Baltimore Band Iluvatar Added to ProgDay 2012 Line Up

Symphonic progressive rock band Iluvatar will be performing at ProgDay 2012, which will take place on Saturday, September 1st, and Sunday, September 2nd, at Storybook Farm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Iluvatar began performing around Baltimore in 1992 and by the end of the 1990s, and four albums later, the band had become one of the premier American bands of the neo-progressive scene. Although their last studio release was in 1999, Iluvatar continued to write and record. Revitalized with a new singer, the band will be performing material from their upcoming release, as well as favorites from their classic 1990s albums.

The band takes its name from a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel “The Silmarillion.” Iluvatar is based in Baltimore, Maryland and the current line-up includes Glenn McLaughlin on vocals, percussion; Dennis Mullin on guitars; Jim Rezek on keyboards; Dean Morekas on bass, bass pedals, backing vocals; and Chris Mack on drums, percussion.

Iluvatar’s background goes back to 1983 and a local progressive rock cover band called Sojourn. Many of the songs and lyrics on the first album, as well as a few on the second, were written or co-written by original Sojourn guitarist Tom Kraus (currently a member of Brave New World). Tom left the line-up when Sojourn morphed into Iluvatar in 1992.

Iluvatar began performing live in the Baltimore area and quickly acquired an increasingly -growing following of enthusiastic fans. Even though the main focus of their live performances was on their original compositions, Iluvatar sometimes accented their sets with music from Genesis, Marillion, Pink Floyd, and Styx.

Iluvatar’s self-titled debut CD was released on Kinesis Records in November 1993 and quickly became the label’s top-seller. Iluvatar soon began to receive international respect for their work. Iluvatar re-entered the studio in March 1995 to record “Children“, their second album for Kinesis, with Dean Morekas replacing original bassist Mick Trimble.

“Children” decisively confirmed Iluvatar as one of the premier American bands in the 90’s progressive rock movement. Following the release of the album, original drummer Gary Chambers left the band and was replaced by Rick Fleischmann who can be heard on some of the live tracks on 1997’s “Sideshow” CD, a collection of live tracks, alternate versions, and unreleased material.

Allen Brunelle (currently with The Dark Aether Project) played drums on the subsequent Sideshow international tour in ’97. Drummer Chris Mack has been with the band since December 1997 and plays on the latest studio CD “A Story Two Days Wide“.