Interview : Carie Van Heden – AnsoticcA

Interview by Erwin Van Dijk

An interview with Carie from AnsoticcA. AnsoticcA is a new female fronted band from Germany and The Netherlands. You can describe their music as a cross between gothic and progressive metal. This interview is with Carie van Heden who joined the band at the beginning of 2009.

Did you always want to become a singer?

I can’t remember a time before I wanted to become a singer. One of the first things I can remember is that one day my parents bought a cd player. I don’t know why exactly, but my father also got one of those real cheap microphones, which made it possible to sing along with the music. Quite fast I found out how to plug this thing in, so that I could listen to myself via headphones. Whenever I was alone at home and no one could hear me, I sang all of my favourite songs – guess I really got addicted to it. That’s how everything started.

And how did you end up in the music business?

Music was always my passion. After I finished my economic apprenticeship I felt that it was time to live my dream and study music with all the consequences. By means giving up a well-paid job and moving to a new city. I thought if I’d fail I still could go back to work in my old business, but if I wouldn’t try to make my dream come true I would probably regret it for the rest of my life.

Who are your favourite singers and musicians?

It’s not easy just to name a few cause there are so many… Singers: P!nk, Skin, Sharon den Adel, Melissa Etheridge, Adam Levine, Anouk, Nelly Furtado, Beth Hart, Eric Martin, Christina Aguliera, Stefanie Kloss, Sandra Nasic, Marta Jandova and more! Songwriters: Alanis Morissette, Michael McDonald, Elton John, Bruce Hornsby, Ingrid Michaelson, Jack Johnson and more!

And to what kind of music do you listen yourself?

Bearing my last answer in mind you will notice that I don’t have a classical background as many singers of the gothic genre have. When I got in touch with music I listened to pop and rock music. Since I started studying at the Rockacadmie I found it interesting to learn more about music of other genres and I also started to listen to various musical genres as soul, gothic, hard rock & metal, funk, RnB or blues. On my iPod playlists you can find a lot of female fronted bands but in the end I like music that touches me – the genre or whether it is sung by a man or a woman doesn’t really matter to me.

You study at the “Rockacademie” in the city of Tilburg. For the people who do not live in The Netherlands, what is the “Rockacademie”?

Unlike universities or musical high schools where you can study Jazz or classical music, at the Rockacademie it is possible to perform in several musical genres such as Rock, Funk, Pop, Metal, Punk, Soul or Hiphop. When you successfully absolve the Rockacademie you get the Bachelor degree of Arts (Music). In the first year you gain some basic skills which you need if you want to go on with the study. After that you have to choose a specialization such as sound engineering, session musician, management or education. Even a combination of several specialization is possible – as long as it is realizable. Usually the study takes 4 years. Probably I will finish my study in February after 3,5 years.

AnsoticcA is not the only band you sing in. You are also quite busy with Jigger Skin? Is it difficult to combine your study and singing for bands with your personal life?

If you’d take a look at my time schedule you could get the idea that this girl is quite busy. Yes, it is difficult to have a personal life beside “all that music”. I tour around South Germany with Jigger Skin and travel back to the Netherlands every weekend. Whenever there’s a time slot I join Maarten and Adrian in the studio in the near of Berlin. Still I write my own music and I am busy with finishing my songwriting study at the Rockacademie. There is not much time left for spending evenings with my friends, playing handball or visiting my family. But for me music belongs to my personal life. I found a way to make everything work and wouldn’t want it any other way. If I should give someone an advice how to handle such a life I would say: buy an organizer and schedule all the things you have to do, but also all the things you love to do. Enjoy life. That’s what gives you energy even for the things you have no choice but to do.

And do you have any other bands or projects besides AnsoticcA and Jigger Skin?

My main band is AnsoticcA but as long as it’s possible I’m still involved with some other bands and projects. I’m the female singer of Jigger Skin, I have my own project which I sometimes play gigs unplugged with and I’m a member of the Popchor TF a pop choir in Germany.

And since Jigger Skin is more pop and rock oriented, do you use your voice in a different way than with the gothic AnsoticcA songs?

When you sing in a cover band as Jigger Skin you have to sing songs from various genres. That requires the use of different vocal techniques. Imagine I would sing “Open Your Eyes” of Guano Apes in the same way Nena sings her “99 Luftballons”. It wouldn’t work… But what makes the Gothic songs in comparison to the pop/rock repertoire of Jigger Skin so special is that you have to use a lot of vocal techniques in one song. In the studio Maarten really tries to get the best out of me. That challenges and pushes me.

How did you get in contact with the boys from AnsoticcA?

I’ve know Maarten from the popchoir I sing in. I heard that he was starting a new project and that he was looking for a female singer but I didn’t expect that to affect me one day. After auditioning some singers, Adrian and Maarten called me asking, if I wanted to join the band. They looked for someone with a more powerful voice who at the same time would also be able to sing the softer parts of their songs. First I thought they were joking. My voice couldn’t fit that kind of music. But I was completely wrong!

What is the idea behind the band name?

Actually the name came from a friend of ours – while listening to some of our first recordings he said “this sounds like Ansotica” – and so the name was born – with one more “c”. It is the name of a goddess that has been worshipped around the area of Croatia. It is comparable to the Latin “Venus”.

How would you describe AnsoticcA‘s music? Because Gothic & Progressive covers about everything with a guitar, bass and drums and female vocals these days.

Our music is very epically arranged with a truly guitar oriented approach – extremely powerful and rough but at the same time deeply melodic and emotional. The songs are catchy and our sound is unique. You will easily recognize it any time.

And what makes AnsoticcA different compared to all the other female fronted bands in the world (especially in Holland)?

Sure! I definitely belong on stage and I can’t wait till we get ready to bring our music to the people. We are planning to start the tour in spring 2010 after the release of our album. Our management is already in contact with a booking agency for the Benelux, but we also want to tour in Germany and the rest of Europe.

And, if so, are you looking for additional members to complete the line up?

We are currently looking for a drummer and a bass player – so feel free to write us if you are interested in doing live performances with AnsoticcA…

Is song writing teamwork in AnsoticcA or is there a mastermind behind the music?

Adrian and Maarten are the two minds behind the songs – but you can truly say they function as one mastermind. Their creative potential is tremendous and they both claim that they have never had so much fun writing music also thanks to Rockfeld Records, the studio that makes everything possible for this project.

Can you tell us something about the songs AnsoticcA has posted on Myspace?

“Our Time” – A very epic and also slightly progressive piece, the lyrics can also be seen as a metaphor for what we expect from the future

“I’m Alive” - A song about staying strong when everything around you seems to fall apart

“Silent Tears” – A song that turned out to have a quite noticeable pop influence but hell we like it

“Rise” – A ballad but also not a ballad; listen to it – crank the volume up and listen to the whole song … you will know why

And what is your favourite song?

Hard to tell because every song is like our own child. But if our life would depend on that decision – it would be “Rise” – the song embodies nearly everything that makes the sound of AnsoticcA – but all the other songs do that too.

You are also working on an album. What can we expect?

You can expect 13 pieces of epic gothic metal that will shatter the scene. But seriously, the album is the essence of what we have always been dreaming of – doing powerful epic metal that touches the listeners – hopefully this is what we will achieve.

What are AnsoticcA‘s plans for the future?

Next year we would like to bring the whole thing onto the stage, feeling the energy of the audience and getting more intense with every note we play – we really can’t await to play live after the release of the album

Links

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Latest Multimedia

Interview : Masha Mysmane – Exilia

Interview by Connie Bach

“No Tears for You” is featured on the upcoming Femme Metal compilation Beauty and Brutality is an example of the fiery energy that can be felt when listening to Exilia‘s music. I must admit, I was a little surprised by the sound, which is pleasant and strong as hot cider.

Hi, Masha. How is the year 2010 shaping up for Exilia?

Hi, and thanks for your interest in Exilia. It’s going really well, we are happy with our live activity and we are happy about our new release “Naked” that came out on June 2010.

“Naked” was a challenge for us, we never did something like this before it was our first time with acoustic guitars and percussions, the heavy part was to find the best arrangements for guitars in order to keep the power of the riffs in the acoustic  side too. The good part was to sing because I could experiment new sound with my voice and give more expression to the lyrics. 

This one is totally different! This is a limited edition unplugged cd! Only “No Tears for You” is fully produced, “Naked” is a special thing in our discography.

I love how “No Tears For You” discusses righting wrongs and carrying on. Would you tell me more about the personal story or idea behind those confident lyrics?

It’s a crazy story!! In the song I’m talking to Mr stupidmanthis guy has a record label and that made me lose a lot of time with his stupid tons of words, this people are the ones that destroy music. 

They say writing lyrics is like writing poetry. Is it? 

Yes, I really really think so.  

For those less familiar with the band, Exilia has been around since 1998.They originated in the towns of Milano and Lombardy, Italy. Masha, can you tell me how you personally became involved with Exilia?

I started with Exilia in 2000, I met Alien (our guitar player) in a music shop, I was there to take guitar lessons and after some months we decided to start a band. thats how Exilia came up!

With the departure of your former bassist in 2007, how do you feel it changed the overall chemistry and sound of the band?

We found a brilliant bass player after Random left the band so we didn’t feel any difference in the sound, we had a new positive energy in the band with the new guy so we felt definetely better!

You have been Exilia‘s vocalist for quite some time. What do you use free time for? Do you have any hobbies or musical side projects?

I like jogging, I like swimming, I love to take a walk with my dog and stay in the nature, I practise meditation, I teach vocal in 3 schools in Milan, I do a radio program and further more I have my own side projects where we do acoustic things with 2 amazing guitar players and where I play percussion.

Lots of bands sing in English and seldom use it otherwise. How difficult is it to transition to using English lyrics?

It’s really difficult !!! But I love your language  and I try to do my best!

As the vocalist for a metal band and as a woman not from the United States, I’d like your take on the ongoing news coverage of the oil spill and how it reflects your views on American culture?

It’s a big matter and it would be my pleasure to talk about it in a deep way when it will be possible. What I can tell you  is that everything that happened made me really sad because this thing destroyed a part of our planet and our nature and it twill take several years to recover from this injury. I don’t think there is a single person to be blamed for this but it’s a whole political and economical system, which we all know is ruled by the seven sisters that are responsible for this catastrophe and not only this.

Masha, thanks for your time and honesty. The lyrics of “No Tears For You”, from Exilia‘s album, “Naked”, are inspiring, as are songs from other albums I have heard. Good luck for the rest of this year and in the band’s future. 

Thanks a lot for your support in US. All the best, Masha MysMane

Links

MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter * Site

Latest Multimedia

Exilia – “Naked” (2010)

Label : My Place Records/Soulfood

Review By Tony Cannella

The new release from Italy’s Exilia certainly showcases a quieter more sensitive side to this normally heavy and aggressive band. On “Naked” the band shows off their acoustic style. After a brief (and I do mean brief) 9-second intro, the band kicks off with “Coincidence”. Immediately, vocalist Masha Mysmane proves she is up to the task, as she showcases her raspy delivery. Overall, “Naked” features 7-songs and just over 20-minutes worth of music. The band is at their best on “No Colors” and “My Own Army”. The final track “No Tears For You” is the lone electric track and just a fantastic way to end things. If you thought that Exilia can only scream and play pounding metal music, than wait till you get a load of “Naked”. This CD is definitely, the band stripped down and basic. It is actually a nice change of pace that should hold their fan base over until the band releases their next album.

Rating – 80/100

Tracklist

1. Intro
2. Coincidence
3. Stop Playing God
4. Fly High Butterfly
5. No Colors
6. My Own Army
7. No Tears for You

Line Up

• Masha Mysmane – Vocals
• Elio Alien – Guitars
• Marco Valerio – Bass
• Ale Lera – Drums

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site