This week, Patrick and John welcome back Peter Orullian! Peter’s latest project – The Bell Ringer from Symphony North – is a mixture of his love of soaring vocals, anthemic orchestrations, powerful rhythms, and groups like Mannheim Steamroller and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In fact, the album features several former recording and/or touring members of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, not to mention current members of the band Dream Theater.

About Peter Orullian: Peter Orullian was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a kid, he could be found making up stories, writing songs, or involved in a pick-up game of just about anything. In college, Peter joined a performing and recording rock band at the same time he finished his Honors thesis—a fictional work entitled SKINWALKER. That year, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Utah with an Honors B.A. in English, with a writing emphasis, and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Societies.

Two years later, he moved to Seattle, Washington to begin serious, classical vocal study with famed maestro David Kyle–vocal trainer to Geoff Tate of Queensryche, Ann Wilson of Heart, and Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, just to name a few. Over the next four years, he continued his music study and began increasingly to spend his discretionary time writing. During those first years in Seattle, Peter worked for a small press as editor for a New York Times bestselling writer. He also worked as a journalist, authoring a column on voice for Progression Magazine in which he interviewed and profiled some of the great voices in rock and metal music.

In 2006, Peter sold his first short story to a Denise Little anthology, and has since sold numerous short stories. Then, in early 2009, Tor Books purchased the first three books in an epic fantasy series entitled The Vault of Heaven. About that same time, Peter began the first of several international tours, primarily to Europe, to front rock and metal bands like Heir Apparent and Fifth Angel as lead vocalist.

In 2016, Peter was selected to write the novel to progressive metal giant Dream Theater’s concept album The Astonishing. And the following year, he began work on The Bell Ringer–a project so far comprised of: a complete novel (currently on submission through his literary agent), and a complete rock opera comprised of 24 song songs, featuring former recording and/or touring members of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and current members of Dream Theater.

Peter lives in the Pacific Northwest.

About The Bell Ringer from Symphony North: The Bell Ringer is a Holiday rock opera consisting of 24 songs and tells a Christmas story that hearkens back to the poignant kind of storytelling of tales like A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Miracle on 34th Street. The album features several amazing musicians:

From Trans-Siberian Orchestra:

• Tim Hockenberry
• Valerie Vigoda
• Jody Ashworth
• Michael Lanning

And From Dream Theater:

• James Labrie
• Jordan Rudess

This week’s picks:

• Peter: Distance Over Time – Dream Theater
  • Peter’s 2nd Pick: Seriously Sinatra – Sirius XM Radio
• John: The Image Revolution (Documentary) Prime Video
• Patrick: MileHiCon (2020)
• Patreon Pick 1: The Hollow – Netflix – Picked by Robert Junker
• Patreon Pick 2: The Expanse Novella – Auberon – Picked by Paul Jackson

Links:

• Peter Orullian on Twitter
• John Anealio on Twitter
• Patrick Hester on Twitter
• The Functional Nerds Patreon Page
• Patrick Hester on Instagram
• Patrick’s Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere)

© 2019 Patrick Hester and John Anealio

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

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