Seaprog is conceived and organized by a group we call The Central Committee.
Current members
Clark Battle (2023 — )
Info to come…
Ethan Casey (2023 — )
Info to come…
Jon Davis (2012 — )
Two things contributed to the start of my musical journey, and I can’t really separate them into cause and effect. My piano teacher noticed an aptitude for music theory and started teaching me things beyond just technique; and I discovered the creative wellspring of early progressive rock. My hunger for musical experiences led me to join jazz band in high school, and later I came across African music, which opened up a whole world of sounds. My slogan is “Quality is independent of genre.” I use the name Zhongyu for my own musical endeavors, and I write for Exposé Online.
Dennis Rea (2012 — )
I’ve been involved in the progressive-rock milieu since the late 1970s, when I was a member of Earthstar, the only U.S. band to participate in Germany’s kosmische musik scene at its height. Since then I’ve played in dozens of musical aggregations leading up to my current primary band Moraine, which was featured at the penultimate NEARfest in 2010. In the late 1980s and early 1990s I spent several years embroiled in pioneering musical adventures in the Far East, as detailed in my book Live at the Forbidden City: Musical Encounters in China and Taiwan. As an organizer, I served for 10 years as co-director of the Seattle Improvised Music Festival, the world’s longest-running event of its kind, as well as Seattle’s Other Sounds and (currently) Zero-G concert series. As proof of my innate masochism, I’ve now taken on the role of co-organizer for Seaprog, a new festival showcasing one of the world’s most maligned music genres, because there’s just too much great progressive music going on beneath the radar in Seattle to keep it a secret any longer.
John Reagan (2012 — )
I have been obsessed with music since I was 8 years old. I took every music class offered through high school and played constantly in bands since I took up the drums at 15. Music seems to satisfy conflicting parts of my personality — it meets my need to find structure and order in complex systems, and to gain a deep understanding of how these structures work. It also satisfies on an emotional level; from intense poly-rhythms, to great performances and inspired songwriting. Playing, performing and recording music has been the great joy of my life. I am delighted to be a part of Seaprog and to continue to share my passion with like-minded people.
Michael Trew (2025 — )
I’m a NW based singer-songwriter, with bands Moon Letters (2016-present) and The Autumn Electric (2008-2015). I’ve been obsessed with many forms of music from an early age, which led to training with Indian vocalist Chandana Dixit, and touring with my art-rock bands over the years. It was a light to discover the Seaprog Festival in 2013, to later participate, and make so many treasured friendships. I’m excited for the next chapter of Seaprog, the Cascadence Festival, with both a focus on great local music, and bringing some wonderful artists from around the globe. Looking forward to seeing you there
Alumni
Joe Fischer (2017 — 22)
I’ve been into music as long as I can remember. My mother likes to tell the story that when I was around two years old, I would go grab one of their albums as soon as I got up and hold it up for her to put on. My first musical memory is getting the Beatles Hey Jude/Revolution single for my fifth birthday in 1970. I’ve been an avid listener to as much as I can get my hands on since then. I started playing guitar when I was 13, and have since then played in a number of bands here in the great PNW, including Pinto Wagonfire, who played at Seaprog in 2017.
Dave McClelland (2017 — 25)
I’ve always been drawn to some form of community enrichment, and after attending the first Seaprog festival in 2013 I was immediately blown away by the welcoming sense of kinship, the amazing original music, and felt like I was home. Being involved with Seaprog is a labor of love, and I’m very humbled to be part of its organizational crew. As a musician, I’ve been playing progressively-bent music in the Seattle area since 1990 with bands such as Astoria, Talamasca, Chalkline Dogs, Roots to Sky, and recently gigging around the PNW with Pinto Wagonfire.
Tom Prather (2017 — 22 RIP)
When I was old enough to start discovering my own tastes in music, the original wave of progressive rock was long over and the next musical wave had taken over the popular consciousness. By the time I finally discovered Prog, I was ready for it. I was ready for music that was more interesting, more diverse, and more challenging to learn and play myself. Having started on drums, then moving to guitar and keyboards, it was just what I was looking for, and continues to be. When I moved to Seattle in 1991 from Chicago, progressive music led me to finding many good friends with musical obsessions as deep as my own. It’s been a pleasure to participate with the Seaprog team in helping bring adventurous new music to Seattle!