As I have noted on a number of occasions over the last week or so, I am getting a childlike entertainment from posting all the different reviews that are coming in from around the world on a daily basis. The upside is that this renews my belief in the concept of 'The Global Village', but the downside is that as the interviews are often translated by babelfish or whatever, the quality of the English is often execrable. Bizarrely I don't mind this some of the time, the results can be strange and beautiful lexilinks, but I am sure that the artists concerned would rather have me post what they actually said rather than playing Andre Bretonesque surrealchemical word gamed with their deathless prose.So I am very grateful to the ever talented Erik Norlander for posting us the text of what he said to the Portuguese magazine Via Nocturna.
Via Nocturna: First of all, thank you for spending some time answered to Via Nocturna. Think Tank Media release almost simultaneous two CD/DVD packs, The Galactic Collective. It was an idea of your label or of your own?
Erik Norlander: It is my pleasure to have this conversation. The Galactic Collective is the realization of a concept I have had for many years where I could take my favorite instrumental music from over 15 years of albums I have produced and them re-imagine them within a single new, unified production. My original idea was just to do a studio version where we would release a single CD of new material along with a DVD of the studio sessions as "live in the studio" videos for all the songs. But that idea quickly turned into 2 audio CDs as we recorded more in the new studio sessions that could fit on a single CD. For the first CD, I had to edit parts of some of the songs to shorten them, and I had to completely cut the new recording of "Space: 1999." So we had to add the second CD to fit everything from these sessions, and that was very important to me. This became "The Galactic Collective - Definitive Edition."
Then for the live title, "The Galactic Collective - Live in Gettysburg," this became possible after the band had been invited to play some live dates in the US in 2010 - 2011. Many people had heard the new recordings and seen the YouTube previews we had posted, and they really wanted to see the band live. Of we were happy to play -- all of us love to play live. Then when we invited to play at the Rites of Spring Festival in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 2011, this became the perfect opportunity to record a live DVD. I had played the festival twice before, and they always host it in a nice theater setting. That kind of environment is really ideal for this music. I have played a lot of outdoor gigs and club gigs, and while those can be fun, they do not have the same atmosphere and "formality" of a nice theater concert. So this gave us the "Live in Gettysburg" product!
As far as the simultaneous release, it took me a lot longer to finish the studio version, "The Definitive Edition," than I expected. By the time I was done with it, the video editing for "Live in Gettysburg" was almost complete. So I thought that it be great to just release the two products together as a set, one studio, one live … perfect!
Via Nocturna: In your opinion, which were the main objectives with these releases?
Erik Norlander: That's the perfect question with a very simple answer: The objective of these two releases is to present my favorite instrumental works in one complete and cohesive collection. I could have done a "Best Of" compilation and just assembled the original recordings of all those songs, but that would have a very different feel and mood that this complete re-imagining. A "Best Of" compilation surely would have been a lot easier (and a lot cheaper!) to make, but I have never been one to take the easy path.
Via Nocturna: You are always surrounded by an impressive amount of keyboards and synthesizers. Which of them is your favorite?
Erik Norlander: That is like asking a parent which of his children he loves the best. ;-) But okay, I can answer it. For a lifelong steady companion, it is surely the Minimoog Model D, the famous 70s Bob Moog instrument that revolutionized not only progressive rock but music in general. In more recent years, say the last 10 years, the Alesis Andromeda has been another favorite. I was one of the designers of this modern polyphonic analog synthesizer, and it has become a big part of my sound as a keyboardist and arranger.
Via Nocturna: We can describe your music as progressive rock meets sci fi?
Erik Norlander: I like sound of that.
Via Nocturna: In the Definitive Edition you speak a little of each track. What was your intention?
Erik Norlander: I always provide liner notes to each release I produce. When I was a kid growing up listening to music, I always loved to read liner notes in the vinyl LP albums I bought. For me, this was the new classical literature, the literature of rock music. So I wanted to revive that tradition which was largely lost when CDs appears in the 80s. My video introductions are meant to be a set of "living liner notes" where you can see and hear me discuss each song in detail. It is designed to give an insight into each track on the album with visual as well as sonic information.
Via Nocturna: What differences are between this version of The Galactic Collective and the one released in 2010?
Erik Norlander: This is, of course, the "Definitive Edition," and it contains a second audio CD and a video DVD of the original album. The DVD has videos for each song on the original album plus surround mixes and extensive interviews. It's really The Galactic Collective in full 3D!
Via Nocturna: Besides your participation in Lana Lane and Rocket Scientists albums, you have, in the last few years collaborating with other names. I remember Asia and Roswell Six. How that collaboration become truth?
Erik Norlander: In all of these other projects, I was just contacted by a member of the project and invited to participate. With ASIA, John Payne contacted me in 2007 and told me that we forming a new band called "ASIA Featuring John Payne," and he invited me to be the keyboardist and co-writer. I had met John almost exactly 10 years earlier when my band, Rocket Scientists, played a gig with ASIA in Germany. Strangely enough, Saga was also on that bill, and the singer from Saga ended up on the Roswell Six album that I produced in 2009 along with John from ASIA and James LaBrie from Dream Theater. John and I already had a strong working relationship, of course, and I really enjoyed working with James. He was a total pro. The Roswell Six project was presented to me to support a new series of novels by author Kevin J. Anderson who wrote the latter-day Dune novels. He and his wife wanted to create a prog rock album where they would write the lyrics. They partnered with a record label who hired me to write and produce the music for it. I also have done some tours with a fun project called "Big Noize" that consists of Joe Lynn Turner (v), Vinny Appice (d), Simon Wright (d), Carlos Cavazo (g) and Phil Soussan (b) where we play music from all of those guys' classic HR/HM bands. We have done tours in Europe, South America and the USA. Last year we played in Brazil where of course we heard a lot of Portuguese spoken!
Via Nocturna: How is the reaction to your wife latest album, El Dorado Hotel?
Erik Norlander: The reaction has been fantastic, and the fans seem to love Lana's new album as much as we do. This was Lana's first new album in 5 years, and it was really a great way to come back to the rock scene. That album is really special to us, and we are quite proud of it. I think it might her best one.
Via Nocturna: In this album, it seems much more a rocker album that it’s previous ones. Who increase that? You or Lana?
Erik Norlander: I think that evolution just happens naturally. As the producer and arranger, I guess I am the one that created a heavier sound. But we certainly didn't start the album saying, "This time we are going to make something heavier!" We just write and record what we like, and the results are natural and organic. I think the drums and guitars are a bit more crisp on this album than on the last album, "Red Planet Boulevard," so that may contribute to the more heavy sound. But our friends that played on that one -- the great Peer Verschuren (g) and Ernst Van Ee (d) -- are no less heavy players, so again it must have something to do with my final production.
Via Nocturna: And about a new original release of your own or from Rocket Scientists? Any new?
Erik Norlander: I would love to make a new album for both. Now that I have finally completed these massive projects from The Galactic Collective, let's see if I can do that!
Via Nocturna: You are a supporter of Bob Moog Foundation. In what consists this Foundation?
Erik Norlander: The Bob Moog Foundation began when legendary inventor, Bob Moog, passed away, and there was a huge outcry of support and good wishes for his legacy to continue. One of Bob's daughters, Michelle Moog-Koussa, took up the challenge and started The Bob Moog Foundation to answer this massive request from fans and supporters around the world. Michelle has become a great friend, and her work for the foundation is tireless and most of all, massively effective. She is an amazing leader and organizer and has already accomplished tremendous things for the foundation. And she's only just getting started. Anyone interested should please visit www.moogfoundation.org.
Via Nocturna: Speaking of live appearances, actually you are with Asia, right? How the things are going?
Erik Norlander: There are two version of this band, and we should be very clear about that. One is called simply, "ASIA," that consists of the 4 original members of that band. Then there is "ASIA Featuring John Payne" that has the band's second vocalist/bassist, John Payne, at the front. John Payne fronted ASIA for 15 years, and he is responsible for most of the most releases from the band. The second one is the band that I am in involved with. We play music from the beginning of the band in 1982 through the John Payne era of 2005. We have played probably over 100 concerts, and the band sounds incredible. John Payne and I wrote an album several years ago that John is still finishing. The pace of that album's completion has been slower than I would like, but I must be patient. I think it will be worth the wait. Concerts with the band continue. In fact, I have another one to play next week!
Via Nocturna: You already have toured with the biggest rock stars. If I ask you which tour gives you more pleasure to do, would you answered me?
Erik Norlander: I love touring with professional people. I have indeed worked with some very famous people, and also with some people that "think" they are famous. The ones that think they are famous are the worst kind, they can ruin a tour or studio session for everyone involved with their narcissism. But then consider some of the most famous artists I've worked with like Joe Lynn Turner, Jeff Scott Soto, Vinny Appice, Buck Dharma, Glenn Hughes … these guys are all very humble, very together and extremely professional above all. Working with people like that is always a pleasure and a privilege.
Via Nocturna: Finally is there anything more you want to say to our readers and Portuguese fans?
Erik Norlander: Many thanks for all your wonderful support, and I hope to perform in your beautiful country some day soon! Obrigado!
THANK YOU!
Via Nocturna: First of all, thank you for spending some time answered to Via Nocturna. Think Tank Media release almost simultaneous two CD/DVD packs, The Galactic Collective. It was an idea of your label or of your own?
Erik Norlander: It is my pleasure to have this conversation. The Galactic Collective is the realization of a concept I have had for many years where I could take my favorite instrumental music from over 15 years of albums I have produced and them re-imagine them within a single new, unified production. My original idea was just to do a studio version where we would release a single CD of new material along with a DVD of the studio sessions as "live in the studio" videos for all the songs. But that idea quickly turned into 2 audio CDs as we recorded more in the new studio sessions that could fit on a single CD. For the first CD, I had to edit parts of some of the songs to shorten them, and I had to completely cut the new recording of "Space: 1999." So we had to add the second CD to fit everything from these sessions, and that was very important to me. This became "The Galactic Collective - Definitive Edition."
Then for the live title, "The Galactic Collective - Live in Gettysburg," this became possible after the band had been invited to play some live dates in the US in 2010 - 2011. Many people had heard the new recordings and seen the YouTube previews we had posted, and they really wanted to see the band live. Of we were happy to play -- all of us love to play live. Then when we invited to play at the Rites of Spring Festival in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 2011, this became the perfect opportunity to record a live DVD. I had played the festival twice before, and they always host it in a nice theater setting. That kind of environment is really ideal for this music. I have played a lot of outdoor gigs and club gigs, and while those can be fun, they do not have the same atmosphere and "formality" of a nice theater concert. So this gave us the "Live in Gettysburg" product!
As far as the simultaneous release, it took me a lot longer to finish the studio version, "The Definitive Edition," than I expected. By the time I was done with it, the video editing for "Live in Gettysburg" was almost complete. So I thought that it be great to just release the two products together as a set, one studio, one live … perfect!
Via Nocturna: In your opinion, which were the main objectives with these releases?
Erik Norlander: That's the perfect question with a very simple answer: The objective of these two releases is to present my favorite instrumental works in one complete and cohesive collection. I could have done a "Best Of" compilation and just assembled the original recordings of all those songs, but that would have a very different feel and mood that this complete re-imagining. A "Best Of" compilation surely would have been a lot easier (and a lot cheaper!) to make, but I have never been one to take the easy path.
Via Nocturna: You are always surrounded by an impressive amount of keyboards and synthesizers. Which of them is your favorite?
Erik Norlander: That is like asking a parent which of his children he loves the best. ;-) But okay, I can answer it. For a lifelong steady companion, it is surely the Minimoog Model D, the famous 70s Bob Moog instrument that revolutionized not only progressive rock but music in general. In more recent years, say the last 10 years, the Alesis Andromeda has been another favorite. I was one of the designers of this modern polyphonic analog synthesizer, and it has become a big part of my sound as a keyboardist and arranger.
Via Nocturna: We can describe your music as progressive rock meets sci fi?
Erik Norlander: I like sound of that.
Via Nocturna: In the Definitive Edition you speak a little of each track. What was your intention?
Erik Norlander: I always provide liner notes to each release I produce. When I was a kid growing up listening to music, I always loved to read liner notes in the vinyl LP albums I bought. For me, this was the new classical literature, the literature of rock music. So I wanted to revive that tradition which was largely lost when CDs appears in the 80s. My video introductions are meant to be a set of "living liner notes" where you can see and hear me discuss each song in detail. It is designed to give an insight into each track on the album with visual as well as sonic information.
Via Nocturna: What differences are between this version of The Galactic Collective and the one released in 2010?
Erik Norlander: This is, of course, the "Definitive Edition," and it contains a second audio CD and a video DVD of the original album. The DVD has videos for each song on the original album plus surround mixes and extensive interviews. It's really The Galactic Collective in full 3D!
Via Nocturna: Besides your participation in Lana Lane and Rocket Scientists albums, you have, in the last few years collaborating with other names. I remember Asia and Roswell Six. How that collaboration become truth?
Erik Norlander: In all of these other projects, I was just contacted by a member of the project and invited to participate. With ASIA, John Payne contacted me in 2007 and told me that we forming a new band called "ASIA Featuring John Payne," and he invited me to be the keyboardist and co-writer. I had met John almost exactly 10 years earlier when my band, Rocket Scientists, played a gig with ASIA in Germany. Strangely enough, Saga was also on that bill, and the singer from Saga ended up on the Roswell Six album that I produced in 2009 along with John from ASIA and James LaBrie from Dream Theater. John and I already had a strong working relationship, of course, and I really enjoyed working with James. He was a total pro. The Roswell Six project was presented to me to support a new series of novels by author Kevin J. Anderson who wrote the latter-day Dune novels. He and his wife wanted to create a prog rock album where they would write the lyrics. They partnered with a record label who hired me to write and produce the music for it. I also have done some tours with a fun project called "Big Noize" that consists of Joe Lynn Turner (v), Vinny Appice (d), Simon Wright (d), Carlos Cavazo (g) and Phil Soussan (b) where we play music from all of those guys' classic HR/HM bands. We have done tours in Europe, South America and the USA. Last year we played in Brazil where of course we heard a lot of Portuguese spoken!
Via Nocturna: How is the reaction to your wife latest album, El Dorado Hotel?
Erik Norlander: The reaction has been fantastic, and the fans seem to love Lana's new album as much as we do. This was Lana's first new album in 5 years, and it was really a great way to come back to the rock scene. That album is really special to us, and we are quite proud of it. I think it might her best one.
Via Nocturna: In this album, it seems much more a rocker album that it’s previous ones. Who increase that? You or Lana?
Erik Norlander: I think that evolution just happens naturally. As the producer and arranger, I guess I am the one that created a heavier sound. But we certainly didn't start the album saying, "This time we are going to make something heavier!" We just write and record what we like, and the results are natural and organic. I think the drums and guitars are a bit more crisp on this album than on the last album, "Red Planet Boulevard," so that may contribute to the more heavy sound. But our friends that played on that one -- the great Peer Verschuren (g) and Ernst Van Ee (d) -- are no less heavy players, so again it must have something to do with my final production.
Via Nocturna: And about a new original release of your own or from Rocket Scientists? Any new?
Erik Norlander: I would love to make a new album for both. Now that I have finally completed these massive projects from The Galactic Collective, let's see if I can do that!
Via Nocturna: You are a supporter of Bob Moog Foundation. In what consists this Foundation?
Erik Norlander: The Bob Moog Foundation began when legendary inventor, Bob Moog, passed away, and there was a huge outcry of support and good wishes for his legacy to continue. One of Bob's daughters, Michelle Moog-Koussa, took up the challenge and started The Bob Moog Foundation to answer this massive request from fans and supporters around the world. Michelle has become a great friend, and her work for the foundation is tireless and most of all, massively effective. She is an amazing leader and organizer and has already accomplished tremendous things for the foundation. And she's only just getting started. Anyone interested should please visit www.moogfoundation.org.
Via Nocturna: Speaking of live appearances, actually you are with Asia, right? How the things are going?
Erik Norlander: There are two version of this band, and we should be very clear about that. One is called simply, "ASIA," that consists of the 4 original members of that band. Then there is "ASIA Featuring John Payne" that has the band's second vocalist/bassist, John Payne, at the front. John Payne fronted ASIA for 15 years, and he is responsible for most of the most releases from the band. The second one is the band that I am in involved with. We play music from the beginning of the band in 1982 through the John Payne era of 2005. We have played probably over 100 concerts, and the band sounds incredible. John Payne and I wrote an album several years ago that John is still finishing. The pace of that album's completion has been slower than I would like, but I must be patient. I think it will be worth the wait. Concerts with the band continue. In fact, I have another one to play next week!
Via Nocturna: You already have toured with the biggest rock stars. If I ask you which tour gives you more pleasure to do, would you answered me?
Erik Norlander: I love touring with professional people. I have indeed worked with some very famous people, and also with some people that "think" they are famous. The ones that think they are famous are the worst kind, they can ruin a tour or studio session for everyone involved with their narcissism. But then consider some of the most famous artists I've worked with like Joe Lynn Turner, Jeff Scott Soto, Vinny Appice, Buck Dharma, Glenn Hughes … these guys are all very humble, very together and extremely professional above all. Working with people like that is always a pleasure and a privilege.
Via Nocturna: Finally is there anything more you want to say to our readers and Portuguese fans?
Erik Norlander: Many thanks for all your wonderful support, and I hope to perform in your beautiful country some day soon! Obrigado!
THANK YOU!
And check out the dedicated Gonzo artist page for Asia featuring John Payne, and for Erik solo
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