Interview
(Progressive Newsletter Nr.29 03/00)
excerpts from an interview with Pär Lindh (Keyboards)
Perhaps it´s our ability to write music with complex classical structures but at the same time also keep the ¨watch out so we don´t push you over the cliff¨ hard rock attitude in there...which we especially do in the live situation. This I feel is one of the most interesting virtues of the band right now.
Talking about sucess, how many copies of the CD have you sold? In PLP case, in which countries do you have the biggest sucess?
Well I don´t know exactly how many we have sold but it isn´t an awful lot really. You see we still don´t have any distribution! So our CDs are mainly sold by small indipendent dealers all over the world and since the media is negelecting prog totally it means that 99% of the people in a country like the USA for example don´t even know we exist...! On the other hand we sell more CDs than most other progressive bands. So if you look at it that way we are doing all right.
What about New Groove Project? Could you tell us a little bit more about this side project?
What happened really was that two guys from Switzerland hired Jode Leigh on drums, Roine Stolt on guitar and myself on keys to record some music they had written some years before. So they hired my studio in Sweden, Crimsonic Label Studios, and we all spent 12 days recording the whole album and just having a great time. I enjoyed very much working with especially Jode Leigh, he was just a great drummer and brilliant guy in every way and of course with Roine Stolt.
Is there also the possibility to work with Björn Johansson again?
Funny that you ask that question really because I had a two day meeting with Björn only a couple of days ago where we decided to start working together again on another duo album and also perhaps in future tours. Björn toured with PLP on our first South American tour and a lot of fans would very much like to see us playing together again, which is nice.
Is Keith Emerson a strong influence for you? I ask this since there is a cover version of "Rondo" on one of your albums.
Keith Emerson was important to me when I was developing as a young musician. I was into classical music only and felt a bit stifled in that enviroment. I didn´t feel at ease with all the silly rules which some of my earlier teachers tried to force me to follow. Then suddenly here was this fantastic player who played better than my teachers and who broke all the rules in a wonderful way. He showed the way for many keyboard players. It opened up a lot of possibillities within rock or rather in progressive rock.
On "Gothic Impressions" you play with Roine Stolt, the musicians of Änglagård and many guests. Do you agree if one would say that it is a more baroque and symphonic than the mini CD "Rondo"?
Yes "Gothic Impressions" has a lot of inspiration from J.S.Bach on it... as well as from symphonic and renaissance music. Whereas the Mini CD "Rondo" was not a serious attempt really. It is not an album that I´m all that proud of. But on the other hand it´s O.K. I suppose.
With "Mundus Compertus" PLP show a renaissance sounding music, with a great touch of progressive rock in the style of ELP and based on the elaborated keyboards developements. The best PLP album from my point of view.
PLP was more of a band when recording "Mundus Compertus" also my recording skills had improved and I was going for a more direct group sound instead of the more orchestral sound on "Gothic Impressions". I think they both are quality albums but different.
What about Sweden's progressive music of today? Sweden seems to be a fantastic place with a lot of progressive bands, but many groups say too that in Sweden they have a very few listeners. Is this true?
Well, the thing is that there are a lot of talented bands and players around in Sweden today but unfortunately there is an almost total lack of support from record companies and media. It´s all a bit sad! I get all this mail from Swedish people who´ve just heard the PLP Live album for example and they just can´t understand how the media over here have been able to get away with negelecting us the way they have been doing for five years! The good thing is that we are very hardened...or as Roine Stolt put´s it ¨If they choose negelect us well then I will just continue to negelect them¨.
In my opinion the scandinavian bands are building their own progressive style, full of tension, deep obscure and very sophisticated. Congratulations!
Thanks! Well everywhere we go people says things like ¨Swedish prog is the best etc.¨ and I´m very pleased because some of it is really good. Of all prog bands I enjoy listening to today I think something like a third pf them do come from Sweden.
Finally, a special question: please name your five favourite CD's of all times.
Well if you mean in the progressive genre it would be something like: "Foxtrot" by Genesis, "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, "Ommadawn" by Mike Oldfield, "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson and "Grand Hotel" by Procul Harum.
Juan Barrenechea Herrera © Progressive Newsletter 2000