Brent Bristow is a music educator — and he looks it, a middle-aged guy with a bit of a paunch and a receding hairline. But Dr. Brent Bristow, the Director of Bands and head of the Department of Music at Arkansas State University-Beebe, has (or had) a secret life as a Progger.
Years ago, he had the idea of putting together a progressive rock project. He would write it up, perform on it, produce it — do whatever it took to bring things to fruition. But he couldn’t have dreamed where things would lead. Brent needed additional musicians; he’s a great saxophonist and keyboardist, and he could handle background vocals, but who would handle the other parts. Through connections, he found some excellent ones, including vocalist Jake Livgren (Proto-Kaw, Kerry Livgren) and drummer Noah Hungate (The Band Perry, son of Toto’s David Hungate).
As Brent proceeded, the project came to the attention of prog-pro Neal Morse, who not only encouraged him but also endorsed the effort and first released it on his Waterfall app. The world needs to hear Brent Bristow’s project — Emerald City Council, and its debut album “Motion Carries,” which is out now via Melodic Revolution Records.
Recently, Bristow, Jake Livgren, and Noah Hungate spoke with Sonic Perspectives’ Mark Boardman about this dream come true and a myriad of details surrounding the creation of “Motion Carries.”
Listen or watch their conversation below and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, make sure to follow Sonic Perspectives on Facebook, Flipboard, and Twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified about new interviews and content we publish on a daily basis.
