
A similar organization, but with an outdoor scene,
was the Crescendo Festival
in the city of St
Palais sur Mer. Professionalism, a great
affluence of public and artists between whom they
were Lazuli (France),
Octopus (Chile),
Trettioariga Kriget
(Sweden), Karcius
(Canada), Phideaux
(USA). In addition to its solo presentation, Cides
was invited to play in the band of the stickista
Linda Cushma, Oxygene8.
Both festivales are organized with much professionalism,
although the surprising detail is that they are
organized by people without profit interests, with
a vocation to the music that pleasingly surprises
the public and also the artists.
______________________________
About the concert of Cides, the critics said:
Then the Argentinian virtuoso of Chapman Stickist,
Guillermo Cides, took over with nervous, demanding
music. The stick is an instrument most difficult
because it is necessary to play a game of piano
on a stringed instrument. Two hands play two parts
simultaneously and the instrument consists of ten
strings: five strings of guitar and five strings
of bass. Control of the Chapman Stick requires a
great number of years of practice, one of the Masters
of this being Tony Levin, bass player for Peter
Gabriel. With the Chapman Stick, Guillermo offers
an incredible performance to us in carrying out
various musical styles (Bach, King Crimson) and
by recording loops in real time. Fluid music, baroque
music, rates/rhythms syncopated or sustained, all
will pass here for the greatest happiness of the
public that is present.
(Harmonie Magazine -
Concierto Progsud)
Guillermo starts his concert
by “el mundo interior of los planetas,”
and the guy is alone on the scene, stick in hand
and he is nevertheless brilliantly capable alone
and with a single instrument to control all his
universe. Of course that requires a crazy technique
but when this level is reached it is imposing.
The various sounds created thanks to foot pedals,
boxes and cords are very original and this instrument
when complimented by these, allows all of them the
audacity to exploit at the same time the rates/rhythms
and the melodies. One could thus say that Guillermo
is at the same time a powerful bass player as Tony
Levin...//
Definitely King Crimson has the honors in this 2007
edition since here he attacks “Elephant Talk,”
(in the version of the album “Discipline”,
the intro already profits from the Chapman Stick),
one hears a sound of enormous bass there and finds
even the tortured guitar of the tortured Robert
Fripp! It is diabolically close to the original
but also deliciously reworked; that would be 3 or
4 Guillermos on the scene?
This spectacular and extremely difficult instrument
proposes the new “los dias that vendran,"
with sounds of acoustic guitar, electric guitar
and of bass. Very melodic and filled up with the
South American joy and passion for living, this
piece touched me very personally, it producing sounds
opening the heart ....//
This evening Guillermo Cides will have, I believe,
created believers of many people, but this enchanter
will have especially lavished his magic
(Bruno Cassan - Concierto
Progsud)
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