Category: Interviews

Interview with Sanity

Posted on by Brien Mitchum
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Interview With the Band Sanity

Band of the Day Questions

Thanks for taking some time to chat with From the Green Room

1. What’s the name of the band?
Sanity

2. Where are you from?
Berlin, Germany

3. What type of music do you play?
We are a symphonic metal band with roots in black and death metal, enriched with
massive arrangements of choirs and symphonic instruments. There is an abundance.
of lead guitars and melodic riffing, the songs feature low growling vocals, intense.
shouting and screaming but also beautiful clean vocals, from heroic Viking chants to
high-pitched power metal voices. The drumming ranges from fast-paced blasts with
double bass drumming to intense progressive metal rhythms.

4. Introduce yourselves to the readers and tell us what you do in the band?
My name is Philipp, and I am the drummer.

5. This is probably a common question but one that most want to know, what musical influences did you have growing up, and what are some now?

I was growing up in a strange type of musical home. My parents being born during
World War II and having suffered bomb raids, displacement and separation from their families longed for a peaceful and silent haven to build a family. We did not
have any TV, nor was there any radio culture. I was a clean slate when it came to
popular music. First mixtapes from classmates featuring the classic eighties quickly
lead to discovering rock music and I was already playing in a cover band at the age of
thirteen. I got pretty quickly into hard rock and heavy metal, starting with AC/DC and G’n’R. But then somebody had me listen to Metallica, my first real heavy metal experience.

There was a music show on the public broadcast channel   which featured a documentary about Death Metal Imagine, a teenager in a classical music-home (we had bought a (small) TV in the meantime) watching in all earnestness an educational television program about death metal -and the next thing I know, I went to a music store to buy my first death metal CD.

Funny but true, the shop clerk was totally lost when I asked him about death metal, so we both went to the section and found a CD from a band called Death and he
sold it to me. Luckily, it was death metal and that sealed my fate and the direction
our band would be taking. Now, listening to the five tracks on our EP Revelation you will find influences from nineties black metal bands like Emperor, Ancient and Bloodthorn, but also death metal bands like Orphanage, Gorefest, and Death. Even
Metallica plays a role. Gothic metal bands like Cemetary or dark wave artists like Eros
Necropsique and Elend were also a resource of inspiration.

The way we composed the orchestra parts were definitely formed by us listening to music from Ludwig Van Beethoven, Arcangelo Corelli, Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Friedrich Händel.

6. Have you always been into music? Was it something that just came to you naturally?

Look, when you grow up in a classical music home like me, when you don’t have any.
parental role models when it comes to popular music, you’re left on your own to
discover it. I was well gifted with musical talent. Aggression in me during my teenage
years found expression in me composing music and writing down my feelings in the
corresponding lyrics. What I can tell you is that I was discovering on my own what my
soul needed in terms of music, what my soul related to. You still remember Roxette’s
“Hotblooded” from the “Joyride” album? There is a particular bridge/solo which is
pretty hard rock-esque and this struck home with me (I had not yet been exposed to
hard rock or heavy metal). After I heard the song for the first time I wondered why
there is no full song with that intensity. Why not compose music, that is entirely
made of bridges and intense soloing? Why leave people wanting? Why are people so
dependent on what is served to them? I wanted full length intensity and I wanted it
now. That was my inspiration to write my own music. I became so eager
experimenting with this marvelous new discovery: being able to write my own music.
I wanted to find out how song writing actually works. Can I do it? How do I express
what I musically enjoy? How does it sound if I compose these chords for guitar, the
harmonic 3rd in bass and a progressive drumming underneath it? I was overflowing
with creativity. So, all in all it looks, this came to me naturally, and has been ever
since.

7. What can we expect from the band in the rest of 2023 and beyond into 2024?

We have already recorded the songs for the second and third EP to complete the "Revelation" project and plan to release those in 2024 and 2025, respectively. This trilogy will
then have a total of 14 songs. The record release concert for the second EP is on
2 March 2024, see our website www.sanity.berlin for details. There will be concerts in summer and autumn for sure, but we are still in the planning phase, nothing concrete, yet. At the same time my brother and I are working on a rerelease of our second album Nocturnal  from 1999. Florian is actually composing completely new rhythm and
lead guitars and I will be recording new drums for it.
Additionally, we are currently preparing the video shoot for our next official music video, the
song “Babylon” from our EP The Beast. We are working with Underpaid Mantis Studio
( www.underpaidmantis.com ) and are currently developing the story line for the video.

Our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@Sanity.berlin already has a good amount
of content and I would like to add more. The official videos for “Seals” and “Throne” were
just released. Check them out on YouTube.
Sanity – Throne (Official Music Video)
https://youtu.be/5x4RdpaD9Ho?si=Ef-AdqBEUSLkL9R6
Sanity – Seals (Official Music Video)
https://youtu.be/9adVATPq-yA?si=hpVCQPAv_dBcGvUr
You see, we got our hands full with exciting subjects for many years to come.

8. For someone who wants to know more about the band, were can they find you at?
And were can they find your music?
Our website www.sanity.berlin stores a lot of information about the band, even historic data.
This is worthwhile to check out. Our music is available at most of the online streaming
platforms and stores. You can buy our music on our website and on bandcamp, as well.

9. Let’s answer some fun questions, what is your all time favorite band?
Arcturus – Aspera Hiems Symfonia
When hearing this album for the first time, I was just blown away. The compositions on this
record is so avant-garde, I couldn’t believe it. The mixture between shouting and clean
vocals are breathtaking as is the blending of guitar work and symphonic instruments. A
masterpiece!

If you could tour with any band and open or have them open for you, who would.
you choose?
From the very beginning I had envisioned Sanity to reach the English-speaking audience and
thus used English lyrics. It would be pretty awesome to get in contact with metal bands from
the UK or US and become their support on one of their tours. A wonderful line-up would be.
Wolves At the Gate, Slechtvalk and Vials of Wrath.

And of course, we’d love to play some big stages and are dreaming about a small tour outside.
Germany. Scandinavia would be awesome or the US. Our latest release is a concept album of
the book of Revelation from the bible, a prophetic, dystopian book that vividly and explicitly
describes the Apocalypse. A dedicated tour on that topic would be incredible.

Let’s see what the future holds in store for us.

Thanks for chatting with me From the Green Room and look forward to chatting
again, in the future.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Websites:
Web: https://www.sanity.berlin
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sanity.berlin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanity.berlin
Bandcamp: https://sanityberlin.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sanity.berlin
X: https://twitter.com/SanityBerlin

Streaming Site Links:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-
de/artist/0bhXlkSU7XN56kBuUuvXXa?si=ki9IcUitQNyodBXyrq_B5Q
Amazon Music:
https://amazon.de/music/player/artists/B0CHHW97WL/sanity?marketplaceId=A1PA6795UK
MFR9&musicTerritory=DE&ref=dm_sh_PidIrR7CbqZCj4mwIPm5zpymv
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sanity/1546091708
YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCsYZJ2WYArtoGXgBOc-
jVNw?si=OmjURhgpG_wSbCHN

About Post Author

fromthegreenrm

mitchumphotographyllc@gmail.com
https://fromthegreenroom.net
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Interview with the Band Sweet Crystal

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Read Time:4 Minute, 3 Second

Interview with Sweet Crystal

Name Of Act: SWEET CRYSTAL
Latest Release: ‘WHATEVER IS NEEDED, WHATEVER IT TAKES’ (Single)
DIRECT SPOTIFY LINK: https://open.spotify.com/album/2mjF0LUQIZL31FqL4Agibo

1. What’s the name of the band?

Greetings from SWEET CRYSTAL, a 26 time Detroit Music Award winning band

2. Where are you from?

We are a 4-piece rock band from the Detroit, Michigan area – a city that has as long a musical history as we do ourselves.

3. What type of music do you play?

Basically, we are considered a Christian progressive rock band (think arena rock or as some magazines have labeled us – bombastic!). In the beginning, we opened up for such classic rock acts as Bob Seger, Foghat, Nazareth, Steppenwolf and many more before finding our true path into the Christian music field. With a catalog of seven releases to date (and the new one ‘8’ on it’s way), and with hundreds of hours of new ideas still in the pipeline, we feel there’s definitely a song or two that
will fit pretty much everyone’s taste of music.

4. Introduce yourselves to the readers and tell us what you do in the band?

Band Members:
MarQ Andrew Speck (Q) – lead vocals, everything with keys
Bill Blatter –vocals, everything with strings
Steve Wieser – everything hit with sticks
Martin Kuchar – vocals, everything bass

5. This is probably a common question but one that most want to know, what musical influencesdid you have growing up, and what are some now?

We started out totally influenced by the progressive rock English music scene of the 60’s and 70’s: bands like Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep all left their musical marks on our writing and playing. We also listened to a lot of American bands like Kansas, Journey, Rush and Spock’s Beard to keep our creative juices flowing. It’s this background in
progressive rock that continues to influence and direct our writing and live performances.

6. Have you always been into music? Was it something that just came to you naturally?

Unlike most bands that have a lifecycle of about three to five years, this band of high school buddies (Q, Bill and Steve) has been playing together for going on 50 years (Interesting fact: 2024 will be Sweet Crystal’s Golden Jubilee Year meaning 50 years of the music and message we offer – pretty sweet accomplishment in our books). We got together right out of high school (and actually Bill and Steve played together during high school!). To this day we get together every week to rehearse,
record and just enjoy each other’s company. Does it get old after 5 decades together? Absolutely not! We just get better with age.

7. What can we expect from the band in the rest of 2024 and beyond?

This new single ‘Whatever Is Needed, Whatever It Takes’ continues where last year’s “7th Heaven” CD left off: it’s a song of hope and inspiration featuring our signature guitar sounds, synth melodies, straight ahead drumming with just a few hundred fans joining in in for good measure. It’s the first single from our upcoming release ‘8’ which is slated for later this year.

Our trademarked slogan ‘Reaching the World, One Song At A Time’ TM pretty much says it all about our music, message, mission and ministry. We are here to reach out to a world with songs of hope and inspiration; a musical light at the end of every dark tunnel you might be going through because chances are good – we’ve gone through those very same tunnels ourselves and definitely have found a way out.

8. For someone who wants to know more about the band, were can they find you at? And were can they find your music?

Best bet to catch us would be by signing up for our email newsletters on our website or over at our Reverbnation page (see links below). That will keep you in the know for all our appearances and new music as well as getting a look at our overall catalog.

9. Let’s answer some fun questions, what is your all-time favorite band?

Each member of the band definitely has their favorites:
MarQ Andrew Speck – Queensryche, Pink Floyd, ELP
Bill – UK, Umphrey’s McGee
Steve – Spock’s Beard, Neal Morse, Porcupine Tree
Martin Kuchar – Kansas, U2

10. If you could tour with any band and open or have them open for you, who would you choose?

Would love to tour in any capacity with the different projects of Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard; Transatlantic; Neal Morse Project; Flying Colors) because he is one of the most inspiring and creative artists on the scene at the moment – and we admire him and love his musical styling.

Thanks for chatting with me From the Green Room and look forward to chatting again in the
future.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

WEBSITE

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

YOUTUBE

SOUNDCLOUD

REVERBNATION

SPOTIFY

About Post Author

fromthegreenrm

mitchumphotographyllc@gmail.com
https://fromthegreenroom.net
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Interview with Illusions of Grandeur

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Read Time:3 Minute, 55 Second

Thanks for taking some time to chat with From the Green Room

1. What’s the name of the band?

Illusions of Grandeur, the name originated from a time when Maggie was seeking out other musicians to form a band. A lot of the ads said, “No Illusions of Grandeur here” meaning they just wanted to play
music, Maggie thought “Why no Illusions of Grandeur” Life is short go for what you dream and want!

2. Where are you from?

Illusions of Grandeur “I.O.G.”, is a Theatrical Hard Rock/Fantasy Metal band based in York, PA. I.O.G has been touring in both the United States as well as across the UK, Germany, France, and the Ukraine since 2016. I.O.G. have made appearances at various festivals including Sav Fest, Dewey Beach Music Festival and Witney Music Festival. I.O.G. has shared the stage with artists as varied as DOPE, Moto grater, September Mourning, New Year’s Day, Puddle of Mudd, Stryper, República, Stitched up Heart and Otep. I.O.G. &# 39’s Live show The Siren Saga is a story of the journeys, perils, and triumphs of the Siren and her warriors. The story mixes facts and fiction combining Greek and Norse Mythology, Sirens, Gods, Archangels. Illusions of Grandeur’s fierce and energetic live show has gained them a legion of fans dubbed “The Siren Nation” who follow them worldwide, at live shows, and on social media.

3. What type of music do you play?

Theatrical hard rock/metal, the idea of Illusions of Grandeur is to create a world and tell the story of “The Siren” and her journeys. IOG’s love of both history and Greek/Norse Mythology felt that this was the best medium way to create a world for “The Siren Saga.” IOG feels that when listening to music or seeing a live show you should be able to immerse yourself in that moment and take a journey of your own with the band.


4. This is probably a common question but one that most want to know, what musical influences did
you have growing up, and what are some now?

Growing up it was a mix of the “Modern” music of the day, whatever was on the radio, but Illusions of Grandeur’s influences come from many genres of course starting with metal; like Korn, In This Moment, Metallica, Avatar and Evanescence. Each member draws off their individual influences as well which are varied from The Siren’s love of Classic rock like Janis Joplin and heart to CM’s love of The Smiths, Supertramp Soundgarden into Ted’s love of death metal and more. IOG feels this just adds to the sound and allows the band to explore a lot of themes in their music. We still listen to these artists and many, many more.


5. Have you always been into music? Was it something that just came to you naturally?

Music has been a part of my life since I was a child. My dad was a musician and I followed in his footsteps. I’ve always been in music in some capacity; from theatre to chorus and bands.


6. What can we expect from the band in the rest of 2023 and beyond into 2024? 

Illusions of Grandeur’s The Siren Tour continues through the remainder of 2023 into 2024. IOG are currently while tour producing their 3rd album the next story in The Siren Saga “The Siren Rises” which the band looks to have out in 2024-2025.

7. For someone who wants to know more about the band, were can they find you at? they find your music?
We keep that very simple, go to  https://www.iogmusic.com/

8. Let’s answer some fun questions, what is your all-time favorite band?

I would have to say Korn, their catalog has been with me what feels like my whole life and the band continues to release solid music and play live, amazing.


9. If you could tour with any band and open or have them open for you, who would you choose?

That would have to be In This Moment or Korn, both put on amazing shows and have killer catalogs of music, would be a real honor.


Thanks for chatting with me From the Green Room and look forward to chatting again in the future.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

New Single 
Facebook 
Band camp 
Instagram 
Twitter 
TikTok 
YouTube Music 

About Post Author

fromthegreenrm

mitchumphotographyllc@gmail.com
https://fromthegreenroom.net
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Episode 71: Nikki Stringfield

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Episode 71: Nikki Stringfield

Nikki Stringfield stops by to chat about new album “Apocrypha” 

nikki_stringfield

Spotify

Youtube

Twitter

Official Website

Bio

 

About Post Author

fromthegreenrm

mitchumphotographyllc@gmail.com
https://fromthegreenroom.net
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Episode 73: Late Night Trouble

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Episode 73: Late Night Trouble

Sebastian stops by the Green Room to chat about new album Candyland and current single Take it off

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

Spotify

 

 

 

About Post Author

fromthegreenrm

mitchumphotographyllc@gmail.com
https://fromthegreenroom.net
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Episode 70: Vajra Returns

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Episode 70: Vajra Returns

Annamaria and Dave of Vajra talk about new single cover of Pat Benatar “Love is a Battlefield”

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Spotify

Youtube

About Post Author

fromthegreenrm

mitchumphotographyllc@gmail.com
https://fromthegreenroom.net
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Vaya stops by the Green Room to chat.

Posted on by Brien Mitchum
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Read Time:3 Minute, 47 Second

Vaya chats with From the Green Room

Band of the Day Questions

Thanks for taking some time to chat with From the Green Room

1. What’s the name of the band?
Hello Green Room and thank you for your interested in our project. The name is VAYA.

2. Where are you from?

From all over the world:) VAYA is a growing community where artists can connect and created together. It started with our music in Canada. Then we worked with talented sound engineers in the USA for the postproduction and co-created videos for the music with Yumi SONODA based in Japan.
3. What type of music do you play?
VAYA started with a unique color of « rock » with the first album, and it tends to be more and more experimental focused on the sound and the intentions of the words than a clear stereotype structure of the song.
4. Introduce yourselves to the readers and tell us what you do in the band?

I am VAYA. Singer-composer of this wave. I just do my work as a messenger from the Ideas.

5. This is probably a common question but one that most want to know, what musical influences did you have growing up, and what are some now?

Yesterday was blues, psychedelic rock, rock, industrial, classical pieces, jazz. Today Mother Earth and human being are whispering into my ears colors, shivers, and so much more.

6. Have you always been into music? Was it something that just came to you naturally?

Yes. And Yes:) It defines my soul since a long long time ago.

7. What can we expect from the band in the rest of 2023 and beyond into 2024?

A live show in November in Toronto at El Mocambo Venue, downtown. Then I am studying and receiving new kind of « knowledges » to bring this blooming and infinite creative path on the next level. Normally after a winter of introspective work a new chapter appears in Spring:) We will see, I just go with the flow.

8. For someone who wants to know more about the band, were can they find you at? And where can they find your music?

We have a main website your ca go to, 

https://www.vaya-official.com/

9. Let’s answer some fun questions, what is your all-time favorite band?

Jim Morrison

10. If you could tour with any band and open or have them open for you, who would you choose?

Jack White. Hopefully he will do something new:)

Thanks for chatting with me From the Green Room and look forward to chatting again in the future.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:


Instagram vaya.brutal

https://www.vaya-official.com/


https://www.facebook.com/VAYA.Official

About Post Author

fromthegreenrm

mitchumphotographyllc@gmail.com
https://fromthegreenroom.net
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Misery Lane chats with From the Green Room

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From the Green Room feature Band-Misery Lane

Band of the Day Questions

Thanks for taking some time to chat with From the Green Room

1.What’s the name of the band?    Misery Lane

2.Where are you from?  Ann Arbor, Michigan, US

3.What type of music do you play?

We like to say we play non-genre specific metal.  We skirt the edge of where hard rock meets metal and beyond.

4.Introduce yourselves to the readers and tell us what you do in the band?

I’m Ken C Keller Jr.  I’m the founder of the band.  I am now the vocalist, the lead guitarist and main song writer.

5.This is probably a common question but one that most want to know, what musical influences did you have growing up, and what are some now?

Growing up my father liked to listen to classic rock and old Motown RnB.  In my teen years I found old school thrash metal and that really spoke to me but musically I felt it was limiting so I branched out to the blues and country to continue to learn more about the instrument and how to fuse all those sounds into something I can call my own.  These days I prefer dual guitar bands that don’t just play the same thing through the song but compliment each other to build a better dynamic in the song. 

6.Have you always been into music? Was it something that just came to you naturally?

Honestly, I wish I had started playing sooner.  My father tried to force me to play guitar and I hated it.  After I joined the Marines, I had time to kill and picked it back up and taught myself how to play.  And of course, that was back before YouTube, so it was ten times as hard as someone learning today.  I do feel like playing is something that comes naturally, and I think the music reflects that.  I generally write the music for all the instruments in a song and present It to the guys and say what do you think, and they make their changes from there.

7.What can we expect from the band in the rest of 2023 and beyond into 2024?

We will continue to play shows supporting our newest album “Red Balloon” and eventually settle down and finish recording our third album.  We already have a few songs ready to go but as long as people want to hear the new stuff, we will continue to play it.

8.For someone who wants to know more about the band, were can they find you at? And where can they find your music?

First and foremost, you can check us out at our website: Miserylane.com.  Our music is streaming wherever you listen to music. 

9.Let’s answer some fun questions, what is your all-time favorite band?

All time, I would have to say Metallica.  I know their more recent albums catch a lot of hate, but they have been able to persevere.  They have had to deal with some things that normally rip bands apart, but they have been able to power through and even though they are getting up there in years they can still fill and rock a stadium without 10 other supporting bands.  That speaks volumes to me.

10.If you could tour with any band and open or have them open for you, who would you choose?

Slipknot.  The energy those guys and their fans have a live show would be awesome to join in on.

Thanks for chatting with me From the Green Room and look forward to chatting again in the future.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

 

Miserylane.com

Facebook.com/miserylanemusic.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qXvZquides1NMOI4SufbQ

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6zMxWGWTA7cmXidyLAK100

 

…and wherever else you stream music.

About Post Author

fromthegreenrm

mitchumphotographyllc@gmail.com
https://fromthegreenroom.net
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