It has become more about survival than making money. Recording albums has become easier and it’s possible to do it more cheaply But of course the business side of things is all over the place as everyone knows. The live aspect isn’t that different for the performers and generally speaking the equipment has got better. The creative process is not so different – working on music with computers has made things a lot easier than it was when we were pratting around with tape recorders, so that’s a bit of a Godsend. SHJ – Well we’ve been through a technical revolution haven’t we. Since your debut mini album back in 1982 ‘ From Under The Hill’ released on cassette format till today’s digital era, what has changed for AATT? To be honest we did approach a few record companies that we thought were cool but their reactions (I won’t name any names) were so disappointing and entrenched in the ‘music biz’ culture we felt we really didn’t want to work with wankers like that anyway. We had always insisted upon creative freedom anyway so it wasn’t to do with that. So we decided to release the albums ourselves. The business side of things was becoming very unstable even then and after the 80’s band backlash that naturally happened in the mid to late 90’s we were as unsure of our future as any prospective record companies. SHJ – We felt we needed to be more in control of our destiny. Why have you chosen this? More freedom regarding your creativity? Please discuss… Since late 90’s you’ve been releasing music through your own label And Also The Trees. I don’t usually feel like that.Ĭorrect me if I’m wrong. When it was finished, mixed and mastered and everything and I put it on the record player and listened to it, I was pleased and didn’t have any doubts. We are very conscious about not repeating ourselves – there is no point in that for us, and we’re also very aware of the spirit of ‘ And Also The Trees‘ which remains true to itself yet always moves on. SHJ – We see each album as part of our evolution, so to people who are familiar with the previous album ‘ Hunter Not The Hunted‘ they will hear subtle changes – changes in landscape and sound, changes in mood. In what way does it differ from your previous releases? This year you released your 13 th full-length album ‘ Born Into The Waves’. We have 2 new musicians playing with us since the last time we were in Greece who add a different vibe and there is a new instrument which brings something we’re pretty excited about. Greece is a great place to play for us… I don’t know how it will be in Thessaloniki but the audiences we have played to in Athens and Larissa were really a joy to be with. So you can expect to see 5 musicians who are very happy to be on stage again and very happy to be in Greece.
Playing live takes me to a different place – a different state of reality, and when a tour ends I miss it. SHJ – We have just played 14 gigs, had a couple of weeks off and now we are really looking forward to playing again. What should we expect from these live performances? Any hints? Let’s start! You are going to appear live in Thessaloniki (18 th November, Mavri Trypa) and Athens (19 th November, Death Disco). I have to personally thank Simon Huw Jones for taking the time answering our questions and of course Leonidas Skiadas from Death Disco, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible. With a career spanning well over three and a half decades AATT are one of the true underdogs of British music. Our beloved And Also The Trees are returning once again to Greece for a double bill today (in Thessaloniki) and tomorrow in Athens at Death Disco.
0 kommentar(er)
