RIVERSIDE INTERVIEW |
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From the new breed of progressive rock, Poland's RIVERSIDE comes across as one of the most interesting finds. An interview with guitarist Piotr Grudzinski (yes, that's his name, hehe) seemed in place ...
Interview by Claus Jensen |
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1) Hey guys, congratulations on the new album, "Second Life Syndrome". I honestly believe it's a great disc, that sounds so much better than "Out Of Myself" (which I didn't like that much). Please explain what has happened in the band since "Out Of Myself"…
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"Thank you. Some like it more, some less. There are as many opinions as there are people :-) Anyway, we did our best and I think the result is really not bad. A lot of things happen to us every day, they all happen quite fast and sometimes we just can't embrace it. After the release of "Out of Myself" we recorded an EP "Voices In My Head," which is only available in Poland at the moment. Perhaps we'll manage to release it also in the world. Apart from that, we played several concerts, all of which received a very warm reception. And, of course, we recorded "Second Life Syndrome." :-)"
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2) How did you get in touch with Inside Out, and why did you leave Laser's Edge?
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"Michal of Mystic Production (our Polish publisher) gave us the email address to Inside Out and we wrote them to ask if they were interested in releasing our second album. It turned out that they were and we reached an agreement. As far as Laser's Edge is concerned, we had a contract for only one album, so we were free to decide. Admittedly, Ken wanted to release "Second Life Syndrome" as well and initially we wanted that too, but then we decided that we needed better promotion and distribution, especially in Europe. Unfortunately, we were getting a lot of emails asking us where it was possible to buy "Out of Myself." Sometimes, internet shops were the only option. Inside Out has its headquarters both in Europe and in the U.S., so we'll get good promotion and distribution in both places. But we have to say that Ken helped us a lot and we're really grateful to him."
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3) Being on Inside Out is really a great thing for a prog-rock band nowadays, as they are the premiere label in the world for this kind of music - what are you expecting to come out of this cooperation?
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"Naturally, there's no denying that being on Inside Out label is also a question of prestige. But it's not the most important thing. For us, it was crucial to release the album in the whole world and to promote it in a more effective way. It's hard to say what more we're expecting. It's all a totally new experience for us and we're watching each other. Most of all, we're hoping to reach all the places where people want to listen to us. Time will tell."
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4) I think it's really difficult to describe your music, but it sounds to me like you're inspired by some of the old school British prog-rock bands (Pink Floyd, King Crimson) and also some of the more modern day prog bands (Opeth, Porcupine Tree) … what else is there to find in your music? And how would you describe it?
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"We got used to the term "progressive rock." Essentially, it's quite a broad term and a lot of things can be labelled this way. We're not really happy with the term "progressive metal." A lot of people think that we've managed to merge the spirit of the 70s with modernity, which is good. We wanted to make music which would carry a huge emotional load and I think we've made it. We also wanted to create our own recognizable style and I think we're on the right track here as well."
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5) I've read people saying that it also sounds like you're inspired by pop-bands such as Coldplay and Radiohead - what do you say to that?
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"Of course we know those bands but I don't think we can talk about any inspirations in this case. Not every kind of music that you listen to is automatically your inspiration. Anyway, to tell you the truth, I haven't heard such opinions before :-)"
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6) Being a band from Poland must make it very hard to get heard outside of that country, right? What did you do in order to get "out of there"?
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"I don't think it's about the fact that a band from Poland can't make their break through outside of the country. Vader or Behemoth are the best examples to the contrary. There isn't much original music in Poland; pop or rock is made with MTV in mind, and it's obvious that such bands won't shine in the world because there are hundreds of similar groups out there. That's why the only music from Poland that can sell abroad is by a good metal or alternative band. Anyway, we didn't do much to get heard outside of Poland. We were just sending our albums and links to mp3 files, and our friends were doing the same. Perhaps the answer to the question is that we simply recorded good music? :-)"
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7) Do you still have a deal with EMI for Poland specifically? How is your status in the Polish music scene? Do you have a large audience there?
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"We had a contract with Sony Music Poland for distribution of "Out of Myself" in our country but right now all our releases are taken care of by Mystic Production. At the beginning, it was better for us to release our album with our own money and get a contract for distribution. Back then, nobody wanted to release it anyway J And right now we don't have time for it - that's why we signed up with Mystic. We have really a lot of fans in Poland. And everyone is surprised with how fast we managed to achieve so much."
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8) What's your favorite tracks on "Second Life Syndrome"? To me, the way that "Conceiving You" builds up to the long title track is amazing …
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"To tell you the truth, in the case of "Second Life Syndrome" I don't have a favourite track like it was with "Out of Myself." From our debut, I like "The Curtain Falls" most, which is also my favourite of all Riverside tracks so far. I like "Second Life Syndrome" as a whole but if I were to choose, I'd pick the title track. I also like "Dance With The Shadow" and "Before," especially live."
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9) What are the plans for Riverside now? Any touring plans coming up?
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"Right now we're resting till the end of the year. We're planning a tour in Poland and in Europe for the coming spring. We'll probably visit Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, the UK, Ireland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy. That's for a start. We're also planning to visit the U.S. but it will depend on whether we get the visas. And in the meantime we'll have to start thinking about new ideas. :-)"
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10) Anything you'd like to say to the people reading this interview?
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"Thank you for the opportunity to talk to you on your webzine. I encourage those of you who haven't listened to our music yet to get one of our CDs. We guarantee a decent load of emotions. See you at our concerts!"
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