Concerts: Keyboard Virtuoso Erik Norlander To Perform At The Fourth Annual Moogfest
Master keyboardist and prolific Moog synthesizer user Erik Norlander will perform at the prestigious Moogfest, the annual festival commemorating and celebrating the groundbreaking achievements of maverick inventor Robert Moog and his namesake synthesizer. Beginning at 7:30PM on Saturday, September 22nd, the fourth annual Moogfest boasts some of the most renowned keyboardists in the world. Along with Norlander, other performers include Thomas Dolby, Jordan Rudess, Adam Holzman, Spiraling, Don Preston, Gershon Kingsley, Nail, and Herb Deutsch.
B.B. King's Blues Club, located at 243 West 42nd Street in New York City, will once again host Moogfest. Moog Music, located in Asheville, NC, designs and manufactures electronic musical instruments including synthesizers, effects modules, and theremins.
Erik Norlander has created some of the most enchanting rock music in recent years appearing on over 25 albums since 1993 with his diva spouse Lana Lane, his band Rocket Scientists, his own solo albums and numerous guest appearances. Erik's evocative synthesizer technique is reminiscent of the legendary Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson 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 instruments such as Hammond organ, Mellotron and Moog synthesizer give his concerts a depth and authenticity of sound seldom seen in modern stage productions.
Erik Norlander was born in 1967 in Hollywood, California. He grew up in Los Angeles studying both jazz and classical music on several instruments from a young age through his years at the university where he also graduated with a degree in English Literature. While clearly a prog rocker, Erik is surprisingly quite adamant that he prefers melody over flashy playing and strong songwriting over artsy meandering.
Erik's newest releases is Hommage Symphonique, an album of classic progressive rock cover songs produced and arranged in Norlander's signature style. 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. Additional recent releases include his band Rocket Scientists' Revolution Road (October, 2006); and Lana Lane's Gemini, released in January, 2007.
Erik Norlander has been featured in the September, 2006 issue of Keyboard Magazine and the online version of Electronic Musician; interviewed on numerous radio shows including ProgPositivity and Independent Nation; and continues to receive favorable reviews in numerous publications around the world.
www.myspace.com/eriknorlanderandlanalane, www.myspace.com/rocketscientistsband
[Source and photo courtesy: Serge Entertainment PR]
