WINDS: Interview with Keyboardist Andy Winter
Interview By EvilG
Winds are from Norway and is comprised of: Lars Eric Si on vocals
(Jack In A Box, Sensa Anima, Khold); Carl August Tidemann on guitars
(Arcturus, Tritonus); Jan Axel von Blomberg (AKA Hellhammer) on drums
(Mayhem, Arcturus, Kovenant); and Andy Winter (the mastermind behind
this album and the production) on keyboards. I was given the opportunity
to interview Andy to talk about the band's unique mixture of classical
with metal along with a host of other things!
Since
Winds is a new band to many, lets start with some history. The band is a
"super group" of sorts. Was the plan at the beginning to form
such a band?
No, this was not our motivation at all. Basically Winds started out
as a project but evolved into a band along the way, and it was more
important that the members would bring something unique to our sound
rather than just having people with famous names. We could have involved
a lot more famous people into this if we wanted to, but since that was
never the intention we haven’t done so, and we won’t either, because
Winds functions best with just the four of us.
Would you call Winds a band, or more so a "project"?
Winds is a band consisting of the four of us, Lars, Carl, Jan Axel
and me. We are the equal members of the band known as Winds. But we also
have guest appearances on our records, and we might consider expanding
these even more in the future.
Who formed the band and how did the members come together?
The band was formed based upon a mutual vision to make the project
Winds, which was originally started by me, into a permanent band. This
happened right after we worked on the first recording, and by the time
it was even released we were already functioning as a band. We had
started on new material together, and we completed the basic recording
of the new album right around the same time the first one was released.
Since each member is involved musically with other bands/projects,
how do you manage the time restrictions?
We manage this by focusing very individually on the preparations for
Winds. But even so Winds is a big priority for all the members so we set
aside time for it to work together on the material etc. But we don’t
rehearse at the same rate conventional bands to, as this is not
necessary for us. We spend more time discussing the arrangements and
planning the elements in the music, so that we have an idea what to do
in the studio. We also use a lot of improvisation, because this captures
a unique expression that is impossible to plan ahead.
How is the average Winds song composed? Is the foundation the
drums/bass/guitars and then you look at how to fit the
keys/orchestration over this? Or is it more so the other way around?
So far it has more so been the other way around, as I’ve usually
started writing either piano or string parts and then Carl has made
guitar arrangements after hearing my ideas. But sometimes it’s the
other way around, as there are no absolute rules. The general formula so
far has been that I write the basic ideas and then the others add their
arrangements to complete the compositions. But during this process we
also keep open communication with each other, and we discuss things and
exchange ideas on each other’s arrangements before anything is
definitely decided.
In the album's liner notes it mentions the album was
"conceived" in a studio and it goes on to list some musicians
(voice, violin, viola, cello, and bass). Are we to assume that these
players and instruments (along with yourself) are the ones responsible
for writing the bulk of this album?
The only ones who wrote music for this album were the members in the
band. The string players were session musicians only and did not play a
single note that wasn’t already written on their sheet.
Tell me about the involvement of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.
How did that come about and did you "conduct" them on what to
play? What was it like recording their parts for the album?
As mentioned they only played what they were told to by us. Lars had
the ungrateful job of transcribing down all the sheet music based on the
string arrangements he and I had written. This process was very
stressful, and we didn’t have as much time in the studio with the
strings players as we ideally needed because they had to play a concert
the same evening. But it worked out and we barely finished in time.
Do you consider the guitars and lead playing an important part of
Winds?
Yes it’s a very important part. The solos are one of the trademarks
of Winds that makes our sound unique, and “Reflections Of The I” is
a very guitar driven album as well, more so than our first release.
Every member in the band has an equally important role, and is
irreplaceable.
How
do you approach mixing together so many and such diverse instruments?
In my opinion this is the major challenge of our music, because it
has so many elements and it’s important that they are all heard in the
mix without overshadowing each other. So we spend a lot of time in the
studio listening to potential solutions, and hopefully we make the right
decisions along the way. This is where my producer role comes into the
picture too, because I make the major decisions on mixing and sound when
they need to be made. I also have a great engineer who knows what he’s
doing, and the other guys who give valuable input in this process as
well.
Winds is one of the bands whose sound presents a seamless mixture
of "metal" with orchestration. Has this been the biggest
challenge for you, or has this come naturally?
I’d like to think that this has come naturally to us. We’ve just
tried to do what we feel is right, both musically, technically and
production wise, and we’re happy that it has turned out as well as it
did. And we are indeed extremely satisfied with the results.
What bands or composers from both the classical and metal realms
do you listen to or have influenced you?
I have a hard time naming influences because if there are any at all,
I don’t easily recognize them. For my piano parts Rachmaninov and
Shostakovitch are inspirations, for Carl’s guitars I think Paganini
has had some influence, along with Yngwie and early Dream Theater. There
are probably a lot of underlying influences, but as we don’t set out
to play music similar to anyone else’s, these influences are very
subtle, and we don’t sound anything like these bands or composers. In
Winds everything is placed into a setting that takes on an individuality
of its own.
Do you derive any of your classical influence from movies and
movie soundtracks?
I recently bought the soundtrack from the movie K-Pax after liking it
very much, but again there is a difference between liking something and
having it influence you. I honestly don’t think any of us have many
direct influences as we’ve always set out to do our own thing, both
individually and as a band.
What is your opinion on other bands that use classical elements or
orchestration in their music such as Rhapsody and Blind Guardian for
example?
I haven’t heard any of those bands, so I can’t comment on that.
What style of music would you call Winds, or would you think that
the music is so diverse the band doesn't fit into any single genre that
well?
We have categorically left the job of classifying our music up to
others, as we don’t feel it necessary to classify our own music. But
it is true that our music doesn’t fit into just one category, as there
are elements in the music from almost any organic genre. There are
classical and jazzy elements, rock and metal elements and so on. We
prefer to just play our music in stead of putting names on it, and
hopefully people will appreciate what we do regardless of what it’s
called.
What types of people do you expect will enjoy the music of Winds?
Metal fans? Classical music fans?
Hopefully both. I think anyone with appreciation for music can in
some way appreciate this album, if nothing else for it’s musical
qualities. But we hope a lot of people will like it as well, and find it
rewarding, because this is very emotional music played with the greatest
of passion behind it.
Does the band do any touring?
We haven’t so far, but maybe in the future.
Since the classical / orchestration elements are such a big part
of Winds, how are you able to play these parts live? Is it done using a
combination of samples and keys?
This is also something we will have to decide upon. The first option
is obviously the most appealing, but will probably be impossible to
achieve in reality due to the astronomical costs of hiring these
musicians. No tour promoter would do it because it’s too much of a
financial risk. Having the classical parts on tape might be an option,
but it depends, because that will also require some technical expertise
and personnel. We’ll see.
REFLECTIONS OF THE I is the first album for you on The End
Records. How did the band hook up with this label?
The End contacted me first, and then they contacted our European
label Avantgarde Music, who had the worldwide rights to the album. After
that, The End bought the rights for the US from Avantgarde.
What does the album title refer to?
It has a double meaning. It refers to the lyrical concept as well the
fact that the album is a reflection of us as musicians.
What types of messages or feelings do you like to write about and
can you perhaps give a run down on some examples from the new album?
The lyrics are a concept based on existentialism and philosophy. I
don’t really like to get into the details of the lyrics too much.
What is the next step for Winds?
We’re doing a lot of promotion for the album these days, and we’re
also in the process of writing new material.
Has writing begun for the next album and if so what kinds of
things can we expect?
Yes we have already begun and are well into the process. Expect the
next level in the Winds chapter. We’re going to be introducing some
new and re-introduce some old elements into the sound, and we’re also
going to challenge ourselves musically and technically to create an
album even better than what we’ve ever done before. We’re always
driven to outdo ourselves, because this is one of the things we thrive
on.
Do you have a tentative release date for the next album?
Well we just released this one today so don’t expect anything more
from us this year. Maybe next year. Probably next year. In the mean time
we’ll let people absorb this one, because this is the kind of album
that really grows on you over time.
Band Website: www.winds.nu
Distribution: www.theendrecords.com
The WINDS album, REFLECTIONS OF THE I, received a crossfire
review in Metal-Rules.com in April 2002. Check
it out here!