FAN FEEDBACK

Alan, You were right about seeing NP live! Friday night's show was easily a "10" (you told me on a scale of 1-10, if the demo cd was an 8, the live show would be at least a 10). I look forward to future shows. My employees will be subjected to frequent listenings of the demo cd. Maybe we'll convert them to November Project fans also.Best wishes to the band!
Tim Kenna -- Gilbertsville,PA. -- TJKennaIII@aol.com

Hello Alan, It was so great to finally meet you and many other fans in person. I can't thank you enough for letting me tag along for part of the weekend. I will be forever grateful to you for helping me to meet Julie Flanders and the rest of NP, but, especially Julie. Hmm, where do I begin. As you well know, I had a great time and the memories will last me a lifetime. To be able to finally see a band that I have wanted to see live for such a long time was truly a pleasure. Even though I began my obsession with Julie and Emil's music with October Project and never did see them, I couldn't have been more pleased to see November Project as my first taste of their tapestry of music.

The music speaks for itself, yet I will say that on that particular night, NP was in top form. Not only was the music right on, but the banter between songs was humorous,and showed a side of the band that one does not hear in just listening to recorded music. I feel very lucky to have seen two shows that fans who have seen them several times, say were the best shows yet. Gerry Leonard did an excellent job on lead guitar considering it was his first time playing with the band in public. He fit right in,and should he become a permanent member, the music will only grow in a wonderful direction. Watching NP is like watching a family, and meeting them and hanging out with them made me feel that connection even more. From what I have learned, the songs in the show were typical, except for the new song "So Much". I was lucky enough to have a preview of that tune when Emil sat down at the bar earlier in the afternoon while they were setting up and started playing around with it. It is a beautiful song and I liked that it was just he, MaryAnne and Julie up on the stage during its' performance. Even though Julie was not playing, her presence still added to the feelings evoked by the music. It is very obvious to me that music is not just music to Julie and Emil, it is soul food.

Now, MaryAnne...what can be said that hasn't been said before. She has a beautiful voice and I told her that it does great justice to the music, as in turn, the music gives her voice the opportunity to express itself. And, with each passing day, it will grow and evolve into her own signature voice for November Project. There are those that have had trouble with her renditions of OP tunes, yet I have enjoyed them from the start. I do not think it fair to compare her to Mary Fahl as they each lend their own uniqueness to Julie and Emil's music.Whereas Mary's voice is rich and deep, MaryAnne's voice has not only it's own depth,but an innocence there as well. And the helium voice she did so easily between a couple of the songs is hysterical. That whole story brought out her innocence even more,and probably gave many of us a chance to remember the silliness of our youth.

I'd have to say my favorite tune of the night was 'It Is Time'. This song has always held special meaning to me because of events in my own life. Yet, hearing Julie tell the story of why she wrote it makes it even more special. We all have our own crosses to bear in life, yet to have a song that so eloquently expresses feelings evoked from such hardships is a true gem. To finally sit and be able to not only hear, but see the passion in the music was very special for me.

Thanks to Julie and Emil for writing such beautiful music and for making me feel so welcome. There are few things in life that are free, and friendship and family are one of those. I'm certainly glad to be a part of the ever growing November Project family.Well, there you have it.I wanted to give a short review of my first NP experience, but like the depth of their music, it just isn't possible to make it short and shallow.
Harriet Rector -- Ft. Collins,CO.-- riet@sidetrips.com


Alan, I can't say enough about the gig on Saturday night. My wife and I were fortunate enough to score front row seats for the early show, and were in awe of the November Project performance. We never had the opportunity to see OP in concert, so having the ability to not only see NP play live, but to meet and get autographs from Emil and Julie was wonderful. What could anybody say about Maryanne after that show but "amazing" !!!! What a spectacular voice !!!! The highlight for me was " Are You Sleeping" - the live version blew away the demo CD version. It was great finally putting a face with the name in meeting you as well.Thanks for the promo pic, too - that's what Emil and Julie signed.On another note, there is lots of NP/OP discussion on the Marillion mailing list. Prog rockers are more opened minded than you think!!!! Be well!
Steve Tallant --Norristown,PA. -- Steve_Tallant@vertexinc.com


Hey Alan, Hi and aloha, my hubby and I were blown away Saturday night, what a performance! We loved it!!! MaryAnne has won me over. It was nice to see here so relaxed and she was so much better on the 3 OP songs.Of course she isn't as dark and gothic as Mary Fahl, so her own style tends to make her versions of the OP songs somewhat lighter in tone. It was so good and cute to see humor and enjoyment within the band. We loved Mary Anne's funny little voice when they where talking about the vase of vodka and the helium balloons. We just wish they could get a full album out, my CD is starting to wear thin from constant play.... I will be anxiously awaiting to hear from you about the airing date from their Friday night taping of the World Cafe on XPN. Take care, and until we see again..............
Kathy Denton -- Delran,N.J. -- KDenton@home.com


Dear Alan, Just a quick note to tell you that last night's concert was the best ever! I met some very nice people ("Jim from Albany" and two of his friends). Anyway, we had the first several stools at the front near the stage. I really liked coming in early, picking my seat, etc.. I enjoyed the new song "So Much". MaryAnne was spectacular. She gets better every time. Also, I was able to hear Julie's singing(finally). I liked the harmonies better this time too. Well, take care & I look forward to seeing you at the next concert!
Reesa Rose - Elkins Park,PA. -- rlrose@rosenbluth.com


Hi, Alan, The Tin Angel is simply a marvelous venue for the band, the first show was close to if not perfect (except for the person who swiped Emil's music from his keyboard before the show,which he ended up using for great between song patter)... this was the best November Project show I have seen so far!), the late show was great too and I got to talk to both Julie and Emil for perhaps the first time at any great length. (Their patience and charity after two grueling shows is commendable!) MaryAnne was gorgeous as well as sweet and talented,and the helium-voice thing is laugh-till-you-cry funny. Annie Haslam does a Betty Boop falsetto thing much like that. Gerry Leonard from Ireland was super as NP's guitarist this evening. The new song that debuted, 'So Much', is a winner in the OP tradition. I was up early the next day for church (yes, I made it at 9:30 a.m. and sang in Russian for 2 ½ hours) I told a monk newly assigned to us, Father Grigory, what I was up to the previous night,and he told me he is an October Project fan and has the first album. How 'bout that? Thanks for the Stoli shots.
John Beeler (Stage-Door Serge)-- Philadelphia,PA.-- Sergei592@aol.com

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