The Time is Right

At the time, the transformation from R&B into hard rock and prog rock seemed seamless, swept along a current of subtly shifting styles, a view today cemented by hindsight into inevitability. But all one has to do is listen to bands that fell by the wayside to see that the end result was in no way insured, and that other paths beckoned, only to quickly become cul-de-sacs. Drummer Keef Hartley established his reputation upon joining British blues legends John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in 1967, performing on four of their albums before his departure the following year. That same year, Hartley formed his eponymous band around the axis of himself, bassist Gary Thain, and singer/guitarist/composer Miller Anderson, with their musical horizons widened by a kaleidoscope cast of brass, keyboardists, and flügelhorn players. The group released The Time Is Near…, its third album, in 1970, a set that found the group moving into ever more esoteric pastures.

Holon is one of the musical outlets of singer, songwriter and guitarist Ronny Pedersen. Ronny seriously started getting into music around the age of 12 after having been seduced by the illustrious sound of the guitar. After initially trying to mimic the rock guitar gods of the 80's and 90's, mostly focusing on lead guitar, he eventually opened up to other genres such as prog-rock, jazz, Frank Zappa and even world music. During his 20's his focus started shifting more from the lead guitar to songwriting, which naturally led the way to expressing himself through singing. This he found to be an even more expressive outlet than indirectly expressing himself through the guitar. His drive towards making music has only grown stronger throughout the years, and 25 years after he found his initial connection with the guitar he started the holon project.