Orpheus Nine

Happy New Year from O9! We started 2023 on quite a high note, teaming up with Stratospheerius & Ad Astra in January, co-headlining PROG ON THE RANCH in February, and then jetting to the UK for Fusion 4 [our first-ever international performance!] in March.

If it seemed like we went into hiding after that, it's because we were focused on making our new album a reality. We can't wait for everyone to hear Utopian Gothic, Act 1: Pipe Dreams and Guillotines later this year -- and we'll have some VERY exciting news to share about it soon. We also promise you'll see a whole lot more of us after its release.

None of this would be possible without all of you who've listened and supported us. Thank you for encouraging us to keep doing what we love!

We hope your 2024 is filled with joy, meaning, and of course plenty of great music.


Photo credit: Marc Auger at Fusion 4

Hey, today is 9/9! So we'll poke our heads out from working on the new album to wish Transcendental Circus a happy 6th anniversary! Here we were performing it live for a packed NJProghouse at our 9/9/17 release party. (Photos courtesy of Alan Benjamin.)

As always, our deepest thanks go to everyone who has supported us over the years. We can't wait to share Act 1 of Utopian Gothic with you soon....

"US band Orpheus Nine... create conceptually complex techno soundscapes like the sprawling 'Transcendental Circus,' from their debut album, and an attention-grabbing forthcoming epic, 'Pipe Dreams and Guillotines.'"

It took a little while for issue 139 of Prog to cross the Atlantic, but we're glad to have it here at last. Many thanks to Alison Reijman for her wonderfully thorough two-page report on all of the performers at Fusion 4! (We were the "only one from overseas." 😎) Playing this festival was a fantastic experience for us -- we promise to share some video soon!

"The discovery of the festival so far ... a Prog masterclass."

Thank you to Graham Thomas of The Progressive Aspect for a lovely review of our Fusion 4 set! We appreciate the kind words and were honored to be in such stellar Saturday company with IQ, Viriditas, Manic Whale, EBB, Fluctus Quadratum, and Spriggan Mist.

Fusion 4: Day Two The Civic Hall, Stourport Saturday, 4th March, 2023 SPRIGGAN MIST (Tony Colvill) Spriggan Mist have changed a little since I first heard their debut album, many years ago. They seem to have become …

Thank you to Progpics by StanS for this excellent set of photos from our Fusion 4 performance! 🤘

Fusion 4 was AMAZING! What an honor it was for us to join so many staggeringly fantastic artists last weekend at our first European show. And the crowd? Simply unbelievable -- you all showered us with some of the warmest and most passionate energy we've ever received from an audience. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Our offstage adventures were a bit more than we'd anticipated: the airline lost Tony's bass on Thursday (and just returned it *today* after 10 days!), the van blew a tire on Friday, and food poisoning reared its hideous head on Sunday. Yet the festival itself was an absolute delight. We're so very grateful to Steve And Lou's World Of Prog for inviting us and for being so accommodating of these token weird Americans. Special thanks to Progzilla Radio for the great interview and the love in general. And we're deeply indebted to John Jowitt of RAIN -band- for lending his bass to our Saturday set (before performing his own excellent set with Drifting Sun).

Mad respect to all of the other wonderful acts: IQ, Solstice, Mick Pointer's Script, Cyan, The Emerald Dawn, Viriditas, Manic Whale, CAIRO MUSIC, Stuckfish, EBB, The Wood Demons, Fluctus Quadratum, Spriggan Mist, League of Lights, Davey Dodds and Friends, KYROS, Ghost Of The Machine, and Last flight to Pluto. It was a privilege to be in your company!

Photo credit: Marc Auger

Redeye flight? Check. Lost bass guitar? Uh huh. Flat tyre on the rental van? Yup. Our UK trip has brought us some unexpected twists, but we're making the best of it. And today we plan to have a blast performing at Fusion 4, headlined tonight by IQ.

We take the stage around 5:50 PM. Join us at The Civic, or stream the event online. Either way you'll find the full details at www.fusionmusicfestivals.com .

Here we go!

England, we are in you.

Fusion 4, here we come!

One week from today, we'll play on our first European festival stage at Fusion 4! You can catch our performance live at The Civic if you're in the UK, or via online streaming anywhere in the world.

We're honored to be part of such a fantastic weekend lineup:

Thursday, 02 March:
KYROS / Ghost Of The Machine / Last flight to Pluto
(*Note that his special launch night takes place at 45 Live Venue.)

Friday, 03 March:
Solstice / The Emerald Dawn / The Wood Demons / Davey Dodds and Friends

Saturday, 04 March:
IQ / Viriditas / Orpheus Nine / Manic Whale / EBB / Fluctus Quadratum / Spriggan Mist

Sunday, 05 March:
Mick Pointer of Arena / Cyan / CAIRO MUSIC / Stuckfish / The Hayley Griffiths Band / Drifting Sun / League of Lights

Visit https://store.fusionprogfestivals.com/product-category/tickets/ for all ticketing options, or www.fusionprogfestivals.com for all other details. See you there for a bloody good time!

https://www.facebook.com/events/432098239097941

Our deepest thanks go to Rachel Flowers for her thoughtful shout-out in issue 135 of Prog Magazine. Alongside the Critics' Lists for 2022, Rachel and others were invited to name "The Best Thing I've Heard All Year." We're beyond flattered that she chose us!

If you aren't yet familiar with Rachel, or if you've heard only her [mind-blowing] covers/tributes, then you're missing out on an exciting body of original music. Her latest release, Bigger on the Inside, is a moving and wonderfully eclectic album on which she played all the instruments -- and we were thrilled to catch her bringing it to life with a full all-star band at the very same ProgStock Festival she mentions here.

We hope to have Utopian Gothic, Act 1: Pipe Dreams and Guillotines in your hands and ears at year's end!

PROG ON THE RANCH was a magical experience, easily one of the coolest events we've ever done. Live performance would mean nothing without people, so getting to play for (and with!) so many enthusiastic music lovers -- and extremely talented musicians -- was truly a privilege for us.

We're grateful to have been welcomed into such a spirited community. Thank you especially to the countless folks whose Herculean behind-the-scenes efforts made the whole extended weekend so special and memorable for everyone. You rock.

And speaking of rocking:
Manticore - the tribute to ELP. Rachel Flowers Music. Paul Bielatowicz. David Pastorius and Local 518. Marbin. Great Wide Nothing. Everyone on the Grid. You all hit it waaaaaay out of the park!

As we prepare for this weekend's Prog on the Ranch festival, here's a throwback to our October performance at ProgStock Festival 2022. Thank you to Gregory Rawrysz for capturing some great moments during our set!

Progstock Moments by Gregory Rawrysz

Next weekend, we have the honor of co-headlining a unique 3-day festival near Tampa, FL, called Prog on the Ranch. O9 will play Friday night 2/3, starting possibly as early as 6:30 PM. The full weekend is sold out, but there are a few limited single-event tickets available at https://checkout.eventcreate.com/potr-one-day-ticketing/select-buy

Our fellow "featured" artists include Marbin, Rachel Flowers Music, Paul Bielatowicz, David Pastorius and Local 518, Great Wide Nothing, and Manticore - the tribute to ELP. What makes this unique is that between full band sets, a revolving door of musicians from around the world will take the stage -- often alongside people they've never met -- and perform more than 100 cover songs.

We're looking forward to a packed weekend of music, friendship, and fun!

Tonight's the night! Join us at Olive's in Nyack for a packed evening of music with our awesome friends in Stratospheerius and AD ASTRA. We'll play first at 9:00 PM.

Sonic Voyage Fest with Stratospheerius, Ad Astra, Orpheus Nine

Hope to see you there!

Happy New Year from Orpheus Nine! Thank you to everyone who supported us in 2022, including all of you who made our ProgStock Festival return a success.

Our first highlight of 2023 is Sonic Voyage Fest, a night of prog & fusion on Friday 1/13, hosted by the amazing JoeDeninzon & Stratospheerius (the really cool guys in this photo*). We'll join them and AD ASTRA at Olive's starting at 9 PM. RSVP at Sonic Voyage Fest with Stratospheerius, Ad Astra, Orpheus Nine.

In February (2/3-2/5), O9 heads to Tampa in February for Crimson Sky Productions' Prog on the Ranch. We'll headline on Friday night the 3rd, as part of a wild weekend that also features Rachel Flowers Music, Paul Bielatowicz, David Pastorius and Local 518, Marbin, Great Wide Nothing, and Manticore - the tribute to ELP. Full 3-day passes are by invitation, but you can purchase single event tickets at https://www.eventcreate.com/e/potr-one-day-ticketing .

Then in March (3/3-3/5) we'll finally play our first overseas festival: the UK's Fusion - Music Without Boundaries. This packed weekend includes sets from IQ, Solstice, Mick Pointer, KYROS, Manic Whale, The Emerald Dawn, The Hayley Griffiths Band, Spriggan Mist, and many more. (O9 performs on Saturday the 4th.) Visit www.fusionprogfestivals.com for tickets & details.

After all of this, our focus will be on finishing the new album! Utopian Gothic, Act 1: Pipe Dreams and Guillotines promises to be even more eclectic than Transcendental Circus. We hope to have it in your hands (and ears) by the end of 2023. Until then, you can hear new music from it at any of the above concerts.

Wishing you a year of happiness, peace, and great tunes!

* Photo by Joel Barrios of Norrsken Photography and Design

ProgStock Festival was amazing!! We can't say enough to thank all of the wonderful folks involved in running such a monumental event. We're especially grateful to Ann Rinaldi and Thomas Palmieri, two of the hardest-working and most generous people around. They do this festival out of love, and it shows.

One of the best aspects of ProgStock is the very close community that has grown around it. Artists, staff, and fans alike have become a family, enthusiastically supporting not only the music but also each other. You welcomed us into this ProgStock Family four years ago, and we felt even more a part of it this past weekend. Thank you!

We hope to have "official" photos soon from camera wizard Joel Barrios of Norrsken Photography and Design. In the meantime, here's a fun shot of some special friends of the band, along with our complete setlist from the show.

Nearly half of what we played was new material from our next album, a prog rock opera to be released in two acts. Act 1 begins with "Fire in a Stranger's Sky," which also opened our Sunday set. Onstage at ProgStock, we announced for the first time that the overall two-part epic is entitled Utopian Gothic, and that Act 1 is named after Sunday's closing song, "Pipe Dreams and Guillotines." Stay tuned for more details soon.

Our deepest thanks again to all who tuned in either live or online. You sure know how to make us feel at home! 🤘

We're on our way to ProgStock Festival! O9 performs this Sunday at 12:30 PM -- and you won't want to miss our brand new opener. **For those who can't attend in person, Stage It will live-stream the artists all weekend long.**

The event officially kicks off at 5 PM today and runs through Sunday night. We hope to see you there!

Festival passes:
https://progstock.simpletix.com/

Livestream tickets:
https://www.stageit.com/ProgStock
** Please note: All start times are listed in PDT **

Full weekend schedule & details:
https://www.progstock.com/2022/

Facebook event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/445285040780744

Exactly five years ago today on 9/9/17, we released our debut album, Transcendental Circus. And exactly one month from today, we'll have the honor of premiering new songs from our next pair of albums at ProgStock Festival 2022!

Looking back to where it began makes us not only appreciative of the journey so far, but also all the more excited to keep moving forward. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported us and enjoyed our music.

ProgStock Festival is a three-day event featuring Stick Men (Official), Pattern-Seeking Animals, The Zappa Band, IO EARTH, Adam Holzman, District 97, Rachel Flowers Music, and more. Guests can attend the entire weekend or just single days. (O9 plays on Sunday, October 9th.) What makes the performances even better is the wonderful community that has grown around this NJ festival.

Tickets are available at https://progstock.simpletix.com. You can also learn more at www.progstock.com.

Oh...and if you want to help us wish Transcendental Circus a happy 5th birthday, visit https://orpheusnine.bandcamp.com and grab a CD or download for just $5.55. This anniversary special will run through the weekend (until midnight on Sunday).

We hope to see you soon!

ProgStock Festival 2022 is coming in October! Orpheus Nine is absolutely delighted to return to the Union County Performing Arts Center and introduce brand new music from our next album.

We're honored to share the 3-day weekend with these amazing artists (plus others still TBA!):
Pattern-Seeking Animals
Stick Men (Official)
ProgJect
District 97
Adam Holzman
Rachel Flowers Music
Reuter-Motzer-Grohowski
Melanie Mau & Martin Schnella
Beledo
Total Mass Retain YES Tribute
Evership [special listening party & more]

Top-tier "Prog-Ducer" tickets went on sale yesterday:
https://progstock.simpletix.com
Regular 3-day passes will follow soon, with single-day tickets available at a later date.

Visit https://www.progstock.com for ongoing updates and event details. We hope to see you at ProgStock Festival!!

Happy New Year from Orpheus Nine! If everyone just looks around here for a while before touching anything, maybe 2022's bridge troll will be nicer than the last two.

2021 did offer us some bright spots. We reconvened after more than a year apart and played our first show since 2019, the NJProghouse Progressive Music Series Autumn Prog Camp. We also made substantial progress on our forthcoming two-part album, premiering one of Act 1's songs at Prog Camp alongside "unplugged" versions of Transcendental Circus tunes.

2022 kicks off with a touch of bad news: we recently made the very difficult decision to back out of March's Fusion - Music Without Boundaries festival in the UK. Fortunately, Steve was quite understanding of our health and safety concerns -- and we're now scheduled to perform at Fusion in spring 2023 instead!

We also have the honor of returning to ProgStock Festival this October. Our 2018 experience there was fantastic, so we're thrilled to introduce more brand new O9 music to such a special audience.

Stay well, and we look forward to seeing you all soon!