THE NEW BLACK
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 22nd February 2011.
German band The New Black - Fludid on vocals, Christof Leim and Fabian Schwarz on guitars, Günt Auschrat on bass, Chris Weiß on drums - have a new album "II: Better In Black" out. We reviewed it earlier this month and thought we'd sneak an interview too.
Christof answers questions on behalf of the band...
Hi Christof, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Christof: Thanks for listening. Yes, I am well - as far as I can tell. Beyond busy as usual, but hey… No Rest For The Wicked (good album, too!)
What’s the history behind The New Black? How did the band form, and what’s the background of the various members?
Christof: Oh, that story involves a night of heavy drinking with the conclusion of forming a band. :) If you want to know more ask the fine people at AFM for the bio for the first album! The background of the people? We all have been playing music for a long time, in a billion bands. No one ever lived for a band, but no one does it for the reason of becoming a rock star. We love it, simple as that. And that goes for all of us.
Who were the early influences? There’s obviously a wide range in the styles you play.
Christof: Yeah, the wide range is a consequence of us having different tastes. Fludid is the one with the weird alternative taste, I'm a rocker, Günt is a thrasher, Fabs is a guitar teacher with an eclectic collection, and Chris listens to a lot of classic (not classical!) stuff
Did you know what sort of sound The New Black was destined to have at the start, or has it developed a lot since you began?
Christof: We actually started out as something of a beer & riffs band, because I had so many heavy Black Label Society riffs laying around. And you can still hear that, that's how I write. But Fabs, our main writer, brought a lot of metal in there, he shapes the band - and gives it something more than a BLS feel. The main ingredient however that cemented our sound is Fludid: He can do the heavy stuff, but he can do a lot more - which moved us away from beer & riffs. Even though we have a lot of beer & riffs!
How would you describe your sound to somebody who hadn’t heard you before?
Christof: “...This is our kind of party: Black Label Society bring the booze, Pantera spice it up, Thin Lizzy add some taste, and Alter Bridge smooth it over before Metallica turn it black... And you can be there, too, with the second album by The New Black...”
Are people genuinely surprised to find the band is from Germany? Fludid really does sound like he hails from the Southern United States of America!
Christof: Yes, we hear that all the time! Well, Fludid's pronunciation is good, and we have a guy from the UK double check everything. But the US vibe comes from the playing and writing I guess. Where that comes from… I don't know! :)
You have a new album called “II: Better In Black”. How long did it take to write and record? Was the process enjoyable, hard work, or a combination thereof?
Christof: Since we have lives outside the band (families, jobs, movies to watch) and we played live A LOT, the album developed over a period of more than a year, sometimes not moving at all when we were touring. But that's cool, that's how we work. It might have been hard work, but it's always enjoyable.
How does it compare in terms of style and quality to your self-titled debut?
Christof: It's more homogenous, because we know each other better. The 1st was written w/o knowing who the singer would be! And I personally think the new one is more diverse.
How do you go about writing your songs? Talk us through the construction of a typical track...
Christof: The core of the music comes either from Fabs or me (through Fabs' production work), and then Fludid adds the vocals including the melodies. It's a simple as that, and we don't jam on the songs for months on end. It's not all 1st take, but a lot is first or second session. I share the lyrics with Fludid.
Where do you look for your lyrical and musical writing ideas? You don’t seem to take yourselves too seriously (Happy Zombies springs to mind)...
Christof: Actually, "Zombies" is very serious! :) It's about old guys (like us!) still loving rock!!! Inspiration for me comes from stuff I love, for music it's as simple as that. For lyrics it's usually about something really important - my life, hahahahah.
Is there a story/theme running through the songs, or is it more a collection of standalone moments?
Christof: No concept. But there are topics that keep coming back. We can't tell though, our girlfriends and wives might be reading this…
Do you do anything special or unusual in the studio to get your sound?
Christof: No, but we put some thought into how we record. This time the guitar setup was different, but that would be too technical here, I guess.
What pieces of equipment (or recording gizmos) couldn’t you live without?
Christof: Fabs ooooold marshall cabinet. It doesn't even leave the studio anymore, it's too precious. And I wouldn't go anywhere without my Wah!
Are there any particular tracks you rate highly, or is it all brilliant?
Christof: I still love "King". That I picked out as the "single" right away. I'm proud of the solo, and I love the lyrics.
Do you enjoy the whole studio/creative experience, or do you prefer getting up on the live stage?
Christof: I love both, really!
What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?
Christof: High energy. We're the band that dances for you, haha. Well, we rock a lot, call it posing, if you will. I like to MOVE. And then it's a professional show - old fat guys knowing what they're doing!!!
What have been the highlights and lowlights of your musical lives so far? I assume AC/DC may crop in there somewhere?
Christof: Somewhere? That was THE highlight. Apart from the fact that a band founded for the sheer love of a good riff made some waves. And the joy of finishing a song!
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Christof: Would you mind supporting that Metallica show in Oakland, all expenses paid? Answer: Do I really have to get up, mom? I had such a beautiful dream...
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Christof: Answer 30092098234234234 emails, all from my band guys telling me I should stop sending emails!
Anything else you would like to mention?
Christof: Check out our official Facebook page (see link below), there's always something going on!
Oh, and we all would love to play the UK already!
Thanks again to Christof for his time. You can check out the Rock Realms review of The New Black's latest album "II: Better In Black" by clicking here.
Label: AFM Records
Artist's website(s): The New Black | MySpace | Facebook
