Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman and Adam Wakeman trade keytar licks on a new Rick Wakeman track, Tudorock.

In case there’s any question, that would be Rick Wakeman in the gold cape! Read more…

The Las Vegas Sun reports that Rick Wakeman’s son, Oliver Wakeman, is donning his father’s cape – or at least walking in his footsteps – and rocking with progressive rock band Yes.

“(Yes) asked Dad if he had anybody he recommended, and he recommended me, which is very nice,” says Oliver Wakeman, 37, who was born the same year one of the most popular Yes albums, “Close to the Edge,” was released.

“I’ve always been a fan of that style of music,” says Wakeman.

“I do distinctly remember being 9 or 10 and having a record player in my room,” Wakeman says. “And the records I had were records that Dad had left behind when he moved out. I remember to this day, there were ‘Six Wives of Henry VIII,’ ‘Tales of Topographic Oceans’ and Styx’s ‘The Grand Illusion,’ and I thought they were great.”

Wakeman didn’t look to his father for advice on re-creating his classic sounds and Minimoog solos.

“He wouldn’t tell me and I wouldn’t ask,” he says. “We never really talk about music, to be honest with you. I just went to the job as if I was any other keyboard player that had gotten the job.”

Wakeman is touring with a rig of about seven or eight keyboards. “We’re very close with a lot of the sounds; they’re pretty authentic. I have a Mellotron sampler, and I use a new Moog (synthesizer) rather than one of the old ones, because the new ones have auto-tuners and things like that that keep them a lot more stable.”

Yes is on a 26-city US tour.

Why did you get into synthesizers and electronic music? 

In most cases, it’s because of a great track, or a incredible performance like this: Rick Wakeman going freakin’ ballistic on two keyboards. 

I’m not a big Yes fan, myself, but I do love to see Wakeman do his thing. 

Let me know what you think of Wakeman’s insane multi-keyboard chops!

Rick Wakeman’s Jane Seymour

Not a lot of keyboardists got away with wearing capes, even in the 70’s, but no one seemed to question it when Rick Wakeman cut loose. Read more…

A rock band called Beast Infection makes the fateful decision to fire its keyboardist due to his penchant for indulging in long, luxurious solos. One by one, the band members are picked off by an unseen entity…

It turns out the killer is not who you might expect!

Best quote: “Rick Wakeman and David Lee Roth probably wouldn’t get along. Let’s just leave it at that!”

Starring David Stanbra, Rich Knight, Kali Hawk, Mark Gaddis, Storm Lee, Justin Lee, Katrina McCullough, and Emily Banks.

Music by Austin Meredith

Directed by Matt Thiesen