Altered State Merchandise: Altered State Merchandise myspace/alteredstatedos Merchandise
Member Links: gregorymarkel.com curtismathewson.com Chip Moreland
Howard Ulyate Riz Christian Nesmith
myspace/alteredstatedos, Official (Debut Album) Shirts: buy at Altered State Store.
Influences
Ask the guys!
Sounds Like
Altered State 1991
August 27th 1991
Step Into My Groove: 1st Single
Ghost Beside My Bed: 2nd Single. Number 1 Rock Radio/Top 40
Heal Me
Do What You Want
Reunion
One Small Boat
Outside
Surrender Now
Drifting
Like Father
Until The Music Ends
Produced by: Tony Berg
Additional Personel: Tony Berg (guitar); Nick South (bass); Jonathan Melvoin (percussion)
Eningeers: Ken Jordan, Jeffrey Lord-Alge, Susan Rogers.
Mixing: Bob Clearmountain
"Ghost Beside My Bed:
(markel)
it could've been a blessing or it could have been a dream
things aren't always what they seem
it happened in a instant it happened at night
married to the moment like a bird in flight
i saw it once and it started to fade
i reached out to touch and i asked it to stay
please please precious light must you leave so soon tonight
i'm either dreaming or i'm out of my head
there's no ghost beside my bed
my skin feels so cold my heart beats like it gonna explode
there's no fear there's no fright
just another visit from a spirit in the night
can somebody tell me what this means to me
or show me the truth behind what i see
please please precious light must you leave so soon tonight
i'm either dreaming or i'm out of my head
there's no ghost beside my bed
are you a message from the grey beyond
or my mind telling me sanity's gone
it must be dreaming or i'm out of my head
there's no ghost beside my bed
i feel strange
i feel so strained
i can't explain i feel so strange.......
Step Into My Groove
Radio Promo Single
Retail Singles:
Magic Single
Yer lucky if you got your hands this...
Maxi Single
1. Radio version
2. Psychedelic Mix
3. Album version
4. Psychedelic Instrumental
5. Like Father
6. Drifting
Gregory Markel -- lead vocals, acoustic and electric rhythm guitar, keyboards.
Curtis Mathewson -- electric guitars, keyboards, vocals.
Chip Moreland -- drums, percussion, vocals.
Somewhere beyond the realm of our ordinary senses lies the music and spirit of Altered State. "Our aim is to temporarily suspend the reality of the listener's world so that we may join in using their imagination as an instrumet and, together, create a place they'll wish to travel in and return to. The music is a the boarding pass." That's how Gregory Markel, the band's charismatic lead vocalist describes it.
In its dynamic debut, Altered State, the Los Angeles-based band has fused a diverse palette of colorful musical elements into a timeless guitar-driven sound that rocks as effortlessly as it soars into the heavily textured spheres of the hypnotic and hallucinatory.
The nucleus of Altered State came together via mutual acquaintances. Discovering they shared a musical vision, prinicipal writer/guitarist Gregory Markel, guitarist/vocalist Curtis Mathewson and percussionist/vocalist Chip Moreland set out to perfect their concept and craft. Romantic, enigmatic, humanistic, ethereal lyrics; assured compelling musicianship; Markel's authoritative lead vocals; crystalline group harmonies. That's the hallmark of altered State
Bypassing the tierd-and-true route by which many aritist attempt to attract record company attention, the group forsook slogging through local club scene in favor of devoting time to the recording studio. Putting together a demo tape to showcase their music was now the highest priority.
It didn't take much time to catch fire. The presentation tape passed through only a few hands before coming to the attention of Warner Bros. Senior A&R Vice President, Michael Ostin. The deal was put together post-haste and Altered State became a member of the Warner Bros./Reprise family.
Along the way, somewhere between the bright side of the moon and Burbank, the group happened upon ace bassist and multi-instrumentalist, the singularly-named Riz. He bacame a fulltime member, adding his own celestial seasoning in the final phases of production and mixing.
For this, the foursome was whisked off to Bearsville, N.Y. in late 1990, where producer Topny Berg (Michael Penn, among others) helmed the project, along with sound mixer, the near legendary Bob XClearmountian.
The result is a heady amalgam of melody, lyric, rhythm and musicianship that judiciously assimilates a far-reaching mix of exotic instrumental sounds with some electric influences from the modern rock/pop era, giving it an all new perspective.
If the purpose of music is to transport the listener emotionally and intellectually, Altered State succeeds. For some it may be an altered state; for others, just good new music.
Altered State Lures Graphics Legend Van Hamersveld
Back Into The Groove
Warner Bros. Records' new southern California-based Altered State may be evokin, comparisions to Pink Floyd, Jane's Addiciton and David Bowie, but its self-titled album is drawing attention for its striking graphic design as well.
And well it should, being the work of John Van Hamersveld, one of ther foremost graphics desigers of the '60s and '70s.
Believe that the innovative Altered State warranted a special cosmic touch in package design campaign, the Warner Bros. creative forces sought out the elusive Van Hamersveld. Long inactive in the music business, Van Hamersveld gave the Tony Berg-produced album one listen and was ready to step back onto familiar turf.
Along with phographer Nels Israelson, Van Hamerveld fashioned the other-worldly looking green-eyed siren and distincitve logo featured on the CD/Cassette cover. The image also is a key element of the advertising/merchandising campaign.
Van Hamersveld is no straner to what he loftly calls "cultural rebels of the mythical pop society", having created and/or collaborated on such projects as The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street, Jefferson Airplane's Crow Of Creation, Grateful Dead's Skeletons From The Closet, Bob Dylan's film soundtrack Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid, Jim Morrison's American Prayer, Kiss' Hotter Than Hell, Steve Miller Band's The Joker and Public Image Ltd.'s This Is What You Want. In all, Van Hamerveld can lay claim to some 350 album covers. Of late he has devoted his time to corporate design evnironments and architecture.
"Step Into My Groove", the first single from the album Altered Staet, has just been released. ALTERED STATE is Gregory Markel, Curtis Mathewson, Chip Moreland and Riz.
Stills from the unreleased "Step Into My Groove" Video.
