1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
- Not much. After finishing the rest of the work (covers, mixing and mastering) we have only been making a few demos. Me (Haris) and David are in England, so it's hard to plan rehearsals, concerts, etc.
2.You have a new album coming out in October, 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?
- I wouldn't say the sound is a lot different than our previous releases. It has progressed, though, up to a certain degree. My personal opinion is that this is our best release so far, but that's up to the fans to decide.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
- Our topic is mainly one and remains pretty much the same in this album too. The song title “It's all about love” from our debut album “Half past midnight” would cover the majority of our topics in this album and the previous ones.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Wild Rose'?
- That was actually Andy's inspiration back in 2004. Andy saw a red wild rose and that's how he spontaneously decided to name his band. I can remember the passion he had when he was telling me about it, hahaha. But as to what he felt, I think you should be asking him.
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
- Our debut album presentation shows were amazing. The crowd in Athens was so warm and so great – something we didn't expect – so the whole show was fantastic. Our participation in Rosewood festival in Thessaloniki was also great, even though I couldn't make it the 2nd year we were invited, so the band had to pick a sessionist for that show. Both shows went great and the band got to play among some bigger groups like Newman and Konkurent. I wouldn't want to comment on our stage performance, because that's another thing for the fans to decide.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
- No, we don't have the capacity to plan much for this year. As I mentioned before, me and David are in England, so perhaps the most we can do is a couple of concerts were asked, but that's not certain as well.
7.The new album is coming out on AOR Blvd Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
- Well, we weren't happy with our previous label, so we decided to move on. Paul (CEO of AOR Blvd Records) seems to love AOR, he's a great guy and he has been very proffessional so far. I hope we can work well together and perhaps settle down with this label.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic rock?
- We've always exceeded our expectations on every album. Japan and Spain fans seem to love us. We hit no.1 on import disks in Japan last year and that was very unexpected.. at least from our side, hahaha. Our previous albums were sold out much sooner than we or our companies expected. So I'd say we're very satisfied, but we'll still remain down-to-earth, keep a low profile and keep working to become better and give our audience what they love to listen to.
9.Are any of the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?
- Andy is always up to something, he's working on a project which is supposed to be a surprise. David released a new album with AOR Blvd Records as well in July and I think it's fantastic. If you heard David Saylor for the first time you would think this album is a “best of” album. Some of the songs are very strong and they've got a lot of emotion.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
- We always try to see where we stand now, because life is full of big surprises and in particular, unpleasant surprises. We'd like to have a European tour but we know that's not possible at present, so we're hoping to get one with our next album. I'd also enjoy visiting Japan to thank all our fans there with a concert, but that seems a bit more distant at the moment.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
- Our musical influences come mainly from Bon Jovi, Journey, Europe... Everything that was popular in the 80's. But we listen to a lot of bands and of course we can't help being influenced by them as well. Bands like Bad English, Mark (Marcie) Free and the bands he was in (Signal, Unruly Child)... God, I could go on for hours, hahaha. Anyway, it's mainly the 80's AOR bands.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
- I currently live in London. I'm here for my post-graduate course which is Haematology (Biomedical Sciences). My hobbies are archery, chess and aikido, which I have not been practising due to the lack of time lately.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
- I'd like to thank our fans for supporting us throughout these years. You guys ROCK !! And of course I'd like to say a big “thank you” to you for hosting this interview.
- Not much. After finishing the rest of the work (covers, mixing and mastering) we have only been making a few demos. Me (Haris) and David are in England, so it's hard to plan rehearsals, concerts, etc.
2.You have a new album coming out in October, 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?
- I wouldn't say the sound is a lot different than our previous releases. It has progressed, though, up to a certain degree. My personal opinion is that this is our best release so far, but that's up to the fans to decide.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
- Our topic is mainly one and remains pretty much the same in this album too. The song title “It's all about love” from our debut album “Half past midnight” would cover the majority of our topics in this album and the previous ones.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Wild Rose'?
- That was actually Andy's inspiration back in 2004. Andy saw a red wild rose and that's how he spontaneously decided to name his band. I can remember the passion he had when he was telling me about it, hahaha. But as to what he felt, I think you should be asking him.
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
- Our debut album presentation shows were amazing. The crowd in Athens was so warm and so great – something we didn't expect – so the whole show was fantastic. Our participation in Rosewood festival in Thessaloniki was also great, even though I couldn't make it the 2nd year we were invited, so the band had to pick a sessionist for that show. Both shows went great and the band got to play among some bigger groups like Newman and Konkurent. I wouldn't want to comment on our stage performance, because that's another thing for the fans to decide.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
- No, we don't have the capacity to plan much for this year. As I mentioned before, me and David are in England, so perhaps the most we can do is a couple of concerts were asked, but that's not certain as well.
7.The new album is coming out on AOR Blvd Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
- Well, we weren't happy with our previous label, so we decided to move on. Paul (CEO of AOR Blvd Records) seems to love AOR, he's a great guy and he has been very proffessional so far. I hope we can work well together and perhaps settle down with this label.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic rock?
- We've always exceeded our expectations on every album. Japan and Spain fans seem to love us. We hit no.1 on import disks in Japan last year and that was very unexpected.. at least from our side, hahaha. Our previous albums were sold out much sooner than we or our companies expected. So I'd say we're very satisfied, but we'll still remain down-to-earth, keep a low profile and keep working to become better and give our audience what they love to listen to.
9.Are any of the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?
- Andy is always up to something, he's working on a project which is supposed to be a surprise. David released a new album with AOR Blvd Records as well in July and I think it's fantastic. If you heard David Saylor for the first time you would think this album is a “best of” album. Some of the songs are very strong and they've got a lot of emotion.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
- We always try to see where we stand now, because life is full of big surprises and in particular, unpleasant surprises. We'd like to have a European tour but we know that's not possible at present, so we're hoping to get one with our next album. I'd also enjoy visiting Japan to thank all our fans there with a concert, but that seems a bit more distant at the moment.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
- Our musical influences come mainly from Bon Jovi, Journey, Europe... Everything that was popular in the 80's. But we listen to a lot of bands and of course we can't help being influenced by them as well. Bands like Bad English, Mark (Marcie) Free and the bands he was in (Signal, Unruly Child)... God, I could go on for hours, hahaha. Anyway, it's mainly the 80's AOR bands.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
- I currently live in London. I'm here for my post-graduate course which is Haematology (Biomedical Sciences). My hobbies are archery, chess and aikido, which I have not been practising due to the lack of time lately.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
- I'd like to thank our fans for supporting us throughout these years. You guys ROCK !! And of course I'd like to say a big “thank you” to you for hosting this interview.
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