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ERIK DE BEER: electric & Acoustic piano's, organ, harpsichord, Moog, synthesizers, guitars, lute, 5-string bass & mandolin.

ABOUT "LIFE LINE PROJECT" 1988 - 2008:

After BRANCARD (1979 - 1989) and ZOUNDWORKS (1982 - 1985) keyboard-player/guitarist Erik de Beer decided to start his LIFE LINE PROJECT, a project in which lots of different singers and musicians participated. Many of their products were highly acclaimed in the European progressive rock magazines an fanzines. Most of the material was played in live performances by several different line ups, while some of their songs were even covered by other bands. In the period 2004 - 2006 their most impressive symphonic rock epics "The Journey", "DUPLO" & "The King" were re-recorded with complete new line-ups and in new improved arrangements. With the "Finnishing Touch" (rel. 2008) the epic symphonic rock style was changed into a more fusion-like blend of instrumental melodic symphonic rock with jazz-rock, folk-rock & metal elements."Modinha" was conceived in the same style with bombastic virtuoso keyboard playing, high-speed melodic guitar-solo's and some terrific virtuoso drumming, while the flute & oboe parts add to the more folk-like and classical elements.

ABOUT "The Finnishing Touch":

This is the re-mastered version of “The FINNISHING TOUCH”. For this official release some of the songs have been remixed, while three new tracks have been added.
The main theme on this album is built rather freely around the charming anonymous melody of a sad Finnish folksong. The harmonisation of the song is made by me, thus leaving me all possibilities to change it to the different styles of music. We have made it a classical piece, jazzed it up a little, made it a synthesizer piece, turned it to melodic metal and finally ended it in a happy folk-dance. On this album we have mixed jazz-rock to symphonic rock, trying to create a dynamic sound. Apart from the new compositions we also recorded some oldies like Little Alice & I Miss You More, both performed in the early eighties by power-rock trio BRANCARD. The songs Without Tears, The Missing Drink & the bonus-track Desire are taken from the ZOUNDWORKS repertoire of 1984.
The piece Saudades de Sor is a jazz piece built around a chord progression of the 19th century composer Fernando Sor (1778 - 1839). It’s performed on a copy of one of Sor’s guitars, a Panormo of 1828. The only piece on this album by Jason is about James the Rover. While making this recording, James was ready suffering severe ailments. Of course we wish James a fast recovering.
In the Finnish Finish some less frequent instruments in rock music, like a mandolin, a lute, a renaissance drum & a harpsichord can be heard. We hope you will appreciate our new album and enjoy listening to it!

Erik de Beer, 20 May 2009

ABOUT "Modinha":

Central theme on our new album is the "Modinha", which is originally a Brazilian sad song, relating the role fate is playing in our lives. It opposites the "Samba" in which all the lusts and joys of life are promoted. In a way the modinha is a song of Experience, while the samba might be regarded as a song of Innocence. I composed the melody of this modinha myself, because I couldn't find an appropriate one in existing folk literature. Like the Finnish folksong on our previous album, the Modinha is changing throughout the album, ranging from classic to folk to jazz and to metal.

Joy is dedicated to Holland's best progressive rock-keyboardist, the late Rick van der Linden.

Keeper of the Keys is dedicated to the memory of Bob Moog, the world's greatest synthesizer-inventor ever.

Stampede & Night on the Freeway are two new arrangements of the ZOUNDWORK-repertoire.

The bonus track "Song for Lara" is a band-version of one of the pieces of my new keyboard-method. It's dedicated to Lara Vermeer, because she was my first pupil to play this new method.

A post humus thanks goes to Jorge Amado (1912 - 2001) for having written one of the most inspiring books of world literature "Mar Morto".

Finally I would like to thank all band members for their help and inspiration and making this album sound the way it does.

Erik de Beer, 24 November 2008

LIVE AT "DE SCHANS" - 1991

LIVE AT "DE SCHANS" - 1994

Erik de Beer with Marion Stroetinga
LIFE LINE PROJECT
Lead & backing vocals in 1994 - 1995

Erik de Beer with Maruschka Kartosonto
LIFE LINE PROJECT
Lead & backing vocals on "The Journey, "Duplo" and "The King"