Gazpacho (band)
Encyclopedia
Gazpacho are an Art rock
band from Oslo
, Norway
.
The original core band of Jan-Henrik Ohme (vocals), Jon-Arne Vilbo (guitar
s) and Thomas Andersen (keyboards
, programming
, producer
) started making music together in 1996 and the band has since expanded with Mikael Krømer (violin
, co-producer), Lars Erik Asp (drums
) and Kristian Torp (bass
).
Gazpacho's music has been described by one critic as being "classical post ambient nocturnal atmospheric neo-progressive folk world rock". The music has been compared to A-ha
, Radiohead
, Marillion
and Porcupine Tree
.
Without the backing of a major label, Gazpacho is one of many bands now utilizing the resources of the Internet
to create word of mouth promotional opportunities, with a reliance on their website and its forum, online shopping, MySpace and other 'net initiatives to spread the word. This allows the band to hold down full time jobs, yet still manage to release an album a year with total artistic control over their compositions and distribution.
After several years of separation, the two friends met again and started making music together again. Andersen had met Jan-Henrik Ohme through his work as radio commercial producer and brought him in to the jam sessions, which laid the foundation for Gazpacho as it exists today.
The band name comes from an attempt to describe their music.
For two years the band worked on a concept album Random Access Memory; a piece of work which they discarded altogether when they felt they had not yet reached the level of musical maturity for such an ambitious project.
In May 2002 the band entered a song contest on Make-A-Star with the song Sea Of Tranquility and won. Their second entry, Ghost made it to second position, but was enough to gain them the opportunity to release an album through MP3.com. Get It While It's Cold (37°C) contained three tracks of the promo EP and three new tracks. One of these new tracks, Nemo saw the band winning the Make-A-Star contest for a second time.
The release of the EP continued to garner the band international acclaim
In 2003 the band released their first proper album Bravo, which contained five of the six tracks off the MP3.com album, and six new compositions. Utilizing the possibilities of the Internet
the band had teamed up with the American singer/songwriter fellow Make-A-Star contestee Esther Valentine
and New Zealand producer
Peter Kearns. Valentine sang a duet with Ohme on the song Novgorod (which she also co-wrote) and Kearns produced two of the tracks off Bravo.
Bravo gained the band more international acclaim, with Dutch leading music magazine Oor stating "their debut album is a rare beauty"
The band was invited to perform at the second Marillion Convention Weekend. For their live band the band was further expanded with drummer Geir Digernes (who had also played drums on some of the tracks on Bravo) and for the performance of the title track they were joined by Mikael Krømer (violin
) and Kristian Skedsmo (flute
)
's 31-date European Marbles tour around 11 countries, further raising the profile of the band. For this tour Robert Johansen joined the band as the new drummer, and Mikael Krømer and Kristian Skedsmo also joined the live line-up.
Prior to the tour the band released their second full-length album, When Earth Lets Go, giving them enough material for their live repertoire. On When Earth Lets Go the band collaborated with producer
Steve Lyon (Paul McCartney
, Depeche Mode
, The Cure
) who had agreed to produce one track Substitute For Murder to see if he could potentially interest any labels. Despite Lyon's involvement, the increased awareness after the Marillion, and more rave reviews on their album the band was not able to secure a record deal.
In the end their friends of Marillion
came to the rescue offering Gazpacho the chance to release their next album on the band's own Racket Records label. Racket released the band's third album Firebird and re-released Bravo and When Earth Lets Go. The support of Marillion also led to the collaboration with guitarist Steve Rothery
who plays a solo on the track Do You Know What You Are Saying. Other guest appearances on the album came in the form of fans who had been encouraged to send in sound samples which the band would use. Among the unusual instruments featured on the album are maracas, a comb
and a Leopard II battle tank
.
Roy Funner had left the band after the 2004 tour to focus more on his family and he was replaced by Kristian Torp. With the new line-up the band supported Marillion once more on 4 gigs during the Not Quite Christmas Tour. After this tour Kristian Skedsmo announced he no longer wanted to go on prolonged tours away from home and the live line-up was reduced to a six-piece band.
on February 1, 2007.
Night shows a departure of the short song format of the previous albums, but instead consists of one long 50-minute conceptual piece, divided into five parts. In the words of the band it is a
Mikael Krømer, who had played violin on all previous albums and live shows, was welcomed as a full-time band-member on Night, also earning a co-producer credit. Night also saw the return of Kristian "The Duke" Skedsmo, playing six different instruments on the album. Skedsmo rejoined the band for a one-off live appearance in Oslo on January 19, 2008.
The album was almost instantly well-received in prog-circles, topping the Just For Kicks Music sales chart for two weeks after its release. The (prog related) international press was almost unanimously positive, calling the album "very, very grand art", "nothing short of a masterpiece" and "an incredible album". The album charted in the reader's top 20 at Progwereld for more than a year.
Night also did very well in several readers' polls at the end of 2007. The album was voted 9th best album of 2007 by listeners of Polish radio station MLWZ and 8th best album in the Dutch Progressive Rock Page Poll. The album is also in the top 10 of 2007 at Progarchives.
During one of the live performances of "Night" on July 18, 2008 the audience at the Boerderij in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
get a first taste of a new work in progress song called '"Tick Tock" which was played for the first time in his entirety clocking 22 min and 24 seconds.
Later it appears to involve the title track for the successor of "Night".
As of October 1, 2008 the band teamed up with new management and booking agency: WiV Entertainment. The goal is to be able to be more on the road with their new release.
The album is based on the story of French writer and naviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery
who took off in an attempt at a long distance flight from Paris to Saigon (1935). He crashed in the Desert many hours later stranded with his co pilot Prevot. Later he recounted his experience in a book called Wind, Sand and Stars and this story forms the basis of the "Tick Tock" album.
The metaphor of a desert walk represented by a ticking clock may not be sublime but by golly the music is in moments. The apathetic underscore of a sweltering almost synthy loop which really is a b4 organ played through a guitar amp and a sequencer brings at first hesitation then desperation then more hesitation and then something happens and you get sucked into a glassy mood.
Almost as if you were walking a long and lonely walk in the desert where there is only you, the stars, wind and sand, the sound of your footsteps softened by the burning sand and heard only through the bones of the body.
In connection with "Tick Tock", the first official headlining tour (Tick Tock Tour) was a fact and from march 26th till the 8th of April 2009 six different countries where paid a visit.
In the meanwhile raving album and gig reviews where published.
"If you are a fan of music that transports you to another place, you will find nothing better. !" 10/10 and
"...Gazpacho achieved the impossible. They deliverd an album as good as "Night". Which band can deliver two masterpieces after each other these days? !" to quote only two, more can be found here reviews
10 July 2009 Gazpacho head off to Germany to perform as headliners for the 4th night of the prog festival at Loreley
Germany. The concert was caught on tape to be released in January 2010 as "A Night At Loreley".
The first official live album and limited edition DVD is a fact. At the end of 2009,during the process of editing, mixing and producing that first DVD , comes the news that Robert R Johansen (drums) has decided (due to personal circumstances) to leave the band.
At the end of 2009 "Tick Tock" reached top 5 ranks in various polls: among them are rank 5 at DPRP, 2nd at MLWZ in Poland and Rock Area, 1st rank at Dutch Progwereld, etc. pp.
In the early day's of 2010 replacement for Robert is found in Lars Erik Asp, just in time to get known to the music before the second part of the "Tick Tock" tour (The T.B.A. tour) kicks in. Again the March/April period is planned to visit 6 countries again, planned because due to a plane tragedy in Poland with the corresponding 1 week of mourning, the polish promoter had decided to cancel the concerts in Poland from 16–18 April. The dates where postponed until September 2010.
On the 1st of May 2010 the first concert in the U.S.A. is a fact, as part of a prog festival the band plays at the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, later for the German/Italian festival + Polish gigs in September, they hired a stand-in guitarist by the name of Micheal Krumins (Green Carnation
, Sirenia
). This because of the arrival of Jon-Arne's first born and his priority to the newborn family.
are available to the present audience.
And even before the official release of the new album (November 26) it's already number 1 charted at a Dutch prog site in October and November. The new album is intended to be another album in the series of films without pictures that they started back in 2007 with "Night". In other words a concept album intended to give the listener a chance to take some time off from the world.
"Missa Atropos" is a concept taking the idea of Atropos, a Greek Goddess, updating it to the modern world where a man isolated himself from the world in a lighthouse to write a mass for Atropos, tasting true solitude as he does so. The story tells of what happens inside his head, his three attempts to write a mass, with the culmination of Missa Atropos being the final outcome.
December 2010 brought the news that they have licensed "Missa Atropos" to K-Scope in the UK. They will have the rights to the album worldwide.
The new album was accompanied by a 12 gig tour in 5 different countries in January / February 2011.
One of those countries was the UK where the London gig at Dingwalls 30th of January was recorded and released on 24th of October as the double live CD called London.In the meanwhile the band is working on there 7th album which will see the light spring 2012 if everything works out according to plan.
Guest Members:
Former Members:
Collaborations:
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
band from Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
The original core band of Jan-Henrik Ohme (vocals), Jon-Arne Vilbo (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s) and Thomas Andersen (keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programming
Programming (music)
Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
) started making music together in 1996 and the band has since expanded with Mikael Krømer (violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, co-producer), Lars Erik Asp (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) and Kristian Torp (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
).
Gazpacho's music has been described by one critic as being "classical post ambient nocturnal atmospheric neo-progressive folk world rock". The music has been compared to A-ha
A-ha
A-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
and Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
.
Without the backing of a major label, Gazpacho is one of many bands now utilizing the resources of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
to create word of mouth promotional opportunities, with a reliance on their website and its forum, online shopping, MySpace and other 'net initiatives to spread the word. This allows the band to hold down full time jobs, yet still manage to release an album a year with total artistic control over their compositions and distribution.
The Early Years (1996–2001)
Childhood friends Jon-Arne Vilbo and Thomas Andersen had played together in a band called Delerium before, which in their own words "whittled away."After several years of separation, the two friends met again and started making music together again. Andersen had met Jan-Henrik Ohme through his work as radio commercial producer and brought him in to the jam sessions, which laid the foundation for Gazpacho as it exists today.
The band name comes from an attempt to describe their music.
Roy Funner played bass on the finished recordings of the band, though he wasn't part of the writing process. For the drum tracks a computer was used.
Andersen: "We are a very unlikely mixture of people really, not the average types you'd expect to see in the same band… so we thought GazpachoGazpachoGazpacho is a cold Spanish/Portuguese tomato-based raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalucía. Gazpacho is widely consumed throughout Spain, neighboring Portugal and parts of Latin America...
, which really is the bastard of soups (meshed up vegetables served cold), was the perfect name for our group(...)With Gazpacho you get a surprise, something unexpected, something out of the norm, a 'positive' contradiction. We feel this describes our band very well.".
For two years the band worked on a concept album Random Access Memory; a piece of work which they discarded altogether when they felt they had not yet reached the level of musical maturity for such an ambitious project.
Make-a-star and Bravo (2002–2003)
All three members of Gazpacho were involved with the Scandinavian branch of Marillion's The Web fanclub. This led to Ohme being invited to sing the Marillion track Afraid Of Sunlight at the Swap The Band show of the first Marillion Convention Weekend. At this convention the band handed out free four-track promos called Get It While It's Cold to anyone interested. These promos also found their way to several internet magazines which gave the band almost unanimous acclaim with one reviewer calling the music expertly-crafted and truly inventive.In May 2002 the band entered a song contest on Make-A-Star with the song Sea Of Tranquility and won. Their second entry, Ghost made it to second position, but was enough to gain them the opportunity to release an album through MP3.com. Get It While It's Cold (37°C) contained three tracks of the promo EP and three new tracks. One of these new tracks, Nemo saw the band winning the Make-A-Star contest for a second time.
The release of the EP continued to garner the band international acclaim
In 2003 the band released their first proper album Bravo, which contained five of the six tracks off the MP3.com album, and six new compositions. Utilizing the possibilities of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
the band had teamed up with the American singer/songwriter fellow Make-A-Star contestee Esther Valentine
Esther Valentine
Esther Valentine is a fictional character on CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actress Kate Linder since April 1982...
and New Zealand producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Peter Kearns. Valentine sang a duet with Ohme on the song Novgorod (which she also co-wrote) and Kearns produced two of the tracks off Bravo.
Bravo gained the band more international acclaim, with Dutch leading music magazine Oor stating "their debut album is a rare beauty"
The band was invited to perform at the second Marillion Convention Weekend. For their live band the band was further expanded with drummer Geir Digernes (who had also played drums on some of the tracks on Bravo) and for the performance of the title track they were joined by Mikael Krømer (violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
) and Kristian Skedsmo (flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
)
Supporting Marillion (2004–2005)
The performance at the Convention Weekend led to a support slot on MarillionMarillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
's 31-date European Marbles tour around 11 countries, further raising the profile of the band. For this tour Robert Johansen joined the band as the new drummer, and Mikael Krømer and Kristian Skedsmo also joined the live line-up.
Prior to the tour the band released their second full-length album, When Earth Lets Go, giving them enough material for their live repertoire. On When Earth Lets Go the band collaborated with producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Steve Lyon (Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
) who had agreed to produce one track Substitute For Murder to see if he could potentially interest any labels. Despite Lyon's involvement, the increased awareness after the Marillion, and more rave reviews on their album the band was not able to secure a record deal.
In the end their friends of Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
came to the rescue offering Gazpacho the chance to release their next album on the band's own Racket Records label. Racket released the band's third album Firebird and re-released Bravo and When Earth Lets Go. The support of Marillion also led to the collaboration with guitarist Steve Rothery
Steve Rothery
Steve Rothery is the guitarist of the English rock band Marillion. He was born in Brampton, South Yorkshire, England. From the age of six he lived in Whitby, North Yorkshire.-Biography:...
who plays a solo on the track Do You Know What You Are Saying. Other guest appearances on the album came in the form of fans who had been encouraged to send in sound samples which the band would use. Among the unusual instruments featured on the album are maracas, a comb
Comb
A comb is a toothed device used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibres. Combs are among the oldest tools found by archaeologists...
and a Leopard II battle tank
Leopard 2
The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve...
.
Roy Funner had left the band after the 2004 tour to focus more on his family and he was replaced by Kristian Torp. With the new line-up the band supported Marillion once more on 4 gigs during the Not Quite Christmas Tour. After this tour Kristian Skedsmo announced he no longer wanted to go on prolonged tours away from home and the live line-up was reduced to a six-piece band.
Night; Dream with Us (2006–2008)
After a year of silence http://www.gazpachoworld.com/media/discography/%22Night%22 was released in February 2007. For this occasion the band was once more invited to appear at the Marillion's Convention Weekend, this time in The Netherlands The band also played their first international headlining gig at the Boerderij in Zoetermeer, The NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
on February 1, 2007.
Night shows a departure of the short song format of the previous albums, but instead consists of one long 50-minute conceptual piece, divided into five parts. In the words of the band it is a
musical description of a dream or a stream of consciousness. It explores the question of where dreams end and reality begins and the mind as the tool that has to decide what to believe. The character goes through various memories real and imagined and sees the world from the angles of different people. He travels through time and visits places across the world including old New Orleans and Ancient woods with Pagan rituals being performed. Night is about life and the various ways of interpreting existence. Pretentious? Oh yes but delicious as well... very delicious.
Mikael Krømer, who had played violin on all previous albums and live shows, was welcomed as a full-time band-member on Night, also earning a co-producer credit. Night also saw the return of Kristian "The Duke" Skedsmo, playing six different instruments on the album. Skedsmo rejoined the band for a one-off live appearance in Oslo on January 19, 2008.
The album was almost instantly well-received in prog-circles, topping the Just For Kicks Music sales chart for two weeks after its release. The (prog related) international press was almost unanimously positive, calling the album "very, very grand art", "nothing short of a masterpiece" and "an incredible album". The album charted in the reader's top 20 at Progwereld for more than a year.
Night also did very well in several readers' polls at the end of 2007. The album was voted 9th best album of 2007 by listeners of Polish radio station MLWZ and 8th best album in the Dutch Progressive Rock Page Poll. The album is also in the top 10 of 2007 at Progarchives.
During one of the live performances of "Night" on July 18, 2008 the audience at the Boerderij in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
get a first taste of a new work in progress song called '"Tick Tock" which was played for the first time in his entirety clocking 22 min and 24 seconds.
Later it appears to involve the title track for the successor of "Night".
As of October 1, 2008 the band teamed up with new management and booking agency: WiV Entertainment. The goal is to be able to be more on the road with their new release.
Tick Tock Touring (2009–2010)
On March 15, 2009 the 5th studio album Tock" was released on HTW Records a division of Sony BMG.The album is based on the story of French writer and naviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry , officially Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint Exupéry , was a French writer, poet and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of France's highest literary awards, and in 1939 was the winner of the U.S. National Book Award...
who took off in an attempt at a long distance flight from Paris to Saigon (1935). He crashed in the Desert many hours later stranded with his co pilot Prevot. Later he recounted his experience in a book called Wind, Sand and Stars and this story forms the basis of the "Tick Tock" album.
The metaphor of a desert walk represented by a ticking clock may not be sublime but by golly the music is in moments. The apathetic underscore of a sweltering almost synthy loop which really is a b4 organ played through a guitar amp and a sequencer brings at first hesitation then desperation then more hesitation and then something happens and you get sucked into a glassy mood.
Almost as if you were walking a long and lonely walk in the desert where there is only you, the stars, wind and sand, the sound of your footsteps softened by the burning sand and heard only through the bones of the body.
In connection with "Tick Tock", the first official headlining tour (Tick Tock Tour) was a fact and from march 26th till the 8th of April 2009 six different countries where paid a visit.
In the meanwhile raving album and gig reviews where published.
"If you are a fan of music that transports you to another place, you will find nothing better. !" 10/10 and
"...Gazpacho achieved the impossible. They deliverd an album as good as "Night". Which band can deliver two masterpieces after each other these days? !" to quote only two, more can be found here reviews
10 July 2009 Gazpacho head off to Germany to perform as headliners for the 4th night of the prog festival at Loreley
Lorelei
The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat...
Germany. The concert was caught on tape to be released in January 2010 as "A Night At Loreley".
The first official live album and limited edition DVD is a fact. At the end of 2009,during the process of editing, mixing and producing that first DVD , comes the news that Robert R Johansen (drums) has decided (due to personal circumstances) to leave the band.
At the end of 2009 "Tick Tock" reached top 5 ranks in various polls: among them are rank 5 at DPRP, 2nd at MLWZ in Poland and Rock Area, 1st rank at Dutch Progwereld, etc. pp.
In the early day's of 2010 replacement for Robert is found in Lars Erik Asp, just in time to get known to the music before the second part of the "Tick Tock" tour (The T.B.A. tour) kicks in. Again the March/April period is planned to visit 6 countries again, planned because due to a plane tragedy in Poland with the corresponding 1 week of mourning, the polish promoter had decided to cancel the concerts in Poland from 16–18 April. The dates where postponed until September 2010.
On the 1st of May 2010 the first concert in the U.S.A. is a fact, as part of a prog festival the band plays at the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, later for the German/Italian festival + Polish gigs in September, they hired a stand-in guitarist by the name of Micheal Krumins (Green Carnation
Green Carnation
Green Carnation is a band from Kristiansand, Norway formed in 1990 that has created songs from both the progressive rock and progressive metal genres. Some also describe their music as art rock...
, Sirenia
Sirenia (band)
Sirenia is a gothic metal band from Stavanger, Norway which incorporates a mixture of gothic metal and symphonic metal, as well as extreme metal and death metal elements...
). This because of the arrival of Jon-Arne's first born and his priority to the newborn family.
Missa Atropos (2011- ....)
During the Tick Tock Tour on September gigs, pre printed copies of the new album Missa AtroposMissa Atropos
-Personals:Credits confirmed by Allmusic:Instruments and Performance credits*Jan Henrik Ohme - Vocal*Thomas Andersen - Keyboards*Mikael Krømer - Violin, Mandolin*Kristian Olav Torp - Bass*Jon-Arne Vilbo - Guitar*Lars Erik Asp - DrumsTechnical and production...
are available to the present audience.
And even before the official release of the new album (November 26) it's already number 1 charted at a Dutch prog site in October and November. The new album is intended to be another album in the series of films without pictures that they started back in 2007 with "Night". In other words a concept album intended to give the listener a chance to take some time off from the world.
"Missa Atropos" is a concept taking the idea of Atropos, a Greek Goddess, updating it to the modern world where a man isolated himself from the world in a lighthouse to write a mass for Atropos, tasting true solitude as he does so. The story tells of what happens inside his head, his three attempts to write a mass, with the culmination of Missa Atropos being the final outcome.
December 2010 brought the news that they have licensed "Missa Atropos" to K-Scope in the UK. They will have the rights to the album worldwide.
The new album was accompanied by a 12 gig tour in 5 different countries in January / February 2011.
One of those countries was the UK where the London gig at Dingwalls 30th of January was recorded and released on 24th of October as the double live CD called London.In the meanwhile the band is working on there 7th album which will see the light spring 2012 if everything works out according to plan.
Lineup
Current Lineup:- Jan-Henrik Ohme (aka "O") - vocals, Founding member (1996)
- Jon-Arne Vilbo - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, Founding member (1996) - Thomas Andersen - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Founding member (1996) - Mikael Krømer - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, additional guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, co-producer (joined 2001) - Lars Erik Asp - drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
(joined 2010) - Kristian Torp (aka "Fido") - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(joined 2005)
Guest Members:
- Kristian Skedsmo (aka "The Duke") - fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s, whistleWhistleA whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
s, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, didgeridooDidgeridooThe didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
(2002–2005, 2007) - Michael Krumins (aka "Captain Flash") - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, (2010)
Former Members:
- Robert R Johansen - drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
(2004–2009) - Roy Funner - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2000–2004) - Geir Digernes - drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s (2003)
Collaborations:
- Peter Kearns - producer, stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
, vocals (2003) - Esther ValentineEsther ValentineEsther Valentine is a fictional character on CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actress Kate Linder since April 1982...
- vocals (2003) - Steve LyonSteve LyonSteve Lyon is a professional ice hockey player who played three games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Pittsburgh Penguins.- References :...
- producer (2004) - Steve RotherySteve RotherySteve Rothery is the guitarist of the English rock band Marillion. He was born in Brampton, South Yorkshire, England. From the age of six he lived in Whitby, North Yorkshire.-Biography:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(2007)
Studio albums
- Bravo (2003)
- When Earth Lets Go (2004)
- Firebird (2005)
- Night (2007)
- Tick Tock (2009)
- Missa AtroposMissa Atropos-Personals:Credits confirmed by Allmusic:Instruments and Performance credits*Jan Henrik Ohme - Vocal*Thomas Andersen - Keyboards*Mikael Krømer - Violin, Mandolin*Kristian Olav Torp - Bass*Jon-Arne Vilbo - Guitar*Lars Erik Asp - DrumsTechnical and production...
(2010) - TBA (2012)
Appearances
- Makeastar.com Compilation Vol. 2 (2002) (Sea Of Tranquility)
- MarillionMarillionMarillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
- Wish You Were Here DVD (2005) (Sea Of Tranquility, Ghost and Afraid Of Sunlight)