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| 8th February | The Oliver Wakeman band have two shows confirmed so far, the 9th
June at the Herringthorpe in Rotherham. the band will also be
appearing at the The Fordham Music Festival on Saturday 11th August. For more details visit the concerts page. |
| 7th February | 'Enlightenment and Inspiration' the album Oliver wrote as part of a 3 CD box set a few years
ago was deleted last year. However the album is now being re-released by Blue Dot Music as a download album from iTunes on March 12th We will have a direct link to iTunes from this site closer to the time, however in the meantime click here to have a look at the record companies website. |
| 15th December | Oliver to appear on Rick's Place on the digital radio station
Planet Rock on Saturday16th December. The show starts at 10 and runs until 1pm and can be found on Sky chanel 0110 or Cable channel 924. |
| 10th December | We are delighted to announce that Oliver won the Classic Rock
Society Best Keyboard Player Award at last nights CRS Awards show.
These awards are voted for by the members of the Classic Rock Society and Oliver is very honoured to have been voted for and even more honoured to have won! The awards were presented by the MD of the CRS, Martin Hudson and Carl Palmer of Aisa and ELP fame. Oliver and Paul Manzi were both in attendance, Paul just missing out on the best vocalist award but coming a very respecable 2nd place. The guys had a great night hanging out with Luke and Ben of Thunder, John Mitchell (new singer/guitarist of It Bites), the guys from Strangefish, Nick Barrett (Pendragon) and many others. A great night was had by all and the award now has pride of place on top of Oliver's piano! The Mother's Ruin album did very well, comming 7th in the best Album category and the title track came 5th in the best song category. The rest of the band did very well for themselves, Paul coming second in the vocalist category, Dave Pearce coming 12th in the Guitarist category, Paul Brown came 7th in the Bass Player category and Dave Wagstaffe came 6th in the Drummer category. The band also appeared 6th in the Best Band category, 8th in the Best Gig category and 7th in the Best New Band category! All in all a good evenings work! Many thanks to all who attended and who voted for Oliver and the guys - it means a lot to us all. |
| 10th November | All to often we hear about radio play of Olivers after the event
- we are lucky to be able to warn you in advance of the following
rock show which is to feature some of Oliver's music! The show is a a full "1-hour special" rock radio show featuring .. BOB CATLEY interview SPIRIT OF MAN tracks DAVE THOMPSON/PAUL UTTLEY (LOST WEEKEND) interview FOREVER MOVING ON tracks OLIVER WAKEMAN (track from MOTHER'S RUIN) and is set to be aired on BRADFORD ROCKS on BCB 106.6 FM in West Yorkshire and via Realaudio feed from the station website www.bcbradio.co.uk Date: Thursday 23rd November 2006 Time: 9-10 pm GMT (4-5 pm EST) |
| 6th November | Saturday night saw Oliver and Paul Manzi travel up to Rotherham
to play a short half hour set for the Classic Rock Society. The
set was extremely well received, so much so that it looks like
Oliver and Paul may do a few more together! Watch out for dates involving the whole band for next year! The set list for the show on Saturday was as follows.... Glimmer of Light - Jabberwocky If you're Leaving - Mother's Ruin Picture of a Lady - Hound Busy going nowhere - New Mother's Ruin - Mother's Ruin Walk Away - Mother's Ruin Thanks to those of you who travelled to see the show, much appreciated as always! Keep visiting the site for a review of the set soon. |
| 17th October | Some of you may remember that earlier in the year Oliver and the
band were due to perform for the Classic Rock Society and that
Paul Manzi suffered a back problem and was unable to perform. You may also remember that the guys still went on and pulled of a great - albeit shorter - set for the fans who had come to the show. Oliver and Paul discussed their disapointment about not being able to perform together for the CRS at some length! However - an opportunity recently presented itself when Martin Hudson of the CRS suggested that Oliver and Paul made a visit to Rotherham to open the CRS 'Thank you to the Fans Free* Show' on the 4th November. Oliver and Paul will be performing a short half hour set to open the show and will perform tracks from Mother's Ruin, Hound of the Baskervilles and Jabberwocky as well as the possibility of a new track! The deal for the show is this (courtesy of the CRS magazine): *This is a free show to say thank you to those who keep the CRS cogs turning. If you have been to a CRS gig this year and have a ticket to prove it (and your membership card) you will get FREE entrance. All others are £10 on the door. Also appearing are Credo and Anemo. Tickets available from the CRS ticket office on 01709 702575 or from the Classic Rock Society website . We hope to see you there! The full band are also due to return to the CRS stage at some point next year. |
| 16th October | Well the guys had a great time at the Grey Horse last month on
the 29th September with a short set which was performed to an
extremely receptive crowd! Everybody seemed to really enjoy themselves
with Wall of Water being particularly well received. This was
the full version including Oliver and Paul's comedy routine at
the beginning - you had to be there! Anyway, for those who missed it, here's the set List 1. Calling for you 2. Don't Come Running 3. In the Movies 4. The Agent 5. Mother’s Ruin 6. If You’re Leaving 7. Wall of Water 8. I Don’t Believe Angels 9. Enlightenment 10. Walk Away |
| 22nd August | Clich here to be taken to the Sea of Tranquility website for an interview
Oliver carried out regarding Mother's Ruin! |
| 20th August | The Band had a great concert last night at The Cartoon in Croydon.
The setlist for the show was as follows... 1. Calling for you 2. At Home in the Mire 3. In the Movies 4. Don't Come Running 5. Dangerous World 6. The Enchanter 7. Glimmer of Light 8. The Agent 9. Mother's Ruin 10. If You're Leaving 11. Wall of Water 12. I Don t Believe Angels 13. Walk Away The band had finished for the evening but weren't being let off that easily - after much cheering from the crown they returned for.... 14. Coming to Town We have found a mention about the show from melosprogbazaar.com which was as follows.... "Great gig, Oliver Wakeman Band are excellent live, Anyone has a chance to see them GO!, Even though only 90 people there, Standing ovation for the band that won the crowd over, Will go and see them again, and start buying their cd's, That's what gigging is about, attracting new fans, Me and Tina are now converts." The band certainly enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to playing there again at some point in the future. Other information....Oliver appeared on Mark Derens dutch radio show this evening and discussed the band, Mother's Ruin and the 4 Wakemans and a Christmas Tree show. He also was asked about playing in Holland which the guys are hoping for for 2007! |
| 17th August | Don't Forget Oliver and the band are performing at the Cartoon
in Croydon this Saturday. See the concerts page for more details.
We look forward to seeing you there! Other news - Oliver was played on LBC radio last Wednesday morning. Walk Away from Mother's Ruin was aired during the Steve Allen morning show to promote the Cartoon show and then on saturday Oliver's father Rick played 'The Forest' from the Jabberwocky album. If you are listening to the radio in Holland this weekend, you could catch Oliver on the radio there as he's the guest of Mark Derens radio show. For more details click here! |
| 2nd August | What a night that was.....! Oliver has said that it was the hardest show he's ever had to do.... What happened.....find out by clicking here to read Phil hudsons review! |
| 13th July | Great News!!!!! Oliver and his band will be headlining next Saturdays Classic Rock Society concert at the Boardwalk in Sheffield (22nd July). The band will be: Oliver Wakeman - Keyboards & Piano Paul Manzi - Vocals David Mark Pearce - Guitar Paul Brown - Bass Dave Wagstaffe - Drums Support is from Ashtar from Brazil and a great nights entertainment from the CRS is promised as usual! Tickets are on sale from the Classic Rock Society website or you can order by phone by calling the CRS ticket line 01709 702575. We hope to see you all there! |
| 20th May | Updates! Firstly, I thought it was a good idea to update you all on a few bits and pieces. Unfortunately the site has been un available for a few days due to the re-registering of the site but hopefully normal service has now been resumed. The Bob Tour Well it’s finished! I returned from the European leg (well Spanish) of the tour on Sunday to end a thourally enjoyable experience with Bob and the band. For an insight to the tour click here….. You can also see some photos from the tour on the Photo album. The Oliver Wakeman Band I now have to start to organise myself for the shows that I have coming up with my band which are listed on the concerts page. We look forward to seeing you at the shows, be warned we may do a few new pieces…… Spiritual Enlightenment A few years ago Oliver was commissioned to write an album for inclusion in a 3CD box set called divine Harmonies. Due to certain circumstances the box set never quite worked and has now been deleted. However, good news is that the album due to be released in June as a download album. Details to follow soon. Oliver has also put new artwork together for the re-release and this can be seen on the albums page. Interviews Norways Scream magazine is now available and features an in depth interview with Oliver. Oliver has also done a couple of other interviews, Revelationz website and the Sea of Tranquility website. Click here to read them! |
| 9th April | Oliver will be out on tour this coming Easter week as part of
the Bob Catley band. The dates are Friday 14th April - Rock Café 2000 - Stourbridge Saturday 15th April - The Boardwalk - Sheffield Sunday 16th April - The Underworld - London Monday 17th April - The Joiners - Southampton Tuesday 18th April - The Limelight - Crewe Wednesday 19th April - Club Phoenix - Ilfracombe, Devon Saturday 22nd April - Celtic Warriors - Huntington, Cambs May dates.... 12th May - Nemelrock 4 Madrid - Spain 13th May - Nemelrock 4 Santander - Spain For more details please visit the Bob Catley website. |
| 1st February | Well the show in Rotherham at the weekend was a great success.
Oliver and the Guys played a great half hour set which consisted
of: Don't Come Running, In the Movies, Calling for You, Mother's Ruin, I Don't Believe in Angels and Walk Away Oliver then joined Damian Wilson on stage for an acoustic rendition of Damians 'Homegrown'. Oliver and Damian were then joined by the rest of Oliver's band for a rousing version of the classic 'Hard to Handle'! You can see a photo of Oliver, Arjen , Davve Pearce and Paul Manzi in the photo album section of the site. Hardrockhouse.com had this to say about Oliver and the band: Review & Photos - Dougie & Steve Cummings Saturday the 28Th January 2006 was another day of first’s for this reviewer, My first visit to Rotherham and the Classic Rock Society and the completion of a first “hat trick” for the site, i.e. review the album, interview the band and finally see the band live. It also happened to be the very first UK gig for Stream Of Passion. Opening this particular show was the Oliver Wakeman Band. Their gig consisted of a short sharp set of Prog/AOR style numbers. Opening with 'Don’t Come Running including a great re-arranged version of Mother’s Ruin which like all the tracks featured great vocals from Paul Manzi, who has a voice with great range and power. The entire set was punctuated with great keyboard & guitar work from Oliver Wakeman and David Mark Pearce respectively and at times the interplay between the two was very much Deep Purple inspired. The set ended with excellent AOR sounding Walkaway and I have to say that I enjoyed what was on offer and hope at some point to see the band do a full set with a better sound. Next on stage was one Damian Wilson with a very short acoustic set. Wilson is obviously a favourite with Classic Rock Society members as he has been voted best vocalist six times in total in their annual polls and judging on the this evidence it’s easy to see why. Damian is blessed with a very strong, “ pure” voice and a good line in on stage patter. After four or five Songs with just a acoustic guitar he was joined on stage by Oliver Wakeman for run through of “ Homegrown” which resulted in the obligatory audience sing along. The rest of the Oliver Wakeman band then returned to the stage for a riotous version of the Otis Redding classic 'Hard to Handle' with the two vocalist trading lines and the guitarist and keyboardist at each others musical throats. However as things were on a tight schedule this ended all to soon but it certainly proved that Damian Wilson has to be the best “unkown” vocalist around at the moment. The full review of the gig and photos can be found by clicking here. |
| 24th January | Don't forget that Oliver and the band will be the special guest
band supporting Arjen Lucassen's new band 'Stream of Passion'
when they play at the Oakwood Theatre in Rotherham this Saturday!! |
| 23rd January | Magnum singer Bob Catley has announced some changes in his band's
line-up prior to the start of the UK tour in support of the release
of his brand new solo album Spirit of Man :- Oliver Wakeman (son
of Yes legendary keyboard maestro Rick) on keyboards and Gavin
Cooper on bass from Statetrooper . Also joining Bob on stage from many previous tours will be Vince O'Regan on guitar and Jamie Little on drums Check out Bob Catley on stage: 14/4/06 Rock Café 2000, Stourbridge 15/4/06 The Boardwalk, Sheffield 16/4/06 The Underworld, London 17/4/06 The Joiners, Southampton 18/4/06 The Limelight, Crewe 19/4/06 Club Phoenix Ilfracombe, Devon 22/4/06 Celtic Warriors, Huntington, Cambs |
| 22nd January | Oliver's Review of 2005 Firstly may I wish all visitors to the site a very happy New Year! I hope that 2006 is a great year for you all! I felt that, as things had been a little quiet on the website for a while (even thought behind the scenes it's been unbelievably busy with album launches and concerts!), I should write a review of the year to update everyone with what has been happening. Well, 2005, in terms of personal life and music life it was a great one! It started off well with my wife Lisa and I preparing for the birth of our son who was due in August. A lot of time was spent looking forward to this that a lot of music work was put on temporary hold although we still found time to get a show or two in! In July after several months of searching I found a record company who shared my enthusiasm for the ' Mother's Ruin' album. The deal was organised and the release was arranged for November. Many of you may know that I trained in my student life as a Graphic Designer and I have been involved in the design and layout of the majority of my albums. The Mother's Ruin cover was a cover that I had spent a great deal of time creating and wanted it to look the best it could. Therefore as it was being released by a new label, I had to revisit it and get all the artwork finished and sent to them in time for the November release. On top of this work I also had a pre-arranged show for late August with a rehearsal just before. So even though I'd agreed not to do too much music work for the period around the birth of Arthur (August) the diary seemed pretty full! Arthur turned up on August the 4th, one day ahead of his expected due date, and he was welcomed to the world by two extremely happy parents! However, with the joy of a new baby as I'm sure many of you are aware, comes the sleepless nights and intense learning period. Looking back on those hectic months I'm not sure I can recommend organising an album release, having a baby, rehearsals and concert all in the same month. Probably best to try and stagger them! Full credit must go to my wife Lisa for putting up with all the usual nonsense that goes on with the music career and looking after Arthur at the same time. Still, it keeps life interesting! Following on from the birth of Arthur we performed our first show on a double header bill with the band Strangefish which was good fun which we will hopefully repeat in the future at some point. We then started preparing for the launch of the album with the launch concert that we had organised in association with the Classic Rock Society in Rotherham. We had a great time and everyone who attended had a great time. Guests in the audience included my dad, Rick, Dave Bainbridge (Iona), Strangefish, Guy Manning (The Tangent) and many others. The band went on at about 9 and we played a full 2 and a half-hour set which included the majority of the new album. Only Wall of Water was omitted purely due to the time it's going to take to learn it! One of the highlights for me was getting Dad up on stage to join in on the 'Wakeman Boogie'. A little jamming piece I had put together in rehearsals one day. Nothing was really planned it just seemed like a good idea and the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy it! Full credit must go to the band for playing like the professionals they are and it was very gratifying for me to have Lisa in attendance! Our first night away together from little Arthur! The album was officially launched on the 25th (although the UK release didn't happen until early December and is now widely available) and the reviews started to come in. On the whole they have all been very complimentary. As usual there are a few people who hate what I do and seem to get immense pleasure by just being plain nasty but, in the majority of cases, people enjoyed the album and gave it glowing reviews, 'album of the week', 'must have album', 'one of 2005's late surprises' etc. From my perspective, I enjoy listening to my albums and all I hope for is that people hear what I do in the music and that it gives them pleasure. I then started preparing for the 3 shows I had booked in December, the first being a band concert along with Credo and Also Eden at the Bierkeller in Bristol. It was great to meet up with a few people I hadn't seen for many years. Then I had 2 shows which Dad had organised called '4 Wakemans and a Christmas Tree' which was a show involving Dad, myself and my brother Adam and my Sister Jemma. We played 2 sell out nights at the Marlborough College Memorial Theatre in Marlborough on Saturday and Sunday the18th and 19th December. Part of the show involved each of us 'kids' getting a solo spot on the Colleges beautiful Steinway Grand. I played a medley of 'Heaven's Isle' and 'Montegues Wreck' from my Heaven's Isle album with accompaniment from Dad on Strings pads and Adam on Acoustic guitar which was really something! I just hope somebody videod it! There is a full review of the Saturday show on the reviews section of the RWCC site if you wish to read more about it. The Saturday show was preceded by a Christmas party for the members of Dad's fanclub, the RWCC. It was great to meet many of Dad's fans who had in turn become fan of my albums. A great way to put names to faces! I was also quite please with the tour programme which I put together to support the event. So driving home after the Sunday show to my now extended family of Lisa, Myself, Arthur and Berta (the cat) I was really looking forward to a relaxing Christmas and spending some time with them all. And so now it's the beginning of 2006 and I have high hopes from Mother's Ruin and the band. I also have a few other projects I'd like to work on as well as the follow up to Mother's Ruin but as with all good things in life, they come to those who wait, including me! I hope you all have a great 2006. Oliver Wakeman January 2006 |
| 6th December | Mother's Ruin update. Firstly, we'd like to thank all the people who braved the terrible weather in order to support the band for the launch concert of the new Mother's Ruin album. Guests in the audience included Oliver's wife, Lisa, his father, Rick (who joined Oliver on stage for the Wakeman Boogie!), Dave Bainbridge (Iona), Steve, Paul and Dave (Strangefish), Chris Welch (noted Journalist) and many others. A great time was had by all and the band were really well received as was the new material. There will be a proper summary of the evening appearing on the Mother's Ruin section of the website over the next few days - so keep checking back! The album continues to receive rave reviews with some people describing it as "....a masterpiece", "....one of 2005's late surprises" and the honour of being the album of the week on the 'On the Rocks' radio show hosted by John Bollenberg. Johns review can now be read on the reviews section of the Mother's Ruin site as well as the general reviews section along with a couple of other reviews which have been submitted to us. If you have enjoyed the album and would like to submit a review for posting on the website please click on the link on the reviews page! Unfortunately, the album still appears to be hard to get hold of in UK shops. This is mainly due to the fact that record shops don't really stock anything during the X-Mas period except best ofs so expect to see the album getting into shops in the New Year. It can, however, still be ordered directly from Progrock Records or the RWCC. See the shop link above. Oliver would like to extend a personal thanks to Martin Hudson of the CRS and the guys in the band for their wonderful performance on the night. They are now all looking forward to the show on the 15th December at the Bristol Bierkeller - see the concerts page for more information. We hope to see some of you there! |
| 17th November | News Update Firstly, many thanks to all the people who have written to us at the website praising the new Mother's Ruin album. Oliver is really pleased that so many people are enjoying it! The album is widely available in the US and Europe but expect UK availability to increase over the next week or so. Don't forget you will be able to buy a copy if you come to the launch concert at the HLC in Rotherham next Friday - the 25th November. Come along, you never know who you'll bump into in the crowd! The band are also playing on Thursday the 24th at the Limelight Club in Crewe and December 15th at the Bierkeller in Bristol. We can also announce that Oliver and the band will be the special guest band supporting Arjen Lucassen's new band 'Stream of Passion' when they play at the Oakwood Theatre in Rotherham in late January! We look forward to seeing you at the gigs! |
| 30th October | The new Mother's Ruin pages are now on the website! You can access this new section of the website by clicking on the new 'Mother's Ruin' link on the above menu. It can also be accessed by clicking on the album sleeve on the Album's Page. We hope you enjoy these new pages! Remember - only a week to go until the album is officially launched! |
| 20th October | Concert news. Bad news to report we're afraid with regards to the Progeny Fesival which was to be held at the London Astoria. the whole weekend has now been cancelled and so Oliver and the band will not be appearing there on Sunday the 20th November. However, you will still be able to see Oliver and the band headlining at the Limelight Club in Crewe on Thursday the 24th November and performing a full set at the special launch concert for Mother's Ruin at the Herringthorpe in Rotherham the following night. We have also had confirmation that Oliver and the band will be appearing in concert at the Bristol Bierkeller on Thursday the 15th December along with three other bands which include Also Eden and Credo. More details to be announced soon. Don't forget that Oliver will be then playing alongside his father, Rick, at the Memorial Hall in Marlborough on the following Saturday and Sunday. For details of this show please visit www.rwcc.com. Also please keep checking back to the site for the new Mother's Ruin pages which will be going live very soon! |
| 3rd October | Great News!!!!! Oliver and his band will be performing at a special album launch concert to promote his new Mothers Ruin' album. The long-awaited launch of the Mothers Ruin album will take place on Friday 25th November at the HLC in Rotherham. Tickets will be on sale later this week from the Classic Rock Society website or you can order by phone by calling the CRS ticket line 01709 702575. We hope to see you all there! |
| 3rd October | Mother's Ruin is now available to pre-order from the Progrock
Records website, Simply click here to be taken to their shop page. |
| 25th September | Mother's Ruin audio samples now available on the website, simply
click on the sound links and then click the Mother's Ruin sleeve. |
| 24th September | The date for the Oliver Wakeman Band's appearance has been moved
to Sunday 20th November. Please see the concerts page for more
details. |
| 19th September | Progrock Records Press release..... to view the original please click here ------- OLIVER WAKEMAN IS SIGNED TO PROGROCK RECORDS AND RELEASES THE ALBUM “MOTHERS RUIN” Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 19 September 2005 Mother’s Ruin is Oliver’s latest studio project and marks a logical progression in his musical career. The album sees a change in direction from Oliver’s recent instrumental releases and draws heavily both from Oliver’s progressive roots and also the experience performing live with his band. A collection of hard-edged yet melodic songs, the album showcases Oliver’s writing skills but also allows room for the dynamic instrumentation which has become a trademark of Oliver’s work. With tracks such as ‘Mother’s Ruin’ tackling the emotive issue of the environment and our impact on the planet, and ‘The Agent’ depicting experiences with a fictional music industry low-life, this album covers a host of subjects all within the framework of powerful rhythms and grooves. Oliver comments, “In Shawn and Progrock Records I have finally found a company which has the same aims and belief in the album which I have. I am extremely excited by the prospect of what we can achieve together and trust this marks the beginning of a very successful working relationship.” He adds, “Of all the albums I have released, ‘Mother’s Ruin’ stands as the piece of work I am most proud of.” “Oliver first came to my attention when he collaborated with Clive Nolan and I really loved his work. When I heard Mothers Ruin, I knew we had to get it, so I’m really pleased and proud to add Oliver to our roster.”, Shawn Gordon, President of ProgRock Records said. ”Mothers Ruin” is the ProgRock Records debut release from Oliver Wakeman, and can be found at http://www.progrockrecords.com/artists/view.php?id=48. This is an album with a lot of melody, musicianship and hooks and while it has broad appeal, it will certainly appeal to fans of neo-prog. The album will be released in early November 2005. ------ Check out the albums page to see the cover and keep checking back for more information on the release! There will also be a special concert in association with the Classic Rock Society in the UK to launch the album in late November - more details to follow. |
| 1st September | RICK WAKEMAN COMMUNICATION CENTRE PRESS RELEASE Four Wakemans and a Christmas Tree For the first time ever, (and probably the last), there will be four Wakemans appearing on the same stage at the same time as part of Rick's "good-bye" to touring schedule. The Christmas Show will be based around Rick performing on a grand piano as well as having a few keyboards scattered about here and there for variation. He has said that there will be the odd celebrity guest appearing on stage from time to time but the biggest highlight is likely to be when Rick is joined by three other keyboardists whom he knows pretty well! Two of his sons Oliver and Adam and Jemma, one of his daughters. They in turn will be joined by a school choir to do a selection of Christmas carols. There will be a special arrangement allowing them to each show off their varying skills between each of the choir carols as well...and expect the unexpected. There will also be a sort of "Grand Finale", although when asked, Rick said he had no idea what that would be at the moment, except that there would be one! There is no doubt though that this is a true one off concert and one not to be missed. Over the last year or so Rick has collected a load of new stories which are bound to be thrust upon an unsuspecting audience. Date : Saturday 17/12/2005 Venue : The Memorial Hall Location : Marlborough, UK Box Office : +44 (0)1380 721347 after 6pm |
| 27th August | Many thanks to all who came to the show at the Limelight on Thursday.
The guys in the band had a great time and are already looking
forward to their return visit on the 24th November. Photos of The Oliver Wakeman Band at the Limelight show are available to see by clicking here. Oliver and the band will also be appearing at the Progeny festival at the London Astoria on the 19th November. |
| 23rd August | Oliver and his band to perform as one half of a 'Progressive Rock
Evening' with Strangefish at the Limelight Club in Crewe on Thursday! See the Concerts page for further details! |
| 15th August | Many of you may or may not have been aware that Oliver and Lisa
have been expecting a baby for the last 9 months. We are, therefore, very proud to announce the birth of Arthur Joseph Wakeman on the 4th August 2005 at 11.44am to proud parents Oliver and Lisa. Arthur weighed 7 pounds and 9 1/2 ounces at birth and Mother and Baby are both doing extremely well! |
| 3rd July | Oliver appears on the new Steve Howe album 'Spectrum' which is
due out tomorrow! Also check out the review of the OW Band's Sheffield show by clicking on the Reviews link above! |
| 16th May | We are at last proud to announce that Oliver appears on the new
Steve Howe album 'Spectrum'. We have wanted to let you know for
a while but thought it only fair to wait until Steve announced
it himself! Also appearing on the album are Tony Levin, Dylan and Virgil Howe. Oliver appears on four of the tracks on the album and he really enjoyed performing on it. It is due for release on the 17th June 2005. For more info please visit Steve's website - www.stevehowe.com |
| 6th May | Last Saturdays concert at 'The Boardwalk' in Sheffield went extremely
well! Thank to all who attended and helped make it a memorable
night. The band performed very well even though Oliver and Paul were suffering with heavy colds! Following numerous requests to the website, here is the set list. Hopefully we will have a full report regarding the gig on the site soon. Set List 1. Don't Come Running 2. Shadows of Fate 3. At Home in the Mire 4. Dangerous World 5. In the Movies 6. Burgundy Rose 7. Run For Your Life 8. Three Broken Threads 9. The Forgotten King 10. Heaven’s Isle/Montagues Wreck Piano Medley 11. Picture of a Lady 12. The View from Here 13. Mother’s Ruin 14. The Agent 15. Glimmer of Light 16. Calling for you 17. Enlightenment 18. I Don’t Believe Angels 19. Walk Away 20. Coming to Town (encore) The band will next appear at the Limelight club in Crewe alongside 'Strangefish' on Thursday the 25th August! |
| 24th April | The Oliver Wakeman Band Live at The Boardwalk, Sheffield, UK.
Saturday 30th April 2005 Oliver Wakeman - Keyboards & Piano Paul Manzi - Vocals David Mark Pearce - Guitar Paul Brown - Bass Dave Wagstaffe - Drums Oliver Wakeman and his band return to the Classic Rock Society stage this coming Saturday. The band, with identical line-up to last year's double-header concert with Lana Lane and Erik Norlander, have developed existing and previously unperformed material and anticipate building on the reputation gained through critical acclaim. Oliver says; "I am delighted with the band's tightness and cohesion which has fulfilled all of my expectations for a touring band in transferring my music from a studio environment to the live stage." The set again draws from Oliver's back-catalogue with music from both 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' albums (composed with Arena's Clive Nolan), and from his solo ventures 'The 3 Ages of Magick' and 'Heaven's Isle'. The show will also include material from the forthcoming album 'Mother's Ruin'. With no current release-date scheduled, the live performance presents a rare opportunity to preview this album's material. Whilst the demand for band material biases the show towards the rockier of his endeavours, Oliver is keen to cater for fans of both his piano works and softer material with a dynamically-tailored set which also echoes previous 'unprogged' acoustic performances. Concert information: Doors 7.00pm Tickets £10.00 on the door £8.00 for CRS members when ordered in advance from the Classic Rock Society Website at http://www.classicrocksociety.co.uk Ends Oliver Wakeman is a published composer and touring musician. Contact: Mike Clarke Email: mike@oliverwakeman.co.uk Tel: +44 7966 175397 http://www.oliverwakeman.co.uk |
| 28th March | The new ProgAid single 'All Around the World' featuring Oliver
Wakeman and many others is now available from the ProgAid website
www.progaid.co.uk. You can see the cover on the 'Albums' page - just click on the
'Albums' link above. All money raised goes directly to this extemely worthwhile cause. This months 'Rock Society' magazine (available form www.classicrocksociety.com) ran a feature on the recording and quotes that 'Oliver Wakeman's keyboard parts are simply outstanding'. Oliver is greatly flattered by this comment and is pleased that he could be of help to this very worthwhile project to raise money for the Tsunami Earthquake disaster fund. |
| 27th March | Peter Pracownik's new book 'The Enchanted World of Peter Pracownik"
is now available and a very good read it is to. Anyone with an
interest in fantasy art would find this a great book to own. Oliver actually gets a page to himself in the book featuring the covers to 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' and 'The View from Here' as well as the photo of Oliver from the hound Booklet! To find out more about the book visit www.peterpracownik.com |
| 11th March | It is with great regret that we have to announce that tomorrows
concert at the Plinston Entertainment Venue in Letchworth has
had to be cancelled. The Dayglo Pirates are unable to appear due
to personal reasons. Obviously, Oliver and the guys are extremely disappointed at not being able to perform tomorrow but have been informed that a new date will be organised for the near future. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause anyone who was travelling to see the band but unfortunately the situations is out of our hands. |
24th January |
Oliver Wakeman & Clive Nolan's 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' are officially released in Russia. The albums are being released by 'Irond' and feature slightly different artwork - although you need to be a collector to spot the differences! For more information please visit www.irond.ru. |
19th January |
Oliver has offered his musical services to the forthcoming ProgAid charity single. Please see the following press release, courtesy of the ProgAid website, for more information. ProgAID - Help us make a difference The Prog Rock community coming together to help where we can! ProgAID was set-up in the wake of the terrible earthquake and Tsunami disaster that tragically struck on the 26th December 2004. The sheer destruction and loss of human life was of a scale that shook the world. We considered what the Progressive Rock community could do, even in a small way, to help alleviate some of the suffering endured, and help towards the rebuilding of lives and communities. We have therefore decided to co-ordinate the recording of a CD single to help raise as much money as possible for those that need it. The song, titled 'All Around The World', will be recorded on the 29th and 30th January 2005, and since the decision was made, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of so many great musicians who have agreed to give their time to appear on the single. The list grows daily and currently includes: Neal Morse Roine Stolt - The Flower Kings Anthony Phillips Martin Orford - IQ Pete Nicholls - IQ John Jowitt - IQ Alan Reed - Pallas Nick Barrett - Pendragon Clive Nolan - Arena / Pendragon Mick Pointer - Arena John Mitchell - Arena / The Urbane Gary Chandler - Jadis Arjen Lucassen - Ayreon Oliver Wakeman - Oliver Wakeman Band Steve Balsamo - Alan Parsons Project Troy Donockley - Iona Bryan Josh - Mostly Autumn Steve Gee - Landmarq Tracy Hitchings - Landmarq Dave Wagstaff - Landmarq Bruce Soord - Pineapple Thief Stu Nicholson - Galahad Magenta Steve Babb - Glass Hammer Daniel Gildenlow - Pain Of Salvation Mike Baker - Shadow Gallery Gary Wehrkamp - Shadow Gallery Doogie White - ex Rainbow / Yngwie Malmsteen Rob Gould - Fula Fiona Ford - Fula Alain Chiarazzo - Eclat Steve Taylor - Strangefish Danny Chang - The Fyreworks Andy Edwards - Ezra Colin Edwards - Ezra Chris Dale - Sack Trick / Bruce Dickinson Paul Davies - ex Karnataka / Panic Room Jonathan Edwards - ex Karnataka / Panic Room Nic Waulker - Bluehorses Liz Prendagast - Bluehorses Once recorded, the single will go on sale, which is expected to be late February 2005, and all proceeds will go to the charities that can help the victims of the Tsunami disaster. Regular updates, including the amount of money raised, will be posted at the ProgAID web site at www.ProgAID.com, so please visit for the latest news. The full list of musicians participating on the single will also be listed within the "Who's Who" section of this site. We thank you for supporting this release and please spread this news to as many people as possible! Best Regards ProgAID www.ProgAID.com |
18th January |
Oliver Wakeman and his band will be performing as one half of a progressive rock evening at the Plinston Entertainment Venue, in Letchworth on Saturday 12th March, 2005. The other band will be the Dayglo Pirates, a Jethro Tull tribute band. See the concerts page for further details. |
24th December |
May we wish all visitors to the website a very Merry X-mas and Happy New Year. |
12th December |
Oliver and his wife, Lisa, were in attendance at the 2004 Classic Rock Society 'Best of the Year' show and met up with lots of friends and a great time was had by all. Many of you may be aware that every year the readers & subscribers of the 'Rock Society' magazine vote for their favourite musicians and as with previous years Oliver is extremely pleased to see that he and his musical associates did rather well. He is especially chuffed to see the band voted for in the 'Best New Band' catagory. The results were as follows Oliver came 3rd in the Best Keyboard Player Catagory, just behind his father Rick and Martin Orford (IQ) who won. Purification by Sound was 13th in the Best Album Catagory for the second year running! The CRS show was voted 13th best show of 2004. The Oliver Wakeman Band were voted 9th Best New Band of 2004 and 11th in the Best Band catagory. David Mark Pearce came 22nd in the Best Guitarist catagory. Paul Brown came 14th in the Best Bass Player catagory Dave Wagstaffe came 10th in the Best Drummer catagory Paul Manzi came 8th in the Best Male Vocalist catagory. As usual, Oliver would like to say thanks to all who took the time to vote for him and the other musicians. |
14th November |
OLIVER WAKEMAN TO MAKE A RETURN TO THE CLASSIC ROCK SOCIETY WITH HIS BAND The Oliver Wakeman Band will play at The Boardwalk, in Sheffield on Saturday 30th April, 2005. Tickets will go on sale before Christmas - £10 (£8 to CRS members in advance). The support will be named nearer the time. Click here to order tickets online from The Classic Rock Society Website or contact Martin Hudson on 01709 702575 for more details. |
2nd October |
Due to a computer problem we regret that any emails that have been sent via the website during the last month could well have been refused or not received by us. Please resend them using the 'drop us a line' link above and typing 'Duplicate Email' in the subject box! We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. |
19th September |
The GIG! (Quick report - full report to follow soon!) Just a quick report to say how pleased we were to see so many familiar faces at the Classic Rock Society show last night. It was a real pleasure to perform new and old material alike and the reception the band received from the crowd was tremendous. Oliver was really pleased with the bands performance and hopefully there will now be more shows in the not too distant future! There will be a full report to follow shortly but for those eager to know what was played - here's the set list! Intro Music (Alternative version of 'The Ages of Magick') Shadows of Fate (Hound of the Baskervilles) At Home in the Mire (Hound of the Baskervilles) Dangerous World (Jabberwocky) A Glimmer of Light (Jabberwocky) Don’t Come Running (Mother's Ruin) In the Movies (Mother's Ruin) Enlightenment (Jabberwocky) 3 Broken Threads (Hound of the Baskervilles) Picture of a Lady (Hound of the Baskervilles) Burgundy Rose (Jabberwocky) Calling for You (Mother's Ruin) I Don’t Believe in Angel (Mother's Ruin) Run for Your Life (Hound of the Baskervilles) Walk Away (Mother's Ruin) encore:- Coming to Town (Jabberwocky) Outro Music (The Ages of Magick & Hy Breasail) Keep checking the concerts page for details of up and coming shows! |
11th September |
The OLIVER WAKEMAN BAND PRESS RELEASE For the first time in two years Oliver Wakeman returns to the stage with a full five-piece rock band. Following the collaborative pairing with Rachel (of Rachel and Common Ground), Oliver presents a dynamic and energetic set that is sure to satisfy those who have yearned to hear Oliver back in 'rock' mode. The band is a mixture of faces old and new, with stalwart sticksman Dave Wagstaffe now joined very ably indeed by nimble-fingered Paul Brown on bass to complete the rhythm section; David Mark Pearce is back on electric guitar following his acoustic excursions at Herringthorpe with Oliver last year, and the ensemble is now fronted by the extremely talented and animated vocalist Paul Manzi, respectfully doing justice in recreating the familiar studio performances from his honourable peers yet still bringing his own style and flair to the fore. Followers of Oliver's musical career will be rewarded with familiar pieces from his back catalogue, but along with those new to the dextrously-digitted world of Oliver Wakeman, you will be amply treated to new material, with several never-before-performed cuts from the forthcoming Mother's Ruin release. Be warned though - co-headlining with Erik Norlander and Lana Lane is not to be taken lightly, so the band are going to be earning their wages on the night and will be in full swing for much of the set, so if you're expecting an evening of candelabras, chords and caviar, you might want to bring a set of headphones... |
15th August |
Oliver - Keyboards & Piano |
22nd June |
Oliver and his band will be performing for the Classic Rock Society in September as one half of a co-headlining concert with Lana Lane & Erik Norlander from the US. See the Gigs page for further details! |
| 12th June | We are delighted to report that 'The Human Equation" by Ayreon
(which features a guest solo by Oliver) hit the top 10 in Holland
- (No 7). This is the first time Oliver has appeared on a top ten album and our congratulations go out to the Ayreon mastermind (and friend of Oliver's) Arjen Lucassen. We have also heard that Peter Pracownik (the artist responsible for the Hound of the Baskervilles cover) is to release a book on the 14th September. This book covers all of Peters work and will include a section on the Hound cover and the 'The View from Here' cover. One to watch out for! |
| 19th May | Been a bit quiet of late hasn't it! No major news on Oliver's
Mother's Ruin album yet, although as per usual things are busy
behind the scenes! However, Monday will see the release of the new Ayreon album - 'The Human Equation' which features Oliver on the track 'Day 17:Accident?'. Oliver has received a copy of the album and it looks and sounds great. More info on 'The Human Equation' can be found by clicking here. There are three versions of the album - the Limited Edition has a photo of Oliver (as well as the other artists!) in the sleeve and a DVD. The Special edition features the DVD as well (which features a small section on Oliver) and the normal release is a nicely packaged 2CD affair. The album is well worth checking out and the limited editions are well worth picking up for their rarety value! |
| 22nd March | The track 'Progress of the Soul' (from Oliver's Spiritual Enlightenment
CD - one of the Divine Harmonies CD's) has been used as the title
music for a new DVD called "Complimentary Medicine - The Facts" Amazon.co.uk have described the album as "A look at a large range of complementary medicines. Top professionals clearly explain nineteen complementary medicine subjects. The programme shows a variety of disciplines and demonstrates how practitioners apply their skills." If you are interested in Complimentary Medicine or are a completist then there are copies for sale on Amazon.co.uk - click here to be taken directly to the DVD. To find out more about the album - click on the reviews or the soundbites links above. |
| 21st March | 'Ayreon: The Human Equation': Oliver has supplied a small piece of movie footage of him playing the solo but whether this will make it onto the DVD is not known as yet! |
| 20th March | The RWCC shop now has compies of the 'Divine Harmonies' Boxset
available to purchase. Click here to be taken to the RWCC site. |
| 9th March | This information has been reported on the Ayreon website concerning
Oliver's involvement on Arjen Lucassen's new album. Arjen: In 2002 I played guitar on Clive Nolan's and Oliver Wakeman's 'Hound of the Baskervilles' album. Ever since then I've been in regular email contact with Oliver. Already a long time ago we agreed to play on each others projects one day. For this album I had the idea to have Oliver and his father Rick do a synth-duel. Rick emailed me that he didn't have time because he was busy with 'all things Yes', but he would have time in a year or so- which would unfortunately be too late. So Oliver played the solo on his own, and he played some beautiful melodies over a difficult 6/8 part. I love that last note, brilliant! The release date for 'Ayreon: The Human Equation' will be May 24, 2004 in Europe, and the release date for the U.S. is May 25, 2004 |
| 11th February | The'Yes' fans amongst you will be interested to know that Oliver
was involved in Steve Howe's re-recording of Australia for the
3-disc version of 'The Ultimate Yes'. For more information about this have a look at the Q&A section of the site! |
| 4th January | Happy New Year! Well it's the time of year that lots of magazine polls and internet "best of...." lists start to appear and Oliver is extremely pleased to see that he and his musical associates did rather well in the CRS annual polls. This is a particularly rewarding poll as it is voted for by the readers and subscribers of the 'Rock Society' magazine. The results were as follows Oliver came 4th in the Best Keyboard Player Catagory (incidently it was won by his father Rick!) Purification by Sound was 13th in the Best Album Catagory (Ricks 'Out there' came 12th) The Acoustic Sessions 2 gig was voted 13th best show of 2003 of which Oliver was one of the featured artists. The Oliver and Rachel Band were voted 15th best live show of 2003 and 20th in the Best New Band catagory. David Mark Pearce came 20th in the Best Guitarist catagory. Tim Buchanan came 11th in the Best Bass Player catagory Dave Wagstaffe came 14th in the Best Drummer catagory Rachel heffer came 15th in the Best Female Vocalist catagory. As usual, Oliver would like to say thanks to all who took the time to vote for him and the other musicians. |
Latest news: 2007. Older news archives: 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 |
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