Prog Rockers Get to BARF at the Independent, June 27-28

It may not have the fashionable cachet of indie rock or the street cred of hip-hop, but prog metal is alive and (somewhat) well and coming to the Independent later this month, thanks to the promoters of the Bay Area Rock Fest. Yes, that would be abbreviated as BARF. (The promoters seem to prefer "BAR Fest," but let's face it — nothin' sez "metal" more than vomiting.) Headliners for the two-day event are the Dream Theater-King Crimson collab Liquid Tension Experiment and Jeff Scott Soto, a longtime rawk belter who's sung with everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Journey. Other bands include locals Enchant and Zero Hour, the Netherlands' Sun Caged, Japan's Concerto Moon, and more. Check the Web site for more details. — J. Graham