Where are they now? - Asia
Where are they
now? - Asia
and related projects
This page last updated: 26 Apr 2024
Asia Official website;
MySpace page;
Twitter;
Facebook;
Official
Google Group;
authorised
fan club
Asia return with the
Heat
of the Moment 2024 US tour, with 21 US dates 3-31 Jul 2024.
The band has a new line-up of Geoff
Downes (Yes; keys),
Harry
Whitley (Facebook;
vocals, bass), John
Mitchell (It Bites, Arena, Frost*, ex-Icon,
worked with John Wetton, worked
with Oliver Wakeman; guitar)
and Virgil Donati (ex-Planet X, ex-UK; drums).
(Downes, Whitley and Mitchell played together at the 2023 John
Wetton memorial show.) The tour has support from Focus
(Thijs van Leer, Pierre Van Der Linden, Menno Gootjes, Udo
Pannekeet), Martin Turner (with Danny Willson, Misha Nikolic,
Sonny Flint) and Curved Air (an acoustic trio version of the band:
Sonja Kristina, vocals; Kirby Gregory, guitars; Grzegorz
Gadziomski, violin), who all, like Asia, are managed by QEDG. The
tour will be MC'd by Roger Dean,
who will also be displaying art. In response to some criticism of
the new line-up, Lisa Wetton (John's widow) said on Facebook:
Virgil played with John
in U.K. they had great chemistry and friendship.
John Mitchell was John�s axe man in the
John Wetton Band. And do[n']t knock Harry Whitley until you
get a chance to see what he can do. It�s easy to sit there and
make remarks on your socials while the family busts its ass
trying to find ways to meet John�s last wishes by keeping the
music alive. We don�t want performers who carry negativity;
that is why we brought together this lineup who all have great
love for John and the music.
We can agree to bury it forever and let
the light go out for future generations. Or we can bring the
music into this decade with a fresh energy. You can bitch
about it all you want and proclaim your platitudes about
something that is gone�get over it and be grateful someone
continues to play great music!
Carl Palmer announced on
15 Apr that, "I recently became aware that my friend and bandmate
Geoff Downes will be touring the US this summer in a new line-up
of ASIA of which he will be the only original member
participating. As many of you know, I have also announced a tour
for the RETURN OF EMERSON LAKE & PALMER project [...] My
commitments to the ELP project have made it impossible for me to
be part of this ASIA tour. I wish Geoff the best of luck with his
forthcoming tour and I plan to eventually embrace the music of
ASIA again at some point in the future." There were
aborted plans for touring 2022 and 2023 with a prior line-up of
Downes, Palmer, Billy Sherwood (bass) and Marc Bonilla (
ex-Keith Emerson Band; guitar, vocals). In a
Jun
2023 interview, Downes said of the band, "I think we're in a
position where it's parked, but we're not ever going to say that
that's finished. If the right planets align at any given point,
we'll be up and running again. Carl and myself are very keen to go
out and so more Asia". In a
Jul
2023 interview for
Goldmine, Downes said it was "a
case of "If the situation arises, we can do something." Both Carl
and myself particularly, and Billy [Sherwood] and Marc Bonilla,
would be happy to go out there and do something. It's just a case
really of people putting something together and putting it on the
table [...] if it adds up, then we would definitely go out again."
In an
Apr
2023 interview, Downes said, "Hopefully, we'll get some Asia
material out at some point again."
Asked about Asia in a
Jan
2024 interview, Sherwood said, "Asia is still a thing. We were
supposed to tour last year [2023], but we got a little bit
sidetracked because Alan Parsons, who we were going to tour with,
had some medical issues. So the tour got canceled, unfortunately.
But I know Geoff's into it, and I'm into it, so we'll just have to
see where things go." Asia had announced plans for a 40th
anniversary tour starting Aug 2022 with a new line-up of Downes,
Sherwood, Palmer and Bonilla, but this was then postponed and
Bonilla has yet to play live with the band. The tour was to be with
the Alan Parsons Projects, but Parsons required a medical procedure,
causing a delay. Plans moved to a tour of 20+ dates beginning
mid-Feb 2023, with a focus on the 40th anniversary of
Alpha,
as well as on the debut album, and with a display of Roger Dean art.
However, Parsons had continued health problems and those dates
didn't happen. Palmer explained in a
Feb
2023 interview:
We�re not doing anything with Asia right
now. We were supposed to be touring this year [2023], starting
the back end of February. It was a double header tour, going out
with Alan Parsons, but Alan�s had an operation as he has a bad
problem with his back, so the tour got cancelled, and we hadn�t
put anything else in as the promoter wanted to buy a package,
and by the time we heard from Alan it was too late to do
anything. So, at the moment, Asia has nothing on the table
concerning recording or touring. This isn�t to say something
won�t happen, but everyone is starting to get booked up for the
rest of the year, so I can�t see anything happening in 2023 as
things stand.
"Bumblefoot" Thal, who was the guitarist and vocalist in Asia in
2019, said
on
social media about the original 2022 tour plans: "Sadly I'll
be unable to join @OriginalAsia on this wonderful tour -
@SonsOfApollo1 rescheduled its Jan2022 tour to Aug, to my dismay
it's right when Asia's tour was scheduled for. Will miss my Asia
mates, they have all my love & support, I hope to see them when
they hit NJ!" Palmer said to Doug Curran in Oct 2021 that there were
talks about a Yes/Asia/Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy tour for 2022 for
Asia's 40th anniversary, but that did not happen.
Asia joined Yes, Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy with Arthur Brown, and
John Lodge on a joint tour summer 2019 North American tour entitled
the Royal Affair tour. The line-up was Downes, Palmer, Sherwood and
and
Ron "Bumblefoot"
Thal (
Sons of Apollo,
ex-Guns N' Roses; guitar, lead vocals), but with
Steve Howe
guesting for a portion of the set. Asia's set on the opening night
of the tour was "Go", "Don't Cry", "Video Killed the Radio Star"
(originally by The Buggles), "The Smile has Left Your Eyes", "Lucky
Man" (originally by ELP), "Bolero" ("Cutting It Fine" extract,
Downes keys solo), "Wildest Dreams" (with Howe on guitar and Thal
just on lead vocals until end of set), "Sole Survivor", "Only Time
will Tell", "Heat of the Moment". Asia have been planning to release
a live album from the 2019 tour: it was expected in 2021, but has
yet to appear.
Roger
Dean has been doing a cover (as he did for
Yes's live album
from the tour). Asked in a Jul 2021 interview with TotalRock
whether he might guest again with Asia as he did in 2019, Howe said,
"Maybe there's a formula there that we could repeat, but I don't
know." In another
Jul
2021 interview, asked about the possibility of Asia touring in
2022 and if he would be involved, Howe replied:
I don�t know that there is anything
official yet, but I know it�s an anniversary year [40 years
since Asia was released] and there may be something
going on but I'm not committed to anything. But that does not
mean to say I wouldn�t do something. Let us wait and see.
�Bumblefoot� Tha[l] did a great job the other year on the Asia
tour, actually doing John�s job. He�s an amazing singer and
guitarist, so if I'm not there he will be, and I'm happy with
that.
In a
Feb
2021 interview, Downes said, "I think that he [Wetton] would
have wanted that music to be heard for as long as we're able to,
really." In a
Jun
2021 interview, asked about recording an album with the 2019
line-up, Downes replied, "I think we've always thought about that.
Obviously, Ron's very busy [...] we've not been able to do any live
stuff [because of COVID-19]. So, it's really been put [...] in
abeyance at the moment, but certainly I think that now things appear
to be easing off on that front, we hope that we can get back out and
maybe do another album." In
another
that month, Downes said "hopefully" Asia would do future live
dates with Thal.
Asked whether there are any plans for the 2019 line-up to record a
studio album, Downes
tweeted
Jun 2019, "I sincerely hope so. Feels like it might be time..." In a
Jul
2019 interview, Downes said, "Hopefully, we'll do something in
the future. I think [Thal]'s done a fantastic job. It would be a
shame if we didn't continue and make some music together." On tour
in Jun 2019, he said to a fan that he hoped to record an album with
this line-up in autumn 2019, with a release to come before a
new Yes album.
Palmer, around Jul 2019, also said he would like to make an album,
and Sherwood, in this
Jul 2019
interview, affirmed he was open to that as well. At the end of
an
Aug
2019 interview, asked about his future with Asia, Thal said he
would "roll with the flow of it all." He continued: "it raises a lot
of thoughts [...] Do people want new music from this line-up or do
they just want to come and hear the hits that they love? Uhm... do
we do one song, just for the next tour, something like that; do we
do a whole album? Honestly, I can go any which way. I'm cool with
whatever."
Wetton had been receiving treatment for colon cancer from May 2015
and he and Downes wrote a new album through 2015-6. Touring was
announced for 2017, but Wetton pulled out of the initial batch of
dates because of treatment, with Sherwood announced as subbing for
him, before then passing. In a
Feb
2017 interview, Downes said, "John had already said that he
wouldn't be well enough to do the tour and I had worked with Billy
Sherwood in Yes and what was meant to be something of a temporary
thing has become a full-time gig for him since things took a turn
for the worse with John, who died earlier this week." In a
statement
about Wetton's passing, Downes said:
We were planning another album, but sadly he was
not well enough to complete it. I feel heartbroken about this,
as I knew John thought it was to be one of our finest albums to
date. I remain as proud as ever of our Wetton/Downes writing
partnership. I am hoping one day that I will be able to finish
it, and that it will be appreciated by all those who loved his
and our music, and most importantly, a legacy he would have been
proud of.
Life will not be the same without him. And words are not really
enough to describe the loss I feel right now, and the many
friends and fans all over the World will also be feeling. It is
the end of an era for all of us. But we will soldier on - the
music of John Wetton needs to be heard loud and clear from the
rooftops.
Final writing sessions with Wetton
In the Feb 2017 interview, asked if they planned to complete the
album they had been working on, Downes replied, "Yes. I think so. He
had a lot of material for it. I think we will definitely do
something with it because I think John would like me to do that."
Downes has reiterated this position subsequently. To the Feb 2018
issue of
Prog, Downes said, "I am personally committed to
finishing the songs we had started in 2015/2016." Asked on Twitter
in Apr 2018 about plans for releasing this material,
Downes
replied, "Working on it". In a
Mar 2021
podcast, Downes said, "I've still got some recordings I did
with John Wetton [...] there's still some elements of that that I'd
like to do at some point." Asked about the material, he replied:
There's probably about half a dozen, but
because John was too sick really to, at the time, to take them
any further. [...] deep down, I know probably [...] the
direction he would like them to go in. So I've got those, those
elements, they're there, and I really hope to get them,
y'know, completed one day.
But the last 4 or 5 years have been pretty solid on the road
with Yes particularly [...] it's been a lot of roadwork the last
10 years but the way it is at the moment, I think I'm going to
have to spend a bit more time fishing around in the studio and
see what I can come up with.
In an interview published in the May 2022 issue of
The Beat,
Downes said, "I [...] want to finish some stuff I had been working
on with John Wetton just before he passed away and to put out as a
tribute to our writing partnership. It would be great to get some of
the artists who worked with Asia to guest on that." In the Jul 2023
Goldmine interview, Downes said, "I still have got some bits
and pieces. Unfortunately, John, at the time we were writing, was
not well at all. We didn't really get much of a chance to develop it
to any kind of complete level, but there are bits and pieces around
that eventually I would like to get a bit of time and take a look at
and see if we can make something out of it."
Work on this material may go back to Jul 2015. In a
late Jan 2016
interview, Downes said he'd "been writing with John Wetton for
another Asia album" and, on 11 Feb 2016, both Downes and Wetton
tweeted about meeting up to work on a new album. Wetton
said:
"Looking forward to (yet) more writing today with @asiageoff
Mr.Downes. Next ASIA record moves along apace." Downes later
said:
"Excellent day in Bomo with my old chum @arkangel2605 [Wetton's
Twitter account] Very productive - new Asia album on the way!" On 3
Mar 2016, Wetton then travelled to meet Downes in Wales "to
formalise new ASIA material", according to a tweet he made. Downes
tweeted afterwards: "Excellent day with @arkangel2605 today at my
studio. New Asia album en route!" In a
Mar
2016 interview (possibly conducted in Feb), Downes said, "I've
been working with John on some material since last year [2015]
actually. John's been sick for the last year or so now and has been
having some fairly extensive medical treatment. In between that
we've been putting together some songs that we hope sooner or later
we will actually go into the studio and do another Asia album." In
an
Apr 2016 interview,
Downes said: "I have been working with him [Wetton] on some new
material and hopefully we will get an album out in the not too
distant future." In a later Apr 2016 interview, Downes said: "we are
still writing and we [sic] be doing an album with John Wetton
towards the end of [2016]." A
May
2016 tweet by Wetton showed a CD-R and said, "next ASIA record
is on here, now we just have to record it!"
In
an Oct
2016 interview, Downes said: "Asia, hopefully we'll get that
back up and running soon. That's the idea. We've been working on new
material, and we have a whole album planned." Wetton described the
first song as 7.5 minutes long and as in 17/8. He also mentioned one
song title was "Tattoo on Your Soul". Asked about that title by a
fan in Jun 2019, Downes implied he called the piece "Indigo".
However, in a
Jun
2017 interview, it was reported that Palmer "says it's too
early to say if the new lineup, featuring Sherwood, will record
together." In another
Jun
2017 interview, Palmer talked about events and the future more
broadly:
�We thought he�d make the March [2017]
period for the tour, but he suddenly took a turn at the very
end,� Palmer said. �Those last three weeks, he was very ill and
he passed.�
Asia had already committed to opening for Journey, but Palmer
wasn�t sure if they could continue or even if Journey [...]
still wanted them [...]
But the band�s management said, �They still want you. Please
find a bass player.�
As it happened, they had one in mind.
Before Wetton died, Palmer said the band had some difficult
discussions about whether Asia would carry on.
The drummer said, �Before he did go, we asked Jo[h]n if we were
to carry on, who would you want to take your place?�
Wetton chose Billy Sherwood [...]
Beyond this tour, Palmer doesn�t know what will happen next. He
will keep playing music � that much is certain, but whether it�s
with just his own band, with Asia or as part of another group,
he�s not entirely sure.
Shortly before Wetton's death, in comments in
Jan
2017, Palmer said, "I wasn't going to be making the next Asia
album anyway because I was a bit concerned about the direction of
the band. It was getting a little bit too middle of the road. I
didn't realize that John was this ill when I made this announcement
to him, so obviously I'll review that. If he can record at all I'll
look at the situation again." In comments to a fan on tour in Jun
2019, Palmer implied that Wetton's vocals would not be used on a new
album.
In an early
Nov
2020 interview, Downes said, "At some point, I am hoping to
complete some Asia material that I had begun with John before he
sadly passed". In a
Jun
2021 interview, Downes said:
I�m still working on those [final songs
written with Wetton]. I�ve got some plans for them. It�s been
difficult because there�s not a massive amount to deal with but
at the same time, there�s enough for an album�s worth of
material that will be significant. I�d like to get a lot of the
people that worked with John and myself and all the people
involved to offer some performances, which would be great.
That�s really where I probably would see it going.
Palmer told one fan that Wetton's vocal recordingson these demos
were not usable, implying the songs would have to be recorded with a
new vocalist or vocalists. In a
Sep
2021 interview with Prog Radar, he said, "I've still got
unworked material from a session I had with John before he sadly
died so there is potential there to craft something new. I feel that
Asia has not run its course and that there is still some life left
in the band. Again, we'll have to see what emerges from those
sessions." The next month, the official John Wetton memorial twitter
account announced that Downes "is leading a John Wetton tribute
album with special guests, featuring unfinished Wetton/Downes
songs." This appears to mean the 2015/6 material, although that has
not been confirmed yet.
Other
news
There have been multiple archival, live, digital-only releases from
the band.
Live at the Teatro Colegiales, Buenos Aires,
Argentina, 2011 came on 17 Nov 2023. Before that was
Live
at the Carling Academy, Glasgow, UK, 30 November 2006, out 3
Nov 2023.
Live at the Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 25
April 1982 came out 23 Oct 2023. The first two are soundboard
recordings, both of which had limited releases before I think, while
Live at the Stanley Theatre is from an audience recording.
Tributes and memorials to John Wetton, including a book and concert,
are discussed
on
the main page.
4 Asia tracks ("Heat of the Moment", "Wildest
Dreams", "Time Again", "Tomorrow the World") are included on Carl
Palmer's Fanfare for the Common Man box set (BMG Rights
Management, BMGCAT791DBOX), out 2024.
Asia Featuring John Payne Website
In early 2006, Asia had consisted of Geoff
Downes (keys), John
Payne (bass, vocals, guitars), Guthrie Govan
(guitars) and Jay Schellen
(drums, backing vocals), when Downes left for the reunion of the
original band. Payne/Govan/Schellen then formed GPS. The Asia Featuring
John Payne name was contractually agreed with the reunion band on
9 May 2006, but Payne did not assemble a band until later, after
GPS had failed to take off commercially. In May 2007,
Payne/Govan/Schellen announced the formation of Asia Featuring John Payne,
with Erik Norlander
later announced on keys. Since then, AFJP have toured with some
regularity, nearly entirely in the US, with a set covering both
the Payne and Wetton eras of Asia.
The line-up has changed considerably, with Payne the only
constant.
Asia Featuring John Payne toured the
US in 2022 with a line-up of Payne (lead vocals, bass), Johnny
Fedevich (drums), Jamie Hosmer (keys, backing vocals), Moni Scaria
(guitar, backing vocals) and possibly (reports vary) Alex Garcia
(guitar, backing vocals). In a
Feb 2022
interview, Payne described the situation of there being two
Asia line-ups touring as "not ideal", but that it was OK "as long as
it's clear which version of the band" is playing. The band toured
further in 2023.
They are touring in 2024 in
celebration of the 30th anniversary of Aria. Overall,
there are 18 North American dates from 18 May-7 Dec 2024, plus
they play the W Festival in Belgium in Aug 2024. More dates are
expected to be announced. Some of the dates are just AFJP, but
some see Payne and the same band also working as the backing band
for various classic rock singers, including Lou Gramm (ex-Foreigner), or just with Gramm. Thus 2024
touring covers various formats: as AFJP, with Gramm, as 80's Rock
Tour, or as Voices of Classic Rock. There was a 6 Apr 2024 show
under the name The 80's Rock Tour featuring vocals from Gramm,
Payne, Steve Augeri (ex-Journey) and Fran
Cosmo (ex-Boston). There is a 9 Nov 2024
show in California of Gramm with Asia Featuring John Payne, which
I think means Gramm supported by the AFJP band and AFJP also
playing as the opening act. Advertising for that promises a set
including "Heat of the Moment", "Only Time will Tell", "Don't Cry"
and "Sole Survivor".
In a
Jul
2020 interview, Payne said he was working on a new AFJP album.
He also spoke of plans to re-release his Asia back catalogue. In the
Feb 2022 interview, he announced the album will be called
Aviana
and that Rodney Matthews
(worked with Oliver
Wakeman) has done a cover.
Prior plans for an album under the AFJP name
were re-directed into becoming the eponymous debut by
Dukes of the Orient.
They are Payne (vocals, bass, additional lead and rhythm guitar) and
Norlander (keys), with their first album also involving Kollman,
Govan, Schellen and others. A second Dukes of the Orient album,
Freakshow
was released Aug 2020 on Frontiers. In the Feb 2022 interview, Payne
said they are talking about a third album and would like to tour,
but it has not proven financially viable to do so.
On to CIRCA: and related projects news
Return to Where are they now? front page
RSS feed
Any news, additions or corrections, please e-mail Henry Potts.
Thanks.