The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, was a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and around the world. The event was held annually in early summer in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, approximately one hour north of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

and less than two hours west of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The festival was founded in the spring of 1998 by Robert LaDuca and Chad Hutchinson, with the first event occurring in 1999. NEARfest quickly grew to become "the most prestigious progressive music festival in the world." On October 17, 2011, founders Hutchinson and LaDuca, and production manager Kevin Feeley announced that the final edition of the festival, entitled ''NEARfest Apocalypse'', would take place on the weekend of June 22, 23, and 24, 2012 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The lineup for NEARfest Apocalypse was announced live on the long-running Gagliarchives Radio Program on Saturday, October 29, 2011. On May 24, 2012, it was announced that Eloy had to cancel due to medical issues. On May 29, 2012, it was revealed that U.K. would take their place as the Sunday night headliner. The May 2008 issue of SPIN Magazine listed NEARfest as one of the top 72 festivals in the United States. NEARfest was operated as a registered 501(c)(3)

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. The name "NEARfest" is a registered trademark held by co-founder Chad Hutchinson.

Venues

NEARfest was held in Baker Hall, at the Zoellner Arts Center which is located on the campus of

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epi ...

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 1 ...

(2000–2001, 2004–2012). Baker Hall has a capacity of 1,002 seats in acoustically superior conditions. However, in its inaugural year, NEARfest was held in Foy Hall at

Moravian College Moravian University is a private university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The institution traces its founding to 1742 by Moravians, descendants of followers of the Bohemian Reformation under John Amos Comenius. Founded in 1742, Moravian University ...

which has a capacity of 428 seats. In 2002 and 2003, NEARfest was held in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Aranis Aranis are a Flemish acoustic avant-rock, experimental and neo-classical chamber music group led by composer and contrabass player Joris Vanvinckenroye. Their music has been described as a blend of "chamber classical and rock", "Chamber Music R ...

, Van der Graaf Generator
Day 1: Helmet of Gnats,

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

, Änglagård,

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

Day 2: Gösta Berlings Saga, Il Tempio delle Clessidre, Mike Keneally Band, U.K. NEARfest 2011 (cancelled) NEARfest 2010 Day 0: Riverside,

Steve Hackett Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis ...

Day 1: Astra, Forgas Band Phenomena,

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though ther ...

, Three Friends
Day 2: Moraine, Pineapple Thief,

The Enid The Enid are a British progressive rock band founded by keyboardist and composer Robert John Godfrey. Godfrey received his main musical education from The Royal College of Music. He is previously known for his work with Barclay James Harvest, ...

, Eddie Jobson's Ultimate Zero Project NEARfest 2009 Day 0: Van der Graaf Generator, Steve Hillage Band
Day 1: Cabezas de Cera, Oblivion Sun, D.F.A.,

Gong A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...

Day 2: Quantum Fantay, Beardfish, Trettioåriga Kriget, PFM NEARfest X (2008) Day 0:

Synergy Synergy is an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. The term ''synergy'' comes from the Attic Greek word συνεργία ' from ', , meaning "working together". History In Christian ...

Fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

Day 1: Koenji Hyakkei,

Discipline Discipline refers to rule following behavior, to regulate, order, control and authority. It may also refer to punishment. Discipline is used to create habits, routines, and automatic mechanisms such as blind obedience. It may be inflicted on ot ...

, Peter Hammill,

Liquid Tension Experiment Liquid Tension Experiment (LTE) is an American instrumental progressive metal supergroup, founded by Mike Portnoy, then Dream Theater's drummer, in 1997. The band has released two albums through Magna Carta Records. A third album, with the abs ...

Day 2: Mörglbl, Radio Massacre International,

echolyn Echolyn is an American progressive rock band based in eastern Pennsylvania. History Origins and first phase (1989–1995) Echolyn was formed in 1989 when guitarist Brett Kull and drummer Paul Ramsey, members of a recently split cover band ...

, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso NEARfest 2007 Day 1: IZZ, NeBeLNeST, Bob Drake,

Magenta Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as pinkish- purplish- red, reddish-purplish-pink or mauvish-crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and blu ...

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

Day 2: Indukti, La Maschera di Cera, Robert Rich,

Pure Reason Revolution Pure Reason Revolution (PRR) is a British rock group formed at the University of Westminster in 2003. Their music incorporates elements of progressive rock and electronic. Their music has been variously described as 'Astral Folk' and ' Progre ...

Magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natura ...

Progressive Arts Preshow:

Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth (6 August 1946 – 15 April 2017) was a British jazz fusion and progressive rock guitarist and composer. Holdsworth was known for his esoteric and idiosyncratic usage of advanced music theory concepts, especially with resp ...

, Secret Oyster, One Shot NEARfest 2006 Day 1: KBB, Riverside, Richard Leo Johnson, FM,

Ozric Tentacles Ozric Tentacles are an English instrumental rock band, whose music incorporates elements from a diverse range of genres, including psychedelic rock, progressive rock, space rock, jazz fusion, electronic music, dub music, world music, and ambi ...

Day 2: Guapo, Michael Manring, Ange,

Niacin Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid, is an organic compound and a form of vitamin B3, an essential human nutrient. It can be manufactured by plants and animals from the amino acid tryptophan. Niacin is obtained in the diet from a variet ...

Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 1944 – 11 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He becam ...

Progressive Arts Preshow:

Hatfield and the North Hatfield and the North were an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter. Career In mid 1972 the band grew out of a line-up of ex-members of blues/jazz/rock band Del ...

, The Tony Levin Band NEARfest 2005 Day 1: Wobbler, Frogg Cafe, Steve Roach,

Present The present (or here'' and ''now) is the time that is associated with the events perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is a period of ...

, IQ
Day 2: Knight Area,

The Muffins The Muffins were an American Maryland-based progressive rock/ avant-jazz group. They were formed in Washington, DC in the early 1970s and recorded four albums before disbanding in 1981. In 1998 the group reformed and recorded a further five alb ...

, Matthew Parmenter, Kenso, Le Orme
Progressive Arts Preshow: PFM,

Proto-Kaw Proto-Kaw is an American progressive rock band. Featuring Kerry Livgren, the group is a reformation of a band formed in the early 1970s which served as the direct precursor to Kansas. History In the early 1970s, the band Kansas went through ...

NEARfest 2004 Day 1: Yezda Urfa,

Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pa ...

, Richard Pinhas, Mike Keneally Band, Univers Zero
Day 2: Hidria Spacefolk,

Metamorfosi Metamorfosi ( el, Μεταμόρφωση, Metamórfosi, transfiguration; before 1957: Koukouvaounes ( el, link=no, Κουκουβάουνες, Koukouváounes) is a suburb in the northern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece, and a municipali ...

, Sean Malone,

Planet X Following the discovery of the planet Neptune in 1846, there was considerable speculation that another planet might exist beyond its orbit. The search began in the mid-19th century and continued at the start of the 20th with Percival Lowell's ...

Strawbs Strawbs (or The Strawbs) are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock. They are best known f ...

Progressive Arts Preshow: The Musical Box NEARfest 2003 Day 1: High Wheel, Alamaailman Vasarat, Tunnels, The Flower Kings,

Day 2: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum,

Glass Hammer Glass Hammer is an American progressive rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee, created and led by Steve Babb and Fred Schendel. Babb and Schendel, who founded the band in 1992, are the only constant members in the lineup, having surrounded the ...

, Kraan, Änglagård,

Camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. ...

The Laser's Edge/Cuneiform Records Preshow: Miriodor, Woodenhead, IZZ NEARfest 2002 Day 1: La Torre dell'Alchimista, Miriodor, Isildurs Bane,

Nektar Nektar (German for ''nectar'') is an English progressive rock band formed in Hamburg, West Germany in 1969, by guitarist and lead vocalist Roye Albrighton, keyboardist Allan "Taff" Freemon, bassist Derek "Mo" Moore, and drummer Ron Howden. H ...

Day 2: Spaced Out,

Gerard Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this ca ...

, Enchant,

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

The Laser's Edge/Cuneiform Records Preshow: McGill/Manring/Stevens, Doctor Nerve, Dysrhythmia NEARfest 2001 Day 1: Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, Under the Sun,

White Willow ''Salix alba'', the white willow, is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook No. 4. .Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain ...

Deus Ex Machina ''Deus ex machina'' ( , ; plural: ''dei ex machina''; English "god out of the machine") is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function ...

Porcupine Tree Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...

Day 2: The Underground Railroad, Djam Karet,

California Guitar Trio California Guitar Trio (CGT) is a band of three guitar players founded in Los Angeles in 1991 by Paul Richards, Hideyo Moriya, and Bert Lams around the concept of playing acoustic guitars in the New Standard Tuning taught by Robert Fripp on Gui ...

with

Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 1 ...

After Crying After Crying is a Hungarian musical ensemble, established in 1986, which composes and performs contemporary classical music or symphonic rock. They use instruments ranging from classical acoustical instruments like cello, trumpet, piano, flute to ...

, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso
Independent pre-show: Land of Chocolate,

The Red Masque The Red Masque is an avant-garde rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Biography The Red Masque was founded by vocalist Lynnette Shelley and bassist Brandon Ross in February 2001, incorporating elements of psychedelia, heavy rock, rock- ...

, Electric Sheepdog, Wine of Nails NEARfest 2000 Day 1: North Star, D.F.A., Iluvatar, Anekdoten, Happy the Man
Day 2:

Nexus NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection-operated Trusted Traveler and expedited border control program designed for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Members of the program can avoid waits at border ...

Thinking Plague Thinking Plague is an American avant-garde progressive rock group founded in 1982 by guitarist/composer Mike Johnson and bass guitarist/drummer Bob Drake. Based in Denver, Colorado, the band has been active off and on since 1982, taking on a ...

, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Pär Lindh Project, Transatlantic
Official pre-show:

Priam In Greek mythology, Priam (; grc-gre, Πρίαμος, ) was the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan War. He was the son of Laomedon. His many children included notable characters such as Hector, Paris, and Cassandra. Etymology ...

NEARfest 1999 Day 1: Alaska, Scott McGill's Hand Farm,

Larry Fast Lawrence Roger Fast (born December 10, 1951) is an American synthesizer player and composer. He is best known for his 1975–1987 series of synthesizer music albums (''Synergy'') and for his contributions to a number of popular music acts, inclu ...

, Mastermind, IQ
Day 2: Nathan Mahl,

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

, Crucible, Solaris, Spock's Beard (Setlists and personnel can be found on th
NEARfest Facebook page
)

Logo

From 2001 to 2008, the ever-changing festival logo was designed by British artist Roger Dean, famous for his work with

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talent ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. Starting in 2009,

Mark Wilkinson Mark Wilkinson (born 3 October 1952) is an English illustrator. He is best known for the detailed surrealistic cover art he created for a number of British bands. Wilkinson's breakthrough came through his association with the neo-progressive ...

(

Marillion Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the most ...

and

album covers) took over the logo duties for the show. For the final edition of the festival in 2012, NEARfest Apocalypse, both Roger Dean and Mark Wilkinson provided artwork. Both artists also attended the show. Prior to Roger's and Mark's involvement, there were two other logos for the show. The NEARfest 2000 logo was designed by

Paul Whitehead Paul Whitehead is a British painter and graphic artist known for his surrealistic album covers for artists on the Charisma Records label in the 1970s, such as Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator. __TOC__ Life and work England: Liberty Records ...

, who is known for his album artwork for Van der Graaf Generator,

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

, and Italian prog-rock band Le Orme. The inaugural NEARfest logo was designed by co-founder Chad Hutchinson in 1999. In addition to Roger Dean and Mark Wilkinson,

Annie Haslam Annie Haslam (born 8 June 1947) is an English vocalist, songwriter and painter. She is best known as the lead singer of progressive rock band Renaissance since 1971, and for her long and diverse solo singing career. She has a five-octave vocal r ...

has attended several NEARfests to display her oil paintings. Annie was in attendance at NEARfest 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2012.

Recordings

NEARfest Records
was launched in 2003 to release select live performances from NEARfest. The one and only compilation DVD, "NEARfest 2005: Rising to the Surface," was released on April 10, 2007. Other releases include live CDs of Steve Hackett, Djam Karet, Nathan Mahl, Thinking Plague, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, Glass Hammer, Steve Roach, Pure Reason Revolution (out of print) and Hidria Spacefolk (out of print). NEARfest Records officially ceased operations in January 2017.

Live releases

A number of artists have officially released their NEARfest performances on CD and/or DVD. Below is a comprehensive list by festival year. Availability may vary. NEARfest 1999 * Nathan Mahl, "Live at NEARfest 1999" (CD) * Spock's Beard, "Live at the Whisky and NEARfest" (CD) NEARfest 2000 * Anekdoten, "Gravity" (2CD) (Japanese version: CD1 is a studio album, CD2 contains three songs from their NEARfest performance) * D.F.A., "Work in Progress Live" (CD) * Nexus, "Live at NEARfest 2000" (CD) * North Star, "Live at NEARfest 2000" (CD) * Thinking Plague, "Upon Both Your Houses" (CD) NEARfest 2001 * Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, "2001 Live Birds" (CD) * Djam Karet, "Live at NEARest 2001" (CD) * Under the Sun, "Schematism: On Stage with Under The Sun" (CD) NEARfest 2002 * Caravan, "A Night's Tale: Live in the USA" (DVD) * Enchant, "Tug of War" (CD) ("Below Zero" live at NEARfest 2002 is a bonus track on the special edition) * Steve Hackett, "Live Archive: NEARfest" (2CD) * La Torre Dell'Alchimista, "USA... You know?" (CD) * Miriodor, "Parade + Live at NEARfest 2002" (2CD) (CD1 is a studio album, CD2 is the NEARfest performance) * Nektar, "Live" (DVD) * Nektar, "Greatest Hits Live" (2CD) NEARfest 2003 * Glass Hammer, "Live at NEARfest" (CD) * Tunnels, "Art of Living Dangerously" (CD) ("Lilly's Dolphin" and "Wall to Wall Sunshine" are from their NEARfest performance) NEARfest 2004 * Hidria Spacefolk, "Live 11 a.m." (CD) * Strawbs, "Live at NEARfest" (CD) * Yezda Urfa, "Live: NEARFest 2004" (CD) NEARfest 2005 * IQ, "Stage" (2DVD) (other DVD is a live performance from Montreal) * Kenso, "Live in USA" (DVD) * Le Orme, "Live in Pennsylvania" (2CD+DVD) * Proto-Kaw, "The Wait of Glory" (CD+DVD) (CD is a studio album, DVD includes three songs from their NEARfest performance) * NEARfest 2005: Rising to the Surface (DVD) * Steve Roach, "Storm Surge" (CD) *

, ''Baker's Dozen'' (2022) NEARfest 2006 * FM, "Live at NEARfest 2006" (CD+DVD) * Guapo, "History of Visitation" (CD+DVD) (CD is a studio album, DVD is the NEARfest performance) NEARfest 2007 * IZZ, "Live at NEARfest" (CD) * IZZ, "Live" (DVD) (includes other live performances) * Pure Reason Revolution, "Live at NEARfest 2007" (CD) * Secret Oyster, "Live in the USA 2007" (CD) NEARfest X (2008) * Fish, "In Search of the 13th Star: Fish Live in the USA" (DVD) NEARfest 2009 * Cabezas de Cera, "CDC Live USA: En Vivo en el NEARfest 2009" (CD+DVD) NEARfest 2010 * Forgas Band Phenomena, "Acte V" (CD+DVD) * Moraine, "Metamorphic Rock" (CD) NEARfest Apocalypse (2012) * Il Tempio delle Clessidre, "Live in Seoul" (DVD) (part of their NEARfest performance is bonus content) * Renaissance, "Grandine il vento" (CD) (acoustic version of "Carpet of the Sun" is a bonus track on the Japanese version)

References

External links

NEARfest Official Site
(Offline)
NEARfest Records
(Offline)

Progressive rock Lehigh University Music festivals in Pennsylvania