Interview with Sweden's Brigheye Brison by Johnny C of www.loudmetal.com
You have new album out, please talk a little bit
about it , is this your
Linus: Yes, it´s the first album for us as a band but since we are all active
musicians and have been so for many years we have all performed and recorded
with various bands and projects earlier. Johan also has his band, Sub 5, which
released it´s debut earlier this year. Daniel works as the principal
percussionist in the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and have recorded a lot
with them and others. I´m doing and have done studio and live recordings as a
saxophone player, keyboardist and vocalist. I´m also playing with Swedish metal
band Narnia which will release a live DVD in the near future.
I wrote most of the songs for the debut album but Daniel and Kristofer also
contributed with a couple of songs. I believe that you will find a variety of
styles and influences on the CD which I always think is a fun way to present a
band. Rivel Records is great for letting us do whatever we feel like doing!
Kristofer: I´ve recorded with other bands in the past as a bass player but
also as an engineer and producer but this is my first record where everybody is
involved in the songs and arrangements. Me and Per were involved in Stormwind´s
first two records but that was more like Thomas Wolf´s solo project. In BB
everybody is allowed to try any idea and because of that this is a genuine band
record. It´s great to write music to the band cause you have no limitations in
lack of musicality with Johan on the guitar, Linus on keyboards and Daniel on
drums.
This was also my first album where no one forced the music into a commercial
corner. We just wrote music, rehearsed it and recorded it.
Per: I´ve done two records with Stormwind, a melodic metal band, as
keyboardplayer. I made one with Wisdom Call, again on keyboard, with Christian
Rivel from Narnia on vocals. After that I have been building my own studio and
recording several CD productions.
You're signed to Rivel records, I belive this is a
new label, why did you
Linus: Once again I feel that they give me artistic freedom. Also Christian
Rivel is simply a great guy who genuinely likes our band!
Per: Kristofer, a childhood friend of mine played me the first recordings of
BB, and I liked it so much I offered to mix a demo for them. I later played it
to Christian Rivel and he was very impressed and wanted to sign the band. We had
worked together on the Wisdom Call album, so it seemed like a good thing going
out on his new label.
Which guys would you consider to be your main
influences?
Linus: There are artists that I generally get inspiration from and an urge to
write music when listening to them. One of those bands is definitely Genesis. Of
course also many of the 70´s progressive rock acts such as Yes, Jethro Tull, Van
Der Graaf Generator, U.K. etc. Another favourite is Kayak. I´m also a big fan of
“younger” bands such as Echolyn and Salem Hill.
As a keyboardist I have to mention Roger Powell and David Foster as sources
of inspiration. Vocalists I really enjoy are Bernardo Lanzetti and Max Werner.
As a saxophonist I say John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Phil Woods, the list is
endless.
Kristofer: As a bassplayer I´m influenced in Jaco Pastorius, Chris Squire,
Ray Brown, Bootsy Collins and many more and my favourite bands are Yes, Weather
Report, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple. Recently I´ve been listening to ambience and
Squarepusher. Oum Kalzum, Björk & of course Miles Davies are a few of my
favourites as well.
Per: I have always had Yes as my main influence, at least when it comes to
progressive music. Genesis would be another in the same genre. I listen to a lot
of different music though...
Daniel: Among the drummers that are very close to my heart I´d like to
mention Steve Gadd, Vinnie Collaiuta, Philly Joe Jones, Sonny
Payne.
I enjoy listening to Beethoven, Mahler, John Coltrane, Clifford Brown, Chet
Baker, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Gilbert O´Sullivan, Beatles, Utopia, Gino
Vanelli, Pages, Maxus, Airplay, Jellyfish and others.
Linus: All in all different musical influences mixed together, mainly rock,
often having a 70´s vibe in sound and performance. Progressive symphonic rock,
perhaps.
Kristofer: "Real music", in the meaning of that we don´t try to catch the
latest sound or the latest style. We write music and rehearse it and if we like
it in the band we record it. Of course we have the "Progressive" label on us and
many people tell us we sound like Queen, Yes or another band but we try just to
be Brighteye Brison.
How did you develop your own style of playing, did
you take any lessons?
Linus: I have studied music since I was ten years old, when I started playing
both saxophone and drums. I began to practice the piano when I was eleven. I
also attended both a music gymnasium as well as the Royal College of Music in
Stockholm for four years.
Kristofer: I´ve studied music in 9 years where the last four was at the Royal
College of Music in Stockholm in the same class as Linus. I´ve studied mostly
jazz but I think my style of playing in BB comes mostly from playing in many
different bands throughout the years. In BB you get to play very complex lines
and you have to be alert and on top of that you have you’re vocal part. I can’t
think of a more developing environment to be a part of.
Daniel: I´ve played since I was five years old and attended several lessons
for example at the College of Music in Malmoe.
Johan: I’m self-taught from the beginning. I´ve spent hours and hours
listening to records, trying to pick up everything from melodies and solos to
chords and bass lines (and I still do!!) That helped me to build up a great and
strong relationship to music and to my instrument. I don´t transcribe that much
though, because I’m kind of lazy when it comes to that...
I went thru all
kinds of music, and I’m learning just as much listening to Chaka Khan wailing as
I do listening to Yngwie, Benson or whatever! Later on I took lessons from some
of my absolute favourite guitar players here in Sweden. I also got a masters
degree in jazz guitar from Ingesund School of Music.
Linus: One goal for our album was to exclusively use analogue instruments
which definitely bring a deeper dimension in sound than using digital keyboards
that tries to simulate the real thing. This is a way of thinking that we always
have when recording a new song.
We also had the privilege to work with Mattias Olsson of Anglagard who helped
us in recording lots of old keyboards like Mini Moog, Mellotron, Solina String
Ensemble also Moog Taurus pedals and other less known stuff. For the album I
also used grand piano, Yamaha CP-80, Hammond organ L-100, Rhodes, Korg
Synthesizer, alto- and soprano saxophones and maybe something else.
When BB play live I use electronic piano and occasionally grand piano when
possible, Rhodes, Roland XP-30, Korg Triton synths and also alto- and soprano
saxophones.
Kristofer: On 90% of the recordings and all the time live I use my Fender
Jazz bass.
On "In disguise" I use my custom fretless bass which is a one of a kind bass,
it´s the bass I use on all my jazz and soft pop recordings.
I´ve also got an 5str musicman style bass but I don´t use it in BB. It´s to
slick and it´s not me.
I use a Pod and a EBS active speakercab when I play live and mostly only the
pod in the studio.
Daniel: I play a Tama Superstar from the late seventies both live and in the
studio. On our first record however, I play a Pearl set belonging to the Eng
family.
Johan: GUITARS: Sadowsky - Standard Strat (HSH), Fender/Squier - Stratocaster
(w. two DiMarzio HS3´s and one HS2 in the middle), Ibanez - AS 200, GB
10
AMPS: Mesa/Boogie - TriAxis (Tommy Folkesson mod), 2:90, Fender -
Dual
Showman Reverb; 4 channel head (modified and "transplanted" by swedish
ampguru Tommy Folkesson), LABseries - L5 2*12"
CABINETS: Mesa/Boogie - two
2*12" and two 1*12" (w. EV speakers), Marshall - 4*12" vintagecab
(Celestion)
EFFECTS AND STUFF: TC Electronic - G-Force, Yamaha - SPX 90, BBE
– Sonic Maximizer 422A, Arion - Stereo Chorus, Tommy Folkesson - Fat Dist,
Digital Music Corp. - Ground Control, Ground Link and GCX Audio Switcher, Roland
- Guitarsynth. GR-33, DÁddario XL´s: 0.10 - 0.46, Thomastik Swing Series: 0.12 -
0.50
Kristofer: The first demo which was to become the cd was recorded in my
fathers "Mar-Len Studios" in Hälsingland, Sweden. The studio´s got many fine
instruments like: Hammond L100/760 leslie, Yamaha CP70, Rhodes, a one of a kind
grand piano that automatically sounds progressive rock and other keyboards like
reed organ, upright piano & an analogue Korg synthesizer. It´s recorded
through a Tascam 32ch inline mixerconsole to adat.
When my friend Per Hallman heard the cd he wanted to be a part of it and we
continued to record the rest of the CD in "Mar-Len Studios" but this time
through different microphone preamps and into a hard disk. All the vocals except
on the “One Year Alone”-suite are recorded in "ToneZone Studios" (Per´s studio)
in Stockholm where the cd is mixed. I think the Brighteye sound comes from
combining the studio in Färila (Hälsingland) with the more modern "ToneZone
Studio" and on our next cd we continue to work the same way. This time we even
use a pipe organ from a church near "Mar-Len Studios".
Linus: After most of the recordings were finished we moved to Mattias
Olsson´s studio (Rothe Hande) in Stockholm to record even more keyboard
parts.
Finally we recorded percussion in the Stockholm Concert Hall.
Kristofer: I would like to play with Yes but not without Chris so I guess I
would have to play a different instrument, keyboard maybe.
Daniel: It would be fun to go on a world tour with Paul McCartney’s band. Or
why not Utopia or Jellyfish if they were to be revived without
drummers.
What kind of music do you like the least?
Linus: No plans yet but it would be cool to do lots of gigs with our next
album.
What other plans do you have for the near
future?
BB: Recording the follow-up to the first BB album, currently in the works.
Also finishing a song for Rivel Records upcoming tribute album to The
Sweet.
Linus: Musically I think it´s great with all the new, smaller labels coming
up. It gives every artist great opportunities to try to evolve their vision
unconditionally. The internet is good in getting that music exposed, no matter
how narrow the music is.
In 15 years BB will turn eighteen years old. We will celebrate that with a
greatest hits record (at least a double!).
Per: I feel that we could learn a lot from the old Greek and Roman societies
where you couldn´t be a real member of the community unless you studied art,
music and philosophy. Today all music is about is sales, hype and fame. I
believe that if more people would be thinking about the next beautiful poem they
were writing they would think twice before stealing, lying, starting aggression
and chasing empty dreams of riches, fame and self-glory.
As for myself I will hopefully do what I love the most, making music!
Brighteye Brison are:
Linus Kåse - keyboards, vocals, sax
Daniel Kåse -
drums, vocals
Johan Öijen - guitars
Kristofer Eng - bass, vocals
Per
Hallman - live sound, engineering, vocals