**Η παρακάτω συνέντευξη πραγματοποιήθηκε από τον Μανώλη Μ. και είναι στα Αγγλικά.**
Hello Andy! I hope you are doing fine! Do you have the same fire for music now as you did when you started playing?
Hi everybody, nice to talk to you! If I have the same fire? Well, I think I’m a little more realistic these days than I was maybe 10 years ago about the music industry. But I feel the same pleasure and joy in and creating new music or performing live.
How does the creative process work in Andy Rocks?
When we produced the new record in 2020 we had a lot to do with lockdowns. We had to work at home and send files via internet, but it worked very well, I must say. During the making of this record, we had some line-up changes and I asked Stone (who’s now the new guitar player) and Andreas (who also plays guitar but takes the bass part right now). I had already written most of the songs and asked them to record their instrument for the songs. Some parts we did together in our home studio. On some others I sent them the songs and they recorded their parts and sent them back. That’s the way it was with this record. Of course, it is nicer if you can work together in the rehearsal room, but last year unfortunately this wasn’t possible very often.
Your single “Digital Detox” was a nice surprise! Are you planning the first album to be out after soon?
Thank you! Yes, we recorded an album in 2020 and it is ready now. Currently I’m working on the layout and the artwork and we will release a new song on February the 5th with a new lyric video.
Do you treat the writing process like a full-time job, or do you have a different method?
No, we don’t treat it like that. You have to find the necessary inspiration and I personally need breaks when I don’t write anything at all. I use the inspiration when it is there and then I sit down and work on something new. But you cannot force it. Last year we had a little more time for writing because there were no shows due to lockdowns.
Do you find writing easy and natural or is it a process you have to break down technically?
It can be easy if you have a certain flow, a creative phase, and enough time. Some songs seem to write themselves and are evolving fast. Some others take maybe even years till they’re finally recorded and ready for a release. It always depends on the free time you have to spend for working on music. Producing songs takes time. You need to sit down organize the recordings, you have to edit the takes, you have to hear it again and again and talk about it, maybe re-record and so on …
Do you hear the other parts, instruments, of the song when you are writing?
Sometimes I can imagine certain parts and lines but not always.
What inspires you to write music?
I started writing songs a long time ago because I just wanted to try if I could also write a melody line and lyrics. Then that became a hobby and after a while you want to become better and better. Writing your own stuff is far more interesting and fulfilling than doing just covers. I think and it’s a way to express yourself, to express opinions on certain themes going on society or about relationships. There are no limits what a song can be about.
How would you think you would have sounded if you were a band in the 70s?
That’s not an easy question. I like a lot of music that came out in the 70s, for example also American country music from that time like Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. Maybe wouldn’t have done something like Hard Rock or metal and at all and I would have been in a country band …
Are there any new artists (not necessary musicians) that you find interesting?
A current band that I’m a fan of is Black Stone Cherry. I like their sound and their albums and songs. I find it really cool, they are together for 20 years since high school. That’s an amazing thing and you can hear it when they play together that they are a real grown band.
Do you have a process of writing lyrics or this comes natural?
Here I must say that this for me as a natural thing and I write them very fast. Most of the time I only rewrite very small parts of them. Takes from 10 minutes to half an hour but here I am quite fast when I have inspiration or an idea.
Why do you think people play music today?
Well people always did it and they still do. If you have the passion for playing in a band or playing an instrument this can be a very fulfilling thing. You can also sometimes be proud of yourself when you have achieved a certain level on your instrument or with your band.
Thank you for taking the time to answert to your questions! Rock on!
I thank you!
https://andy-rocks.jimdosite.com
https://www.instagram.com/andyrocks4u
https://www.facebook.com/AndyRocksBand/
https://soundcloud.com/user-470300324
https://andyrocks.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNqp9m7EUyzcL7A-BV03zAw
Andy Rocks – Look at what we’ve done – Official Lyric Video
DIGITAL DETOX – VIDEO
