Scott's Song By Song #88: Quivira (Self-titled debut)
Welcome to issue #88 of Scott’s Song by Song (#scottssongbysong). For more information about this series, click here:
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Quivira are new prog band consisting of:
–Jake Livgren (Emerald City Council, Kerry Livgren Band, Proto Kaw–he’s Kerry’s nephew) on lead vocals,
–Composer Lisa LaRue (RematriNation, Solo, 2KX, Federico Fantacone), on keyboards and programming, and
–John Baker (Forever Twelve, Mars Hollow, Little Girls) on guitars, bass and vocals.
There are two guest performers:
- Joe Deninzon (Kansas, Stratospheerius) / violin (5)
- Evan Stanley (Stanley-Simmons–Paul Stanley’s son) / guitar (9)
According to the press release:
This project blends historical themes, classic rock, and cinematic progressive rock into multi-movement works that emphasize narrative cohesion, harmonic exploration, and textural depth. The debut focuses on the story of pre-Kansas “Quivira”, the Native American villages that Coronado believed held gold.
This album comes courtesy of Nick Katona of Melodic Revolution Records (MRR). As always, I receive no further compensation, and I call it like I hear it. As per my usual method, this is a cold listen.
Track 1 - (Intro) The Coming of the Spaniards (3:52)
A blend of vocal and string sounds provides a cinematic beginning, joined by drum accents. This feels like the beginning of an epic movie. Acoustic guitar gradually enters the soundscape along with the choral and orchestral themes. The acoustic guitar becomes more prominent as we proceed. A grand introduction!
Track 2 - The Benefits of Breathing Quietly (5:55)
The music quiets down to a single violin-like sound, then piano, bass and percussion enter. Jake Livgren enters on vocals with a very expressive melody. There are wonderful harmonies as the verse continues to build. The piano parts are absolutely beautiful as a synth solo enters soon after. The sound is warm and full; great production. Jake’s vocals are exceptional! Not to play too heavily on the Kansas connection, but he is reminiscent of Steve Walsh in his prime. Lisa LaRue’s synth solo is fantastic. The drum programming has some nice fills and syncs nicely, but I would always prefer a live drummer. Outstanding piano work as the song nears its conclusion. Jake closes it out with more top-notch vocals. Fantastic track!
Track 3 - The Plains Truth (6:49)
A quiet piano starts things off here. I believe the violin is synthesized, but it’s convincing. This album is very dynamic! We get into a nice 6-8 groove here. John Baker has a nice guitar solo, making good use of delay effects. This is a wonderful instrumental track! Baker plays an acoustic solo at around 5:45 as well. Lisa LaRue shows her strengths here, not only as a terrific keyboardist, but an amazing composer and arranger. Another great piece of music!
Track 4 - Quivira Bound (5:31)
This begins with a prog-tastic intro with the synth in the spotlight, followed by acoustic guitar. Jake returns on vocals at around the 40 second point. I love the accents and harmonies as it approaches the chorus. This is glorious! The synth fill before the second verse is outstanding. Again, I hate to compare too much, but this really does remind me of classic Kansas. The “violin” solo could be Robbie Steinhardt. A strong guitar solo from Baker follows. I’m loving this track!
Track 5 - Moving Forward (6:49)
This commences with a brisk 6-8 and moves through several odd meters. This is the track on which current Kansas violinist Joe Deninzon appears, and his presence is felt early. This track will appeal to fans of prog with lots of meter changes. Joe’s violin sounds like it’s being fed through a distortion pedal, and even a wah-wah at times. Baker has a super-cool guitar feature after that. LaRue’s piano continues to impress. Even the drum machine parts are solid and fit perfectly. This is another instrumental-only track, and it’s amazing!
Track 6 - The Turk - Follow the Wind (5:37)
A syncopated piano part starts us off here. The vocals have adopted an accent, presumably that of “The Turk”. A drum-groove and bass enter at around 1:25 to help propel the momentum. Nice change of pace into the chorus. The “violin” parts sound so realistic, I’m surprised it’s not Joe Deninzon throughout the album. The solo that closes out the track is evidence of that. There are some sound effects at the tail end. This is another spectacular song!
Track 7 - Nothing Is Everything (7:31)
This one gets going with a high energy intro not unlike “No One Together”. Again, I apologize, but this REALLY sounds like classic Kansas, while still being original–maybe it’s just the setting of the music, but it really evokes that vibe. The intro consumes the first 3-minutes of the track, but I doubt anyone will mind! That was incredible! Things quiet down and become calm following the intro. There is a slow-build beginning at 3:45. I think this is another instrumental. Again, the dynamics on this album are incredible! LaRue’s piano at 5:45 is nothing short of masterful. An acoustic guitar solo follows. Another stunningly awesome piece of music!
Track 8 - Carved From the Sun (8:01)
A mid-tempo introduction starts off this longest track. I like the bass line. The musicians have layered beautiful melodies and harmonies over the rhythm section. The tempo picks up at 1:40. This one rocks hard! Yet, that’s not all it does. The arrangements throughout this album have been impressive; every bit is right where it should be. I think Jake is sitting this one out, too. Lisa and John have crafted some amazing instrumental prog here.
Track 9 - Kicking Rocks (4:18)
This is the track on which Evan Stanley plays. I have to say that when I learned that KISS’ Paul Stanley’s son was playing on this, I didn’t see THAT coming! Piano and bass open the track, and the drums soon enter. Great bass line from John Baker. Evan Stanley’s guitar playing is excellent. He and LaRue alternate between guitar and piano breaks. I like the blend of piano and synth. Stanley’s main feature seems to be at around 3:00, and it’s quite good.
Track 10 - Prelude to Anywhere - Weekend Conquistadors (5:42)
LaRue’s fluid piano lines bring us into this track. After a cinematic opening, some short guitar riffs tease us. More masterful playing from LaRue follows. Hey, Jake’s back at 2:40. He’s accompanied by piano only at first, then the rest of the “band” kicks in for the chorus. And it’s a great chorus at that! I love the lull then crescendo with about a minute left. Things quiet down, then there are spoken words:
Male voice: “I will go to the end of the earth for that which I seek.”
Female voice: “True gain in life is not measured by the things we accumulate, but by the peace we possess.”
Awesome track!
Track 11 - Still Breathing (5:58)
Beautiful piano and violin take us into the final song. At around 40 seconds, big accents help amp up the energy. At 1:15, the music temporarily pauses. Shortly afterward, the beat kicks in for some wonderful melodies. I believe this is another instrumental track to close out this fabulous album. Tempo and mood changes abound! This one is quite cinematic as well. As the track fades out a horse neighs and trots off. A terrific ending!
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
I keep having to say what an amazing year this has been for prog rock! I thought 2025 was great, which it was, but this year is phenomenal! Quivira have entered the running for prog album of the year here as well! What a debut! Certainly, a contender for best new prog band! My only nit-pick is that I would have preferred a live drummer. That said, the drum machine programming is very well-done. Lisa LaRue has established herself as a premiere composer, arranger and keyboardist. I am blown away. I was already familiar with Jake from his work with his uncle and even more so with Emerald City Council, but he really knocked me out with his performances on this album; spectacular. John Baker’s bass parts and, especially his acoustic solos are quite tasty. I give this a nearly perfect 4.75 out of 5 stars (95%). Fans of symphonic classic prog will love the hell out of this album!
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Prog On!
Scott
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LINKS FOR LISTENING/BUYING:
Release date September 4, 2026
The album is available for pre-order on Bandcamp, with 4 tracks available to listen to:
https://quivira.bandcamp.com/album/quivira
One track, “Quivira Bound” is on Amazon, and I have added it to my Amazon Storefront, here:
A video for “Quivira Bound” is on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ENdIYFGZsaE?list=RDENdIYFGZsaE
A video for “The Turk” is set to be premiered on August 28:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XRuHhjYIOE&list=RD2XRuHhjYIOE&start_radio=1
There seem to be two videos for “Nothing Is Everything”, but I chose the one that seemed more “official”
https://youtu.be/3QKiMuZJD5U?list=RD3QKiMuZJD5U
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