Puppet Show

Saturday, 03 May 2008

Band members:

Chris Ogburn - guitars
Sean Frazier - vocals
Mike Grimes - keys
Chris Mack - drums
Craig Polson - bass

Band country: EUA

Band biography:

Intricate arrangements, incredible drumming, innovative bass/ guitar/ keyboard interplay, and imaginative vocals all begin to describe Puppet Show – a group of musicians hailing from the heart of Northern California’s “Silicon Valley.” Formed in 1994, the band soon became regular performers in the Bay Area music scene, routinely playing in local living rooms, clubs, music festivals, and the odd corporate event. The group garnered critical acclaim for their live performances at several of these local concerts including standout gigs at East Bay Prog Day in 1995 and headlining the inaugural Exposé Concert Series event in 1996. Positive response from these early gigs propelled Puppet Show to the next level, convincing the group it was time to go into the studio and record an album.

Puppet Show’s debut album “Traumatized” was released on the Kinesis label in 1998. All the songs were written, honed, and gig-tested over several live performances and the album captures the powerful energy of the group. “Traumatized” is very much a group effort with everyone in the band contributing to the songwriting. The tunes combine fluent melodic work with odd meters and strong vocals and, as a bonus, come complete with multiple sections, instrumental breaks, a solo or two, quiet and loud parts, and occasional snoring.

Internet support, positive concert reviews, and word-of-mouth recommendations allowed Puppet Show to enjoy a live reputation impressive enough that, even prior to the release of their first album, they were invited to play at the prestigious Baja Prog festival in 1998! An excerpt of Puppet Show’s performance at Baja Prog was subsequently released on the Musea label. The band’s great showing in Mexico and positive response to “Traumatized” gave Puppet Show the opportunity to perform at another festival in San Francisco, ProgFest 1999.

After a great start, the future of the band began to look uncertain. In late 1999 it appeared as if various otherwise-positive life events might deal a fatal blow to Puppet Show. “Real” jobs took members away from the Bay Area. The band geographically split up. People got married and had kids. A few drummer changes transpired. Despite the setbacks, and through long periods of little progress, the band persevered and worked through the many obstacles encountered during the writing and recording for the follow-up release to “Traumatized.”

At long last, in 2006 the band completed recording their second album. The music on this upcoming new album expands upon the sound and direction the group established with “Traumatized” and additionally benefits from a far superior recording process. As with “Traumatized,” all the songs on the new album are co-written by all members of the band and the new tracks still contain the keyboard/ guitar interchanges, expressive vocals, and intricate rhythms for which the band is known. Learning from the mistakes made recording the first album, Puppet Show strived to make the new album superior both musically and sonically. The latter goal was achieved by enlisting the help of mixer and producer extraordinaire Terry Brown and Genie Award winning producer/ mastering engineer Peter J. Moore who respectively mixed and mastered the long awaited follow-up album. Look for the new album to be released in early 2007. If you remember the band from before, Puppet Show is back! If you’ve never heard of them, Puppet Show is here! Either way, we hope everyone enjoys the results.

Puppet Show represents the collective musical vision of five individuals: Sean Frazier on vocals, Mike Grimes on keyboards, Chris Mack on drums, Chris Ogburn on guitar, and Craig Polson on bass guitar.

Band discography:

The Tale of Woe

Tracks:

1. Seasons
2. Seven Gentle Spirits
3. Harold Cain
4. The Past Has Just Begun
5. God's Angry Man
6. On Second Though

Traumatized

Band official website: http://www.puppetshow.com

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