NEARfest '09 proudly presents as its Saturday night
headliner, the legendary Gong. The Gong history is a long, complex journey, touching upon five decades of activity in numerous incarnations and offshoot projects. The journey began in 1966 when Daevid Allen envisions himself on stage in front of a large rock festival audience and experiencing an intense connection with them.
It is with this vision that Daevid would embark on a well traveled musical path that continues on today. Daevid's first attempt to manifest this vision resulted in the formation of Soft Machine in
October 1966. In retrospect he felt that the band lacked the spiritual integrity that Allen was looking for, but it did provide the circumstances for his first performances with Gilli Smyth as the 'electric poets.' After ending his involvement with Soft Machine in 1967, Allen spent time in Paris experimenting with his guitar and some unusual effects creating what was to become known as his Glissando guitar sound.
By July of 1968, after many experiment collaborations, Allen wasted no time in pulling together a team of virtuoso musicians to form the first proper Gong band in Paris and began recording in September. From that point on, Gong begins its involvement with many progressive musicians such as Pip Pyle, Kevin Ayers, Pierre Moerlen, Bill Bruford and Steve Hillage. By this time the 1970s are in full
stride and Gong in one incarnation or another, are creating seminal classic albums such as Continental Circus, The Radio Gnome Invisible, Pt 1: Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg, You and Shamal.
The many musicians that have been passed through the band have channeled countless off shoot projects and bands such as Planet Gong, Mother Gong, New York Gong and Paragong. Two Thousand and Nine finds Gong consisting of seven members, five of which are heralded as original members:
Daevid Allen, Steve Hillage, Gilli Smyth, Miquette Giraudy and Mike Howlett are the core originals, augmented by Chris Taylor and Theo Travis.
NEARfest '09 is beyond honored to be able to welcome to the NEARfest Saturday night stage, the legendary Gong.
[Source: NEARFest]