PANGAEA

1995  The origins of PANGAEA can be traced to the band Artica, which was founded by the brothers Corey Schenck (keyboards/guitars) and Andi Schenck (drums/percussion) in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Artica, which gigged in the area throughout the early and mid 1990s, consisted of the brothers Schenck and schoolmates Darrell Masingale (guitars/vocals), Ron Poulsen (bass), Steven Osborn (vocals/guitars), and Keith Tinker (keyboards).  The concept for the band was to create a sound based on the classic rock and progressive rock of the past while utilizing modern sounds and styles.  The idea was simple:  amalgamate memorable melodies; rich harmonies; powerful rhythms, and other musical elements into compact song structures.  We wanted to create our own style based on the bands each of us grew up listening to, but at the same time, without sounding just like them, recalls Corey.  It was important that the music was organic, that it was not forced or contrived.  Because we all had similar influences, the musical direction came quite naturally.  With this foundation the band could maintain their musical integrity and still reach out to the public through well-constructed rock songs of substance.  During these early days as Artica both Osborn and Tinker left the group in pursuit of other endeavors.  The Schencks, Poulsen, and Masingale would continue on as a four-piece. 

In February, the quartet entered a local studio (the 25th track) owned by producer/engineer Walt Bowers.  The group spent three months, working nights, recording a mini album entitled Liquid Placidity.  The CD was released and shopped in October and garnered the interest of several producers nationwide, including musician/producer Robert Berry of 3 (w/Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer) and GTR (with Steve Howe) fame in the 1980s.  The meeting of band and producer led to a collaboration, which has held strong through three albums.  A mutual fan of Robert and ours introduced us, said Andi.  The interaction between Robert and the group was immediately positive.  We had the same goal and the same idea on which direction the music should go. 
 

1996  In 1996, the band decided it was time for a change.  They relocated to Houston, Texas and officially became PANGAEA.  Andi remembers, We all agreed it was time for a change, a fresh start.  I brought up the name Pangaea, which I took from a lyric in one of our songs.  We did the research to make sure no one else was using it, got the trademark and copyrights, and began to focus on the musical direction.

In April, the band traveled to California to begin pre-production work with Berry.  For the next five months they were diligently writing, arranging, and recording demos.  During this time the group acquired a repertoire of some thirty-plus songs from which they selected the strongest ten for the album.  In July, they entered Soundtek Studios in San Jose to record PANGAEAs debut The Rite of Passage.  Of the ten songs on the album all but one was written by Corey, the lone exception being Andis Lonely is a Place.  Even though it is my name on most of the songs, it really is a group effort when it comes to arranging the overall style of each one, stated Corey.
 

1997  The debut album was released in January.  Throughout the progressive and underground rock communities, audiences began to take notice of the band.  The reviews for the album were overwhelmingly in favor of PANGAEA and the band was selling their self-contained project throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America and Australia.  The Rite also received radio play in Europe and on American college stations.  Some reviews of the CD were peppered with words like masterful, intense, brilliant, and awesome.

The success of The Rite led to a worldwide distribution deal with German recording company Angular Records for a follow-up album.  In July, the group returned to Soundtek Studios with Berry to record Welcome to the Theatre.  The title was born through a process, which the band continues today.  Our album titles are taken out of the lyrics from a different song one each album, said Poulsen.  We began this with Liquid Placidity and have continued to do so.  During this time songwriting collaborations began to take shape.  Three songs, including the German released The Hobo, the Dog, & the Moon, were penned by Corey and Masingale.  A fourth work, Fanfare for One World was composed by all four members.  Andis The White Shaman was later released in support for the preservation of Native American artifacts with the Rock Art Foundation.  One of the albums more powerful songs was written by Andi, Poulsen, and Erich Schenck (the youngest brother who also did the artwork for The Rite CD).  I felt that it was important that everyone be involved in the writing from the beginning, said Corey,  that it would give the album more diversity and dimension. 

Another new collaboration during this period was with German artist Rainer Kalwitz whose imaginative painting adorns the CD cover. 
 

1998 An even broader fan base was built on the momentum of the second release worldwide.  Theatre received many positive reviews with descriptions like fresh and interesting, a great step forward for music, and High octane all the way!  One European reviewer hailed the work as a masterpiece. 
 

1999  In January Poulsen left to follow another path, which left an opening in the band.  Out of the blue the group received a call from Osborn to rejoin the band.  The band also met bassist/vocalist Maurice Bettaglio, former front man for the Italian-based bands EAS and Crisis.  This new five-piece lineup gave the group more diversity vocally and instrumentally.  The quintet began writing and arranging demos for their next album.