The Twenty Committee

THE TWENTY COMMITTEE are a 5-piece progressive rock band who have been writing and performing music in the greater Philadelphia area since January 2012.  They have independently released two studio albums, A Lifeblood Psalm (2013) and The Cycle Undone (2023), concept albums that blend captivating melodies with prog complexities.  The current lineup of Geoffrey Langley (keys, lead vox), Jeff Bishop (lead guitar, vox), Joe Henderson (drums, percussion, vox), Richmond Carlton (bass, harp, vox), and Justin Carlton (guitars, keys, vox) have developed an original sound that derives from their shared influences: Rush, Steven Wilson, Gentle Giant, Steely Dan, Big Big Train, and Return to Forever.

Though many presumed them to be defunct after significant time spent off of the proverbial tour bus, the Committee have never left session.  After years spent writing, rehearsing, and arranging in a nondescript New Jersey basement, the band emerged in May of 2021, armed with enough material drafted for another studio-length release.  They convened in New York with Rave Tesar (Studio X) of Renaissance to record drum tracks for what would become their sophomore album.  Over the subsequent year, the band painstakingly recorded the rest of the album around that skeleton, with Bishop at the engineering helm in his home studio.  Other engineering work for Cycle includes: Annie Haslam’s guest vocals recorded by Brett Kull of Echolyn (Catapult Sound), and Geoffrey Langley’s additional work on Moog and organ recorded by Matt Thomas of The Genesis Show (MTOverdubs).  The band is extremely grateful to Larry Fast for his mastering work.

Released 12 December, 2023, The Cycle Undone represents a decade of under-the-radar work.  “Cycle” has been described as “rich, nuanced, and unpredictable” (albumrock), “big and symphonic [with] impeccable and elegant playing” (Bert Saraco, The Phantom Tollbooth), and an album that "not only surpass[es] its predecessor in terms of scope, diversity, and ambition, but [also] easily measures up to virtually all of 2023’s other progressive rock releases” (Jordan Blum, SonicPerspectives).  Tracks from the album have been featured on numerous podcasts and online radio stations, including Music in Widescreen, Epic Prog Radio, Xymphonia, and Progzilla, and the single “Embers” was in the running for PROG Magazine’s feature, “Track of the Week.”  To the band, perhaps the greatest compliment yet rendered for “Cycle” was Greg Spawton of Big Big Train recommending the album as his favorite prog release of the year in an interview with Progradar.org.

Since 2023’s release, the Committee have been publicly active once again, posting shared dates with IZZ at the Sellersville Theater in Pennsylvania and the Dunellen Theater in New Jersey (hosted by the NJ proghouse), and opened for Big Big Train on the final stop of their 2025 North American tour on April 19.

On The Web:

• The Twenty Committee on Facebook

Videos To Check Out:

• The Twenty Committee on YouTube

Music To Check Out:

• The Twenty Committee on Bandcamp

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