Stick Men to Bring Unique Flavor of Prog Rock to Strand Theatre, October 9th

HUDSON FALLS – Coming to the Strand Theatre in Hudson Falls on October 9th is Stick Men. Consisting of Pat Mastelotto, Tony Levin, and Markus Reuter, the prog-rock trio always excites music enthusiasts with their performance, which centers heavily on the Chapman Stick and drums.

In 2007, Levin released a solo album entitled Stick Man, consisting of pieces recorded on the Chapman Stick, featuring his King Crimson bandmate Pat Mastelotto on drums. This then led to the formation of the band Stick Men by Mastelotto, Levin and Chapman Stick player Michael Bernier. The band released its first album Soup in 2010. Bernier left shortly after the release of Soup, to be replaced by Markus Reuter in early August 2010.

Recording a slew of material since 2011 under the current lineup, Stick Men has certainly kept busy. In January 2014, the band released their first live album called Power Play. October of that same year, Stick Men released their first retrospective album. A double album, the first disc featured studio recordings, while the second was a compilation of various recorded live improvisations the band performed on tour. Also included on the album are remixes and remakes of various other Stick Men songs.

Two collaborative live albums with King Crimson members were subsequently recorded in Tokyo, Japan. The first one, Midori, featuring David Cross on violin and keyboards, was recorded in 2015. The second one, Roppongi, with Mel Collins on sax, was recorded in 2017. Eventually, a 2018 tour of Latin American countries featuring David Cross on violin became the multi-disc boxed set Panamerica, released in 2019. In the same spirit of collaborations with prog legends, their sole 2020 concert in Japan with keyboardist Gary Husband became their album Nagoya, recorded in its namesake Japanese city on February the 28th.

Their fourth studio album with Markus Reuter, Prog Noir, was recorded and released in 2016. This album featured several vocal pieces. Tony Levin sang the title track, Markus Reuter sang “Plutonium,” and they shared vocals on the promotional single, “The Tempest.”

Stylistically, Stick Men’s sound is quite unique. Touting the fact that their lead musicians are “playing instruments unlike any other,” their music has evolved to be somewhere between Art Rock, Progressive Rock, and in some cases Progressive Metal. There is a heavy influence of free music and improvisation during their live shows, as the musicians will often showcase their prowess on their respective instruments in extended free music jams. Most notably, the band honors their connection and tenure with King Crimson by performing songs by the band as well as songs by Robert Fripp, King Crimson’s lead member and guitarist. Stick Men has also composed an abridged version of Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite,” a staple of their live shows.

TICKET INFORMATION:

The show will begin at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $30, general admission, and can be purchased here.