Keyboard Virtuoso Erik Norlander to Appear At Moogfest 2010 with his Wall of Doom
Master keyboardist and prolific Moog synthesizer user Erik Norlander is slated to appear at the prestigious Moogfest, the annual festival commemorating and celebrating the groundbreaking achievements of maverick inventor Robert Moog and his namesake synthesizer Norlander will speak on the final technology panel of the festival, “The Power of Modular Synthesis”, scheduled for Sunday, October 31st at 4:15PM.
He will also demonstrate the enduring technology of his Wall of Doom, a massive Moog modular analog synthesizer whose core dates back to 1967. The panel will be held at the Moogaplex, located at the Haywood Park complex.
Moogfest – the annual event honoring the remarkable vision of Robert Moog and his amazing musical inventions that changed the course of music – is reinventing itself. This year, Moogfest 2010 will move from New York City to Asheville, NC – the place Bob Moog called home for the last 30 years of his life – and will expand to a 3-day, multi-venue event during the weekend of October 29-31, 2010. During the festival, Moogfest 2010 will host artists and audiences from throughout the world in different venues throughout Asheville’s beautiful, historic downtown. Moogfest 2010 will celebrate Bob Moog’s legacy as a sonic pioneer, which will be the thread that unites the festival’s rich array of musical offerings.
In addition to fantastic concerts by renowned performers of all kinds, moogfest 2010 will also offer opportunities to engage with artists in panel discussions, question and answer sessions, and workshops. There will also be interactive experiences for the audience to explore their own musical creativity with a variety of Moog instruments. The festival will also offer visual art exhibitions, installations, and film screenings throughout the weekend. http://www.moogfest.com
In the Moog spirit, Erik Norlander has also penned an article running in the current issue of Keyboard magazine, “Beyond and Because of the Minimoog”, a retrospective on the many synthesizers that came into existence because of the Minimoog’s groundbreaking design. Erik’s all – Moog track for The Bob Moog Foundation, “The Princely Hours”, is also now available for download on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-princely-hours/id397290249
Erik Norlander is a progressive rock keyboardist, composer and producer from California. He has written and produced over 30 albums since 1993 with his chanteuse spouse Lana Lane, his band Rocket Scientists, his own solo albums and numerous guest appearances. Erik’s evocative keyboard technique is reminiscent of the legendary Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, Patrick Moraz and Jon Lord while still very unique and forward-moving in its own right. Erik takes many of the classic riffs and phrases of his heroes and reinvents them with highly emotional pitch bending, vibrato and authoritative phrasing. This technique combines brilliantly with Erik’s mastery of sound and production. Erik has personally led sound design efforts on several major brand synthesizers, and his knowledge of synthesis and audio engineering are second to none. Erik’s perpetual live use of vintage and classic instruments, particularly Moog synthesizers, give his concerts a depth and authenticity of sound seldom seen in modern stage productions.
Erik’s latest solo release The Galactic Collective (2010), an prog rock tour de force of re-imaginings of his best instrumental compositions written for Lana Lane, Rocket Scientists and his previous solo albums. Previous solo albums are Threshold (1997), and instrumental progressive effort with a decidedly electronically bent and Into the Sunset (2000), a prog metal vocal album with a more traditional rock band sound. Erik’s third album is a 2CD rock opera concept album with an all-star cast entitled Music Machine about the dramatic rise and fall of genetically engineered rock star. The Music Machine rock opera was released worldwide in June, 2003, followed by a successful European tour with Lana Lane and vocalist Kelly Keeling. In 2004, he released his live recording Stars Rain Down featuring concerts in Europe. Later in 2004, Erik released a wholly electronic CD titled Seas of Orion which debuted at the Dutch Alfa Centauri Electronic Music Festival where Erik headlined that year. Erik’s DVD/CD titled Live in St Petersburg, recorded in the Russian “northern capitol”, was released in July, 2006. In 2006, Erik released Hommage Symphonique, an album of classic progressive rock cover songs produced and arranged in Norlander’s signature style. Additional recent releases include his band Rocket Scientists’ Revolution Road (October, 2006) and Looking Backward (November 2007); and Lana Lane’s Gemini (November 2006), Red Planet Boulevard (November 2007) and Best of Lana Lane 2000-2008, released in November, 2008.
In 2007, Erik joined Asia featuring John Payne, the latest incarnation of the classic supergroup, as the band’s keyboardist He has toured extensively with the group throughout 2008 and 2009 and is working on new studio recordings. In 2009, Erik also toured in Europe with another supergroup, Big Noize, featuring hard rock all stars, Joe Lynn Turner, Simon Wright, Phil Soussan and Carlos Cavazo. Erik also works extensively with The Bob Moog Foundation, performed a 2009 concert along with Keith Emerson to open “The Legacy of Moog” exhibit at The Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California,, and the epic “Moogus Operandi” concert in Asheville, North Carolina in 2010.
http://www.eriknorlander.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Erik-Norlander/173884704355
http://www.youtube.com/thinktankmediamusic
http://www.myspace.com/eriknorlanderandlanalane
Source: Serge Entertainment
