n°15, 17th of December, 2009
Dear friends, fans and passing smiles,
it's been 3 months that you read Awa-news every week. Thank you for your faithfulness. Awa-news takes a little break for Xmas and New Year, then will be back in January. In waiting, why not telling Awa-news what you think of it, what you would like to read, what you like, what you hate...?Feel free to send your opinion here!
OK, time to jump into Awa-news number 15!
Artists sometimes say very smart sentences, with or without knowing.
It's rock'n'roll philosophy time!
Cherish forever what makes you unique, 'cuz you're really a yawn if it goes. (Bette Midler)
What are the hottest news in Awaken's Universe?
AWAKEN IS BACK
I see your surprised face: "Awaken is back? But Awaken never ceased to release songs! We're overwhelmed by Awaken songs! How dare you say it's back?".
Calm down dude! The last official record of Awaken was in early 2008, it was the single I Know Time Is Passing By... and since then, no new release has been seen around. Capito?
"What about the album This Mouth then? And the Yellow Line? And the Blue Hanger?"
Yep, but this isn't Awaken, this is Gilles Snowcat from Awaken. Awaken, as a band, has been sleeping until September of this year. And now we have a new single currently on the mixing process, if ever we can say there is a mixing process in Awaken. It will be available soon online on pay-per-download only.
You will be delighted to hear musicians begged, borrowed or stolen from the cream of the indie scene.
Links: http://www.awaken.be
Our interview:
SASTIEN: I don’t have a boss anymore, it’s useless.
The online market brings its lot of discoveries, even some bands having split for years. How to describe Tertius' music? Can we say it's based on jams and sounds like a punk band with progressive influences? Hmmm... the saxophone brings a touch of jazz too. But let the stickers go to hell, and let's ask Tertius' drummer, Sastien, to tell us more.
-Nice to meet you, Sastien. Please use three words to introduce yourself.
-Sastien: My first boss nicknamed me: hunger, tiredness and stress. I don’t have a boss anymore, it’s useless.
-What brought you to become an active musician?
-Sastien: Phil Collins. I was a fan of his career as a drummer and wanted to become one. I always think there is magic in the air when he seats behind a kit.
-You were drummer of the Tertius, a band that seemed to love to jam. Can you tell us more about that experience?
-Sastien: When we started, we were suffering from a big lack of technique. So we jammed a lot because it was the only thing we were able to do. As time passes by, we improved a lot and finally began to write structured pieces.
-Among your work, what is the piece that you think represents you the most, and why?
-Sastien: One of our last tunes was named “La tête du batteur”. Very fast and groovy, very complicated, with a lot of changes. I guess we were a progressive band who ignored it. I was the only one in the band who liked progressive music, I kinda liked the idea that we were making that kind of stuff.
-Any song you’re ashamed of, and why?
-Sastien: No, I am not ashamed of anything we played during almost 15 years. Even of the song “Sexy woman”. I have written the lyrics and was the one who sang it. It was a crying shame but it was a lot of fun to sing (while drumming).
-If you had a magic wand, in what band would you play right now?
-Sastien: Hard to tell. I mean, when I really like a drummer, I don’t see why I should replace him! Maybe Awaken, this band really needs a drummer…
-What would you say to Awa-news readers who might not know you, to convince them to listen to your albums?
-Sastien: I am proud of that music, but unfortunately we never got the chance to record an album properly. We were a live band, and now we have split. It’s a shame.
-In the 70’s, drummers like Ian Paice, Carmine Appice, John Bonham, Bill Ward or Peter Criss, who had the ‘hard-rock’ label sticked on their forehead, were usually influenced by jazz and classical music, which made their style so rich and tasty. Nowadays hard-rock drummers seem to be influenced by those hard-rock musicians only. Therefore, do you feel that their style lack of something?
-Sastien: Sometimes, the groove is missing. They also sometimes beat their drums to strong (even if like that very much!), forgetting that a drum kit is also a musical instrument. You have forgotten Vinnie Appice in your list, the guy has a great sense of musicality, like his brother.
-Last but not least, would you openly admit that you are an Awaken fan?
-Sastien: Of course, I even thought of playing the drums with that band!
Links: http://www.jamendo.com/fr/artist/tertius_%28Jamendo%29
What happened on December some years ago?
Let's jump into Awa-news' time machine...
07/12/1984: Foreigner releases the album Agent Provocateur.
09/12/1984: Razzle, drummer of the glam band Hanoi Rocks, dies in a car crash which seriously injured two other innocents. The driver of the car survived and is hopefully still haunted by the loss of his friend.
19/12/1941: Maurice White says hello to the Elements. Mainly a drummer from the Chicago scene, he creates Earth Wind & Fire in the beginning of the 70's and gradually becomes the lead singer of the band, until recently.
You like Awaken? You *will* like this album:
NEIL DIAMOND, Lovescape (1991)
Released in 1991, Lovescape in another proof that many singers are like good wine: they get better as they grow older. Neil Diamond releases a rather modern album, although less obviously high-tech than his records from the 80's. Some pieces are quite easy FM songs but are enhanced by Diamond's unique voice ("Mountains Of Love", "Don't Turn Around"), while other are nothing but jewels ("Fortune Of The Night", "Lonely Lady #17", "Someone Who Believes In You", "When You Miss Your Love" or the lively cover of "One Hand, One Heart"). Kim Carnes was around for a duo ("Hooked On The Memory Of You") and fans of the classic Diamond won't be disappointed with the opener "If There Were No Dreams". A must-listen. Can you swear you resist to "Lonely Lady #17"?
Links: www.neildiamond.com
Awa-news takes some vacation and will be back with a new serie of interviews and more news about the Awaken Galaxy. Enjoy your end-of-the-year parties and if you're still alive, we'll surely meet again.
Sayônara!
email: awamail(at)hellokitty(dot)com
Awaken main sites: www.awaken.be
© AWAKEN-Awanews-
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