noMad's Land

Сънувах те

2012-01-03T23:48:00.003+02:00

Снощи те сънувах. Лежеше на застлан с червена кувертюра диван в хола на апартамент на висок етаж в модерна сграда в центъра. Стаята беше осветена от една от онези нощни лампи с висок крак и матова кремава елипса, която пръска достатъчно светлина, но и не гони уюта на здрача. Диванът гледаше към редица прозорци, през които се виждаше нощния град – блестящият под жълтеникавите лампи паваж, светлините от прозорците, рекламите на фирми и магазини и рядко преминаващи в късния час таксита. Някъде много ниско под нас.

Ти беше само по тъмни бикини, легнала по корем, но така, че ясно виждах татуировката ти – крилато създание, може би стилизиран дракон, в лявата част на торса, обхващащ лявата плешка с крило, промушил тялото си под ръката ти, над левия хълбок и прегърнал ребрата под лявата ти гърда. Черни контури. И около него имаше няколко, сякаш случайно попаднали червени капки. Не точно като кръв, по-скоро цветове, пръснати от случайно литнали венчелистчета на пурпурно цвете. Лежеше полуизвърната към мен и говорехме за интересните неща, които всеки от нас очаква през годината. Аз споменах някои от албумите и концертите, за които нямам търпение. А ти сподели за издаването на луксозна книга на девойка, илюстрираща с прекрасни рисунки екзотични приказки и комикси. Докато говореше те целунах по татуировката, усетих хладната, но жива кожа и положих глава върху гърба ти – уморен и търсещ почивка. И тогава се събудих.

През втората половина на последните 20 дни не мога да спя повече от 4, в най-добрия случай 5 часа на нощ. Не мога. Не помагат разходки, купони, алкохол, излизания. Лягам съсипан, готов не да заспя, а да припадна, но сън просто не идва. Снощи си легнах към 1. Заспах около 7 сутринта, за да се събудя в 8.30 стъписан от факта, че батерията на телефона ми е паднала, алармата не се е включила и се успивам за работа. Скочих от леглото, но всеки детайл от сънуваното полепна плътно по съзнанието ми. Ти нямаш татуировка, косата ти е по-дълга, но въпреки това, въпреки почти скритото лице, въпреки незнайното място, беше ти.

Искам те обратно. Заедно със съня ми.

Три

2011-09-30T02:38:00.002+03:00

Пърхайки безцелно, сивеещ развълнуван гълъб засече чаровна сова с цилиндър в еднопосочен полет към където. Луди били, чувам. Шарени по-скоро. Зелено и оранжево, червено и черно, с бели райета и шотландско каре, слънце и сенки, усмивка и поглед. Протегнати пръсти на тъмно, стиснали перо под гнездото. Пътят върви с рил-ова походка от другата страна на огледалото, при слепите пазители и дебелите котки, под звуците на акордеон и пиано, с аромат на сено и препечено хлебче. От кучешки алеи, през южни пътеки, покрай невръстни вълшебници и червенопери бомбаджии, до убежище в меки нюанси и стая с тъмен паркет – дискретно, тихо, споделено. А вечерите и утрините, усетили липсващо в бъденето, канят с усмивка болката и всяка песен е неделна белота в чаршафите. И очакват Зима през октомври, резонираща от август в гърдите като безкрайно мил подарък. И не, не е абстракция, а споделена (не)реалност защото... пък!

Ray Wilson interview

2011-07-31T14:48:00.005+03:00

This interview is posted in the webzine Rawkn'n'Roll. I place here the English version, so it could be useful for Ray and his fans outside Bulgaria.

From years we are fans of Ray Wilson and of the wonderful interpretations he does of the songs, both his and by other artists like Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel and David Bowie. The warmth in the music the Scotsman serves live and in his studio records creates comfort and softly lures you to drown in its embrace. And a few months before his first concert in Bulgaria we contacted Ray for his first Bulgarian interview.
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RR: Hello, Ray! Thank you for doing this interview!
RW: My Pleasure.

RR: Right now you’re touring with two different shows – Ray Wilson – acoustic band and Genesis Klassik. How do you decide which of the two show should be played in the current city when you are making the schedule?
RW: I realized, through the years, that the opportunities for concerts were different in each city/country. Sometimes I would get an enquiry for a small venue, sometime a large venue. So I decided to create a situation that allowed me to adapt to the location. That’s basically why I have different shows. Genesis Classic can be anything from 3 musicians to 60 musicians, depending on budget and venue size. When I do acoustic versions of the songs, many people prefer this and when I do the big show, there are people who prefer that. For me, it’s all fun.

RR: Since you are coming to Bulgaria with Genesis Classic, I would like to ask you, how the idea of this project was born?
RW: I was always thinking about ways to perform the Genesis songs, that was both unique and yet kept the magic of the great songs of Genesis. Genesis never performed with Violins, Cello or an Orchestra, so I decided to be the first Genesis member to do it, with the Genesis songs. The same is true for Genesis Unplugged. Genesis never did that either, so I decided to do it.

RR: It is known that no matter if solo or with Genesis Classic, you always play a lot of Genesis tracks. Did you find out that they fit you so well after your collaboration with the band or you have performed songs like “Mama” and “The Carpet Crawlers” before?
RW: When I sang with Genesis, I realized that certain songs fitted my singing style better than others. The Gabriel era was always very good and obviously my own era too. When it came to Phil’s era, I needed to work on creating a style that kept his magic, but fitted my voice. It took time, but it really works now.

RR: In your live albums we hear not only Genesis songs but also songs of the solo albums of their singers before you. How did you decide to perform live songs like “In the Air Tonight” and “Biko”?
RW: I simply love these songs. That’s why I play them. Both Phil and Peter have created some great songs over the years, so I enjoy to perform some of them, as well as my own songs, like Inside from my time with Stiltskin.

RR: You’ve played in three bands, in various styles. And now your music seems more mature, calm, yet deep and cosy. How did you turn from the explosive rock of the early Stiltskin to these intimate shows and albums of Ray Wilson?
RW: It basically reflects both sides of my character. I love Metal and I also love Melancholy. My own musical style is somewhere in the middle.

RR: How did you get involved with Armin van Buuren for the “Yet Another Day” and “Gypsy” remixes? Do you have plans in experimenting with other electronic-orientated music?
RW: I met Armin 10 years ago and he asked me if I could send him some of my songs. Another Day was the first and he loved it. Then he created the remix, Yet Another Day.

RR: You sang with Scorpions in their “Moment of Glory”. How did it happen? Did that gig inspire you to work with Berlin Symphonic Ensemble?
RW: I knew the Scorpions from a tour I did with them in 1999. We got on very well. I really like the guys. When they asked me to sing Big City Nights, it was a pleasure for me. I think working with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra did give me inspiration for the Genesis Classic show.

RR: You have said you wanted to re-record “Inside” with female singer like Sandra Nasic or Skin. Do you still think in that direction? (And a hint – listen to the lady who sings in this song by Japanese composer Akira Yamaoka for the PC game Silent Hill 4)
RW: Yeah I think that would really work They are both great singers. It hasn’t happened yet though? Thanks for the tip.

RR: As we’re talking about Stiltskin albums, “She” is quite different from “The Mind’s Eye”. What should we expect to hear in “Unfulfilment”?
RW: The new album is a similar sound to She, but not so dark. I am extremely happy with the work we have done on this new record. We will see if the fans like it? September 9th release.

RR: Back in the 90’s when Stiltskin split up and your tour with Genesis was over, you started solo career. How did you decide to reform Stiltskin?
RW: It was my producers’ idea and it made sense to have a name for my band. Stiltskin was an obvious choice for me. I was thinking along the lines of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band or Neil Young and Crazy Horse. That’s why I created Ray Wilson and Stiltskin, for my own original music.

RR: Have you heard lately of Peter Lawlor?
RW: No. I think he’s still pissed off that I was able to create a successful career without him. He does ok too. He writes commercials.

RR: When “Inside” came out it blew the air of the TV and radio stations. Do you miss those days?
RW: No. My life is much better now. I have good loyal fans and a career that will last, if I keep working hard and doing good shows. That means everything to me.

RR: What do you miss from the 90’s and what do you like more nowadays not only in music but at all?
RW: I don’t miss the 90’s at all. It was fun, but life is so much better now. I know who I am, where I want to go and how to get there. There was a lot of good music in the 90’s. Radiohead, Live, The Eels and so on.

RR: Are there going to be other Ray Wilson solo albums or you will stay with today’s Stiltskin reincarnation? And what is the difference between Ray Wilson in Stiltskin and Ray Wilson solo?
RW: I will continue to do both. A Ray Wilson record is normally more acoustic and written musically and lyrically by me. A Stiltskin record is a collaboration of many musicians. I don’t write the music for Stiltskin records. Only the Text. So it sounds very different to many solo albums

RR: Where do you feel more comfortable – in the big music halls with Genesis Classic or the smaller clubs and halls where you perform with the acoustic band?
RW: I am comfortable in both. To be honest, it’s the variety that makes my life special. I never get bored performing, because it changes all the time.

RR: From your live CDs it is obvious that you enjoy telling stories between the songs (a favorite of mine is the one with the forgotten microphone during a Genesis gig). Have you been offered to appear in VH1’s Storytellers?
RW: No, but when I started a solo career, I based my shows on this idea. People loved it, so I did many shows like this, over the years.

RR: You are born in Scotland but for few years now you live in Poland. What did bring you there and what are the differences you have personally met between Western and Eastern Europe? Where is it easier to create music?
RW: Well I fell in love with a Polish girl and decided to live in Poznan with her. I really love the east. The people are warmer and the girls are beautiful. What more could anyone ask for?? I just feel at home in Poland. I also had a lot of fun in Hungary and Czech Republic and Russia. I am working very hard on moving my music more East, more of the time. It’s just great fun to play in the East. Romania and Bulgaria is next and I am really looking forward to it

RR: You say you have written “Goodbye Baby Blue” about a girlfriend who never smiled very much. Do you have a song about a girl who actually smiles?
RW: Not yet. Maybe one day?

RR: Have you got any expectations of your concert in Bulgaria? It will be shortly before Christmas, what presents should we expect, hehe?
RW: Scotch whisky and Polish vodka.

RR: What music inspires Ray Wilson today?
RW: Life.

W.I.N.I.F.

2011-07-10T01:06:00.003+03:00

Лъжа.

Blind Guardian: Hansi Kürsch interview

2011-06-02T21:29:00.010+03:00

This interview was taken at the last day of April right before the concert of Blind Guardian in Sofia (a gallery and a report, only in Bulgarian though). It is published in the webzine Rawk'n'Roll and I place here the English version, so it could be useful both for Blind Guardian and their fans abroad.

Blind Guardian is a very special band for its fans. The fairytale and the real aspect in their art is always in great dialogue while the music - sincere speed metal at the very early days before taking and attracting a bit from the epic of the power metal and the amplitude of the classic rock bands, is specific, always inspiring and bearing its unique style and spirit - such things you cannot forget if they have ever been a part of your microcosmos. And when almost 20 years after I first loved their music and I met the singer Hansi Kürsch, it showed that I am one of the pretty few lucky people who are not disappointed when they meet their long-time hero and he appears to be really down to earth and amazingly nice company and person.
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RR: It is the beginning of this part of the tour but how have been the shows so far?
HK: Spectacular! Great shows! Serbia has been bombastic. Slovakia was really good too. We’ve played a couple of songs and people seemed to enjoy them so much. It’s been good entrance into this very small two-week tour. I’m anxious to see how it’s gonna be tonight.

RR: I am sure that it’s going to be great. I have seen the setlists from your previous shows and I noticed that for the first time in more than ten years you are starting your concerts with different song from “War of Wrath/Into the Storm”.
HK: Yes, it’s true.

RR: How did you decide to change the opening song?
HK: We have been waiting for an “opener” to appear but the problem is that “Precious Jerusalem” and “This Will Never End” from our latest two releases were too difficult to start a show with. “Sacred Worlds” is a great opener but the problem is that it’s still a difficult song. But since we have that great orchestral introduction it was no other option than using that as an intro for the show. It would have been a waste. I don’t think we can’t get off stage too often and have an orchestra playing. At the beginning of the show it creates atmosphere as it was with the intro of “Into the Storm”. This made the decision far easier though it still is a difficult song to start a show with.

RR: How did the fans accept the song?
HK: Very good. It was this festival touring in 2009 we played in Kavarna as well. And most of these festivals we played “Sacred” in a shorter version and it was received very well there already.

RR: And you are playing now the full version, right?
HK: More or less the full version because we skip the outro because there is no point. You know, after the 6-minutes people would like to go crazy and we wanna go crazy, so we cut it there and going to the next song. A song that people easily can relate to. Like “Wheel of Time” features the best of the new Blind Guardian album, so people don’t have any problems no matter if they are oldschool Blind Guardian fans or more of the “modern” type of Blind Guardian fans.

RR: In the setlists from the previous three shows I saw that you have included the second part of “The Bard’s Song”. How did you decide to put that? I haven’t seen it in the setlist in the last maybe more than 3-4 years.
HK: Oh, longer. I think we haven’t played it in ten years. Maybe we played it once in Coburg during the Blind Guardian festival but I cannot recall playing “The Hobbit” in… maybe we played it during the “Nightfall…” tour but I am not sure even of that. It is a nice song. We didn’t have it in mind anymore but sometimes we check our page and people were suggesting songs to be played. “The Hobbit” has been one of them and so we decided it might be a good idea to involve it again. It is easier to maintain that thing with many other songs. Yesterday there was a request to play “Thorn”. If we don’t rehearse “Thorn”, we cannot play it. It would take a week or so before we can play “Thorn” but “The Hobbit for example took us about 6-8 hours and then we could play it. It belongs to “The Bard’s Song” and “The Bard’s Song” definitely is one of the most successful songs we have ever done. Also it is great to have that opportunity to feature this second part of the song as well.

RR: This is your third show in Bulgaria. Do you remember the previous ones?
HK: Yes.

RR: Can you share something more remarkable that you have memorized from these concerts?
HK: Especially when we played in Sofia, we didn’t have any idea what will it be, it’s always impressive the first show somewhere and do not exactly know the mentality. We have been told that we have big fanship but I didn’t know how big that was until we played that venue and it was fairly good visited. I was impressed for the first time and I was also impressed by the skillful singing and the cheerful appearance of the people. It was a really good-mood concert, there was no violation, there was no that feeling sometimes when people feel so passionate that… I mean the people have the same love and passion for Blind Guardian but in between themselves they can sometimes hurt each other. And that not was the case here in Sofia. So we enjoyed the show a lot and I consider it to be one of the best five shows at least of this touring route.

RR: Your last album “At the Edge of Time” it still sounds very diverse, very bombastic like the previous ones but it also bears the spirit of the earlier albums like “Somewhere Far Beyond” and “Imaginations from the Other Side”. Did this appear naturally?
HK: For most of things it did. The only thing we justified in the beginning was the involvement of acoustic guitars instead of chorus guitars because that is more of the 90’s sound of Blind Guardian. It delivers more of the Celtic and mystic feeling than the chorus guitars we used in “A Night at the Opera” or “Twist in the Myth” but other than that it was pure expression; it was not done by purpose. Of course when things turn into a different direction and you start the production – we have very strong producer in the face of Charlie Bauerfeind – and if he recognizes something, then he tries to drive it in the adequate direction. There was the song “Tanelorn” with this late 80’s, early 90’s sound and he was the one who forced us to go this way. He suggested taking things out or involve other things. For most of its part, the album was a pure spontaneous decision.

RR: All you in the band, except Frederik are in your late 40’s. But you still remain very passionate and good fairytale tellers. How do you manage to keep the child in a grown up man?
HK: I don’t see it really much as a child in a grown up man. It is more or less the normal life, it’s entertainment in general, no matter if you do political songs or if you do fairytale songs, or fantasy songs. I have my personal ideology and personal philosophy in terms of having a story and within my point of view as with the old fairytales, there is an additional message in between the lines. And I never consider it done by child.

RR: But you still keep this passion for reading such books.
HK: Yes, but they are not childish. Not at all. It’s the pure sensation in these stories and it is a great pool of inspiration. It gives courage and strength for people in normal life. You know that some people watch television, other people like computer games, others go out and drink alcohol and some people love to read and discover their way of coping with real life and get their time off without trying to escape from reality but just to have good time.

RR: Since you are a fan of George Martin’s “A Song of Fire and Ice” saga, did you manage to see the HBO series?
HK: No, it is in my post box at the moment. And did you?
RR: Only the first episode but I find it great, yes.
HK: I expected it to be great only by seeing the trailer.

Here, while the conversation takes a different direction, Hansi misses another interview by phone and shrugs and shares: "I should have picked up earlier, it was for an interview from another country" and we continue with the questions.

RR: Another thing that is interesting for the fans of Blind Guardian is your project with Jon Schaffer Demons & Wizards. And I have read somewhere that you have met during this 70 000 tons of metal cruise and you have talked about maybe third album. Are there any ideas already or it is just something you want to do somewhere in the future?
HK: We’ve discussed that matter and it is on the agenda but due to the activities we both have to work on for Blind Guardian and Iced Earth, it would be difficult to come up with the lot of stuff during this year. We may have some days in the summer to spend together and we will immediately start working on new Demons & Wizards album or the music at least but since Jon is very, very busy in completing the next Iced Earth album, I don’t see a chance to really finalize the Demons & Wizards album within next 18 months, that seems to be impossible. If we’d be able to do so, I would be very happy but there’s so much to do and we have so many ideas how to improve the style and get this project to the next level, it would be a waste just to spend two weeks together and to somehow manage to come up with some album. When we do it, it has to be done properly, we’ll take the time.

RR: And about the orchestral album, it has taken already most than ten years of work. At what stages have you reached with it? And how do you see it, what is your personal view on all the things around it?
HK: It is still some of the best things we’ve ever done. It was good and we did not use the songs on the albums that we have done in between because otherwise the concept would have been spoiled a little bit. “Sacred Worlds” and “Wheel of Time” give a short idea of what these songs are about and how they could sound yet they still are different. We are on a good way; we have found the right orchestra in 2009 in Prague. They delivered a spectacular job, they have done six songs of the album so far but there are four more to be completed. But in addition to that, I have to do all the vocals and we have to do a proper production and there are different side issues we have to cover. Coming up with storyboard is one thing and delivering this storyboard to an audio book is something else, so we have to find new partners in which we trust and which could help us to create an even more sensational project. Musicwise it is something you have not heard so far. It might give us the chance to appear to wider audience or it might not attract people at all because it is very special music and done for Blind Guardian fans, especially for those who are into that Tolkienish and “Nightfall in Middle-Earth” period.

RR: Is this going to be the next Blind Guardian record?
HK: I don’t know yet. We intend to do so but we have a request for a “Best of” CD that might be released prior to the orchestral album, it has not been decided yet completely. And if we feel it takes too long to release that new orchestral record, then we might create another Blind Guardian album in between and release that first. It is still not clear if that orchestral project will be released under the name Blind Guardian because it contains different music and it is a little questionable if we should make it under the name Blind Guardian or it should be released as something done by the Blind Guardian guys.

RR: I would like to ask you, besides the heavy metal music we are all into, what other bands and musicians are you inspired of and enjoy listening to?
HK: Metal is one big part and then there’s the regular classic rock stuff I’m into. It’s not a secret that Freddie Mercury and Ian Gillan are my idols as vocalists. I love Genesis and Peter Gabriel, I love all kinds of good music. For instance, I am a big fan of Dixie Chicks, I think they do spectacular music and Tori Amos is great too. It is all different kinds of music. I even like to listen to Jets’ music from time to time, it is still not my most favorite music but there are good elements in there and if don’t take it too far it is very enjoyable for me.

RR: Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s when Blind Guardian was still not a very big name as it is now, there were a lot of German heavy metal bands and German heavy metal was one of the biggest scene in the genre with bands like Helloween, Running Wild and Gamma Ray. And now, when it is 2011 it appears that Blind Guardian remains the biggest and the strongest name of all of them. Maybe Helloween still keep good audience but it is far from what it was. How would you explain this?
HK: That might sound arrogant but we have been the most successful band in all over Europe and most parts of the world from these German bands since the early 90’s. It was just the 80’s that have been dictated by Helloween when they did their, in my personal view, their best albums. Gamma Ray had a strong impact in the late 80’s and the early 90’s but ever since “Somewhere Far Beyond”, we are the biggest band of that scene. It was a certain development and nowadays it is more obvious that we are a little bigger than these bands. It’s not a competition, it’s just the simple fact. You can see that in terms of attendance during a concert, in how many people show up. Helloween, I have to say that, always have been the bigger band than we are in Asia and in Japan which has been one of our strongest markets. I think that it is because we have never denied to ourselves. We do have the strongest and most stable discography, there is not a single album that can be considered a complete disappointment because some people disagree on the direction we took with “A Night at the Opera” and “A Twist in the Myth”. We had the opportunity to attract new fans with these records and most people understood that it was our way to explore new directions and the band has to reinvent itself. So, even people who partly disagreed with them, they stick loyal to the band. Helloween for instance have lost many people with “Chameleon” for example or “The Dark Ride” and “Rabbit don’t Come Easy”, these are albums that people cannot relate to. They are not bad albums but if you do a drastic change in style, it has to be something spectacular and most bands are not able to do so. While we were more loyal to our core music in general and still are able to add new ingredients to the music without disappointing people and that’s the difference. And I would also guess our stable line up. It has its impact on the people. People try to relate to the same people. I love Deep Purple most when Gillan and Glover have been there. I like Mark I and Mark III but this was when Deep Purple was MY Deep Purple. And kids and fans are the same all days.

RR: So, do you see it going for the next ten years the way it is now for Blind Guardian?
HK: It depends on every individual. We never had an intention to fire Thomen, it was free will and there were several reasons for it. It is sad that it went that way but… Yes, if the other guys including me do not change mentally, I doubt there will be a line up change. Of course, that really is limited on all four core members of the band while Oliver or Michael who are more or less stable and constant members of the band, they do not belong to Blind Guardian. They are very close and they are close friends but I cannot say how long they will be with us. It is their decision and our decision as well. And if anyone of them wants to leave, okay, we’ll separate in good terms.

RR: Okay, let me leave you for your dinner. Thanks a lot and have a great show tonight.
HK: Not a problem. And we will.

Баба

2011-04-17T21:55:00.008+03:00

Бил съм на 3 или 4 години, когато, спомням си, баба ми отваряше книгата с твърди корици "Горски приказки" и ми четеше за разните животни в гората. Доста често след като аз сам съм я преследвал с книжката в ръка. И шокът на мама, когато един ден в магазина с нея и баща ми, я чух да се оплаква, че няма олио "Слънце", а аз й казах "Има. Ей го там, на етикета пише Слъъън-цеее!" и как тя ме караше да прочитам ту този, ту онзи етикет, за да се увери, че наистина чета и то две-три години преди да тръгна на училище. За едно лято баба успя да ме научи да сричам елементарни текстчета. И оттогава е любовта ми към литературата. Баба я събуди в мен от съвсем ранна възраст.

Баба и дядо живееха с нас докъм 15-тата ми година. Просто и двамата работеха тук. Пренесоха се на село като довършихме къщата там, взеха си кози, овце, куче, котки, кокошки и си заживяха спокойно и с кеф оставах дни и седмици на Поповяне.

Дядо почина преди 7 или 8 години, не помня точно. Баба си остана на село и се радваше искрено всеки път като отивах там - сам или с приятели. А и те се привързаха към нея, неведнъж някой е имал път към Самоков, или просто е минавал по онзи край и е спирал с кола/мотор, за да се видят макар и за малко. Баба обичаше компанията на млади хора около себе си и с радост ни посрещаше и изпращаше, вечно гостоприемна, наготвила, приготвила и усмихната. Обичаше да седнем в двора при нея, на открито, да се радваме заедно на градината й - нейната гордост, да си откъснем пресни зеленчуци и за София, да отнесем и на който не е дошъл този път. За последно й се изсипахме със Симо през октомври, след преход през Витоша и Плана с колелата, под постоянен дъжд, премръзнали, с мокри огромни дъждобрани, а тя ни посрещна с "Отварям и гледам два пингвина", а на печката къкреше тенджера с боб, във фурната - топла баница. След половин час кацнаха и Иван и Близнаците с коли и настана... абе, нашето си. Баба, естествено, пак се радваше и твърдеше, че не й пречим, а напротив. Вярвам й.

После баба дойде пак тук, защото преди няколко години й откриха рак и всяка зима си идва в София, да не мръзне сама по село, трудно е за болна жена да се отоплява, мие, чисти, готви. Тази зима оперираха пердето й и баба отново започна да чете книги. Много, както когато бях малък. Беше престанала от много дълго време, сигурно 12-13 години. Радвах се всяка вечер като се прибирам, да я заваря я с Хесе, я с Джойс, да чете и да ме чака да обсъдим книгата, да сподели какво й харесва и какво не. И често ме караше да й пускам дисковете на "гайдаря", както нарича Веско Митев - разказвал съм й за неговото изкуство, показвал съм й снимки от къщата му в Долен, пластиките му и тази жена на седемдесет и три години беше истински фен. Исихия и Кайно Йесно Слонце слушахме заедно и то с еднакво удоволствие. "Да го викнеш да ми свири на погребението!" обичаше да вмята от време на време, докато го слушаме.

Преди три седмици, точно преди да тръгна за Виена, ракът пусна пипалата си по цялото тяло на баба. Тя легна и повече не стана от леглото. Три седмици баба имаше нужда от помощ за всичко, нямаше сили дори да седне в леглото. Три седмици се мореше и накрая просто се отказа. "Време ми е, деца." Престана да приема храна и почти никаква вода, но и нито веднъж не се оплака, не измърмори, не проплака. Безкрайно силен дух има баба Мирка, дух, който я крепи и държа права цял живот. Снощи рано баба си отиде.

Почивай си бабо, знам какво ти беше, знам какво ти е било през всичките години на труд, работа и семейство. Истински борец. Благодаря за всичко, което си ни дала на мен, сестра ми, майка ми и баща ми и на всичките ни приятели, които също те приемаха като такъв. Аз съм това, което съм днес И заради теб. Спокоен сън, бабо!

Siena Root interview

2011-04-09T13:04:00.008+03:00

This interview is published in the Bulgarian rock fanzine Rawk'n'Roll. I put here the Enlish version, so it could be used by the band and its fans abroad.

Siena Root is one of those bands the music of which pours life and sunbeams in your soul and while you listen to it you can't help smiling and loving life. In their albums there are influences of everything beautiful, colorfull and fragrant from the past decades - just take the vynils of Jimi Hendrix, the early Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin, powder them with cinnamon and let the spring summer and the scent of the awakening for new life Nature in your home and you will get an idea about their music. Or just listen while you are reading.

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RR: Hello! First, present yourself (name and position in the band) and tell us where this questions are catching you and what are you doing!

KG West – guitar, organ and sitar. You are now catching me in my home with a cup of coffee.
Mr. Sam Riffer – bass guitar riffs plus a little derbouka and singing.
Love Forsberg – percussion, Stockholm.

RR: Siena Root is going to record its next three shows for a live album. It seems that not many bands from the psychedelic rock scene are releasing live records. How did you decide to do that?

SR: To me it’s been my dream or part of the plan all along the way, a few studio albums to get moving and then it comes; the double live album!
KG: Also, ever since we started touring, people coming to the shows have asked us about a live recording. So, we have been bringing a mobile 16-track tape recorder – ”The Root Rock Mobile”, to record shows for over a year now. The next three shows will finish off the sessions.

RR: After the DVD with as-Sayf, this will be your second live record in a row out there – quite a brave act in my opinion. About the DVD – how did you decide to release it after 3 years and how do Egyptian dances add to the music of Siena Root?

SR: We did release it after all the years since we liked the sound of those tapes. We did not release right after it was recorded due to the fact that Sanya left the band a few weeks after that show.

RR: Compared to “A New Day Dawning”, your fourth album is different and more psychedelic but when we hear the two albums in between, we see that the way to “Different Realities” is very logical. How did you turn to longer instrumental trips and how have you decided to use the sitar so vastly in your music?

KG: We have always been doing a lot of instrumental music. To me, instrumental music is the most pure form of music – without any words there is just the notes and sounds without any distractions from other art forms. But of course you can use lyrics to convey a message and that combination can be very powerful, so we use some vocals lines in the right spots also on “Different Realities”. It was quite natural to use the sitar as it fits the music, and I have been studying the ragas and talas more in depth the last years and feel more at home with the instrument. But it´s not the only instrument we use that you wouldn´t normally find in rock. There´s a long list of derbuka, flute, hurdy gurdy, glockenspiel, mandolin, various keyboards and all kinds of things you can think of, that we used for live shows and albums.

RR: When should we expect a new Siena Root album and do you have any idea by now about its musical approach?

SR: I hope that the live album will be released in the fall of 2011.

RR: One of the interesting things with the band is that for four albums you have had three different singers, both male and female. Why is that fluctuation?

LF: No, that is four different singers, one for each album. We have also used three different flute palyers and many other gueasts in studio and on tour. This is partly because we don't care to stick to a classic rock structure of the band, but also because some of us have an easier and better way to work together. Not all ideas and wills are possible to fit in one band.
SR: We could never find a singer that would fit the band 100% so we had to change often in order to make the band and the music move forward.

RR: Even though the singer much or less is the face of every band, you have managed to preserve the specifics of Siena Root and each of these people has fit perfectly in the band’s style. Was it hard to achieve?

SR: Very hard, never really worked ;)
LF: It's a lot of work managing a band. Don't forget that there are great bands without singers.

RR: Your sound and musical approach is very bright and positive, yet trippy and hypnotizing. What are you in everyday life – the same shiny positive people or distinct trippers?

LF: I think that is for others to tell. I try to be positive and I'm not trippin’ very much.
KG: I doubt I come across as shiny and positive... but I´m working on it!

RR: Could you describe the band the way you feel and see it, show us Siena Root from your eyes and heart?

KG: I think that since we have been doing this for a long time, it´s hard for us to see Siena Root objectively from an outside perspective. To show you Siena Root from our eyes and heart, we let you listen to our music of course. Which is the mean of communication we have been working on very hard for a great amount of time. I don´t like to diminish our work by trying to describe it in a few sentences.

RR: Let me share a quote of an interview with Siena Root: “In the sense that blues is blue, hard rock is black, and reggae is pan African coloured, this music has the colour of siena. It is a warm, earthy colour, originally from the muddy roots of Toscana. Because this sound has roots that go deep, it was also natural to let root be a part of the bands name.” Speaking so passionately about the colors, can I ask you if you have deeper passion to the painting too and if so, do you find many links between creating music and visual art?

LF: Yes, there are obvious links, in my opinion. All art comes out of ideas and philosophical perceptions. Also, if you combine music and visual art you get movies, probably the most powerful media of them all.

RR: Your songs are like a flight above fairy lands, powered by the spirit of the blues and rock from the 60’s. Admit it – do you have a license to drive a flying carpet?

SR: You bet! All types and sizes.
LF: No, I don't, I think the music itself is the only license you need.
KG: Well, it´s of course better to have a license, but nowadays it´s getting more expensive to get one. I have been saving up, and hopefully I will have it for the summer.

RR: If you had a Volkswagen Microbus, covered with painted flowers and powered by green smoke that could take you anywhere in time and space, where would you drive to with the band?

SR: I’d be quite happy to have myself a little time trip to 1967 for some jammin´. Maybe a tour in 1968-69 and then some small festivals in 1970. I think I might enjoy it.
LF: If anywhere in time and space was an option for one day, I would like to see India at the time of Buddha. I think that might me an interesting experience. But I think the time where we are now is really thrilling to. It can be nice not to know the future.
KG: I would probably go to headline a festival in a parallel universe next month, just making a small detour to stop by 2040 and pick up the band. We would be in our 60´s then and would probably have learned to play better by then.

RR: Who would you invite to the trip and what would be the soundtrack of it?

SR: I´ll bring the band and let our riffs be the main soundtrack accompanied by Ennio Morricone of course.
LF: I would invite the prime minister of Sweden, play some improvised folk music and hope that he would gain some perspective on the ignorant stuff he's into right now.
KG: I invite all fans of Siena Root, and why not a soundtrack by Dick Dale.

RR: What bands, books and drugs have influenced mostly Siena Root?

LF: To me, I would say the single most influential band would be Black Sabbath, I think. But I also often come back to my records with Pink Floyd, Bob Marley and Grand Funk Railroad. When it comes to books, I enjoy surrealistic Sci Fi and Fantasy.
KG: You could say Siena Root is influenced by all the great bands you have already guessed, Deep Purple, Zeppelin and such, but there are also the obscure influences other than rock. I never listen to rock in my home. It´s mostly blues, Indian classical music or some old synthesizer works from the 70´s.

RR: The Swedish rock scene seems to be endless. With which bands do you keep in touch and to which of them are you fans?

KG: As Sweden is not very big, we keep running into people from bands like Abramis Brama, Bland Bladen, Öresund Space Collective, My Brother The Wind, Backdraft and others.
LF: I'm not a fan of swedish music in particular. But I enjoy acts such as November, Nationalteatern, Peps Persson, Bo Hansson, Trummor & Orgel, etc.

RR: You have played many picturesque events like “Burg Herzberg Festival”, “Duna Jam” and “Yellowstock Summer Festival”. Which of them was the most memorable experience and how will you remember it?

LF: I like Herzberg very much beacause it's so big and yet there is a friendly atmosphere. But my favourite is Dunajam. It's laidback, warm and very beautiful, that's my style.
SR: I had a great time at all of those places. I especially remember our first time at Herzberg. The night before the show the keys to our hotel got lost somehow so we didn’t get any sleep at all and when we arrived to the festival we had no idea what to expect. We were a bit late; as I recall it, we pulled in like an hour before show time, all of us out of our minds due to no sleep. As soon as we hit the stage all the stress was gone due to the warm welcome by the crowd, truly a great day in Siena Roots´ history.

RR: Quoting a friend of mine, I’d like to ask you – how does it feel to be among the “last standing hippies”?

SR: It feels very good! But I doubt we really are the last ones.
LF: I don't know whether I'm really a hippie. But if you say so, I say that there will come new generations of hippies, people that have an open mind for music, love and peace.

RR: Thank you! I hope I could catch you live one day! Take care, good luck and Peace!

SR: Thank you!

Graveyard interview

2011-03-19T02:51:00.009+02:00

This interview is published in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll. I am posting the English text here so it could be useful both for the band and its fans outside Bulgaria.

The debut album of Graveyard from 2007 has sunk in the underground of the Swedish heavy rock but if you have come across on it you could hardly remain indifferent. Obviously, somebody from Nuclear Blast has heard the CD because Graveyard are coming this month with a second album under the wing of the leading metal label. For the path from their first steps to this moment, for the music at all and for the Swedish scene, the drummer Axel Sjöberg speaks for Rawk'n'Roll.

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RR: Hello, Axel! How are the final stages of the release of “Hisingen Blues” going?

AS: Hello! Quite well thank you, we're getting good feedback from all over.

RR: Hisingen is an island in Sweden which forms the Northern part of Göteborg but why “Hisingen Blues”, what does the title stand for?

AS: Rikard wrote the lyrics for the song while he was having a down period. Hisingen has a lot of rough areas with a melancholic atmosphere. And we thought that the song was a good representative for the album as a whole.

RR: The artwork is amazing; it brings memories of fantastic fairytales like Peter Pan. Who is the author and how the concept was born?

AS: Haha, thank you! We wanted a sort of lurking evil feel to it. It's the bass player from the excellent band Bombus from Gothenburg that did it from scratch. We took pictures against a green screen and then he built it in his computer. It was supposed to be a different press picture from the beginning but when we saw it we had to use it as the cover.

RR: Speaking of fairytales, what kind of books is everybody in Graveyard into?

AS: Oh, that's very different depending on who you ask. Myself I like Joseph Heller and Douglas Coupland, Joakim mostly reads comics, Rikard likes war history and Svala is into biographies and conspiracy literature.

RR: How did you decide to work with Don Alsterberg? He has produced artists like José Gonzales who is quite far from Graveyard’s sound.

AS: We worked with him on our first album and we were very satisfied. Don is amazing, both when it comes to sounds and input on the songwriting. I think it's not so much a matter of musical style rather than a mindset. If you've got the magic touch, you can work with many different types of music.

RR: Can you give us a few details on the album song wise? I mean the sound, the lyrics, the groove of the tracks in it, to tell a bit more of what is “Hisingen Blues” from your point of view.

AS: Well... I think it's a more worked through album. We had more time, had become better at playing and more tight because of all the touring. It's much more of an ALBUM than our first was. Lyrics deal with everything and nothing, inspired by daily life. Maybe they're mostly melancholic or pissed off. We write most of the music together in our rehearsal space where we jam a lot. In my point of view, Hisingen blues is a good album, haha.

RR: How did an underground heavy blues/psychedelic rock band sign a contract with a giant metal label like Nuclear Blast? Have you used some dark rituals, hehe?

AS: Haha, no I think it's a combination of a lot of things. Word of mouth - people have talked about us. A good persistent manager that made the connection. And NB will to expand a bit musically.

RR: How do you feel with the NB guys in terms of support?

AS: I have nothing but praise for them. They've been excellent.

RR: Don’t you fear they would need you to change your approach to music?

AS: Nope. They like us like we are. Actually the album was already finished before we made the deal, so they knew what they were buying if you could say so.

RR: The music from your first album brings the vibe of the glorious past of the rock and roll; it bears the heritage of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Janis Joplin and all that was magical and real in the late 60’s, early 70’s, yet it holds signature that is clearly you and can’t be mistaken. Which old bands are favorite to you, guys and how often do you listen to classic rock, compared to contemporary bands?

AS: That varies from week to week. Right now I listen a lot to Muddy Waters album Electric Mud. A new band I listen a lot to is Bombus. And today I feel like listening to Jerusalem and Black Keys.

RR: I see and hear parallels between your music and the records of other great Swedish bands today like Asteroid, Siena Root and Witchcraft, just to mention few. Is there any big rock movement in Sweden and how do you find the fact that there are so many rock bands there who have embraced the classic rock and the analog sound?

AS: I think there are always a good amount rock bands. It's just a matter of how much attention they are getting from time to time. In the case with Asteroid the bass player there is Joakim's little brother... But other than that I don't really know...

RR: Of the above bands, you have blood connection with Asteroid. Do you play together and do you know if they have split due to Elvis’ departure or Hexan is just a side project?

AS: No idea. But good drummers are hard to find.

RR: Since the Swedish rock scene is so strong in the last two decades, I guess there are many influential bands there from the 60’s and the 70’s. Could you point out some of them?

AS: November, Träd Gräs och Stenar, Råg i Ryggen, Kebnekajse, Charlie och Esdor, International Harvester and of course Hansson & Karlsson which made the song Tax Free which Jimi Hendrix did a cover of.

RR: The lyrics of some Graveyard songs remind of the occult themes from the early Black Sabbath. How much are you in this kind of theme?
AS: It depends on who wrote the lyrics. Different from day to day and from person to person.

RR: Is it possible for you now to live from playing in Graveyard or you have to work? And if so, what do you do for living?

AS: Myself I've worked with a lot different things from taking care of children with autism to being a sort of mason, building stone roads with small square stones. But now it looks like we'll be able to rely on Graveyard only.

RR: If you could choose, with which two other bands would you go on tour?

AS: Friends’ bands - Spiders, Bombus and Horisont. To support bigger bands - Black Keys, Black Sabbath, Neil Young... I don't know....

RR: As we all know, the light (and sometimes heavier) drugs have been going hand in hand with rock and roll from ages. What is your drug – weed, hash, tea, beer, whiskey?

AS: yes.

RR: With whom would you share one of the mentioned above?

AS: Anyone that is nice and interesting to talk to.

RR: And just to warn you – you are the fourth Swedish band I am making an interview. The previous three have split a few months after they talked to me, so if you feel worried from the “Bulgarian curse”, I will understand you, haha!

AS: Haha, no worries.

RR: Cheers, guys, wish you all best with the new album and I hope I will catch you on the road (I see you are playing in Vienna with Pentagram on 21st of April)!

AS: See you there then, thanks and goodbye!

Айляк, майна

2011-03-10T10:12:00.006+02:00

„Човекът е човек тогава, когато е на път”. Колко често забравяш това, потънал в блатото на ежедневието? И на оправданието „е, сега ли да зарежа всичко и да хукна нанякъде? Ами работата? Отпуск по никое време. Ами, уговорките за уикенда? Ами мача по Канала?” Ами ако умреш в графика си? Същият този график, който макар и даващ сигурност, всъщност затваря душата, поривът, съвсем първичното любопитство, заложено дълбоко у нас, погребано от „задължения”, чуждо мнение и измислени норми. И въпреки значителната свобода с хлабавото работно време на хонорар в БНТ, успях и аз да се вкарам в очакване на следващата брънка от веригата на плановете и задачите.

Станах на 30. Реално, чудо голямо. Фактът, обаче, че се сбогувах с двойката отпред малко ме стъписа. Не толкова екзистенциалното клише „какво съм направил досега” успя да ми изкара няколко флашбека, колкото осъзнаването, че животът си тече и не искам да си го подарявам на графици, когато не ме задържат истински важните ангажименти на семейството или например тежък заем, ипотеки или сериозни здравословни проблеми. 30. Направи нещо, човече, движи се, не стой! И хукнах.

Започна се с обаждането на Ники Шахпазов и предложението да работя в Програмата. Първата крачка след 30-те – смяната на работата. Млад екип от приятни и хубави хора замени петте месеца на пъстър хаос в БНТ. Всъщност, вече ми липсват чудесните колеги, с които работих в телевизията, липсва ми почти по казармено безсмисленото тичане и безумни задължения, липсва ми динамиката ни, подобно на микроби в мудното тяло на болен динозавър, каквото представлява държавният мастодонт и трудещите се за тромавата машина работници, впримчени в мизерните огризки, отпускани като заплата. Не стоях там заради парите (макар че напуснах и заради тях), харесваше ми усещането да работя и то да работя с тези хора. Харесваше ми да наблюдавам макар и леко самодоволно, как различни индивидуалности се сблъскват, спречкват, прехвърчат искри, лее се истерия, изкуствено напрежение, хора си създават излишни нерви и грижи, в които сами са се научили да вярват и без които могат да живеят толкова по-добре. Такъв не мога да стана. Но ми липсва това изкуствено напрежение. Сега съм спокоен и работя в спокойна среда. То и не работя, още опипвам работата. Но ми е адски интересно и приятно.

Денят, в който съобщих, че напускам БНТ, Center с Николай Близнака свириха заедно със Soundprophet във Fans. Концертът се получи убийствено. Едно защото и двете банди са чудесни, а второ, защото тъкмо се отвинтваха винтилите на обуздаваната ми лудост, която само се оглеждаше за пробойни и изригна с вой. Прекрасна вечер, със страхотни приятели и отново осъмване в Миленка и Марто. Обичам ви, хора, обичам компанията ви и фактът, че съществувате там някъде и от време на време се потапям във вашия свят!

После празнуването на общия ни рожден ден със Сашко на Мала Църква – голямата му, удобна къща събра 15 души в снежната Рила. 15 души, които отново подивяха, все едно празнувахме не рожден ден, а Нова година. И всъщност, какво значение има какъв е поводът, когато просто сме заедно и това е най-големият празник? Колко изпушихме, изпихме и изядохме няма значение, разходките из могъщия лес лес по течението на Леви Искър късно през нощта, сакралното усещане за вечност и единство, музиката в режещия въздух и главите ни, падналият на тесния мост без парапети бор, напомнящ за силата на природата, за стихиите, пред които сме незначителни, острата форма на гората, хищно озъбена, гледана нагоре към върха, накъдето се съпротивлява на реката и някак примирено обърнала гръб в спокойна поза надолу по течението, ярките звезди, надничащи през тежките снежни клони, щипещият студ, който няма значение, защото знаем къде сме, къщата, сънят на пода, пътят наобратно. София.

И пак почивни дни. Мария. От година вече се чудя как така попаднах на човек като теб, готова винаги да приемеш номада, когато му писне от всичко и всички и как винаги леглото ти е оправено, а печката духа топличко, подготвяйки въздуха да посрещне тежкото ми дишане насън.

Слизам от автобуса, давам 3 лева на човек, който твърди, че не може да се прибере. Позната муфта. Но някакси ми се иска да вярвам, че този път беше честен. После прегръдка, хайде до вас да оставя раницата и здравей, Пловдив! Новият рок бар, по едно бързо, среща с колегите ти, непознати за мен, грейнали в младостта си лица, спокойствието да водя разговори с хора, които виждам за пръв път, весели, жизнени и позитивни, тези неща помагат за късането на нишката, която ме връзва с дните преди този. После „Пъзела”, Unhumanity тъкмо отпочват суровия си прочит по “Pleasure of Molestation” на Hypocrisy, виждам Чавдар от The Revenge Project и се радваме на срещата, следват бири в тълпата, пого, подскоци и е пречистващо и примитивно веселието и нямам нищо против. The Revenge Project излизат и се сещам как ги дебнех преди 6-7 години да свирят, жаден за хубав и смислен дет метъл и то произведен у нас. Бургас. “Unreal Is My Trip” ме подсеща за един концерт на бандата преди 6 години и как със Симо се надъхвахме два дни преди него, а кавърът на “Love Crimes” ме хвърля в 90-те, когато въртях “Wolfheart” на Moonspell до лудване, първият ми оригинален диск, усетих се, че още помня текста и пак пого и днес вече ме боли цялата дясна половина на торса, дано мине скоро. И след метълската веселба – No Sense. Не бях стъпвал в дискотека сигурно от втори курс. И отново твои чудесни приятели. А песните... без значение дали слушаме Depeche Mode, Snap, Nickelback или 50 Cent, фактът, че тази вечер е наша, ме кара да подскачам и да се клатя щастливо. Спокоен съм, душевно и ментално извадил всичко, което пречи, което спъва, поне тези два дни съм само дух и усмивка. Харесва ми всичко, което прелита като филм покрай мен, харесва ми да гледам хората, харесва ми да виждам как танцуваш усмихната, а тъмните вълни на косата ти галят лицето ти и се спускат ниско под раменете и очите ти блестят през кичурите, когато споделяме задължителната балада. Спокойно и весело ми е и не ми пука, когато изливам половината айрян от дюнерджийницата върху якето, спокойно ми е и когато се прибираме в пет сутринта, заспивам дълбоко, така, както не съм спал от много време.

Пловдив е чудесен и изобщо не се учудвам, че именно оттам тръгва думата „айляк”. Спокойствието, което цари през цялата топла и слънчева неделя в града, бавната ни разходка по Рахат Тепе, пловдивчани, с които се разминаваме, всичко е лежерно, никой не бърза по „задачи” и не ми се иска да хващам автобуса. И не го хващам. Човекът, който ме спира преди да си купя билет с предложението да ме метне с колата до София, че пътува и иска да си спести малко от парите за бензин идва точно навреме. Пламен се оказва много готин пич, който е учил и живял в Германия и пътуването за него е смисъл на живота. Посетил е толкова много държави, разказва ми за гмуркане в Червено море, за Занзибар, за Испания, за Италия. Аз споделям скромния си опит от концертния туризъм и не усещаме как изяждаме пътя до Окръжна Болница и се мятам на автобуса до вкъщи. Home

Не исках да напиша толкова последователен и скучен текст, други думи се подреждаха в главата ми на прибиране от работа. Но умората явно е сковала мозъка. А докато слушам Tom Waits и пия чай, ми се иска да си запаметя тези два дни, да си напомням усмивките и най-вече да кажа „Благодаря”, да призная, че успях да те опозная по-добре, Мария, да видя и усетя и твоя огън и да, радвам се, че сме приятели!

А утре към Банско.

Asteroid interview

2011-02-16T12:24:00.009+02:00

This interview was taken at the beginning of 2010 and published in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll, coinciding with the release of the bands breathtaking second album (here is the review, though it is only in Bulgarian). Now Asteroid is on hiatus (I hope temporary) but I decided to place the interview in English, so it could be available both for the band and its fans outside Bulgaria.

Few years ago Asteroid released a great three song demo. Then they recorded and EP with four pieces which until this day is among the strongest space/stoner rock records. The split with their fellow-citizens Blowback blows heads off and their debut album is amazing. And a month after the release of their killer second album, the guitarist and singer Robin Hirse was so kind to talk with me about music. In common.

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Hi, guys! First of all, I’d like to share with you that you are the third band from Sweden I am making an interview with. Ironically, the first two bands have split some time after the interviews. So, are you sure you want to continue with this one, haha?

Why the hell not, haha? We don’t fear this curse of yours…

Well, if you are answering to this question, you obviously are not afraid of the “curse”. So, have you heard of Blind Dog and The Hurricanez (formerly known as Boogieman)?

No man, doesn’t ring a bell.

You are now at the very final stages before releasing your second album. What should we expect?

This album is much more back to our roots. More of the early sound and wibe… The production is lighter with a lot of space. But still with the same groove as always. Perhaps it’s a bit darker then our last record.

Tell us something about the writing and the recording of the new album. Where did you make it, any interesting stories around it?

The album was recorded in Elvis brother´s studio way out in the wood. We recorded there in the middle of winter, and in Sweden that means 20 below zero and lots of snow. But that’s really the best way to do it. No distractions! Just us, the music, our engineer Oscar and enough alcohol to kill a heard of elephants! As usual we write the songs either in our rehearsal by loosing ourselves in a jam, or at our flats. We try out different riffs and ideas to se what works, twist it around, break it into pieces, then put it back together again,

Would you share some thoughts of some of the songs we are going to hear next month?

All the songs on the new album are really interpretable. Lyrically we all have different opinions what the songs are about. If Johannes sing a song I know it means something else for him than what it would mean too me. The thread that brings them all together musically, if there such a thread would probably be that they compliment each other, almost like they were made to fit together. When one song brings you down low the next one comes along and points you in the right direction again.

What was the perception of Asteroid?

Bigger that Jesus!

Somewhere between the two albums you have changed a member of the band. How would you describe Elvis in few words?

The unknown son of John Bonham. He’s a great drummer and musician and has always been a close personal friend. Which is very important for us as a band, if you don’t like the people you play with it always shows in the music you make.

I guess you three have to work aside the music. What do you do for living?

Both Johannes and I work with rock n’ roll in different ways. I help rock bands in different ways. We have a “school” were the kids can learn how to play and find people to play with. I find a cheap rehearsals and places to play live. Help them with merchandise and thing they need for their band. Johannes is working as one of few Swedish rock music consultants, and is arranging and promotes rock shows. Elvis works at a printing press.

Now some years back – how the band was born? When and where did all start?

As for most bands it started after a jam session. We’d known each other for a while from other projects and one late night, after a really long evening in the pub, we found ourselves in a studio jamming like mad. This was back in the winter of 2003.

One should be deaf not to recognize the influence of the early 70s in your music. Which of the old bands are you listening to, just to mention some names? Is there a common favorite band or when it is about the old dogs you split in different camps (i.e. Black Sabbath vs. Hawkwind)?

Well we’re all fans of the classics like Sabbath, Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Atomic Rooster, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and so on. One common favorite would probably be Captain Beyond. But we’re not at all restricted to the 70s, there are plenty of new bands that we like; Big Elf, Mars Volta, The Black Keys, just to name a few. I don’t think we have split views on any bands really.

From some time now we can see the resurrection of the vinyl. What’s your position on this? Will we see an Asteroid LP?

We’re counting on it! But it’s up to our record label.

The first album is called Asteroid, the second one is Asteroid II. Will the third be named Asteroid III and after the fourth should we expect particular album titles?

I understand what you’re referring to, but the album is not actually called Asteroid II. That’s just a way of keeping track of the albums. If you look at out previous work neither the demo, the ep or the first two albums have names.

How often do you meet Doctor Smoke?

Dr. Lennart Smoke is our family physician.

A lot of bands have gone away during the years – big ones and small ones. Some remain just as a blurry shade of a glorious past, while a handful of others remain solid as monoliths. Speaking of this, AC/DC announced an eventual concert in Bulgaria next year. How do you feel about AC/DC?

Personally I think the soul of AC/DC died with Bon Scott, they lost they’re groove after that. I don’t really like bands that just keep going even when they don’t have anything fresh to bring to the table. And I know that Johannes is not a big fan at all.

You are musicians but also music fans – which bands have you seen live and which one impressed you most?

The last show we saw together was a Swedish band called Trummor & Orgel (Drums and Organ), an instrumental duo. That totally blew all our minds. We are also big fans of Johannes brothers band Graveyard, awesome live act.

Which ones would you like to see in future?

And we’re all looking forward to the Jethro Tull gig in 2010.

You have made a split album with Blowback. Do you still see each other, do you play together?

We see then almost every week because we share our rehearsal with them, but it’s been a long time since we shared a stage together. Neither them or us play very often in our home town.

Your first EP was a blast. It is one of my favorite stoner rock (if I can use the term) records for the last decade. And it is absolutely out of print now. Have you thought of re-release along with the demo?

Actually it’s been a plan ever since Elvis joined the band to do some sort of re-recording of the demo and the EP. We’re testing out old material to see what would work. But no dates have been set so far.

Any chances to see Asteroid go farther than Sweden, Austria and Germany?

Of course! We’re planning a tour the spring/summer which will hopefully take us to Poland, Czech, France.

If it depends on you – with which of the Swedish bands would you go on tour?

Well we had a blast on our tour with Graveyard and as long as the band is cool to hang out with and we like the vibe in their music we can pretty much see ourselves going with anyone. I think we could be a cool mix alongside Trummor & Orgel, that would be cool.

Since it is the beginning of the year now – which were the most impressive albums in 2009 for you?

Hm, tough question, what’s new. We usually listen to albums from early 70s you know. I know Johannes liked the now Mastodon album.

With whom would you guys share a joint?

That list would be far too long…

The photos are taken by Melody Rönnlund: www.melodypics.com and from the band's myspace profile.

Karma To Burn: Rich Mullins interview

2011-02-04T02:25:00.011+02:00

This interview is posted in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll. I post it here in English so it could be available to wider audience and also for the band and its managers to use it as they find proper.

When Karma To Burn got back together two years ago, we almost shitted our pants brown. And when last year they released the amazing "Appalachian Incantations" we went insane because it apeared they hadn't moved an inch and they beat again our shit out with great riff punches. And now, in the eve of their fifth album and their upcoming big tour, we are talking to their bassist and the cofounder of Karma To Burn, the nice guy Rich Mullins.

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RR: Hi, Rich! Are you just waking up?

RM: Yes.

RR: How has been 2011 so far?

RM: So far so good. No horrible tragedy.

RR: Last year’s “Appalachian Incantation” was a massive statement for your comeback. How did you come up with this album? Was it written and recorded in a rush or it was all natural process?

RM: It was pretty natural. We started with… I think the third track we did was “Forty One” and that’s when we decided we should try to do another record. We just went form there. At the end I think we were little bit rushed because we wanted to do one song ‘cause we worked with Scott Reeder. We wanted to try to do one song out there that we just kind of put together with him and we didn’t have time to do it.

RR: Mentioning Scott Reeder, he has produced the album. And you have John Garcia singing in it. What is this strong Kyuss connection?

RM: I think it was during “The Sky Valley” tour. We’re from the opposite sides of the country. The guitarist for this band Hermano he was in this band called Black Cat Bone out of Kentucky. They were in the recording studio and at the same label as Kyuss when they were doing “Sky Valley”. And he had a copy of it. And when he heard us playing, he said: “Hey guys, you’ll probably like this” and he gave us a copy. And so we heard it, we thought it was cool and we did some shows with them in Ohio. This was a long time ago and at that time we became friends. We opened for the Queens Of The Stone Age on their first tour. So we’ve just known those bands forever. And then actually John came to live with me in West Virginia for a couple of months, right before they did “… And the Circus Leaves Town”.

RR: How is the album accepted by fans and the critics? And is it selling good?

RM: It went really well. Really well.

RR: What was the reason for the band split in 2002?

RM: Ah… I had a drug problem. Hah, kind of got out of the way of things. I tried to do a geographical change in my life. I thought it would help out but it didn’t really.

RR: While Karma was disbanded all of you joined various projects. Was that a good experience for you?

RM: It was good. We kept playing and trying some different things. And we all had to go, me and Rob, get ourselves clean. It gave us how to do that and get away from everything that we’ve been doing and allowed us to come back to this situation with a different perspective.

RR: How did you decide to reform Karma To Burn?

RM: Gosh! Will and I talked for the first time in 7 years and it came up right away. It was weird. It was like “Alright!”

RR: When you were back in 2009 you did a lot of touring. You played many shows in Europe which seems to be preferable scene for bands from the States. Why is that?

RM: It’s because the US doesn’t really rock anymore. The US is pretty bleak for anything that isn’t straight up commercial.

RR: But there are so many rock bands from the States!

RM: You can do okay. There are bands that are doing better here than there. We have toured with The Sword. The Sword does much better here in the US than in Europe.

RR: Well, The Sword toured with Metallica which, I think, helped them a lot.

RM: Yeah. That seems to help a little bit. But even before Metallica they were doing pretty much the same. Their first record did really well here. It’s weird – it’s hard to predict what happens in the States because you can’t get much of the media coverage if you don’t get on TV a little bit.

RR: When you returned in 2009, you played the Roadburn. And you did two shows for night.

RM: Yes, we played twice in the same day. We had to play an extra show because of that volcano we had a lot of band cancelled. It was really weird to find out that a volcano is keeping people from travelling. No one expects to hear anything like that. And there were bands that were coming over to play Roadburn and we were playing a lot, it was a part of the tour so we were going to be there for long anyhow. So we came before the volcano and we saw people that were trying to get boat tickets and they were going to travel from England to Los Angeles. It was pretty crazy. We saw people doing desperate things trying to get across the ocean.

RR: What was the highlight of the shows you did after reuniting? Which country?

RM: We got really lucky; I think we had a lot of them. We went to a lot of places we’ve never been before like Greece and Poland. I was shocked to see how the rock scene was in these places.

RR: I tried to come to Greece to see you but I couldn’t make it on time, so I hope I’ll catch you some day.

RM: We are trying to come out your way this summer. We are booking our tour now. It starts in the last week of May. And I know that we are going up in Finland for the first time. Then we will try to come down in Russia. And then we are straight in Greece. So, we’ll see.

RR: During the years you have played with such a great bands like Monster Magnet for example. Which ones were the coolest to tour with and who were your favorite ones?

RM: Motörhead! We have done like a hundred shows with them and I still watch their show every time because they are so good. Every song’s great.

RR: With which band you still haven’t played and you really wish to?

RM: There’s only one. We’ve played with them at the same festival but I don’t really count it. AC/DC.

RR: Isn’t it exhausting playing both in Karma To Burn and Year Long Disaster?

RM: Man, it’s exhausting just playing in Karma To Burn. We do so many shows, it’s crazy. I like playing music so to me it’s not exhausting. No matter what you do, if you’re doing it a lot so you become profession out of it, you are going to give it thousands and thousands of hours, so no. I wanna play music so I wanna do it as much as possible.

RR: What made you decide doing again songs with vocals?

RM: At the beginning it was just because we couldn’t get a vocalist that we could work with. We are not the easiest three guys to get along with. We have requirements for writing, for what we do in the song an sometimes it doesn’t leave a lot of room. And it’s really hard in a lot of instances for a voice to reflect this power that we can reflect. So it was really difficult. Recently we’ve got better in writing, so this record has some songs with vocals on ‘em.

RR: How did you meet Daniel Davies?

RM: I was buying booze for this party and he was buying booze at the same time and I started talking to him at the store, haha. We shared similar interests with the party at that time. We hang out that night and then it turned out that we shared similar drug interests. When you meet people like that, you usually hang up with them for a while. We were hanging up for a week when I found out that he can play guitar. When I heard him play I thought that this guy was good.

RR: How does it feel working with John Garcia? You are friends for so many years but how does it feel working with him? Because I can tell that “Two Times” is a personal favorite of mine.

RM: Ah, cool. Yeah, he’s just a natural. He steps up to the mike and it starts happening immediately. Sometimes it happens… we have experienced that with a lot of people trying to sing with us, you see some people whose vocals just don’t pick your song up and take it any place. And he instantly stepped on and took that song to a better place.

RR: Did he write the lyrics or they are yours?

RM: They are his lyrics, he writes his own. That’s part of the thing – we do the music, like the bass parts are mine and the guitar lines are Will’s. Well, basically music starts and ends with Will for Karma To Burn, to be honest. We all try to put our little expressions in there. When somebody is singing, he’s gotta bring his thoughts. If you’re doing it live, they have to go out and be able to express it every night.

RR: That sounds true. You have announced that you are working already on a new album. Which means that you are definitely here for good. Can you tell me more details on the record? What should we expect? Are you working again with John Garcia?

RM: The stuff that we did with John Garcia is gonna come out in his record, Garcia Vs. Garcia. We made a deal with him. He’s gonna give us, I don’t know exactly, but when we started working he wasn’t doing Kyuss Lives and now they are doing this thing and it’s gonna take them a lot of time. So I’m not sure exactly if we’re gonna get anything with him for our record.

RR: When should we expect it?

RM: Our record’s gonna come out at the end of May.

RR: Oh, it’s close!

RM: Yeah, we are recording it. We’re starting recording in a couple of weeks. We are going at the Dave Grohl studio which is just the greatest studio on the planet. It’s gonna be probably the biggest album we’ve ever done. Just the demos that we have, they’re giant. I am pretty excited about that. It’s the closest I’ve heard of somebody capturing our sound like live on a recording. We are going to be there for a month. Daniel’s gonna do a couple of songs with us. He’s gonna play guitar on some songs. Scott Kelly from Neurosis is gonna come down and do a song with us. And we’re always talking to Burton Bell and we are trying to get him to do a little bit stuff, so we’ll see if he’ll be able to get… It’s just heart getting people out of their schedules. It’s not just people show up for one day and then go. You’ve got to come and work with us for a week at least.

RR: Do you have any idea for the title of the album?

RM: We’re just going over things right now. If it was a rap album, we would just call it “Karmageddon”, hahaha.

RR: Are you still working with Napalm Records?

RM:.Yeah.

RR: How did you get in touch with them? It’s an Austrian company and you are from West Virginia.

RM: Who knows? Our agent Matthias is from Germany and has his own band called My Sleeping Karma. They originally started as a Karma To Burn tribute band. I’m just making that up, haha. He knew the guys at Napalm and asked them and their president just said “I’d love to have Karma To Burn”.

RR: Are you doing something besides the music or you can make a living of playing the bass?

RM: Right now I’m scratching a living of playing the bass. It’s rough because Los Angeles is an expensive city. When I was living in West Virginia it was much cheaper. But we got to record out here, so we are out here for right now. We are fortunately enough to do shows in US and we are okay in the US. Most bands in our genre can’t so we are fortunate enough so we can play here. The music industry is very much returning to, at least for the artists, I think, to where it all began which is the travelling musician. The guy who’s going from town to town and playing and making his existence that way. We just have to keep playing because that’s how we generate our income.

RR: In 2010 you released albums with both of your bands, so it definitely is a strong year for Rich Mullins. What do you expect from 2011?

RM: 2011 is going to be focused in just Karma To Burn.

RR: Since Karma To Burn is such a great riff machine, I am curious what music are you guys into? What bands inspire you most?

RM: We are all over the map, we listen to everything. Whatever we get our hands on, we try it. When we first started, we haven’t changed much since then. What happens after a while, after the first year we really became our own thing. When a song starts you know that it’s us. If you’ve listened to us you could probably be in the other room and somebody plays a new song and you get like: “Oh, that sounds like Karma To Burn” and then you come in and it would be us. Sometimes we go like: “You know, that song of Thin Lizzy with that crazy ending? We should do a song with a crazy ending.” This would be stuff like that. “You know that The Cure song?” or “You know that Joy Division song?” People don’t realize it but we covered one Joy Division song in our first record. And to be honest whenever we think of some of our… I think it’s probably one of the greatest bands of all time and we would imitate them in a metal kind of way in some instances.

RR: What was the last record you bought?

RM: Aaah! I just bought something. Oh, yeah, I bought “Freak-A-Zoid” by this band called Midnight Star. I also bought this band called Stillwater, they have a song called “Mind Bender”.

RR: What is Karma To Burn like while on tour? A rock and roll band with all the wild things surrounding it or a group of calm people?

RM: You think it wouldn’t be as crazy as… When we toured in the early 2000’s, it was pretty insane. It was pretty dangerous situation for everybody involved. These days it’s not nearly as much. We just try to focus on making sure that we are going to make it for the next show and we would be in the best shape so we could play well every night. But it’s still pretty weird group of guys, we are very bizarre people and we have strong personalities that are closed in a small area.

RR: Can you tell some of the craziest stories around you while on the road?

RM: People ask me about that and it’s really hard to convey the situations and emotions through your random sampling stories and what actually occurs in the evening and what is occurs on the next day but you can always point out practical joke nights and crazy situations. I never know what people want to know.

RR: What does this thing with numbers mean? Why did you decide to put numbers instead of names of the songs? Well, there are some songs with names but most of them are numbers.

RM: If one has a name, then we did vocals to it. If it’s instrumental, then we just number it.

RR: Who brought this idea?

RM: I have to say Will because he was doing that with his riffs before we started Karma To Burn. He was calling them: “This is going to be number one” because there was no singer. It just means sense to us. I have a background with math in engineering, so I like numbers. Sometimes rock is a little confused. Sometimes we’ll do two particular songs – “Thirty” and “Thirty Four” to cause the most confusion. When they are on the setlist I always have to wait to make sure I would start the right one.

RR: And which songs are your favorite songs playing live?

RM: I love playing “Twenty Eight” and “Twenty” because they are really filled with energy. Recently I really like playing “Forty One” a lot. “Forty Seven”, the opening of the new record, that song is just smash.

RR: Last year when you released albums with both of your bands, how did you decide which riffs and which melodies to put in Karma To Burn and which in Year Long Disaster?

RM: The Karma To Burn songs are written like the three of us are at a practice and we start playing.

RR: More like a jam session?

RM: Yeah. That’s how we write the Karma To Burn songs. Except for “Waiting on the Western World” – me, Will and Daniel we were living in the same house, then Will started playing that riff and then Daniel started singing so this song was written separately. Then Daniel brought it to practice and put it all together. And the Year Long record was written with the Karma To Burn contributions to it. We were having a sound check in Spain and a couple of things sounded cool, so I recorded them on my phone and then I e-mailed them to Daniel and he sang in these and we put it in the Year Long Disaster record. The Year Long record usually starts with little bass riffs I have. And that was even before Karma To Burn started to play, we had most of the “Black Magic” record already done.

RR: OK. And just to finish this interview, I would like to ask you about your favorite albums in 2010, which records impressed you most?

RM: By other bands? Aaah… Ah! I’m trying to recall what records I’ve listened to. Do you, guys, have Metalocalypse over there?

RR: Yeah.

RM: The cartoon. (laughs) Season three! (bursts in laughter) And the new Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I loved the last season. I liked the new Sword record. I listened to the new Monster Magnet record a little bit. Who else put out new records?

RR: And what other bands seeing live impressed you most during the last year?

RM: Torche. We saw also a couple of really good Monster Magnet shows when we toured with them. We see also great opening bands but I forget the names because they are so many. There are a lot of good bands out there. Like this one we played with in Gernany, I can’t remember their name (probably Rich speaks of Sungrazer). It’s hard to remember all of them and I am just waking up. Maybe in an hour I’ll be like “Yeah! Them! Oh, that record was really good last year!” Haha.

RR: You’re right. Okay, I’ll leave you now. I will send you the links to the interview when we post it online in two weeks.

RM: Cool, thanks. You know, you should change the questions, to pretend like you asked me something else. I can do a couple of answers for you like: “After hiding the body and wiping the scene from all the DNA, there was nothing left to do that night.” Okay, have a good day, man! Bye!

RR: Bye!

Clutch: Interview with Tim Sult

2011-02-02T00:30:00.009+02:00

This interview was published a couple of weeks ago in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll. I am posting here the English version of the material, so it could reach more people and so it could be useful for the band too. We did it not exactly by the scheme "question-answer" but made it look more like an article in order to make it full-blooded text and as a way to express our love and respect to Clutch.

Clutch is one of the steadiest and hardest working bands in rock and roll ever. For 20 years on stage they have released 9 studio albums; one compilation with strong enough songs to be counted as a studio album too; two DVD’s, a few official live recordings; half a dozen official bootlegs; tens EP’s and singles; countless number of concerts; a side band with two and a half albums and a few more projects. And all of these are stamped with the mark Pure Rock Fury. Are we fans of Clutch? A lot more!
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Clutch is a name with which we come to attention and bristle up, waiting our eyeballs to rocket out of orbit in every tone, played by the quartet of Maryland. Clutch, subjectively or objectively, are the greatest and most authentic rock and roll band today. Clutch are four friends from the high school since 1990 and until now on they play, live and travel the world all the time, always together. Because the Music, dear friends, is the motor of these people, it springs out of them and fuels them, makes them breath and they never cease to create and play. That is why the fans of the band all over the world are the same – crazed melomans to whom the sincere, powerful rock and roll with bluesy groove acts as an adrenaline shot up the ass. And how does the band accepts this situation? “We're just happy to be in the position to play shows all over the world for fans of the band. It is amazing how many people around the world know the band, but we're not exactly huge or even close to being rock stars.”, answers the guitarist Tim Sult.

You must be blind or deaf to miss when Clutch are on tour. Because they play so intensively at so many places that the pulse of their music vibrates with the one of the Earth and there is no way to pass by your heart rhythm if in your chest there beats rock and roll. In November it finished the tour of the band as a special guest of Black Label Society in their Black Label Berzerkus Tour and supporting acts were Children Of Bodom and 2Cents. And although “I’ve never been much into Zakk Wylde’s music, the tour felt great and all the shows were fun. It's always good to play for people who have never heard of us. I believe we were accepted very well by the Black Label crowd. Hopefully, we made a few new fans.” When the tour was over, the band made some headline shows and instead the four of them to sit and rest during the Holidays, they went out to few special gigs, including New Year’s Eve. This is how you build up a name.

Let’s see. In 2009 there are released albums of Clutch, of their instrumental alter ego The Bakerton Group, of The Company Band – a project in which Neil Fallon sings with friends from a few other American rock bands. An during the whole year when they are not in the studio, the four are on the road where even a few times The Bakerton Group opened for Clutch as for the change of the bands they’ve just put out a microphone for Neil. 2010 finds them working hard on the re-releases of their previous three albums for which they have regained the rights from thei former label DRT Entertainment so they could put them out with their own new company Weathermaker Music. “Well we had our own label called River Road Records that sold online and at shows back in the 90's/00's but we decided it was time to hire somebody and get real distribution. At this point in our career, it just makes more sense for a band like us to put out our own stuff.”

And when they are not recording nor dealing the deeds of Weathermaker, Clutch jam all the time or are on the road. It appears that they are of the most active and busiest bands ever. Which leads to the thought that Neil, Tim, Dan and Jean-Paul are feeling best when they are working only that playing is not just a “working process” for them but also a pleasure and need to create. “Thanks for the compliments. I'm not sure what you mean by "working progress" but yes, being in Clutch and The Bakerton Group is a pleasure. Working on new music constantly is always important, I think.” And with the two active projects in hand it is easier to divide the various musical searches of the four guys. So, on the move they find out if a certain riff or melody fits more Clutch or The Bakerton Group. “The Bakerton Group originally started in the late 90's. Neil moved to Colorado so the rest of us wrote a few instrumental songs and started playing shows around the east coast for fun. As you know, Neil ended up joining The Bakerton Group on 2nd guitar about 10 years after the first Bakerton show.” In the second album of the instrumental project, “El Rojo”, along with our heroes, there stands the name of Per Wiberg, keyboard player for Opeth and Spiritual Beggars. The interesting in this case is that a musician from a European leading underground act plays with a common band from the American scene. It appears though that as usually happens in life, the things just happened by their own. “We met him when we toured Europe with his band, Spiritual Beggars. Yes I like Opeth. Per also has a side project with our drummer, JP, called King Hobo. Per has played keyboards for several Clutch shows in Europe as well as these past 5 U.S. New Years shows.”

The keyboard is an important part of the music of Clutch in their later records, mainly from “Blast Tyrant”, to “From Beale Street To Oblivion”. The Hammond in these records adds space in the band’s groove and brings associations with leading names of the scene from the 60’s and the 70’s. Thus, apart the totally obsessing rhythm, the fiery preaches, great riffs and rusty-muddy solos from the Gibson of Tim, we receive a new until that moment for Clutch epic sense of freedom. In two of these three albums on the keyboards is the friend of the band Mick Schauer who quits the line-up in 2008. And when “Strange Cousins From The West” comes out a year later and the band shares that its sound is more straight and direct, it is due to the fact that “Maybe it sounds more raw because there are no keyboards in the record.” The CD reminds more of albums like “Clutch” and “Elephant Riders”. But this doesn’t mean that Clutch are turning their back on the idea for keyboards in their music. “Yes, we plan to add keys as we see fit. Mick also played keys on the first Bakerton Group full length CD. We have also had Chris Brooks from Lionize play on a recent acoustic session. (we see him also on stage with Clutch in their last DVD “Live At The 9:30”) Of course, Per Wiberg plays with us when possible as well.”

With so many guest appearances with Clutch it is not surprising that other bands often invite band members to take part in their records too. While with Mastodon with whom they are connected with strong friendship and Tim claims to be a big fan, they change appearances in the live performances of the bands. Dozer invited Neil Fallon to sing a few lines in “Empire's End” and “Two Coins For Eyes” of “Beyond Colossal” which happened to be the last album of the Swedish. The connection of the bands again results of incidence. “Well, they were one of the bands on the tour that we did with Spiritual Beggars.” That’s it. Just Neil is a cool guy and when he finds time, he doesn’t mind to do a little help to his friends.

Besides his strong stage appearance where he shakes like obsessed of religious fanaticism preacher, his deep and inspiring voice, Neil Fallon is also expressed lyricist. Influenced by the revelations of Henry Rollins and his favorite author of music poetry Tom Waits, Neil recreates images drawn deep of the American subculture and he often interweaves blues themes and gospel proverbs with futuristic pictures and mysticism. For example in their last album the American president Abraham Lincoln is honored with a song dedicated to his assassination while his presence in the artwork is of a pagan god with four hands holding Nature symbols. While asked why they pay such an attention to his figure, Tim simply answers: “We just love that beard, man.” And he denies explaining who the strange cousins from the west are. The humor often presents in the band. But not when it comes to music. When they hit the road, the four of them often don’t stop touring for months. “We're pretty mellow on tour. We just chill and play the shows.”

Now, in the beginning of the year, Clutch are at home, they relax from their intensive schedule drinking beer and smoking weed, watching their families… or not exactly. ”It is now January and we are off until the end of the month when we start a 6 week U.S tour with Motörhead. We have been in the studio finishing up a few things for the Blast Tyrant double CD reissue.” Vacation, eh? Interesting, what happens with the acoustic songs they announced they intended to put out as a ЕР and then it appeared that they would keep them for other purposes. ”So far, we are going to have 4 of them on the Blast Tyrant Reissue.” Namely, on 29th of March.

We cannot keep from asking Tim for some of the bands that impressed him years ago. As favorite bands in the 80’s the guitarist points Circle Jerks and Minor Threat and for the early years of Clutch he says: “we’ve listened a lot Kyuss and Monster Magnet in the early day of Clutch” but he appears to be laconic on that matter. In an attempt to return to him the mean trick that Weathermaker Music played with the fans of the band, making us to point out only 5 favorite songs of Clutch to put them on the website of the label as a podcast and free download, we invite him to point out his five favorites. Tim, however, doesn’t hesitate at all: ”Ghost; Abraham Lincoln; White's Ferry; Release the Dub; Rapture of Riddley Walker”. Topically for the beginning of 2011, he shares also his favorite albums for 2010:

Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
The Budos Band - Budos Band III
Grinderman - Grinderman II
Melvins - The Bride Screamed Murder
O'Death - Broken Hymns, Limbs, and Skin
OFF! - First 4 Ep's
The Sword - Warp Riders

And what should we expect from Clutch in 2011? ”Well we have a six with tour with Motörhead from January 29th to March 12th as I said. On some dates they will have a break and we will have headline gigs. In the spring we will put out the re-release of “Blast Tyrant” and we have a few European shows in June planned so far.” Profession Rock.

Kula Shaker: Interview with Alonza Bevan

2011-01-27T00:44:00.011+02:00

This interview is published in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll. I put here its English version in order this way it to reach more people and also the band to use it however they want to.

In the nineties, during the era of the grunge, the brit-pop and growingly faceless songs at the music channels, it is almost unimaginable for a psychedelic rock band, deeply inspired of India, to conquer the charts. The music of Kula Shaker bears at the same time the fiery energy of the youth and the wisdom of the musical culture of past epochs; contemporary, yet reflecting the spirit of the music of the 60’s; wonderfully combining the vivid picturesque pageant of the soundtracks of “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” with the psychedelia of the later Beatles. And in 2010 it abandoned all this musical whirlwind to release one of the purest, tender and beautiful rock albums. Kula Shaker closer, presented by Alonza Bevan.
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RR: First of all – congratulations for “Pilgrims Progress” , though it’s been half an year since it came out! It is among the most beautiful albums ever released. Can you tell us shortly about the album, the label issue in 2008, the songs and the recording sessions?

AB: Well, the album grew out of circumstance we had just got out of some dodgy dealings with the dark side (moneymen, accountants and lawyers) which left the band in a rather poor financial position. We knew we had some good songs and so with some great help from our friends and local musicians we started recording Pilgrims Progress here in the countryside of southern Belgium.

RR: The first thing that is obvious while listening the CD is the fact that you have taken off the colorful garment that was so typical for your previous releases and “Pilgrims Progress” is a stripped down to naked melodies and pure emotions record. Was that transmission natural or you made it by purpose?

AB: The production idea for the album was to capture some of the magic and freedom of the song demos which so often gets lost in the recording process. I mentioned how circumstance created this record and it definitely affected the production choices. I finally got to use all the peculiar instruments lying around my studio, the organ from the local church got used and more than anything the medieval surroundings and forests gave their fairy tale magic.

RR: Is the song “Peter Pan R.I.P.” only about the end of the childhood, the end of the fairy-tale period of the life or it also treats the moving away of the band from the vivid explosion in the sound of its earlier records?

AB: I thought it was about the death of innocence in the 20th century but apparently not, you'll have to ask Crispian.

RR: I can tell that in “Winter’s Call” there is a load of Roger Waters-like drama, especially at the end of the song. Is it true or it’s just my mind and imagination?

AB: No it's not your imagination, It is a fully certified prog epic.

RR: The first two albums where echoing of the burst of the psychedelic rock and the hippie movement from the 60’s and the 70’s. “Pilgrims Progress” also bears the spirit of past decades but it seems as if it’s more opened to the folk rock and even rockabilly and evergreen era. Am I right?

AB: It wasn't something we really thought about, I've always loved the sound of the 60's folk revival, I guess this album offered the opportunity to draw on these influences.

RR: The album is very acoustic. Is that connected to the fact that the studio you have recorded it is in the woods, closer to the nature and closer to the roots? Because overall it is calm and beautiful with a peaceful aura, if I can say so.

AB: Absolutely, we thought we were going to make another rock'n'roll album but those bloody fairies and wood spirits had their way.

RR: What kind of music do you listen to and does it influence the songs of Kula Shaker?

AB: I've just been listening to The Cramps... I don't think they had much influence on the last album but as a rule most bands are shaped by their record collection.

RR: When you released “K” back in 1996 and it quickly gained popularity with singles like “Govinda” and “Hey, dude”, did you expect it or were you surprised? And do you think the success back then is due to the spirit of these years or it’s a complex of factors that brought Kula Shaker to the top?

AB: It seems strange looking back, at the time we thought that's what happens when you get signed by a major record company but we were one of the "lucky" ones. I think we were signed by accident because guitars were back in fashion. I don't think they banked on the Sanskrit Prayers or Vedic perspective which probably contributed to our commercial success.

RR: “Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts” is like an explosion of music, one of the most picturesque and splendid rock and roll albums. What have you listened back then and what have you taken while making the songs? :P

AB: I seem to remember lots of "Jesus Christ Super Star" being played, we felt we could do what we wanted and so we did. As usual we were under the influence of a lot of tea.

RR: What led to the split of the band in 1999?

AB: It stopped being fun.

RR: And what made you reform the band in 2004?

AB: We thought it might be fun again.

RR: “Strangefolk” was released without much of a media noise or advertisement, even though the fans were in furor. Why you did not pay that much of attention to the promotion of the CD?

AB: I guess we were a little apprehensive from our previous experience. We also wanted to work for ourselves at our own pace.

RR: The release of “Pilgrims Progress” also went aside of the wide attention and without much of a loud PR. Don’t you think that if you push a bit more the media it would lead to greater commercial success?

AB: Of course, it just costs a lot of money.

RR: It’s the same with the live appearances. I read everywhere that all of the concerts were really successful. Even so you seem not to care that much to provide us with live reports, videos and articles in the media. Is it by purpose or you just don’t want to pay that much of attention to this side of the business – it is obvious that fans love you anyways?

AB: I'm starting to feel guilty now.

RR: Talking on promotion, don’t you think about a live album or a DVD release?

AB: Why not?

RR: How did four guys who are aspired by the Eastern culture gather together in a band more than 15 years ago?

AB: Karmic destiny and the search for the Grail.

RR: Were you all vegetarians before Kula Shaker or this came with the band and its heritage?

AB: I became vegetarian at the age of 17, I think it came from youthful idealism and now meat eating seems very odd.

RR: Isn’t it controversial being a vegetarian and being in a rock band? And while skipping meat do you also restrain the alcohol and the drugs?

AB: I don't think it's controversial anymore, there are so many veggies, the world is changing. To answer the second part of your question, I became vegetarian for the health of animals not my own.

RR: While touring, is Kula Shaker a party band or a group of calm and devoted people?

AB: We are one of the most un rock'n'roll bands in the business... most of the time.

RR: What is your favorite tea?

AB: PG, nothing fancy just a good honest cuppa.

RR: While Crispian is dedicated to the film he works on, what is everybody else in th band doing? And are all the other guys okay with this situation?

AB: I've been working on the studio here in Belgium the film has allowed me to pick up on some old projects so I'm happy.

RR: What does the future of Kula Shaker hold? Crispian has mentioned that he would like to eventually keep the band involved in the soundtrack of the film.

AB: No plans but things are more exciting that way!

RR: At least Kula Shaker released a Christmas single in December, so it seems everything is alright! Wish you guys all the best and happiness from all our team!

AB: Yes it is! Sorry it took so long to get this back to you! I hope you have a good year too!!!

Lots of Love

Alonza

The photographs, used in this material, are taken from www.kulashaker.co.uk and www.facebook.com/kulashaker.

Interview with John Garcia

2011-01-10T02:51:00.012+02:00

This interview is posted in the Bulgarian webzine Rawk'n'Roll. I am posting it also here, so the text could be available both in English and Bulgarian. And why we made an interview with John Garcia? Are you joking? Because we love him and we love Kyuss and they changed the way we listen to music.

RR: Good morning, John!

JG: Good morning, Ivo! How are you?

RR: I’m fine, thank you! I guess you are on your first coffee since it’s 9AM there.

JG: Haha! More like my second coffee really.

RR: OK, and I’m on my first beer now, here it is 7PM.

JG: Ah, good to you! Thanks for wanting to do this!

RR: Well, thanks to you for doing this, since the stoner rock or the desert rock is not that massive in Bulgaria as it is in the Western Europe or in the States, so it’s an honor for us here to have you!

JG: Okay, good deal!

RR: Yeah. And also Happy New Year and I wish you all the best!

JG: Same to you!

RR: How did you celebrate the New Year’s Eve?

JG: Sleeping. I took my wife out for dinner and we had some drinks and a couple of cocktails. We didn’t do too much really, we wanted to have a nice, quiet New Year’s and we really didn’t do anything. There are a lot of crazy people out here in the desert and people who are drinking and driving and stuff like that, so it’s safer for us just to stay home and celebrate here. My wife made it until midnight but I didn’t, I was sleeping. She woke me up 15 seconds after the New Year. So it was nice and quiet, thanks for asking!

RR: Sure. So, are you working currently on something, some music or you are still in holiday mood?

JG: I’m working, I’m working feverously to get Garcia Vs. Garcia off the ground.

RR: It’s been a while since your last update in the website.

JG: Yeah, I know. I’m working. As a matter of fact I worked on Christmas Eve, I worked on Christmas Day, I worked New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day on the record and I’m still working on it right now but it’s still the beginning stages of it. So, it’s gonna take about 6-7-8 months to finally get this thing done. I hope to have it all done by the beginning of winter of this year, so we’ll see what happens.

RR: I cross my fingers on that! And what about the Kyuss Lives! Tour? Do you feel excited about it already?

JG: I’m extremely excited about it. Especially because it’s all for the promotion of Garcia Vs. Garcia, that’s the entire reason I am doing Kyuss Lives! Thank God that Nick and Brant and Bruno obliged me and they’ve signed on to do this tour. It’s something that I look forward to express with Nick and Brant. Those two guys are… I mean, talking about integrity and rocknroll and good music that they make themselves. It’s a pleasure for me to play with those guys all over again and including Bruno Fevery. It’s something that I very much look forward to.

RR: And it is really amazing when you play live. I saw you last year when you played in Vienna during the Garcia Plays Kyuss tour and you played with Brant Bjork for a couple of songs and it was a real blast. The crowd went insane, it was amazing show. When you started this project – Garcia Plays Kyuss did you expect what followed and how does it feel up there on the stage seeing all these people going crazy in front of you on the songs you have made so many years ago?

JG: To revisit some of these songs and to celebrate my past, this was my plight along with letting people know that I’m still there on the musical map. Don’t count me out just yet. I’m not gone yet. I’m taking a break from veterinary medicine for a little while and it felt great to celebrate my past, it felt great to revisit these songs so many years after the records came out. So, it’s a great stepping stone for Garcia Vs. Garcia. It was great. It’s going to be even better because Brant and Nick are now involved in this. I look forward to the crowd response, I look forward to the opportunity to tour with Nick and Brant again after all these years. There’s gonna be some stories. I’m looking forward to having those times, to having these stories to tell. It should be good.

RR: Was it easy to talk Nick and Brant to do this?

JG: Well… I don’t know if it was easy or not. Once I played with Nick and Brant together in Hellfest in Clisson, France I realized I wanted to that again. I had to be strategic when it came to asking Nick and Brant. I wrote Brant a long letter asking him if he’d wanna do it again, not for just one show or two shows but for 21, 22, 23 shows. He came over to the house and we sat on the deck and we talked about it and I presented it to him again verbally. And thank God that he said “Yes”! He did say “Yes” and then I called Nick when I was over in my manager’s office in Nijmegen in Holland. I talked to him over the phone and I asked him and he luckily said “yes” as well. It’s very fortunate to have those guys signed on to do this and it’s even more fortunate to have Bruno Fevery, the guitar player, to stay on with me.

RR: We all know that Josh Homme was never into Kyuss reunion. Have you heard him when you decided to make Kyuss Lives! and do you know what is his opinion on this?

JG: (laughs) No, I don’t. Josh is a busy guy. He’s real, real busy. He’s busy with the Queens Of The Stone Age, he’s busy with Them Crooked Vultures, he’s got his hands in lot of pies, you know. And I don’t think he has time nor does he want to revisit Kyuss. With Josh is ever forward and never backward. But I love Josh and I don’t want to be there any shit talking about me and Josh because I think Josh is extremely talented, he’s a great songwriter, he’s a great singer and I love him dearly. It’s just one of those things when he doesn’t wanna be involved and I’m okay with that.

RR: And do you know if he has heard of this project?

JG: Yeah, he’s heard of it. Nick told him. I think he said that that was cool. I don’t know what else he wants or can say about it. I’m not gonna hold my breath, waiting for Josh to oblige me to play some Kyuss songs, especially when the only reason I am doing this is to help Garcia Vs Garcia. So, I think it would be kind of unfair from me to ask him and nor did I ask him. I haven’t asked him because I know that 99.99% of the times I would ask him, he would say “no”. So, I’m not gonna go back on that. I understand the reason why he doesn’t want to do it and I’m fine with him, he’s okay with it and I’m okay with it, it’s okay for both of us.

RR: Can I take you 15 years back and ask why did Kyuss break up?

JG: You know, I get this question a lot. When Josh and I sat down in a bar in Palm Desert, California and we decided to split, we knew that we were going to get this question a lot, so we decided and it’s true that it was just time. It was time to move on. A lot of good things came out of the demise of Kyuss. You know, Brant leaving and formed Fu Manchu and Brant Bjork and the Bros and Brant Bjork and then Nick Olivery and Alfredo and Josh. A lot of good things came out of the demise of Kyuss, so any time anybody asks me that, I just say “it was time”. It was the perfect timing for the disbanding of Kyuss and we all moved on.

RR: And after the disbanding you didn’t stop making music. You formed Slo Burn, then made Unida, then Hermano and you’ve sang in so many other artists’ albums, I think they are countless. Can you even recall all of them?

JG: Yeah, I can recall them all. That kind of makes sense for me to do it; it kind of makes sense for me to sing in other people’s stuff. And you know, that’s the key, Ivo, it’s… I would get my fix every now and then with bands like that. But always burning through me was me wanting to do this solo project which is Garcia Vs Garcia thing, so it’s time to get this monkey off my back with the blessing of my family, especially my wife. She gave me the thumbs up to give veterinary medicine a break and concentrate on music again and this is my way of reintroducing myself back into the musical community by doing Kyuss Lives! and Garcia Plays Kyuss and getting ready for the beginning of what’s about to happen and that’s Garcia Vs Garcia.

RR: I see. And what about Hermano? I have read that you were setting a new record. Is it going to happen?

JG: I think that Hermano will never die. I think Hermano is something that will constantly be in an idle position. So when everybody gets time between their already busy schedules to do another Hermano record, then we’ll do that. I definitely think that it’s in the cards for me to do another Hermano record at some point, so yes.

RR: You have announced that you will record an album with Kyuss Lives! Is this the line up you want to make the album with?

JG: Yes. Definitely! We decided that after weeks of rehearsal. I went to Brant and I went to Nick and we had a lunch in Hollywood and I told them my intentions and I asked them if they would oblige me doing another record. I don’t know what it’s gonna be called. It might be called Kyuss Lives!, I don’t know. I don’t know what it’s gonna be called but the plan is for now once everybody gets their time, ‘cause you know, Brant is working on his record, I’m working on my record and when that’s done, then Brant and I and Bruno and Nick will sit down and we’ll start writing the next record. So I’m excited about that too.

RR: Do you have any ideas about the songs and their sound?

JG: You mean the sound?

RR: Yeah, the sound of the studio record.

JG: Well… (laughs) It’s not gonna be a polka record, that’s for sure! It’s gonna be a heavy rock record. I mean, you’ve got the singer for Kyuss, the drummer for Kyuss, one of the main writers for Kyuss music, the bass player for Kyuss, so I wonder what it’s going to sound like. Probably Kyuss (laughs).

RR: I thought it. Last month I talked to Phil Caivano from Monster Magnet and he told me that Europe is very open for rock and roll and they play here very often. Is this the same reason you are playing often in Europe?

JG: To me, ever since I was in my early twenties, Europe has always treated every single one of my bands and projects with open arms. The European Union collectively, including Scandinavia and the United Kingdom has always invited me to dinner. They’ve always opened their doors and took me by the hand and say: “Hey, sit down, let’s have a meal.” And have always shown me really warm reception. I like to work and if there’s a want or a need or yearning for the type of music that I play in any country, I don’t care if it’s New Zealand or Australia, or Canada, or South America, or the EU, or Japan, I’m gonna try to go. You have to make a living out of this. You’ve got to love music and unfortunately, you’ve gotta make some money out of it. A lot of musicians are afraid to talk about money but you’ve got to make money, especially when you are a father, a husband and you wanna support for your family. There comes a time when you need to fucking man up and be a dad, be a husband and support your family. And you can’t be in a rock and roll band just for the love of fucking music because you have to make money out of it. And in my age, I’ll be 41 years old this year, it’s gotta make sense to go to countries that you know that gonna continue to work with you on a business level. And that’s extremely important for people to know as well – that you go where the business is good and you go where you’ve been before and you’re tap into that market. One market that I haven’t tapped in since the early 90’s is Australia. And I just booked an Australian tour for Kyuss Lives! And we’ll be down there for two and a half weeks. And then we are heading to New Zealand after that for three shows. So those unsaturated markets that I haven’t been to in ten plus years, it’s a great place to tap into after all these years, to go to and to be able to make a living. That’s important.

RR: And from the last year tour, can you recall where was the most inspiring and interesting show?

JG: Oh, it got to be the Hellfest in Clisson, France with Nick and Brant. That was the highlight of 2010 for me.

RR: And compared to the Kyuss days, what is the difference between now playing live and playing live back then in the 90’s?

JG: There is a big difference because Josh isn’t there. It’s a huge difference. That’s the big difference. And I’m a little bit older now, a little bit wiser, I’m appreciative of my past. Instead of shining my past which I used to do, I used to be: “Oh, fuck Kyuss, I don’t want anything to do with them or with my past” but now I’ve really come to terms where I’ve embraced my past and I am very lucky to have played with such great musicians in my life. The difference now from then is that I appreciate the music more; I appreciate what we were doing back then more. So that’s really the big difference, I hold it a lot more closely to my heart than I used to.

RR: And back then when you started making music first, when you were still kids, what made you wanting create music, what bands inspired you, what musicians, who were your favorite ones?

JG: I think that the biggest one was The Cult. Once I heard The Cult – Love, I wanted right then and there that I wanted to become a singer. That was really the main thing. The main band for me that really made me want to sing; that was a life changing moment in my life when I heard that record and that song “She Sells Sanctuary”. Of course later on I started listening more and more to The Cult, I changed high schools and Josh and Brant were going to that one high school and it was something they were into as well and we all just kind of got together and I was inspired by them. Those guys were my idols – Brant and Josh; I looked up to them because they were hungry, they wanted to do it. We all were just young kids, we just wanted to play in a rock and roll band and that’s basically what it was.

RR: Obviously Black Sabbath is an influence too because you have recorded that cover of “Into The Void”. I have seen an interview with you where you say you don’t like your singing on this one.

JG: Yeah, it’s true.

RR: I personally enjoy this one a lot but my favorite cover of this song is by Monster Magnet. Have you heard it?

JG: By Monster Magnet? No, I never heard it but I’m sure Dave Wyndorf does a much better job than I do on that song.

RR: It’s just more psychedelic, that’s the main difference. By the way, just yesterday I was listening to the Hermano albums and I was wondering is there any connection between the songs “My Boy” and “Adoption Boy” or it’s all in my head?

JG: Oh! You know, I haven’t listened to those tracks in a long, long time. I mean, lyrically there might be, I don’t know. That was a difficult time of my life when I was recording those songs. It’s something that I just can’t pull up in my head. It’s something that I have to go back and listen to and read the lyrics. It’s been so long since I haven’t sung those songs; it’s hard for me to pull them up in my head. Some people can do it, some singers can just tell you right about the similarities and the differences but I can’t. I’ve got to go back and listen to that shit. Sorry about that one.

RR: Do you still listen to new music, besides the music you are into? And if so, what albums in 2010 made you the greatest impression?

JG: (loudly, to his wife somewhere in the house) What records did we get in 2010, honey? Rufus Wainwright? You know, a lot of people think that I just sit down and listen to rock music all day long, he-he! It’s really not. The older I get, I find myself going backwards. Some of the new music that I’ve been listening to is really old music and revisiting these older songs. A lot of people think that when you are a rock and roll guy, listening to Maroon 5 is a guilty pleasure and to me it’s really not. I genuinely like Adam Levine’s voice and his vocal melody and Carmichael’s writing ability in that band. I’ve been listening to them. Also I’ve been revisiting Rufus Wainwright’s record “Poses” and that came out in 2003 I think it was (actually it’s 2001), I’ve been listening to that. And last night my wife and I were listening to a 1976 Boz Scaggs record called “Silk Degrees” and then we threw on Jimi Hendrix and after that we threw on Minute Work. A lot of people think that I listen to Karma To Burn and Monster Magnet all the time. And I listen to these bands a lot too but there’s some other stuff that I like listening to and I like going backwards sometimes.

RR: That’s what I heard from many other musicians and that’s what is going on with me too – going backwards, going to the roots, going to the old blues and folk. The new Robert Plant, if you have heard it, it’s all country and folk rock and gospel. When you grow older maybe that’s the thing you’re into. About the Kyuss Lives! tour, going back on this, what should we expect from this tour? What have you prepared?

JG: You can expect four guys getting up there and knocking your socks off really. The last thing that I wanna do and the last thing that Brant wants to do, the last thing that Bruno and Nick wanna do is suck. We don’t wanna go there and have a bad show. We wanna get up there and have fun and do what we know and what we know is these Kyuss songs. And we wanna get up there and have everybody enjoying the party and come down and have a good time and celebrate Kyuss. Celebrate the past. Because this is about as close as you’ll ever gonna get of seeing the real deal. I wouldn’t hold my breath for Josh to come up on stage at all, so again this might be as close as you’ll ever get seeing the real deal.

RR: But you have played with Josh, maybe it was 2005, with the Queens Of The Stone Age, I have seen a few videos in youtube, where you are making some Kyuss songs with Josh and the Queens.

JG: Yeah, that’s true and that was me and Josh and that was it, you know. What can I say? That was one show and one show only and it was with all the guys from the Queens.

RR: About this tour how did you choose the songs that you will perform? Or you still haven’t chosen them?

JG: We’ve already chosen. We’ve already chosen the majority of the songs. There are gonna be songs from “Blues” and “Sky Valley”, “Circus Leaves Town”, maybe a couple from “Wretch”. We’re gonna choose the heavy hitters, we’re gonna choose the ones that have proven that we know obviously how to play. We’ve got close to thirty songs to choose from to what we play, so hopefully each set, each night will be a different set.

RR: Last year in Vienna you did “Pilot The Dune” by Slo Burn. Are you going to go back to your other projects on this tour or it will be only Kyuss songs?

JG: Only Kyuss! No more “Pilot The Dune”, no more Slo Burn.

RR: Okay, John. Let me leave you now to enjoy your day. I hope to see you again in Vienna because I just booked my plane ticket for that show, so I’ll see you in Vienna.

JG: Alright! Well, thank you very much, I appreciate it. Have a beer for me!

RR: I will, next one is for you. Bye!

JG: Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Bye!

I would like to thank John Garcia for the patience for this interview and for sending me the picture with his wife Wendy in the vet clinic they work and the photo of him with Scott Reeder in Thunder-Underground studio in Palm Springs, CA. The other photos I took at the Garcia Plays Kyuss show in Vienna last June. Big Thank you goes also to Ram Lauwrier, the manager of John, who has been a great support.

Monster Magnet: Interview with Phil Caivano

2010-12-21T13:46:00.012+02:00

This interview is published in Bulgarian in The website: Rawk'n'Roll. The reason I am posting it in English is that I would like to share it with Napalm Records who gave me great cooperation for this conversation and also to send the link to the band in order they to use it however they want. So, here it is:

RR: Hi, Phil, how are you?

PC: Great and you?

RR: Me too. My name is Ivo and I am from Bulgaria…

PC: RR: Oh, great country!

RR: You’ve been there 4 years ago with Hatebreed.

PC: Yes.

RR: What do you remember from your stay there?

PC: That night I was working with Hatebreed and I remember walking in there and it was madness. I always wanted to get back there with Monster Magnet – we’ve played there a long time ago.

RR: Yes, in Plovdiv in 1999. I saw you back then.

PC: And the Hatebreed night was great. We went crazy, I love these guys, and they are my good friends.

RR: How did you start working with them?

PC: I started to work with Hatebreed when we had a break and my friend Matt Hyde, who’s the producer of the Monster Magnet records, was coming to the East Coast to work with Hatebreed and I had some time off. Years ago I used to work with Matt in his studio in Los Angeles and he asked me if I was interested in working on a Hatebreed record. I said: “Yeah, I’d love to do that, I’ve seen them a few times” and so I went to work on a record with Matt. I knew how great these guys were and they’ve been really close and great friends of mine since the minute I met them.

RR: And Hatebreed are connected with the New Orleans scene. With the NOLA scene. Their singer Jamie Jasta sings with Kingdom of Sorrow…

PC: Yeah, Kingdom Of Sorrow, this connection with Crowbar. I love that stuff. I am also very close with Zeuss, I’ve worked with him on two Hatebreed records and I work with Jamie on some of his side projects. And he was playing me a lot of Kingdom Of Sorrow stuff and I worked on one song that was on the first record, with Jamie, I went on doing some vocals with Jamie and I think that the Kingdom Of Sorrow stuff is amazing. Zeuss is a fantastic engineer and producer, he is one of my favorite people to work with.

RR: Talking on production, the new Monster Magnet is so massive as sound, it’s really huge. And you are back with this album, you weren’t part of the band for the “4 Way Diablo”.

PC: No, I was not. I was working with Hatebreed then. I was taking a break, I’ve always been a studio guy and…

RR: So there haven’t been any arguments with Dave…

PC: No, no, no. I’ve worked on all the demos. I really wanted to do a studio for myself.

RR: The Studio 13?

PC: Yeah, I wanted to build my studio and I needed time to do it. I was a little burnt out from all the touring and Dave was taking a bit of a break at that time and I felt that it was… I needed to do it then. And I started to get involved with working on other records with other people. And when you are a musician and an artist you have to go with your coin and that was the time. Then some things happened with everybody personally with Dave and stuff so Monster Magnet didn’t do anything for quite a while. Then Dave asked me if I’d come back to Monster Magnet. We had some long discussions about what we wanted to do. We were really hell-bent on how we wanted to do that record.

RR: It shows.

PC: Yes, it really does show because we were very specific on how we wanted it. When Matt Hyde came after to work with us, it’s been great to work with him over the years, but we wanted to do things a little bit differently.

RR: More oldschool music.

PC: Yes, it was more oldschool with the drums and the bass being a big part of everything. The bass is really prominent in the record.

RR: I’ve read an interview with Dave where he says that you were doing all the bass.

PC: Yeah, I played all the bass in “Mastermind”. I grew up a bass player and we had some unfortunate situations around the making of “Mastermind”. A lot of things happened with everyone personally, Jim had some family things going on and unfortunately the schedule conflicted with that.

RR: And you had to do it on time?

PC: Yeah, we had to do it, we got to get the job done. And then was the rehearsal starting, to do the preproduction of the record which was only five days and I ended playing all the bass on the record. It wasn’t planned but that’s how it happened and I am really happy that I was able to do that; that I got the opportunity to play bass on the record and to do everything I knew how to do. It was very spontaneous; there wasn’t a lot of thinking about it. I just knew it had to be as heavy and musical as we wanted to. I couldn’t sit there and just go through the parts, it was really spontaneous and really, really fun.

RR: So it comes out that at least for this album you were the second main guy doing the songs and the recording?

PC: Dave and I we have an amazing working relationship. I have worked with a lot of people over the years, I’ve been in Monster Magnet now for long time. Dave and I grew up together. I know how he thinks, I know how he likes to work. And there are always a few surprises because just when you think it’s going to be a certain way, he throws you a curve ball. And as long as I have worked with him, it’s just amazing, like: “Oh, my God, he’s gonna do it like that! Amazing! I have never thought about it.” So, I am the guy that Dave always comes to, I always hear the demos first. He always calls me and we live five minutes from each other, you know what I mean? And it’s always been like: “Hey, I got an idea, can I come over to the studio to record something?” That’s how we work together. It’s really great when someone else comes in to see how we work, they think we’re nuts, that always happens. It’s funny, I go through the years and I still really, really enjoy working with this guy. I really love the way Dave plays guitar, I love his approach to music, and his reference points are amazing. Just when you think that you gonna get what you expect, he does something different. He really amazed me with this record with how some of the songs he came up with and with some of the riffs he came up with. And then when he called me about what did I think, he remembered that riff that I was… I was working on something, he asked me if he could use it for the record and I said: “Of course”, you know. It’s really a lot of fun.

RR: About you and Dave working so well, you have been together in a band called Shrapnel back in the 80s. And then when he formed Monster Magnet you weren’t a part of the band, of its initial line-up. Why?

PC: I left New Jersey and moved to New York at a young age. We actually started Shrapnel while I still was at the high school, I mean we were teenagers. When the band broke up... We grew up an hour from New York. When Shrapnel stopped doing what we were doing, I was in New York doing other stuff but I was around for Monster Magnet a lot. I remember Dave playing me all the early demos and I was at a lot of the early shows. And for the time after he recorded “Spine of God” and “Tab” I was living in New York. They recorded “Superjudge” and “Dopes to Infinity” in New York. I was in the studio with those guys, hanging out. On “Superjudge” they borrowed my guitar and amps. On “Dopes to Infinity” they used a lot of my guitars and amps. And I have always been around the band. And when he came to LA again, I had moved to LA after New York. I have been in some bands in New York; I really wasn’t doing much of anything, I mean, I played with a band called Murphy’s Law, I had a band called Blitzspeer, I was doing heavy stuff. I was really into the New York Hardcore scene, so that was a lot of fun. When I moved to LA, I really concentrated on working in studios. That’s when Dave came to do "Powertrip" in Los Angeles with Matt Hyde again and it was a natural evolution for me to join the band at that point.

RR: About Ed’s decision to leave the band, were you surprised to hear this?

PC: I was very surprised to hear it. Especially after recording a record like “Mastermind”. When I have left the band it was a time when the band was taking a break, there wasn’t a lot going on, we just toured extensively and everybody was really tired. With Ed’s decision now to not wanna do this I was really shocked, I was really surprised… I don’t know, I was surprised, I was shocked.

RR: How do you think his absence will affect the sound of the band?

PC: You’ll see for yourself tonight. All I know is a lot of people who have seen us on this tour are telling us we sound better than ever. You know, I love working with Ed, he is very talented guy and if this is what he wants to do, that’s his decision. A lot of fans went like: “Oh, my God, Ed’s not in…” This is Ed’s decision, not our decision. We really were surprised and kind of shocked. We just toured at summertime and we really hadn’t time to find somebody else. Thankfully we had Garrett from Riotgod and Jim and Bob has just toured Europe with Riotgod. I have worked with Garrett before. He was just the natural guy that we have to do this and I think he sounds really powerful. I really can’t compare the two of them, I’m not gonna either go there. I just know that we go on stage now and we sound really, really strong, Garrett has his own style that really fits him with what we do. Garrett’s rhythm guitar playing is great. With Ed it’s just one of those things that happen, you can’t be angry. I wish that Ed would decide… I just wish Ed to be happy. We worked for a long time together, you know. No hard feelings.

RR: In a recent interview with Dave he calls you a chudder.

PC: Yes, haha!

RR: Can you explain what that means?

PC: Oh… wow, that gets a lot of different meanings. That’s a word Dave and I use to somebody… We call our amplifiers, our pedals, our guitars “chud”. I’m always taking stuff apart, I’m always figuring out in the way of doing stuff.

RR: Some kind of gear-guy?

PC: Gear-guy, yes. And a studio guy. I blow stuff up, I take stuff apart, I say an amp needs a new loudspeaker. Dave would be working on a part and I’ll be like: “Wow I wonder what it would sound like if we used this tiny amplifier instead of the big Marshall and this really old microphone?” That’s a chudder.

RR: So how do you choose your gear during the tour? Is it different every time or you don’t change it much for the road?

PC: I stick with a lot of the same stuff. I have this thing that I always go for my gut instinct. There are certain pedals I always liked to use, guitars I always liked Les Pauls and stuff, Marshalls but on this record I got introduced to a company called Metropoulos. For this record we’ve used a lot of things how we always wanted to do it. We introduced a lot of classical sounds. I have a pretty big guitar collection, I’m always changing pickups and things, I always go back to the beginning and that’s kind of chudding around, I’m always sideling cables and stuff.

RR: And that’s chudder?

PC: Yeah, that’s chudder.

RR: You have your custom First Act guitar. Do you use it with Monster Magnet?

PC: I use it in the studio; I’ve used it on one tour. It’s a difficult guitar to use life because we don’t think it’s our certain way with some pickups. I actually found a broken guitar from the sixties that was on the street, it was a pure chud. I used it in the studio, it sounds great in the studio. Live it’s pretty hard to use because it feeds back a lot and I’m more comfortable with the Les Paul.

RR: You and Dave have your Studio 13. Can you tell me something more about the studio? What bands are you interested in? And will you use it mostly for Monster Magnet purpose?

PC: We use it for the band and we look for some other bands. I want to record something with Tim Cronin and Tim’s been involved with Monster Magnet since day one. We’re definitely looking for some other bands that interest us to put some stuff out but it’s also comfortable for Monster Magnet, the guys in Monster Magnet to do some other things they created. Like Dave and I have big love for space rock. And maybe we’ll be doing some space rock recording in Studio 13. Maybe the label wouldn’t want to put it out so we could put it out. Do some garage rock stuff. If I find some cool young band and maybe write some songs with somebody else, things like that. My side project Capricorn which was something that I did with my old friend Todd Youth (guitar, ex-Danzig), we decided to put that out with Studio 13, just an avenue of creativity. It’s creativity more than kind of label, it’s just avenue to give music out to people. Music that we actually love and we like to do.

RR: Talking about space rock, would you put that label to the Monster Magnet music? How would you describe the band’s style?

PC: I think we’re more of a rock band. But we’ve been able to bring all of these elements into it. The space rock is a huge influence. When Dave and I were kids, we were listening to that stuff over and over again. Amon Düül, Hawkwind, The Stooges, The Groundhogs, all these bands. They were more rock bands. We are a rock band that has a lot of influences. That’s what I think keeps Monster Magnet so interesting over the years.

RR: Since it’s the end of the year now, are there any particular albums that you like most during the year?

PC: There’s always stuff but nothing that is of the top… Well, the Kingdom of Sorrow record, I love what Jamie did vocally in that record different than Hatebreed. I thought it’s really, really good to see him stretch out, I’m big supporter of that. I like the Riotgod stuff that Jim and Bob are doing and Garrett’s doing, that’s really cool. And I was into a lot of really old blues and really old jazz. I am into finding bands and records I didn’t know about, that were released a long time ago. Like the other day we found out that this band we loved from Germany from the early seventies, Tiger B Smith had another record out under the name Second Life before Tiger B Smith. We’re on Internet, tryin’ to find: “Ah, here’s the guy, here’s the guy!” And finally got it and paid for the download. I thought: “Oh, my God, this is the best stuff I’ve heard in fucking years!” Cause we’ve never heard it and I got excited about it. I get excited about things like that. It’s kind of tough to come out with specific stuff, you know.

RR: Now you work with Napalm Records which is a European label. Is this the reason that you tour started here, in Europe and not in the States?

PC: Well, maybe it has something to do with it. Europe has always been a great place for us. We’re gonna start into getting back into playing in the States. Unfortunately with the States it’s really hard for hard rock bands now. And we are starting to see more interest now but in the last couple of years it was all pop music. A lot of hard rock bands have to come over here. We’ve been coming here for so long; Europe is such a great place for us. It feels like we belong here, so we will always come here.

RR: I hope you will! I guess I have to leave you to join the rest of the band, thank you very much for this nice talk! See you in the hall!

PC: Thank you for the great questions, it was real fun!

Then he remained a bit more in the room, we talked about the band, about the "God Says No" record that is "Very underrated, yet amazing" and he signed my copy of this very album. And an hour later he and Monster Magnet blew my head off, sending it orbiting in space. The report is only in Bulgarian and it's available here and here is a gallery from the show. The only thing remaining is great memories.

Лексикон

2010-09-21T23:27:00.007+03:00

Алекс, ти си виновна да попълвам въпросник по нощите и то в не съвсем трезво състояние. Поеми отговорност! Или поне празната чаша.

Q: Похапваш ли докато четеш? Ако го правиш, коя е любимата ти “храна за четене”? - Почти никога не го правя. Книгата ме грабва, потъвам и не се сещам за храна. Евентуално може да ожаднея докато чета, но най-много да си налея нещо, да пийна и да захапя обратно книгата. За разлика от филмите обаче.

Q: Какво обичаш да пиеш, докато четеш? - На това май отговорих по-горе.

Q: Отбелязваш ли си някакви пасажи и моменти книгите или идеята да драскаш по книгата те ужасява? Как отбелязваш последната прочетена страница – книгоразделител, кучешки ушички (като прегъваш листа отдолу), оставяш книгата отворена? - Все си мисля да отбелязвам, когато нещо ме отвее (последно проторепортажите от "По пътя" и описанието на емоцията, която изпита... не помня имената, мамка му, а "Кафка на плажа" не ми е под ръка"... младият шофьор, докато слушаше класическа музика за пръв път в живота си), но адски рядко си го преписвам някъде. Не мога да драскам по книга. Все едно да се порежеш на лицето, за да отбележиш докъде си стигнал с бръсненето. Че и по-грозно ми е това. Не съм прегъвал страници. Имам отбелязка за книга, даже две. Едната ми е подарък от Дидката, една от първите й творби и стои на почетно място във "Властелина", с другата последно съм отбелязвал някъде и още е там, дори не знам къде, но я мярнах скоро. Папирус от Египет е, бивш шеф ми я донесе от там и си я пазя също. Сега отбелязвам с два билета от градски транспорт и един от метрото.

Q: Художествена или нехудожествена литература? Или и двете? - Предимно художествена. Но трябва да отбележа, че и от документални или учебни четива съм се зарибявал зверски много. А ако включим и всекидневното четене на факти за албуми, концерти, състави, музиканти, предимно в уикипедия... май излъгах с първото изречение, а?

Q: Държиш ли да прочетеш главата до края, преди да оставиш книгата, или можеш да си спреш по всяко време? - Колко проблеми с недоспиване съм имал заради това. Че и на първата ми работа си "дочитах главата" преди да седна да свърша следващата задачка. А вечер в леглото или на пода главата става две, три, понякога и осъмване.

Q: Можеш ли да захвърлиш книгата, ако авторът те дразни? - Авторът? Не, по-скоро книгата. Все още харесвам много от книгите на Стивън Кинг, а той самият е наистина огромен талант. И все пак заебах "Куджо" в нищото. "Клетка" също.

Q: Ако попаднеш на непозната дума, спираш ли, за да потърсиш някъде значението? - Това ми се е случвало, но само на английски език. На български съм сверявал имена, исторически личности, места, когато книгата ми е адски интересна и си допълвам. За последно - "Тайнственият пламък на кралица Лоана".

Q: Какво четеш в момента? - Три книги, ако не броим една-две, свързани с ученето и дипломната ми работа. "Атлас изправи рамене", първата част. Тук Алекс е виновна. Интерсна и лесна за четене. Но имах конфликт с Айн Ранд. Ще видим натам, но определено не мога да оставя книгата. "Pearl" - биографична книга за Дженис Джоплин. Защото трябва да се запозная из основи с историята и музиката на тази удивителна жена. Самата книга е слаба като литература, мацката, която я е писала е вкарала ударна доза феминизъм, който на моменти е темерутски наивен, няма нужда. Но пък има интересни факти. И "Бялата гвардия". Поради ред причини. Едната е, че почти не съм чел руска литература. Но основната е, че обожавам "Майстора и Маргарита", а и "Театрален роман" ме изпълни. Тази е по-ранна, разкъсана, в пълната си форма е събирана от части, публикувани в списания. А Булгаков е бил млад. И езикът е по-беден, стилът по-наивен. И все пак ударно четиво. Днес за последно четох от нея.

Q: Коя е последната книга, която си купи? - "Игра на стъклени перли", от кашон, на старо, за 10 кинта. Надявам се скоро да имам време и за нея.

Q: От тези хора, които четат само по една книга, ли си или можеш да четеш по няколко наведнъж? - И на този въпрос отговорът е по-горе.

Q: Имаш ли си любимо място/време за четене? - Основно три. Леглото (най-любимото), кенефа (май второто по любимост) и автобус/влак (щото твърде често съм там).

Q: Какво предпочиташ – поредици от книги или самостоятелни издания? - Рядко съм попадал на поредица, която да ме задържи задълго ("Тъмната кула" е друга бира), най-често дори не посягам. Особено във фентъзито - стил, който обичах преди време много, въпреки че не съм чел кой знае колко много книги, дори там, когато видех "книга трета от сага n-та", ми става(ше) лошо и бягах надалеч. А, друга поредица, която ми хареса е "Железният светилник" и продълженията. Абе, има и такива. Но като цяло са ми скучни и в повечето случаи са доизстискани от пъпките на автора.

Q: Има ли книга или автор, които препоръчваш отново и отново на всичките си приятели? - Има ли човек, който да чете книги и да не го прави? "Властелинът на пръстените" ми остава може би най-близката, уютна и важна книга и все пак не бих я препоръчал на всеки, не са толкова много хората, които едновременно пазят децата в себе си, държат на ценности като приятелството и живеят в сърцата си в хармония с природата и околния свят. Нали? Иначе "По пътя" и "Дзен и изкуството да се поддържа мотоциклет", може би и "Майстора и Маргарита" и "Степния вълк" бих ги вкарал в графа задължителни.

Тъй като май не се сещам за хора, които следят блога ми, тук удряме на задънена улица. А, Лили. Ти си? :)

п.п. Докато отговарях, осъзнах, че освен по време на четене, докато пиша също не пия. Уискито е едва наченато.

Снимката е от квартирата на "Петър Делян", в която живях през 2006, съквартирантът и мой прекрасен приятел Иван ме е хванал докато четях "По пътя". Това под мен е леглото, на което спях, в чашата има кафе (тогава още пиех), а косата беше дълга.

Просто най-прост Джо

2010-07-28T23:23:00.002+03:00

Не. Не е хубаво усещането да правиш, да струваш, да се усмихваш въпреки и да се зъбиш когато и все пак да не става, да зависи от теб, но само усилията да не са достатъчни, да имаш желание и сили, а да трябва и чужда намеса. Мога (много) повече, искам само себе си, а има само едно скърцане и повей на апатия. А да "зависиш" е толкова нелепо! И изобщо е досадно да се оплаквам, но понякога губя основата и е трудно да стоя дори на равно, камо ли горе. "Потъваме и пак се смеем, потъваме, какво от това, опитахме и вас да вземем, но ще потънат ли лайна?"

Silent all these years

2010-07-23T01:48:00.003+03:00

Когато слязох на спирката зад блока, вече минаваше полунощ. А тогава тази спирка дори я нямаше, линията на автобуса я пуснаха едва преди 5-6 години. Тогава имаше катерушките, пързалката, пясъчника зад Корекомския блок. Имаше и нас. Тогава бяхме други. Там някъде изритах касетката, която подарих на приятел и той ми я върна обиден така, че ме жегна до болка, там пихме едни от първите си бири (а зимата вино за по 2 лева бутилката). Докато вървях по разбития асфалт на алеята зад блока, всяка крачка беше година назад. На 13 започнахме да се събираме там. А до кога продължи? Че то дори още се случва. Понякога. Само с някои. Някой. Рядко повече от двама наведнъж. Вървя, под дебелите подметки на маратонките усещам черните камъчета, а чувам Tori Amos в слушалките. Тя също е виновна. Някъде там, на 18, когато я чух за пръв път, тогава праволинейното, пубертетското отстъпи пред сериозното, красивото и... умопомрачението. Не, не съм луд. Умопомрачен съм. Нали надникнах под купола. Както всеки. Или поне повечето.

Бирите след училище, площадката, тенисмасата (а как дрънчи на тенеке, като се изпърдиш върху нея!). Трепета, когато минавах сам и поглеждах към прозореца ти – жест, който по-късно се превърна в тик. „Свети. Вкъщи си е. Ще й звънна после да излезем зад Корекомския.” Откога не бях поглеждал към осмия етаж на четвърти вход от задната страна на блока? Откакто вече не живееш там? Мисля, че спрях доста преди това. Сега погледнах. Разбира се, че не свети. Преди дори спящото черно стъкло ми говореше. Говореха ми катерушките. Храстите. Корекомският блок. Говорех и аз. За други грижи, с други хора. Грижи? Не, тогава изглеждаха така. Сега са само усмивка в ъгъла на устните. Горчива и почти спонтанна. Сега главата е наведена и тежи. Сега стъпките са провлачени, чантата е тежка, прозорецът не говори и за пръв път от много време няма план, няма идея, няма мисъл, няма цел, само нощен вятър по кожата и вътре, много тихо и дълбоко. Зачудих се как точно се стигна до тук и се сетих за всички крачки по всеки асфалт за всички тези години. И защо? Пак и още тук.

Мисля вече да не чета Картареску късно вечер.

Пясъкът, канелата

2010-06-11T02:54:00.008+03:00

„Я, фен на Керуак!” Вместо „здрасти!” Това беше нещо като „Здравей, аз съм Алекс и обичам хубавата литература”.

Преди три години във виртуален социум с Алекс си пресякохме пътищата съвсем случайно, споделяйки любовта към любима група. Постепенно с постинги и разговори осъзнахме, че не само тази група ни е допирната точка. И започнахме да се замеряме с книги, с музика, с мнения. Не разбирам, не съм специалист, но съм човек, читател и като такъв писаните й впечатления от песни и албуми ми приковаха вниманието, харесваше ми да чета как Little Earthquakes на Tori Amos я кара да изтръпва, да вижда, да чува, да диша. И след едно поредно споделяне се осмелих и предложих: „Защо не опиташ да пишеш за музика?” Боже, колко се радвам, че тогава ме чу! Защото мястото, което живея, светът около онази пространственост, за кратко наречена „роук”, спечели не автор, а байпас, импулс и неподозиран източник на живот, на енергия и на сила. А малко по-късно освен ревюта започнах да получавам и разкази.

Всеки от тях ме накара да мисля, да чувствам, да изразявам, да се усмихна и, честно, да онемея, да се радвам почти невярващо на таланта и силата на това крехко момиче да чупи стени с думи, да е вярна и правилна и напук на празното и сивото в изкуството у нас, самата тя да създава пъстрото, сякаш не живее съвсем тук, да изпраща слънце и лъчи, усмивки, хипария, нежност, болка, сила, самота, тъга и радост и не можеш да не вярваш, а протягаш ръка несъзнато, за да се запознаеш и здрависаш с непознатите от разказите й, защото те са ти, те са децата ти, може би родителите ти, но дишат и разказват историите си (й) и съществуват веднъж и завинаги.

Уърд файлове прескачат спорадично към мен, прочитам ги и винаги е силно чувството, винаги се радвам, защото познавам дългокосата главица, която ражда думите, сърчицето, което ги диктува, върховете на пръстите, които ги набират и съм горд, безкрайно горд от Алекс. Необяснимо е, но винаги, когато я чета съм щастлив, радвам се и се гордея, трогвам се и вярвам. В и на нея.

„Пясък и канела” е книжка от 85 страници. „Пясък и канела” е първото печатно издание на 18-годишно момиче с огромен талант. „Пясък и канела” е най-важното и хубаво нещо, което й се е случвало след като Лора се роди. „Пясък и канела” събра младежи от цяла България и дори пришълци извън границите, които държаха да бъдат свидетели на пясъчно-канеленото рождество защото са приятели, но и защото трябва, защото знаят и ценят и защото те самите са истински.

Седим в залата, ушите ми още свистят със 130 по магистралата, краката ми са изтръпнали, а задника трепери от вибрациите под седалката на мотора, а във Военния клуб в Бургас се чувствам като довян от вихрушка и все пак на място. Има толкова много лица и всички са усмихнати, умни и чисти, чак се чудя имам ли място тук, а там отпред Алекс сияе, докато Елица Дубарова говори истини за нея и думите й, докато чудесни малки слънца прелитат през сцената и споделят радостта й, докато Косето чете „В монолог” и разказът ме просълзява и гледам на всички посоки, за да не ми личи, докато Анито чете „Всичките благословии” и ми смигва заговорнически, а Алекс е гушнала Лора, която потвърждава с „Да!” на обяснението, че разказът е за нея. После всички минават през бюрото отзад за шепа пясък с щипка канела и се връщат към Алекс, която с усмивка и сърце разписва книгите и дава обич и слънце и е такова удоволствие да я познаваш и да й се радваш.

За разказите не искам да казвам повече. Те са там, за да се запознаете, да ти се усмихнат, да те трогнат или да те замислят. Те са лъч, жупел, полъх, буря, пръски, дъжд, пясък и канела, излезли от върха на пръстите, продиктувани от сърцето на Алекс. W.I. N. I. F.

Home

2010-05-14T01:29:00.002+03:00

Home - I find the rhythm that saves my soul from death
Lost - I might have been but I found myself today
Your voice I need to chase this cosmic fear away
Your touch I feel, I need you - that's all I got to say

Home, home, I've been driving this lonely road
On my way home, home, I don't need no signs or directions

The truth it lies beneath a cold, cold river yeah
Jump and dive, it cuts right through this heart as a knife
Your voice I need to chase this cosmic fear away
Your touch I feel, I need you - that's all I got to say

Home, home, I've been driving this lonely road
On my way home, home, I don't need no signs or directions

Home, home, home…
Home, home is where we all belong
Home, home, and I hope I won't be any long now

Another highway blues under sun and moon shine
Another lost song in my lost mind
Yet I'm not lost 'cause what I needed, I found
And you're that sweet, sweet home of mine

... Иване, да ти се не види!

Два от шест и половина

2010-05-11T12:35:00.000+03:00

Един час гледахме. Два бяха нежни. Един бяхме. Другите два и половина...

Един час

2010-05-07T23:26:00.003+03:00

Паметникът на Яворов в Поморие стои на бяла каменна площадка над морето, до лятното кино. Обкръжен е от шест лампи, впити в плочите под него, а лицето му гледа над мраморния парапет, зад който има две масивни пейки с переста черница над тях. Така са разположени, че като седнеш, ако си по-висок от метър и осемдесет, можеш да изпружиш крака на парапета, пийвайки биричка под гъстата сянка на дървото (от което през август валят гъсеници), а на няколко метра под теб вълните лакомо облизват големите обли скали.

Седнахме, стоварихме раниците и отворихме по бира. Шест или седем човека, не познавам всички и не запомних бройката. Наближаваше полунощ, в началото на май, но беше топло, нямаше вятър и необремененият от курортен шум град плуваше в безбрежно спокойствие. По това време от годината туристическите градчета са много по-чаровни и истински. Носи се усещане за чистота и непринуденост, а хората се вълнуват от съвсем дребни събития в иначе лепкавото от скука ежедневие.

От колонката, вързана към телефона, се понесоха пролетните звуци на Cannonball Adderley с Miles Davis, които разтвориха тихия плясък на вълните под краката ни, преди до мен да стигне свитата цигара с марихуана. Лека дръпка, колкото да усетя как тежкият вкус се просмуква в устата ми, а специфичният остър мирис на слама, мухъл и отминало лято изпълва обонянието ми, преди димът да окупира дробовете и да го задържа там, докато започне да блъска по вътрешните клапи и да изскочи като облак сред дрезгава кашлица. През това време вече Марк Сендмен свиреше на баса си, докато пееше в така уютно топла меланхолия “I can tell you taste like the sky cause you look like rain. You look like rain, you look like rain…”. Отпуснах се на облегалката, разкрачил крака като уморен каубой и оставих погледа ми да се хлъзга по черната вода на морето, поклащайки се с вълните чак до Марината в новата част на града. После се обърнах наляво към Николай, който отново ми подаваше джойнта, усмихнат щастливо и усмивката му нямаше оттенъците на въздействието на опиата. Здрава и истинска усмивка, която говореше само за едно – чисто приятелство.

"Пясък и канела"

2010-04-29T16:02:00.006+03:00

Едно от най-важните събития е (почти) факт. Безкрайно щастлив, изключително горд и изпълнен с вяра съм. Алекс Е.

Крада си откъси живот

2010-04-19T03:39:00.003+03:00

Рядко. Леко. Само с допир на ръцете, само с целувката на пясъка. С лек повей. С мелодия над брега. Събрано във върха на пръстите, липсващо в шепата на деня. Меко. Нежно. Няколко минути месечно. Но стигат, но стигат, но стигат, не стигат...

...и една ко(ш)марна песен

It’s just the nature of my groove

2009-12-08T22:33:00.016+02:00

Този блог е мъртъв. Идеята му (ми?) беше да споделям музикални емоции. Най-важното, двигателят в моето "аз. тук. сега." А стана емоционално блато. Затова и потъна. И заради спомените. Всичките. Но не би бил пълен, ако няма пост за Clutch. Защото те са Clutch, аз съм аз и на света няма по-важно нещо. И защото ги гледах на живо. Те също принадлежат И на този блог. Затова му удрям последен електрически импулс, преди мускулите му да атрофират и да потънат в дигитален прах. Няма да е накратко, затова - текста:

Аааааааааааааааа! Ъм... Аааааааааааааа! Тц, не става. Не мога да говоря последователно. То и да говоря съвсем вербално ми е трудно. Видях Clutch на живо! Я пак? Аааааааааааа! Clutch, копеле, Clutch, ултимативната рокенрол фурия. Залепен на решетката отпред, по средата, точно срещу брадатия изрод Нийл Фалън. Потта му пръскаше около мен, откаченият му свиреп поглед десетки пъти се впи в очите ми, разменихме жестове, реплики. Clutch, които не спирам да слушам от години защото ми е жизненонеобходимо да посрещам музиката им, защото имам нужда от най-чиста рокенрол емоция в превъзходна форма. И допреди две седмици не мислех, че ще успея да ги хвана – с шибаните увеличения на цените на полетите, Виена изведнъж ми се стори ебаси химерата. Само че вълшебните връзки на една приятелка свършиха отлична работа и летяхме. Буквално и преносно. В облаци и пот, в самолет и рокенрол. Е, ебаси, бе, копеле! Clutch!

Загърбваме логистично-финансовите бариери и тяхното преодоляване, посрещането и адски адекватните инструкции от най-якия гид на света и в 8.30 вече сме в Arena, в индустриалната зона на Виена. Kamchatka удрят последни две парчета за вечерта, слушаме як, повлиян от 60-те и 70-те години рок; те се скриват, ние влизаме. И се инсталираме най-отпред, вкопчени в оградата като корабокрушенци в отломки от кораба-майка. Clutch ще свирят точно тук, отпред и желязото и мъртъв не го пускам!

Но първи са Kylesa – една група, за която имам бегла представа от един албум, чут диагонално, отчетени като здрав и ударен шум и дотам. Е, да, ама не! Тия момчета (и момиче!) ритат толкова мощно от сцената, че ти качват топките в ушите (дами, за вас не знам)! Размазани китарни рифове и мелодии, истерични вокали и от Филип, и от Лора. И най-експресивният ритъм, който съм чувал. Огромен процент метъл и рок банди използват две каси на барабаните, за по-солиден и тежък звук. Kylesa са решили уравнението по друга пътека – вместо две каси те имат двама барабанисти. Двама лунатици, които така млатят кожите, че докато ги гледаш и слушаш, имаш чувството, че те мачка теснолинейката за Добринище. Убеден, че Ерик Ернандес ще нахлуе с барабаните в тълпата, залягаш, куфеейки на МОШните тресни от “Static Tensions” или на слъдж-метъл прочита на „Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” на титаните Pink Floyd. След края на техния сет бях като пребит с тояги, само че без физически поражения. Вече ще си имам едно наум за тези американци.

А Clutch... излязоха към 10 и оттам насетне всичко е каша, абсолютен качамак от накъсани спомени, викове, истерия, рокенрол, брада, блус, марихуана, пот, бира. И четиримата от Мериленд, яхнали сцената, все едно са си в гаража и забиват непринудено, репетирайки нещата, които обичат. Clutch са повече от музика и техните фенове го знаят. Защото, както споделя един приятел, ти не си фанатичен фен на Clutch, просто знаеш, че са най-яките и това е. Излязоха на сцената и без никакво предисловие директно настъпиха с “Minotaur”, дала заглавието и на новия им албум “Strange Cousins from the West”. И след това игривият блусарски ритъм на “Struck Down”. Публиката вилнее, хора куфеят, танцуват, пушат трева и крещят, някакъв тип до мен си напъхва пръстите в ухото ми, ръкомахайки диво и изобщо виенчани чупят легендите за „скучната западна публика”. Clutch копаят “Slow Hole to China”, а въодушевена девойка се е подпряла на гърба ми с длан, явно решена да си откъсне главата от куфеене. Да, това е музика със и от сърце. Блус и рок. Истерия и мелодия. Clutch. Четиримата, които свирят вече почти двайсет години заедно, които са щастливи от самия факт, че свиренето на това, което е в кръвта, им успява да ги изхрани. И им личи. На няколко пъти се впускат в нажежени инструментални джем-сешъни от по-ранните години на бандата и от последния албум на страничния им проект The Bakerton Group... преди да избухнат в негласно отделената втора част на концерта, когато акцентът пада от последния им диск и избухват с енергията на “Power Player”. Долу закипява, ритъма на песента вилнее от колоните право в сърцата, а изцъкленият проповедник Нийл крещи брадатата си проповед, ръкомахайки, клатейки се и подскачайки диво, стиснал микрофона и виещ “I’m not giving you attitude, I just want another drink!”. Рокенрол!

Концертът не свършва, а изригва с ударен хеттрик от “Blast Tyrant” и нещо в мен се къса, докато крещя текстовете на “The Mob Goes Wild”, “Profits of Doom” и “Cypress Grove”, Жан-Пол налага барабаните така, че на два пъти фуса едва не пада, а тялото ми се мята във вълната на тоталната еуфория. Край? О, не, над 800 човека са там и крещят и искат да танцуват и вилнеят до последно. И Clutch се връщат. Удрят с “50.000 Unstoppable Watts” и за десерт черпят шепа древен блус от Mississippi Fred McDowell, но в прочит а-ла Clutch и “Gravel Road” е последната доза високооктанов груув за вечерта. Останалото са мотиви и подробности.

Спомени

2009-06-02T00:44:00.005+03:00

Дадохме си най-хубавото. Три години минаха за едно щракване на пръсти, но и с тях отлетя цял един живот. И е хубаво, като се обърнем назад и не намерим нищо лошо, нищо грозно. А напред... кой знае. Живот. Един. Мой. И твой. Нали знаем, че зад себе си имаме нещо красиво. В миналото, но помогнало и на двама ни да бъдем по-силни и по-добри. Обичам те, ти мен също. Това беше важното, това има значение. Това беше и последното нещо в този блог. Довиждане на петимата (приблизително) души, които четяха чат-пат какво ми е на сърцето. Captain Dog logs out.

Каруца

2009-05-31T23:41:00.003+03:00

Запъва камъче колата... а каруцата не върви ли, не върви. Уморен съм от бутане и тикане. Уморен от товара, който ми е свиден. Да застрелям ли коня? Да разтоварям ли багажа? Или да хвана лопата и да копая под колелата? Въпроси, въпроси, въпроси. А отговор? И само един ли е? И кой е правилният? Или да намеря камък и да седна като мислителя, търсейки отговор някъде в мен? Не знам. Не знам. Наистина не знам. Принципно решенията винаги са трудна стъпка при мен. А сега е невъзможна. А някога, някак вярвах, че съм уцелил коловоза, че дори да има баири, всичко ще продължи напред цяло и силно. Днес не знам. И утре не знам. И нищо не знам. Не знам...

Музика

2009-05-15T09:44:00.002+03:00

Колко е хубаво, че я има! Дали е случайно, че цели култури, религии, философски направления се основават на силата на въздействието, на космическия произход на хармониите в тоновете? Вярвам, че не. Тя е тук, в нас, около нас, в мен, в теб. В синхрон, в контрапункт със съзнание и емоции, навсякъде. И когато й позволиш, е целият свят. Гръб и основа, рамо на приятел, пояс, боксова ръкавица, ритник или летящо килимче. И понякога нищо друго няма значение... :)

Скоба

2009-04-06T20:13:00.005+03:00

Мислех, че това мое пространство си е отделено само за музика. Не че сега няма да пиша И за музика. Само че в момента доминират болката и объркването. Мои си, лични си, вътрешни. Но изписани ги виждам и сякаш разхвърлям, разреждам. Понякога болката в сърцето, причинена от вихрени емоции, може да е съвсем физическа. Честно. И тогава хубавата, истинската музика някак заглажда по-острите ръбове. Поне тази, която е частица, неделима и пулсираща с теб и живота ти. Моят си свят. Познатото, моето, съкровеното. И когато си познал истината и магията на музиката, когато тя за теб е водещата житейска сила. Тогава лекува... или поне подлага меко и уютно рамо...

Queen

2008-01-22T22:04:00.004+02:00

Една кратичка и проста дума, заредена обаче с огромен енергиен потенциал. И буквалното значение, разбира се. Но, досещате се, че няма да говоря за някоя монархическа особа. Ще се опитам да облека в думи любовта си към музиката на най-великата група, творила музика.

Представете си едно 2-3-годишно момче, което постоянно дърпа баща си за крачола, за да му пусне песента "Дръ-Дръ". Според детския ми речниковия запас, това означаваше "We Will Rock You". Простичко, но адски значимо за мен тогава. Както и песента на Queen. Изчистена и опростена до крайност. И превърнала се в абсолютен рок химн. А е на 31 години. Двойната плоча беше (и все още е, някъде вдън съзнанието ми) един от онези магически предмети, които децата отъждествяват с някакви свръх сили, докато са малки. Нещо специално, важно и будещо почитание. Тренирах се да си пускам сам грамофона с други плочи, за да не повредя тази. И още работи.
После баща ми започна работа в БНТ, постепенно вкъщи се появиха аудио и видео касетофони, по-късно и сателитна антена и в тъмните времена на социализма бях едно от привилегированите хлапета с достъп до повече музика и филми, в сравнение с връстниците ми. Съответно, до края на 80-те вече обичах и познавах "Under Pressure" "I Want To Break Free", "Radio Ga Ga", "The Invisible Man"... Все още неосъзнат меломан, тогава за мен тази група беше нещо непреходно. Нещо като "обичам мама и тате". А когато сутринта на 25 ноември по радиото съобщиха, че Фреди Меркюри е починал, не можах да си доям сандвича преди училище, защото почувствах, че вече едно нещо няма да е като преди. И то основополагащо нещо.
Няколко месеца по-късно, като подарък за рождения ми ден, получих от майката на най-близкия ми приятел първата си оригинална касетка. "QUEEN - Greatest Hits II". Тогава пък за пръв път се сблъсках и с песни като "I Want It All", "Innuendo", "Breakthru" и, разбира се, "The Show Must Go On". Обичах ги, слушах ги непрестанно и оттам насетне вече знаех, че Queen е "моята" група.
Впоследствие си накупих всичките им албуми, изчетох каквото намирах за тях и не съм преставал да ги слушам никога, въпреки че постепенно други стилове и течения в музиката вземаха превес в различни етапи от живота ми. Независимо обаче дали се отдавах на бунта на американския гаражен рок от края на 80-те и началото на 90-те, дали отварях мистериозните двери на хеви метъла за пръв път или дълбаех все по-навътре с траш, дет, блек, винаги касетките на Queen са ми били подръка. Постепенно пораснах, музикалния ми кръгозор се разшири до границите на безбрежност, все още откривам още и още музика, a Queen все така са тук, в мен и с мен.
В момента всъщност дори изживявам своеобразен ренесанс във връзката ми с квартета, защото въпреки, че от десетина години Интернет и в България вече е масово средство за информация и обмен на данни и файлове, до миналото лято имаше някаква бариера, която не ми позволяваше да търся музиката на Queen във виртуалното пространство. Е, добре, че се отключих, защото така попаднах на стотици аудио и видео концерти, демозаписи, неиздавани песни, сингли, бутлези и какво ли още не. И докато за официалните издания няма да посегна в нета, преди да събера всичко оригинално, колекцията ми с музика на Queen нарасна неимоверно. Така и преоткрих за сетен път магията им и вече, преминал през толкова много музика, разбирам кое ме направи толкова верен техен последовател. Това са те четиримата.
Freddie Mercury, от когото струи неизчерпаем поток от енергия, когато е на сцената, човекът, чийто уникален глас, винаги ме е трогвал до сълзи и чието сценично поведение омагьосва публиката и прави съпричастен всеки един присъстващ на шоуто (или наблюдаващ го от екрана).
Brian May, който е един от неколцината китаристи, чиято китара никога не можеш да сбъркаш, дори и със запушени уши. Човекът изпял едни от най-красивите песни на Queen (като любимата ми "39") и изсвирил едни от най-прекрасните мелодии в рок-а. Човекът, който сякаш цял живот не се променя и е вечно някъде около трийсетте, с неизменната рошава коса и червената Red Special.
John Deacon - вечно скрит зад баса си, облечен винаги най-семпло от четиримата, останал сякаш винаги в сянка и единственият, който няма солови вокални партии, тих, скромен. И все пак неделимо звено от бандата, един от виновниците за нейната уникалност. И страхотен басист.
Roger Taylor, барабанистът-певец. Песните, в които Роджър пее бързо ми стават любими, а да го гледаш наживо, докато свири и изпява "I'm In Love With My Car" е почти толкова силно усещане, колкото и неговата страст по високите скорости.
Различността на четиримата поражда и разнообразието в творчеството им, всеки от тях е талантлив музикант и всеки от тях допринася много за хармониите в музиката, харизмата, която тегне над групата и умението им да бъдат винаги в крак с модните тенденции и все пак винаги себе си. В ранните им албуми се усещат влияния от прогресив и психеделик рока на 70-те, към края на 70-те, началото на 80-те е хард рока, през 80-те превес взимат синтезаторите и поп звученето, а в края на 80-те и последните два албума (защото харесвам и "Made In Heaven") всичко вече e на едно по-различно ниво. Нека го наречем епоха. И въпреки всички тези промени, Queen останаха Queen. Вечно любими, вечно велики, вечни. Благодаря ви, Брайън, Джон, Роджър, Фреди!

В двора на пурпурния крал

2008-01-17T02:21:00.000+02:00

Малко се чудя защо създадох тази страница, когато почти не пиша в нея. Но и като се имат предвид тоталната ми дезорганизация и почти перманентният ми мързел, става по-ясно. А и защо да пиша, когато няма голям смисъл. За мен, разбира се. Че нали и затова го водя този блог - виртуален дневник, майка му... Така е, като не съм имал лексикон като малък... А защо пиша сега? Защото слушам King Crimson. И никак не ми е понятно как да изразя вербално всички емоции, които напливат в мен, породени от музиката на британците. Че лесно ли е да си разкъсаш гърдите и да се опиташ топката от чувства да я подредиш в думи? Важното е, че докато слушам безумния ритъм на Джайлс, разкрасен от флейтата на Йън МакДоналд и силните лирики на Питър Синфийлд, изпяти от хипнотичния глас на Грег Лейк и обединени от композиторския гений на Фрип, цялото пространство около и в мен самия се превръща в тронната зала на личното ми доволоство, наметнато с пурпурен плащ и вперило взор в лудостта.

On soft grey mornings widows cry,
The wise men share a joke.
I run to grasp divining signs
To satisfy the hoax.
The yellow jester does not play
But gently pulls the strings
And smiles as the puppets dance
In the court of the crimson king.

Майната му или да живее?!

2007-12-04T04:05:00.000+02:00

Ебати, колко време ми отне да си регистрирам профил в тая кочина! Поводът е, че пак се натоварих от говната в родината. Нали виждате обаче заглавието? Нека Маргините да го духат и да умрат прави възможно най-гадно, през това време аз пак ще слушам Ози. Не Ози, извинете. ОЗИ! Човекът, чиято безплътна ръка се протегна в сърцето ми преди почти петнайсет години и отне душата ми, като я запокити в диаболичната бездна на рокендрола. Съвсем отделна и дишаща вселена е музиката, която той и останалите от Black Sabbath създадоха през 70-те. Отделно, през 80-те и 90-те, той изпя такива еуфории, които винаги ще отекват из съзнанието ми и на тези, които са го попили като хипнотичен сън. Не е само любов (разбира се, че я има и нея), това е повече, това е ритъмът на сърцето и живота, това е мироглед, това е другият свят, този, който виждаш през призмата на изграденото с години слушане на музика мнение. Това е Ози. Честит му рожден ден! Да е жив и здрав. И да живее!