1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with your solos project these days?
I released my second full length solo album this July and have been promoting it since through print and online magazines. In September I released the first video clip of the song Camel´s Dance and the second video clip (Song: Awkward Silence) will be released this coming Sunday. I also have some concerts scheduled where I will be playing material from my solo albums. The official release concert will take place on Fr., Dec. 5th 2014 at the Pitcher in Düsseldorf, Germany. I am very honored to present
The Christian-Münzner-Band as well that night.
2. In July you had released your second solo album. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
The new album is quite a bit heavier and has more Rock and metal in it than my debut BIG TIME which was much more world music oriented with lots of acoustic arrangements. What both albums have in common is the melody orientation, although the new album also has quite a few riffs that drive the songs as well.
3. All of your solos work so far has been instrumental, are you open to using any vocals on future releases?
Yes, I am planning also to work with vocalists on my next album. But half the songs I want to keep instrumental, taking turns with the vocal songs. I don´t think that concept has been followed by too many players so far. The idea is to feature different singers I got to know during my 20 years in the music scene.
4. What are some of the concepts and images you bring out with your music?
The concepts of the songs are basically tied to simple situations or feelings, not to any complex plots. For instance “Instant Relief” just describes what I think I hear in the song: Tension or pain, relief and maybe euphoria. The term of the song title as such actually was inspired by a tv add for a headache pill.
On my first album the titles and associations were more positive…”Summer Drive”, “Bright Awakening” etc.
5. Do you feel that working solo gives you a little bit more room to being creative than with a full band?
Yes - and also things can go a lot faster than when working with a band where everyone has a say and gives input. Plus in a band you are always depending on other people. Working alone there is never the excuse of having to wait for someone else. I only get done what I do myself.
And it can be very liberating to follow your own personal musical visions without having other people interfering. So I truly enjoy working on my stuff alone. And I have many years of band experience, so I know the difference.
6. On the new album you had a few quests, can you tell us a little bit more about them and their contributions to the recording?
Well, next to my steady line up (Lars Zeher on drums and Marcel Willnat on bass) there is Demian Heuke, an old friend from my home town who just recently released his first album “Treumal” by the way. He contributed 5 really cool solos on Easy Game. I also want to mention former Necrophagist and Obscura guitarist Christian Münzner who also has released two solo albums entitled Timewarp and Beyond The Wall Of Sleep. As I mentioned above I will be playing live with him on December 5th.
Also Jens Basten from my new heavy metal band Gloryful as well as former Gloryful guitarist Vito Papotto are featured with solos on “Offbeat Frankenstine”.
I also want to mention GUT-guitarist Thorsten Praest, a great jazz and fusion player from my home town Düsseldorf as well as mf-C, Jens Schäfer, Tim Schulte and Mischa Blum who are all featured guest musicians I got to know during my years in the scene.
7.Are you open to working with a label on your solos stuff or do you prefer the self released approach?
I would be open to label if I got a decent offer. But as long as I have the complete financial risk and have to pay for everything myself I don´t want to have to rely on someone else to get the album promoted and distributed. Usually labels want to have exclusive rights to all the music in addition. Plus there are hardly any labels interested in instrumental acts, so to be honest, I didn´t spend much time looking for a label to release EASY GAME.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the new album by music fans?
The reactions from press and fans have been overwhelmingly positive. Germany´s Rock Hard Magazine awarded my new album best self released cd of the month of October this year (2014). But also lots of other zines from different countries wrote excellent reviews. So I´m very happy with the feedback!
9.What is going on with the other full time bands that you are a part of these days?
I have been a full time member of power metal band Gloryful since May of 2014 and we have been quite active playing all kinds of festivals this summer including Out´n Loud, Metalfest Loreley, Dong OA and many others. For me this year has been a blast and there are more shows coming up. We´re working on writing a new album that we plan to start recording sometime next year.
Forces At Work - my progressive metal band I´ve been in since late 2000 - has been very quiet this year, but we´re working on new songs.
10.Where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?
I think I´d like to learn a little more Jazz, Blues and Fusion stuff and incorporate it into my playing. I love to listen to lots of those fusion players but I understand little about what´s going on a theoretical level. But basically I´m sure my style will stay what it is: Melody driven rock and metal.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
My first influences came from bands like AC/DC, Guns´n Roses and Metallica. Later on I got into Petrucci und Dream Theater and a lot of other progressive bands.
Plus of course I´ve been listening to all kinds of great known (MacAlpine, Vai, Satriani, Gilbert, Gary and Vinnie Moore etc.) and relatively unknown guitar players. To name a few of the lesser known people I´m currently into: Demian Heuke, Christian Münzner (who both also played on EASY GAME), Raimund Burke, Paul Wardingham, Hans Van Even, Dennis Hormes and of course Victor Smolski, who I guess is quite famous though and who I had the pleasure to feature as a guest on my first solo album BIG TIME.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Since I spend almost all of my free time involved in making and promoting my music my other interests are quite limited. But I like watching movies and tv-series her and there. I´m also into body weight strength training, which became my sport about two years ago due to the small amount of time and logistics required. I used to do a lot of running as well.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks again to the many people involved that made this new album possible! Please give EASY GAME a listen atwww.adrianweiss.bandcamp.com where you can also order the album on cd or as a download !
Check out my current video clip! www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3no7esvaAQ
Also keep your eyes open for my new video clip of the opening song Awkward Silence that will be released at 7 pm on October 19th2014!
In case you happen to be nearby come to see my band at the Pitcher on December 5th 2014 in Düsseldorf, Germany where I will be supporting the
Christian-Münzner-Band with its first concert ever!
And thank you for the interest and the interview!
I released my second full length solo album this July and have been promoting it since through print and online magazines. In September I released the first video clip of the song Camel´s Dance and the second video clip (Song: Awkward Silence) will be released this coming Sunday. I also have some concerts scheduled where I will be playing material from my solo albums. The official release concert will take place on Fr., Dec. 5th 2014 at the Pitcher in Düsseldorf, Germany. I am very honored to present
The Christian-Münzner-Band as well that night.
2. In July you had released your second solo album. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
The new album is quite a bit heavier and has more Rock and metal in it than my debut BIG TIME which was much more world music oriented with lots of acoustic arrangements. What both albums have in common is the melody orientation, although the new album also has quite a few riffs that drive the songs as well.
3. All of your solos work so far has been instrumental, are you open to using any vocals on future releases?
Yes, I am planning also to work with vocalists on my next album. But half the songs I want to keep instrumental, taking turns with the vocal songs. I don´t think that concept has been followed by too many players so far. The idea is to feature different singers I got to know during my 20 years in the music scene.
4. What are some of the concepts and images you bring out with your music?
The concepts of the songs are basically tied to simple situations or feelings, not to any complex plots. For instance “Instant Relief” just describes what I think I hear in the song: Tension or pain, relief and maybe euphoria. The term of the song title as such actually was inspired by a tv add for a headache pill.
On my first album the titles and associations were more positive…”Summer Drive”, “Bright Awakening” etc.
5. Do you feel that working solo gives you a little bit more room to being creative than with a full band?
Yes - and also things can go a lot faster than when working with a band where everyone has a say and gives input. Plus in a band you are always depending on other people. Working alone there is never the excuse of having to wait for someone else. I only get done what I do myself.
And it can be very liberating to follow your own personal musical visions without having other people interfering. So I truly enjoy working on my stuff alone. And I have many years of band experience, so I know the difference.
6. On the new album you had a few quests, can you tell us a little bit more about them and their contributions to the recording?
Well, next to my steady line up (Lars Zeher on drums and Marcel Willnat on bass) there is Demian Heuke, an old friend from my home town who just recently released his first album “Treumal” by the way. He contributed 5 really cool solos on Easy Game. I also want to mention former Necrophagist and Obscura guitarist Christian Münzner who also has released two solo albums entitled Timewarp and Beyond The Wall Of Sleep. As I mentioned above I will be playing live with him on December 5th.
Also Jens Basten from my new heavy metal band Gloryful as well as former Gloryful guitarist Vito Papotto are featured with solos on “Offbeat Frankenstine”.
I also want to mention GUT-guitarist Thorsten Praest, a great jazz and fusion player from my home town Düsseldorf as well as mf-C, Jens Schäfer, Tim Schulte and Mischa Blum who are all featured guest musicians I got to know during my years in the scene.
7.Are you open to working with a label on your solos stuff or do you prefer the self released approach?
I would be open to label if I got a decent offer. But as long as I have the complete financial risk and have to pay for everything myself I don´t want to have to rely on someone else to get the album promoted and distributed. Usually labels want to have exclusive rights to all the music in addition. Plus there are hardly any labels interested in instrumental acts, so to be honest, I didn´t spend much time looking for a label to release EASY GAME.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the new album by music fans?
The reactions from press and fans have been overwhelmingly positive. Germany´s Rock Hard Magazine awarded my new album best self released cd of the month of October this year (2014). But also lots of other zines from different countries wrote excellent reviews. So I´m very happy with the feedback!
9.What is going on with the other full time bands that you are a part of these days?
I have been a full time member of power metal band Gloryful since May of 2014 and we have been quite active playing all kinds of festivals this summer including Out´n Loud, Metalfest Loreley, Dong OA and many others. For me this year has been a blast and there are more shows coming up. We´re working on writing a new album that we plan to start recording sometime next year.
Forces At Work - my progressive metal band I´ve been in since late 2000 - has been very quiet this year, but we´re working on new songs.
10.Where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?
I think I´d like to learn a little more Jazz, Blues and Fusion stuff and incorporate it into my playing. I love to listen to lots of those fusion players but I understand little about what´s going on a theoretical level. But basically I´m sure my style will stay what it is: Melody driven rock and metal.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
My first influences came from bands like AC/DC, Guns´n Roses and Metallica. Later on I got into Petrucci und Dream Theater and a lot of other progressive bands.
Plus of course I´ve been listening to all kinds of great known (MacAlpine, Vai, Satriani, Gilbert, Gary and Vinnie Moore etc.) and relatively unknown guitar players. To name a few of the lesser known people I´m currently into: Demian Heuke, Christian Münzner (who both also played on EASY GAME), Raimund Burke, Paul Wardingham, Hans Van Even, Dennis Hormes and of course Victor Smolski, who I guess is quite famous though and who I had the pleasure to feature as a guest on my first solo album BIG TIME.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Since I spend almost all of my free time involved in making and promoting my music my other interests are quite limited. But I like watching movies and tv-series her and there. I´m also into body weight strength training, which became my sport about two years ago due to the small amount of time and logistics required. I used to do a lot of running as well.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks again to the many people involved that made this new album possible! Please give EASY GAME a listen atwww.adrianweiss.bandcamp.com where you can also order the album on cd or as a download !
Check out my current video clip! www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3no7esvaAQ
Also keep your eyes open for my new video clip of the opening song Awkward Silence that will be released at 7 pm on October 19th2014!
In case you happen to be nearby come to see my band at the Pitcher on December 5th 2014 in Düsseldorf, Germany where I will be supporting the
Christian-Münzner-Band with its first concert ever!
And thank you for the interest and the interview!
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