lycia

1989年LYCIA在 orphanage Records旗下發表了一張6首歌的EP:WAKE.那時的他們還是以吉他貝司為主要表現方法.1991年,lycia在Projekt發表了 IONIA,Mike在Will執意離開而使BYZANTINE這本來應該出版的作品流產後獨自創作了全部的作品，那是一種荒涼，空曠的氛圍音樂。含有大量的合成器聲響。在隨後的歲月里,Mike不斷的創作著新的作品:93年的A DAY IN THE STARK CORNER 94年的LIVE(LYCIA首次演出的錄音,David

Galas加入到樂隊里來，同年兩人組成了一個分支樂隊BLEAK,並與95年發表了專輯VANE.不同於LYCIA的作品，VANE是一張暗淡的抑鬱民謠作品)95年的THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST是一個值得紀念的雙專輯，並不是指音樂又回到了LYCIA那種混合了吉他貝斯與合成器的荒涼蕭瑟的招牌音樂，而是第二張專輯中女歌手Tara Vanflower的出現，這位後來的MIKE夫人當年還是個小姑娘，她為LYCIA帶來一種清澈的歌聲，但絲毫也不損害以往LYCIA音樂中那種孤獨和凋零的氣氛，反之更加映襯出那種種荒蕪背後的悲苦.96年COLD推出的背後是Mike的身體被病魔糾纏，這很不幸,LYCIA停止了所有的活動，消失在人們的視線里。在修養期間mike夫婦組建了Estraya,而David組建了自己的Snowblind,但都沒有真正出品作品.97年,lycia已經瀕臨解散，但大家還是決定為它做一次好的巡演留做紀念.98年ESTRELLA發表，這張他獨自創作的專輯本來應屬於BLEAK的作品,mike考慮后還是用lycia發表了他在喪母與自身重病的情況下堅持完成專輯..99年TARA VANFLOWER在MIKE的幫助下發表了自己的首張專輯THIS WOMB LIKE LIQUID HONEY。一個詭異凄涼的黑暗音樂童話。同年還有一件大事就是mike成立了自己的廠牌Lycium Music. John Fair，Will Welch,David Galas都加入到這個廠牌下.2001年Estraya終於推出了自己的首張專輯，同年projekt也發表了兩張LYCIA的精選集.

聽LYCIA 及Mike其它分支組合的作品你會發現一張比一張荒涼，悲楚。有如從深秋走到隆冬。有人說是mike居住的俄亥俄荒野的小山令他的音樂如此，有人說是他那久治不愈的病痛令他的音樂如此，但我想主要還是他的內心世界本就如此荒蕪吧.lycia雖然結束了，但Estraya完全繼承了它的血脈.

黑潮

John Fair: bass, drum programs

David Galas: drum programs, synth

Mike VanPortfleet: guitars, bass, drum programs, synth, vocals

Will Welch: bass, drum programs, synth

May: Mike VanPortfleet forms Lycia, initially as a solo project, in Tempe, AZ.

Summer: Will Welch joins as an occasional collaborator.

November: John Fair joins Lycia. Will Welch's involvement fades.

January: Lycia's guitar/bass style develops.

March: WAKE is recorded, and released as a 6 song cassette on Orphanage Records.

Fall: Lycia's sound begins to move towards a more synth/guitar direction.

May: John Fair leaves Lycia and joins Caterwaul.

Summer: Will Welch rejoins. Lycia's sound moves in a harsher/industrial direction.

Fall: Work begins on Lycia's first release for Projekt.

Spring: Lycia's first release, to be called BYZANTINE, is determined to be unmixable and is Aborted. Will Welch quits Lycia. Mike VanPortfleet gathers song fragments from the previous year and works them into what becomes IONIA. Lycia's style becomes more darkly ambient.

August: The initial A DAY IN THE STARK CORNER songs are recorded.

September: IONIA is released by Projekt.

Summer: Will Welch briefly rejoins Lycia then quits. Before leaving he collaborates on a few acoustic based songs.

August: A DAY IN THE STARK CORNER is finished.

Fall: Work starts on acoustic material that eventually evolves into disc one of THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST.

April: Lycia plays first live show, in Scottsdale, AZ. David Galas assists with the live performance.

May: Mike VanPortfleet asks David Galas to assist with the upcoming STARK CORNER tour.

September: A DAY IN THE STARK CORNER is released by Projekt. A short California tour follows.

October: WAKE is re-released by Projekt with additional out takes.

November: Mike VanPortfleet forms Bleak to explore the noisier, more chaotic side of Lycia, and asks David Galas to join as an equal collaborator. The work on VANE begins.

February: VANE is completed.

March: David Galas joins Lycia as a permanent member. Work starts on THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST, a release that hearkens back to Mike VanPortfleet's guitar based roots.

Summer: LIVE, recordings from 1993's STARK CORNER tour, is released by Projekt. Mike VanPortfleet and John Fair form the instrumental side project Dust. Dust's sound is comparable to the early, more up-tempo Lycia style. A full length release is recorded, but the final mix is muddy and sounds incomplete. The project is put on hold, with the better songs being parted out to comps.

August: THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST is finished. Originally planned as a single disc (disc one).

September: Additional material is recorded for possible inclusion on THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST. The new material returns to the synth/guitar style.

October: Tara Vanflower travels from Ohio to sing on two new songs, and is asked to join Lycia.

January: More new songs are written. THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST becomes a double disc, with the newer material slated for disc two.

February: VANE is released by Projekt.

April: THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST is released by Projekt. The BURNING CIRCLE tour starts.

May: Lycia relocate to Streetsboro, OH during a break in the BURNING CIRCLE tour.

June/July: The BURNING CIRCLE tour continues.

September: David Galas quits the live band.

October/November: Lycia finish up the BURNING CIRCLE tour opening shows for Type-O-Negative.

December: Works starts on COLD, a release that Mike VanPortfleet states will return Lycia to it's STARK CORNER style.

January: Mike VanPortfleet develops health problems, and soon after Lycia enter a period of inactivity. Tensions build within the band.

February: COLD is completed.

Spring: A rift develops within the band. Mike VanPortfleet and Tara Vanflower form the treated acoustic side project Estraya, and David Galas starts work on his Snowblind project. Both projects are soon abandoned. A second Bleak release is started, but also abandoned. Mike VanPortfleet later revamps his Bleak contributions on the ESTRELLA release.

Summer: Mike VanPortfleet plays a solo Bleak show in Chicago, a day after a Lycia performance at the first Projekt festival.

August: David Galas leaves Lycia and moves back to Arizona.

September: COLD is released by Projekt.

October: Mike VanPortfleet and Tara Vanflower get married.

February: Mike VanPortfleet and Tara Vanflower end Lycia's period of inactivity. They agree to extensively tour in support of COLD. They prepare a live set of mostly instrumentals and unreleased songs.

April/May: The first leg of the COLD tour.

Summer: Lycia play several one-off shows, including Mexico City. The live set is revamped with new songs.

October: The second leg of the COLD tour.

November: The work on ESTRELLA begins.

January: The ESTRELLA sessions are completed.

Spring: The initial work starts on Tara Vanflower's first solo release, called THIS WOMB LIKE LIQUID HONEY.

May: ESTRELLA is released by Projekt. Mike VanPortfleet describes the sound as a mixture of COLD and WAKE.

July: Lycia plays the three Projekt festivals, assisted by J Bennett on synth. Soon after, Mike VanPortfleet states that Lycia will never perform live again.

Fall: After struggling with health problems for over two years, Mike VanPortfleet quietly ends Lycia. Plans for a new all electronic project (to be called Polaris) and a Mike VanPortfleet solo release are also aborted.

January: THIS WOMB LIKE LIQUID HONEY is completed. The style is quite experimental, and very unlike Lycia. Only months after making the decision to end Lycia, Mike VanPortfleet resurrects the band. Former members John Fair and David Galas rejoin Lycia, and the initial work starts on the band run label Lycium Music.

Spring: Work on the first Lycium Music release starts (the treated acoustic side project Estraya).

August: THIS WOMB LIKE LIQUID HONEY is released by Projekt.

September: The Estraya recording sessions end, and Mike VanPortfleet wraps up the final mix. The E.P. release is dubbed THE TIME HAS COME AND GONE.

November: Work starts on ESTRELLA's follow up, EMPTY SPACE. With the return of both David Galas and John Fair, Mike VanPortfleet refers to the restored band as "the Lycia reunion".

December: Mike VanPortfleet abruptly ends Lycia as the EMPTY SPACE sessions fall apart, and retires from music.

January: Estraya's THE TIME HAS COME AND GONE is released as a limited edition by Lycium Music.

June: Five songs from the EMPTY SPACE sessions are briefly released as a mp3 only EP release on mp3.com.

July: Tara Vanflower performs two solo live shows, including the cornerstone Festival in Illinois.

January: COMPILATION APPEARANCES VOL. 1, featuring songs recorded in Arizona during the early 1990's, is released on Projekt.

Spring: Mike and Tara VanPortfleet relocate back to Mesa, AZ.

July: COMPILATION APPEARANCES VOL. 2, featuring songs recorded in Ohio during the mid to late 1990's, is released on Projekt.

Summer: Mike VanPortfleet mixes the four unfinished "instrumental" EMPTY SPACE songs, thus finally completing the nine song Lycia EMPTY SPACE release. Mike and Tara VanPortfleet secretly record Estraya's tripping BACK INTO THE BROKEN DAYS.

Spring: Several songs from 1996's COLD are licensed for use in the independent film Lana's Rain.

July: The treated acoustic/ambient TRIPPING BACK INTO THE BROKEN DAYS is released under the Lycia name by Projekt.

October: Lycia leaves Projekt.

December: EMPTY SPACE is released by Silber Records.

Spring: Mike VanPortfleet records solo debut, the Dark Ambient BEYOND THE HORIZON LINE.

September: BEYOND THE HORIZON LINE is released by Silber Records.

October/November/December: Tara Vanflower records her 2nd solo CD, MY LITTLE FIRE-FILLED HEART and writes her first novel, VIOLENT VIOLET.

January: Mike VanPortfleet remasters Lycia's 1998 release ESTRELLA.

Winter/Spring: David Galas finishes first solo CD and signs to Vendlus Records. Tara Vanflower collaborates with Timothy Renner of Stone Breath on the new project called Black Happy Day. Mike VanPortfleet provides ambient backgrounds for Vlor and loops for The Unquiet Void.

March: Silber releases Tara Vanflower's MY LITTLE FIRE-FILLED HEART, and also reissues ESTRELLA

Summer/Fall: Mike VanPortfleet remasters Lycia's 1995 release THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST.

Winter/Spring: David Galas' THE cataclysm is released by Vendlus Records. Silber reissues Lycia's THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST. John Fair forms the all instrumental project Paper Gods.