Jon Anderson fans are already looking forward to his next album with the Band Geeks, which will be released in the second half of 2026.
But as he told UCR during an exclusive interview, he’s also been hard at work, determined to finish something that he first began at least 25 years ago. “I’m actually working on a large scale, full project, simply because my son, Damian said to me one day, why don’t you do [an album called] Son of Olias? And I thought, ‘Okay, yeah.’ I started scribbling and writing a story.” he detailed during an interview for the UCR Podcast you can listen to below. “I just spent the last four years creating tons of music for it. And whether it will come out, I don’t know, but you just do it because it’s inspiring to create music.”
How Did ‘Son of Olias’ First Begin?
The roots of the idea for a sequel to Olias of Sunhillow, Anderson’s 1976 solo debut, go back at least a quarter-century. During a 2001 interview, he mentioned that he’d been working on “a piece of music” for about a year, built around “the mysticism of life that surrounds us.” It was subject matter he felt was well-timed with the popularity of the Lord of the Rings movies that were being released then.
The former Yes vocalist continued to speak about the endeavor periodically in the years that followed. He offered an update to UCR in June of 2022, sharing that the pandemic had given him a wealth of time to focus on fleshing out the concept.
‘It’s Completely Off-the-Wall Stuff’
“I’ve just finished five hours of music, about two weeks ago,” he shared during the 2022 conversation. “I would say it’s completely off-the-wall stuff. I don’t know what it is [or] why it is. It’s going to be called Zamran: Son of Olias. Now, Zamran is the word I came up with when my son, Damian said to me, ‘Why don’t you do Son of Olias? One day, he said, ‘Jon, you’re doing this, you’re doing that. Why don’t you do Son of Olias. Come on.’ And I thought, ‘Zamran,’ and I wrote it down.
He’s Spent Many Hours on the Album
“I’ve worked with a dozen people around the world, musically speaking, to help to put it all together, and it all came together over the past two years, because like most people, you know, you were home, you stayed home, you had to stay away from the COVID and everything,” he explained in that same 2022 interview. “I just worked 20 hours a day on it. And I don’t know what it is yet. I’m still trying to figure out why it is and all that. I know why I’ve done it and I know what it’s about, but putting it into words that make sense is another story.”
Though his release plans remain uncertain, he confirmed during our most recent conversation that it continues to be an important priority. “I’m still going strong on it, and it’s still driving me crazy.”
Listen to Jon Anderson on the ‘UCR Podcast’
What’s Ahead for Jon Anderson in 2026?
His first order of business for the new year will be a fresh round of tour dates with the Band Geeks. The concerts will kick off April 17 at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Connecticut and are presently set to wrap on May 7 in Royal Oak, Michigan.
READ MORE: Jon Anderson Announces 2026 Tour Dates
The songwriter is also prepping reissues of 1997’s Earthmotherearth and 2011’s Survival & Other Stories. Both will make their debut on vinyl Mar. 27 and will also be available on CD, streaming and digital download.
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