Merry Christmas! Why aren’t there more JC’s in the world! Why the disconnect between ‘Prog’? A marketing contest. With prizes! SnapChop! Tool. Periphery. Transatlantic. Butch Cassidy.

Roger CortonThe comments we got on our last Chat were mostly, “Are you guys fighting?”

JCHYears ago, when my ex and I were scouting locations for our wedding, we met with an old couple who had an old farmhouse they rented out for such events. They were talking about some memory and then they started having the most pleasant disagreement about whatever. And the old man said, “Dear, are we arguing?” And the woman said something like, “Well, I suppose we are. It doesn’t matter, Dear.” And then they both laughed and we moved onto some other topic. It took me a loooong time to realise that they really were arguing! That was their ‘argument’.

RCWhy did that stick with you?

JCHBecause that’s not an ‘argument’! It’s like in Crocodile Dundee where the mugger threatens Dundee […]

If you’re seriously about your art, you think of your work as your babies. Lyrics in Progressive Rock. Gay people kissing in public? Greg Lake, RIP. Those Moody Blues poems. The lyrics drive the music. Is a secular Bach even possible? A Dan Brown festival in every piece.

Roger CortonTwo years ago you ranted on Why So Serious? Despite my feeling that it is marketing death to indulge you, at that time I promised we’d get back to that. So here I am, keeping my promise to shoot you in the foot. Again. OK, you have the floor.

JCHWow. With my bleeding foot. So… remind me not to invite you to my funeral (laughs).

OK, I keep thinking about the new Dream Theater record (The Astonishing) from last time. Every fan I’ve talked to about the record says two things: a) How ludicrous they find the lyrics. b) But they simply don’t care. And you agreed.

RCI […]

A question we get a lot: Why doesn’t JCHMusic have a full-time band? Band Fantasy Camps. Dream Theater. Composing for the material vs. the band. Switching instruments can be tough as one ages. Max Headroom.

Roger CortonSo the response for Progress seems to be really good! You’re already on your second CD run. And you’ve been a busy boy. Already planning a solo tour! This is good!

JCHIt is good. I have to say that this is the first record I’ve ever done where I felt pretty good about it out the gate.

RCSo you’re going the solo tour route. One question we get a lot is ‘why no permanent band’? Care to address this? Again?

JCHSure. It bears discussion ever couple of years. Although, ya know, there’s the odd few billion dollars in it for the guy who can come up with a simple way to make web sites repeat relevant content periodically. Sort […]

Progress getting ready for blast-off, Bucky. Happy Thanksgiving. Still time to pre-order and save a few dollars. Bill Cosby and the porcelain god.

RCWe’re meeting tonight (Monday) because tomorrow is mastering day, right?

JCHTomorrow is mastering day. So, unless Ed tells me my mixes sound crap, then we’re shipping on time.

RCCongratulations! This is big!

JCHYou mean because I almost never finish these things on time?

RCOf course not. Keep it positive, brother! Let’s get ready for blast-off, Bucky!

JCHOK, well I’m bringing it up, because I get how frustrating it has been for fans. For you.

RCDude, you gotta let that go. Everyone gets how hard it is to make these records, even under the best of circumstances. This is the highest number of pre-orders I’ve seen since I started helping out and I think it’s because the music turned out so good. Don’t you think so?

JCHOK, I’ll admit […]

This is the big one, folks. The eponymous fourth snippet from the new album, Progress. Genesis 1:28. Property management. Nietzche and Also Sprach Zarathustra. ELP and Jerusalem. Gentle Giant and selling out. Nobody’s Fool–he grows on people.

RCWow. I thought I was listening to Return To Forever for a minute.I take back everything I ever said about you not ‘shredding’ anymore.

JCHWell, it’s an eight minute (cough) ‘snippet’.

RCNow I like that. It’s like the Detroit (Medley) you used as a bonus track for Nice Cuts. I never thought the snippets really worked well for ‘epics’–they don’t give the listener a good idea of the whole thing. On the other hand, new people are not going to listen to thirty minutes–they want to get to the meat of the thing. I know it’s extra work for you, but I think it’s a great solution.

JCHRog are you sick? I can’t tell […]