How did you become a fan?

[Nicky007]

Great Deenfan 

How's it goin with Winterstrain ?  Touring Europe soon ?  You can count on me, I'll come with all my friends and joints    We got pizzas in Cop too, yknow ? 

Nicky.

[Deenfan]

Pizza!?

Now I'm really going to make an effort to get out on the road!!

We're in the last stages of mixing the backing tracks. Still waiting for the backing vocals to be finished, and then we'll mix those and the vocals in. Booklet is coming along nicely... and I actually believe it'll be ready for shipping around May or so...

[bluepony]

A small rewrite jumped out at me:

Gotta lotta joints in this freak (not me though), but they're pretty bright - and fun 

[maddox]

A small rewrite jumped out at me:

Gotta lotta joints in this freak (not me though), but they're pretty bright - and fun 

[Manatee]

Where are you based ?

I'm in the U.S. near New York, which means I mostly just have to sit here and be jealous when you all talk about going to see Arena in concert.   Maybe they'll make it over here after they release the new album?

[Nicky007]

Manatee, you're complaining because you're living near New York ? 

You can go to a great prog concert every f*in day there !

And you got Dream Theater just a stone-cast away.

Nicky.

[Manatee]

Well, Nicky, I'm not exactly complaining, but my favorite prog bands are mostly Europe-based.  The American bands I like are mostly not so proggy.  Maybe I just haven't discovered some of the good stuff yet.  As for DT, they can play for sure, but I haven't really gotten that excited about them yet.  I'll give them more of a chance though -- I know a lot of folks on here love em.

[Nicky007]

Manatee, I can recommend you to take a look at our Listening Profiles, and further I started a topic "Which groups are prog", which unfortunately stalled (temporarily?), because I have no authority here (I mean, I'm the senior figure here, but who cares?) 

Nicky.

[Iggy]

Via Amazon

I started reading listmania's and decided that as I owned 23 of the 25 that were on the list I would take a punt. The other band was IQ who I also love listening to.

[Poison Lies 2 Close 2 Us]

What better place to post for the first time than a how did you become a fan thread!

Hey everyone I'm Bill...look forward to meeting you all and having some good conversation on here...been a few years since I joined a message board should be cool...

It wasn't until  I sat back to really think about WHEN the first time I heard Arena's music truly was that I realized how complicated the path leading me to them was...forgive my long winded first post but I'm just excited to be here with people who share my musical tastes! I don't find many around here....

Since the age of 10 or 11 years old I've been obsessed with rock n' roll and music in general....because I hadn't really mastered any instruments of my own but had an itch to make music around 2003 I began to get into making sample based beats and such (trip hoppy type music such as portishead without vocals) I had a large vinyl collection but I started getting into obscure psychedelic stuff at first trying to find good samples to loop for beats but then I really started liking some of it...I began researching websites dedicated to rare/obscure psych from the 60's and 70's and SOMEHOW I found the progarchives and a few other sites....my fascination with PROG had begun....

Probably early 2006 I was on amazon.com researching Kansas and Pink Floyd albums when all of these recommendations popped up...I began looking through them and ended up downloading In the Court of the Crimson King LOVED it and bought a copy MY FIRST PROG PURCHASE! I bounced around from group to group buying cds left and right from Genesis, Yes, ELP, Camel etc. eventually coming upon Marillion.  It was through Marillion and amazon.com recommendations I was led to Arena.

The first song I ever heard was: Cutting the Cards

I loved it and downloaded the rest of Contagion as well as Immortal? and Peppers Ghost.  A few weeks later I had purchased every single Arena cd I could find (with the exception of Songs From the Lions Cage (I know, I know) and they became a staple in my playing rotation...

Arena has a special place in my heart for many reaons but for ONE main reason....I'm an aspiring author working on my first book of many in an epic fantasy series...Arena's music has been a muse....every time I sit down to write I play Contagion (sometimes twice through) and then I work my way through their whole catalog (and then Ayreons, Pink Floyd, Marillion) I really credit prog for opening and expanding my creative realm and drawing out of me the 550+ pages that I have now....I will be mentioning Arena in the beginning thank you pages of my novel when it is published (keeping my fingers crossed on that one!!!!).  Their music means so much to me more so than any other bands....I'm sure some of you feel the same and its an honor to be here amongst such people!!

Sorry for the tangent!

[Nicky007]

Sorry for the tangent!

Not at all, Bill. I had a great time reading your post 

Now we know you better than we know several members who have written hundreds of posts - that's great 

Yeah, prog also kinda saved my life.

There are a lot of people here in the Room who live for their prog, so I think you'll feel at home here, Bill.

Welcome !

And good luck with your story. Maybe you'd like to share some of your stuff with us here.

It was also interesting to hear how long and winding your road to Arena was. Mine was too 

A minor correction: It's Ayreon without the 's' (to avoid the apples raining on you) 

I'm just excited to be here with people who share my musical tastes! I don't find many around here....

Where do you live ?

Nicky.

[maddox]

Great story you got there, Bill.
Welcome by the way to the Room.

In The Court is indeed a heck of an album and such a good way to start your way through ProggyLand. 

Now we know you better than we know several members who have written hundreds of posts - that's great 

Hundreds you say?

Good. That means that i am on the safe side. 

[Nicky007]

Welcome by the way to the Room.

I think that we can say that Bill made it all the way into the Room, Mad ... 

... for whatever it's worth 

Hundreds you say?

Good. That means that i am on the safe side. 

You're actually one of the most open roomies, Mad. 

I dont know what you look like, except that you have two horns on your forehead, and that you're stuck with Tom, but that's pretty normal for Room standards 

Nicky.

[PH]

What about me then, Nicky?

-Paco

[Bupie]

Welcome to the Room, Bill  a Room that is very active those days, which is nice !

[Nicky007]

What about me then, Nicky?

You have two horns on your ass, or three, depends ......



Nicky.

[bluepony]

You have two horns on your ass, or three, depends ......

How would you know?!





(Sorry, that one was too good to miss out on it!)

[Appelmoes??]

Yes Nicky, here's a new abbr. for ya: TMI!!

[Nicky007]

Yes Nicky, here's a new abbr. for ya: TMI!!

The Mighty Inglishman (in Copenhagen) 

Nicky.

[PH]

Yes Nicky, here's a new abbr. for ya: TMI!!

The Muffin Illustration
Ten Malignant Ideas
Tempting Murder Itches

I have no clue...

[maddox]

The Mushroom Incubator? 

[gelert]

The Mushroom Incubator? 

Way-Hay...! LMAO! 

[Appelmoes??]

Too
Much
Information!

[PH]

Ahh of course.

[gelert]

Rumour has it that the next Ayreon album may be called " - .... . / -- ..- ... .... .-. --- --- -- / .. -. -.-. ..- -... .- - --- .-. "