interviuri rock

ANATHEMA: 100% or nothing

ANATHEMA: 100% or nothing
BANDS : Anathema

Metalfan: Hello, how are you?
Vincent Cavanagh: Fine... what a town... what a town!

Metalfan: Do you like it?
Vincent: Beautiful... Really nice, yeah. And old towns like this, it's beautiful and very different.

Metalfan [Dragos]: You've been to Timisoara...
Vincent: Timisoara and Bucharest, yeah.

Metalfan: But this one you like the most...
Vincent: Yeah! And even on the journey here we went through the mountain pass... fucking hell, how beautiful! Really something, you know?

Metalfan: I've been there this morning, on my way here.
Vincent: It's amazing, isn't it? Did you see the mist?

Metalfan: Yep, I left very early in the morning... So, you're here in Romania for the third time already. What memories do you have of your previous gigs?
Vincent: Of the actual gigs themselves?

 

 

Metalfan: Anything else you might remember...
Vincent: Well, I can talk for about probably two hours about the first trip that we had here...

Metalfan: As much as I'd love to, the other reporters will kill me...
Vincent: Aaaa, yeah. It was just an amazing week of fun and partying and we were quite rebellious at that time so... Some of the concerts were almost riot. It was out of this world, we never experienced something like it before. And the last one, the acoustic one, was obviously very different, it was very sedate and up, but that was a gain, that was such a good fun and afterwards we went at the afterparty and met so many good people.

Metalfan [Dragos]: Yes, I was there... we had some drinks. [laughter]
Vincent: The drinks, yes! Of course, of course... It was so much fun. I think the reason we like Romania so much is the people that we meet. Yeah.. at our concert tonight it's just... everyone seemed unspiked, there's no barrier, they're very open, friendly and happy and... happy to see you, it's very nice. Plus everybody is very beautiful too. Everybody I see is very good looking. [laughter]

Metalfan: So back to the first time when you came here, you were a death / doom metal band. How would you describe Anathema today, as a band?
Vincent: A band that has a completely opened attitude towards music, you could say we're a rock band, we're forward thinkers, we have no limits of what we want to do, we're imaginative thinkers and we play from the heart, we write from the heart, so it's all real.

Metalfan: And where do you think this musical journey will lead you further? Do you see an end or the possibilities are wide open?
Vincent: The possibilities are endless, we've only just began to reach some of the potential that we always thought we had and a lot of the new songs are touching on that. But I think there's a lot more to come. In all directions at once, any type of music you can think of, there's something more progressive, something classical sounding, there's something very heavy, we use different instruments, piano, rythms, and different vocal techniques, different harmonies like between me, Lee and Danny. The possibilities are endless.

 

 

Metalfan: And how's the new album? Is it ready?
Vincent: It's almost ready. But we have lots of festivals to do from now until the end of July. So hopefully, if everything goes well with the negotiations with the record companies, we can record in August-September, because right after that we're out on tour again in October, so we have to finish it then, it's the only time we've got to do it.

Metalfan: And how are the discussions with the labels going?
Vincent: Oh, we are not discussing them, we've left that to our manager, but he knows what we want, what we need.

Metalfan: What do you want and what do you need?
Vincent: That's a secret [laughter] As much autonomy as possible, let's put it that way.

Metalfan: You got the media's attention from the beginning and now you're a band without a contract. Is this a critical point for you?
Vincent: It was a free time for us, because we felt that... ok, we now have time to really develop our music, not having to think about what constraints a record label may put on you. People were becoming too generic on the last label [Music for Nations] and the band was too big in terms of musicality for that label, we were doing too much music and they couldn't keep up. So now is the time when we said ok, we just concentrate on our music and find the label that can actually help our audience grow. That's all we want. All we want is that our music to reach its full potential audience instead of being classified into a certain group of people. Anybody can listen to Anathema's music.

Metalfan: Do you think that Anathema is a band that's hard to follow by fans, considering the musical changes you've been through?
Vincent: I tell you, the only way that happens is if you do, let's say three or four albums with a particular sound and then you wanna change it. People will have a problem with that, 'cause they like your sound, they know what to expect and they want more of the same.With us, we always changed, with song to song and album to album, we always changed. Not one of them sounds as the others sound and people expect that of us and they've stayed with us. The amount of times we've seen Crestfallen shirts and Serenades shirts out there, they're still with us. So it's ok.

 

 

Metalfan: Since 2001 when Jamie joined you again, you're three brothers in the band. Do you think this helps communication, the work between you? Is there any competition among brothers?
Vincent: It's a very friendly sibling rivalry, but it's not really coming into the music. It comes in our personal  lives sometimes, you can't escape that. That's the way you argue in the family, but we're way past arguing, way past that, we all get along so well. And then of course we have John and his sister, Lee, so there's two families actually in the band. And Les is like our big brother or our weird uncle, you know... whatever you wanna think.

Metalfan: Sunday will be the first time you'll play with Duncan since he left Anathema....
Vincent: On Sunday, yeah... Well, actually Danny has played with Duncan before and I've played with Duncan before, but the three of us together... It's just a celebration, it's a celebration for us as much as for anybody else.

Metalfan: And what do you expect from this? I mean it's gonna be in a medieval fortress...
Vincent: Well, yeah, I've seen some photos on the Internet so I know what type of place it is and I know it's gonna be a really special atmosphere. And to do it in a place like Romania... that's just perfect. 

Metalfan: Don't you think it would be a good idea to record it? Vincent: Yeah, why not, you know? I mean we'll see how it goes, see how it sounds... I'm sure there will be facilities to do it over there.

Metalfan [Dragos]: But have you prepared something special for tonight's show? You're the headliner this evening...
Vincent: It is a possibility of something special, yeah. Towards the end. I mean we can... there's certain songs that we wouldn't play anywhere else, that we've dropped from the set, you know? Some old stuff. And we're so looking forward to it. I'll tell you what it is, right? For me, personally, this is where I let out my emotions, when I'm playing... I don't often do it when I'm not on stage. When I'm playing, that's where I get it all out and it makes me feel so much better. I could have a really shitty day, but then I let it all out and I feel so much better, it's like a weight has been lifted and that in itself is... what I look forward to. And I'm always giving everything. Everything! There's no other way. 100% or nothing. Don't even get up there if I can't give 100%.

Metalfan: One last question, because I think the other reporters are waiting to interview you too. Your music is known for expressing so much gloomy feelings of depression, regret... Are you just sad persons in your everyday lives?
Vincent: Nooooooooooooooooo [laughter]

 

 

Metalfan: Then why?
Vincent: I think we have definitely had our darker sides, we've experienced some really bad times, all of us. I think that's our way of getting out. But it's not just that. We are obviously deep thinkers and we have a lot of philosophical sides to our stuff as well. And it's just that the negative emotions get focused on a little bit more 'cause it's... I don't know. But I guess we won't do that anymore, a lot of negative stuff, because it comes back on you. You receive what you give in life, that is true. And if you give nothing but negativity, then negativity will happen to you. That's what it is. So we don't want to be surrounded by that anymore. I mean certain songs we won't play, because they're too close to the bone, they're too much...

Metalfan: You wouldn't want your audience to cry [laughs]
Vincent: I wouldn't want to make myself cry [laughs]. But it's passion, I mean... One last goodbye is a sad song in a way, but it's somehow kind of uplifting, 'cause it's a some kind of celebration, a commemoration of somebody's life. It's not just feelings of sadness that they're not there anymore. It's the only time you get to really commemorate that person in a song and that's a beautiful thing.

Photos by Dragos P.

Autor: Klawz, Nebelhexa
Vezi galeriile trupelor: Anathema

   June 15, 2007  | 11 Comments  | 15145 Views « BACK

Comment on: ANATHEMA: 100% or nothing

  • Am fost la concertul din '94 de la Timisoara.Nebunie totala! Ce vremuri!

    1. Posted by Sebastian | 03 Iulie 2007 23:35
  • mare om, mare fornatzie, mare contzert, sa tot fie ntanplari dastea asha ca la Aritmia n cetatea Sibiului...

    eara Lee...ce fatuca, ce voce...ce voce!

    2. Posted by Sip'n'roll | 04 Iulie 2007 01:11
  • simpatic vincent si am vazut ca a cantat din suflet pt toti cei care am fost acolo la Sibiu

    3. Posted by mihaela | 04 Iulie 2007 13:23
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