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| ::Interviews:: |
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| review & interview content, as well as web site graphics & design, copywrite 2003-2004 Euphonia Online. use of materials granted only with reasonable purposes. |
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| interviewed by robby sumner |
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| Interview with Chris August 1st, 2004 |
Christopher Clark - Vocals, Guitar, Various Daniel Bernhardt - Vocals, Guitar, Various Tommy Carillo - Bass Keoki Lanza - Drums |
| E: So Chris, you do a number of different things in your band And Ever... would you say that this is a burden, or a blessing in that it lets you be more involved than if you were limited to one or two instruments? Chris: To be honest, at times it does become a burden, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I like to have complete creative control over every aspect of the band, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. The blessing in the matter is, the musicians I work with just so happen to be dear friends. When the collaboration is taking place, it is like we are taking friendship to a whole new level. It is quite beautiful. E: Could you give me a list of all the things you do and have done? Chris: I arrange most all of the songs on acoustic guitar, and recently found the piano a very useful instrument for composition. More of the new material has been turned into electric guitar to fit a full-band profile. Daniel Bernhardt does all of the string arrangements on the new material, and I've been learning a lot about classical instrumentation. The first instrument I really learned was trombone, but then I eventually picked up an old bass, then my dad's classical guitar. Lately, I've been obsessed with picking up new instruments. I've been working on harmonica, drums set, and even the jaw harp. *Laughs* I am still waiting for my set of TreeWorks chimes to come in the mail. In the studio everyone hastles me about putting the kitchen sink into every song. I'd like to think it's the Brian Wilson in me. E: The songs on your Forever's Not Enough EP all have a strong acoustic feel to them... do you think you handle acoustic music similarly to the way other unplugged groups take it on? Chris: The Forever's Not Enough EP was released over two years ago, and was very heavily influenced by the Vagrant acoustic musicians. I felt like they were doing something very powerful with their live performances through acoustic music. The early EP was perhaps a mimic of those guys. E: What do you think has caused the change in your new material? Chris: Well, I think there are a couple of factors. First of all, I find myself experimenting more and more--surrounding myself with new instruments, new influences, new musicians. I owe a lot of my recent musical outlook to Daniel Bernhardt. Whether he knows it or not, he is always challenging me to become a better musician. These things have found their way into And Ever over the years. E: How would you describe the relationship you have with Daniel, both as friends and musically? Chris: In many ways Dan and I differ greatly. I think the thing we have in common is the way we live life--the way we keep our head in the clouds while our feet are still on the ground. Musically, Dan is far more sophisticated and sound at theory, but we both possess a passion for music collaboration that words cannot explain. The differences we share are respected, admired, and transcended, all for a friendship that is golden in essence. E: Is it difficult to play live shows with the way your band's music is put together? Chris: Yes. We have just started to put the live show together as a full band, and it is a learning process. I do have a vision of an ideal live performance, but I have to keep telling myself to be patient, because it is something that I realize we will have to work up to. I envy bands like The Smashing Pumpkins and Fleetwood Mac who get to incorporate all the bells and whistles into the live performance. Bands of that genius often humble me greatly. E: Has the band done any touring outside your area? Chris: Nope. E: Is that something you think is one of your greater goals as a musican? Chris: Not really. Extensive touring is not that important to me. Selling a bunch of records is not that improtant to me either. At this point, I am far more obsessed with producing a killer record--with money I don't have. Being a perfectionist, this is a lofty goal for me. From there, as a band, we will work on perfecting a live show, and even then I don't see us becoming an agressive touring band. I do, however, get a tremendous amount of pleasure out of meeting new people, and that would be a lovely benefit of touring. E: Is there any specific group of people you write in hopes of appealing to? Chris: I'll put it this way... a true musician is a selfish person. We will be the first to admit that we write music because we cannot contain our desires. Perhaps it is our sick way of turning ourselves inside out and getting to the core of our being. Appealing to others would be a selfless act and not a characteristic of a true musician. E: When do you find yourself happiest as a musican? Chris: When I step back and look at the ways in which musicianship has allowed me to make that intimate and unique connection with the musicians I write with. There are many forms of artwork out there, but how many of those art forms collaborate as individuals to create a piece of work equivalent to a song? On the other hand, think of all the friendships that you have, and how many of them involve writing music. A band and the relationships formed are truly a beautiful mystery. This realization comes often and makes me happy. E: What's the band currently working on? Chris: I am working on getting some demo tracks fine tuned so that when we reunite nest month we scan spice the songs up and get back into the studio. Dan is currently finishing up his solo album, so we will be working hard to promote that this fall. Keoki is currently on tour this summer with his main project, Falling For Alba, so we will be keeping busy. E: Do you have any idea what you're planning on doing in a year or so? Chris: Wow. A bit of a tough question for a "this is now" type of guy, but I'm pretty sure most of us will have one more year of college left. Other than that I'll go out on a limb and guess that I'll be surfing everyday, Dan will be reading a philosophy book under a shady tree, we'll meet up in the afternoon and write music into the wee hours of the morning. There's one thing I'm sure of...we'll be doing something selfish. E: Sounds good. Good luck with that--anything left for you to say? Chris: Thank you for the interview Robby! Lastly I want to congratulate my friends in Set Your Goals from Oakland, CA, and give a last farewell to our dear friends Fighting Riley from the east bay as well. Anyone who came to a show, listened to a record, or memorized a lyric... you are truly loved. |
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