Arjen explains: Together with Oscar, Jan was the founder of the rock band Vengeance that I joined in 1984. Jan’s tight, simple but effective bass playing was the basis of Vengeance’s sound. I always (and still) got along fine with Jannemannemannemanneman, as I call him. That’s why I wanted him to be…
Johan van Stratum
Arjen explains: No comments yet
Jolanda Verduijn
Arjen explains: I was working on the demos of the first Ayreon CD and needed someone who could play bass with the fingers (I always play with a guitar-pick). My (then) girlfriend had been playing bass for about a year and a half at that time, but was already quite skilled. She then played the demos at my house. She had done it so well that I asked her to play on the official CD in Oscar’s RS29 studio. I could see…
Peter Vink
Arjen explains: During the 60s Peter was a big star in the Netherlands with his band Q65, but I was more interested in his progressive period with the band Finch in the 70s. The first time I met Peter was when he produced my very first demo in 1978. From that time on we’ve always kept in touch and worked together in the cover band ‘The Renegades’, the 1993 Anthony CD, and the first Ayreon CD. Peter was…
Walter Latupeirissa
Arjen explains: For the project Ambeon I was looking for a bassplayer who used a very different technique compared to my own or other bassists I usually work with. Various people recommended Walter who had established his name in music by playing for big names such as Pat Travers, Steve Lukather (Toto) and Snowy White (Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy). Walter did indeed play on Ambeon in his own style, which provided an added value to the product.