Solo artist HOLON has been releasing music for quite sometime now. An all new album is set for release soon enough, with him focusing on it being a studio project, than a live performer. So the main plan is to release music as much as possible. He talks about his music and much else all below.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
This band is a solo project under which I release music I have written that did not fit other projects. The first album “The Time Is Always Now” was recorded and released in 2016 and was produced and mixed by Rhys Marsh. He really liked the songs and the album was released on his Autumnsongs Recording label. We had lots of guest artists contributing and he introduced me to the drummer Geir Anfinn Halland Johansen who had been recording in the studio for a different project and teaching at the same music school as Rhys. He played on all songs on that album and we hit it off quite well - so mainly it is me and Geir that are contributing to the upcoming album. Not as many guest musicians on this album and I am doing all the recording, producing, mixing and mastering myself. In addition to the song writing, arrangements and playing (or programming) most other instruments than drums.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
The band’s name was taken from the term ‘holon’ that I encountered while reading a book written by the great Ken Wilber. The term holon was first coined by Arthur Koestler in The Ghost in the Machine. It means something that can be seen as both a whole and a part. I liked this as it pretty much sums up everything - including music and how it is built up from separate parts that could potentially be seen on as holons.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
I am based in Trondheim, Norway. There is a great music scene here. We have a jazz conservatory that has bred some of the finest musicians in Norway. There are several local acts that I would recommend. We have bands such as Motorpsycho that have for a long time dabbled in progressive rock - even though they started their careers in another genre. I am also a big fan of the post-rock/progressive band Soup. And then we also have the very talented violinist/multi-instrumentalist Ola Kvernberg that has made some fantastic music the last few years with his Steamdome releases.
4. How would you describe your style?
I would say it is an eclectic mix of styles that I have picked up over the years of roaming this planet listening to music. My music evolution has evolved from pop music (the first vinyl record I bought was actually Whitney Houston and my first cassette was New Kids on the Block) to rock as I grew older and started playing guitar when I was 13. I first got into bands such as Guns N’ Roses and Metallica before moving on to listening to solo guitar instrumentalists and eventually finding progressive rock after having heard Dream Theater’s ‘Images & Words’ for the first time. I have also been digging lots of jazz/fusion stuff - such as Chic Korea, Al Di Meola, Shawn Lane and so on. I am also fond of lots of ethical music taking a particular liking to odd time signatures and phrasing used in eastern Europe as well as the ornamentation used in Indian music. It might have been John McLaughlin’s Shakti project that fully brought me on to this. So to sum up I think I might bring all my influences into my music. At the core is the song and I do like melodic and catchy music - then I can use different tools when arranging it and often I build and evolve the song into instrumental parts and I guess this is very much akin to progressive rock.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
I have one album released quite a few years back - “The Time is Always Now”. Expect solid songwriting with philosophical lyrics and catchy melodies. Some mix of shorter songs with some songs that are a bit longer that evolve into different directions. Lots of mellotron, electric and acoustic guitar and some odd time signatures. In December I just released the first single from the upcoming album “Love & Behold”. That song is about the end of a relationship and sets the stage for the rest of the album on the quest of looking for love again. It is one of the shorter songs on the album so could be seen as a bit simpler than many of the other songs coming up. It does have some buildup with a cello intro, moving into a soft verse and then a standout catchy chorus.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Yes, I am working on completing the upcoming album “Love & Behold” that will come in two parts. The first part is pretty much done so I just need to complete some parts and finish the mastering.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
This ‘holon’ project is mostly a studio project as I do not really have time to pull together a complete band and do touring. Anyway, it is the studio work that I do enjoy the most. I might do some smaller gigs with a reduced setup - possibly just an acoustic setup with me and a guitar.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
The plan is to get all the music I have in the pipeline out. I have a long backlog of songs that I want to get out. That is the main focus, and then hopefully I can manage to catch some new followers that like my music by working more on getting it spread around - although I understand that it is harder to do that when not traveling around playing it live. Also, I haven’t been the best at marketing my music so I hope to improve that.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can buy physical copies here:
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Always-Now-HOLON/dp/B01I59QHZO/ref=sr_1_1?crid=OPNBNN5JWWWG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Q6pwo3UjkRuvcYfc9Oci99FxVQ4e5od_b7jgRoqp2HlVXrSgjtbZKx8mjizxNH_FUI9PkJthIp5eFX3LEg2_j0KYTrpasn2NXmEn6MsUBBg.NZNzBj3TFly9qP_KaMBgSQklHuPQth_ZWqwbnRSkKoY&dib_tag=se&keywords=holon+the+time+is+always+now&qid=1734537569&sprefix=holon+the+time+is+always+no%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-1
https://burningshed.com/index.php?route=product/search&filter_name=holon&filter_category_id=255&filter_sub_category=true
https://www.allgoodcleanrecords.com/produkt/holon-the-time-is-always-now-2xlp/
Social media links:
https://www.facebook.com/holon.official
https://www.instagram.com/holon_music/
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@holon-artist/
Older music videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-qSpRwSb9zbs1rvXwVR_dm1hSbTjwwsl
Webpage (It is a bit outdated so I really need to update this before I release the new album):
https://holon.band/
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
I guess I would like my music to engage them so that they remember to be in the present - indulging in the music here and now. Also it is good if they relate to the lyrics and it brings up memories from their own life. And of course it is good if the listener actually remembers the song after hearing it. ;)
Post a Comment