Erik Norlander is an American musician who describes himself as a 'keyboardist

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...

, composer

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

, producer and engineer'. Norlander has produced album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

s for Rocket Scientists

Rocket Scientists

Rocket Scientists is a progressive rock band formed in the late 1980s by keyboardist Erik Norlander and vocalist / guitarist Mark McCrite. The band released their first CD, Earthbound, in 1993 joined by session bassist Don Schiff...

 and his wife, Lana Lane

Lana Lane

Lana Lane is a North American rock singer. She sings lead in her eponymous band, and has sung backing vocals for the band Rocket Scientists and guest sung on Ayreon and Erik Norlander albums....

. He also has a progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 solo project titled simply Erik Norlander. Norlander has toured and / or recorded with singers Kelly Keeling

Kelly Keeling

Kelly Keeling is an American musician and songwriter. Keeling started playing at the age of 14 and first appeared on the music scene as the lead singer of the American heavy metal band Baton Rouge...

, Joe Lynn Turner

Joe Lynn Turner

Joe Lynn Turner , is an American rock singer, known for his works with Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Deep Purple. From the late 1990s, he continued to perform in a large number of solo albums and other studio projects...

, Glenn Hughes, Lana Lane

Lana Lane

Lana Lane is a North American rock singer. She sings lead in her eponymous band, and has sung backing vocals for the band Rocket Scientists and guest sung on Ayreon and Erik Norlander albums....

, Tully Winfield, James LaBrie

James LaBrie

Kevin James LaBrie is a Canadian vocalist who is best known as the lead singer of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater.-Early life:...

, Edward Reekers

Edward Reekers

Edward Reekers is a Dutch singer. Most notable is his work as lead singer for Dutch progressive rock band Kayak.Having been a fan of the band for years, Reekers joined Kayak in 1978. He replaced Max Werner, who became the band's drummer. With Reekers as the new lead singer, Kayak immediately...

, Robert Soeterboek, Scott Kail, Mark Boals

Mark Boals

Mark Boals is an American rock singer, noted most for his work with Yngwie J. Malmsteen. He was born on December 5, 1958 , in Youngstown, Ohio, United States...

 and Buck Dharma

Buck Dharma

Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967...

, bassist

Bassist

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

s Tony Franklin

Tony Franklin (musician)

Anthony James "Tony" Franklin is an English rock musician, best known for his work on the fretless bass guitar with Roy Harper, The Firm, Jimmy Page, John Sykes' Blue Murder, Whitesnake and briefly, with Quiet Riot.-Fretless bass:...

, Don Schiff

Don Schiff

Don Schiff is a bass guitar, Chapman Stick, NS/Stick, and bowed guitar player on recordings, TV, and film sessions. He is one of the earliest Stick, NS/Stick, and bowed guitar players...

, Kristoffer Gildenlöw

Kristoffer Gildenlöw

Kristoffer Gildenlöw is a Swedish musician and songwriter. He is best known for his work as bass guitarist in the band Pain of Salvation, a band started by his older brother Daniel Gildenlöw...

 and Phil Soussan

Phil Soussan

Phil Soussan is a bass guitarist, songwriter and producer who has gained notoriety as a member of a host of famed rock and roll bands, including some who have been fronted by such vocalists as Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Vince Neil, Johnny Hallyday and John Waite, as well as a membership in Beggars...

, guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

s Peer Verschuren, Neil Citron

Neil Citron

Neil Citron is a guitarist who played briefly with heavy metal band Quiet Riot in 2006. Although he contributes guitar to the album Rehab, he left shortly after the release and was replaced by Alex Grossi.He is also a sound engineer and mixer...

, Jim Williams, Gary Wehrkamp

Gary Wehrkamp

Gary Wehrkamp is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He is most notably a member of the American progressive rock band Shadow Gallery.-Personal life:...

, Carlos Cavazo

Carlos Cavazo

Carlos Cavazo is a Mexican-born American guitarist best known as the guitarist for Quiet Riot during their commercial peak. Born July 8, 1957, Cavazo is originally from Mexico City where their first band with his brother Antonio Cavazo was called Speed of Light...

, Arjen Anthony Lucassen

Arjen Anthony Lucassen

Arjen Anthony "Oswold Jr." Lucassen is a progressive metal/rock composer, singer and musician from the Netherlands, best known for his long-running progressive opera project titled Ayreon....

, drummers Greg Ellis

Greg Ellis (musician)

Greg Ellis is a California-born drummer and percussionist, who is currently a member of World/Psytrance/Tribal band Juno Reactor and the ambient group Biomusique....

, Gregg Bissonette

Gregg Bissonette

Gregg Bissonette, is an American drummer. Gregg was born in a family of musicians. His father Bud Bissonette plays drums, his mother Phyllis plays piano and vibraphone, and brother Matt Bissonette plays bass guitar. Gregg started learning to play the drums at age 5 from his father...

, Ernst van Ee, Virgil Donati

Virgil Donati

Virgil Donati is an Australian drummer, frequent drum clinician and a producer. He is currently playing with the band Planet X and Seven the Hardway among other projects. Virgil is perhaps most well known for his fast, highly technical drumming skills...

, Simon Wright, Vinny Appice

Vinny Appice

Vincent Samson Appice , also known as Vinny Appice is a rock drummer of American Italian descent and the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice...

 and Chris Quirarte, flute and sax player David Schiff, flautist

Flautist

A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...

 Martin Orford

Martin Orford

Martin Orford is an English keyboard player best known as the keyboardist and founder member of progressive rock bands IQ and Jadis. He also worked with former King Crimson, UK and Asia bassist John Wetton, and released a solo album, Classical Music and Popular Songs in 2000...

, trumpet

Trumpet

The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...

 player John Pappenbrook, trombone

Trombone

The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

 player Eric Jorgensen, 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....

ist David Ragsdale

David Ragsdale

David Ragsdale, violinist for Kansas since 1991, started violin at the age of three. After studies with renowned classical teachers and a stint at the Tulsa Philharmonic, David's violinist duties took him out of the largely classical area and into rock and roll.Through the years he has performed...

 and cellists

Cello

The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...

 Cameron Stone and Mike Alvarez.

In November 2007, he was announced as the keyboard player for the Asia

Asia (band)

Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...

 spin-off, Asia Featuring John Payne

John Payne (singer)

John Payne is a British musician, best known as the lead singer and bassist of Asia from 1992 to 2006 and from June 2007 with ASIA Featuring John Payne....

, joining guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 Guthrie Govan

Guthrie Govan

Guthrie Govan is a guitarist known for his work with the bands Asia , GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship as well as Erotic Cakes...

 and drummer

Drummer

A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

 Jay Schellen

Jay Schellen

Jay Schellen is a U.S. drummer who is best known as a member of the hard-rock band Hurricane. Schellen has also worked and currently working with a number of other heavy rock and progressive rock bands, including with Asia World Trade, CIRCA:, Unruly Child and several members of Yes.-Career:in...

.

In 2009 Norlander, in collaboration with science-fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 writer

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

 and lyricist

Lyricist

A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...

 Kevin J. Anderson

Kevin J. Anderson

Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...

, composed the music and produced the recording for the CD Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon by Roswell Six, featuring the singers James LaBrie

James LaBrie

Kevin James LaBrie is a Canadian vocalist who is best known as the lead singer of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater.-Early life:...

, John Payne

John Payne (singer)

John Payne is a British musician, best known as the lead singer and bassist of Asia from 1992 to 2006 and from June 2007 with ASIA Featuring John Payne....

, Michael Sadler

Michael Sadler

Michael Sadler may refer to:* Michael Thomas Sadler , radical British Tory Member of Parliament* Michael Ernest Sadler , British historian, educationalist and university administrator...

 and Norlander's wife Lana Lane

Lana Lane

Lana Lane is a North American rock singer. She sings lead in her eponymous band, and has sung backing vocals for the band Rocket Scientists and guest sung on Ayreon and Erik Norlander albums....

.

In 2009 Norlander also toured in Europe with vocalist Joe Lynn Turner

Joe Lynn Turner

Joe Lynn Turner , is an American rock singer, known for his works with Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Deep Purple. From the late 1990s, he continued to perform in a large number of solo albums and other studio projects...

 and the band Big Noize featuring bassist

Bassist

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

 Phil Soussan

Phil Soussan

Phil Soussan is a bass guitarist, songwriter and producer who has gained notoriety as a member of a host of famed rock and roll bands, including some who have been fronted by such vocalists as Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Vince Neil, Johnny Hallyday and John Waite, as well as a membership in Beggars...

, guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 Carlos Cavazo

Carlos Cavazo

Carlos Cavazo is a Mexican-born American guitarist best known as the guitarist for Quiet Riot during their commercial peak. Born July 8, 1957, Cavazo is originally from Mexico City where their first band with his brother Antonio Cavazo was called Speed of Light...

 and drummer

Drummer

A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

 Simon Wright.

Education

Erik attended UCLA  and California Lutheran University

California Lutheran University

California Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.-Mission statement:The University's mission statement is as follows:...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature in 1989.

Engineering Projects

In the 1990s, Erik worked for Alesis

Alesis

Alesis is a company based in Cumberland, Rhode Island, that designs and markets electronic musical instruments, digital audio processors, audio mixers, digital audio interfaces, recording equipment, drum machines, professional audio and electronic percussion products...

 Studio Electronics where he was the Director of Sound Development and ultimately Synthesizer Product Manager for the Alesis synthesizer models QS8, QS8.1, QS7, QS7.1, QS6, QS6.1, QSR, QuadraSynth Plus Piano, S4 Plus, DM5, DM Pro and the Alesis Andromeda A6

Alesis Andromeda A6

The Alesis Andromeda A6 is a 16-voice, 16-channel multitimbral analog synthesizer by Alesis which was released in 2000 and discontinued in 2010. The Andromeda has analog oscillators and filters combined with modern digital control...

 analog

Analog signal

An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...

 polyphonic synthesizer

Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

. During 2001-2002, Erik worked for Line 6 producing sound-alike "jam along" audio tracks of classic rock and metal songs for the company's GuitarPort software product.

Solo albums

• Threshold (1997, re-released as a 2-CD package in 2003 as Threshold Special Edition)
• Into the Sunset (2000)
• Music Machine (2003, 2CD)
• Stars Rain Down (2004)
• Seas of Orion (2004)
• Live in St. Petersburg (2006, CD and DVD)
• Hommage Symphonique (2006)
• The Galactic Collective (2010)

Rocket Scientists albums

• Earthbound (1993)
• Brutal Architecture (1995)
• Earth Below and Sky Above: Live in Europe and America (1998)
• Oblivion Days (1999)
• Revolution Road (2006)
• Looking Backward (2007)

Lana Lane albums

• Love is an Illusion (1995)
• Curious Goods (1996)
• Garden of the Moon (1998)
• Live in Japan (1998)
• Ballad Collection (1998)
• Queen of the Ocean (1999)
• Best of Lana Lane 1995-1999 (1999, released in Japan only)
• Secrets of Astrology (2000)
• Ballad Collection II (2000)
• Project Shangri-La (2002)
• Covers Collection (2002)
• Storybook: Tales from Europe and Japan (2003, DVD)
• Return to Japan (2003)
• Winter Sessions (2003)
• Lady Macbeth (2005)
• 10th Anniversary Concert (2005, DVD and CD)
• Gemini (2006)
• Red Planet Boulevard (2006)
• Best of Lana Lane 2000-2008 (2008, released in Japan only)

External links

• Official Erik Norlander's website
• www.thetank.com, Erik Norlander's production company
• Erik Norlander's YouTube channel