ERIK NORLANDER (DUKES OF THE ORIENT): “It’s Not A One And Done Project”

Erik Norlander and I go way back…sort of. I first discovered Erik and his wife Lana Lane back in the mid-2000s while running my own rock e-zine. Between Erik and Lana’s solo material and Erik’s prog-rock group Rocket Scientists, they probably put out new material every six months or so and sent it my way. It was great material, especially to my U.S. radio ears. I had never heard music quite like it. You have to keep in mind, this was early internet and CD/DVDs were the only way to go.

When I got back into the rock game I was excited to see that Erik was still around and making music. Erik Norlander and John Payne of Asia fame are the Dukes of the Orient. They released their debut self-titled album on Frontiers Records in 2018. The Dukes return in 2020 with their follow-up album Freakshow. The road that got the Dukes of the Orient together is little intricate to lay out, so I’ll have Erik Norlander do that for you. Enjoy!