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THE AURORA PROJECT is a group of talented musicians who came together with a singular intention; to pay tribute to John Wetton music in gratitude for his 50 years of inspiring singing, songwriting and bass playing. 

Personnel:

Art DeMatteis - singer 

Brian O'Sullivan - keyboards

Kathy "Kat" Francis - singer

John Francis - electric and acoustic 6 & 12 string guitars, bass guitar, bass pedals, vocoder, backing vocals

Eric Rocco - guitar, bass and acoustic guitar

Steve Honoshowsky - studio drums

CITC: Where is home? 

AD: Right now, Central New Jersey, USA

BO: I'm originally from Baltimore, Maryland, but have lived in Bear, Delaware for the past 25 years. 

CITC: What do you do for a living? 

AD: I’ve been a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative for the past 29 years. I’ve been with Novartis in their Cardiovascular Division for the past 7 years.

BO: I am a database systems programmer/analyst.

CITC: What are your memories of hearing Asia for the first time?

AD: It was April of 1982. I was in 8th grade at the time of the first Asia album release. I was on a class trip and heard this big bombastic song come on the radio. It grabbed my attention immediately! The melodic nature of both John’s singing and writing appealed to me. As a singer, I’m usually drawn to vocalists who have warm tonality to their voice. John had a wonderful warmth to his resonance. It’s calming and deep with both emotion and clarity.

BO: Asia was all over the radio & MTV in 1982. On the last day of 8th grade a bunch of friends grabbed some pizza at a local shop and queued up a bunch of 45s on the jukebox. I distinctly remember talking about how we really liked Asia and thought they'd be really big. The music had a great mix of guitar and keyboard sounds, soaring melodies, engaging videos. 

...Some months later, I bought the sheet music book for the debut album, and started learning the songs on piano. Heat Of The Moment, Only Time Will Tell and Sole Survivor were frequently on the radio. I finally got the LP for Christmas, and copied it to cassette so I could listen on my Walkman. I still have the sheet music book, and was thrilled to get all four original members' signatures during the Phoenix tour.

KF: I have been an Asia fan since the release of the first album. I was in high school and I remember everyone talking about this new album from this amazing group Asia - everyone was so excited about its release! I went to the School of the Arts (the "Fame" school), so all of my friends were musicians and lovers of great rock; Yes, U.K., King Crimson and ELP were groups they listened to on a regular basis. This group Asia was the most thrilling thing to come along in ages. A bunch of us left 8th period study hall and converged on the Time Square "Discomat" to pick up a copy on release day. I put aside everything else I had in my Walkman and listened to that first album exclusively for 6 straight months.

JF: It had to be somewhere between 1982 and 1983. The eponymous ASIA album was out, but I don’t think that Alpha had yet been released. At school, my older sister had won a raffle and the prize was the first ASIA album. I remember hearing strains of ‘Only Time Will Tell’ and ‘Heat of the Moment’ coming out from behind the closed doors of her room and I was intrigued by what I heard. I was only 11 years old and a complete rock music neophyte at this point (N.B., My record collection included ‘Paradise Theatre’ by STYX and the ‘Star Wars Soundtrack’…). So like any other brother would do, at the first available opportunity, I stole it!! I don’t recall her making a huge fuss about it so it definitely worked in my favour. I remember listening to Side 1 and when ‘Time Again’ kicked off, that was it, I was hooked (of course, for years I though the record skipped or something as the band craftily decided to start the guitar riff on the up-beat of one…grrrr, so clever). I spent countless hours mesmerised with headphones on, looking at the album artwork. In fact, I even tried to reproduce the dragon cover for a Junior High art project. Somehow, they still let me go on and graduate from my scholastic studies despite that horrible lapse in judgment…

CITC: What was it about Asia and John Wetton's music that moved you so much?

AD:  Asia was the first band that really made me take notice of their talents and sound. It was massive in every aspect. Unique and melodic. I've often called John’s and Asia’s music the soundtrack to my life. First girlfriends, breakups, heartaches, emotional ups and downs…It’s all there in Asia’s music. It got me through some very difficult times in my life. Especially during the rough times dealing with the loss of my Father at a young age. You could always find strength and inner meaning to so many of John’s lyrics. I’ve loved all John’s solo works as well. But for me, his best release as a solo artist was Battle Lines. It’s simply magnificent from start to finish. It’s production quality is simply superb. Having Asia back and active again after their 23 year absence was simply the biggest musical event of my life. It was indeed A DREAM COME TRUE.

BO: After the first year of high school I stopped taking piano lessons, but I continued to play, focusing more on pop/rock and playing more by ear. I started learning guitar, and just before college I joined a band. We started writing songs, and that made me realise just how much Asia's music had become part of my musical fabric. By the time I started college, Asia was on hiatus, but I started exploring the music from the guys' previous bands; Yes, ELP, U.K., King Crimson.

Half a lifetime later, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that all four original members of Asia were getting back together! It was a real treat to catch one of those early shows and hear the entire first album played live. I hoped that the band would continue, and maybe even record new music...I couldn't have imagined we'd get 4 new studio albums, multiple tours, 

meet-and-greets, and even a U.K. reunion!

I started connecting with other fans on John's guestbook - and occasionally "Johann" himself! John had such a way with words, not only in his lyrics, but his online correspondence was witty, informative and entertaining. It was always a thrill to read John's thoughts on the latest Asia, Icon, or solo release. Many "Guest Bookers" starting meeting up at shows or later connecting through private email or other social media. Many of those friendships continue on today, and it's very likely we'd have never met were it not for John.

JF: As I got older and progressed through each successive ASIA album, I started to pick up bass guitar and after a while moved on to guitar. Over the years, and playing in various bands (both cover and original projects), I was fortunate to cross paths with different musicians who turned me on to other work that John Wetton had created. Caught in the Crossfire was the first John Wetton solo album I picked up and was thrilled to see him collaborating with musicians like Simon Kirke and Martin Barre. This led me to the U.K. catalog. The Danger Money album is one of my favourite John Wetton collaborations. Just brilliant prog meets pop with "Nothing To Lose" leading the way, complete with a fantastic bass break into the outro choruses!! And what else can be said about John’s contributions to King Crimson? To hear it all for the first time was truly illuminating!!

What has always struck me about John Wetton, the songs he writes, and the way he delivers his performances, both in the studio and live, is there is an honesty to it all. Basically, he seems to just lay it out there on the line for all to see and hear, giving it his best, holding nothing back. His voice has such a powerful, rich and warm tone that draws the listener in, but to my ears, always seemed to be a bit tinged with sadness, almost plaintive at times, even on the more lyrically uplifting, up tempo songs.

As a guitarist/bassist and songwriter, I credit John Wetton with showcasing skill, beauty, and absolute mastery of counterpoint in his bass lines. Either counter to the melody he’s singing or the arrangement of the guitars and keyboards, John Wetton was NOT a root straight 8th note player!! But a lot of times it can deceptively sound like that if one isn’t paying attention. Effortlessly, his bass lines seem to diverge in the arrangement and give the listener something really different and interesting to follow, but artfully weaves its way back to be ready for the root on the chorus and bring the listener back to ground. John Wetton truly mastered the art of making the difficult look (and sound) easy. A huge inspiration to this day.

KF: I love music, but am also very particular about it. I do not like everything and if the vocals do not appeal to me, I am not going to like a group, no matter how brilliant the music might be. ASIA just had the perfect everything –warm, inviting vocals, and the best keys, drums, and guitar parts around. I always found John’s vocals beautiful; expressive, emotive, powerful or tender depending on the song and knowing he wrote or co-crafted the songs only added to the awe. ASIA songs are fun to sing and John is enjoyable to sing along with. It is inevitable that years of singing along with a singer will help train a voice, and learn through the singer’s vocal choices. I have no doubt that Art will agree that John Wetton indirectly trained us, in part, to be the singers we are today.

CITC: Tell us about The Aurora Project. Why did you start this band? 

KF: My husband (John Francis) and I were ecstatic about the reunion tour, since neither of us were able to see ASIA live in the 80s. We went to every show we could possibly get to in NJ and any other surrounding state ASIA played. We were blown away by how enjoyable it was to see and hear the group after all these years. They looked great, and sounded great! We had the great pleasure of meeting the band numerous times, which was such a thrill. It is always such a gift to be able to tell people, whose work you admire, how much they have 

made a difference to you and in your life.

Those reunion shows were special because in addition to meeting the band, seeing the shows, and hearing the music performed live, we also met some wonderful people who we’d see show after show; making friends with folks who shared the same love of ASIA music. In addition, we befriended a number of fans with whom we had more than the band in common, they were also musicians. The friendships that have come from being an ASIA fan have been wonderful, and have lasted years and will last for years to come.

Johnny and I had formed a band called KATALYST before we were married 22 years ago. After the first reunion shows, we were so high on ASIA that we decided to change our band’s focus to be an ASIA tribute band called ‘Time Again’, which is where we made the acquaintance of keyboardist Brian o’ Sullivan. Brian came all the way from Delaware to our home in NJ to audition, and he quickly proved himself the perfect person to represent Geoff’s keys in the band. We soon became fast friends. Johnny took up bass, our KATALYST drummer JT (John Torhan) would be our “Carl” and I would be on vocals. I did have to think about whether or not a female singing ASIA songs would be frowned upon or considered rude, but in the end, I reasoned that as long as we presented the songs with honour and try to do every song justice, I could feel good about my role in the project. Plus, it was my band and I wanted to be a part of it. I loved the band no less because I was female!

We were unable to find just the right guitarist however, so this band never truly took flight. You can’t have a band unless you have all the players and unfortunately we didn’t have all the players.

AD:  We all met during the first reunion tour of Asia back in 2006. From there we started friendships. Everyone had musical talents, and it wasn’t long before we started talking about doing something musical together.  We always meant to do something but it never came to fruition. John’s passing in 2017 was the moment we all decided that it was time to do a tribute FOR HIM. So, the members of our 2 bands from NJ (my band Diver and John and Kathy's band Katalyst) joined forces as The Aurora Project, and recorded a version of Asia’s Alpha deep cut of “Never in a Million Years”. We do our tribute songs in a male/female duet style! Which quite honestly isn’t something you see very much anymore. We were honoured by being featured at John’s “An Extraordinary Life” celebration concert in Englewood NJ in June of 2017. The feedback we received prompted us to record 2 additional tribute songs. Another track from Alpha ("The Last To Know"), and the Wetton/Downes iCon track “In The End”. It’s been tremendously fulfilling for everyone involved. We look forward to doing another tribute song sometime this year if time allows.

JF: THE AURORA PROJECT really was the definition of ‘grass roots’ in terms of its inception. What better foundational elements to form a musical collaboration than the shared enthusiasm for a particular artist?  I think the name THE AURORA PROJECT was proposed by Art pretty early on, not only in reference to the top secret surveillance plane, but also a tip of the hat to the ASIA 4 track EP released in Japan in the late 80s. It just worked!!

THE AURORA PROJECT would be more than just a group of musicians covering some songs. The goal was to pay homage to John Wetton and the band, the influence on our lives in the love of the music, and the influence on our own music, and of course, the friendships made.

Recording the songs also helped us grieve. It was hard for all of us to process the loss. In a way, we were also grieving the loss of our youth, and the things that would never be the same. The project helped us work through all of these emotions, and make peace with it all. We were able to do it together because as fans, we all understood and were going through the same emotions. Bittersweet, because on the one hand, it was such a wonderful experience, but knowing John will never hear what we did, or see the tribute made to him is sad.

We were honoured when our video opened John’s tribute show but it was again bittersweet – it would have been better to have no need for a tribute show in the first place.

KF: The Challenge of the Tribute

Covering someone else’s song, especially a well-known vocalist can be a challenge. You intend at all times to be respectful while your own spin on it inevitably comes through. You try to remain true to the original while also making it an expression of you and your feelings, what the song means to you and your interpretation.

No one really needs to hear a bunch of fans create a carbon copy of the original when you have the original artist performances to enjoy. I am aware that no one needs to hear me sing his song when you have John Wetton doing it!! It’s not about proving how adept you are as a musician that you can copy every note or lick exactly as well as the original players, it’s not about ego.

It is a challenge because you never want to defile the original work, change it too much, or take too many liberties, but you also do not want to be redundant, doing exactly what the original artists did on the record.

I had to try to find a way with the vocals to show who I am without changing things too much; to stay true to the core of the song, but add a little of myself. In fact, all of us had that challenge with our parts. Our goal was to always be respectful and remain true to the original intent, but have fun with it. I think John would have wanted us to explore our capabilities and brainstorm ideas, and let the process stir up our own creativity. I like to think that maybe John might have thought something we did or added was interesting or at very least been moved by the thought behind the effort.

The result is each song retaining its core with THE AURORA PROJECT seasonings added through vocal extras, outro vocal lines, perhaps a guitar solo where there was none originally (i.e., outro solo on ‘In The End’), and riffs from other songs thrown in here and there to try and catch the ears of other fans.

The Tribute Players

Brian is an amazing keyboard player who is very dialled in to the spirit of Geoff Downes. Bri has a cleverness in which he can weave riffs and themes from other Asia songs as “Easter Eggs” and teasers within the context of what we were doing. Eric is a versatile player equally at home with lead or rhythm guitar or bass. Art brings not only beautiful vocals but also a passion for the music and an appreciation for John’s vocal ability. He can tune into the core meaning and intent of any song and sings with feeling and emotion. He sings also as a fan, with respect, and intent to honour and pay homage to a hero.

Johnny mapped out our entire recording process and figured out all of the numerous parts that needed to be recorded. He worked with the engineer to balance and mix each finished project, taking pages of notes for things that needed to be changed, tweaked, boosted, or removed. He was able to add Moog bass pedals (John Wetton’s actual set!!!), and vocoder plus layers of clean, distorted, rhythm, lead and bass guitar parts as well as vocal harmonies to each song. John also produced the first couple of AURORA PROJECT videos, taking hours of footage and hours of time to create a visual for each song.

We have all been in some way rehearsing for this project since 1982! Bedroom hairbrush microphones, broom guitars and pillow keyboards somehow prepared us for this project as we all come together in friendship and common goal to tribute the man and his band. It is an honour and incredible experience and one we hope ASIA fans will enjoy.

JF: Along with Eric Rocco from Art’s band DIVER, and session drummer Steve Honoshowsky, the project became a reality very quickly and without any drama. Everyone was clear in what their remit was and it was executed at a very high level, or at least to the best of our musical abilities. The result was our cover of ‘Never In A Million Years’ which was not only a personal favourite of ours, but nice to be able to cover an ‘album track’ vs. one of the big hits off of Alpha. For me personally, the highlight of the project was being able to add the Moog Taurus pedals to the track, using an actual set previously owned by John himself!! I was fortunate to be able to purchase them when they were for sale back in 2011 from the previous owner Martin Orford. To use the pedals on these tribute tracks was truly a bit surreal, but quite fitting as well. I’m glad I got to be a small part of that moment when the wheel went ‘round…

It was definitely a labor of love, as were the subsequent tracks THE AURORA PROJECT has recorded, in tribute (and hopefully doing justice) to the enduring legacy of John Wetton and his collaborations with Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, and Carl Palmer.

CITC: Are you involved with other music projects? 

Art: In addition to being co lead vocalist for The Aurora Project, I still sing with my band from high school called Diver. We do early 80’s MTV covers, as well as original material from time to time. I’m also involved with an acoustic project called Lion in Winter which I hope to do some work with later this year. It’s all for fun and personal fulfilment!

Brian: I'm a frequent participant in the Delaware-based "The Rock Orchestra" (TRO). Each season TRO picks three new projects featuring different lineups of local area musicians. In recent years, we've featured music from The Who, Genesis (The Lamb, Duke, and Abacab), Elton John, Jethro Tull, and Tom Petty. I usually play keys with TRO, but sometimes add a touch of guitar. I arranged most of the orchestral scores for our Jethro Tull and Elton John shows. 

I also play guitar, bass, and mandolin in an acoustic trio called "The Acoustic Jam". I play keyboards or bass most Sundays at church. I'm one of the contributing transcribers to the piano sheet music book of Keith Emerson solo piano pieces called "Selections from Emerson Plays Emerson". 

Before the pandemic I played keys in a Philly-area Yes tribute band called "All Good People". Some video clips from past performances & band websites: 

TRO plays "The Lamb": HERE 

TRO plays Tull's "Hymn 43": HERE

All Good People "Heart of the Sunrise": HERE 

The Acoustic Jam: https://theacousticjam.com/ 

TRO website: https://www.therockorchestra.net/ 

JF: John and Kathy Francis continue to work in various original/cover band situations: · KATALYST website: https://katalystband.com/ · KATALYST and 'M' is Four Musicians youtube channel: HERE .

CITC: Outside of John Wetton music, what are you currently listening to? 

AD: I’m hopelessly stuck in the early 1980’s musically BY CHOICE! Yes, I still listen to a lot of what I listened to many years ago! That style of music is in my DNA. I’m a ridiculous hopeless romantic and that was all part of the early 1980’s MTV generation. I’m also the biggest Elvis Presley fan that you will meet! He’s been my motivation as a singer since the age of 5! My other influences are John Wetton (of course), Jimi Jamison, Steve Perry, and Gary Puckett.

BO: Usually I'm listening to whatever songs I need to learn for my next show, which at present is a lot of Billy Joel. One of the newer artists I really enjoy is Dave Brons. He's an amazing guitarist & composer whose last two albums are inspired by The Lord of the Rings. His latest Return to Arda was produced by Dave Bainbridge (Iona, Lifesigns, DBA). Steve Morse and Muse are also in my current playlist since I'm seeing both bands this month. 

JF: Sounds cliché, but not too much. Although, I really do appreciate when you hear great songwriting and hooks, regardless of the artist or genre. Hard to find, but there is still great music being created out there.

In addition to John Wetton and ASIA, my rock influences include Styx, Rush, Kansas, Pat Benatar / Neil Giraldo, and The Beatles.

KF: In addition to being a huge ASIA fan, I also count Styx, Kansas, Night Ranger, Pat Benatar, and Rush as favourites.

CITC: Vinyl, CD, or digital? why?

AD: Vinyl all day Every Day! I’m an old school traditionalist who places a high value on his roots! Nothing better than opening up a new album back in the day. The artwork, the inner sleeve, the printed lyrics and the photos. Magical memories of youth!

BO: I do a mix of all three... I still buy CDs and load the music onto my iPhone. I don't stream - maybe I'm old-fashioned, but still prefer physical media and also hope that buying CDs or LPs gives more financial support to the artist. I love the warm sound of vinyl and really miss the experience of studying the cover artwork and liner notes while listening to the music for the first time. 

JF: All three I guess, although vinyl is the biggest part of Kat’s and my music collection. Several hundred albums. It pains me a bit to know that they’re all probably going to end up in a land fill some day because they’re not ‘worth’ anything anymore. But for me, the thrill of buying a vinyl record album (or the occasional 45 single) in Tower Records, Sam Goody’s, Alwilk Records, or even K-Mart back in the day, getting it home, taking off the shrink wrap (being careful to save any ‘hype’ stickers…) and cracking that album jacket for the first time…ahhh, the vinyl would never be that clean and unscratched again!!!

The album artwork, the lyric sheets, the liner notes, and the de rigueur band photos, THAT was the way to experience what the artist had provided to the music buying public. Could life get any better? I submit that it cannot!!!

CITC: As a fan, can you talk about what John Wetton meant to you. How did the music influence your life? 

AD: John’s lyrics always resonated with me. The deep emotional context to his songs always could provide you with insights into yourself. I loved how John’s writing was always rooted in his own personal experiences. There was a relatability to that for me. All of his compositions with Asia, solo, and with Geoff could take the listener on an emotional journey of introspection. Factor in his soft calming and smooth voice and you had a recipe for success and artistic expression. It was a blessing getting to know John a little over the years from his intimate solo shows in NYC during the mid 1990’s, to the meet and greets with Asia in the mid  to late 2000’s. Seeing Asia was a musical dream come true for me and many others who didn’t get the opportunity to see them back in the early days. What a journey it’s been. I think of John often, and continue to keep his soul in my prayers daily. Ride Easy my Friend….and thank you.

BO: As the Asia reunion tours continued, I started to attend meet-and-greet events. John and Geoff started to recognise and greet me like an old friend, but there usually wasn't a lot of time for deep discussion. At a meet-and-greet during the Gravitas tour, I handed John a letter. I had written down everything I had ever hoped to tell him; about how inspiring his music had been to me over the years; how his music led to many lasting friendships, etc. I had hoped he might have a chance to read it while on the road. A few minutes after the meet-and-greet ended, I was surprised when John came back out into the venue, looking for me. He had read my letter and wanted to thank me for sharing how his music had impacted me! A true gentleman. 

I appreciated John's openness and honesty about his struggles with alcohol. Knowing his story helped me to support a close family member through their own struggles with addiction.

JF: John Wetton and the band ASIA are among those artists I was fortunate to stumble across during my formative years that got me interested in guitar and being in bands, and later in songwriting. I feel like their music is part of my musical DNA now and it’s a great resource to draw upon for inspiration.

 The Aurora Project Facebook page-https://www.facebook.com/TheAuroraProjectNJ

The Aurora Project-Never in A Million Years-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7hg9-t-aYk

The Aurora Project-The Last To Know-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HcTOJxGdOo

The Aurora Project-In The End-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t416dq4zFpo