Interview
(Progressive Newsletter Nr.32 10/00)
excerpts from an interview with Neal Morse (Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar)
Oh, it was great! I've never been involved in any band that had that kind of reaction playing to crowds that were unfamiliar with their music. I actually began enjoying playing to audiences that didn't know us more than playing for our regular fans. It's amazing to watch a huge group of people 'convert' to being SB fans. It was killer, and we're just seeing it show up in the sales figures of the new record.
There seem to be a big difference between the concert activities of Spock' Beard in the U.S. and Europe. You toured several times throughout Europe, whereas in the U.S. there are only some concerts from time to time. Where do you see the differences in your home country and Europe?
The toilet paper. No, it's mainly just numbers. There's more fans in Europe for this kind of thing. More people come out, so there's more press and more record sales. The enthusiasm's the same in the states, just a few less people. Although we had some shows on the U.S. Dream Theater tour that were so good I said to Ryo afterwards "wow....that was almost like Europe!!!" That's how good some of the US gigs were.
In April you played in Cologne together with Manfred Mann's Earth Band at the well-known german TV rock-show "Rockpalast". How did you get the chance playing on this event and how were you received?
Peter Rüchel saw us at Zeche in Bochum and we met with him after the show. Actually it was Hans Barth from Warner/Chappell who brought him down. Anyway, he loved us and put us on his show. That's pretty much it. I thought, if you were there when we taped "Rockpalast" , the feeling was good in the room. I don't think it really came off as well on the video. Things rarely do. It was a drag that that was the only night of the whole month long tour that my voice was rough....but....what can you do? The show must go on right?
In the last two years you also did two acoustic club tours together with Nick. Who had the idea of doing this unplugged thing and will you do again something like this in the future?
Yeah, we really enjoy that. It was actually something that Thomas Waber and I cooked up as a way to promote Spock's Beard and make a bit of money at the same time. We did a few dates this year as well and I personally really like it. You can see everyone - at bigger shows when the lights are on you can only see the 1st few rows - and it's very casual and you can play whatever you want whenever you feel like it - not like a regular tour where you have a certain set rehearsed and you pretty much do that night after night......plus there's no costs so we walk away with some actual money!! Think of it.
Do you feel kind of a "saviour" of Progressive Rock, keeping the spirit of the 70's alive and getting it fresh into the 90's and the new millennium?
Not really. There's alot of bands doing this sort of thing, we've just got a jump on them I guess. I don't know......if we can be a part of some kind of resurgence of interesting writing and playing, well, that would be awesome, but, I don't feel we're there yet.
The new album sounds quite different from those before, without breaking with the tradition of the typical Spock's Beard sound. Listening for example to "V"'s new balance in the background choruses, it is easy to distinguish that they have changed in sound, timbre and fullness. Is this "new" sound a sign that Spock's Beard has finally become a Band and not only a band featuring Neal Morse?
That's funny 'cause we've been criticized alot for not changing our sound. Not evolving they call it. I think we added some new elements on this record we hadn't used before, but as far as having a changed sound, I don't think so. It's still just Neal Morse with a bunch of lame guys that can barely play! :) Joke. Just kidding. We did play with more arrangements and parts on this album together as a band than in the past, so if that's showing up in your ears....cool!
V seems to be an "adult" album - in terms of "serious" - it sounds darker than "Day for night" or "The kindness of strangers", maybe it is comparable to "Beware of darkness". What were the circumstances that lead to the compositions of the songs and did the other bandmembers contribute? How much Spock's Beard is in a composition signed Neal Morse?
I don't know why songs come out when they do and the way they do. When I'm writing, I try and follow the song where it wants to go, so, if it sounds darker to you or more serious, this album doesn't occur for me that way. We got together and wrote the music for 'Revelation' at Ryo's house. Nick wrote the verse music, Al had the chorus riff and I sang over it, and we all kicked it around 'til we thought it was right. It came out much better than I expected. Alan also wrote the 1st and middle bit in "Thoughts Pt 2". The rest I wrote.
Sal Pichireddu © Progressive Newsletter 2000