Monday, July 30, 2018

Travelling: The Ancient City of Aphrodisias (Turkey).

  Almost 10 days ago we visited Turkey for our Summer holidays. We made some rounds, saw some very good places, but the best thing we saw, was without a doubt the ancient city of Aphrodisias.
  The people who are visiting the coast of Turkey, usually go to Ephesus, which is the most famous city in the coastline. But if you decide to go a little bit more inside the country and visit the famous Pamukkale, don't even think of not visiting Aphrodisias, which is rather near. Aphrodisias in not as famous as Ephesus, but is one of the finest archaeological sites of Turkey, still partly excavated and partly undiscovered. 
  The name of the city is derived from the goddess of love, Aphrodite - called Venus by the Romans, who has her famous sanctuary here. It is about 3 hours drive from Ephesus and almost 1 hour drive from Pamukkale.
  The city has a long story, but it became known and big during the Roman times, so, most of the things you will see in there has been built by the Romans.
  It occupies a large area, and it includes some well-preserved and stunning buildings, such as The Stadium, The Theater, the Temple of Aphroditi, The Governor's House, The Sebasteion, and many more.
  The entrance fee is cheap, and with your ticket you can also visit the wonderful museum, which is near the entrance. (But it's better to leave it for the end).
  But have in mind that you will probably need 2-3 hours for a quick visit. We stayed there for almost 4 hours, and from a point an on we were tired, and we couldn't pay too much attention to some things as we should have.
 You can have a small idea by looking at the pictures on the right, or by making a search on the internet.

Monday, July 23, 2018

ROCKWAVE FESTIVAL (19&20/7/2018), ATHENS, GREECE. The setlists...

  A few days ago, one of the most famous festivals in Greece took place at the Tera Vibe Park, a few km outside Athens. This year it was a 100% Metal Festival, including some very good (old and new) names of the Heavy Metal scene.
If you want to know more about the complete list with the bands, scroll down a little bit and you will
see it.
  The first day, the place wasn't packed, but it had a crowd of almost 15 - 20.000 people. But the 2nd day the place was jammed. More than 40.000 people were gathered, and even Iron Maiden's performance was delayed for almost half hour, because there were still lots of people who were trying to enter the concert area.
 All bands performed really good, some better than others of course, but the overall result was excellent.
At the end of this post you will find a few YT links with videos from the festival. The videos are taken with mobile phones, and I tried to add here the best I could find.
Here you can take a look at the playlists of the "bigger" names that appeared there.
THURSDAY 19/7/2018.                                              

ACCEPT                                                      
Die By The Sword                                               
Restless And Wild
Pandemic
Koolaid
Princess Of The Dawn
Up To The Limit
Analog Man
Metal Heart
Teutonic Terror
Fast As A Shark
Balls To The Wall
I'm
Α Rebel
Burning
SAXON
Thunderbolt
Sacrifice
Motorcycle Man
Strong Arm Of The Law
Battering Ram
Power And The glory
The Secret Of Flight
Ride Like The Wind
They Played Rock And Roll
Crusader
Princess Of The Night
Heavy Metal Thunder
Wheels Of Steel
Denim And Leather
SABATON
Ghost Division
Winged Hussars
Blood Of Bannockburn
Swedish Pagans
Carolus Rex
The Last Stand
Into The Fire
Sparta
Resist And Bite
Night Witches
Primo Victoria
Coat Of Arms
Shiroyama
To Hell And Back
JUDAS PRIEST
Firepower
Grinder
Sinner
The Ripper
Lightning Strike
Bloodstone
Saints In Hell
Turbo Lover
Prelude
Tyrant
Night Comes Down
Freewheel Burning
Guardians
Rising From Ruins
You've Got Another Thing Comin'
Hell Bent For Leather
Painkiller
Encore:
Metal Gods
Breaking The Law
Living After Midnight
FRIDAY 20/7/2018
TREMONTI
Another Heart
You Waste Your Time
My Last Mistake
So Your Afraid
Catching Fire
Flying Monkeys
Radical Change
Things I’ve Seen
Throw Them To The Lions
A Dying Machine
Cauterize
I Wish You Well
VOLBEAT
The Devil’s Bleeding Crown /
Heaven Nor Hell/A Warrior’s Call/I Only Want To Be With You
Lola Montez
The Lonesome Rider
Sad Man’s Tongue
Dead But Rising
 For Evigt
16 Dollars
Seal The Deal
Let It Burn
Doc Holiday
Black Rose
Fallen
Still Counting
IRON MAIDEN
Aces High
Where Eagles Dare
2 Minutes To Midnight
The Clansman
The Trooper
Revelations
For The Greater Good Of God
The Wicker Man
Sign Of The Cross
Flight Of Icarus
Fear Of The Dark
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
Encore:
The Evil That Men Do
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Run To The Hills







Tuesday, July 17, 2018

SCORPIONS Live in Athens (16/7/2018). The complete setlist and more...

  Last night, the long-awaited concert of Scorpions took place at the beautiful Panathenaic stadium in
Athens, Greece.
I was there, and I'm going to inform you about what happened in general, according to my point of view.
  First of all, the stadium was almost full. I don't know a number, but I'm guessing that more than 40.000 people were gathered for the show.
  Exactly on time, the Athens State Orchestra and a small choir took their places and the concert begun. For the next 45 minutes they played a few songs of Scorpions in a "different" way, which I found kind of boring. After the orchestra, it was the time of the band to appear on the stage.
I have seen Scorpions on stage 4 times so far; this was the 5th, and the worst of all.

  Although the show was rather impressive and the sound very good, I can't say that I was really impressed with anything else, further than the Greek-Swedish drummer, Mike D. (Before Scorpions he was the drummer of Motorhead for more than 20 years).
  The members of Scorpions tried to do their best, but unfortunatelly they are not like they used to be. Also, Klaus Meine's voice wasn't that good for the first half of the show, but then it got better. (Let's not forget that he is 70 years old).   
  During the first half of the show, they played a meddley with some of their old songs from the 70's which was not so good.
  Maybe I'm not objective, because I grew up with the music of Scorpions and especially their albums up to Blackout, but I'm not the only one. And yes, I can understand that many classic bands are trying to sound "fresh" to a younger audience, but they shouldn't forget their older fans. I mean,
what's the point of playing your old classic stuff in a modern and noizy way?
  Don't get me wrong, the concert wasn't bad, but it wasn't something special either. At least, from my point of view. I have seen 100+ concerts in my life, and maybe my criteria are different now.
  In a nutshell, last night's concert was nothing special, and most probably I will not remember many things after some time.
Here's the complete setlist:
1. Going Out With a Bang
2. Make it Real
3. Is There Anybody There?
4. The Zoo
5. Coast to Coast
6. Top of the Bill / Steamrock Fever / Speedy's Coming / Catch your Train
7. We Built This House
8. Delicate Dance
9. Follow your Heart / Eye of the Storm / Send Me an Angel
10. Wind of Change
11. Tease Me, Please Me
12. Overkill (Motorhead cover)
13. Drum Solo
14. Blackout
15. Big City Nights
ENCORE
16. Still Loving You
17. Rock You Like a Hurricane 
Rock You Like a Hurricane (Athens 2018) 

Monday, July 16, 2018

Last Prog n Roll radio show of the season, including song requests exclusively. (15/7/2018). The complete playlist.

Hello all!
  After an almost 10-month-period, the 6th radio season of Prog n Roll came to an end. Last night we had the last show of the season, which was including only songs requested by our listeners. We decided to make this last show an "offer" to them, and let them create a playlist of their own.
  This is not the first time we are doing something like that, and these shows are always very interesting and have lots of fun. Because everybody is asking for whatever he/she wants, and the playlist is totally mixed up. As you will see, the playlist included songs from Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, etc.
  Here you can see the songs we played last night:
Part 1: IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY: Hot Summer Day / TOTO: Africa / KINGS X: Summerland / THE GENTLE STORM: Heart of Amsterdam.
Part 2: QUEENSRYCHE: Anybody Listening? / JUDAS PRIEST: Beyond the Realms of Death / STRATOVARIOUS: Black Diamond / RIOT: Road Racin’.
Part 3: IRON MAIDEN: Wasting Love / SCORPIONS: The Riot of Your Time / THIN LIZZY: Opium Trail / SAXON: 747 (Strangers in the Night).
Part 4: RENAISSANCE: The Vultures Fly High / SUPERTRAMP: Crime of the Century / BIG BIG TRAIN: Brave Captain.
 I would like to thank all those people who are supporting this show through the years, by listening, participating and advertising it.
Thank you all!
Prog n Roll will be on air again in 2 months, at mid-September.
Have a great Summer!



Friday, July 13, 2018

ROCKWAVE FESTIVAL (19 & 20/7/2018), Athens Greece.

Hello all!
  Since Athens has been a very popular tourist destination lately, there is a possibility that some of you might be here on July. So, here's an event you shouldn't miss, if you like open air  festivals and
Hard / Heavy Metal music.
  On Thursday the 19th and Friday the 20th, Rockwave Festival open its doors for 2 days filled with many bands and good music. As far as I know, only a few tickets left, so if you are interested, maybe you should buy your ticket immediately.
  The festival will take place on Terra Vibe Park, a beautiful place outside Athens. But no worries. There will be buses available to transport you there, if you don't have your own vehicle. The buses are leaving from central parts of the city, and will bring you back after the festival.
Here is the line up:                              
Thursday (19/7/2018)                   Friday (20/7/2018)  
Jacks Full                                      Rollin' Dice
Null 'O' Zero                                  Web
Foray Between Ocean                  Monument
Accept                                           The Raven Age
Saxon                                            Tremonti
Sabaton                                         Volbeat
Judas Priest                                  Iron Maiden                    
If you are interested, check the following link for tickets: 

 


Wednesday, July 11, 2018

SCORPIONS live, with the Athens State Orchestra. 16/7/2018 Athens, Greece.

   I would like to inform you about a special live event that will take place in Athens Greece, on Monday the 16th of July.
  That day, the German band Scorpions will give a live gig together with the Athens State Orchestra.
   The concert will take place at Panathenaic Stadium, where, in 1896, the re-birth of the Olympic Games took place.
  I have seen Scorpions 3-4 times in the past, but because my wife never saw them and because the stadium is almost next to my home, I decided to go.
  The tickets prices vary from 18€ up to 80€. But as far as I know, the "cheap" tickets (18€, 25€ & 28€) are sold out, so the cheaper available now cost 35€ and 40€.
You can find tickets here: https://www.ticketservices.gr/event/scorpions-once-in-a-lifetime/?lang=en
  So, if you live in Athens or you are just visitors, try not to miss this event. Scorpions' concerts are  always enjoyable and on stage they give 100% of their energy. Not to mention that you will see it in a historical and very beautiful place. (You can see Panathenaic Stadium in the pic below).


Monday, July 9, 2018

Special Prog n Roll radio show, including the presentation of the Rock Opera Giordano Bruno by OAK (8/7/2018). The complete playlist and more…



Hello all!
   Last night, the special Prog n Roll that we had announced was on air, a  half hour earlier than usual, because it was an extended show that lasted for almost 2.5 hours.       
  The show was including many songs from the excellent Rock opera Giordano Bruno, recorded and released by the Italian project OAK. Further than the members of OAK, the album included musicians from bands like Caravan, Curved Air, Van Der Graaf Generator and Jethro Tull. We also played a couple of parts of the interview we conducted with the band’s leader/composer/lyricist and multi-instrumentalist  Jerry Cutillo, and his manager Gerlinde Roth. Further than the songs we played from the Rock opera, the playlist was including songs from other Progressive Rock and/or Progressive Folk bands, older and modern ones.
  From the beginning of the show, we had a big crowd listening, and we had the pleasure and honour to have as our “guests on the chatbox” Jerry Cutillo, his manager Gerlinde Roth, Sonja Kristina, the singer of Curved Air (she joined our show for the 3rd time) and the legendary saxophone player of Van Der Graaf Generator, David Jackson. We also had Pat Sanders, the leader/composer/keyboard player of Drifting Sun, and Benjamin Bell, who is the keyboard player of Gandalf’s Fist and participates in other projects as well. So, as someone said at some point during the show, last night we had an All-Star company gathered on our chatbox.
  The 2.5 hours of the show passed really fast, with lots of good music, some information about the life and work of Giordano Bruno, and the usual interesting and fun conversations on the chatbox.
  As far as I saw, everybody loved the show, and enjoyed the time they spent listening to Prog n Roll. We received lots of congratulations about the work we did and the music we played from many people, which was a great morale boost, because we worked really hard for this show.
 Here you can see the whole playlist:
Part 1: TUMBLETOWN: One Giant Stage / MOSTLY AUTUMN: Once Round the Sun / MARCO DE ANGELIS: Keep Going / Interview with Jerry Cutillo Pt.1 / OAK: La Cena Delle Beffe.
Part 2: CELLAR NOISE: Underground Ride / CURVED AIR: Easy / OAK: Diana Morgana.
Part 3: PFM (Feat. PETER HAMMILL): Sea of Memory / Interview with Jerry Cutillo Pt.2 / OAK: Dreams of Mandragora / CARAVAN: Hello Hello / BAROCK PROJECT: A Winter’s Night / OAK: Circe.
Part 4: OAK: Nothing is Easy (music quiz) / JETHRO TULL: Mother Goose / THE SAMURAI OF PROG: Growing Up / Interview with Gerlinde Roth / OAK: The Globe.
Part 5: OAK: Danse Macabre / CAMEL: Air Born / OAK: Campo de Fiori – Reprise / VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR: Man Erg.
  I would like to thank Jerry Cutillo and Gerlinde Roth for their help and their efforts, because without them, this show would be impossible to happen. Also, a big thanks to Sonja Kristina and David Jackson for being there last night. And last but not least, to Ben Bell, Pat Sanders and all those lovely people who are supporting our show for so many years. Your love and support give us the strength to continue, and always trying to get better.
 I believe that this was a great show and because some people maybe lost it, I am thinking of uploading it on our Mixcloud page during the following days. When it will be uploaded there, I am going to inform you.
  Prog n Roll will be on air again on Sunday the 15th of July for the last show of the season. After that we are going to have our Summer break and return on September.
Thank you all!


Thursday, July 5, 2018

Prog & Roll presents: Giordano Bruno - A Rock Opera and welcomes Jerry Cutillo and David Jackson. (8/7/2018)

Hello all!
  I am writing this post in order to inform you about the very special Prog n Roll radio show that will take place on Sunday 8th of July 2018. Just after a couple of days...
It is going to be an extended show, that will begin at 20.30 CET, (19.30 UK time), and will last for 2.5 hours. 
  During these 2.5 hours, we are going to make an extended presentation to the really interesting Rock Opera Giordano Bruno, (released by the Italian project OAK, a few months ago), mixed with older and new Prog/Folk Rock songs from other bands. Furthermore, we are going to have a music quiz, and the winner will take as a prize something cool and unusual...
  But that's not all!
 We are going to have on our chatbox the mastermind behind the band, Jerry Cutillo, who is a songwriter, composer, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist, but he won't be alone. Together with him, we are going to have David Jackson, the legendary sax player of Van Der Graaf Generator and maybe Sonja Kristina, the lead singer of Curved Air. (Both David Jackson and Sonja Kristina are participating in the album). 
 We worked very hard for this show, because we want to present something really tasteful, enjoyable and interesting.
  In my opinion this is a show you shouldn't miss for no reason! It will include lots of great music, historical info about the life and work of Giordano Bruno, important and famous guest musicians on the chatbox, and Prog n Roll's usual warm and friendly atmosphere.
  In case you are interested, you can also read the review I wrote about this Rock Opera almost 10 days ago, here: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.com/2018/06/oak-giordano-bruno-rock-opera-2018-my.html
 I would like to remind/inform you that Prog n Roll is a live bilingual boradcast, which you can listen online from your PC, tablet, mobile phone, etc... The only thing you'll have to do is to click on (or copy paste) the following link on Sunday 8th of July at 20.30 CET.
www.justincaseradio.com 
I hope to "see" you on our chatbox and meet each other.
Thank you!


Monday, July 2, 2018

Prog n Roll radio show (1/7/2018). The complete playlist and more...

Hello all!
  Last night we had one of the few remaining Prog n Roll radio shows, until our Summmer break. We got only 2 more shows left, on the 8th and on 15th of July. The show on the 8th is going to be a special one, but I will inform you about it later on.
  So, last night we had a rather nice evening, with some good music and some of our usual listeners on the chatbox. It wasn't as crowded as other times, but all of us enjoyed the music while we were chating through the chatbox.
Here you can take a look at the songs we played:

Part 1: DONOVAN: Barabajagal / KALEIDOSCOPE (UK): Flight from Ashiya / KALEIDOSCOPE (USA): Please / THE DOORS: Five to One / JIMI HENDRIX: Foxy Lady / JANIS JOPLIN: Piece of My Heart.
Part 2: WISHBONE ASH: The King Will Come / BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST: For no One / MACHINES DREAM: Unarmed at Sea / PORCUPINE TREE: The Sound of Muzak.
Part 3: BRUCE DICKINSON: All the Young Dudes (quiz) / GHOST: Life Eternal / ARENA: Scars / SPOCK’S BEARD: So This is Life / 3RDEGREE: Olympia.
Part 4: LED ZEPPELIN: Kashmir / RUSH: 2112.
I would like to thank you all for listening to our show once more. I hope you enjoyed it.
Have a nice week.
Thank you!