Jon Oliva's Pain | |
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 Jon Oliva's Pain at ProgpowerUK 2, Cheltenham, England, 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Jon Oliva Project |
| Origin | Clearwater, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Heavy metal, progressive metal |
| Years active | 2003–2019 |
| Labels | SPV/Steamhammer, AFM |
| Members | Jon Oliva Bill Hudson Joe Diaz Jason Jennings Christopher Kinder |
| Website | jonoliva |
Jon Oliva's Pain (sometimes referred to as JOP) was a musical project of Savatage co-founder Jon Oliva.
Originally, the project consisted entirely of solo recordings by Oliva, but after several months of work he was joined by former members of Circle II Circle to form a band. [1]
The band's first performance was at the Criss Oliva Memorial Concert in 2003, where Oliva played a set of 6 songs from his solo catalog plus "In the Dream" from Power of the Night , "Hey Bulldog" by The Beatles and a cover of "Wishing Well" by the band Free (which was covered by Savatage on their album Fight for the Rock ). [2] Joining Jon on stage that night were Matt LaPorte (guitar), John Zahner (keyboards), Jason Jennings (bass), and Christopher Kinder (drums). Initially, the band went out on tour in December 2003 under the name "The Jon Oliva Project", but this was later changed to "'Tage Mahal". The band's name was changed after discovering the blues musician Taj Mahal. Because of the laws surrounding consumer confusion, Oliva instructed the band's name be changed to Jon Oliva's Pain, "Pain" being the working title of the band's first album. The music and themes bear comparison with the likes of Alice Cooper, focusing as they do on elements of obsession, pain, confusion and insanity. Oliva himself cites The Beatles, Queen and The Who amongst his and hence the band's influences. [1]
After hearing the results of their earliest studio sessions together, Oliva then decided to repeat the solo work from scratch with the band. [1] The band embraced the opportunity without hesitation, and brought in former Circle II Circle bass player Kevin Rothney to solidify the line-up. The band released their first album 'Tage Mahal on the SPV label in 2004. [3] Originally slated to be released on the same label in May 2006, [4] JOP subsequently signed to AFM Records for the release of the follow-up entitled Maniacal Renderings , which was due for release on September 4, 2006. [5] Oliva cites SPV's reluctance to promote the previous record as a major factor in his decision to move labels. [6] Oliva credits his late brother Criss (with whom he founded Savatage) as co-writing some of the work on the album (particularly the track "The Answer"), after finding some working tapes they had recorded together shortly before Criss's death in a road accident in 1993. [1]
A tour taking them through most of Summer 2006 saw the band appearing at festivals in Europe. The tour reportedly included the performance of two Savatage songs at each concert. During a performance at the UK's ProgPower festival in March 2007, Oliva and the band paid tribute to one of Savatage's works, Streets: A Rock Opera , by playing a majority of the album in running order for the first time as a "gift" to fans. Oliva remarked that some of the songs had never been performed live in the 16 years since the album's first release.
Interviews pointed to a third album being recorded by the band in late 2007 ready for a release by AFM Records in January or February 2008. [7] In January 2008, a release date in April via AFM was confirmed for the new album, entitled Global Warning , with the band announcing that the new album has now been both mixed and mastered. [8] After the album's release, the band embarked on a tour of North America and Europe with new guitarist Tom McDyne along with Circle II Circle and Manticora. The tour meant that Jon Oliva shared the stage with Zachary Stevens for the first time in almost 10 years. At the conclusion of the tour, the band announced that it had commenced pre-production on its fourth release, with a due date of 2009. The band toured the United States and Europe once more in 2009. [9]
The fourth release, entitled Festival , was released in February 2010. Plans for a live DVD to be filmed in 2009 were rescheduled, with a concert at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands in October 2010 being tentatively scheduled for filming with a view to a live-DVD release in 2011. A live DVD release will mark the first time that Oliva will handle solo lead vocal material over much of his material. [10] In September 2010, it was announced that due to "undisclosed personal reasons", both Tom McDyne and Kevin Rothney would be forced to sit-out the band's European tour and DVD filming. Former touring guitar player from the 'Tage Mahal tour, Jerry Outlaw was tapped to play guitars, with Jason Gaines, described as "Tampa's phenom bass player" replacing Rothney for the duration of the tour. [11] As yet the DVD has still not been released. The band did however record their show in Florida in April 2012, the first night of a short tour celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Savatage's Hall of The Mountain King album, for a DVD release, and it now looks likely this will be released before the Festival tour one.
Oliva revealed that he would not travel with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra during their European tour in a statement released in March 2011. [12] On April 20, 2011; guitarist Matt LaPorte died suddenly at his home. [13]
Oliva stated in a 2019 interview for "The Sound Affect Show" [14] that the band no longer exists following the death of Matt LaPorte, and because of his busy schedule.
Former members
Touring members
Guest members
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GER [15] | |||
| 2004 | 'Tage Mahal
| — | |
| 2006 | Maniacal Renderings
| 86 | |
| 2008 | Global Warning
| — | |
| 2010 | Festival
| 87 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. | |||
| Year | Album details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Straight Jacket Memoirs |
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Edge of Thorns is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Savatage, released on April 6, 1993, by Atlantic Records. It was the last Savatage album to feature guitarist Criss Oliva, who died six months after its release, and their first release with Zachary Stevens on lead vocals, following the departure of Jon Oliva from his role as singer in Savatage, although he did produce and write songs for the album.
Streets: A Rock Opera is the sixth studio album by the American heavy metal band Savatage and is a rock opera dealing with the rise and fall of the fictional musician DT Jesus. It was originally released in October 1991 on Atlantic Records. The album took almost a year to record, with pre-production beginning in October 1990. It was also Jon Oliva's last album as lead vocalist until 1995's Dead Winter Dead and 1997's The Wake of Magellan, where he shared lead vocal duties with Zak Stevens. He resumed lead vocal duties exclusively on 2001's Poets and Madmen.
Savatage is an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album Sirens (1983), they changed their name to Savatage, as Avatar was already taken by at least one other band. Savatage is considered to be an integral part of the American heavy metal movement of the early-to-mid-1980s and has been cited as a key influence on numerous subgenres of metal.
Alex Skolnick is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist and one of the songwriters of the thrash metal band Testament and has played with several other bands, including The Alex Skolnick Trio, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Savatage and the heavy metal supergroup Metal Allegiance.
Al Pitrelli is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Megadeth, Alice Cooper and Savatage. He has performed with various acts as a band member, session musician and touring member, including Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Asia, Dee Snider, Kathy Troccoli, Taylor Dayne, Blue Öyster Cult, Exposé and Joe Lynn Turner.
Handful of Rain is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Savatage, released in 1994. This is the first album since the death of the band's founding member and lead guitarist Criss Oliva. who had contributed to writing on its songs "Taunting Cobras" and "Nothing's Going On" before his death.
Gutter Ballet is the fifth full-length album produced by the American progressive metal band Savatage. This was the second album created under the direction of producer Paul O'Neill and was initially released in December 1, 1989.
John Nicholas "Jon" Oliva is an American singer and musician. He is best known as the co-founder, keyboardist and lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Savatage, which he co-founded with his younger brother Criss Oliva. Since 1996 he has also been a songwriter, musician and vocalist in Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Producer Paul O'Neill referred to Oliva in numerous interviews as the single greatest vocalist/musician he has ever worked with.
Christopher Michael Oliva was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Savatage. During his lifetime, he released seven studio albums and one EP with the band.
Zachary Trussell, known professionally as Zachary "Zak" Stevens, is an American singer, best known as the second lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Savatage. He currently performs with the heavy metal bands Circle II Circle and Archon Angel. Stevens has a degree in psychology, but is not a practicing psychologist.
Circle II Circle is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida. The band was formed by former Savatage lead vocalist Zachary Stevens and longtime friend and band manager Dan Campbell in 2001. They play varied genres of metal including traditional heavy metal, power metal and progressive metal.
Christopher Caffery is an American heavy metal guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Savatage and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Caffery has been releasing solo records singing and playing guitar for almost 20 years, releasing nine albums and many singles since 2004.
Maniacal Renderings is a 2006 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. It was their first full-length studio recording released for new label AFM Records.
'Tage Mahal is a 2004 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. It was the first non-Savatage related release by Jon Oliva since 1994's Doctor Butcher.
Straight Jacket Memoirs is a 2006 EP by Jon Oliva's Pain. Distributed by AFM Records, it was the first release by the band for their new label. The release featured two new full songs from the then forthcoming album, Maniacal Renderings, and live renditions of two songs from the band's previous album, 'Tage Mahal. The other track featured on the release is an edited version of the song "The Evil Beside You".
Global Warning is a 2008 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. It is the band's third studio release. The record reached number 11 in the German MRC Rock Radio Charts during March 2008.
Festival is the fourth and final release by the band Jon Oliva's Pain. Released in February 2010 in Europe, it peaked at number 87 in the German MRC Radio Charts.
Midnight was an American musician best known for being the vocalist of Crimson Glory. The band became known for Midnight's "ear-shattering screams", which drew comparisons to Geoff Tate, and "painfully strident delivery."
Bill Hudson is a Brazilian-American heavy metal guitarist, currently serving as the main composer, lead guitarist and founder for power metal supergroup NorthTale. He worked with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra as well German heavy metal bands U.D.O. and Dirkschneider, both fronted by former Accept vocalist Udo Dirkschneider and American death metal band I Am Morbid, featuring former Morbid Angel frontman David Vincent and drummer Pete Sandoval. As of 2021, he is the guitarist for German heavy metal legend Doro Pesch, after acting as a fill in guitarist since 2017.
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