Our featured artists today come from Norway and have been working and playing some of this years “coolest” music! I hope that you all enjoy this interview and stop by the Winterstrain site at: http://www.winterstrain.com Also be sure to check out samples from their new album “Return To The Mirror” in the Jukebox section!!

We’re five friends from north of the Arctic Circle, in the north of Norway. There’s G.H.Fredheim on vocals, A.Øvre (“The A”) on guitar, Karl G. Birkely (KGB!) on keys and Lars Kvaal on bass, in addition to yours truly on drums. About the same age, ranging from 32 to 33, we’ve been at it for a big chunk of years. I like to say “We’re just emerging from 16 years in a basement.”

Over these years, there’s been active and less active periods. We’ve played live several times, but I must admit it’s been a few years since last time. Because we live so far apart these days, we’ve concentrated on studio work, with the declared goal of completing an album.

2. I would also like to ask you to take a moment to introduce your album, “Return To The Mirror” and a little bit about the background for the songs.

Back in 1997, a few songs were demo’d, and put on this mini-disc I entitled “Return to the mirror”. It kinda stuck there, and as more songs were recorded, they went on the same md. Later, I realized that the title comes from a part of a concept I’d written earlier. So, the song “Return to the mirror” will appear on a future album. Very prog’y idea, but in all honesty just an accident!

The songs that make up this album are about vastly different aspects of life. There’s love, tragedy, mystery, basic instincts and philosophy. Presented in different moods, with a varying level of “teeth”, but always with a good melody. It ranges from a piano/acoustic guitar ballad called “Broken Defence” to a rather progmetal-ish force called “Rumours At Speak”. Before you even manage to ask: That title is a construction based on “Children At Play”. Let your mind toy with that one for a while… I take risks doing such things, ‘cause whenever you’re linguistically inventive or creative, and English is not your mother tongue, you’ll get the occasional “that’s not correct, you can tell he’s not English” and stuff… You haven’t got the cultural license to do that, it seems. Well, I want to!

3. On your website you talk in depth about the special way you create your songs, tell us about how things were working on the songs for this album and how you decided on the final track list.
We have an extensive back catalogue of songs, and we found that with few exceptions, they would still fit the band, given a facelift. We’re VERY song oriented, and the songs (i.e. the lyrics, chords and melodies) were all good. We decided against making this album a “Best Of”, ‘cause others have done that mistake. Hard to follow up, eh?

We established what songs we wanted to grant eternal life, before they died. Some newer stuff knocked and demanded to be let in. The rest we picked based on what the album needed. From my point of view, it didn’t need another huge epic. Even our keyboardist, who’s favourite songs usually are huge and epic, agreed that without some lighter stuff, it’d be hard work listening to the album.

Some songs start as music written by the A and/or the KGB (funny every time!), and when I hear it, I know I’ve got lyrics that fit the mood. One example is “Broken defence”. The moment they performed the piece to me, I knew I’d felt like that before, and I remembered sitting at a desk many years back, writing those lyrics. Just pulled it up from my stack of unused lyrics, and sang it over the music. First try was wonderful, and it’s pretty much the same thing that ended up on the album.
We jam a lot, and much of the instrumental parts come to life during jams. “Sail” is one song that just grew and grew out of playing through it in rehearsal, and the singer taking breaks where it was natural. Ideas were flying, and I think most are there in the song today.

4. Is there one song in particular that is a favorite on “Return To The Mirror” that you could share some of the history with us and share why it is special to you?

Oh, my favourite is beyond doubt “Mountain Inside The Stone”. Another weird title. But it’s my favourite song title, ever, by anyone. It really is just as monumental and yet hard to grasp as the situation I was in at the time I wrote it. That was a moment of complete surrender to my muse. I think it lasted 15 minutes, and this song was written. That is, the lyrics and the vocal melody. I told Arnulf (Gtr) that he had a song to write for me, and he showed up the next day, and did what you hear on the album. Fantastic. Which is the right word for Tony Mills’ contribution, too! Normally, he does his backing vocals for a song in about five or six hours. He spent three days on this one. And you can tell…

But it’s so much more complicated, it’s… well, the strongest must bear the burden. The weakest might need carrying.

5. You definitely do have a sound all your own but a strong classic/melodic influence is obvious. Who are your favorites that have inspired you and your music the most?

That’s a tough one to answer. We hardly agree on any band in this world. I’d say Rush would mean a lot to us, since we actually all like them. Lars and Karl are constantly arguing over whom of them is the biggest fanatic!! Personally, I’m most probably coloured by Magnum, Crimson Glory, Marillion, Europe, Yngwie Malmsteen, Asia (John Payne era, I must add!), Shadow Gallery and Journey. Abba and Chris de Burgh, too, believe it or not. Arnulf’s got so many cd’s of varying styles that I don’t know if I should start guessing. Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, XTC and Eric Johnson shouldn’t be far off the mark. The singer has the most chaotic cd collection I’ve ever seen, but I could venture to pinpoint Megadeth and Golden Earring. The bassist was an avid fan of Metallica in the good old days, and Primus mean a lot to him. The first thing I heard the keyboardist ever play was “Pseudo silk kimono” by Marillion, and I think he, too was into Led Z a lot. Lately, I’ve turned him into a great fan of Arena!

Collectively, I think Rush, Marillion, Queensrÿche and Shadow Gallery have made the greatest impact on our music.

6. As a band and as musicians individually you seem to have a thought to let the music carry you rather than force the music. How difficult is that, or is it liberating?

Thank you for the last word! That’s the one I needed! Let me give you an example: “Another time” started off as a chorus around something my mind had been playing with. The fact that nature seems to adjust, to find a way. I’d just read the book “Jurassic Park”, where the dino’s changed sex, so they could reproduce. They were originally only female. I’d also read somewhere about some bacteria that seemed to thrive on the cocktail of seawater and oil. How ‘bout that? It accounted for the “missing” oil that apparently had been a mystery to the scientists working on the “Exxon Valdez” type of environmental catastrophies. All of a sudden, while taking a walk, pondering these things, I started singing “In course of time, nature will find, how to make use of the poison inside.” –And immediately kept racing along the timeline of such a concept, thinking how there would be life again one day, even if just about all of it was wiped out one day. Thereby producing the next line: “Another time, something will rise, and make a weapon for hunting…” and so on, which also points ahead at the next big extinction. The first weapon is made. The rest will follow.

Of course, none of this would be possible without a certain level of talent or knowledge. To a certain extent, this is a craft. Any artist, be it a painter or whatever, uses techniques and skill. But those are tools of the soul. If you only use your mind, you’re gonna sound clever but soulless.

7. I liked what you say about the fact that with today’s technology you could have corrected every mistake, made sure every drumbeat was exactly in time etc… I love to hear the passion and purity of music! (even if that requires a mistake or two!) What helped you decide to follow through on this thought?

The philosophy of naturality. The album catches each of us on a good day, but not on our one single best day of our lives, which we’ll never see the like of again. Speaking for myself, I was happy to choose the take that rocked over the take that was correct. But that required one snare drum beat to be adjusted, for instance. Ok, by all means! The song is the most important thing. This is not a showcase for my drumming abilities, but a collection of songs.

It was a question of finding a balance between tightening up stuff so it would meet the expectations of today’s music fans, and keeping that natural vibe. I think some people will think we sound a bit loose, ‘cause they’ll be used to the modern stuff, where everything is absolutely pristine and in time. But I also believe that a lot of people find the same stuff very “digital”, if you get me. People are organic creatures, they should respond to organic music, so that’s why we dared to show it all. We skipped the auto tune function for that reason. I think he sings vaguely in tune, anyway!

8. Your music is making its way into a lot of speakers and a lot of countries around the world. What are your feelings about the internet and the shrinking world due to technology?

The internet is the reason why our music is played all over the world right now. In all things, you got to accept the whole deal. Light and shadow. Want food? Accept the rain. I’m not going to complain about the drawbacks. I expect the police to do their job. I do not download music, ‘cause it doesn’t feel right. Others must do what they think is right, and the police must enforce the law, to the extent we are willing to fund them. Society decides what’s legal and what’s not.

Anyway, for WinterStrain, the internet is a wonderful thing! We’ve got fans in Singapore, Scotland, the US… Everywhere. It’s weird and wonderful!!!

9. I would love to see and hear more from you guys and wonder what your plans are after the release of “Return to the Mirror”? Are any live performances planned?

Not planned, but we are preparing for it. I guess a tour is out of the question. We live in a high cost country, and there’s houses, wives and kids that need a steady cash flow. That would mean some serious doe per month. Don’t see any wide open wallets in this business in its present stage! But an appearance here and there would be great, and doable. Maybe some festival or occasion. We’ll let you know!

While Tony is doing his best to spread the word, we’re doing whatever’s required, while already in pre-production for the next album! It was such an inspiration to have “Return…” mastered and put to bed once and for all, that we’ve gone bananas in the creativity department. It never really stopped, but we had to concentrate on this album while we worked on it.

10. Last but never least do you have a closing message for the fans?

Drop by our forum, or sign our guestbook! We love hearing from you all. Remember that we’re not wearing sunglasses in the dark yet!! And trust us to keep this up for many years.

Thanks for an interesting interview, Kathy. Great questions!!

Well, this is always a difficult task for me, as I really think I have a long way to go before I can call my self a true musician. But here it goes! I'm a 30-year-old drummer, keyboard player, engineer and producer. I live in Sweden but was born in Chile/Concepcion and have my studio here in Stockholm. I just started my own studio called Sound vs Science Studio after working over 10 years for Sheepvalley Studios. I have recorded drums on a little bit over 40 albums and still get offers. I would like to record more drums for other artists as I think it shows the best side of me. Through that I got connected with engineering and producing. I simply got tired of all the lazy engineers who didn't care about music at all and just wanted to make easy money. To learn about engineering properly, I studied music and engineering at Stockholm music conservatory and got my diploma in Engineering and Percussion. After school I taught sound engineering in college for about 3 years. During that period I was starting to get jobs as a drummer, mainly because of the great response from the Mind's Eye albums and Benny Jansson’s solo album. It was then when I realized I could make a living of my drumming and production. That was 3 ½ years ago and today I'm here writing this interview. I'm a simple man, I love music in a very passionate way. Don't get me wrong but I didn't start to play for the chicks or money, my mission was to create something different for the listeners out there. Ever since I took up drumming it has always been my goal to give people hope through music and hopefully to make a change. I enjoy reading books while I'm not doing music but other than that I don't have any other hobbies, well if you don't count manual reading into that... One thing I have done a lot of because of my work…I love sweets and can't get enough of it and love my wife Ingrid’s cooking and to spend time with her. I guess that’s it.

2. Mind’s Eye has been a long time project for you and is on a lot of peoples play lists. Would you take a minute to let us know what is happening with the release of “Work Of Art” and fill us in on the new songs?

“A Work Of Art” is a record that was actually released back in 2002 by Rising Sun Records but shortly after the release the label filed bankruptcy. We never had much luck with labels and that sort of nailed the last nail into the Mind’s Eye coffin, at least for that period. It was a hard blow for us and we all were pretty tired of each other and wanted to try new adventures. For the rest of the guys and me, Mind’s Eye was history… until LION MUSIC came along and saved us from quitting. They offered us a re-release of the last two albums “…Waiting For The Tide and “A Work Of Art” (both with 2 bonus tracks each) and to my surprise, a deal for a new album too. That got my blood pumping. I asked the guys if they would like to record a new album (while we where recording the NOVAK album) and they were all very positive. I also asked the former guitarist Fredrik but his answer was no, as expected by me. I really want to point out that without Fredrik Mind’s Eye won’t be here doing records today, we will miss him immensely but it’s time for a new chapter in Mind’s Eye.

The new album called “Walking On H20” is a concept album dealing with the human evolution and generally about human stupidities that slow this world down. I have always asked myself: How come we evolved so fast these last 100 thousand years? That question led to this album, thus the making of “Walking On H20 is the outcome of 3 years of research, writing and preparations. I had this idea for a long time but both musically and mentally we were not prepared. Some songs are really technically challenging and some are emotionally very hard to play. Johan was really a blessing from the gods with his guitar bending, I never even thought he could play like this in my whole life. I said to him: Where have you been all my life? Anyway, the melodies are still very melodic but we added a dramatic feel to them. There is an instrumental song in there that I tried to do with Fredrik Grünberger for the “A Work Of Art” album and even with Benny Jansson and the rest of Xsavior for the “Caleidoscope” album but all of them felt the song was out of their reach technically. Johan did it without hesitating. Johan is a great bass player but now he is an equally great guitar player, thank god for that. I didn’t want to bring in somebody new in the band and believe me I have looked hard for a replacement for Fredrik, to me Fredrik was and still is one of the greatest guitarists coming from Sweden. Anyway, all of us have been friends since our childhood and nobody can come into our circle of music easily and I don’t have time to wait for anyone.

3. Your work with Andreas Novak on his recent album “Forever Endeavour” shows us some of your talent, while there are many other projects you have been involved with. Could you tell us about your work on this one and how you feel about the album as Andreas first solo release?

I think Andreas did a great job on that one. He matured a lot during that period I think. It’s a huge step for a musician to make an album and call it his own. There’s a certain amount of responsibility tied to that. I mean you have a budget, you have to employ people and make music at the same time. A very hard task if you ask me, but Andreas did all that very well. To me he has always been one of Sweden’s best vocalist, really, he is an unsung hero and I’m glad people get to know him more through his music and singing. I have been pushing him ever since we did our last Mind’s Eye album to do something of his own. He plays a lot live but didn’t put his own mark on a record yet (even though the last Mind’s Eye record shows some of Andreas best moments as a metal singer). He always had this melodic vain but it never got satisfied with Mind’s Eye fully, I think.

I wrote, recorded and produced 5 songs with him, which he chopped around with not much luck, then Magnus Soderqvist from ATENZIA records sent our CDR to MTM and they were really enthusiastic about the 5 song demo. He got a decent budget and we started to write songs for the album. When I think of it, it’s incredible that he trusted me so much with producing his album, having only produced progressive rock albums until that period. I loved to do it, I sang a lot of background choirs on that one, which gave me much pleasure. I have always loved bands like Giant and Toto so for me it was a natural step to produce such an album. I called up some of my friends and they were really digging the vibe on the album. Tommy Denander even called it one of the best releases of this year and he does not usually spill compliments all over the place … that was huge for me. Today I’m still very satisfied but I can now see some things that I could have done better and what could have been avoided. Elements and helpful things that I can use and remember for the next record, when it comes out. Let’s see if MTM wants to do that soon.

4. Your new XsavioR release shows a different side of your style. What was your goal with this project and how do you feel about the final product?

To be honest I have to tell you that I’m quite divided. I’m still very pleased with Goran’s vocals though. He completely blew me off with his ideas and style. He really stopped the album from becoming something very predictable and too smooth. Basically this album and songs were created by the band. My job was to hold it all together, controlling the production like keyboards and mixing the final product. What really makes this album different from all the other is that Goran, Benny and me went in with the ambition of not thinking too much about whom it would appeal to. Just 5 guys making music the old way. The drums and bass are recorded analog for that live feel, a fact that I think shows and take us way from the new mentality of recording albums today with lots of triggers and samples… I really wanted it to sound like the old bands, Queen, Genesis or even Kansas. The influences are so many it would be ridiculous to even start rounding them up here. Let’s see if we ever do another album. After 2 years in the making, I need to take time away from the band.

5. Do you have plans for solo work of your own; is there a style or project you have been waiting for the right moment to pursue?

Mind’s Eye’s new album will be my first statement. It has always been showing my true personality and I’ve never been thinking of making a solo album. Maybe if I ever learned to sing lead vocals, but I guess that will never come, even though my wife thinks I should do so. As a drummer I would like to contribute to other styles. I would love to record a Latin Jazz album with somebody. I have never even recorded drums on a Jazz album either so that would be fun too. If I ever will do something completely solo it would be something really calm, maybe like Sting or Kip Winger or even Peter Gabriel, nothing planned though. Another thing that would be really cool would be to arrange music for a movie. This is actually one of my dreams and I’m starting to see if there are any possibilities of me doing this, people are always telling me: Why don’t you write score music, you are perfect for it! In time I will make time to learn music on that level and you will for sure hear something written by me in a movie in the future. Look for me in the ending scores!

6. Is there one or two songs that you have worked on that are favorite of yours that you would take a moment to tell us about and why they are special to you and the story behind their importance?

I think the whole album “A Work Of Art” has what you are searching for. Even though everything I do I take it into my heart, but I think “April Skies” from the Xsavior album is one of those songs and is worth mentioning here. This song and “Mr. Chairman” are the songs I wrote the music for the album. When I first showed “April Skies” to the guys they where like: “What the hell do you want us to do on this song?” They where clueless of what to do with the production and no wonder as the song was originally created to fit the new Mind’s Eye album, both of them were actually. It was funny to see that even though there is not much complexity in these songs, they are really hard to record and to bring to life. At the risk of the band selecting them out of the album, I took hold of the production wheel and steered into the unknown, not knowing where I would end up. Today I’m really glad I did as I came up with a new direction for my musical ideas and style of all future to come. This was actually a cornerstone in my life and I can’t describe how much joy it was to see a new part of me growing that I thought I would never get to know. I finally understood what music was all about and at that point I stopped caring what other people thought of both my drumming and musical skills. I just dropped the huge weight of my shoulders and started to make music for real. All of this happened 2 years ago to me. It is something that I could never learn in school or by anyone else, it was something that matured inside of me and said: “Here is a gift, use it well!” Today, I’m a more confident man than I ever was and every decision I make, I’m really comfortable with. I think one thing should be said though, it’s really important to really bleed for what you are trying to create as an artist, cause if you don’t bleed for it, people will see through you and never listen to anything more you have to say again. It’s not often these things happen to a musician and I’m glad they did for me, as I will use this new knowledge for the rest of my life. Basically, I guess I found myself and the path I wanted to go. It’s nice here; I think I’ll stay here for a while.

7. The credits on each album make it clear that you are a musician through and through, playing many of the instruments and sharing much of the production responsibilities, what sort of training do you have and how important would you say the technical aspect of making an album is?

Like I stated above I went to music school for about 3 years, after that I studied production and percussion for 2 years and then I completely threw myself into the world of music and this ugly business. My curiosity made me pick up other instruments like vocals. I always loved the way The Bee Gees made vocal harmonies and so I started to try out some ideas to try to reach that level. A lot of training went into that. Same case with keyboards, I wanted to write my own songs and in school I had a perfect chance to develop these ideas and techniques. I try not to get too technical while I’m making music, if that happened involuntary, then fine I use it, but I never think like; where can I fit these licks or chords. There is lots of balancing in making a production, for instance, while I’m making the keyboard production I try not to play with my left hand (the contra hand). Usually it gets in the way of the bass player and keeps him from playing in total freedom. That’s why I can’t understand 7 string guitars. They simply don’t give the bass player any room. I think I keep aspects like these from colliding with each other. Most keyboard players I have played with are great soloists but they are clueless when it comes to arranging layers and air pockets in the music. Their left hand is often all over the place and my job during this time is to prevent them from ruining the picture. Music production is a like a puzzle. Everyone has his or her part of the puzzle, it’s all matter of finding the right place and right color in the right time. I use my imagination when I work, very much like painting. Often when I get jobs for production I offer my services as a drummer and that helps me a lot when it comes to record bass parts and the rest. As a drummer I set the rules of where the music has to be pushed or drawn back so there are very little arguments while recording. Also, 90% of the time I’m given total freedom and control over the product. That’s the best feeling and it usually results in my best work.

8. Overall how would you rate the albums being released today as far as sound quality and production as opposed to the albums released in the eighties when budgets were much larger but technology was not as far along?

Albums back then sounded a little bit darker and warmer than they do today. That is the result of the hard disc technology. I’m going to get too technical here but I think the analog tape recorder, which were used back then and still are used today in bigger studios, gave that warmth. A lost art if you ask me. The problem with tape recorders is that they are very expensive and some are even impossible to work with if you don’t serve them every now and then, but that costs a fortune. The sound today is better but colder. I see a bright future for smaller studios like mine. The days of the big studios are gone and if you ask the bands they are even not interested in them anymore. There is so much you can do with a competent computer and so much easier. There is backside to all of this though.

Back when tape recorders were used people could actually play their instruments because it was almost impossible punch in, if you screwed up a take, you had to do it all over again. The best made in to the end. Today, they can just play one chord, cut it and then paste it all over the songs if they like. They don’t even have to play the whole song, they can record one verse and then eat dinner and then record the rest. That was impossible 10 years ago. Either way, I think if you can combine the two, like most people do today, you have the best of both worlds. We have a 16-channel tape recorder and I use it whenever I can, they can’t be beaten sound wise. Most albums today sound like poor demos. I don’t mean to sound arrogant but that’s the truth. That’s another problem with computers, if you know what you are doing, it will sound marvelous but if you don’t know, it will sound really, really poor. Here in Sweden computers are kind of cheap and anyone who has a normal job can get one, the problem is that they think just because they have the money they have the talent to make a record, and 99 times out of 100 they are wrong.

9. The internet has become a major factor in the music world, allowing artists to get their music out to the fans sooner and further, but also has furthered the problem with piracy and file-sharing how do you view this situation as an artist and a fan?

Internet is a two edged sword I think. It could be damaging for some and it could be the end of the rainbow for others. I’ll say I’m in between not knowing what side to join. I mean without proper salesmen we can’t sell records and without musicians we don’t have music. For Mind’s Eye the Internet has helped a lot, we can keep track of fans and keep them informed of things to come. For me as a fan? Well, I’m glad the Internet is here or else I would have lots of albums with one or two good songs in, albums of which I would sadly, rarely listen to. I love MP3 clips, that way I can decide if that is an album I’m going to get or not. For me MP3 downloading is like throwing a rock into a window of a record store and then taking what ever I like. That damages hard working musicians, and believe me, things are not looking any better for poor musicians so people please stop this piracy.

10. The music world of today strikes me as one that is ready to explode, with people longing for melodic, structured yet flowing music, what are your feelings on this and what do you see happening in music over the next little while?

I think our generation has a huge responsibility to the next one. We really have to show them what music was all about, to recreate the standard of yesterday. If we start there we can solve all the negative elements in music, maybe not now but in the future. By this I mean that if someone really learned how to play an instrument they wouldn’t hide behind a computer, they would try to create music with instruments and use the computer as it’s supposed to be used as, a tool. I think the labels have to change their way of thinking as it’s a new world out there and we really don’t need them to that level that we used to, at least not now with internet. If the big labels stop creating cheap and meaningless music things will change. Today kids are influenced by MTV and what do they show in these kinds of channels? Crap! There are no real heroes out there, just copycats. I still see a ray of light in the end of this dark tunnel though. When they have reached a certain point of meaninglessness, they’ll say: Hey! What can we do now that is easier to sell than Britney Spears? And I believe they have reached that level today. It’s when they realize this, that they will have to go back to the beginning, back when people were for real and not just a bunch of faces and bodies. I mean look at Rush, who the hell wants to buy their records because of the looks of the singer or drummer? No one! In fact if this were the tactics of the record label in this particular case, the band would have never survived all these years. I buy their records for their music! Period! Nothing can compete with real musicianship. I make music for one reason only and that is to inspire people to follow. I’m doing my part. Kathy, you are certainly doing yours as you promote some of the best bands out there on your site. That’s all we can do, the rest it’s up to the listener.

11. Do you have a closing message you would like to send out to the fans?

I hope to see you guys on tour and let’s hope the winds of change might take me to the states in the future. I have been receiving lots of mails from fans in the states even though we haven’t released any of the last two records in the states. Please check out our website www.roundrec.com for more information about us and or if you are curious of finding out who we are, there are lots of cool stuff going on in the Mind’s Eye camp so check out the site often.
KEEP ON LISTENING AND STAY AWAY FROM DRUGS! No matter what the rock stars would tell you THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN A CLEAN AND HEALTHY MIND.

Chao
Daniel

Brian: I would just like them to know that I am dedicated to making quality performances and try to write quality songs.

Kathy: Who does the main songwriting?

Brian: I do. I write most of the stuff and Robbie sings most of it. He did collaborate on a couple of songs with some lyrics. Mainly the writing is my thing.

Kathy: Your debut album is all but ready to be released and the buzz in the music world is a great sign that this album is going to do very well. Could you tell me a little bit about the finished project and what the recording process has been like on this project?

Brian: Well we did everything in our small studio that my brother has in his house. We don’t have the latest greatest stuff like equipment and everything but we have been doing it for a long, long time so we know what we want and can make it happen. We also had Kyle Woodring, who my wife met, he plays for Dennis DeYoung. We were worried about who was going to play drums on the record and we saw Kyle. My wife met him and we flew him out. I had never played with him before but he turned out to be excellent! He had never heard the songs before and I didn’t have any of the tracks down yet. So we put a quick little track down on the tape and I played an acoustic guitar and that’s all he played to … No vocals, no nothing! He just banged it out, he played it in a room with the cat litter and that’s what he played to – one, two takes and he was done!

Kathy: Excellent, a real professional! It’s terrific when things like that just happen like magic!

Brian: Yes, he said “let me hear what you got” and he listened to the little demo once, twice, wrote a couple of notes down and that was it. You know the drum track is really the starting point of the whole thing. Kyle was very important and once we had those drum tracks down I was happy and just knew that stuff was going to come out good. My brother he takes care of all the rhythm guitars and I play the bass and we pretty much do every thing else. We had a friend of ours play some keyboard and stuff. But the drums that was the big unknown … I wasn’t sure about the drums and I was really happy when that was done.

Kathy: Ok, There has been a lot comparison of your sound with Survivor and Journey. In your opinion is this a good comparison and would you say your musical influences and experiences show in your music and on this album?

Brian: You know they do. Its funny because we play a lot of different kinds of music and this is just really one of the styles that we play. We are kinda like an Eagles band in a way too, with a lot more harmonies, all acoustic guitars, we play like that a lot too. It was almost like a problem for us, we could play a couple of types of music and we never really knew which direction to go in. It was funny when we talked to Serafino he said what he wanted, he is very particular – so it really helped in a way to put me in a direction. He said I want a Survivor, Journey type album and I said, ok! I love those guys so it was great!

Kathy: We know that you write, produce and engineer your own music which I believe gives you a higher amount of control over what you want to express with each song. When you sit down to write a new song do you work together always or do each of you bring your ideas together and work them out to final form after developing them yourself?

Brian: I would say that 90% of the stuff on the record I wrote, and I do usually work by myself, but my brother is a very good sounding board. I play for him and make sure he likes it and he may have an idea and throw that in but most of the time when I come up with stuff I work on my own, we don’t sit in a room and write.

Kathy: Would you say you write from life experiences, listening to other music coming up with other ideas, where do you get your musical ideas from?

Brian: You know I really don’t know; I just don’t. Sometimes I wonder where it came from. A couple of songs on the record I like a lot, some of the stuff I like the best people aren’t talking about too much. I like the song “Pray For Me”, which is about a soldier and how he might feel sitting over Iraq or somewhere and I am not sure if people know what the song is about. That’s a ballad I like a lot – lyrically … “We Will Rise”, I like that lyric a lot as well.

Kathy: One of my questions was; is there one song on the album that has special meaning and what you could tell me about.

Brian: Yeah, I think the song “Pray For Me”. I like that one a lot. I think about these guys fighting over there and if you listen to it now then you know what it’s about.

Kathy: Thank you. Its only natural I think for the listener to try and form their own opinions on what a song is about and put their own spin on it. Its wonderful when you can find out from the artist who created the song what were their thoughts when they were writing and what the meaning is.

Brian: There is a song called “Where Do I go From Here”, lyrically I like that one too, its pretty heavy. Its about how someone lost someone in 9/11 and they are by themselves now, lyrically I would say that is my favorite one.

Kathy: Blanc Faces has a great line up of musicians to back up your style and bring depth to the sound, can you tell me about the line up and what you think the groups strong points are?

Brian: I read a review and I was really happy, it was great, it said; “If I could say one word it’s professionalism!” He kept saying that word over and over and that it was done really well, that was cool, I think all the players that played on it where excellent. Kyle was excellent, he played exactly what we wanted, which is rare. The guitar players name is Butch Taylor – We are from the New York / Connecticut area and Butch lives in Connecticut. I bartend and work in restaurants to make ends meet so I used to book all the music. So, Butch Taylor used to come play with a disco band, they’d play like “Freak Out” and all these songs but one day at the end of the night he played some rock stuff and was ripping the guitar. I heard the guy for a long, long time and I thought Jesus Christ this guy is a great guitar player and I couldn’t believe it! I invited him to come try some solos and so my brother set him up with his sound. He has all these special Marshall amps and stuff and we had a great sound and he was perfect – Couldn’t have been happier with him … A real pleasant surprise! The keyboards on the album are done by our friend Jeff Batter who is a great musician. He could go out on the road with anybody, tomorrow and play!

Kathy: Speaking of special meanings I always like to ask who your biggest musical inspirations are I know Survivor and Journey were mentioned earlier but who else would you each give credit to?

Brian: The Beatles are definitely going to be one, for my brother and myself. They are why we played and sang and still I just think their songs, there singing, even their playing. McCartney’s bass playing and George Martin Productions - just mind boggling! Toto is also a big influence and we had recently seen them, we love those guys! Steve Lukather is one of our favorite guitar players!

Kathy: Speaking of playing out, I know that you guys play a lot in your local area and would like to find out how the reaction to the album has been, have people been excited, what feed back have you been getting on the music and over all how have the shows been?

Brian: We really haven’t been playing out that much. We haven’t played any of these songs other than one at a party for Paul Shaffer’s wife a month or two ago. Kyle flew in and played and Tommy Dziallo, who plays with Dennis DeYoung too. They flew in and played with us. We played the song “Staying Power”, it turned out really good and people liked it. It’s hard around here in the US with the way the music is, but I’d love to go over to Europe or Japan someday and play!

Kathy: I know that the first album is just barely out but we always want to know, is there another one planned and when might it be coming out?

Brian: I’ve started getting another couple of tunes together, writing a couple of new songs and think I have a couple of good ones already.

Kathy: You have worked with some well known and respected names such as Rupert Holmes, Felix Cavaliere and others, what have been some of the highlights of your careers so far and what artists would you like to work with in the future?

Brian: To be really honest with you we really haven’t had much of a career at all (laughs). A long, long time ago we worked with Felix Cavaliere and we did a record. We were just young and starting out and there was a couple of good things on it but we were young and it was a first effort kind of thing. It was great though working with Felix, he is a great guy and it feels like a million years ago. For the most part we have had a lot of so close stories. We were signed by Arif Mardin, one of the biggest legendary producers who has done the Norah Jones stuff. He’s an older man probably in his 70’s but he’s done everyone from the Bee Gees, to Aretha Frankin, a big name! He signed us and we were going to do a record but the big line between my brother and I is “The wrong place at the wrong time.” and that seems to be what’s happened to us for the last 20 years. But, if something happens now I will enjoy it and appreciate it! My brother has never sung better in his life, he’s at the top of his game! So who knows maybe it is all for a reason.

Kathy: While a music career seems coveted and viewed as a great life it I am sure still has issues and stress like any other job, perhaps even more at times, what do you do to balance your life and keep a positive outlook?

Brian: I think that anyone, especially after 9/11 if someone just can’t be appreciative that they live in freedom and are walking around and are healthy and stuff like that you have to be crazy. For me I just can’t take anything too seriously, including myself, nobody is that important. We are just little dots on this earth and that I can make some nice music and have people like it, that’s great – It’s just great! Life is too short, you never know when your last day is and you really just can’t take yourself too seriously!

Kathy: I agree with 100% on that one Brian! My last question … Is there a message you would like to take a moment to send out to all your fans to close out this interview?

Brian: For anyone that is a fan of ours I would just like to say Thank You Very Much! I am really happy that something I wrote on this little piano I am looking at. My wife’ grandparents died a couple of years ago and pretty much every song I’ve written since has been written on it. If someone across the world enjoys the music it makes my day. To know that we’ve touched someone and that they like our stuff is great! Hopefully this is just a start and we’ll put out some other records and it will keep getting better! Thank You!

First of all i want to say that it’s an honor doing this interview. I’m so thankful and glad that people like you Kathy and so many others like my music and care about AOR.
Well, I’m a 37 year-old songwriter and guitar player from Norway. For the moment I’m trying to make a living as a session guitarist and songwriter. I also have my own private music school where I teach children how to play the guitar.

I started playing the guitar at the age of 13 and after that music has been a very important part of my life. I have many influences and I really like all kinds of music; from Dream Theater to Peter Gabriel, but AOR has always been closest to my heart and my favorite band of all time is “Survivor”. I think Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik are the greatest songwriter team ever.

2. Now really getting into the questions would you please tell us all about Northern Light … What it means to you and what you would like the world to know about this project and the new album.

Northern light is my newborn musical baby. It was a dream come true for me when I signed a record deal with MTM music. In 2003 I got this crazy idea to record an AOR album with some of my favorite singers. So here we are… I have just released my new album with 7 of the finest singers in the world!

3. This album has been highly anticipated and has delivered on all the levels; each song is a masterpiece and the harmonization of all the artists is incredible. Could you tell us a bit about the recording of the album over all and how you feel about the final product?

Thanks! As a musician there are always some things i would have done differently with some songs and the production, but overall I think the album is really great with some very great melodic songs.

I started writing songs for the album in the end of 2003 and we started the recordings in September 2004. I recorded all the guitars and bass at my studio. The drums was recorded at NLC studios in Norway and the keyboards and the vocals was recorded all over the world – Norway, Sweden, USA, Canada and Finland.

4. As I said, each song is a masterpiece, and one of the most captivating aspects is the lead vocals which are done by seven different performers on the album. How did you decide which lead singer for each track and were the songs written for the singer or was it more the singers fit the song?

I think each song fits the singer perfectly. Most of the singers got a CD with some demo songs so they could pick the song they liked the best. I also got some ideas so with good teamwork with the singers I think we found the right combination.

5. The line up of vocalists on the album is great. How did you go about selecting the list and how was it working with so many talented vocalists?

It was a privilege and an honor to work with such fine singers. Each and every one is really talented and such nice people. The list of singers was long and not everyone could be part of the project because they were busy with their own things, but I’m really glad I ended up with these 7 great singers.

6. This project has caused quite a buzz in the music world, even before it’s release. What has the feedback from the fans and the artists been like?

The feedback so far has been really great. I got so many fans that really love this album and the singers are really happy with the songs. We have already started talking about doing a new album.

7. With the collaborative setting and so many artists on the album it may be difficult to tour with the whole line up but are there any shows planned? And what are your plans as far as live performances go?

We haven’t decided if there is going to be a NORTHERN LIGHT tour. I have been in contact with some of the singers and they told me they would love doing a tour with this project so only time will tell if it’s gonna happen.

8. I believe this album will be highly successful and talked about all year long, what do you think people will talk about the most when it comes to this release?

I think people will find this album very exciting with so many great singers and all these classic AOR songs.

9. While we are all enjoying the buzz of the new album we are also looking forward to finding out what is on the horizon for you and Northern Light. Can you let us know what your plans are?

I hope there will be a NORTHERN LIGHT tour in the near future because it would be really fun playing the songs for an audience. So if anybody wants us to come and play a show– Let me know ☺

I have already started writings songs for a new album and this summer I will be touring with the Norwegian artist “Eva Weel Skram” from the Norwegian idol contest 2005.

10. And finally is there a message that you would like to send out to all the fans and music lovers?

Go out and buy the NORTHERN LIGHT album. If you like melodic AOR music you won’t be disappointed. I hope to see you on tour soon – Rock on! TOR

We're a four-piece hard rock band from Arkansas. Myself (Erik), Jim, Ty, and Rob have been kicking around the local scene in a lot of the same bands but never all at the same time. People make fun of Arkansas and the south in general as being inbred, but take a look at your local music scene of who's played in what band with who. THAT's inbred!

2. I'd also like to have you introduce your album that has recently been released on Kivel Records. Can you tell us a bit about the album, the songs and how you feel about the final product?

It's called "Mercy", an idea by John Kivel who also handled the artwork side of things with Lauren Cummings. We were getting stumped on ideas so it was great to have them dig in on it. The album is just melodic hard rock (emphasis on 'hard rock') the way the band likes to hear it. We're fans of the style and after experimenting with the modern guitar styles, we decided to just play what we like and damn the trends. There's a lot of the "eighties" influences musically, but the lyrics aren't the usual party rock or "the girl's a slut" material. It's very personal subjects for the most part and, as a result, a little dark. It's mostly songs about endings, either in relationships or situations that one can get tired of. It's not all like that. There's still fun stuff mixed in and the music is upbeat. I've always like that ironic feel. I think that "Mercy" turned out very well. We had planned a different lineup of songs, but the staff at Kivel made a few suggestions which all worked out to make a solid record.

3. I read a review from Hardrock Haven and have really enjoyed listening to this album. In the review they talked about the story behind the song, Weight of the World, so I was wondering if there was another song on the album that has special meaning for you that you could share some of the history with us?

I'd have to say "Leave Me Alone". I've had a lot of female friends in really bad relationships with abusive partners, many times physically. As much counsel as you'd give them to get out, move out, disappear ... They just can't do it. It's a fear of being alone or worse, what the significant other will do to them if they find them. The song was written in hopes that they (or someone in that situation) would be able to listen and hear themselves and realize that no one should live like that, especially not if there's kids involved.

4. As I was researching for the interview I saw pictures of you guys performing live and I could see, almost feel, the energy! Would you say that as a group you prefer the live performances or does the same energy appear in studio sessions?

I think as a group we all prefer to be performing. There's that charge when everything's firing on all cylinders that you can't beat and it's never the same thing twice even if you're playing the same setlist. For me, I think I prefer the studio as much as live because of the creative aspect; looking at all the details and making something that's a lot more permanent than a live show.

5. There are a lot of albums released now a days that have artists who come together for a song or two and then move on to another arrangement for other songs, but it is obvious that you guys are a true band. Can you tell us a bit about how you found each other and
how the line-up was formed?

As mentioned before, we'd all been playing locally (for THAT tale, go the bio section of our website at http://www.bombayblackmusic.com) in the same bands at different times. Bombay Black was the alter ego of a hard rock Christmas project called "The Screaming Santas" that got started because I was burnt out on writing Christmas-themed music. We had a different drummer and guitarist then. As the recording for what is now "Mercy" got going, time had changed paths for them and they moved on to other things. The guitarist had gotten married and is really happy with life and decided he found his niche. The drummer had a DJ/Karaoke service and had started a traveling game show set up (which, for the record, totally kicks ass!) and his time was limited.

There's no bad blood and we still hang out when time allows. Ty and I knew Jim and Rob, so we asked them to come play with us and they agreed.

6. Each band has its own process it follows when creating new material. When you guys sit down to write a new song how do you go from an idea to a developed track, start out with a lyric, a melody, what works best for you?

It's everything you just mentioned. One of those things will start the wheels turning. With "Everything", it was a phrase a friend of mine said during an argument with his now ex-girlfriend. "Get Out Get Even" was started with the opening riff. Sometimes I hear little melodies in my head. Other times, I'm hearing complete sections of songs.

7. I mentioned your live performances and would like to find out how much you guys play out, and if touring is planned?

We're looking to play out more and farther from Little Rock. We don't play much at current because we're getting the tour bus in top shape for travel and we don't wanna become one of those local bands that play in town so often that no one cares for anymore.

8. This album I am sure is going to get a lot of recognition and make the name Bombay Black come up in many music conversations. What I would like to know is how has the feedback from the fans been?

A lot better than I would've imagined. The people that we've spoken to love the album and have been playing it consistently in the car and at home.

9. While I am sure that it feels great to have this album out and you guys could probably use a vacation after the hard work but I can't help but ask: What's next? Is there a follow up album planned?