Три

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

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.

Лъжа.

Blind Guardian: Hansi Kürsch interview

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

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

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

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

„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

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

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!