K2- "Book of the Dead"

Certainly an album I am very proud to be a part of.
Ken Jaquess and I have known one another for many many years and have shared our
hopes and dreams through some very dark ages of progressive rock!

I had always been a fan of Ken's work with Atlantis Ken first played for me rough
tracks from his new project K2 on a day trip into the Nevada "Spring Mountains"
.... maybe a year ago.I really felt genuinely excited not just for him but for the genre in general.

I suppose a bit of magic may have been at work here on this recording.
Ken worked with me on "Heavens Cafe'" which ran for six weeks at
Insurgo Theater in summer of 2003. It was the first time we had actually
been on the same project together outside of his "Atlantis" and my "Art Rock Circus"
It was on the set of Heavens Cafe' that both Ken and I met violinist Yvette Devereaux
and she came in at the last minute to sub for someone Insurgo had brought in to do the
string parts in the rock opera. Certainly a strike of luck there! I feel very close to"Book of the Dead"
in that the three of us (Ken, Yvette, and myself) playing in "Art Rock Circus" would
all ended up performing on the K2 album a year later.

Apparently Allan was not able to finish the guitar work on the record so Ken was having
to find someone to come in and finish quite a substantial load of rhythm tracks and other
pre arranged parts. When Ken called and asked if I would like to get involved with the
project it was easy to find time to do it!.... already being familiar with it's progress.

I must say it was refreshing "not" being in the producer's chair this time.
Ken gave me a diligent assignment not far from a college course with things being very
specific and worked out in advance. It was very challenging.

Ken had told me that he liked the idea of having two contrasting styles of guitar work
on the recording ... and of course that would be the case here between Allan and I.
I think it was interesting from Ken's perspective as a producer that he did not let me hear
any of Allan's playing nor Shaun's vocal lines. I think he was concerned that I might
in some way be unnecessarily effected or influenced by those lines as opposed to just
really doing my own thing and coloring it how I would see it.
My role here was clearly not to be the featured soloist or try to
fill in for Allan, but to add feel and texture and some new lines that might not otherwise be in there.

It was great fun to listen to the end result mixed and finished and I think Ken did a wonderful job
of weaving it all together. Apart from Ken's "assignment" I had played lots of extra stuff for him to
just have as other options at mix down.....some he used and some he didn't.. not expecting a lot
of it to end up on the recording ... I was surprised to hear so much of it in the mix with all the other
sounds and shapes happening all together. I have received a few e mails asking which songs or
parts did I do. The answer is really, other than the obvious wonderful solos by Allan, the rest of it
is me playing. I did all the rhythm tracks and guitar textures and some lead lines. As far as
Ken's approach, I think he proved a success.

It is interesting as well that both our three year projects Ken's "Book of the Dead";and my "Tell a Vision"
open with 20 minute tracks and would be set for release within weeks of each other on different labels!

....................................................................................................................John Miner