| Erik Norlander | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | 1967 |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Progressive rock, symphonic rock, electronic music, hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter, producer, Recording Engineer, Sound Designer |
| Instruments | Keyboards |
| Years active | 1993 to present |
| Labels | Think Tank Media |
| Associated acts | Lana Lane Rocket Scientists Asia featuring John Payne |
| Website | www.eriknorlander.com www.thetank.com www.myspace.com/eriknorlanderandlanelane www.youtube.com/thinktankmediamusic |
Erik Norlander (born in 1967) is an American musician who describes himself as a 'keyboardist, composer, producer and engineer'. Norlander has produced albums for Rocket Scientists and his wife, Lana Lane. He also has a progressive rock solo project titled simply Erik Norlander. Norlander has toured and / or recorded with singers Kelly Keeling, Joe Lynn Turner, Glenn Hughes, Lana Lane, Tully Winfield, James LaBrie, Edward Reekers, Robert Soeterboek, Scott Kail, Mark Boals and Buck Dharma, bassists Tony Franklin, Don Schiff, Kristoffer Gildenlöw, Mark Matthews and Phil Soussan, guitarists Bruce Bouillet, Mitch Perry, Guthrie Govan, Freddy DeMarco, Peer Verschuren, Neil Citron, Jim Williams, Gary Wehrkamp, Carlos Cavazo, Arjen Anthony Lucassen, drummers Greg Ellis, Gregg Bissonette, Ernst van Ee, Virgil Donati, Simon Wright, Vinny Appice and Chris Quirarte, flute and sax player David Schiff, flautist Martin Orford, trumpet player John Pappenbrook, trombone player Eric Jorgensen, violinist David Ragsdale and cellists Cameron Stone and Mike Alvarez and keyboardist Keith Emerson.[1][2][3][4][5]
In November 2007, he was announced as the keyboard player for the Asia spin-off, Asia Featuring John Payne, joining guitarist Guthrie Govan and drummer Jay Schellen.[6] Norlander toured and recorded with the band from 2007 through 2011 with plans to continue into 2012.[7]
In 2009 Norlander, in collaboration with science-fiction writer and lyricist Kevin J. Anderson, composed the music and produced the recording for the CD Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon by Roswell Six, featuring the singers James LaBrie, John Payne, Michael Sadler and Norlander's wife Lana Lane.[8][9][10]
In 2009 Norlander also toured in Europe with vocalist Joe Lynn Turner and the band Big Noize featuring bassist Phil Soussan, guitarist Carlos Cavazo and drummer Simon Wright.[11] In 2011, Norlander played several more dates with Big Noize, this time with drummer Vinny Appice. [12]
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Erik attended UCLA[13] and California Lutheran University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature in 1989.[14]
In the 1990s, Erik worked for Alesis 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 analog polyphonic synthesizer.[15][16][17] 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.[18]