Informe: Marcos Sebastián Zapata
Traducción/Coordinación: Carolina Valor
El bajista de TARJA TURUNEN, nos concedió una entrevista EXCLUSIVA PARA MUNDO TARJISTA y esto fue lo que nos dijo:
MUNDO TARJISTA: Háblanos sobre el proyecto instrumental Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats
MUNDO TARJISTA: Háblanos sobre el proyecto instrumental Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats
KEVIN CHOWN: «Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats es una gran banda que empecé hace más de 3 años con Jeff Kollman, un guitarrista con quien he trabajado con FOREVER (desde mis días de Edwin Dare), Ed Roth en claves y Chad Smith, baterista de The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
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| CHAD SMITH |
Tres de ellos habían trabajado juntos respaldando a Glenn Hughes, y yo fui el último en unirme. No fue algo con lo que nos propusimos a conquistar el mundo... fue más bien una salida creativa para todos nosotros como músicos. Tiene algo de nuestras propias personalidades individuales y es lo más divertido de todo. Todo es improvisado, las canciones son escritas por nosotros, a partir de la idea de alguno de los integrantes cuando da una idea en una sesión y, a continuación, literalmente creamos la canción en tiempo real y se graba todo.
Lo escuchamos nuevamente más tarde y tomamos los bits que nos gusten y construimos una canción alrededor de todo ese proceso. La grabación es muy fácil. Chad nunca necesita más de dos tomas. Hemos lanzado dos CDs, "Meet The Meatbats" and "More Meat", ambos con Warrior/Universal. Desde que son instrumentales, hay un nicho para quienes se sienten atraídos por nuestra música, además para nuestro asombro, a nuestra pequeña banda de diversión le ha ido bastante bien.
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| MEET THE MEATBATS |
Hicimos giras por Japón en dos oportunidades; tenemos un CD en vivo grabado y listo para ser lanzado y se filmó un DVD en vivo en un famoso club de jazz en la ciudad de Nueva York. Chad estará ocupado con los Chilli durante el año próximo, ya que tienen nuevo CD, pero continuaremos haciendo shows en vivo. En el pasado cuando Chad estaba ocupado, tuvimos una gran lista de bateristas... Kenny Aronoff, Matt Sorum, Shane Gaalaas... es una banda genial y nos gustaría hacer algunas giras más en algún momento en el futuro cercano. Toda la música está disponible en Itunes.»
MT: ¿Cómo es un día con Tarja y los chicos? Un día típico durante la gira?
KC: «Déjame ver, me despierto en mi litera en frente de cualquier lugar donde estemos tocando, me tropiezo con la máquina de café en el bus (soy inútil en la mañana sin café), tomo un segundo para despertar y, a continuación, abro la puerta y trato de averiguar donde tengo que ir. Esto puede ser interesante a veces!!
Si encuentro un escenario, significa que hay un backstage, y vuelvo para encontrar el área de cáterin, y allí tendrán más de café y tal vez algo de comer. En este punto, probablemente puedo ver a todo el mundo, ya que generalmente soy uno de los últimos despertar. Tengo una charla con Mike Terrana o Alex Scholpp para verificar cómo van las cosas en el escenario, luego trato de encontrar el vestidor y ruedo mi maleta hasta allá. Si es posible lavo la ropa! Max está arriba temprano y siempre encuentra un mapa de cualquier ciudad que se encuentra y traza un recorrido para nosotros. Corremos de 10-15 Km cada día o menos. Después me despierto, me pongo mi ropa de correr y voy a buscar Max, y nos ponemos en marcha, generalmente hacia el centro de la ciudad. Me gusta tomar fotografías. Corremos unos 90 minutos, y volvemos al lugar, tomo una ducha, me cambio de ropa, almorzamos algo. Entonces, si estoy cansado tomo una siesta, pero normalmente voy al escenario y tal vez pruebo mi sonido y hablo con el grupo. Por lo general tengo unas horas libres antes de chequear el sonido, por lo que tomo y tiempo para el internet antes de eso. La verificación del sonido se hace siempre a las 4:00 lo que significa que TARJA comenzó el calentamiento su voz alrededor de las 3:00. A las 4, hacemos 3 o 4 canciones para chequear y durante el ensayo (si estoy en Europa) es cuando mi esposa despierta en Los Ángeles, así que siempre le envío, en un texto, sus buenos días durante el ensayo.
Afortunadamente, todo está bien con el sonido y, a continuación, tomamos un descanso antes de la cena, lo que significa para mí que espero hablar con mi esposa por Skype al menos una hora antes de la cena. La cena es a las 6:00 más o menos. Esperando que la comida sea buena! A continuación, más café y unas horas más tarde inician las bandas de apertura. Trato de ver a las bandas que abren el show cuando puedo. Me visto una hora antes del espectáculo y puede que caliente un poco en el bajo y trato de cantar un poco. Me gusta hacer yoga un poco antes del espectáculo y tratar de encontrar mi centro.
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| EN ACCIÓN. Allí se lo ve al bajista Chown |
Es algo bueno para mí, me ayuda a calmar los ánimos. 15 minutos antes del espectáculo, todos se reúnen en la misma habitación. Sin planificación. Sólo sucede así. Una vez que todo el mundo está listo, Marcelo inicia la música de introducción y caminamos hacia el escenario. Siempre nos abrazamos antes de cada show e ir en el escenario, uno a la vez. Esto es lo que la audiencia ve... entonces, por supuesto, luego el show. Durante el solo de batería, normalmente trato de obtener algunas fotos. Después del concierto, dedico unos minutos a enfriar y relajarme. Por lo general no bebo, pero ocasionalmente tomo una cerveza. Después del espectáculo siempre hay pizza o bocadillos, ocasionalmente una comida caliente. Nos enfriamos, tal vez comemos un poco y una ducha y el cambio de ropa en el lugar. Me gusta empaquetar todas mis cosas y colocarlas en el autobús o tenerlas listas para ir tan pronto como pueda. Odio sentirme apresurado y siempre me preocupa perder algo. Suelo jugar todo el día a pedirme constantemente mi pasaporte, teléfono celular, billetera, las 3 cosas esenciales durante la gira.
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| CIERRE. Saludo al terminar cada show |
Si hay tiempo, trato de hablar con mi esposa nuevamente antes de subir al bus. El equipo baja el “tren de aterrizaje” en este momento. Trabajan con sus botas fuera todo el día. Si tenemos invitados, generalmente los saludamos y charlamos. Una vez que estamos todos listos, salimos y saludamos a los fans antes de entrar en el autobús. Siempre nos dejan salir antes de TARJA... entonces, esperamos en el bus a que todo se cargue. El conductor se duerme durante el espectáculo. Despierta, hace un café, todos buscamos nuestro lugar en el autobús, entonces nos vamos. Generalmente nos sentamos y hablamos durante al menos 30 a 60 minutos, luego uno por uno vamos a la deriva hacia nuestras literas mientras el autobús va por el camino. Yo soy generalmente el último, así que rumbo a mi litera me veo rodeado por un fuerte coro de ronquidos de los chicos en sus literas. Algunas noches eso me hace reír. Yo siempre le envío un texto a mi esposa antes ir a dormir. Entonces... lo hacemos todo otra vez al día siguiente.»
MT: ¿Como decidiste tocar con TARJA por primera vez? Conocías su música?
KC: «Comencé a trabajar con TARJA por Mike Terrana, a quien conozco desde hace muchos años. Mike una vez vivió en Los Angeles, y hemos tocado juntos como apoyo de Tony Macalpine y también en esta banda progresiva llamada Artension. Nos mantuvimos siempre amigos incluso después de que se trasladó a Europa a finales de los noventa. Es un buen tipo y un buen amigo. Hace unos años de pronto tuve una llamada de él diciendo que estaba en la ciudad y estaba tocando en el House of Blues con esta artista llamada TARJA. Nunca había oído hablar de ella. (Nightwish no fue una banda conocida en California...) Fui a la serie y quede impresionado. Gran sonido, gran producción. Fue muy cool. Mike y yo salimos por ahí algunos días, ya que tuvieron un día libre aquí... y estamos atrapados ya que habían sido unos años sin vernos. Casualmente mencioné que "Si alguna vez necesitaba un bajista..." solo por decir, lo que es gracioso... de todas formas, unos 8 meses más tarde, tenía un correo electrónico de Mike preguntando si era en serio lo de trabajar con TARJA. Dije que sí. Dijo que TARJA y Marcelo habían ido a L.A. por las mezclas del nuevo CD y querían conocerme. Manejé hasta donde trabajaban en Santa Mónica y tuvimos una gran conversación. Me pidieron hacer la gira desde el pasado mes de septiembre y la he pasado muy bien desde entonces. Para responder a su pregunta acerca de su música, para ser totalmente honesto, NO… no estaba familiarizado. Pero lo curioso es que su estilo es una combinación de todas las cosas que he trabajado, musicalmente hablando, toda mi vida. Mis padres (y mi hermana) fueron y son músicos de formación clásica, por lo que siempre estaba alrededor de esa música, pero siempre fui un músico de rock. Es muy divertido trabajar con ella y aprovechar todas las influencias que fueron sepultadas profundamente dentro de mí. Ha sido muy natural desde el principio.»
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| ENERGÍA. Irradian cuando aparecen en escena TARJA y KEVIN CHOWN |
MT: ¿Cómo describes, creativamente hablando, el proceso de los ensayos y arreglos para shows como por ejemplo Miskolc Opera Rock Show?
KC: «No estaba en el show del que hablan... Pero en lo que respecta a ensayos, bastante fáciles. Todos tenemos una lista de los materiales para aprender del Tour con anterioridad y nuestra propia responsabilidad personal para estar preparados. Normalmente nos aprendemos de 20-25 canciones para la gira y tocamos 15 de ellas durante los shows. Me gusta memorizar todo, lo que significa para mí estar en mi estudio en Los Ángeles tocando las canciones una y otra vez. La primera gira fue más difícil porque nunca había trabajado con ella, por lo que en cualquier momento, trabajando con alguien nuevo, hay algunos ajustes que realizar, y esto es especialmente cierto en este caso, ya que yo también estaba cantando. Eso significa no sólo el aprendizaje de las partes del bajo, sino también de voces de fondo. En los ensayos, trabajamos tan rápido como podíamos para hacer todo perfecto, lo que incluye los aspectos técnicos también, lo que significa monitores de oído. Hay mucho por hacer al armar un show! El objetivo es simple: estar en el escenario y entretener al público y hacerlo sin esfuerzo! Es mucho más difícil de lo que te das cuenta. Para mí, las partes de bajo y canto. Para Chris, sus partes de teclado y sonidos diferentes. Para Alex, sus tonos diferentes de guitarra. Cada uno tiene su propio conjunto de desafíos. Pero todos trabajamos en ellos. Cuando tocamos juntos, se trata de olvidar todo, subir al escenario y hacerlo bien. La preparación permite que en el momento justo de la presentación, puedas divertirte, tocar como si estas tocando por primera vez. Esos son los ingredientes de una gran presentación!»
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| LOGO "OPERA ROCK SHOW" |
MT: ¿Cómo va hasta ahora el tour?
KC: «La gira ha ido muy bien. Casi todos los espectáculos han sido excelentes, aunque yo estuve muy enfermo durante un par de shows en Alemania, cerca del final de la última etapa de la gira, al igual que Mike. Pero hay que ser un profesional, y mantenerte firme. Los fans pagan para venir a los shows y, a menudo viajan grandes distancias. Lo menos que podemos hacer es honrar a eso y asegurarnos de que les damos el mejor espectáculo que podemos cada noche. Los fans han sido maravillosos, cada uno en la banda es excelente y esta ha sido una de las mejores experiencias de gira que he tenido. Ha sido un placer.»
MT: How is a day on tour with TARJA and the guys?
KC: «A typical day on tour? Lets see, I wake up in my bunk which is parked in front of whatever venue we are playing, I stumble to the coffee machine on the bus (I am useless in the morning without coffee), take a second to wake up, then open the door and try to find out where I need to go. This can be interesting sometimes!! If I can find the stage, that means I can find the backstage, and I go back and find the catering area, then have MORE coffee, and maybe something to eat. At this point, I am probably seeing everyone, as I am usually one of the last to wake up. I have a talk with Mike Terrana or Alex Scholpp, check on how things are going on stage, find the dressing room. Maybe roll my suitcase in. If possible DO LAUNDRY! Max is always up early and he always finds a map of whatever city we are in and has plotted out a run for us. We try and run 10-15K every other day or so. After I wake up, I put my running clothes on, find Max, and we are on our way, usually towards the city center. I like to take pictures. We run for around 90 minutes, come back to the venue, shower, change clothes, have some lunch. Then, if I'm tired I nap, but usually I find the stage, and maybe check my sound and talk to the crew. I usually have a few hours to kill before soundcheck, so its internet time after that. Soundcheck is always at 4:00 sharp which means Tarja starts warming up her voice around 3:00. At 4, we do 3 or 4 songs for soundcheck and during soundcheck (if I am in Europe) is about when my wife wakes up in Los Angeles, so I always text her good morning during soundcheck. Hopefully everything is OK with the sound, then we take a break before dinner, which means for me hopefully talking to my wife on skype for an hour or so before dinner. Dinner is at 6:00 or so. Hopefully the food is good!! Then, more coffee and a few hour break during the opening bands. I try to watch the opening bands when I can. I get dressed one hour before the show and maybe warm up a little on the bass and try to sing a bit too. I like to do a little yoga before the show as well and try to find my center. Its a good way for me to calm down. 15 minutes before the show, we all seem to gather in the same room. Its not planned. It just happens that way. Once everyone is ready, Marcelo starts the intro music and we walk towards the stage. We always hug before every show and go on stage one at a time. This is what the audience sees.... then of course the show. During the drum solo, I usually try to get some photos. After the concert, we take a few minutes to just cool down and relax. I dont usually drink, but occasionally I will have a beer. After the show there is always pizza or sandwiches, occasionally a hot meal. We cool down, maybe eat a little, then shower at the venue and change. I like to pack all of my stuff and have it either on the bus or ready to go as soon as I can. I hate to feel rushed and I'm always worried about losing something. I play this game all day where I constantly ask myself "passport, cell phone, wallet", the 3 essentially things that I need on the road. If there is time, I try to talk to my wife again before I get on the bus. The crew is taking the gear down at this time. They work their butts off ALL DAY. If we have guests, we usually greet them at this time and have a chat. Once we are ready, sometimes we will go out and greet the fans before we get on the bus. We always seem to go out before Tarja...... then, we get on the bus, wait for everything to be loaded. The driver sleeps during the show. He wakes up, makes himself a coffee as we are all finding our place on the bus, then we pull out. We all usually sit around and talk for at least 30-60 minutes, then one by one we all drift back to our bunks as the bus rolls down the road. I'm usually last, heading to my bunk surrounded by a loud chorus of snoring dudes on their bunks. Some nights it makes me laugh. I always text my wife before I put my ear plugs in a go to sleep. Then...... we do it all over again the next day!!!»
MT: How do you decide to play with TARJA for the first time? Did you know her music?
KC: «I started working with TARJA because of Mike Terrana, who I have known for many years. Mike once lived in Los Angeles, and we played together backing Tony Macalpine and also ended up in this progressive band called Artension. We always remained friends even after he moved to Europe back in the late 1990's. Hes a good guy and a good friend. A few years ago, out of nowhere I had a call from him saying he was in town and was playing at House of Blues with this artist named Tarja. I had never heard of her. (Nightwish was not a well known band in California......) I went to the show and was blown away. Big production, great sound. Was very cool. Mike and I ended up hanging out for a few days as they had a day off here..... and we caught up as it had been a few years since I had seen him. I casually mentioned "If you ever need a bass player......." just saying it to be funny...... anyway, about 8 months later, I had an email from Mike asking if I was serious about wanting to work with Tarja. I said yes. He said that Tarja and Marcelo were in LA and they were mixing the new CD and wanted to meet me. I drove over to where they were working in Santa Monica and we had a great chat, and really hit it off. They asked me to do the tour starting last September and I have been having a great time ever since. To answer your question about her music, to be completely honest, NO I was not familiar. But the strange thing is, her style is a combination of all of the things that I have worked on musically speaking my entire life. My parents (and my sister) were and are classically trained musicians so I was always around that music, but I was always a rock musician. Its been great fun to work with her and draw upon all of those influences that were buried deeply inside of me. It was very natural right from the start. »
MT: How do you describe, creatively speaking, the process in rehearsals or arrangement for shows like Miskolc Opera Rock Show for example?
KC: «I was not on the show you are speaking of.... but in regard to rehearsals, its quite easy. We all get a list of the material to learn for the tour ahead of time, and its our own personal responsibility to show up prepared. We usually learn 20-25 songs for the tour and perform 15 of them per show. I like to memorize everything so that means for me sitting in my studio in Los Angeles playing the songs over and over again. The first tour was more difficult as I had never worked with her before, so anytime you work with someone new, there is some adjustment, and this was especially true for this, as I was singing as well. That meant not only learning bass parts, but background vocals as well. In rehearsals, we work as fast as we need to to make everything perfect, and that includes the technical side of things too, meaning in ear monitors. There is a great deal that goes into putting a show together!!! The goal is simple: stand on stage and entertain the audience and make it look effortless!! Its much harder than you realize. For me, its bass parts and singing. For Chris, its keyboard parts and different sounds. For Alex, its different guitar tones. Everyone has their own set of challenges. But we all work thru them. And when it comes together, its really all about forgetting EVERYTHING and just going up on stage and going for it. The preparation allows you to go out there and just be in the moment, having fun, playing the music like you are playing it for the first time. THAT is what the ingredients of a great performance are!! »
MT: The tour…How's it going so far?
KC: «The tour has gone very well. Nearly all of the shows have been excellent, although I was VERY sick for a few shows in Germany near the end of the last leg of the tour, as was Mike. But you have to be a professional, and stick it out. The fans pay money to come to the show and often travel great distances. The least that we can do is honor that and make sure that we give them the best show that we can every night. The fans have been wonderful, everyone is the band is great and its been one of the best touring experiences that I have had. Its been my pleasure. »
INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH:
MUNDO TARJISTA: Talk to us about the instrumental project Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats…
KEVIN CHOWN: «The Bombastic Meatbats is a great band that I started over 3 years ago now with Jeff Kollman, a guitarist that I have worked with FOREVER (since back in my Edwin Dare days), Ed Roth on Keys and Chad Smith, the drummer from The Red Hot Chili Peppers. The 3 of them had worked together backing Glenn Hughes, and I was the last to join. Its not something that we ever set out to conquer the world with.... it was more of a creative outlet for us all as musicians. It takes on our own individual personalities and its more fun than anything. Its all improvised, the songs are written by one of us throwing an idea out at a jam session and then we literally kind of create the song in real time and record everything. We listen back later and pick the bits that we like best, and build a song around it. Recording is very easy. Chad never needs more than two takes. We have released two CD's, "Meet The Meatbats" and "More Meat", both on Warrior/Universal. Since they are instrumental, its very niche as to who is attracted to our music, but to our shock and amazement, our little fun band has gone on to do quite well. We have toured Japan twice, the US and we have a live CD recorded and ready to be released and we just filmed a live DVD at a famous jazz club in New York City. Chad will be busy with the Chili Peppers for the next year or so, as they have a new CD coming out, but we may continue doing a few live shows. In the past when Chad was busy, we have had a great list of fill in drummers... Kenny Aronoff, Matt Sorum, Shane Gaalaas...... its a really coo band and we would like to do some more touring with it sometime in the near future. All of the music is available on Itunes.»
KEVIN CHOWN: «The Bombastic Meatbats is a great band that I started over 3 years ago now with Jeff Kollman, a guitarist that I have worked with FOREVER (since back in my Edwin Dare days), Ed Roth on Keys and Chad Smith, the drummer from The Red Hot Chili Peppers. The 3 of them had worked together backing Glenn Hughes, and I was the last to join. Its not something that we ever set out to conquer the world with.... it was more of a creative outlet for us all as musicians. It takes on our own individual personalities and its more fun than anything. Its all improvised, the songs are written by one of us throwing an idea out at a jam session and then we literally kind of create the song in real time and record everything. We listen back later and pick the bits that we like best, and build a song around it. Recording is very easy. Chad never needs more than two takes. We have released two CD's, "Meet The Meatbats" and "More Meat", both on Warrior/Universal. Since they are instrumental, its very niche as to who is attracted to our music, but to our shock and amazement, our little fun band has gone on to do quite well. We have toured Japan twice, the US and we have a live CD recorded and ready to be released and we just filmed a live DVD at a famous jazz club in New York City. Chad will be busy with the Chili Peppers for the next year or so, as they have a new CD coming out, but we may continue doing a few live shows. In the past when Chad was busy, we have had a great list of fill in drummers... Kenny Aronoff, Matt Sorum, Shane Gaalaas...... its a really coo band and we would like to do some more touring with it sometime in the near future. All of the music is available on Itunes.»
About "WHAT LIES BENEATH EUROPE TOUR 2011".
MT: How is a day on tour with TARJA and the guys?
KC: «A typical day on tour? Lets see, I wake up in my bunk which is parked in front of whatever venue we are playing, I stumble to the coffee machine on the bus (I am useless in the morning without coffee), take a second to wake up, then open the door and try to find out where I need to go. This can be interesting sometimes!! If I can find the stage, that means I can find the backstage, and I go back and find the catering area, then have MORE coffee, and maybe something to eat. At this point, I am probably seeing everyone, as I am usually one of the last to wake up. I have a talk with Mike Terrana or Alex Scholpp, check on how things are going on stage, find the dressing room. Maybe roll my suitcase in. If possible DO LAUNDRY! Max is always up early and he always finds a map of whatever city we are in and has plotted out a run for us. We try and run 10-15K every other day or so. After I wake up, I put my running clothes on, find Max, and we are on our way, usually towards the city center. I like to take pictures. We run for around 90 minutes, come back to the venue, shower, change clothes, have some lunch. Then, if I'm tired I nap, but usually I find the stage, and maybe check my sound and talk to the crew. I usually have a few hours to kill before soundcheck, so its internet time after that. Soundcheck is always at 4:00 sharp which means Tarja starts warming up her voice around 3:00. At 4, we do 3 or 4 songs for soundcheck and during soundcheck (if I am in Europe) is about when my wife wakes up in Los Angeles, so I always text her good morning during soundcheck. Hopefully everything is OK with the sound, then we take a break before dinner, which means for me hopefully talking to my wife on skype for an hour or so before dinner. Dinner is at 6:00 or so. Hopefully the food is good!! Then, more coffee and a few hour break during the opening bands. I try to watch the opening bands when I can. I get dressed one hour before the show and maybe warm up a little on the bass and try to sing a bit too. I like to do a little yoga before the show as well and try to find my center. Its a good way for me to calm down. 15 minutes before the show, we all seem to gather in the same room. Its not planned. It just happens that way. Once everyone is ready, Marcelo starts the intro music and we walk towards the stage. We always hug before every show and go on stage one at a time. This is what the audience sees.... then of course the show. During the drum solo, I usually try to get some photos. After the concert, we take a few minutes to just cool down and relax. I dont usually drink, but occasionally I will have a beer. After the show there is always pizza or sandwiches, occasionally a hot meal. We cool down, maybe eat a little, then shower at the venue and change. I like to pack all of my stuff and have it either on the bus or ready to go as soon as I can. I hate to feel rushed and I'm always worried about losing something. I play this game all day where I constantly ask myself "passport, cell phone, wallet", the 3 essentially things that I need on the road. If there is time, I try to talk to my wife again before I get on the bus. The crew is taking the gear down at this time. They work their butts off ALL DAY. If we have guests, we usually greet them at this time and have a chat. Once we are ready, sometimes we will go out and greet the fans before we get on the bus. We always seem to go out before Tarja...... then, we get on the bus, wait for everything to be loaded. The driver sleeps during the show. He wakes up, makes himself a coffee as we are all finding our place on the bus, then we pull out. We all usually sit around and talk for at least 30-60 minutes, then one by one we all drift back to our bunks as the bus rolls down the road. I'm usually last, heading to my bunk surrounded by a loud chorus of snoring dudes on their bunks. Some nights it makes me laugh. I always text my wife before I put my ear plugs in a go to sleep. Then...... we do it all over again the next day!!!»
MT: How do you decide to play with TARJA for the first time? Did you know her music?
KC: «I started working with TARJA because of Mike Terrana, who I have known for many years. Mike once lived in Los Angeles, and we played together backing Tony Macalpine and also ended up in this progressive band called Artension. We always remained friends even after he moved to Europe back in the late 1990's. Hes a good guy and a good friend. A few years ago, out of nowhere I had a call from him saying he was in town and was playing at House of Blues with this artist named Tarja. I had never heard of her. (Nightwish was not a well known band in California......) I went to the show and was blown away. Big production, great sound. Was very cool. Mike and I ended up hanging out for a few days as they had a day off here..... and we caught up as it had been a few years since I had seen him. I casually mentioned "If you ever need a bass player......." just saying it to be funny...... anyway, about 8 months later, I had an email from Mike asking if I was serious about wanting to work with Tarja. I said yes. He said that Tarja and Marcelo were in LA and they were mixing the new CD and wanted to meet me. I drove over to where they were working in Santa Monica and we had a great chat, and really hit it off. They asked me to do the tour starting last September and I have been having a great time ever since. To answer your question about her music, to be completely honest, NO I was not familiar. But the strange thing is, her style is a combination of all of the things that I have worked on musically speaking my entire life. My parents (and my sister) were and are classically trained musicians so I was always around that music, but I was always a rock musician. Its been great fun to work with her and draw upon all of those influences that were buried deeply inside of me. It was very natural right from the start. »
MT: How do you describe, creatively speaking, the process in rehearsals or arrangement for shows like Miskolc Opera Rock Show for example?
KC: «I was not on the show you are speaking of.... but in regard to rehearsals, its quite easy. We all get a list of the material to learn for the tour ahead of time, and its our own personal responsibility to show up prepared. We usually learn 20-25 songs for the tour and perform 15 of them per show. I like to memorize everything so that means for me sitting in my studio in Los Angeles playing the songs over and over again. The first tour was more difficult as I had never worked with her before, so anytime you work with someone new, there is some adjustment, and this was especially true for this, as I was singing as well. That meant not only learning bass parts, but background vocals as well. In rehearsals, we work as fast as we need to to make everything perfect, and that includes the technical side of things too, meaning in ear monitors. There is a great deal that goes into putting a show together!!! The goal is simple: stand on stage and entertain the audience and make it look effortless!! Its much harder than you realize. For me, its bass parts and singing. For Chris, its keyboard parts and different sounds. For Alex, its different guitar tones. Everyone has their own set of challenges. But we all work thru them. And when it comes together, its really all about forgetting EVERYTHING and just going up on stage and going for it. The preparation allows you to go out there and just be in the moment, having fun, playing the music like you are playing it for the first time. THAT is what the ingredients of a great performance are!! »
MT: The tour…How's it going so far?
KC: «The tour has gone very well. Nearly all of the shows have been excellent, although I was VERY sick for a few shows in Germany near the end of the last leg of the tour, as was Mike. But you have to be a professional, and stick it out. The fans pay money to come to the show and often travel great distances. The least that we can do is honor that and make sure that we give them the best show that we can every night. The fans have been wonderful, everyone is the band is great and its been one of the best touring experiences that I have had. Its been my pleasure. »
