Asia Featuring John Payne
Encyclopedia
Asia Featuring John Payne are a rock
group formed in 2007 following a schism in the then line-up of Asia
. The band is based around singer and bassist John Payne, who was a member of Asia from 1992–2006, and the band tours playing material by Asia. An original album entitled Americana is expected in 2011.
formed in 1981 by John Wetton
(formerly of King Crimson
and UK
), Steve Howe
(formerly of Yes
), Carl Palmer
(formerly of Emerson, Lake & Palmer
) and Geoff Downes
(formerly of Yes and The Buggles
). The group had a successful career with their eponymous debut album
, released in March 1982, receiving considerable commercial success, spending nine weeks at number one in the US album chart and selling over 4 million copies in the US alone. Wetton and Downes became the core songwriters in the band. Howe had left before the band released their third album, while Wetton later left the band in 1991.
Downes and Payne continued as Asia, releasing multiple albums, but they struggled to maintain a stable line-up around them. 2001's Aura
featured multiple guitarists, including another guest appearance from Howe and a new player Guthrie Govan
. Among the drummers on the album was Chris Slade
, who had briefly worked with the band in 1999. A stable touring line-up now emerged of Payne, Downes, Govan and Slade. This line-up went on to release Silent Nation
in 2004. In August 2005, Slade left the group to be replaced by Jay Schellen
(who had helped on some writing sessions for Silent Nation). After a short period of further touring, the new band started work on an album, tentatively entitled Architect of Time, which was originally planned for release in 2006.
on keyboards to form new band GPS
, using some of the material planned for Architect of Time on their debut album, Window to the Soul (2006).
When Downes split in 2006, Payne owned a significant portion of the rights to the 'Asia' band name. On 9 May 2006, John Payne, Geoff Downes, John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe contractually agreed that John Payne could continue as "ASIA Featuring John Payne". Asia Featuring John Payne was announced in May 2007 with Payne on vocals/bass, Guthrie Govan on guitar, Erik Norlander
on keyboards and Jay Schellen on drums.
The first release under this name at the end of 2007 was a live recording of the late 2005 Asia line-up of Downes, Payne, Govan and Schellen, entitled Extended Versions
in the US and Scandinavia in the UK.
and Michael Schenker
. Payne, Govan, and Schellen are also continuing work as GPS.
Currently the band have a 3 album deal with Sony Music Japan in said country. A studio album, originally called Architect of Time (the name ultimately used for a Payne side project instead) and now Americana, is underway and expected for release later in 2011.
In August 2011, the band announced summer tour dates in the US with a new guitarist, Bruce Bouillet
.
Former members:
A timeline covering personnel for both Asia and Asia Featuring John Payne is available under the Asia article.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group formed in 2007 following a schism in the then line-up of 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...
. The band is based around singer and bassist John Payne, who was a member of Asia from 1992–2006, and the band tours playing material by Asia. An original album entitled Americana is expected in 2011.
Asia before John Payne
Asia were a supergroupSupergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
formed in 1981 by John Wetton
John Wetton
John Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
(formerly of King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
and UK
UK (band)
U.K. were a short-lived British progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 until 1980.The band was composed of Singer/Bassist John Wetton, formerly of King Crimson, Bryan Ferry's band and Uriah Heep, Keyboardist/Electric Violinist Eddie Jobson, formerly of Curved Air, Roxy Music and Frank Zappa's...
), Steve Howe
Steve Howe (guitarist)
Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
(formerly of Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
), Carl Palmer
Carl Palmer
Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer is an English drummer and percussionist. He is credited as one of the most respected rock drummers to emerge from the 1960s...
(formerly of Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
) and Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
(formerly of Yes and The Buggles
The Buggles
The Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
). The group had a successful career with their eponymous debut album
Asia (album)
Asia is the debut album by the English rock supergroup Asia, released in 1982.The album reached #1 in the U.S. on the Billboard album charts, and according to Billboard was the best-selling album in the United States for the year 1982...
, released in March 1982, receiving considerable commercial success, spending nine weeks at number one in the US album chart and selling over 4 million copies in the US alone. Wetton and Downes became the core songwriters in the band. Howe had left before the band released their third album, while Wetton later left the band in 1991.
John Payne in Asia
In 1992, Downes invited John Payne to join a new lineup of the band, and together they enlisted new musicians to the band. The first album with this line-up was Aqua, released in 1992. In addition to Downes and Payne, the album featured guest appearances by Palmer and a returning Howe. Palmer, committed to an ELP reunion, was able to play on just three songs and left the band before touring. This featured Howe (whose presence was heavily promoted), who took the stage after the fifth song, but he did not continue with the band after Aqua.Downes and Payne continued as Asia, releasing multiple albums, but they struggled to maintain a stable line-up around them. 2001's Aura
Aura (Asia album)
Aura is an album by the progressive rock band Asia, recorded in 2000 and first released in 2001. Roger Dean created the cover art for this album...
featured multiple guitarists, including another guest appearance from Howe and a new player 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...
. Among the drummers on the album was Chris Slade
Chris Slade
Chris Slade is a Welsh rock drummer.-Career:Slade has worked with Gary Numan, Tom Jones, Olivia Newton-John , and Uriah Heep. He was a member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1972 to 1978...
, who had briefly worked with the band in 1999. A stable touring line-up now emerged of Payne, Downes, Govan and Slade. This line-up went on to release Silent Nation
Silent Nation (album)
Silent Nation is an album by the progressive rock band Asia. Two tracks on the album were co-written by former Yes member Billy Sherwood. It is the last studio release with John Payne and Geoffrey Downes together...
in 2004. In August 2005, Slade left the group to be replaced by 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...
(who had helped on some writing sessions for Silent Nation). After a short period of further touring, the new band started work on an album, tentatively entitled Architect of Time, which was originally planned for release in 2006.
The split
In early 2006, the partnership between Downes and Payne was dissolved when Downes left for a reunion of the original band line-up under the Asia name, a breakup that Payne described as "painful". The existing line-up minus Downes, i.e. Payne, Govan and Schellen, continued working together. They recruited Ryo OkumotoRyo Okumoto
Ryo Okumoto is a rock keyboardist, best known for his work with progressive rock group Spock's Beard. He joined the band in 1996 and has been a member ever since. When singer and keyboardist Neal Morse was in the band, Ryo played Hammond Organ and Mellotron on the albums...
on keyboards to form new band GPS
GPS (band)
GPS is a progressive rock group formed in 2006 by John Payne , Guthrie Govan and Jay Schellen...
, using some of the material planned for Architect of Time on their debut album, Window to the Soul (2006).
When Downes split in 2006, Payne owned a significant portion of the rights to the 'Asia' band name. On 9 May 2006, John Payne, Geoff Downes, John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe contractually agreed that John Payne could continue as "ASIA Featuring John Payne". Asia Featuring John Payne was announced in May 2007 with Payne on vocals/bass, Guthrie Govan on guitar, Erik Norlander
Erik Norlander
Erik Norlander 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...
on keyboards and Jay Schellen on drums.
The first release under this name at the end of 2007 was a live recording of the late 2005 Asia line-up of Downes, Payne, Govan and Schellen, entitled Extended Versions
Extended Versions (Asia album)
Extended Versions is a live album by the English-American progressive rock band Asia Featuring John Payne. It was released on September 25, 2007 in North America only. It was released on iTunes US and rest of the world as Scandinavia...
in the US and Scandinavia in the UK.
On tour and the future
Asia Featuring John Payne toured the US through 2008. In 2009, the band released an EP entitled "Military Man". The band have continued to tour the US since 2008, performing songs from the entire history of Asia, both before and during Payne's time in the band. In 2009 Govan was replaced by Mitch Perry, a session musician with experience touring with major acts including CherCher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
and Michael Schenker
Michael Schenker
Michael Schenker is a German rock guitarist, best known for his tenure in UFO, in addition to his solo band. He first rose to fame as a founding member of the Scorpions, then achieved fame in the mid 1970s as the lead guitar player for UFO. Since leaving UFO in 1978, he has been leading the...
. Payne, Govan, and Schellen are also continuing work as GPS.
Currently the band have a 3 album deal with Sony Music Japan in said country. A studio album, originally called Architect of Time (the name ultimately used for a Payne side project instead) and now Americana, is underway and expected for release later in 2011.
In August 2011, the band announced summer tour dates in the US with a new guitarist, Bruce Bouillet
Bruce Bouillet
Bruce "Einstein" Bouillet is a guitarist who has played in the bands Racer X, The Scream, DC-10, and Epidemic.-Racer X:Bouillet played on Racer X's Second Heat, Live Extreme - Vol.I, and Live Extreme - Vol. II. After leaving the band, he joined with former Angora singer John Corabi, and his former...
.
Personnel
Current members:- John PayneJohn 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....
- lead vocals, bass, guitar (also in GPSGPS (band)GPS is a progressive rock group formed in 2006 by John Payne , Guthrie Govan and Jay Schellen...
) - Bruce BouilletBruce BouilletBruce "Einstein" Bouillet is a guitarist who has played in the bands Racer X, The Scream, DC-10, and Epidemic.-Racer X:Bouillet played on Racer X's Second Heat, Live Extreme - Vol.I, and Live Extreme - Vol. II. After leaving the band, he joined with former Angora singer John Corabi, and his former...
- guitar - Jay SchellenJay SchellenJay 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...
- drums, percussion (also in GPSGPS (band)GPS is a progressive rock group formed in 2006 by John Payne , Guthrie Govan and Jay Schellen...
) - Erik NorlanderErik NorlanderErik Norlander 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...
- keyboards
Former members:
- Guthrie GovanGuthrie GovanGuthrie Govan is a guitarist known for his work with the bands Asia , GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship as well as Erotic Cakes...
- guitar, backing vocals (now in GPSGPS (band)GPS is a progressive rock group formed in 2006 by John Payne , Guthrie Govan and Jay Schellen...
and The Aristocrats) - Mitch Perry - guitar, backing vocals
A timeline covering personnel for both Asia and Asia Featuring John Payne is available under the Asia article.
Discography
- Extended Versions/ScandinaviaExtended Versions (Asia album)Extended Versions is a live album by the English-American progressive rock band Asia Featuring John Payne. It was released on September 25, 2007 in North America only. It was released on iTunes US and rest of the world as Scandinavia...
(2007) - Military Man EP (2009)
External links
- Asia Featuring John Payne - Official site
- Facebook - Official Asia Featuring John Payne Facebook Page