Melodic Revolution Records is proud to announce that Potters’ Daughter will return on August 19, with a new 3-track Art-rock, pop EP “Weighted Keys” a compilation of three songs that were dear to Dyanne during three different phases of her life:
1. “Night of the Swallow” – a semi-acoustic version of Kate Bush’s dramatic song from her album, “The Dreaming” (from Dyanne’s time in NYC, when she first discovered Kate Bush)
2. “Catherine” – a solo piano rendition of Tom Kelly’s elegant song from his album, “Spinning Through Eternity” (from the present time, in honor of Nickie Harte Kelly and the entire prog community who so warmly welcomed Potter’s Daughter and Octarine Sky)
3. “That Song About the Midway” – a semi-acoustic version of Joni Mitchell’s beautiful song from her 1969 album, “Clouds.” (Dyanne first heard the song at age 16, right after joining her first professional band, and has loved the song since)
The band will debut the release live at the 2022 NJ Proghouse Summer Day Camp on August 6th Doors open at 11:00 AM
Releases Date: August 19, 2022 Catalog No. MRRCD 22214 Format: CD, Digital & Streaming Barcode No. 7 55491 24666 5
1. Night of the Swallow (Kate Bush) Dyanne Potter Voegtlin – piano, keyboards, vocals Jan Christiana – bass, percussion
2. Catherine (Tom Kelly) Dyanne Potter Voegtlin – piano
3. That Song About the Midway (Joni Mitchell) Dyanne Potter Voegtlin –piano, keyboards, vocals Jan Christiana – bass, guitar, percussion
Tracks 1 and 3: Recorded at Euphoria Labs, Recording Engineer: Jan Christiana Track 2: Recorded at SI Studios, Recording Engineer: Joseph “Wiggy” Wegleski
Produced by Jan Christiana Mixing Engineer: Jan Christiana Mastering Engineer: Tom Borthwick
Album Cover Art: Pink Glasses Girl by Joe Ganech
Releases Potter’s Daughter – The Blind Side (Full-Length Album) Self Released – 2018 Potter’s Daughter – Blood and Water (2-track Single) featuring Annie Haslam (Renaissance) Self-released – 2019 Potter’s Daughter – This Winter’s Child (Holiday Single) Melodic Revolution Records – 2019 Potter’s Daughter – Casually Containing Rage (3 Track EP) Melodic Revolution Records – 2010 Troubleshooting Pandora’s Box – Pyrrha’s Song (Single) Melodic Revolution Records – 2021 Octarine Sky – Close to Nearby (Side-project) Self-released 2021 Potter’s Daughter – Weighted Keys (3-track EP) Melodic Revolution Records – 2021
POP: Hello, Dyanne can you start by telling us a little bit about you and your band.
Dyanne Potter: Sure! Jan Christiana and I have two bands, Potter’s Daughter, and Octarine Sky. I play piano, keyboards, and sing. Jan plays bass, (and several other instruments), sings, and arranges and produces our music.
POP: How did the band name come about and what’s its significance.
Dyanne Potter: I actually started using the name Potter’s Daughter back in NYC after I graduated from the Manhattan School of Music. We played around NYC and in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
My maiden name is Potter – I got the idea for the band name one night when I was playing piano at the Elmhurst Country Club, where both my parents were members. Several of my Dad’s friends came up to me at the piano and asked me if I was Potter’s daughter. And the name was born! I just like the sound of it.
POP: How long have you been a musician?
Dyanne Potter: I started taking piano lessons when I was three years old. I come from a musical family and everyone plays an instrument. It just seemed natural to play the piano. I performed the first time at age four. My piano teacher, Anne Vanko Liva, used to give Piano Pedagogy master classes all over the country and often invited me to perform at the master classes and recitals.
POP: You are both a singer and a pianist are you classically trained or self-taught
Dyanne Potter: I am definitely a classically trained pianist; I have two degrees in classical piano performance. I have spent many hours practicing!! Although I have also studied jazz (with the master, Mike Longo), I don’t really consider myself a jazz pianist.
I have also studied voice, but far less formally. I am currently studying with the fabulous Edrie Means Weekly.
POP: How would you describe your style?
Dyanne Potter: My style is certainly rooted in classical music, probably 20th century and 21st century “classical” music. I also love improvisation though, and Jan (Christiana) is such a great soloist, we always build room into the form for solos.
POP: When did you realize that you wanted to be a musician and who was it that inspired you to become a musician?
Dyanne Potter: I took being a musician for granted when I was a child. I didn’t think I wanted to be a musician professionally. But then I joined my first band when I was 16 years old, and I loved it so much, it changed my entire life.
POP: You recently self-released an album under the name Octarine Sky can you tell us about that album and how it came about
Dyanne Potter: We originally planned the album to be released under the name Potter’s Daughter. But as Jan and I started working on it and arranging the songs, we realized just how demanding the songs would be for a drummer. Not just technically challenging, but challenging to come up with drum parts which would fit, especially for the songs, “One” and “VII”. On a whim, Jan and I reached out to Simon Phillips, sent him some work recordings of the songs, and asked him if he would ever consider recording drum parts. You can imagine our astonishment when he said, yes!!
Then we asked Guthrie Govan to play guitar on the album, and he, too, said yes!! We are still so honoured to have both of these amazing musicians on our album!!
We realized just how different this sound was than anything we had ever done with Potter’s Daughter. So, we decided to separate the two projects, keeping Potter’s Daughter for the more acoustic, semi-acoustic, folky things we compose, and Octarine Sky for the heavier music.
POP: How does Octarine Sky differ from the Potter’s Daughter releases?
Dyanne Potter: The Octarine Sky arrangements are much more complex and orchestrated. And again, the overall sound is much heavier.
POP: We hear you have been invited to play at the 2022 NJ Proghouse Summer Day Camp can you tell us what that is.
Dyanne Potter: Yes!! It will be a fun summer day, Saturday August 6th, and filled with some really wonderful music! All the bands will be performing semi-acoustic – pared down versions of their usual set ups. No drum sets – just percussion. It will be held outside at Camp Oak Spring in Somerset, NJ. So everyone should bring camping chairs, pop-ups, coolers etc. There will be food offered at the venue.
POP: This year features a great lineup including Molesome (Mattias Olsson, Neon Tiger), Schooltree, Ryche Chlanda (Fire Ballet, Nektar) Kendal Scott (Nektar) and Simon Godfrey ( Shineback, Tinyfish, Valdez) have you ever performed with any of these artists?
No, I have never performed with any of them. I am very much looking forward to hearing each of them!!
POP: You will have some special guests at the upcoming NJ Proghouse Summer Day Camp who are they and how did they come about?
Dyanne Potter: Yes, we are thrilled and honored to again play with the drummer, Mark DeGregory, from the band Orpheus Nine. We played both ProgStock and Prog on the Ranch with Mark last year. This will be the first time playing with him on percussion.
We will also be joined by the vocalist Rose Danese, whom we met at Prog on the Ranch. She will be singing with me on two songs, one new song from our upcoming Potter’s Daughter EP, “Weighted Keys”, and one new song from our upcoming Octarine Sky release.
POP: How much are the tickets and where can people get more info and tickets about this event?
Dyanne Potter: Tickets are $50 ahead of time, $60 the day of the show. Info and tickets at http://www.njproghouse.com/
POP: Can you tell us do you prefer to work in the studio or perform live and why?
Dyanne Potter: Oh, I love both. The studio is so creative, and Jan is a magician when it comes to creating sounds and moods. He is such a great producer. Performing live is electric. I love being on stage and creating a moment with the audience. I am grateful to have the opportunity to do both.
POP: Tell us how you work on new material do you compose the music first or write lyrics first?
Dyanne Potter: It depends. Obviously, we have some instrumental numbers, so music first and last. The vocal music varies. Sometimes the lyrics are first, sometimes I take lyrics either I have already written, or our lyricist, Ronda Dubiel sends me, and put them to a musical idea. I write the basic composition and then hand it over to Jan. He arranges it, adds the bass, plus any other instruments he hears.
POP: What inspires you to compose a piece of music?
Dyanne Potter: Sometimes I just hear things. I usually hear something and then go to the piano and try to figure out what it is. I am inspired by nature, by Beauty, by life, by living. I try to open my ears.
POP: Do you collaborate with others during the writing process of your music?
Dyanne Potter: Jan definitely contributes to everything we put out. As I mentioned, Ronda Dubiel, regularly writes lyrics for us. And in Octarine Sky, Simon and Guthrie’s amazing musical contributions certainly shaped the compositions.
POP: If an up-and-coming musician approached you and asked if you give them advice on how to become a better musician what would you say?
Dyanne Potter: Practice. Perform. Prepare and then go out and just do it. One will never be perfect, so no sense in waiting for perfection to arrive before putting something out. Be courageous. Follow your vision. Don’t listen to negativity. Keep doing it. Honor yourself and the community of people who support you.
POP: What is the meaning of success to you and has it changed over the years
Dyanne Potter: Yes, the meaning of success has definitely changed for me over the years. I am so lucky to have the chance to create the music I hear and compose with amazing musicians. For me, that is success. Of course, if we were to ever make enormous amounts of money doing it, I might want to define success that way, too!!
POP: What’s next, are you working on a new album?
Dyanne Potter: Yes! Potter’s Daughter will soon be releasing an EP called Weighted Keys. This will only be featuring Jan and I. Included will be a piano rendition of the beautiful song, “Catherine, by Tom Kelly. The other two songs are a surprise!! We are so honored to feature artwork by the talented artist, Joe Ganech, on the cover. I love the combination of music and art. We are releasing it on Melodic Revolution Records. We have enjoyed the honor of working with Nick Katona and MRR since 2018.
POP: Where can people learn more about you?
Dyanne Potter: We are very active on social media, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We also have websites for both bands, plus Bandcamp pages for both bands.
Potter’s Daughter will be releasing their second full-length album “Close to Nearby” featuring legendary drummer, Simon Phillips, on September 30th, 2021! “Close to Nearby” will be available on, CD, limited-edition vinyl with accompanying Art Book, and digitally on all popular music platforms
The album features 8 tracks, 3 virtuosic instrumentals and 5 captivating vocal songs.
Album Art by Armand Cabrera
Tracklisting
Movement I
Rosewind
Night Sky
The Mask
5 and 5
Midnight
Seven Meets Five
Hold
All compositions Arranged and Produced by Jan-Christian Vögtlin The Artwork for the album cover was created especially for this project by the master artist, Armand Cabrera.
Simon Phillips – (drummer with Protocol, Toto, Hiromi, etc.) “It has been an absolute pleasure to play on your music. Very challenging and ever so much fun.”
Dyanne and Jan-Christian of Potter’s Daughter “The huge contribution of Simon’s playing to our music, together with the depth of his artistry and vision simply cannot be understated or exaggerated. He added a completely new dimension to each song. He is also down to earth, such a joy to work with!”
About Potter’s Daughter Potter’s Daughter was formed in NYC while Dyanne was studying classical piano performance at the Manhattan School of Music. The group performed regularly in NYC, as well as in northeastern PA. Potter’s Daughter has been featured on radio, tv, and in national and international magazines and blogs. Potter’s Daughter released their debut album, The Blind Side, in August 2018. In 2019 they released two singles; Blood and Water, featuring Annie Haslam (Renaissance) as a guest artist, and the holiday single, This Winter’s Child, which was composed for the Melodic Revolution Records (MRR) Holiday album.
In March 2020 they went on tour with Melodic Revolution Records labelmate Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius, and Dark Beauty. They were also invited to participate in several online festivals, including The Uncancelled Music Festival (April), The WorldWide Prog and Rock Virtual Festival (May), and the ProgStock Presents Festival. (August).
In October 2020, Potter’s Daughter released their Covid Quarantine EP, Casually Containing Rage. (MRR) The single from the EP, We Could Be, was released as a video, directed by filmmaker Serena Kunzler.
In December 2020, Potter’s Daughter was featured in the Limelight section of Prog Magazine, and in the same edition, voted #2 in the Reader’s Poll Unsigned Band Category.
In February 2021, Potter’s Daughter enjoyed the privilege of participating in the debut release (Pyrrha’s Song) for Nick Katona’s Troubleshooting Pandora’s Box, together with drummer Jimmy Keegan.
In April 2021, Potter’s Daughter’s music video, We Could Be, has been chosen as finalist to compete in the annual American Golden Picture International Film Festival.
They are scheduled to open the prestigious music festival, Prog On the Ranch, (Florida) this October.
Words of kindness
“…just beautiful…I love your voice, and chord progressions are sublime” Jon Anderson (Yes, Jon & Vangelis, Solo)
“Onfirst hearing of Blood and Water, I was struck by its unusual and haunting melody and Dyanne’s exquisite voice. To be a part of it was truly a wonderful experience.” Annie Haslam (Renaissance, Solo)
It’s Dyanne and Jan of Potter’s Daughter, and we are starting TO RECORD OUR SECOND FULL LENGTH ALBUM!! We’re excited and ready! You have been the ones supporting us and appreciating our vision (THANK YOU!!!), so for the next 30 days, this will be the place where all of you who believe in, respect, and see our vision can support this dream and make it a reality!
Our new album will have nine-tracks; five vocal songs (two featuring beautiful and poignant lyrics by my dear friend, Ronda Dubiel)
and four instrumentals. We are arranging another movement of the Ginastera Piano Sonata, (same Sonata as Movement IV from The Blind Side), and are also arranging an awesome atonal piece composed by my dear friend and renowned composer/conductor/soprano, Julia Schwartz. (www.juliaschwartz.ch)
AND, the crazy talented artist, Armand Cabrera, will be creating ORIGINAL ART for the cover of the vinyl and CD!! Please check him out at www.armandcabrera.com!! Armand’s artwork is represented in galleries throughout the USA.
We feel it is the right time to do this now, despite Covid, so we can maintain momentum created by our features in Prog Magazine this past December and the ensuing publicity.
We know we have asked you for your help many times in the past, and we want you to know we are truly grateful for your willingness to lend us a hand. And now, we are asking you to help us again, this time, with our crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for our new album.
This crowdfunding features a very special “Scholarship” section. We are thrilled that the amazingly talented young artists, Parker Dubiel and Greyson Krisanda, have generously offered several original pieces from their portfolios to our campaign. Since they both are hoping to attend college this coming fall (to major in Art!), we have decided that the majority of the profits from the sale of their artwork during our campaign will go directly to them. This way, pledgers have the opportunity to support these extremely talented young artists as well as Potter’s Daughter!
This will be Potter’s Daughter’s third crowdfunding campaign since we began in January 2018 (we crowdfunded The Blind Side and Blood and Water). In between, we have privately funded everything we have released, and all the related expenses. We have learned so much each time, the biggest lesson being that we absolutely CANNOT do this alone. Crowdfunding is SO demanding, not just in time but emotionally as well. It’s not easy to ask your friends to give you money.
But now, especially since Covid, there are few other avenues available for independent artists to raise funds. Record companies have long ago stopped funding recording for all but the biggest and most successful artists. So, we hope that despite the difficulties we all have faced this past year, you will still be willing to share even just a small amount in exchange for some new music and some saucy rewards!
The costs of recording, producing, manufacturing, and marketing music are, well, high. Here’s how it looks: (without any provision for Jan and I)
Rehearsal + 2 days recording for one amazing Drummer (to be announced!) + travel expenses and accommodations $2800
3 days recording (2 with drummer, 1 overdubs) at SI Studios in Old Forge (YAY, TOM AND WIGGY!!!) $2000
That’s where we came up with the goal of $4800. If we should exceed the goal, it will be used for recording the vocals, mixing, mastering, manufacturing, and marketing! Lots of m’s!!
Along with the fantastic artwork, we are also thrilled to share with you exclusive recordings only for this campaign! We have piano renditions of the beautiful piece, Catherine, by Tom Kelly, and are also offering a never before released piano rendition of the Moody Blues classic, Nights in White Satin! And if you really love piano music, we are offering a never before released ALBUM of piano renditions, featuring Catherine, Nights in White Satin, plus never before released original piano compositions which we arranged for The Blind Side!
And lastly, we have some CRAZY AMAZING opportunities for those of you who are interested and able to afford a little more……?
These two gorgeous oil paintings by Armand Cabrera, “Cosmic Dancer” and “Morningstar” are being offered for sale RIGHT NOW through this campaign!
I know you are going to LOVE this new music, it is our BEST so far!!! So please, pick one of our many rewards and become part of the story!! Even if you can’t contribute, that’s ok, there are other ways to help us! Like, help us get the word out and make some noise about our campaign!!! You can also SHARE this campaign by using the Indiegogo Share tools!!!
If you do not feel comfortable pledging over our Indiegogo website, we are also happy to receive private donations. If you prefer, you are welcome to make a check out to me personally and mail it to:
Dyanne Potter Voegtlin PO Box 102 Bentonville VA 22610
Thanks again to all of you!!!! Peace, Love, and Sunshine Dyanne and Jan
At some point last year, I became aware of the band Potter’s Daughter, and their lead singer Dyanne Potter Voegtlin. I can’t remember who reached out to who, but we have been talking to each other through Facebook, and I was lucky enough to hear the wonderful debut album. At some point we discussed undertaking an interview which was promptly forgotten by both of us until a mutual friend tagged me in a video of Dyanne playing a grand piano, which made me realise that we hadn’t spoken about the idea since. Here is the result of the ensuing conversation, with someone who follows some very different musical paths, but it all comes together in this amazing band. If you have yet to hear these guys you are missing out, and I know by the end of this piece you are going to be searching for them, and your ears will thank you forever.
Who, what, when is Dyanne Potter Voegtlin?
I have spent my life searching for the answer to this question and I am still working on it! But what am I like? I am both outgoing and reflective; I love performing on stage and interacting with the audience, but also require solitude. I am a wanderer; from an early age I knew I wished to live in many different places and experience the richness and variety our world has to offer. Being a musician has made it possible for me to live in several countries, immerse myself in their cultures, and befriend many different people. I am fascinated by people and their stories. Practically speaking, I’m a pianist, composer, singer, entertainer, lyricist, traveler; I love being outside in nature, I love animals, I love feasting and celebrating, I love hiking, mountain streams, sailing, I love hearing people laugh and sing, I love doing yoga at sunrise, I love sitting around a campfire, I love drinking my morning coffee. I love my family and friends.
The most important thing for me, for my Life, is to seek depth in my relationships, in my connection to others, to Music, to Life. I am so grateful to be a musician because music encourages connection in so many ways!
Who first influenced you to start performing music?
I was born into a musical family. My mother directed our church’s choir (for over 50 years!), my father played in the army band, my brothers and sister each played an instrument. I thought it was something everyone did. I was able to play piano by ear very young, so when my sister’s piano teacher heard me plunk out a tune on the piano, she recommended I begin taking lessons to avoid learning incorrectly. I was three years old. I began performing at age five. I played in a recital at Carnegie Hall that same year. I remember the only reason I really liked playing in all those recitals as a young child was because after the performance, cake was often served! My parents took us to see many concerts and performances, I loved them! I remember specifically, seeing “Up With People” and begging my mother to let me audition. She thought I was too young, alas. I remember seeing ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and being moved beyond words. And then, I discovered Yes, Genesis, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer!!!!!
What inspired a classically trained pianist to start working with rock bands, and how did that come about?
Even though I studied classical piano my entire childhood, I still loved popular music. My older sister had a few albums and I listened to them; Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, also Rufus and Chaka Khan. My brother and I would play all those songs together, he on electric guitar, me on piano or organ, and singing at the top of my lungs! Good thing we lived out in the country!!!
I had the opportunity at age 16 to audition for a successful cover band in the area, East Coast Revue. They were really good and played every Friday and Saturday night. I had to play “Hold the Line” by Toto to prove my keyboard skills and I had to sing “I Will Survive” to show my vocal skills. I luckily got the job and started working with them every weekend. What a wonderful and fun time!! I thought I was so cool, working in bars when I was just 16. I felt like such a rebel!
Then I moved to NYC to attend the Manhattan School of Music. I continued my dual musical life, studying and practicing the classical piano repertoire, listening to Yes, King Crimson, Laurie Anderson, Kate Bush, and performing with a band of fellow MSM students at different colleges and venues in the city.
After I graduated from MSM, I was hired as keyboard player for Shirley Alston Reeves, the former lead singer of the famous girl group, The Shirelles. I toured with her for two years, and it is from her I learned how to engage the audience. The Shirelles were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996! Not long after leaving Shirley, I toured playing keyboards with Noel Redding, the bass player with Jimi Hendrix. During that tour, we did a show with Ginger Baker. What a thrill!! We also opened for Blue Öyster Cult in NYC with Tico Torres playing drums with us. Very cool!!! I then started working with an agent who booked me to play and sing in fine hotels and piano bars in Europe. I traveled 6-8 months out of every year, playing in Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Japan. Then I would return to NYC and perform with Potter’s Daughter. Twice while playing in Lugano, Robert Palmer came to hear me and sang some songs with me. Really fun!!!!
Then I met my husband in Switzerland, moved there, and lived in Switzerland for 14 years. It was during that time I got in touch with Jon Anderson. He was accepting submittals for a new project and I sent him an orchestration I had done. He loved it, and I did several arrangements for him. After we moved back to the USA, I reconnected with my friend Amit Chatterjee, and restarted Potter’s Daughter!
Since releasing our debut album, The Blind Side, in 2018, we had the honor of recording a single (Blood and Water) with the fabulous Annie Haslam, and have also recorded a still-unreleased single featuring Jon Anderson which we hope to include on our upcoming second album.
You trained as a classical pianist, toured with Shirley Alston Reeves and Noel Redding, then went back to playing piano and hotels. Why the switch?
That was a function of survival. I was a young musician in NYC struggling to make enough money to pay rent. I worked while attending MSM at whatever sort of job I could get; waitress, concert hall usher (this one was great because I heard amazing concerts for free!), I worked in a health food store, sold office supplies over the phone (hated it!), worked as a live-in nanny. I lived in an illegal basement apartment for a time. I would move from one short-term sublet to the next since the rent was cheaper. I moved so many times, my brother Dave claims he only knows his way around NYC with my futon on his head!! I used to have to take my DX7 and Memory Moog on the subway to get to gigs because I could not afford a cab. I lived once for two weeks on frozen spinach and rice I was so short on money.
So, when I had the opportunity to travel to Europe AND get paid PLUS expenses, it was a no brainer. My bags were packed, and I was out the door!
You say that when you came back to NYC you used to play with Potters Daughter. How different was the band then to what it is now.
I think the band is more of a group now than it was then. In the beginning, the band was more of a support to me. Now, we are a team; Jan-Christian is a huge part of the composition process, both Amit and Jan-Christian help me arrange the songs, and certainly, the amazing instrumental prowess of both Amit and Jan-Christian have a huge effect on our sound. As far as the name, Potter’s Daughter, well, my maiden name is Potter. When I was in my early twenties, I played dinner music in several different restaurants. One of them was the Elmhurst Country Club, where my parents are still members. Whenever I would play there, some of my Dad’s golfing buddies always came up to the piano to ask me, “You’re Potter’s Daughter, aren’t you?” I guess it just stuck!
How would you describe Potters Daughter to someone who has never heard you before?
My friend and Melodic Revolution Records labelmate, Joe Deninzon, said it best, I think. He says our music is a lovechild between Joni Mitchell and Bela Bartok. Haha!!! We call it Art Rock/Prog Fusion since our vocal music is quite different in style to our instrumental music. But this is known in Prog, with bands like Frank Zappa and ELP, whose instrumental music was often quite different than their vocal songs.
I am aware our music is difficult to fit into one genre, which poses challenges, mostly for marketing. However, in my opinion, it is exactly our diversity that makes our music interesting and exciting. I come from a classical background, Amit from Jazz Fusion and World Music, Jan-Christian from Jazz, blues, classical. We bring all these sounds and influences into our set.
What do Amit and Jan-Christian bring to the band?
AMIT CHATTERJEEPRODUCER, ARRANGER, GUITARIST
Amit Chatterjee has produced all our recordings thus far and arranged all the songs on The Blind Side. He also plays most of the guitar solos on our recordings. Amit played guitar in jazz legend Joe Zawinul’s band for 11 years, performed in international performances of Zawinul’s symphonic masterpiece “Stories of the Danube” and is featured soloist on the recording of the work on Phillips Classics. Other stellar musicians with whom Amit has worked include: Peter Erskine, Victor Bailey, Manolo Badrena, Badal Roy, Eric Johnson, David Liebman, and many more.
Born and brought up in India in his early years and living in the United States since his teens, Amit has acquired knowledge and experience in both modern Western music (jazz, funk, blues, rock and pop) and North Indian Classical music. It is this rich palette of sounds, harmonies, rhythms, and posture, which Amit brings to all his musical projects. Amit’s playing is passionate, virtuosic, expressive, and sensitive.
JAN-CHRISTIAN VÖGTLINCOMPOSER, BASS, BASS SYNTH
Jan-Christian co-composes almost all our material with me. He is a multi-instrumentalist, primarily playing bass in Potter’s Daughter. Jan-Christian focuses on unrelenting groove, and his wide knowledge of modern jazz harmony, melody, and rhythm allow him to effortlessly combine and move between genres ranging from progressive rock to jazz and fusion to world music. Classically trained in Switzerland (where he was born and raised), his compositions build upon poignant melodies and chordal movement along with a strong rhythmic presence, and are influenced by classical, impressionist, jazz, and fusion schools. One of the most unique aspects of Jan-Christian’s bass playing is his combination of traditional and non-traditional approaches to bass. He solos on the bass as effortlessly as if the instrument were a guitar; he is featured soloist in many of our songs, especially in live performances. Jan-Christian is endorsed by the Ribbecke Guitar Company, with whom he is developing an innovative one-off 7-string bass. He is also known for playing R-Bass and Zon Fretless basses.
How did the collaboration with Annie Haslam come about?
We have been lucky to work together with Billy James from Glass Onyon PR since releasing our debut album. Billy has been a huge help to us. It was he who suggested we approach Annie. We had just recorded a single with Jon Anderson as guest vocalist (we plan to include it on our second album!). Jon was at that time getting ready to go out on tour for his 1000 Hands tour, so there was no time to finish that single and release it. I spoke to Billy about it, and he suggested we record a different song and ask Annie. Billy introduced us and set it up for us. We sent Annie a demo of Blood and Water along with our vision of the collaboration and she loved it! She said she was intrigued to sing on something which showcased her lower register for a change! Annie phoned me and we had a lovely chat, and we arranged the details. She was getting ready for the Strawbs 50th Anniversary Concert, so there was a bit of a time pressure! We quickly sent her the tracks and she recorded her vocals with Rave Tesar at his studio. The whole experience was a great honor for us.
How did you become involved with Nick Katona?
I actually reached out to him! I had been in touch with several record companies; I was interested (and still am) in building a dynamic and enthusiastic team. What makes Nick Katona stand out from the crowd, in my opinion, is his heartfelt style and approach to music and people. I want to work together with motivated people I truly like and respect. And I love Nick!! He is absolutely motivated; he lives and breathes music! And he is respectful, fair, approachable, and open-minded. I am so grateful to be working with him and Melodic Revolution Records!!
You mention the second album – what is it going to be called and when are we likely to be hearing it?
We are playing around with a few different titles at the moment. We have been prolific during quarantine and the songs we want to present on the album keep changing! Jan-Christian and I are spending May/June 2020 organizing the songs and arrangements. Once that is completed, we will decide when we can get everyone together to record. I am old school in that way. I want to record the second album with the band all together in the studio, playing as a unit, just as we recorded ‘The Blind Side’. The energy is just different when we all play together, and I believe it affects the sound. I imagine we will release the album in spring of 2021.
Where can people discover your music and find out more about you and Potter’s Daughter?
We do our best to be present online as much as possible. There are several opportunities to connect with us! Here are our links:
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