KEN'S DOJO
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 18th November 2010.
Norwegian guitar player, songwriter and producer Ken Ingwersen recently released his debut solo album "Reincarnation". The LP had some mind blowing moments on it, so we had to find out more...
Hi Ken, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Ken: I'm all good Jon, thanks for asking!
You’ve worked with a lot of other musician’s over the years, yet I believe this is your first solo album... Why was the time finally right?
Ken: Well, my whole background is based on rock, and I’ve played in a lot of bands over the years, but it just seemed right to give that up for a bit and try something like this. I've always been somewhat of a control freak, so I've been so involved in many of my previous bands CD's that, at times, they’ve actually felt like solo albums…Ha! Ha!
But you're right, this is the first one, yes! I sort of left the rock scene around 2000 and have spent a decade writing and producing pop music for artists all over the world. This has been both fun and educational, but after a while, developed into a lot of admin and paper work. So I decided I wanted to do something that was pure fun and just for ‘me’; no A&R guys or artists bugging me…. It felt like being reborn…that's why I called the album “Reincarnation”. It’s back to the roots and pure rock!
Did you know straight away you wanted to have loads of other people involved in “Reincarnation”, or did you consider keeping it to a smaller scale?
Ken: No, actually I started out just recording a few instrumentals, thinking I'd release it digitally; that was it. But, then I discovered that I'm too much of a song guy to just do instrumentals, and I started singing on a few of the tracks. After a few songs, I started thinking though; "Why am I doing this? I know so many great singers, I might as well ask a favour or two, and not do this all by myself…, right?
I contacted Michael from Circus Maximus first; we wrote 2 songs in a flash, and that sort of set the path for the whole album. It sort of grew out of my hands right about then and suddenly became this project with lots of friends on it, which of course is great! I’m not complaining, it was just weird co-incidence after co-incidence!
Did you make any deliberate decisions over the sound of the album, or did you let it develop in a fairly organic way?
Ken: Organically I’d say, because it’s a rock album but, I'm somewhat of a sound nerd, so I wanted it to sound fairly hi-fi as well. The sound was probably one of my first decisions. Yes, organic, ‘cause everything is played by humans and, certainly not sloppy musicians either; it had to stay clean and tight which it did thank God, but, yes, rock. It had to have that essence and life. I like that and I think we did it!
How long did the album take to create from first ideas to the finished CD?
Ken: Oh, must have been a year or two probably? In the beginning, it was all about finding a direction, a sound etc. Then it was fairly easy coming up with the ideas for the songs; I think the longest time was just the sheer logistics of all the guest artists having the time to do the recordings. I had 90% of the album done for ages, but waited 6 months to get the last two vocal takes done! It was just due to traveling and what not, nothing that was a major set back!
Were there any particularly memorable moments during the creation of the album, and were any parts especially difficult?
Ken: Memorable? Of course; doing the vocals with Glenn Hughes was very special. I mean, the guy's a legend and I've been a fan since my early teens. Having him in the studio taking shit from me was kinda weird, Ha! Ha! But, all in all a great experience!! Nothing was really hard to pull off on the album, no! If it had been, I might as well skip it!
We love the whole Queensryche-style ambience of “Keeping The Flame Alive” particularly here at RR. What’s the story behind that track?
Ken: Well, first and foremost, I made a track that I wanted Nils to sing on… Both him and I enjoy the early Queensryche work immensely, so it was natural to think in that direction I guess? I didn't mention it to him initially, but he picked up the vibe and sort of made the sound stronger. The lyrical storyline is that it's based on a real ‘911’ phone call; a guy calls in and reports the murder of his wife. Saying shit about some guy breaking in and so on…It all turns out to be bullshit, and he killed her himself, basically, and the lyrics are about her haunting him!
Do you have any favourite tracks on “Reincarnation”?
Ken: Nah, not really. I mean, you always enjoy some tracks over others when the album has settled in and you’ve been living with it for a while, but as a creator you always have feeling for each song individually. It’s hard to choose a favorite baby, you know!
Do you do anything special in the studio to get your sound, or do you like to keep it fairly simple?
Ken: Nothing special, except for using my ears!! They’ve been tuned into being good with sounds and mixing over many years, so it’s a natural thing…. It's always an individual thing, an individual’s preference on sound, but I have my own set of tricks that I use to achieve the kind of sound I enjoy, and I leave it at that!
Are there any pieces of gear you couldn’t live without?
Ken: Ha! Ha! Oh, yes!! First of all, my guitars; then, I guess I could replace them. But, I know I can't live without a Mac.!! Everything I do is based on the Mac. I used to be a PC freak 10 years ago, but after buying a Mac, I could never go back.
Other than that, I use the same stuff, like most guys; some favourite amps, pedals, mics…, nothing out of the ordinary really!
Has the recording of “Reincarnation” inspired you to create further solo albums?
Ken: You know, it probably has, yes; it was a fun process. I've always enjoyed the recording process. It's all the nonsense that happens afterwards that's the hassle; Contacting record labels, sending out the album, pictures etc. It was pretty smooth this time. So long as I can focus on the music, I'm happy!
Are there any other projects you are involved with at the moment?
Ken: Yes, actually! I just finished recording an album with Ken Hensley (ex Uriah Heep). We spent a month in Riga recording the album the old fashion way, with all the guys in the studio, live; then fixing a few things and overdubbing. That’s so completely different from my solo project, but I enjoy both ways of working. The last few days have been spent doing recording sessions with the same Michael Eriksen of Circus Maximus, actually for a new project to be released on Frontiers. And, I'm in the middle of mixing an album with a band called "The Wheel", a cool classic rock album in the veins of Badlands, stuff like that!!
Is there anyone out there you’d still love to work with?
Ken: I’d say I enjoy working with as many people as possible, so yeah, there are plenty! If I could list them for, say, a future album, Eric Martin is definitely on my list; Joe Lynn Turner and Jimi Jamison. Who knows, maybe I reach out to them all one day?
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Ken: No, I think we’ve done pretty well!!
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Ken: Oh, it's straight to the studio and recording with Mike. Never a dull moment Jon, never a dull moment!
Anything else you would like to mention?
Ken: Nope… Just, nice talking to you, and hope to see you and your readers on the road someday whether with this or with Ken and the boys!
Thanks for your time!
Ken: My pleasure!
Thanks again to Ken for his time. You can check out the Rock Realms review "Reincarnation" by clicking here.
Label: AOR Heaven
Artist's website(s): Ken's Dojo | MySpace | Facebook
