If you’re a fan of progressive rock, or if you’re just a music fan that enjoys the excitement of seeing a band that’s on the verge of something bigger, then there was just one place in Connecticut to be on Friday night April 17th. The place was a Waterbury bar called Amici’s, the band on stage was Crucible.

The band ironed out a few last minute technical glitches as the modest-sized crowd continued to swell. They took the stage a little after ten with a blistering version of the Allman Brothers’ classic "Whipping Post." They quickly charged through two more covers before performing the first of six original pieces that they would do this night.

Anyone with a knowledge of the realities of the music business knows that small bars aren’t interested in booking bands that do original songs. In order to build a following a band needs to play live and in order to get bookings they need to do covers. As the band’s following grows they can add more originals and reduce the number of covers in their sets. The difference between a good band and a bad one is that a good band chooses their covers carefully so that they can actually turn in a respectable performance of each song. Crucible’s covers are both well-chosen and exceptionally performed. The standout covers on this night included Supertramp’s "The Logical Song," The Who’s "Bargain," Deep Purple’s "Highway Star," Pink Floyd’s "Time," Rush’s "The Spirit Of Radio," and the aforementioned "Whipping Post."

Crucible’s original pieces proved them to be a very talented and detail-oriented group of musicians. Their style is a derivative of the best of the 1970’s progressive movement. These influences are clearly heard on their debut CD "Tall Tales" which was released last fall. The band performed five tracks from that disc as well as one new one. The best were "Over The Falls," "The Salamander," and an abbreviated version of their seven-part epic "An Imp’s Tale." The new track, "World’s Apart," showed that the band is continuing to develop nicely.

Crucible is a band that, while still in their early stages, is just bursting with talent. When individual talents as these are brought together one of two things will happen, the band will collapse under their own egos or they’ll produce something greater than the sum of the individual parts. Crucible is definitely producing something greater and will eventually be getting more attention. The only question you need to answer is whether or not you want to experience an excellent band in their early stages. If you do, get acquainted with Crucible now.

A link to the band’s homepage is to the left of this review. Use it to sign up for their mailing list and obtain information about ordering their CD.

C-V Management
23 August Ave.
Wolcott, CT  06716