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Interview: Jon Oliva’s Pain
with Jon Oliva
By: Joe Florez July 10, 2008 |
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Despite what many of you may or may not think,
Jon Oliva has been a busy boy for a long time and the work just
keeps piling up. Those in the know, realize that his main passion is
Trans Siberian Orchestra (T.S.O.). Every winter time, the project
goes on tour on both coasts for two months and makes millions of
people feel good. Some folks think that Savatage is a thing of the
past, but it’s merely on hiatus. Just don’t ask him about when the
next record will come out. I think however, most folks except the
die hards fail to realize that when T.S.O. isn’t on tour that he’s
hard at work writing, recording and planning a tour with Jon Oliva’s
Pain. “Global Warning” is his third and latest venture in the metal
world that is probably his most experimental recording to date.
Unlike the previous two records which contained the most Savatage
like material, this one ventures on compositions and vocal patterns
that are not only 70’s progressive rock, but have a ton of Beatles
influences. Some of the old schoolers may be put off by it’s retro
sound, but this is what made Jon into what he is today. There is a
lot here to soak in and if you listen to it about 3-4 times you may
begin to understand Jon’s vision. Even though Jon is constantly hard
at work, he was able to pry himself away from the studio to explain
just what it is he’s being productive with.
Global Warning is your third disc under your
solo band's name. Also, unlike the first two which had more of a
Savatage flavor to them this one is more experimental. Let's take
the opening title track. It's very grandiose sounding and has a 70's
progressive rock feel to it. It reminds me a bit of Emerson, Lake
and Palmer, especially with the Hammond organ. How did this all
shape up?
I was always a fan of ELP and Deep Purple so I suppose you could say
it was sort of a tribute to them. We tried a lot of different idea's
but the Hammond B3 just seemed to fit perfectly.
"Look At The World" is a song that you and
your late brother Criss wrote during the Avatar days. When you
listen to it, you can hear The Beatles influence in it, especially
the way that it's composed and your singing style. Big fan? Also,
what made you decide to bring this one out of the treasure chest?
Oh, God...The Beatles have always been my band. I learned a great
deal of what I know from The Beatles. This song was Criss' and my
first attempt at the Queen vibe.
"O To G" is a tribute song to your producer
Greg Marchak who passed away before recording this album. Did you do
any pre-production work with him before hand?
He was so very important to the band and we miss him terribly.
Myself, Christopher Kinder (drummer and producer of Global Warning)
worked for many weeks with Greg just prior to his passing. We talked
to him and scheduled our next studio session the night before he
passed away. It was friggin’ awful! |
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Reading your liner notes in the booklet here, songs like "Stories",
"You Never Know" and "Before I Hang" all come from the past with you
and your brother. What made you decide to dust them off and complete
them once and for all?
I started a mission with my brother and there are still a great many
of his ideas that have never been used. Until all of that material
has been given it's proper due...the mission will continue!
There is a rumor or something that read that
J.O.P. was going to release three records and then release it as a
box set with extras. Any truth to that?
We'll see about that....but right now we are enjoying some real
growth not just as a band but with the fans and it's very exciting.
So for now we will concentrate on recording, touring and maybe a
live DVD in the near future. |
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I noticed that with "Maniacal Renderings" and
this release is that you released a few versions of the product.
There's the standard version, tin version and a Japanese one as
well. Why so many to choose from?
That's not really up to us...it's just marketing decisions made by
the record company.
You are a piano player which is no secret, but
you also play guitar and have put your skills to work on these
records. Why didn't you play it more often, especially in Savatage?
I played a lot of guitar in Savatage, especially after Criss passed
away. When Criss was around it made no sense to let anyone else play
but him.
I guess it's well known in your community that
you dislike computers very much. Why are you so against them?
Because they have no soul...and I believe it will play a significant
part in bringing on the end times!
It's been a long time Jon, but will you tour
the U.S. with this band?
Absolutely....heading out with C2C and Manticora in October...It's
going to be very special for Savatage fans as well.
How about future plans with this band? What is
next for J.O.P.?
New album is already in the works...more touring in Europe after the
U.S. run and hopefully a solid Euro-Festival tour before releasing
the new JOP CD in late 2009. I am having a blast with these guys and
feel rejuvenated!
I noticed that you and Chris Caffery wrote and
produced the first couple of Cirlce II Cirlce discs. Whose idea was
it?
We were just hanging out with Zak....and the rest just happened from
there. It wasn't some master plan, but when the opportunity
presented itself we said sure,...why not?
It's funny that the same musicians that were on Zak Steven's debut
Circle II Circle record have been with you since day one. How did
they manage to move over to your camp?
They had issues with Zak's former manager and decided to leave. But
I am no fool, and I made sure I grabbed them before someone else
did.
Dr. Butcher was a side project that came
out in the 90's with you and Mr. Caffery. It was a much darker and
evil record compared to your day job. How did this come together? I
love that record to death and I pretty much guess it's a one time
only thing. It's probably better that way, no?
Yeah it was great, but my time is spent now on JOP and TSO...and
trust me, that keeps me crazy enough.
I read recently that you were inducted into
the Florida music hall of fame or something equivalent to that. How
did that go?
It was very cool, and I had no idea it was even happening until
someone contacted me and said..."Yo Mountain King, you won"! |
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Trans Siberian Orchestra is your cash cow...no
doubt. Every Christmas season, you do the quick tour thing for two
months and have musicians play in two different areas at once. Did
you ever think that it would become such a commercial hit? Do you
still tour with the band? What is in store with T.S.O. besides more
touring? More CD's on the way?
I never imagined it would ever become this big....and getting
bigger. Our new CD, Night Castle, is almost complete.
Paul O' Neill is a famous producer and an
individual you have worked with for many moons and was instrumental
in helping you put T.S.O. together. I read that he single handedly
saved your career after Savatage’s poppy metal record "Fight For The
Rock." You were gonna’ call it quits after that. True?
Absolutely true...we were ready to pack it in after 'Fight for the
Nightmare".
One thing that has made you a stand out
vocalist is that you have this signature scream or what ever you
want to call it and you can hear it in "Sirens" and "Hall Of The
Mountain King? Where did that come from?
Probably straight from hell....seriously, I have no idea how my
voice came to be what it is. But I am certainly thankful and it's
clear that I don't sound like anyone else....and that could be
either good or bad depending on your opinion...hahahaha!
Savatage's 25th anniversay is coming up soon,
no? Are there plans to release a DVD or something?
There are no plans at this time to do anything Savatage related.
Lastly, the most asked question from fans from
around the world...what did you eat for breakfast? Just kidding.
Seriously, though. I know Savatage is on a hiatus and has been for a
while, but is there something brewing?
Savatage is now the Trans Siberian Orchestra....I am doing JOP and
very happy with what we are doing. The other guys in Savatage have
their own projects as well so we are all keeping quite busy. Life
goes on, but the music is forever.
Any words you would like to say to the fans
the world over?
From the top and bottom of my heart, I thank you all. I could not
have survived the last 25 years without you and hope that you will
continue to share this journey with me and the music. Peace and much
love to all!
www.jonoliva.net
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