May 30, 2005
Interview with Andreas Novak
Each musician I have interviewed and have gotten to know through the site shows me something new and something great about the music! Andreas Novak has shown me again that the music is the most important part … That it brings joy to the artist and is a gift to us the listener. I really enjoyed Andreas’ thoughts and purity about the music and hope that you all enjoy the interview. If you haven’t yet had a chance to hear any samples, please check out the March Jukebox for MTM on the site and get ready to hear some great guitar and rich vocals. I will be sure to keep you all up to date on Andreas’ projects and look forward to more from this great artist!
1. Those in the melodic rock world have been hearing more and more of the name Andreas Novak, especially since the release of “Forever Endeavour”, but to get to know you a little more would you take a moment to introduce yourself?
Hi there! I'm just a 34 year-old Swedish ex guitar-hero-wannabe that tries to keep up the tradition of good music. I've previously recorded two albums as the lead singer of Mind's Eye, and together with Daniel Flores from that band we made this album called "Forever Endeavour". My music reflects everything that has inspired me through the years and this album is for anybody who likes quality rock with melodies!
2. You have been playing music since you were very young and have been involved with some great acts but this album is special in the way that it is a solo effort and a more clear representation of who you are. What does “Forever Endeavour” mean to you?
This album represents me, myself and I every way when it comes to musical references. The label gave us the freedom to go ahead with any idea me and Daniel came up with, and now that it´s finally out it´s actually a childhood dream come true. In the chorus you can hear me singing about me spreading out my wings like a bumblebee, which I guess sounds kinda funny. I´ve been getting lots of questions about that since bumblebees are poor flyers. Why not imagining myself as an eagle instead? I dont´know if it´s true, but there´s a saying (at least in Sweden) that a bumblebees wings are too small to carry the weight of the bee´s body, according to the laws of physics and aerodynamic theories or whatever. But do the bumblebee care about that? No, he don´t know shit about those calculations - he´s flying anyway! Same thing with me: I don´t know if my wings will carry me, but I´m determined to give it a try and see how far I can go. Well, I might be a nutcase but hey - my album is out!
So it´s the endless struggle I´m talking about here - the strive for that goal some people around you might consider impossible, but still you go for it!
3. This album has been getting some great reviews, including one from this site, and the fans seem to be interested in hearing it more and more. What sort of feedback have you been getting about the record?
Overall great reviews, so I´m really flattered! They also say it´s on #19 on a Japanese album chart as well, but I haven´t really gotten it confirmed yet. The positive feedback gives me extra courage and energy for a follow-up! Of course there have been a few bad reviews as well, but in that case the reviewer had expected something completely different. Can´t please everybody!
4. Your inspirations are classic and great rock artists. What do you feel you learned from them and what do you think they have added to your music?
I´ve learned a lot just by listening to what the rock scene had to offer through my younger years. The 80´s was a long inspirational phase and has really shaped my musical abilities! I was I die hard KISS-fan at the beginning of that decade. One historical discovery was when a childhood friend of mine told me about a band that were even more talented than KISS, with a guitar guy that was even better than Ace. I refused to believe him! How could he just dare to say something like that? Ace was my guitar king -... until I heard Eruption with Eddie Van Halen. Then one great band after the other came to my knowledge and took music to new levels. Can you imagine me as a twelve year old at my first concert: KISS in Stockholm 1983, with Vinnie Vincent on guitar, how about that? I was stunned by the whole live thing! Also Monsters of Rock in Stockholm 1984 is golden memory with Mötley Crûe - Van Halen - AC/DC. There were some incredible albums those years and I spent years listening and learning from all the great bands we had back then, imitating both vacalists and guitarists. I got so inspired I decided by early age to give it a try myself, and maybe you can hear my influences in the music...
5. Daniel Flores has been a friend for some time now and the two of you seem to work magically together. What would you say your skills and interests add to the music when they are combined?
Well, first of all Daniel and I both have lots of ideas to how any idea should be developed to a finished song, but Daniel is a bit more progressive than me , and I might be looking more for hooks - so I guess it makes a fine combination. Daniel Flores has a producers ears while I might think more as a performing artist, so the result in often a combination of those two aspects in mind.
6. The songs on “Forever Endeavour” have a depth and feeling of the classics that gets my toes tapping and humming along. What sort of process do you go through when writing a song? Where do you start and what parts do you develop first?
In my case it always starts with a melody in my head that I hum with some nonsense words to it. I always try to write it down or record it as soon as I can, ´cause by now - at last - I´ve learned that I won´t remember it otherwise, no matter how easy the idea might be. If I don´t memorize it - i´ts gone within a few hours, and believe me - It´s so frustrating! Next step is to harmonize the melody somehow, so I ususally sit down either with a guiar or a piano to figure out a siutable chord progression. During this process some decent lyrics hopefully starts growing, and by the end of the day I might have half a song ready.
With the title track of this album, me and Daniel started by developing the intro riff, on which the rest of the music grew. I started singing melodies to the recorded background, but I didn´t have any lyrics for it at all until I locked myself in and took the phone off the hook!
7. You´ve been a guitar player most of your life and a singer for many years. Can you separate the two aspects of the music now or have they become one voice together?
I consider myself foremost a lead singer, with guitar abilities when needed. It´s one thing in the studio - but live it´s different. When singing and playing at the same time one of the two things "steals" concentration from the other … So you´ll have to compromise it somehow. Live you´ll see me both with and without the guitar depending on what the song demands, and I love to alternate between those two alternatives during a gig. There are so many great guitar players out there and I don´t necessarily have to prove anything, so I´ll have a razor sharp guitar hero with me on tour to play my ass off!
8. Like I said, you have worked with some great acts but I wonder if there are some artists out there that you would be interested in working with in the future?
There are numbers of musicians and composers I´d love to work with of course! If it´s OK to be unrealistic here, I´d die to work with Eddie Van Halen or to be lead singing with the remains of Queen. Also I wouldn´t hesitate a second if Neal Schon asked me to sing in one of his bands...or if Mr.Big ever starts up again and Eric Martin´s not available - I´m there in five minutes! King of wishful thinking...
9. The future is looking promising, with a resurgence of the melodic music that makes your style so great to listen to? What do you see happening in the next couple of years?
A look into the crystal ball: This genre is for music lovers and people with ears for music. What you see on the charts is hits for kids, and we all know that the industry behind it has nothing but cash in mind... But some of those musically gifted kids out there will someday realize that there's nothing real in those fabricated boy-bands or whatever is flashing by on the MTV. Then they'll hopefully start looking for substance and quality, and they'll find it! I keep telling myself this, and if people only heard the best this genre had to offer it would definitely rise again. The problem is to reach the potential fan - but for my personal career my wish is to keep on making albums and slowly build things up. And of course I want to play live around the world wherever possible!
10. And to close out the interview is there a message you’d like to send out to the fans and all those reading the interview?
Don´t let the crap-music industry fool your kids ! Sure they can listen to it - but remind them of quality music every once in a while and they´ll get it sooner or later! Thanx and hope to see you on tour someday... otherwise: See you at www.novak.nu
Posted by Kathy at May 30, 2005 01:06 AM