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The above two video clips are from our recent gig at the North Star Bar in Philadelphia, PA on February 22nd, 2009. Many thanks to our good friend Franklin Holmes for providing the video footage. ADVENT continues to gig, all the while working out new material for our upcoming release...so stay tuned. We have also recently composed and recorded some music for the Colossus project, Inferno. From their website:

The Finnish Progressive Music Association COLOSSUS together with Musea will release a concept album based on the first cantica of the Italian Epic Poem “The Divine Comedy”. The 34 “cantos” of THE INFERNO will be assigned to 34 bands. Each band participating in the project has chosen one “canto” and will use this as inspiration for their original compositions. The maximum length of the songs is 7 minutes and the songs can be either instrumental or with vocals. All keyboards used on the songs will be original '70s instruments (Hammond, Mellotron, Minimoog, Clavinet, Fender Rhodes etc.) or be emulated with the best technology of today (no drum machines or programming is allowed!) and an early '70s atmosphere is preferred (Genesis, Yes, ELP, VdGG, etc.). The bands participating in the project hail from areas such as Europe, South America, U.S.A., Canada and Japan).

We've composed original music specifically for this project. Our offering is entitled "Canto XXVI (The Evil Counselors)," and we've posted a roughly two minute clip that you can check out in the music player above. For more info on this delightfully ambitious release, please visit www.colossus.fi.

Thanks for stopping by the site and checking out what we're about and what we're up to. When you have a minute, please check out the NJ Proghouse website (by clicking on the picture below) to see what performances they've got going on for the upcoming season. It's a great venue in the northeast to hear some terrific progressive rock music. You won't be sorry!

Formed in 1989, Advent began as collaboration between Alan Benjamin and Henry Ptak, with Henry's brother Mark joining very shortly thereafter. Leveraging diverse-yet-harmonious backgrounds and a common desire to create music that would, first and foremost, satisfy the members' own progressive and somewhat eclectic musical desires, the band went on to release its critically acclaimed (self-titled) debut CD on Mellow Records and also contributed music to both Gentle Giant tribute CDs (Giant For A Life and Giant Tracks) as well as the Procol Harum tribute CD, The Best Of The Whalers. Joined in 2005 by new drummer Drew Siciliano, the group has recently finished recording its long-awaited follow-up album, Cantus Firmus--and the CD is now officially available.

More recently, the band has expanded to include two very talented new members - guitarist Greg Katona and bassist Benjamin Rose - and is currently busy preparing material from both the debut CD and Cantus Firmus for live performances. We hope to see you at the shows!

Cantus Firmus may be purchased through the band at Advent's official website, as well as though the SNOCAP download option above (on a tune by tune basis in mp3 format), the iTunes Music Store, Napster, CD Baby, and a number of popular online progressive rock music vendors.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the music!

Cantus Firmus artwork ©2006 Michael Phipps. For more by the very talented Mr. Phipps, please visit his website at www.michaelphipps.net.