Jon Oliva's Pain

Infobox musical artist
Background = group_or_band
Name = Jon Oliva's Pain


Img_capt = Promotional photo for "Maniacal Renderings" (Jon Oliva, centre top).
Origin = Clearwater, Florida USA
Years_active = 2003 – present
Genre = Heavy metal Progressive metal
Label = SPV/Steamhammer Records (2004–2006) AFM Records (2006 – present)
Current_members = Jon Oliva John Zahner Shane French Matt LaPorte Kevin Rothney Christopher Kinder
Past_members = Jerry Outlaw
URL = [http://www.jonoliva.net www.jonoliva.net]
Associated_acts = Savatage Circle II Circle Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Jon Oliva's Pain (sometimes referred to as JOP) is the latest project of former "Savatage" co-founder and frontman Jon Oliva.

Band history

Initially 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 bandcite interview
last = Oliva
first = Jon
subject = Jon Oliva
subjectlink = Jon Oliva
last2 = Kinder
first2 = Chris
subject2 = Chris Kinder
subjectlink2 = Chris Kinder
interviewer = Jon Patrick (aka Twang)
cointerviwers =
title = Jon Oliva Special
type =
url =
format =
program = The Twang Show on Totalrock.com
callsign =
city = London
date = 2006-08-04] .

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 first performance was at the Criss Oliva Memorial Concert in 2003, where Oliva played a set of 6 songs from Jon's solo catalog plus "In the Dream" from "Power of the Night", "Hey Bull Dog" by The Beatles and a classic cover of "Wishing Well" by the band Free (which was covered by Savatage on their album "Fight for the Rock")cite web
url = http://www.jonoliva.net/html/pain.html
title = Jon Oliva's Pain (band biography)
publisher = JonOliva.net
accessdate = 2007-06-25] . Joining Jon on stage that night were Matt LaPorte (guitar), John Zahner (keyboards), Jason Jennings (bass), and Christopher Kinder (drums). However, the band's name was forced to be changed after discovering the blues musician Taj Mahal and the laws surrounding consumer confusion, Oliva instructed the band's name be changed to Jon Oliva's Pain, with "Pain" being the working title of the band's first album.

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 2004cite web
url = http://www.afm-records.de/en/bands/bands-Jon_Oliva8242s_Pain-bio.html
title = Jon Oliva's Pain (band biography)
publisher = AFM Records
accessdate = 2006-08-07] .Originally slated to be released on the same label in May 2006cite web
url = http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=46018
title = JON OLIVA'S PAIN To Enter Studio In January
publisher = Blabbermouth.net
date = 2005-12-24
accessdate = 2006-08-29] , JOP subsequently signed to AFM Records for the release of the follow-up entitled "Maniacal Renderings", due on September 4th 2006AFM press release] . Oliva cites SPV's reluctance to promote the previous record as a major factor in his decision to move labelsProgPowerUK II programme. Interview with Jon Oliva, page 7.] . Oliva credits his late brother Criss (with whom he had founded Savatage) as co-writing some of the work on this latest album (particularly the track "The Answer"), after finding some working tapes they had recorded together immediately before Criss' death in a road accident in 1993.

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.

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, "", 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, even in the 16 years since the album's first release.

Interviewscite web
url = http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=72947
title = JON OLIVA'S PAIN Drummer Issues Update On Upcoming Album
publisher = Blabbermouth.net
date = 2007-05-21
accessdate = 2007-06-25] 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.cite web
url = http://www.komodorock.com/new-releases/cd-releases/jon-olivia%27s-pain%3a-global-warning-now-finished;-tour-dates-announced-200801233683/
title = Jon Olivia's Pain: Global Warning Now Finished; Tour Dates Announced
publisher = Komodo Rock
accessdate = 2008-02-10]

Personnel

Current members

* Jon Oliva (vocals; keyboards)
* John Zahner (keyboards)
* Matt LaPorte (guitars)
* Kevin Rothney (bass)
* Christopher Kinder (drums)

Previous Members

* Shane French (guitars) (2004-2006)
* Jerry Outlaw (guitars) (touring member, 2004)

Guest Members

* Steve "Doc" Wacholz (drums) (guest on "'Tage Mahal")
* Ralph Santolla (guitars) (guest on "Global Warning")

Discography

Albums

* "'Tage Mahal" (25 October, 2004; SPV; SPV08599122)
* "Maniacal Renderings" (4 September, 2006; AFM; AFMCD129)
* "Global Warning" (21 March, 2008; AFM; AFM 185-2)

EPs

* "Straight Jacket Memoirs" (23 June, 2006; AFM; AFMSG129)

References

External links

* [http://www.jonoliva.net/ Jon Oliva's Pain's official web site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/jonoliva Jon Oliva's Pain's] at MySpace (with selected tracks)
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* [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=26265 Jon Oliva's Pain] at Encyclopaedia Metallum
* [http://www.metal-rules.com/zine/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=900&Itemid=60 Jon Oliva's Pain: Interview with Jon] at Metal-Rules.com