RSS
Interview
Deutsche VersionInterview mit Jon Oliva's Pain (21.02.2010)
HH: HeyHo Mr. Kinder, greetings from the entire Heavyhardes-Crew and congratulations for your new record Festival. You have to give it some listening time, but then you discover more and more interesting effects, hidden gimmicks and the songs start to grow.
Kinder: HeyHo to you as well... thanks for the opportunity to talk to you! Like all JOP records, especially Festival and Global Warning, we wanted to create music that would inspire people to think about the music they were listening to. We want the listener to be taken on a journey full of emotions and flavours. Those are the records that really last the test of time.
HH: Seven years of Jon Oliva's Pain. From a personal view, what have been your highlights and have there been stations (tours, records, songs, etc.) that could have been driven through in a better way?
Kinder: The whole concept of recording with Jon Oliva was something none of us could have ever imagined. And now, after more than six years and growing stronger, that feeling hasn't really changed. We feel very blessed to be working with one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time. His catalogue says it all! So for us, the entire journey from the cd demo stage to performing is so very rewarding. Each ingredient has it's own special place and satisfaction.
HH: Of course there have been lots of changes in the Metal scenery during the last three decades, but one of the things that still excites me and gives me some kind of deep satisfaction is the fact that after the Grunge- and nonsense-years in the 90s traditional Heavy Metal was resurrected (although it never vanished) and surfaced stronger than ever. What was it like to hold the flag of traditional Metal up high in the 90s and why do you think the scene changed? Was there a point when you realized that Metal was at advance again?
Kinder: The music industry, especially here in America, has long been fuelled by record companies. And thank god most of them are dying a painful death!!! Greedy bastards...
When bands like Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Rush, and countless others signed long term partnerships with record companies, it was a "trust" entered by all parties to work
hand-in-hand to build the band and their brands for long-term success!
Now it's just the sh*t flavour of the week and whatever new genre they can create/manipulate. And trust me, you won't see 20 year careers for 99% of these "corporate recipe" bands. Record executives are business people and thei're not fans of bands or music. They have no f*cking clue what people really want and they don't care. So they spend their time throwing the proverbial "spaghetti" on the wall and see what sticks... for now. If your band doesn't deliver the goods every record/tour... then it's bye-bye to you and the next bunch of hacks step in to take your place.
Metal and true music is real. It grabs your soul and makes you a willing prisoner for life. Everything goes in cycles... but the best will always eventually rise to the top!
HH: Nowadays you see a very colourful Heavy Metal landscape covered with Black, Thrash, Speed, Prog, Death, Metalcore, Pagan and so on. Are you satisfied with the position Jon Oliva's Pain obtained in the last years and did the financial crisis reach the band in some kind of way?
Kinder: JOP certainly had it's problems from the beginning. Oliva was 20 years into Savatage and we knew it was going to be an uphill climb. But after the release of Maniacal Renderings, we knew that we were starting to form a really
great bond and working relationship. We held our feet to the fire and were determined to break down those walls. We knew that if we consistently wrote good records and played great shows, then the fans would eventually see the forest through the trees. After nearly seven years and the overwhelming response to Festival, we feel confident that we did exactly the right thing. All tours and recording budgets are a financial challenge. All you can do is to be your best when duty calls... the rest of the bullshit will take care of itself.
HH: Let's get to Festival. First of all I was caught by the cover art which instantly reminded me of the holiday park in the movie "Zombieland" where Woody Harrelson and his fellows make their final stand. Did the artist have the chance to listen to the songs before or was he just given some kind of concept how it should look like in the end?
Kinder: Thomas Ewehard, our most excellent art-dude, never heard the songs. In fact, the design for the CD art came from Jon and me during our mix sessions at Morrisound
Studios.
We were so entrenched with the music that the cover art nearly designed itself. It couldn't be more perfect for this record. Thank you Thomas!
HH: My first impression of the record was that it could be the most diverse album in the JOP-catalogue referring to the mixture of musical styles on it. More a rollercoaster ride than a leisurely trip via train and as I mentioned, not that easy to capture in the first place. Did that happen on purpose?
Kinder: Not at first, but that's usually how the demo-writing process goes. The JOP motto is simple: "bring everything you got to the table and let's see where it takes us". We write albums and not necessarily songs. The entire 60 minutes should be a musical journey that takes you to many places. Music is a path to your soul and your
personality. Life is a rollercoaster... we just tried to make it more enjoyable... and a bit unpredictable. It was clear early on that this is a record to be savoured, not devoured quickly. Good things come to those that wait.
HH: Is there an overall concept behind the lyrics because I think most of them deal with mankind or the individual losing some sort of spirit, credibility, self-respect and therefore everything that is necessary to act as a social and vivid human being?
Kinder: A lot of it came from dreams (or nightmares) that Jon had. He always rights about what he sees and hears. He is such a caring guy and is clearly frustrated by the evil in this world. He tries to write from a perspective of how he sees things and with a little bit of how he wishes the world could be.
HH: "Afterglow" and "Looking For Nothing" are two of the songs in which I recognized major influences a) from Led Zeppelin and b) from The Beatles wearing their Sgt. Peppers dresses. I believe every musician in some way tries to top the former generation and in another wants to sound as good as they did. That's the way new art is created. Are you
aware of the fact that you may influence a whole new generation with your music and did you listen a lot to the "older" stuff while writing Festival?
Kinder: To be completely honest... most of us don't listen to anything but music create by the greats (and very little if any new "music"). We focus on the true pioneers who have a true sense of songwriting, shock, aggression, emotion, and all the defining elements that make a song timeless. It's always a thrill to put in a record like Rush's 2112 and
just shudder with excitement like you are listening to it for the first time. One can only hope that the music you create will inspire someone to carry the torch. That's definitely something we feel very strongly about. "Afterglow" is a perfect example of that... a really awesome song in my opinion!
HH: In "Winter Haven" you managed to create that special Floyd atmosphere in that all kinds of emotions come to surface and disappear again, again a ride, but now within one track which in my opinion is from a composing point of view the most outstanding song on Festival.
How did you actually start composing - with a riff, a melody, the lyrics and how far have you been part of the whole process as you co-produced the record?
Kinder: I am fortunate to be able to sit on all of the JOP sessions from demos to final mix. Everything starts off with an idea from Jon... he usually hears multiple parts at one time so it is often a race to get them out of his head and into the computer. From there we begin sorting through his endless library of ideas and work together to put these
bits-and-pieces into a basic structure. Then we give demos to everyone in the band and give them a chance to improve/make changes to the song. It's a very open process. Matt
LaPorte brought a lot of great ideas to the table. The atmosphere is fun, relaxed and very, very productive.
HH: I saw Roger Waters playing live a couple of years ago and was overwhelmed. Do you think now as Richard Wright passed away, a reunion of Floyd would make sense?
Kinder: Perhaps... but I don't see that happening any time soon.
HH: In the title track you hear these strange key-effects sounding like blasts of a whirlwind. Excellent! This is what art is all about: drawing a picture for the listener, reader, observer to start from and then to be enabled to recreate it in his or her own imagination. Can you explain the technique behind these effects and maybe the artificial
concept behind the song?
Kinder: Well the concept is really quite real. Life is a based on choices, and if you choose to enter the ground of the wrong "festival"... you're going to pay the price. We
created the crazy Circus theme through a session or two by experimenting with every carnival atmosphere/sound we could think of. We had 50 tracks of noise and ear-candy to choose from. Then it was just a matter of putting the right ideas together to make you feel like you were right there, walking around with the rest of the crazy people... it's very cool!
HH: Speaking about festivals, I saw you are scheduled for some big ones this year (Bang Your Head, Graspop, etc.). As a musician is it more satisfying for you to do these shows with thousands of people singing the songs or do you prefer playing in some sweaty club round the corner?
Kinder: Of course... it's the ultimate pat on the back for the previous year of your life making that new CD. Being asked to play Graspop again this year after being there in
2009 is a very big honor. Very few bands have ever impressed the promoters and fans that much to be asked back so soon. So, once again we feel that our consistent and tenacious attitude towards great performances has paid off. This is the only way to survive out here amongst the million bands competing for those prime opportunities. You
are only as good as your last cd/concert.
HH: Do you listen a lot to "new" stuff and if yes could you assemble a list of the last ten records that made an impression to you?
Kinder: Honestly no... Breaking out the classics is what inspires me. And of course all the new cd's created by the greats. The new Heaven and Hell and Testament records are just an example. Music created by the masters!
HH: You must be very busy with the promotion for the new record, then the gigs. Is there still some time left for other projects referring to producing and as a drummer, does the band give you enough space to present your ideas and skills in a satisfying way?
Kinder: Being in the middle of every song and every tour allows me ample opportunity to bring my ideas to JOP. While I don't have time to do much else (with JOP being so busy this year), we are setting up a production company to assist other artists and bands in the near future. Jon Oliva will be a guest singer on the new Avantasia, Kamelot, and Neverland cd's. So the door to doing more production based work is starting to open wider....
HH: Can you name some drummers that influenced your specific kind of style?
Kinder: Steve Smith, Neil Peart, Scott Rockenfield, Phil Collins, Tommy Aldridge, Jason Bonham, ...and all the greats. I love so many different styles of music... and what
I play is based entirely on what I think the song needs.
HH: This definitely was more than an honour for me and I really thank you to get the chance to prepare these questions for you. The last words should belong to you:
Kinder: This is more of an honor for me. I know so many great musicians in my world that will never have the opportunities that I have been given. For that, I am eternally grateful and thankful that Oliva considers me and the rest of the band worthy of bringing his music to life.
Thank you all for the support and growing excitement over the past few years. We strive to never disappoint! Cheers to everyone and enjoy our "Festival".
Fuxx