Jon Oliva
's Pain (sometimes referred to as JOP) was the latest project of
Savatage
Savatage () was 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 thei ...
co-founder
Jon Oliva
John Nicholas "Jon" Oliva (born July 22, 1959) 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. Sinc ...
.
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
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 tra ...
to form a band.
The band's first performance was at the
Criss Oliva
Christopher Michael Oliva (April 3, 1963 – October 17, 1993) 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.
...
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'' is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Savatage and was released in 1985. This record was produced by Max Norman, who later went on to produce Megadeth's 1992 hit album ''Countdown to Extinction''.
...
'', "
Hey Bulldog
"Hey Bulldog" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles released on their 1969 soundtrack album '' Yellow Submarine''. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, but written primarily by John Lennon, it was finished in the recording studio by both L ...
" by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
and a cover of "Wishing Well" by the band
Free
Free may refer to:
Concept
* Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything
* Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism
* Emancipate, to procur ...
(which was covered by Savatage on their album ''
Fight for the Rock
''Fight for the Rock'' is the third full-length album by the American heavy metal band Savatage. It is their first album with new bass player Johnny Lee Middleton.
Released in 1986, it is largely regarded as the band's worst release by both fan ...
'').
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 is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
musician
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...
. 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 (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
, focusing as they do on elements of obsession, pain, confusion and insanity. Oliva himself cites
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
,
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
and
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
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'' 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''.
Ironically, just like Savatage, the band faced a problem with its name. Oliva originally wanted to ...
'' on the
SPV label in 2004.
Originally slated to be released on the same label in May 2006,
JOP subsequently signed to
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, Lordi, Kotipelto, Masterplan, Nostradameus, and Annihilator.
In 2005, Candlelight Records si ...
for the release of the follow-up entitled ''
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.
The album features material and riffs recorded by Jon Oliva's late brother, Criss. Jon said that ...
'', which was due for release on September 4, 2006.
[AFM press release] Oliva cites SPV's reluctance to promote the previous record as a major factor in his decision to move labels.
[ProgPowerUK II programme. Interview with Jon Oliva, page 7.] Oliva credits his late brother
Criss
Criss is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Criss Angel (born 1967), American magician
*Criss Oliva (1963–1993), American musician
Surname
*Anthony Criss (born 1970), American rapper and actor
*Charlie ...
(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
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, Lordi, Kotipelto, Masterplan, Nostradameus, and Annihilator.
In 2005, Candlelight Records si ...
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
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 tra ...
and
Manticora. The tour meant that Jon Oliva shared the stage with
Zachary Stevens
Zachary Trussell (born March 5, 1966), 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 band Circle II Circl ...
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
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
'', was released in February 2010. Plans for a live DVD to be filmed in 2009 were rescheduled, with a concert at 013 in
Tilburg
Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...
, 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
''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''.
Ironically, just like Savatage, the band faced a problem with its name. Oliva originally wanted to ...
'' 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.
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.
On April 20, 2011; guitarist Matt LaPorte died suddenly at his home.
Oliva stated in a 2019 interview for "The Sound Affect Show"
that the band no longer exists after the tragic loss of Matt LaPorte and his busy schedule.
Members
Former members
*
Jon Oliva
John Nicholas "Jon" Oliva (born July 22, 1959) 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. Sinc ...
— vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar
(2003–2019)
*
Bill Hudson — guitar
(2014–2019)
* Joe Diaz — guitar
(2012–2019)
* Jason Jennings — bass
(2012–2019)
* Christopher Kinder — drums, backing vocals
(2003–2019)
* Matt LaPorte — guitar
(2003–2011; died 2011)
* Shane French — guitar
(2005–2007)
* Tom McDyne — guitar
(2007–2010)
* Jerry Outlaw — guitar
(2004–2005, 2010–2011, 2012–2014)
* Kevin Rothney — bass, backing vocals
(2003–2012)
* John Zahner — keyboards
(2004–2009)
Touring members
* Jason Gaines — bass
(2010–2011)
Guest members
* Steve "Doc" Wacholz (drums)
(guest on '''Tage Mahal
''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''.
Ironically, just like Savatage, the band faced a problem with its name. Oliva originally wanted to ...
'')
*
Ralph Santolla
Ralph Santolla (December 8, 1966 – June 7, 2018) was an Italian-American heavy metal guitarist. He played in many bands, most recently Deicide, but also including Eyewitness, Death (he never recorded any of their albums, but toured with them in ...
(guitars)
(guest on '' Global Warning'')
Timeline
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at:02/19/2010 color:black layer:back
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bar:Jon text:"Jon Oliva"
bar:Matt text:"Matt LaPorte"
bar:Jerry text:"Jerry Outlaw"
bar:Shane text:"Shane French"
bar:Tom text:"Tom McDyne"
bar:Joe text:"Joe Diaz"
bar:Bill text:"Bill Hudson"
bar:John text:"John Zahner"
bar:Kevin text:"Kevin Rothney"
bar:Jason text:"Jason Jennings"
bar:Christopher text:"Christopher Kinder"
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bar:Jerry from:10/17/2003 till:03/01/2005 color:Guitar
bar:Jerry from:09/01/2010 till:02/01/2011 color:Guitar
bar:Jerry from:02/03/2012 till:01/07/2014 color:Guitar
bar:Bill from:01/07/2014 till:end color:Guitar
bar:Shane from:03/01/2005 till:06/01/2007 color:Guitar
bar:Tom from:06/01/2007 till:09/01/2010 color:Guitar
bar:Joe from:02/03/2012 till:end color:Guitar
bar:Kevin from:10/17/2003 till:02/03/2012 color:Bass
bar:Jason from:02/03/2012 till:end color:Bass
bar:John from:10/17/2003 till:06/01/2009 color:Keyboard
bar:Christopher from:10/17/2003 till:end color:Drums
Discography
Studio albums
EPs
References
External links
Jon Oliva's Pain's official websiteJon Oliva's Pain'sat
MySpace (with selected tracks)
*
*
Jon Oliva's Painat
Encyclopaedia Metallum
Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (commonly known as Metal Archives per the URL or abbreviated as MA) is an online encyclopedia based upon musical artists who predominantly perform heavy metal music along with its various sub-genres. E ...
Jon Oliva's Pain: Interview with Jonat
Metal-Rules.com
{{Authority control
Savatage
Musical groups established in 2003
Heavy metal musical groups from Florida
American progressive metal musical groups