RKNA: Aural Arcana

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For immediate release:

RKNA: Aural Arcana, based in Bellingham, Washington, began streaming progressive and art rock on the Internet in late October 2000. After just less than two years, RKNA was silenced at the end of July 2002.

I've done what I can over the last 20+ months to promote progressive and art rock artists. The genre gets virtually no radio play in commercial broadcast FM radio. Aside from a very small number of well-known tracks—an occasional common “minor hit” from Pink Floyd, Rush, Yes or Jethro Tull—progressive rock doesn't get time on FM radio. Thanks to Clear Channel and the market forces, FM radio won’t make time for a 20-minute prog epic like Genesis’ “Supper's Ready”, and they’ve never even heard of respected artists like Porcupine Tree, Echolyn and Ozric Tentacles. I've given free promotion to these artists, and I know the station has piqued the interest of some listeners and helped to sell some albums and bring in new fans. The work I have done—a non-commercial endeavor run strictly out of my own pockets—has benefited the artists, but has benefited the RIAA even more. Now, through CARP and an army of lawyers, the RIAA has made it unfeasible for me to continue to promote these artists.

RIAA: screwing artists AND consumers since 1952 Perhaps RKNA will return one day if conditions change. Perhaps there will even be a few “pirate” RKNA broadcasts. (Surely the copyright arbitration rulings will result in a huge pirate radio movement.)

But officially, RKNA ceased broadcasting on August 1st, 2002. I've done what I can to help these neglected and yet important and gifted musicians, and I’ve even helped to line the pockets of the RIAA. Sadly, RKNA is now history.

Another voice silenced by lawyers; another little bit of audio integrity crushed by the powerful combined forces of mediocrity and commercialism.

RKNA's website, http://rkna.DaveWard.net, will remain in place, offering links for progressive rock, links to other progressive rock radio stations, and also links for information about the legal threats to internet radio.

Regretfully,
Dave Ward
RKNA: Aural Arcana — progressive internet radio
http://rkna.DaveWard.net

A few recommended links:

Other progressive rock Internet radio stations: http://www.progradio.net
The best source of information about the fight for Internet radio: http://www.kurthanson.com
Save Internet Radio
Clear Channel sucks
Janis Ian tells it like it is

RKNA is Aural Arcana, a radio station streaming progressive and art rock on the internet, 24 hours a day, every day. The station features progressive and art music from bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes, Rush, Echolyn, Spock’s Beard, and more. RKNA also plays some of the more “artsy” classic and modern rock, from Led Zeppelin to Radiohead.

But unlike your local 70’s rock radio stations, RKNA largely steers away from the well-worn hits, instead tending to prefer the great tracks the radio stations ignore. If you’re a Floyd Fan who's tired of only hearing “Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2,” “Money,” and “Comfortably Numb” then RKNA is for you. If you’re a Rush fan who’s rarely heard anything but “Tom Sawyer” and “New World Man” on the radio, then RKNA is for you. If you’re a fan of a few progressive or art rock bands and are curious what else is out there, then RKNA is for you. If your ears are starving for something more nourishing than the meager fare of most radio station, RKNA may be just the diet you’re looking for!

Listen to RKNA now!

(Requires a 56k dialup connection or better. Slower connections are not supported. Requires that you have installed and configured an application to play streaming audio, such as WinAmp for Windows, iTunes for Mac, SoundJam for Mac, or RealPlayer for PC or Mac.)

Show last three songs played on RKNA.

Although they gradually became more mainstream over the years,FM yielded one of the great classic albums of progressive rock, 1977's spacious future-fantasy Black Noise. The Canadian trio set aside guitars in favor of electified mandolin and violin. Thanks to complex instrumentation and futuristic lyrics, it’s easy to overlook how deceptively simple their songs really are. Listen for their minor hit “Phasors On Stun” as well as “Seventh Heaven” and their very-rare side-long excursion “Headroom,” all currently in the play rotation here at RKNA. Also watch for Ben Mink's spacious violin solo on Rush's “Losing It,” also currently in rotation.

Featured starting 12 November 2001. Photo of Nash the Slash by Laurie Overton.
Be sure to check out the previous featured artists!

The Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock (http://www.gepr.net/geprfram.htm) is one of the most essential resources for prog rock on the Internet. The encyclopedia is a vast, comprehensive catalog of artists from A-Z including information and reviews about every band listed, often giving a more complete view of artists by offering multiple opinions, sometimes even conflicting. The site even includes reviews of many of the key albums of the progressive rock genre. The GEPR is definitely one for every proghead's bookmark file.

Featured starting 12 November 2001.

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