Hi all!
Been busy with other projects and being a lurker of late, but something interesting has come to my attention that I wanted to share.
It seems that the rebirth of prog-flavored mainstream pop is finally starting. If you haven't encountered a band called Evanescence ( www.evanescence.com ) yet, check them out. Their debut album, "Fallen" has already hit platinum status, largely based on the single called "Bring Me to Life" which was used in the movie "Daredevil" earlier this year. A four-piece band, they consist of a female vocalist and a guitarist who are the formative members of the band, and they have added another guitarist and a drummer to the roster in the last year.
The album features a lot of prominently mixed keyboards, predominantly piano and string parts, some real and some clearly keyboard strings, "Mellotronish" in nature, with a David Hodges being given credits for keyboards, arranging, and programming. Google turns up no information related to him other than the Evanescence connection, but the parts are really nicely done, particularly on the big hit song. Lots of dissonance in the string lines, and a tremendously fun part to play.
My own band has just added the song to our setlist, as we have a lot of strong similarities in overall sound to that of Evanescence, and I find it very comforting that a band from just around the corner from me in the Wichita, Kansas area (they hail from Little Rock, Arkansas) with such a proggy, keyboard-laden, and slightly goth feel to it is doing so well.
It seems that the mainstream prog rebirth I've been expecting for so long just may be occurring in, of all places, the Great Plains of the United States.
Any info from anybody here about the band, the keyboardist, or the POSSIBLE use of Mellotron here and there on the album?