THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: Erik Norlander - After the Revolution - The Galactic Collective (YouTube edit)

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A 2012 ERIK NORLANDER INTERVIEW THAT I SEEM TO HAVE MISSED

Click here to visit his official website.

Interview date: August 2012 (e-mail)

Erik Norlander is a prog-rock keyboardist, composer & producer with over 30 albums to his credit, including his own solo band, with vocalist wife Lana Lane, his band Rocket Scientists, as a member of Asia Featuring John Payne & numerous guest appearances. He also toured with the supergroup Big Noise that included Joe Lynn Turner, Vinny Appice, Phil Soussan, Carlos Cavazo & Simon Wright. Norlander has crafted a playing style drawing straight from the 70's heyday of prog-rock & not painting himself into any particular corner such as prog-metal, with pitch bending & vibrato recognizable features. In 2009 Norlander re-imagined many of his favorite compositions from over the years, released as The Galactic Collective. In 2012 he took the project to a new level with 2 DVDs, simultaneously released, featuring different facets of the project. The Definitive Edition gives an insider's view of the original recording sessions plus with casual interviews about each song & a technical look at the many synthesizers. It includes a CD of the original release & an additional CD,Echoes Of The Collective, sharing unreleased alternative versions. Live At Gettysburg features the entire project performed live in Gettysburg & Cleveland in 2011 & includes 2 CDs of the shows. Both are released by Norlander's own Think Tank Media & feature guests from his other musical outings. Michelle Moog, daughter of the synthesizer pioneer & inventor, contributes linear notes & an introduction to the concert. Former Emerson Lake & Palmer keyboard tech, now working with Norlander, August Worley also contributes linear notes. This interview focuses these new releases.

Read on...

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM ERIK AT GONZO

The Galactic Collective Definitive Edition 2CD1DVD - £19.99

The Galactic Collective Live in Gettysburg 2CD1DVD - £19.99

DUTCH REVIEW OF ERIK NORLANDER

Erik Norlander - The Galactic Collective [DVD]

Country of Origin: U.S.A. Format: 2CD+DVD Record Label: Think Tank Media Catalogue #: TTMV1006 Year of Release: 2012 Time: CD 1 - 79:07 CD 2 - 46:03 DVD - 135:00 Info: Erik Norlander Samples: Click Here

Tracklist:
CD 1 - Arrival (1:46), Neurosaur (4:56), Fanfare for Absent Friends (6:07), Sky Full of Stars (9:42), Astrology Prelude (5:40), Trantor Station (6:21), After the Revolution (12:08), Garden of the Moon (5:13), Dreamcurrents (5:33), The Dark Water (20:48)
CD 2 - Space 1999 (5:09), Sky Full of Stars (9:57), Garden of the Moon (5:53), The Dark Water (24:33)

DVD - The Galactic Collective, Behind the Wall of Doom, The Synthesizers of the Galactic Collective

Erik Norlander, Mark Matthews, Nick LePar, John Payne, Mitch Perry, Mark McCrite, Ron Redfield, Freddy DeMarco and Lana Lane; what you have created here is nigh on perfect. What I experienced within this package sent shivers down my spine. This is entertainment of the highest order that can't be faulted. Erik Norlander has taken the said works listed above, compositions written for Rocket Scientists, Lana Lane and his own solo ventures, and offered new interpretations, alternate and extended versions, re-imagining them into a single unified production that links all these pieces together. This release is full of pomposity and keyboard pyrotechnics that will absolutely amaze all those who listen.

Make no mistake, the star of the show is Mr. Norlander and his amazing arsenal of classic analogue synthesizers (including 6 Moog instruments), Hammond organ and an incredible Steinway model B grand piano. The inclusion of the other musicians (one bass player, one drummer and five guitarists) really sets the whole affair alight majestically. Let's not forget Lana's choral vocal addition that adds some flavour to the proceedings.

Across both disks we are offered spatial soundscapes, rapidity, passages that conceive and develop the mind, musical permutations that stimulate both the conscious and unconscious mind's eye. It doesn't stop there; ones emotions are also pricked as the lush atmospheric, powerful, sedate and exciting structures caress and enrich the listener's ears. This really is what music is all about.

The recording and production work on this release capture every nuance with perfect clarity, which re-enforces the strength of the music presented here. You can hear and feel the love that that has been allocated to this project, instrumentals that have been nurtured in Erik's mind, where he has gained possession and control over every note played, something that has allowed him and his fellow band mates to excel to a different level.

As if this wasn't enough, the collection comes enhanced with an in studio filmed DVD of the music being played. Between the songs Erik offers his thoughts and feelings on each song and how they were constructed which is interesting and enlightening, an approach that won't just appeal to the die-hard fans and something that adds an extra dimension.

The Synthesizers of the Galactic Collective documentary goes into the technicalities of the keyboards used in this project, which in all honesty lost me somewhat, but confirms that Erik certainly knows his stuff, even down to an almost train spotter level, which I will probably be chastised for stating.

The footage is excellent as is the soundstage, the obligatory 2.0 stereo and more importantly the 5.1 surround, which is the way this music should be played.

I am not going to pick my favourite tacks here as in all honesty I can't; there is absolutely nothing I do not like about this release. Make no mistake Erik Norlander is a master craftsman and this release is a master class on how it should be done.

Conclusion: 10 out of 10

JOHN O'BOYLE

http://www.dprp.net/reviews/201325.php#eriknorlander

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT GONZO

The Galactic Collective Definitive Edition 2CD1DVD - £19.99

The Galactic Collective Live in Gettysburg 2CD1DVD - £19.99

INTERESTING ERIK NORLANDER REVIEW

Artist: Erik Norlander
Album: The Galactic Collective: Definitive Edition
Year: 2012
Label: Think Tank

Review: Diego Camargo

Thoughts: Erik Norlander is a Progressive Rock keyboardist, composer and producer from California, the USA. He’s quite prolific in his area of work and has over 30 albums recorded since 1993. He was involved in many different projects e.g. with Lana Lane (who is also his wife), his band Rocket Scientists, his own solo albums and numerous guest appearances.

Erik is an old-fashioned keyboard man with a passion for the Moog Synths. He has also personally led sound design efforts on several major brand synthesizers.

In the year 2010 he decided to take the best instrumental material he had written so far for all the albums he had made and re-recorded them in a great style. Then the original The Galactic Collective (2010) was born, but only a preview of the whole work was released in CD-R format.

Erik was not that happy with that release and 2 years later, on August 6th, he decided to go full on that trip field again with The Galactic Collective: Definitive Edition (2012), a 2 CD/DVD box with all the material from the 2010 album but now with everything in video as well. He also released a live version called The Galactic Collective: Live In Gettysburg (2012).

Both releases came to life by Erik’s own company, the Think Tank Media, with distribution of Gonzo Multimidia. Each box contains deluxe, full-color 5×7″ booklets with extensive liner notes written by those directly involved with the project and 2CD/DVD combo.

The Galactic Collective: Definitive Edition

Back in the year of 2009 Erik entered the Studio to re-record some of his favorite instrumental compositions. He joined forces with Mark Matthews (bass), Nick LePar (drums and percussion) and Freddy DeMarco (guitars) and in 2010 he released a CD-R of this work. In 2011/2012 he tried again, this time with video and guest members in some tracks like John Payne (guitars and vocals), Mitch Perry (guitar), Ron Redfield (guitar), Mark McCrite (acoustic guitars) and his wife Lana Lane (vocals).

The Galactic Collective: Definitive Edition (2012), the audio, is a very polished work. Well played and with a very good production.

Many good tracks are included in this Box. ‘Arrival/Neurossaur’, ‘Sky Full Of Stars’, ‘Trantor Station’, ‘The Dark Water’ (now transformed in one single epic track, more than 20 minutes long) are full of Erik’s trade mark, his synths. And great heavy guitar-driven riffs.

I cannot say the same about the video. On the DVD we have a kind of documentary, where Erik himself presents all the songs with details, technical or not, including lots of stories about the tracks.

If on the one hand it is very nice to see the band’s recordings, on the other hand the quality of the interviews is kinda amateurish, with Erik always looking to anyplace, except for the camera, which is very weird.

Artist: Erik Norlander
Album: The Galactic Collective: Live In Gettysburg
Year: 2012
Label: Think Tank

Review: Diego Camargo

The Galactic Collective: Live In Gettysburg

In 2011 Erik took the base of musicians that recorded the original project and went on tour with them.

The show presented in the DVD and 2CD set was taken from the RoSFest concert that happened on May 21 and includes the complete studio album. So, if you have the Studio box, it is quite odd to have the live one as well. Unless you’re a hardcore fan.

On the stage Erik Norlander (keyboards), Freddy DeMarco  (guitars), Mark Matthews (bass) and Nick LePar (drums) are joined by Lana Lane in some tracks.

Here the DVD is the most interesting part, not the CD. The band is sharp and very good. The one thing is that I’m not a fan of live recordings, so in my opinion the studio one is more interesting. But I do like a lot of live concerts on video.

In general, both releases are worthy, a lot. There are some great moments with great musicianship and will be just right for an audience that like Emerson, Lake & Palmer or Rick Wakeman but with a modern approach.

You just have to decide what’s your favorite format: Studio or Live.

Tracklist: The Galactic Collective: Definitive Edition

Disc 1: 1. Arrival – 1’47 / 2. Neurosaur – 5’00 / 3. Fanfare – 6’08 / 4. Sky Full Of Stars – 10’00 / 5. Astrology Prelude – 5’45 / 6. Trantor Station – 6’27 / 7. After The Revolution – 12’16 / 8. Garden Of The Moon – 5’18 / 9. Dreamcurrents – 5’38 / 10. The Dark Water – 20’42

Disc 2: 1. Space: 1999 – 5’10 / 2. Sky Full Of Stars – Piano And Vocal Version – 1010 / 3. Garden Of The Moon – Long Version – 6’03 / 4. The Darker Water – 24’38

Tracklist: The Galactic Collective: Live In Gettysburg

Disc 1: 1. Arrival – 2’18 / 2. Neurosaur – 5’05 / 3. Fanfare For Absent Friends – 6’05 / 4. Sky Full Of Stars – 9’37 / 5. Capture The Sun/Sky Full Of Stars Reprise – 9’11 / Astrology Suite / 6. i. Astrology Prelude – 5’41 / 7. ii. Secrets Of Astrology – 7’18 / 8. Trantor Station – 5’39 / 9. After The Revolution – 10’06

Disc 2: 1. Garden Of The Moon – 6’39 / 2. The Dark Water – 20’59 / Into The Sunset Suite / 3. i. Sunset Prelude – 3’33 / 4. ii. Into The Sunset – 4’51 / 5. iii. Dreamcurrents – 3’03 / 6. iv. Hymn – 1’48 / 7. v. Into The Sunset Reprise – 1’50 / 8. vi. Sunset Postlude – 1’53

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Erik Norlander: In the Court of the Crimson King

Erik Norlander: in the court of the Crimson King ( King Crimson cover) Very rare track performed in St. Petersburg 

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ERIK NORLANDER WRITES...

There is a wonderful Erik Norlander feature in the February 2013 issue of KEYBOARD magazine with a great interview by Geary Yelton and cool main photo by Erik Nielsen. Thanks to editor Steve Fortner for the support and to Michelle Moog-Koussa for the photo of the article here. Please check it out! Cheers, Erik

CHECK OUT ERIK NORLANDER AT GONZO

THE NEW SINGLE FROM ASIA FEATURING JOHN PAYNE

The other day I posted news about the new single from Asia Featuring John Payne. Now, basically because I nicked it from their Facebook page, here is the cover art. Wow!

SINGLE NEWS FROM ASIA FEATURING JOHN PAYNE

John Payne writes – “Jay and I had a tremendous time as a part of the ‘Raiding the Rock Vault‘ show- thanks to all that came. We’ll have video from that show soon, and it seems the show might take on a life of its own.

In the meantime, back in the world of “ASIA Featuring John Payne” our upcoming single release “Seasons Will Change” is being mastered, the promo video is being edited and we are putting together our plans for release. You should be hearing (and seeing it) soon. We’re very excited for our fans to get a taste of our new music and can’t wait to share it with you.”

We expect to unveil the cover art for the upcoming single soon.

ASIA FEATURING JOHN PAYNE MESSING ABOUT BEFORE THE MEXICALI SHOW

WARNING: Sound volume extremely low

And check out the dedicated Gonzo artist page for Asia featuring John Payne, and for Erik solo

DUTCH REVIEW OF ERIK NORLANDER

This is particularly cool. It is a Dutch review of Erik Norlander's recent records, translated into English for us by the man himself...

The term bombast usually has an ugly connotation. These people have never heard keyboardist Erik Norlander play. With "The Galactic Collective," the American's pyrotechnics are upon us. But they are always tasteful and pay close attention to the melodic line. And speaking of bombast: the music comes on two CD / DVD sets in both studio and live versions.

Let's start with the studio version on two CDs. Songs like Neurosaur, Fanfare For Absent Friends and Garden Of The Moon remind us of the euphoric motifs from the golden book of Keith Emerson - a feast of recognition. This is a great audio example of Norlander's inspiration. You will also hear references to Pink Floyd.

But Norlander - known for Rocket Scientists and Lana Lane - has developed his own particular style. His best moments are ultimately the use of his Moog synthesizers. Norlander plays six (four Minimoogs, a Modular Moog Minimoog Voyager and 1967), becoming the undisputed executor of the will of the late Dr. Bob Moog.

At the head of such an impressive cockpit, he sucks the listener into the deep space. "To boldly go where no keyboard player has gone before." But the Hammond organ, he also rocks solidly, as in Astrology Prelude.

Norlander combines flawless technique with the expressiveness of a composer who knows exactly where he's going. And he succeeds in this band format so that this record does not lapse into new age but really rocks. Thus the toms sound of drummer Nick LePar dark and deep as space itself. And the various guitar solos are like trips outside the space capsule. And all this is backed up by the pumping bass of Mark Matthews. Should NASA ever need an intergalactic rock sound to make contact with extraterrestrial life, then Norlander is their obvious choice.

This collection represents his instrumental songs back catalog, but adds new, rich arrangements far. Norlander himself considers them as the final edition. You hear his earlier work gloriously reverberate, whether they are songs from his solo albums (Arrival, Neurosaur, Trantor Station), the band of his wife, Lana Lane (Astrology Prelude, Garden Of The Moon) or his own band Rocket Scientists.

The Dark Water is an epic tour de force, which mixes themes from the thread running through the Rocket Scientists releases. Space: 1999 is obviously not just picked from the "Oblivion Days" album, but it is primarily a tribute to rock guitars propped on the famous soundtrack of the legendary TV series with Martin Landau. After The Revolution (from the last RS-album 'Revolution Road') is Norlander's most complete composition with lovely synth arpeggios and choirs.

To see this galactic music visualized, Norlander also adds a DVD of recording sessions in the studio. We see a band that - despite the static environment - delivers dynamic performances which are explained by Norlander when speaks to an unseen interviewer. What he says creates an added value: the viewer will understand the genesis and evolution of each track. The composer guides you through his diverse discography convincingly. Moreover, for the synth freak, a guided tour of the many keyboards is added as a bonus feature.

To see this virtuoso musician on stage, grab the second DVD / CD set "Live in Gettysburg." The tracklist and lineup are broadly in line with the studio album, but now with Lana Lane in a prominent guest vocalist role. The concert recording dates from RoSFest 2011 in Pennsylvania, and is introduced by Michelle Moog-Koussa of The Bob Moog Foundation. She confirms that Norlander is a phenomenal musician that all prog fans should celebrate. So in this sense, he does not even have to wait for Rick Wakeman to retire.

Christoph Lintermans, www.damusic.be (Belgium)

http://www.damusic.be/cd/erik-norlander/the-galactic-collective

ASIA FEATURING JOHN PAYNE: A couple of bits pinched fropm Facebook to give a taste of last weekend's Mexicali show

And check out the dedicated Gonzo artist page for Asia featuring John Payne, and for Erik solo

EXCLUSIVE: Erik Norlander interview part three

I am very fond of Erik Norlander. Not only is her a very talented musician and composer, but he is a damn nice guy as well. It is always a pleasure to chat to him, because we can talk for hours on a variety of musical and philosophical subjects such as curry (for example). 

My dear wife removed our long discussion about Vindaloo from the current interview on the grounds that it was completely off topic and not interesting to anyone apart from me and Erik, and as she is the poor dear who has to transcribe these chats, I have to do what I am told. Just in case you missed it here is part one and here is part two

JON: Are you coming to England again soon, have you got any plans?

ERIK: We’re working on some plans right now to bring Asia featuring John Payne to England next year.

JON: Oh brilliant.

ERIK: In fact, this last week we recorded our first video for the first song for the long-awaited studio album from this band, so we actually shot a video and we’re going to be releasing that song as a video imminently, I hope it will be within this month, but it will certainly be within this year.

The reason I bring that up is that we do need to get over to England and also to Europe, but we don’t want to do it as a cover band.  I think it is very important that we have some new material out there, and we really create our own identity because from the first day I joined this band, I said it, and John agrees, this band is not Asia – there’s another band called Asia that has the four original members, this is Asia featuring John Payne and it has a different sound.  We do play some of the same songs, but there’s only very little crossover and I’m very excited to really get the identity of this band out into the world.  It’s all very clear to us, you know, who are doing it and to the people who come to our concerts, it’s all very clear what we are about, but I just think with some new music out there and the wonderful video which we just shot, I think it’s going to become more and more clear to the rest of the world too.

JON: So when’s the Asia featuring John Payne album going to be out?

ERIK: That is the $64,000 question as we would say over here.  It’s kind of foolish of me to try to answer that question because it has been in the works for so long.  I hope it will be released in early 2013, but what we are doing is kind of taking a bit of an old school approach and releasing singles so we’re going to release the first single, along with video, as I said I hope this month, and will probably follow that up with two or three more before the actual album comes out.

JON: That’s a really nice old-fashioned way of doing things.

ERIK: It is, you know, and I think why not?  Obviously we of course want to release CDs but with this whole digital download culture we have now, why not just release a few singles along the way, and with videos and all that to go along with them?  To kind of get people excited about the band, and like you said, when you were talking about a new Yes album…create a new expectation – and now a new song from Asia featuring John Payne is going to come out in two weeks, and a month later another song is going to come out, and maybe we will kind of replenish that magic and that expectation and all that stuff we had as kids.

JON: Well I hope so. Will the singles be hard copy as well, or will they just be downloads?

ERIK: Not sure yet.  We’ll have to see.

JON: Because I know that downloads  - I mean most of what I listen to is downloads now, three-quarters of the music I consume is purely electronic, but I still miss the idea of having the hard single, the record in your hand.

ERIK: I agree with you.  It’s something we’re very aware of and not only that, if we were to release it physically the idea of having a B-side, obviously you don’t have a B-side on a CD but you know what I’m talking about.

JON: I know exactly what you mean.

ERIK: Adding something else with it just to make that single something a little special, whether it’s a second song or an alternate mix or a live version, we’re looking into that sort of thing as well.

And this is where the long conversation came to an end as both our respective wives called us for meals. I hope to be catching up with Erik again very soon. He is a joy to interview..

And check out the dedicated Gonzo artist page for Asia featuring John Payne, and for Erik solo

EXCLUSIVE: Erik Norlander interview Part Two

I am very fond of Erik Norlander. Not only is her a very talented musician and composer, but he is a damn nice guy as well. It is always a pleasure to chat to him, because we can talk for hours on a variety of musical and philosophical subjects such as curry (for example). 

My dear wife removed our long discussion about Vindaloo from the current interview on the grounds that it was completely off topic and not interesting to anyone apart from me and Erik, and as she is the poor dear who has to transcribe these chats, I have to do what I am told. Just in case you missed it here is part one..

JON: You know about Gorillaz don’t you?  The band with Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett – the hiphop band.  They’ve been one of the massive bands in the UK for the last ten years.  Well they made three albums properly in a studio and the fourth album, which has got good bits on it, other bits are terrible, he did on tour on his iPad.  And the idea of a respected artist basically doing doodles on his iPad and then releasing it, I don’t know if I like that or not.  I don’t know if I like that idea or not.

ERIK: It’s certainly challenging.  Although I have always said that – let me put this in context.  You know I play these huge keyboard rigs and I am an avid – I don’t want to say collector, because I’m not really a collector – and avid disciple of classic keyboards and it’s not because I’m pining for the 60s and 70s, you know I don’t want to sit down and worship the Mellotron, I just happen to love the way it sounds.  

And I love the way the MiniMoog sounds and the Hammond organ, and no-one would ever, you know, accuse a guitar player of being a fetishist for saying he loves his ‘50s Les Paul, but somehow, if I show up with even a MiniMoog at a gig, I’m this vintage keyboard enthusiast. <laughs> But, as I’ve always said, would you rather hear Rick Wakeman on the worst Casio keyboard you could find or just some guy from the pub on, you know, a million dollar keyboard rig of the best keyboards that money could buy?  Well, you know the answer is the obvious; you would want to hear the artist. And there’s a very folksy American expression that I really like and it’s “It ain’t the fiddle, it’s the fiddler.”

JON: <laughs> I’ve not heard that before.

ERIK: What we really want to hear is the best artist on the best equipment, but in the end it’s really the artist who matters, and I feel, with all the equipment that I use, all the exotic equipment and flashy equipment and all that, it’s almost a greater responsibility to make sure that every sound from every one of those keyboards is as great as they could possibly be and that I’m not just relying on kitsch and nostalgia, you know to somehow gloss over the fact that I haven’t really done my homework or given all I can in the studio so I kind of take is as an obligation.  If I am actually going to play a Mellotron live, which I’ve done, in fact I did a few gigs this year with Asia featuring John Payne, where I’ve brought a Mellotron out, that it can’t just be for the sake of the visual spectacle – that I have to have a musical use for it, and that the audience can see when I’m playing it, and appreciate what that instrument is all about, I take that all very seriously.

JON: Don’t the audience know though?  I know what a Mellotron is, I’ve never played one…if I ever get out to California I am damn well coming to play on yours … but I know what a Mellotron is and I respect both the idea and the reality of the Mellotron  but the guy in the street, the guy who has brought his six pack of beer and is coming to sit and watch Asia featuring John Payne with you on keyboards, does he know what a Mellotron is?  Does he realise what a piece of musical history you’re bringing up to him?

ERIK: Well, I think in many ways it comes down to whether the audience member cares.  I mean if he is just there to hear some pop hits, maybe he doesn’t care whether there’s keyboards  at all on stage, but if someone is the least bit interested din that sort of thing, he will have seen something like a Mellotron it’s a very distinctive shape – it’s a kind of odd keyboard, it’s kind of small and kind of big at the same time.  It’s this weird little box, so it immediately stands out on stage as something odd, and then when you see me play it instantly you’re going to hear a sound that’s not like any other sound I am using.  It isn’t a string sound or a choir sound – it isn’t that string or choir tone, it’s going to have a kind of beautiful screechy analogue quality that no sample ever has and I think in that regard I am really able to deliver the whole experience of that instrument.  And the same thing goes with the MiniMoog, whether it’s a ‘70s moog or a modern MiniMoog Voyager.  You see an instrument and you go, well that looks quite a bit different than most of the keyboards you see nowadays, especially with the fold-up panel, and then when you see me playing it, you know moving the wheels on the left that I do quite a bit – the pitch and mod wheel – you are kind of immersed in the experience.  It’s like you see what I’m doing and then you instantly hear the results of it. So I really try to do that, I really try to make it obvious what I am doing with these instruments.

JON: Well I think that is really important, because in a way you are an educator as well as a musician.

ERIK: I think so too, and you know…..I’ve had several people, including my friend Michelle Moog-Koussa  Bob Moog’s daughter, say you should go out and teach and take this stuff to universities and all that and teach and I’ve thought well that’s not really my thing, but I’ve actually fond myself in that position.  In fact there’s a festival in the US called MoogFest, and it started 2003 I believe in New York  City, in Manhattan,  It was this kind of small event at B.B. King’s Blues Club, so you’ve got maybe, I don’t know, 5 or 600 people come, and I first played it 2007 and then in recent years they moved it down to Ashville, North Carolina where Moog Music is located, and where Michelle lives and where Bob Moog lived in his later years, and they’ve now turned it into this huge town event, which basically the whole city is behind  and I think they have something like 100,000 thousand people visiting, so they have concerts and multiple venues and it’s just like a city event.  And I actually participated a couple of years ago in panel where I brought my modular Moog synthesise out and I played a song on it, and then I lectured for an hour, about here’s what this does and here’s why this is special, and why you use this versus this …that sort of thing, and I actually recorded a few video segments actually for another educational series that Michelle and the Bon Moog Foundation that she set up has recently released, so more and more I am finding myself in this kind of educator position, which is something I never really expected but it seems natural to me.  It’s just sort of like sitting at the pub having a nice dinner just kind of talking about the things you love, without the Guinness unfortunately…

And this is where the long conversation about curry took place, and so it seems an appropriate time to leave Erik for today. We shall be back again tomorrow..

And check out the dedicated Gonzo artist page for Asia featuring John Payne, and for Erik solo

EXCLUSIVE: Erik Norlander interview

I am very fond of Erik Norlander. Not only is her a very talented musician and composer, but he is a damn nice guy as well. It is always a pleasure to chat to him, because we can talk for hours on a variety of musical and philosophical subjects such as curry (for example). My dear wife removed our long discussion about Vindaloo from the current interview on the grounds that it was completely off topic and not interesting to anyone apart from me and Erik, and as she is the poor dear who has to transcribe these chats, I have to do what I am told...

JON: So how have things being going in the last couple of months.  What have you been doing?

ERIK: Things have been going really well.  Just a great reception of the Galactic Collective releases and as you’ve seen and reported we’ve just been sent a lot of just wonderful reviews and everyone really seems to get the concept which is important.  It’s this re-imagining of this vast collection of material presented both live and in the studio on the various releases, and I was a little bit concerned that with such a grand release of what the reviewers have pointed out is 6 discs and something like 8 hours of music if you combine all the discs together that a lot of people might be put off by it, but the reality of it is that the fans really get it and seem to appreciate all the depth and the detail with all the interviews and photos, videos everything from the videos themselves to the booklet , which we put a lot of time putting together – the two booklets – and it’s just been really neat seeing the whole thing unfold and get out into the world.

JON: I think it is a particularly attractive set of packages.

ERIK: Thank you, I appreciate that.  We’ve probably talked about this before, but when you and I were growing up we had these beautiful vinyl albums and the gatefold sleeves and this just amazing artwork, and of course Roger Dean was very iconic just as an example, but there are a thousand other artists, the Pink Floyd Hypnosis cover and all of that.  And I remember of course liner notes and photos of the sessions, I remember one particularly vivid set of liner notes was Days of Future Past by the Moody Blues where they talked about in very literary poetic style what it was like when the Moody Blues would come into the studio and set up all these wonderful strange instruments and combine pop ensemble with orchestral instruments and create this magic and something that hadn’t been done before.  And it made music more special back then.  And maybe not quite as immediate and available as it is now, it was something that you had to use your imagination to get involved in a bit more, but now of course we have mp3s that you can download almost instantly, and you have Facebook where you can get in touch with the artist almost instantly,  and videos and…so in some sense I think the magic has gotten lost a little bit, the arcane nature of music.  And while I really like being in touch with the listeners, I also think it is incumbent upon me to try to preserve that magic and that mystique and that kind of arcane feature of music, especially this art rock progressive music that we all love so much, in fact I put a lot of time into every aspect of the production, even down to the booklets.  I want to make sure that we got every credit exactly right, every date documented correctly, you know, really nice photos.  I have a team of wonderful  graphic designers who kind of help me keep all that together.   So that’s been my approach and I’m really glad there are kindred spirits out there who appreciate that stuff as much as I do.

JON: Well it’s almost like, these days, it’s almost like there’s too much music.  I know that sounds a weird thing to say, but because everything is so immediate… I’m not putting this so well.  When I was a kid I was ‘Wow, the new Yes album’ or the new Genesis album, or the new Pink Floyd album and it was an event.

ERIK: That’s right.

JON: Now, each month I look in the list of new albums coming out and there’s usually  about 15 that I want to hear, two or three that I would have bought, but all I have to do is send of some emails to somebody and I’d get an mp3 of this, a sort of review copy of that, and so I think it’s important that you are sort of retaining the magic, both magic in the showbusiness way, and also the magic in the …..because I still believe in the music as a sort of alchemical power and it does change people’s heads – that’s why music is important.

ERIK:  Absolutely, that’s very true.   I remember a quote that I read – I think it was in Keyboard magazine;  this is from 20 years ago even, from Wendy Carlos you know the electronic music pioneer, and she gave a quote that was unbelievably inflammatory and so many people got upset by it, the quote was:  “Far too many people are able to record these days.”

JON: I know exactly what she means. 

ERIK: Yes, and she was accused of being elitist and snobby and all of that, and that was not her intention at all. It was that back in the day, if we can say that as grumpy old men, that going into the studio  was a very special and revered experience. You had to prepare obviously musically, but physically and emotionally and intellectually,  we didn’t have cell phones, we didn’t have email and all that interrupting us.  It was a very, and again to use this word, arcane kind of experience.  And that’s become so much less nowadays that anyone with a computer, or even an Iphone can make an album these days, and I think that is certainly nice for a personal entertainment, like using an x-box or any kind of video game if you just want to play around with music, or you just want to learn about music, that’s wonderful, but somehow the line between personal entertainment and professional artists has become horribly blurred, and I see on Facebook for example you’ll see some young kids just starting out, or businessmen who have a band on the side as a hobby, their releases seem to get as much attention as say something by Emerson Lake and Palmer, who are like the gurus of their craft, and I don’t think it’s elitist to criticise that, but how do we separate, you know, the masters from the punters so to speak? <laughs>

And so we break off for today, and will pick up where we left off tomorrow

And check out the dedicated Gonzo artist page for Asia featuring John Payne, and for Erik solo

ERIK NORLANDER: The story behind 'Military Man'

Hi Jon,

Great speaking with you last week as always. I published a little blurb on our ASIA Featuring John Payne Facebook page yesterday in honor of our American Veterans Day holiday. I thought you might find it interesting for the Blog as well:

" In honor of Veteran's Day ... a little story. The army hat on our AFJP Military Man EP cover from 2009 belonged to my grandfather, Everett, who served in the Pacific in WWII. I photographed the hat on a black velvet background especially fo

r the EP art. It is NOT a stock photo. I inherited this and the complete uniform when he passed away in 2002, and I've since had all of it carefully vacuum packed (like the storage prep process they do with wedding dresses) to ensure that it stays preserved. My grandfather began the war as a lieutenant and finished the war as a lieutenant colonel! His brother (my great uncle) flew B-17 missions in Europe and survived despite the very high casualty rate. I have very fond memories of celebrating Thanksgiving each year with my grandfather and our whole family at the Officer's Club at the naval base in Long Beach, California. Let's all celebrate Veteran's Day with gratitude and reverence for those that served! Cheers, Erik (keyboarder) "

(British friends will forgive my omittance of the "u" in "honor.")

Best regards,

Erik

And check out the dedicated Gonzo artist page for Asia featuring John Payne, and for Erik solo

LINK: Erik Norlander – Galactic Collective: Live In Gettysburg

I’m a child of the seventies, I grew up with those early Emerson, Lake and Palmer albums on vinyl and I can vividly recall seeing images of Keith Emerson playing with a huge analog Moog Modular Synth that looked like something that NASA would use, it was huge and impressive but apparently unwieldy and prone to malfunction so not really practical for the rigours of touring.

Oh but the sound was huge! Often imitated but seldom replicated until now...

Erik Norlander has a long back history with various bands adding his keyboard wizardry to the likes of Lana Lane, the Rocket Scientists and the John Payne’s Asia, along the way he has released at least nine solo albums, he is also an arranger, a producer and an engineer. Erik is also an ambassador for the Bob Moog Foundation and uses the latest Moog Modular System on stage in his concerts. Unlike the unwieldy beast that Keith Emerson used this Moog is rack mounted in six flight cases and is less prone to the issues affecting earlier systems, it does however still sound immense as this recording testifies.

This latest 2CD/DVD pack captures the Galactic Collective being performed like at Rosfest in 2011 and I have to say is a perfect introduction to Erik’s back catalogue, it is largely instrumental with a few vocal pieces performed by Lana Lane and Debrissa Mckinney

Read on...
And check out the dedicated Gonzo artist page for Asia featuring John Payne, and for Erik solo

LINK: Erik Norlander Dutch review

http://www.progopinion.blogspot.com/

Erik Norlander - The Galactic Collective /Live in Gettysburg (2012)

Label: Gonzo Multimedia 
Band Site: www.thetank.com
Running Time:  135:00 / 123:00
Reviewer: Harry 'JoJo' de Vries
Rating:
(out of 5 JoJo's) 


Keys and freak Virtuoso Erik Norlander , known for his many solo works from Asia Featuring John Payne and his collaboration with The Rocket Scientists and Lana Lane, chose all its galactic and science-fiction related compositions from his catalog rerun. These are displayed on the 2CD/DVD "The Galactic Collective ', whereby the DVD includes the associated studio images. He also this track in 2011 live in Gettysburg performed. Its display consists of a ConcertDVD and 2 Audio CDs. Altogether more than four and a half hours of moving pictures and music, illustrated with two well-kept books. For fans of keyboards in general and the Moog Synthesizer in particular, these expenses is an absolute must. All compositions are heavily dominated by keys. Moreover, there is the in-substantiation and an interview added that Norlander immense modular Moog Synth from 1967 shows, which he restored and consists of 20 oscillators. A little technical knowledge is required, all knows Norlander the visual and clear to explain.Norlander seems to me a "workaholic" who almost obsessively with many keyboards busy. And I can imagine there's tastes. The introduction of the synthesizer is indeed already far behind us, but led to a revolutionary change in the music and making music. Not least of symphonic and progressive rock, currents because an empty shell would be without the use of synthesizers and mellotrons. It performs obviously too far to all 67 tracks, including the introductory words and explanations of Norlander by composition, to pass in review. And everything, both live and in the studio, of a high quality. And the band may also be the strong guitarist Freddy DeMarco, the handsome drummer Nick LePar and virtuoso bassist Mark Matthews. Outliers are there as well as the beautiful swirling 'Neurosaur', the impressive response to 9/11 wrote "Fanfare for Absent Friends" and the ten-minute "After the Revolution." Weak tracks I could not discern. The only criticism might be that it all together much and that Norlander usually demands a lot from the listener. But that should not spoil the fun. Viewing and Listening in parts is to be the solution. Norlander with the release of "The Galactic Collective" and all the additional material not only a substantive strongly entirely put down but simultaneously displays an impressive 'documentary' about synthesizers and the value of these instruments the music. That is worth a compliment! Harry 'JoJo' de Vries (09-2012) 

Personnel:
Erik Norlander - keyboards 
Freddy DeMarco - guitars
Mark Matthews - bass 
Nick LePar - drums   
with special guests: 
Lana Lane - choral vocals 
John Payne - guitars, choral vocals 
Mitch Perry - guitars 
M ark McCrite - guitars 
Ron Redfield - guitars  

Discography: 
Threshold (1997/2003) 
Into the Sunset (2000) 
Music Machine (2003) 
Stars Rain Down (2004) 
Seas of Orion (2004) 
Hommage Symphonique (2006) 
The Galactic Collective (2012)
Live in Gettysburg (2012)

And check out the dedicated Gonzo artist page for Asia featuring John Payne, and for Erik solo