TSO CONTEST ON YOUTUBE!!! Hello TSO Fans, come check out this cool new contest:
TSO has provided the music tablature for their latest hit "Wizards In Winter." Simply video record yourself playing along on your preferred instrument with the music and upload it to this YouTube group. Visit this link for the tabs and to enter the contest: TSO Contest
or check out some of the submissions here:
TSO Submissions
Trans-Siberian Orchestra was formed in 1996 by Paul O'Neill who immediately approached long time friends and collaborators Robert Kinkel and Jon Oliva to form the core of the writing team.
While producing and writing for a number of years with various rock groups Paul was always looking for ways to make the music have greater and greater emotional impact. He tried to write the music that was so melodic it didn't need lyrics. And lyrics that were so poetic that they didn't need music but once you put the two of them together, the sum of the parts would be greater than the whole, and you couldn't imagine them apart. Once he'd done this, he was still looking for a way to take it to even greater heights and he realized that putting the songs within the context of a story would give it a third dimension that wou ld make that additional emotional impact possible.
Hence, he started writing not just albums, but rock operas.
He realized then, that there was an inherent problem recording rock operas within the standard rock and roll band makeup. Rock operas by their nature need the voices to change as the characters change. Rock bands normally only have one (or if you're lucky) two great vocalists to work with, therefore limiting how far you can go. You're forced to make the music fit the band, as opposed to allowing the music to go wherever it needs to.
With Trans-Siberian Orchestra, first the music is created with no artificial limitations, and then we seek out within the classical, rock, Broadway and R & B worlds, the very best singers and musicians to bring each song to life. This also in many ways forces us to operate on a higher level. This environment has the additional benefit of causing a cross pollenization of musical ideas, creating hybrid forms of music that normally never would have occurred, such as an R&B singer doing a classical style melody and bringing gospel touches to it that causes it to glitter in ways that even the creators could not have predicted. Another very important aspect in the creation of the band, is that there could be no limits on the members; we mix all races and ages.
The young get to mine the experience of the old musicians, while they can't help to be inspired by the enthusiasm of people just entering the business. This has created a vast constantly changing musical group that even we do not know what it is going to do next.
Once when asked what Trans-Siberian Orchestra was about, Paul O'Neill replied, "It's about creating great art. When asked to define what great art was, Paul said, "The purpose of art is to create an emotional response in the person that is exposed to that art. And there are three categories of art; bad art, good art and great art. Bad art will elicit no emotional response in the person that is exposed to it, i.e.; a song you hear in an elevator and it does nothing to you, a picture on a wall that gives you the same emotional response as if the wall had been blank, a movie that chews up time. Good art will make you feel an emotion that you have felt before; you see a picture of a forest and you remember the last time you went fishing with your dad, you hear a song about love and you remember the last time you were in love. Great art will make you feel an emotion you have never felt before; seeing the pieta, the world famous sculpture by
Michelangelo, can cause someone to feel the pain of losing a child even if they've never had one. And when you're trying for these emotions the easiest one to trigger is anger.
Anyone can do it. Go into the street, throw a rock at someone, you will make them angry. The emotions of love, empathy and laughter are much harder to trigger, but since they operate on a deeper level, they bring a much greater reward.
I just saw that you guys will be in Memphis on Dec. 20th. There are quite a few concerts coming up that I'd like to go see, but if I have to choose just ONE...I'll choose y'all. We saw you last year in Memphis, and the whole production was fantastic. I can't wait to see you again this year...I just have to see about how and when I can get tickets. Love y'all....
Thank you for adding me! I can't wait to see you guys again. I do have a question though. Have you ever thought of working your musical magic on the song "March Of The Toys"? From Babes in Toyland. I think you would kick ass on that song! Thanks again!
Thanks for the add. We love you guys. We have been to see you in Youngstown ohio like 4 times it will always be a christmas tradition now hope you come back soon. Who knows maybe you will come to Chester, WV at the Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming. We just had Howie Mandel here so please come here too!!!!!
Thanks for the add. I've been a fan since the beginning and it's so cool you're at last playing just south of me in Grand Forks. I will be there en force with several people from Winnipeg...
Thanks for the add! I absolutely love your music. Any news on the next album? Hoping to get tickets to your concert this year, though I see it's only one night in Iowa (might be able to make one in Illinois if needbe). Keep up the great work.
