GRAND DESIGN
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 20th October 2009.
Grand Design is a new project that harks back to the glory days of stadium rock with soaring harmonies and a monster production.
We caught up with lead singer Pelle Saether to find out about the new album and more...
Hi Pelle, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Pelle: Thanks Jon, I'm very well indeed. We are so, so, happy for all the great reviews, airplay and interviews for this album... It's wonderful!
Grand Design was started by you. How did everyone else get involved?
Pelle: I basically just started it as a project in my head in the beginning.... I'd always wanted to do a super-produced, 80´s inspired, rock album... so, right at the beginning, it was just me and a guitar finding out some melodies and stuff like that.... Then I found Richard (Holmgren) on drums and asked if he could lay down a couple of drum tracks. He did them all in just 4 days!!! Crazy guy – ha! ha!
Now, the problem was to find at least one good rock guitarist – all the guys I knew were metal heads and I knew that that wouldn’t work out. I started talking to a guy in a local music store and just knew instantly it was him – that was Peter Ledin.... After working our asses off during free time in my studio we took a break.... but it was during that time I found the rest of the guys and we got the record done... Here we are – Grand Design!!
Is Grand Design a full band, an ongoing side project, or a one-off?
Pelle: Oh, definitely a full time band!! It’s a full band – Sure, we all have other bands as well, but Grand Design is a full time, working rock band and will continue to be so!
Can you see more albums in the future?
Pelle: Well, it all depends how everything goes? From our perspective, it's all about how the album is received (which right now, so far, is veeerry good) but we have to see how much it sells and if we can get out and support the album with live shows...? I really hope so you know? It's just such a great combination of songs, musicians and musicianship!
How about a tour? Is there any chance of you coming to the UK?
Pelle: We would lurve to come to the U.K, Jon. I mean it's the place where the music was born, so it would be wonderful! We are right now negotiating with a booking agency for a short promo tour which would certainly take in the UK - We keep our fingers crossed – if we are lucky we will rock some places in the U.K next year!
The sound is very obviously influenced by 80’s Def Leppard. Was any research done into how Def Leppard recorded albums like Hysteria, or did you achieve the sound through experimentation?
Pelle: Not by experimentation, no, really by studying how those albums were put together... I spent a lot of hours on the net getting behind and finding out how Mutt Lange achieved that sound on "Pyromania" and "Hysteria" (and also how other great bands like TNT etc, worked...). It had to be done properly!
Did you use any ‘original’ equipment like guitars, microphones or the Rockman amplifier?
Pelle: Funny you ask this, but you're absolutely right – yes, we used those famous Rockmans for the guitars and bass!!!!! All put through a speaker simulator and all chorus buttons on max-hahaha!!
To be honest – Rockman's don’t sound so good; you have to EQ a lot to get a great sound, but we were determined to go for that thrill, and I think it turned out pretty good!!
Why was the decision made to use this retro sound? Is it simply because those big 80’s bands don’t sound like that anymore?
Pelle: You are spot on again, Jon!!! I wanted young rockers to have an album with that “larger than life” sound and production on it! You don’t see too many of those coming your way nowadays!.... Also remember; the producers who achieved this 25 years ago didn’t have a computer to work with – it was all in analogue; those are the true heroes to me!!
You must be proud of the result? There are some really good songs on Time Elevation.
Pelle: I'm extremely proud of how this album turned out. Ok, you always have favourite songs but I think we succeeded in making an album without any drastic musical dips-he! he! - That's a real achievement to me!
Are you generally happy with the reviews so far?
Pelle: We are overwhelmed by the reactions and the reviews so far... We are very close to the album, of course, so it's difficult for us, but, so far we've seen 6 top score reviews (5 outta 5 or 10 outta 10)... And a lot of reviews close to the top score – so we are veerrrrry happy! Over the moon!
What are your favourite moment or moments on the record?
Pelle: When I was done with my vocals, ha! ha! ha!
No, to be honest, one of the greatest moments was when we started putting on all those channels of choirs and found out it was gonna work...The choirs are a very big part of this sound and we wanted that 'Massive choir sound' - you know, coming surging out the speakers...., but it was always an area that could backfire – I think we did it pretty well, you know!
Did you all lend your voices to those massive multi-layered harmonies?
Pelle: Not me, nooo, he! he! he! I told the guys from the start – I ain't gonna do one single note of choirs! Because I wanted to have a different approach to the sound of the choirs, we took in two other guys (just for that) and then worked on it until we had enough...
Can we expect any big cheesy 80’s style videos to accompany any of the songs?
Pelle: Ohh, I would loorrve to do a big stage; 'thunder 'n lightning' style video my friend, but, as it looks right now, we have no budget for it! We have been talking to our label about doing a video, but they think it’s a waste of money – I think not....
Maybe you know someone Jon - who could donate enough money to make a grand video? Ha! Ha! Ha!
I’m not sure I want to know the answer to this but...do you all look good in Spandex?
Pelle: Ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! - no spandex for us, sorry !! Leather pants and stuff, but no Spandex!!
Do you know who did the artwork for the album?
Pelle: To be honest, right now... I don’t remember his name – it’s a Russian guy, actually, but he's on the 'thanks list', that I do know...
Are there any other musician’s you’d really love to work with in the future?
Pelle: I would love to help produce a band again in this kind of style – 80´s rock; because I think this kind of rock is on the rise again and I'm sure there are a lot of bands out there waiting to get a chance to rock like this... Just produce, not write with them!
What do you get up to when you aren’t being a rock god? Do you have any interesting hobbies that may surprise the Rock Realms readers?
Pelle: Besides working as a producer, I'm into scuba diving... looking at big fish, you know? And, I also keep pretty fit; I go to the gym 3 times per week, just for the fun of it!
Do you have a rock ring tone on your mobile/cell phone?
Pelle: Ha! ha!ha! ha – nooooo! No way! I tried to get one, but was too stupid to fix it and get it to work, so it's one of Nokia's original ones... great question!!
What’s the naughtiest thing you’ve ever got up to on the road...that you can talk about?
Pelle: Can't tell you that; ha! ha! ha!
All I can say - is that, many years ago I was in this band on tour in Germany (no names!). We got thrown out of the hotel because me and the drummer ran naked around the hotel all night and knocked at people's doors trying to scare them – soooooo stupid!
Do you live the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle?
Pelle: Both rock 'n roll and family life, really...A lot of release parties and concerts and stuff, but also quiet evenings at home watching the telly...!
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Pelle: I'm actually on my way to the gym and then, it's back home to answer another interview and then some tacos – yeah!!
Anything else you would like to mention?
Pelle: Jon, thanks for a wonderful interview... Just to say, to all rockers out there! Check out our myspace site, and if you like our stuff, please support us and buy our album “Time Elevation” and spread the word to as many as possible!!"
Thanks for your time!!
Pelle: Thanks to you!
The new Grand Design album, Time Elevation is out at the end of October on Metal Heaven Records. Check out the Rock Realms review here for further details...
Thanks again to Pelle for his time.
http://www.myspace.com/granddesigner
