A new American progressive rock band called Octarine Sky surfaced this year and it is quite spectacular. Keyboardist, composer and vocalist Dyanne Potter Voegtlin (Potter’s Daughter) and bassist, composer and producer Jan Christiana put together the band and recruited drum virtuoso Simon Phillips.
Octarine Sky’s debut album, “Close to Nearby,” is a deeply satisfying symphonic progressive rock masterpiece with masterful musicianship and classical music and jazz-rock elements. “Close to Nearby” also features two fantastic guitarists, Guthrie Govan (The Aristocrats and Hans Zimmer) and Amit Chatterjee.
The striking artwork for the album cover was created especially for this project by Armand Cabrera.
“Close to Nearby” will be available on November 5, 2021.
We talked to Dyanne Potter Voegtlin about her background and Octarine Sky.
What are your fondest musical memories?
Oh, so many! I remember so fondly the house of my first piano teacher, Anne Vanko Liva. She lived in a huge Victorian home and converted all the bedrooms into practice rooms, each with a grand piano. I remember being there as a young child (I began studying with her at age 3) and hearing the cacophony of at least 5 different pianists simultaneously practicing everything from Hanon exercises to Rachmaninov. I loved that so much! Later, when I moved to NYC to study at the Manhattan School of Music, I remember walking down the hallway of the Conservatory, hearing the sound of students practicing in all the practice rooms, and thinking, this is the sound of home.
What do you consider to be the essential elements of your music?
For me, I began as a classical pianist, learning the classical repertoire, and accompanying my brother who played violin. Therefore, the classical approach to music is indisputably part of my sound and my thought process. However, while I studied classical piano, I listened to popular music on the radio and loved rock music. I started playing in my first rock band at age 16.
Jan comes from the world of jazz and jazz fusion. He has also studied western classical music as well as Hindustani classical music. Jan voraciously listens to every different kind of music available. He brings that richness of knowledge to his composing, arranging, producing, and playing.
You are a keyboardist and a vocalist. What kind of musical training did you have? What came first, the voice or the piano?
I grew up in a musical family. Everyone played an instrument and everyone sang. We would have jam sessions all together (usually ending up in either fights or fits of laughter). Every Christmas Eve my grandparents came to our house and we all would sing Christmas carols together in 4-part harmony. So, I grew up both playing the piano and singing. However, my formal training as a pianist came before any voice lessons. It was not until much later that I started studying voice here and there.
I am very impressed with your new band, Octarine Sky. When and how did the band come together?
Thank you very much! This project really took on a life of its own! Jan and I started out with the idea of making Potter’s Daughter’s second full-length album. We knew we wanted a heavier, more orchestrated approach this time, so our first task was to find the right drummer. Since we planned to include on the album classical pieces such as “One” and “VII”, it was imperative we find a drummer who could not only handle the technical difficulties of the music, but also understand the genre enough to come up with creative drum parts which would serve the music. We both thought that in a perfect world, Simon Phillips would play on the album. We reached out to him and sent him the demos of “5”, “One”, and “VII”, and explained the project to him. He really liked the music and agreed to play! As we started working together, we realized what an amazing synergy exists between us.
Similarly, we knew our absolute favorite choice for the guitar solos would be Guthrie, so we reached out to him, and he also liked the music and agreed!
I would like to include here that our dear friend, Amit Chatterjee, who played guitar on all our previous Potter’s Daughter recordings, and also produced them, decided to step back from the music industry for the time being. We are so grateful Amit still played guitar for one track on this album as well. (Hold)
We cannot overstate the impact these amazing musicians have had on this record.
As the project developed, we began to realize how different Close to Nearby is compared to anything we had done thus far with Potter’s Daughter. Therefore, we decided to create the band, Octarine Sky, which will be the heavier project, and to keep Potter’s Daughter as the more acoustic, folk-prog project.
Tell us about the debut album “Close to Nearby”. The band sounds very tight and there is superb musicianship throughout the album. What is the concept and how did you record it during pandemic times? Did you work in person with the musicians or was it remotely via the Internet?
Thank you! Yes, due to the pandemic, recording together live in the studio was unfortunately impossible. Jan and I sent our work tracks to Simon; he recorded his drum parts to the work tracks. Jan and I then re-recorded to Simon’s drums, which is why I think it grooves so strongly. Jan on bass and Simon on drums make an incredibly powerful rhythm section. We then sent those tracks to Guthrie, and he sent his amazing guitar solos back to us.
In “Close to Nearby” you use a wide range of vocal styles and overdubs that work wonderfully. Tell us about the vocals process.
Thank you! I have been working on my voice with two amazing teachers, Me’sha Bryan and Edrie Means Weekly. The most challenging vocals for me were in “5”. Jan created that wonderful choral arrangement. It was tough to sing because of the speed, the odd meter, and the syncopation. But I love the way it came out. Jan and Simon did a wonderful job making all the vocals throughout the album sound lush and full.
“Close to Nearby” features two fantastic guitarists that deliver stellar work, as well as the great drummer Simon Phillips. How did you meet these musicians?
I have been friends with Amit Chatterjee since our New York City days. It was Amit who encouraged me to re-start Potter’s Daughter in 2018. He gathered the excellent musicians, Lincoln Goines and Randy Crafton for The Blind Side recordings and did all the musical arrangements.
For Close to Nearby, Amit was no longer working in music, so Jan and I decided to make Close to Nearby Jan’s debut as Producer, allowing him the freedom to experiment with several production concepts he had been developing.
Jan spent a week working with Simon during the mix; I came out for the last two days. Jan and Simon truly constitute the Dream Team. They created that rich sonic palette together.
Unfortunately, we haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet Guthrie in-person. Hopefully in the future!
As I said, the album is fantastic, but it left me wanting for more. Are you planning a second album?
As a matter of fact, Yes! We have already spoken about it with Simon. It is just a matter of preparing the arrangements and scheduling.
Will you be performing live?
We hope so. Of course, these days, it is difficult to predict the future of live performances. But we have spoken about it with Simon and we would all love to perform the music together. It is again, a question of scheduling.
What type of keyboards are your favorite and which do you play today?
I recently bought the Nord Grand, which has the most amazing weighted action of any keyboard I have ever played. I love it. I also use Arturia, Omnisphere, and Keyscape VSTs. Beyond that, I would love very much to add a Moog One to my rig!
In what ways are you promoting your music?
We are honored to work with Billy James and Glass Onyon PR. We have been with Glass Onyon from the beginning of Potter’s Daughter. Additionally, Octarine Sky is delighted to work with Amplified Distribution.
We are also active on social media.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OctarineSky/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/octarinesky.band
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OctarineSkyBand
If you could invite additional musicians or bands to collaborate with, who would it be?
So many!!! Collaboration produces a richness to the music one cannot achieve alone. Our music is quite densely orchestrated at times, so in order to recreate that sound live, we will need more musicians to cover all the parts. Right now, we are toying with the idea of performing with two guitarists, Simon, Jan, and myself, along with another dedicated keyboardist so I would be slightly freer to focus on select keyboard parts, piano, and vocals.
What advice would you give to beginners, especially young women, who are anxious and want to make music outside of pop and trendy mainstream music?
I would say, make music to please yourself. Other people might not understand immediately. Keep making the music you hear, the way you hear it. Keep putting it out there. Keep practicing. Keep studying. Keep learning other kinds of music. Read a lot, meditate, reflect. Don’t ever stop. Eventually, you will find your people. Don’t give up.
In addition to the release of “Close to Nearby”, do you have any other projects to share with us?
We hope to begin working on the next Octarine Sky album in 2022. Also, Potter’s Daughter will be releasing a solo piano album sometime early next year.