The peace and serenity of Iona, in 5.1 surround
By JOHN ‘BO BO’ BOLLENBERG and JOHN COLLINGE, Progression Editor

Song as a springboard for religious expression can be a thorny subject when shifted from sanctuary to street corner, especially among members of the fiercely dedicated (and strongly opinionated) progressive music community.

Mixing adventurous music with ancient dogma is a precarious path to critical acceptance, let alone a reliable recording contract. In the case of British band Iona, however, Christian mysticism complements a sound every bit as engagingly ethereal as what ‘70s forebears Yes conjured during the first wave of new age spirituality.

For much of its 17-year existence, Iona has been rightly or wrongly associated with “Christian music,” a realm many secular proggers avoid at the risk of missing some amazing artistry. Those who take time and effort to wade through the band’s impressive catalogue may be surprised to discover that Iona occupies a niche alongside other well-known artists such as Clannad, Enya, Karnataka and Mostly Autumn.

Band members readily acknowledge that Iona’s lyrical themes take a backseat to the music. “Although some of our lyrics contain spiritual and Christian references, it has never been our objective to preach,” asserts Dave Bainbridge, who along with each of his four band mates is a skilled multi-instrumentalist. “The music has always been our main objective since the very start of Iona. If people like our music and absorb some of the spiritual ideas that’s fine, but there is no need. We are mainly musicians, so the music should stand on its own, being powerful enough on its own. We don’t really like to categorize our music, but if we had to we’d go for ‘Celtic folk-rock progressive ambient classical!’”

The seeds for what would become Iona were planted in 1986 by Bainbridge and co-founder David Fitzgerald, who backed a singer-songwriter named Adrian Snell. “I think in total we did around 100 gigs with him, so during sound checks we were given so much time to experiment we started writing our own material,” Bainbridge recalls. “We were combining atmospheric keyboards with improvisational stuff, some of which were interesting ideas. That’s when the idea arose to do something original ourselves.

“We did one concert between the two of us, but realized that to fulfill our musical ambitions we needed a female vocalist. As Joanne [Hogg] had also been touring with Adrian Snell, we contacted her soon after that very first gig. We got on so well it was like a logical step to get her into the band. I had produced an album by Adrian on which Joanne sang backing vocals, so when Adrian went on tour to promote that album it was obvious that Joanne came on tour as well. As a matter of fact she did the opening section of the tour by herself, so we were really impressed by her voice and thrilled to have her in as a permanent member of Iona. That was a mere two months after David Fitzgerald and I had decided to give it a go as a band.”

The group’s artistic vision coalesced during a visit to the small island of Iona off Scotland’s west coast. They resonated with the island’s rich romantic history steeped in traditions of the Celtic and early Christian eras, and were charmed by the mystical heritage of Lindisfarne — another island off the east coast of northern England. “They are such beautiful places that we felt inspired to write some special atmospheric music,” Bainbridge says. “Both also are very spiritual locations, sacred prayer sites for well over a thousand years. So we were attracted by the landscapes. And together with the ideas we had been toying around with on tour with Adrian Snell, this gave focus to how the music should sound.”

Bainbridge experienced a personal epiphany during those island treks, achieving a deep sense of inner peace that eluded him while working and touring in support of so many other artists. This would extend to the core of Iona’s emphasis on calming, atmospheric and spiritual music within the progressive rock framework he and Fitzgerald established early on. From the very beginning, epic tracks such as “Trilogy” and “Beijing” exemplified Iona’s contrast between grand bursts of power and quieter, more intimate passages.

“I started going to concerts when I was about 11 together with my sister, who was a lot older than me. I saw Gryphon when I was about 15. They were supporting Yes back then,” Bainbridge says of his early fascination with progressive music. “So yes, those older influences of course have made a mark on Iona’s style. But the last couple of years I have been listening more to classical, mainly because of the textures in the music and the harmonies. It’s also interesting in order to come up with great chord progressions rather than writing down the obvious.

“Iona’s music has always been made of total contrast. You can expect difficult chord changes in one song and the most simple structure in the other. We can have full orchestration in one song or Joanne singing a capella in another. That’s what Iona is all about — creating different atmospheres throughout our recorded output and during concerts. It’s like you take the same landscape on a bright summer’s morning and you look at that same landscape during a dark winter’s night.”

The band currently comprises Bainbridge on keyboards, guitars, bouzouki and programming; Troy Donockley on Uilleann pipes, whistles, bouzouki, guitars, and vocals; Hogg on vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar; Phil barker on bass; and Frank Van Essen on drums, percussion, and violin. Co-founder Fitzgerald left in 1992 to study music full time and never returned.

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