FREE SPIRIT -Interview

 

 

Pale Sister Of Light
All The Shades Of Darkened Light
Release Year: 2009
Release Year: 2014

 

 


GEORGE: Welcome to BeRock Radio guys, the most melodic place! I am George, please make yourself
comfortable! We’re glad to have you here. It’s been 4 years since the release of “Pale Sister Of Light”.
Why was there such a big time gap between its release and the new album’s release?

FREE SPIRIT: Hi George and thank you for this opportunity to talk to BeRock’s Radio minizine readers!
The lifespan of ‘Pale Sister of Light’ was quite long. We promoted the album until the end of 2010 and it was
released in different territories and formats, like in Rock Band 2 and 3 video games. Beside that, we started
to write new material and in early 2011 we decided to fully concentrate on writing and recording the new album.

During the recording sessions, cool new ideas began to emerge one after another, and we felt that we should give
all those new ideas a chance. Since we have our own studio facilities, and the luxury to use them whenever we want,
we made a decision that we would take all the time we need to get the best possible result for the songs, and make
sure that we'd be 100% satisfied with what we've done. Just like we did with ‘Pale Sister of Light.’

GEORGE: “Pale Sister Of Light” was an amazing album with excellent compositions along with diamond songs such as
“Pale Sister Of Light”, “Strangers”, “Heroes Don’t Cry”, but also had an amazing performance by the band and top-notch production.
How difficult is it for you, after such a successful album, to write another one with such quality behind your work?

FREE SPIRIT: All the positive feedback of ‘Pale Sister of Light’ gave us a lot of self-confidence and a good starting point to aim even
higher with the new album. We wanted to continue from where we left off with the debut CD and take a few leaps forward.
We knew our strengths and decided to concentrate on them.

The main goal was to get the sound bigger and get the energy of the band more present. We had an urge to try
and see how we could improve our music and create a modern rock album with the sound we were after.
We had great time writing and recording ‘All the Shades of Darkened Light’ album and now it’s easy to be happy
about all the time we spent together in the studio, because the audience seems to be really happy with the new album.

GEORGE: Will you tell us some information on the album? Was it hard composing the tracks?
How long did the recording sessions take?

FREE SPIRIT: Most of the instruments and vocal parts were recorded during the sessions between early 2011 and summer 2012.
After that, the long editing, mixing and post production phase started. Some of the last overdubs were recorded in January 2013
and the final mix of the album was ready in February 17th 2013.

The writing process of this new album was more or less just following our instincts and having fun with the new music.
The original ideas and inspiration for these new songs came to us quite naturally. Some of the songs changed quite a lot
during the actual recording process and it would be hard to recognize them from the original demos.
We love big melody lines and huge backing vocals. One of our challenges was to learn how to create those numerous layers
of harmony lines and make them sound the way we wanted them to. Of course we wanted to move forward with all the instruments
too. For example we used quite a lot of time to find the right guitar sounds for this album.

GEORGE: What is your inspiration and the story of the songs?
(if there is any), like in the previous album.

FREE SPIRIT: I guess our main inspiration is that we love playing rock music and writing songs because it’s fun.
Now we know each other better as a band and it’s inspirational to know that you are making music with a group that is capable
of fulfilling your musical dreams and ambitions. With the previous album we found the sound of Free Spirit and it was obvious that
with these new songs we just wanted to push the envelope and see how many steps we can take further.

‘All the Shades of Darkened light’ is not a concept album, but just like it’s predecessor, every song on this album is like a chapter
in a book or a song in a musical or a movie. I had this story in my mind where I placed the characters and the events.
The story itself is about a summer when high octane parties seem to go on forever, but the price to be paid can get way too
expensive for some of the people involved.

GEORGE: Can you give a few clues about the lyrics of the songs?

FREE SPIRIT: The story on this album is a fantasy in my head and it’s mainly about people falling in love to wrong persons for all
the wrong reasons. It’s also a story of how good intentions can turn to bad and what may happen when you gamble with them.
If I ever get the chance and find the time, I would love to write a novel, manuscript or screenplay based on this album and it's songs.

From the “technical” point of songwriting, it’s important that the lyrics fit in to a melody seamlessly and the sound of the words and
the rhythm of the syllables make the melody feel dynamic. Playing with words and the rhythms they create with the melody can
sometimes create whole new nuances to melody lines. It can be fun and inspirational to break the rhythm patterns deliberately
and find new things.
Equally important is that the lyrics deliver feelings and emotions for the listener to relate.
The music and the instruments create scenery for the song, but the lyrics actually talk to people what the song is all about.
Even if you don’t listen to the lyrics knowingly, they still define the song.

GEORGE: Did you encounter any problems during the recording of the album?
If so, how did you overcome them?

FREE SPIRIT: Most of the time we were in a positive loop so to say. New ideas led to other inspirations and so on.
Of course there were few occasions when we seemed to run out of ideas, but those are the moments when you just
have to believe in yourself and not give up. Every time when the solution to a certain block was found, it was the most
obvious and opened up the song for new ideas. It’s easy to see now that giving yourself a little time to see things from
a different angle is sometimes the best source for new inspiration.

GEORGE: You released an amazing video clip, “Hysteria”. Trully, the result is something special.
Was that because of the director’s work or is it because of something more that the band demanded?

FREE SPIRIT: ‘Hysteria’ and its official video is based on the Finnish werewolf movie ‘Anselmi, nuori ihmissusi’.
All the footage on the video, except for the band scenes, are actual scenes from the movie. ‘Hysteria’ is also on the
soundtrack of the movie and I knew that the footage of this film would look great, because I’m a part of the production
team and I have a role in the movie. I play a youth pastor and I'm basically the villain of the movie.

During the shooting sessions of ‘Anselmi’, Matti Pekkanen (director of the movie) asked if ‘Hysteria’ could be used on the
soundtrack. My only condition was that Matti would also direct a music video of ‘Hysteria’ based on the movie.
Thanks to Matti and his great job with the camera the video has that special look. Matti also edited Free Spirit’s next song
on video ‘Fever’ and showed his skills once again combining studio footage and clips from our trip to New York where we
shot our nocturnal adventures.
By the way: Did you know that the famous American actor Ron Jeremy is also featured in the film?
Yes, that Ron Jeremy.

GEORGE: What's your favorite songs of the album and why?

FREE SPIRIT: It depends. Some day it’s one of those up-tempo songs and occasionally it’s either one of the ballads.
‘Nights of Paradise’ was the first song we wrote for this album and it’s a great album opener. The song has this high
energy with catchy riffs and groovy drums and bass line. This song pretty much tells you from the start what the album
is all about.

‘Living Tattoo’ and ‘Hysteria’ are also one of my favorites. These were the first two single release and they did the job they
were supposed to do, being an appetizer before the album was released.
Many songs have already gotten noticed by the audience, like ‘The Dew of the Rose’ and ‘Burning Love’. ‘Turn on the Night’
is a song that every one of us loved to play in the studio because even if the song is a ballad, the key riff is played by the
bass leaving all the other instruments to float free and giving it at the same time a calm, but yet dangerous feeling.

‘Carry On’ is one of the key tracks on this album. My favorite part is that juicy guitar lick at the end of the song and that
arena choir which takes the song to its finale. It’s a great part to sing together with the live audience when we’re live on stage.

GEORGE: How are the reviews you've got so far?
Are you satisfied?

FREE SPIRIT: We are very pleased. We had great time writing and recording this album and even though the whole process
took much longer than anyone expected, now it’s easy to be happy about all the time we spent in the studio, because both
the audience and the media seem to be really happy with the end result. Even medias outside the melodic rock scene are
getting interested in Free Spirit and the new album, and that is a very promising thing for the future of this band.

GEORGE: What are your plans for the promotion of the album, but also generally speaking? Should we wait
for a new video clip? What plans do you have for live shows/tours, will we see you in other European countries as well?

FREE SPIRIT: Next up is everything we could possibly do to promote the new album.
This of course will include new videos like a video of the song ‘Fever’, which is already out when this interview is being released.
We are really looking forward to releasing tour dates and there are some interesting plans in the works, although it’s too
early to say anything more before everything is for sure.

GEORGE: Finland is a country with a music scene which, over time, gives us a band of rockers who the worlds loves,
such as Altaria, Brother Firetribe, Hanoi Rocks, Negative, Nightwish, Reckless Love, Sonata Arctica.
Tell us a few names which you like and why.

FREE SPIRIT: All those bands you mentioned are great. To pick a couple of them: Hanoi Rocks is idolized by many Finnish
rock bands. Those guys were rocking out when we were still little kids. Hanoi Rocks is not a role model for Finnish bands only,
but it’s also a concept that many world famous rock bands like Guns ‘n’ Roses and Poison looked up when they were starting
their careers. Michael Monroe, the lead singer of Hanoi Rocks is still doing great job and puts out great albums one after another.

I also have to mention Reckless Love. It’s a great band and will go far. Their guitarist Pepe and I were on the same class when
we studied music production in a university of applied sciences a few years back.
One more band I’d like to talk about is Softengine. These guys come from my hometown and they are only 18 - 19 years old.
The band won a national song competition earlier this year and they’ll represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest this year.
They are more like an indierock group, but I love the song and hope it does the trick in the Eurovision Song Contest.

GEORGE: For the past 3-4 years, we’ve been seeing a bloom in Melodic Rock\Melodic Hard Rock.
Do you believe that rockers want more quality in the music and listen to more of this centre?
What is your opinion on this?

FREE SPIRIT: People still love big strong melodies and that’s what melodic rock is about. If you listen to new mainstream music,
it’s obvious that big songs and sounds are coming back. Melodic rock is a very strong art form and it’s usually related to high quality
musicianship, songwriting and producing. If the trend for big songs continues, it’s good news for all the melodic rock bands.
Perhaps the golden era of rock music, where most of our influences also comes from, is suddenly more contemporary than anyone
expected.

GEORGE: The music industry in the recent years has changed. We see that a lot of people prefers digital purchases,
which is more convenient, faster and accessible. What is your thoughts on the future of CDs?

FREE SPIRIT: I like to think that CDs and albums are still quite good art forms. It’s true that nowadays music is consumed
in a very different way than a few decades back, but I don’t believe the medium itself changes the basic concept of an album.

As a consumer I think streaming music and digital distribution is also a good way to enjoy music and check out new things.
My opinion is that especially in rock music people want a kind of a “snapshot” of a certain era of your career and a good way
to do that is to record a bunch of songs and put them out in a certain context.

GEORGE: Thank you for your time, I wish you all the best for the future! The last words are yours for this interview.
Feel free to say whatever you want to all BeRock’s Radio minizine readers!

FREE SPIRIT: It’s been my pleasure George! I want to wish to all the readers of BeRock’s Radio minizine readers rockin’ spring!
We really hope to get on the road soon and see you all there. Meanwhile, go and get your copy of the new Free Spirit album
‘All the Shades of Darkened Light’. Also check out the new videos like ‘Fever’, which is already out and be ready for the next
video releases that are coming out soon.
Peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll!




George "Snaki" Lane
For BeRock Radio MiniZine (2014)
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