THE MERCHANTS?
In 1993 American guitarist / producer Charles Normal was traveling in Europe with Guns n' Roses. When they arrived in Norway, Charles arranged a meeting with the Oslo based underground band Sister Rain. There was an immediate kinship between the two bands, and the next day members of both bands went into a recording studio and wrote a song together. The result was the genesis of The Merchants of Venus, a band formed by Normal, Guns' keyboardist Dizzy Reed, and Sister Rain members Aslak Nygren and Rune Annaniassen.
Normal stayed in Oslo while Guns n' Roses continued on their tour, and eventually negotiated a contract with Warner Music for a full album release. Recording commenced in Hollywood, California in late '93, but was brought to a sudden halt when the Northridge Earthquake destroyed their studio and master tapes on January 17, 1994. Warner flew the band back to the safer environs of Oslo where the entire album was rebuilt from the ground up. The move forced a different approach to the recording, with several band member changes made necessary by the geographical distance to California. The California musicians slated to contribute , among them Dizzy Reed, Slash, and Black Francis of Pixies, were replaced by Oslo locals including Ivar Eidem (Matchstick Sun and The Cut), Lars Pedersen (Holy Toy) and legendary Norwegian rock icon Joachim “Jokke” Neilsen. A brief journey to a studio in Luxor, Egypt saw the completion of the recordings.
The result was Wish Across the Land, the debut album by The Merchants of Venus.
The critics gave it glowing reviews. The audiences responded enthusiastically. And then, midway through their national tour Charles Normal abruptly flew back to Los Angeles for family reasons. The plan was to reconvene and resume touring at a later date, but in the interim bassist Rune Annaniassen died of a heroin overdose. The Merchants were no more.
Guest band member Joachim “Jokke” Neilsen soon followed suit and also died from a heroin overdose.
In 2018 Aslak Nygren and Charles Normal went into an Oregon recording studio together and began writing and recording a two decades late follow-up to “Wish Across the Land”. They quickly assembled a new band of inspired musicians and played two “rehearsal shows” at small venues near the studio. The Merchants were back. A new album is in the works. Who knows where it will lead them this time?
Normal stayed in Oslo while Guns n' Roses continued on their tour, and eventually negotiated a contract with Warner Music for a full album release. Recording commenced in Hollywood, California in late '93, but was brought to a sudden halt when the Northridge Earthquake destroyed their studio and master tapes on January 17, 1994. Warner flew the band back to the safer environs of Oslo where the entire album was rebuilt from the ground up. The move forced a different approach to the recording, with several band member changes made necessary by the geographical distance to California. The California musicians slated to contribute , among them Dizzy Reed, Slash, and Black Francis of Pixies, were replaced by Oslo locals including Ivar Eidem (Matchstick Sun and The Cut), Lars Pedersen (Holy Toy) and legendary Norwegian rock icon Joachim “Jokke” Neilsen. A brief journey to a studio in Luxor, Egypt saw the completion of the recordings.
The result was Wish Across the Land, the debut album by The Merchants of Venus.
The critics gave it glowing reviews. The audiences responded enthusiastically. And then, midway through their national tour Charles Normal abruptly flew back to Los Angeles for family reasons. The plan was to reconvene and resume touring at a later date, but in the interim bassist Rune Annaniassen died of a heroin overdose. The Merchants were no more.
Guest band member Joachim “Jokke” Neilsen soon followed suit and also died from a heroin overdose.
In 2018 Aslak Nygren and Charles Normal went into an Oregon recording studio together and began writing and recording a two decades late follow-up to “Wish Across the Land”. They quickly assembled a new band of inspired musicians and played two “rehearsal shows” at small venues near the studio. The Merchants were back. A new album is in the works. Who knows where it will lead them this time?
The Merchants of Venus are:
Aslak Nygren - Vocals
Ivar Eidem - Keyboards, Vocals
Charles Normal - Guitar
Kristian Jacobsen - Bass
Past members were:
Rune Annaniassen - Bass
Ivar Eidem - Keyboards
Lars Pedersen - Drums
Sid Riggs - Drums
Jokke Neilsen - Guitar
Brian Hayes - Guitar
Dizzy Reed - Keyboards
Aslak Nygren - Vocals
Ivar Eidem - Keyboards, Vocals
Charles Normal - Guitar
Kristian Jacobsen - Bass
Past members were:
Rune Annaniassen - Bass
Ivar Eidem - Keyboards
Lars Pedersen - Drums
Sid Riggs - Drums
Jokke Neilsen - Guitar
Brian Hayes - Guitar
Dizzy Reed - Keyboards
©2019 THE MERCHANTS OF VENUS
