Flower Kings Appreciation Thread

I've heard that (so far) it's just Roine and Hasse on board. We'll see who he fills the band out with. Jonas? Felix? Brislin? Let's hope he goes that route...

Aye. I got a.n email. Good things come to those that wait....

This is Roine's comments that I was referring to:

Pale Rider: I guess we have to roll with these type of comments.

As much as I can understand you guys and others and in particular former TFK players as Tomas ( or Felix )
( or even Hasse B, Michael....or Jaime, or Zoltan ...who knows ...? )
It is important to understand that there has not been a TFK active for 4 years, and there may be reasons. - There was "recently" another 5 year break......
So to think that TFK would go on forever with your favorite line upis not 100% realistic.
No other bandmembers have contacted me, none have written songs, none have asked to tour, none have showed any bit of interest in TFK these last 4 years!
What does that tell you ?

We probably all look at it in a different way.
What I set out to do this time is simply go out and play that music I've been writing over the last 25 years.
It would be a sad affair if you, the fans, would dictate who I am allowed to play with.
So the way I see it - I have every right to play my songs with whoever I want -
If I ask totally unknown people , or Hasse, or even Jonas - it makes sense to me - and I cannot see that I (Roine) need 'permission' from anyone to play my music - ( TFK; TA; Kaipa, AOM or any other concept)
and it's just 'a tour' - there is no room for bitterness - as we all get older - it's just music - and it's supposed to be fun - because it is not a moneymaker anyway.

It happens all the time, we all stand by and enjoy as Robert Plant now play live Zeppelin tunes,
McCartney play many Beatles songs, Steve & Alan play Yes songs, Hackett play Genesis songs,
Spocks carry on without Neal & Nick, Sting play Police, Waters play Floyd, Gilmour plays Floyd,
and Neal play Spock's songs or TA songs... don't get me started on Fleetwood Mac....

Time changes us all - as musicians we sometimes do want to try different things -
If we don't have freedom - what do we have.?
When fans dictate band lineups, or setlists, it becomes a 'prison'.

What further underlines my point is; The Flower Kings has been, in reality, a band on a 'payroll',
or rather, payed recording and touring projects.
Of course much idealistic work put in by all - but that of course is the case for me too - unpaid work is never ending - non rewarding work - passing unseen - without appalus.

To certain degree it has also at times been very trying for me - with internal disagreements and
turbulence, inflated egos, that many times put me in a vulnerable situation as far as economics and my
personal mental health.

How long should I be held "hostage" ? - to what YOU, the fans, feel is the only true constellation,
where I am allowed to play my songs ?
All time invested, all sweat blood and hopes - all these years -
Your loyalty and trust, Is it now taken away - because the band I hire is not what YOU want ?
Yes, you will hear Flower Kings music - NO, it is perhaps NOT the "The Flower Kings" YOU envision,
but it is still TFK music - and you haven't yet heard it like this yet - nor have I.

By heritage and payment structures I do own the name The Flower Kings.
Still, in a gesture of concideration to TFK 'legacy' I asked management to not name it 'The Flower Kings',
per se, but 'Roine Stolt plays TFK'. or *RS - TFK revisited*. The record label and venues of course like to underline The Flower Kings rather than my name. It's business.
I think I have acted in 100% respect for all involved over the years.

IF you are interested in - or love the music that was first introduced on 1994 album - as "The Flower King"
and now a part of prog rock history - let's try be less judgemental and have an open mind.

Let's try envision this - and enjoy it - Next you may see Micheal go out play these songs with Jaime and some new guitar & key guys - or Tomas do the 'all synth' version of TFK songs with huge backdrops of psycedelia - or Jonas
do a TFK band with all trained Swizz elite troupe players, playing all TFK hits, but in double speed, perfect. The sky is the limit - each to his own.

So for all of you less judgemental ; Yes - there is a tour in December,
You are all welcome - but if you lock that door and stay home - it's OK too - I know, changes can hurt.

All I know I'll be out there enjoying this tour - it is mere 10 dates -
celebrating the music - celebrating the 2 lovely TFK boxes
and in general the fact that I am, at age 61 still out there writing, playing and enjoying being a
guitarplayer - still loving those sounds - still loving the road etc. - Fun first - music first. - Roine June 2018.

Catcher10 wrote: Obviously TSW will take up most of Roine's time for the rest of the year, with I assume a tour. And this new RSTFKR will take even more time...So I guess safe to assume no new TFK album for at least 3yrs. Did not realize Roine was 61, looks good for his age but yea...... I can't handle some of the new music coming out. I got my Prog magazine last week, the included CD is just mehh. Nothing that is tickling my fancy, I guess prog as I know it, being older than most of you, is prolly dead.

How old are you?  I'm 49.  I still find stuff to enjoy, like Tillison's The Kalman Filter album.  Also just got 3 Cast albums from the early 2000's that have pretty much blown me away (not every track, but so far I love about 90% of the 3 albums......need to listen more).  Still waiting on my copy of The Sea Within.  The last two Flower Kings albums didn't do a lot for me, so I'm not really to concerned about TFK's returning or not returning.  I'd love to see this RSTFKR show, as it seems like it would feature a lot of the older stuff as well as maybe some Roine Stolt solo material (he hasn't said that, but it's a celebration of his TFK solo album, so I would think he will play some other solo stuff....hopefully there will be a CD/DVD).

I do understand though, as a lot of new stuff just falls flat with me also.


Edited by infandous - June 26 2018 at 07:47

infandous wrote: Catcher10 wrote: Obviously TSW will take up most of Roine's time for the rest of the year, with I assume a tour. And this new RSTFKR will take even more time...So I guess safe to assume no new TFK album for at least 3yrs. Did not realize Roine was 61, looks good for his age but yea...... I can't handle some of the new music coming out. I got my Prog magazine last week, the included CD is just mehh. Nothing that is tickling my fancy, I guess prog as I know it, being older than most of you, is prolly dead. How old are you?  I'm 49.  I still find stuff to enjoy, like Tillison's The Kalman Filter album.  Also just got 3 Cast albums from the early 2000's that have pretty much blown me away (not every track, but so far I love about 90% of the 3 albums......need to listen more).  Still waiting on my copy of The Sea Within.  The last two Flower Kings albums didn't do a lot for me, so I'm not really to concerned about TFK's returning or not returning.  I'd love to see this RSTFKR show, as it seems like it would feature a lot of the older stuff as well as maybe some Roine Stolt solo material (he hasn't said that, but it's a celebration of his TFK solo album, so I would think he will play some other solo stuff....hopefully there will be a CD/DVD). I do understand though, as a lot of new stuff just falls flat with me also.

Baseball? That's rounders for men...Cricket was a proper man's sport before they started wearing helmets and pads other than those on the legs. You could attempt to kill the batsman with a bodyline bouncer. Proper war with a ball....

Walkscore wrote: Thanks for posting about the tour (although I live too far away), and the Stolt interview/discussion. Sorry to hear that Thomas Bodin has an ear injury. I didn't know that. I will have to order The Sea Within.  I agree that Banks (of Eden) is my least fav TFK album. For me, Sum of No Evil, and Unfold the Future, are my two favourites. I also really enjoy The Tangent's albums (latest one - Slow Rust - is great. Tillison is almost as talented on drums as he is on keys).

He actually plays "drums" on the keyboards.  He assigns drum samples to each key and plays drums that way.  Still, pretty impressive (I guess he can play drums the old fashioned way as well, just not well enough to do his own music how he wants the drums done).

However...The cricket ball is harder and heavier than the baseball. Thus a 93mph bouncer to the head is more dangerous...and in cricket you get to bounce the ball off an unpredictable surface which means that the ball can hit you under the chin whilst it is still rising....nasty...

Edited by M27Barney - June 27 2018 at 11:58

Walkscore wrote: infandous wrote:  He actually plays "drums" on the keyboards.  He assigns drum samples to each key and plays drums that way.  Still, pretty impressive (I guess he can play drums the old fashioned way as well, just not well enough to do his own music how he wants the drums done). I know that Tillison has often used keyboards to play the drums, and did this on the recent album too. However, I remember reading him saying he is a fully-trained drummer (from the beginning), and that he plays a full kit on the recent album a majority of the time (both acoustic kit and electronic kit), with some fills and solos patched using his keys-sampled drums.

Hmm, I could swear he said the opposite, but I don't remember for certain.  You may be right.  I did know he could play a kit though.  Don't suppose you could find where you read that again?  I'll do some digging, as I'm curious now (I may well have just assumed he used the keys).

My copy of the sea within has arrived...nice artwork...