Jon Oliva's Pain
Encyclopedia
Jon Oliva' s Pain is the latest project of Savatage
co-founder Jon Oliva
.
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
). 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.
After hearing the results of their earliest studio sessions together, Oliva then decided to repeat the solo work from scratch with the band. 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.
Originally slated to be released on the same label in May 2006, 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. Oliva cites SPV's reluctance to promote the previous record as a major factor in his decision to move labels. 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.
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. 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. 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.
The fourth release, entitled Festival
, was released in February 2010. Plans for a live DVD to be filmed in 2009 were re-scheduled, with a concert at 013 in Tilburg
, the 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. 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.
Oliva revealed that he would not travel with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra during their European tour in a statement released in March 2011. On April 20, 2011; guitarist Matt LaPorte passed away suddenly at his home.
Savatage
Savatage is an American heavy metal band founded by the brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1978 at Astro Skate in Tarpon Springs, Florida.-Early days :...
co-founder Jon Oliva
Jon Oliva
John Nicholas Oliva is best known simply as Jon Oliva and as founder of and lead vocalist for Savatage. He is the third of four children...
.
Band history
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.The band's first performance was at the Criss Oliva
Criss Oliva
Christopher "Criss" Michael Oliva was born in Pompton Plains, NJ. He was the lead guitarist in, and co-founder of, the band Savatage...
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
Power of the Night
-Personnel:*Jon Oliva – lead vocals & keyboards*Criss Oliva – guitars*Steve Wacholz – drums*Keith Collins – bass guitar...
, "Hey Bulldog
Hey Bulldog
"Hey Bulldog" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album in 1969. Primarily by John Lennon , and finished in the studio by Lennon and McCartney, the song was recorded during the filming of the "Lady Madonna" promotional video, and like "Lady Madonna" is...
" by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and a cover of "Wishing Well" by the band Free
Free (band)
Free were an English rock band, formed in London in 1968, best known for their 1970 signature song "All Right Now". They disbanded in 1973 and lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become a frontman of the band Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums; lead guitarist Paul Kossoff died from a...
(which was covered by Savatage on their album Fight for the Rock
Fight for the Rock
Fight for the Rock is the fourth album released by the band Savatage, their first with new bass player Johnny Lee Middleton, who has since become the only ever-present member on each Savatage record released since....
). 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
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
. 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
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, focusing as they do on elements of obsession, pain, confusion and insanity. Oliva himself cites The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
amongst his and hence the band's influences.
After hearing the results of their earliest studio sessions together, Oliva then decided to repeat the solo work from scratch with the band. 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
'Tage Mahal
Tage Mahal is a 2004 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. This was the first non-Savatage related release by Jon Oliva since 1994's Doctor Butcher.Ironically, just like Savatage, the band faced a problem with its name...
on the SPV
SPV GmbH
SPV GmbH is an independent German record label.Founded on January 1, 1984, it has slowly grown to be one of the largest independent distributors and record labels worldwide....
label in 2004.
Originally slated to be released on the same label in May 2006, JOP subsequently signed to AFM Records
AFM Records
AFM-Records GmbH is a music label based in Schwalmstadt, Germany. They focus on the heavy metal musical genre, signing bands such as U.D.O., Doro, Kotipelto, Masterplan, Nostradameus, and Annihilator....
for the release of the follow-up entitled Maniacal Renderings
Maniacal Renderings
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....
, which was due for release on September 4, 2006. Oliva cites SPV's reluctance to promote the previous record as a major factor in his decision to move labels. Oliva credits his late brother Criss
Criss Oliva
Christopher "Criss" Michael Oliva was born in Pompton Plains, NJ. He was the lead guitarist in, and co-founder of, the band Savatage...
(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.
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
ProgPower
ProgPower is the name of four progressive and power metal festivals:*ProgPower Europe , held in the Netherlands since 1999*ProgPower USA, held in the United States since 2001...
festival in March 2007, Oliva and the band paid tribute to one of Savatage's works, Streets: A Rock Opera
Streets: A Rock Opera
-Production:The album was originally due to be a double CD record, but record label Atlantic Records lost reels of the sessions in their vaults. These "lost tracks" were re-written over the years and eventually formed parts of songs on Edge of Thorns and later works...
, 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
AFM Records
AFM-Records GmbH is a music label based in Schwalmstadt, Germany. They focus on the heavy metal musical genre, signing bands such as U.D.O., Doro, Kotipelto, Masterplan, Nostradameus, and Annihilator....
in January or February 2008. In January 2008, a release date in April via AFM was confirmed for the new album, entitled Global Warning
Global Warning (Jon Oliva's Pain album)
Global Warning is a 2008 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. It is the band's third studio release. The record reached #11 in the German MRC Rock Radio Charts during March 2008....
, with the band announcing that the new album has now been both mixed and mastered. 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
Manticora
Manticora is a Heavy metal band from Hvidovre, Denmark formed in 1996 by Lars and Kristian Larsen. Their current label is Locomotive Music. Their lyrical content typically consists of literature, fantasy, and science fiction. Although they are considered to be a progressive power metal band, they...
. The tour meant that Jon Oliva shared the stage with Zachary Stevens
Zachary Stevens
Zachary "Zak" Stevens , is best known as the former lead vocalist of the band Savatage. He is also a drummer and has a degree in psychology but is not, as is often reported, a licensed, practicing psychologist....
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.
The fourth release, entitled Festival
Festival (Jon Oliva's Pain album)
Festival is the fourth release by the band Jon Oliva's Pain. Released in February 2010 in Europe, it peaked at #87 in the German MRC Radio Charts....
, was released in February 2010. Plans for a live DVD to be filmed in 2009 were re-scheduled, with a concert at 013 in Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
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. 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
'Tage Mahal
Tage Mahal is a 2004 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. This was the first non-Savatage related release by Jon Oliva since 1994's Doctor Butcher.Ironically, just like Savatage, the band faced a problem with its name...
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.
Oliva revealed that he would not travel with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra during their European tour in a statement released in March 2011. On April 20, 2011; guitarist Matt LaPorte passed away suddenly at his home.
Current members
- Jon OlivaJon OlivaJohn Nicholas Oliva is best known simply as Jon Oliva and as founder of and lead vocalist for Savatage. He is the third of four children...
(vocals; keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
) - Tom McDyne (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s) - Kevin Rothney (bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Christopher Kinder (drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s)
Former members
- Matt LaPorte (guitars) (2004–2011)
- Shane French (guitars) (2004–2006)
- John Zahner (keyboards) (2004–2009)
Touring members
- Jason Jennings (bass) (2003)
- Jerry Outlaw (guitars) (2004, 2005, 2010)
- Jason Gaines (bass) (2010)
Guest members
- Steve "Doc" Wacholz (drums) (guest on 'Tage Mahal'Tage MahalTage Mahal is a 2004 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. This was the first non-Savatage related release by Jon Oliva since 1994's Doctor Butcher.Ironically, just like Savatage, the band faced a problem with its name...
) - Ralph SantollaRalph SantollaRalph Santolla is an Italian-American metal guitarist. He has played in many bands in the past, most recently Deicide, but also including Eyewitness, Death , Millennium, Iced Earth, and the Sebastian Bach band...
(guitars) (guest on Global WarningGlobal Warning (Jon Oliva's Pain album)Global Warning is a 2008 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. It is the band's third studio release. The record reached #11 in the German MRC Rock Radio Charts during March 2008....
)
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
|||
| 2004 | 'Tage Mahal 'Tage Mahal Tage Mahal is a 2004 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. This was the first non-Savatage related release by Jon Oliva since 1994's Doctor Butcher.Ironically, just like Savatage, the band faced a problem with its name...
|
— | |
| 2006 | Maniacal Renderings Maniacal Renderings 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.... AFM Records AFM-Records GmbH is a music label based in Schwalmstadt, Germany. They focus on the heavy metal musical genre, signing bands such as U.D.O., Doro, Kotipelto, Masterplan, Nostradameus, and Annihilator.... (AFMCD129) |
86 | |
| 2008 | Global Warning Global Warning (Jon Oliva's Pain album) Global Warning is a 2008 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. It is the band's third studio release. The record reached #11 in the German MRC Rock Radio Charts during March 2008.... |
— | |
| 2010 | Festival Festival (Jon Oliva's Pain album) Festival is the fourth release by the band Jon Oliva's Pain. Released in February 2010 in Europe, it peaked at #87 in the German MRC Radio Charts.... Gramophone record A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... , download |
87 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. | |||
EPs
| Year | Album details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Straight Jacket Memoirs Straight Jacket Memoirs Straight Jacket Memoirs is a 2006 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. This was an EP distributed by AFM Records, the first release by JOP 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...
|
'Tage Mahal Tage Mahal is a 2004 release by Jon Oliva's Pain. This was the first non-Savatage related release by Jon Oliva since 1994's Doctor Butcher.Ironically, just like Savatage, the band faced a problem with its name... . |
External links
- Jon Oliva's Pain's official web site
- Jon Oliva's Pain's at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
(with selected tracks) - Jon Oliva's Pain at Encyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives is a website which lists bands from various forms of heavy metal music...
- Jon Oliva's Pain: Interview with Jon at Metal-Rules.com