Ricardo Confessori, SHAMAN's drummer.

Interview

with Ricardo Confessori, SHAMAN's drummer and leader of the band.

TÔ SEM BANDA BRUNO DUARTE - sexta-feira, 12 de setembro de 2008 16:21

http://www.tosembanda.com/colunas2008/one_news.asp?IDNews=101

TÔ SEM BANDA > Hello, Ricardo. How Are you ?

Could you tell us a little about your projects ?

RICARDO CONFESSORI > Shaman have been playing a lot, We are going now to a tour in Latin-America, working on our new live DVD that haves already a teaser on Youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX7cMMbvsbI. We’re also working on a tour that in some European festivals. I’m still with my work as a musical producer on my studio, The Plug In[www.baterasbeat.com.br/estudio.php], Giving lessons on EM&T in São Paulo and Campinas and in Bateras Beat. I’m touring with my workshops around Brazil. I’m always disseminating Shaman and my works parallel.

TSB > Could you tell us about your musical influences?

RICARDO > They are som many That could fill this page when trying to list them. Talking about the main ones rock progressivo e fusion.

TSB > The name Shaman in the begin was with one A. After that, itgot 2 A’s, Shaaman and now it’s Shaman again. Why these changes ?

RICARDO > The inclusion of the doulbe A was a bizarre thing that, that actually must be said, ad nothing to do with trademark dispute. Was a study about numerology, and believed to be that inclouding an A on our name, we would have more strength and success. After what has happened, I tought that was a silly thing, and decided to putt it out

TSB > The song Fairy Tale, can be considered the first of a heavy metal group, to be part of the soundtrack of a Rede Globo’s novel, 'O Beijo do Vampiro'. How did the partnership ?

RICARDO > In 2002, o Shaman was hired to Universal Music, and Max Pierre, president on the season and fan of the band, called Jaime Monjardim from Globo. He was aware of this epic novel, about medieval vampires. As Shaman is a sound that spirit and Fairy Tale was very medieval musically, the deal worked.

TSB > What’s the motive of the line up changes ? Do you still have contact with the former members, André, Hugo and Luis?

RICARDO > There wasn’t a single reason, was a series of reasons. At the Begin of the end, they wanted me to leave immediately, then settled out by themselves and make their own project. I humbly took what remains of a band and with good will could make something good of all of this. That’s the Best that can be made on these situations.

TSB > Shaman counted with the participation of the violinist Marcus Vianna, of the progressive rock band, Sagrado Coração da Terra and from novels soundtrack, like ‘O Clone’ e ‘Pantanal’. How did this contact happened ?

RICARDO > Marcus was out fan, even before we met. He liked Angra, and followed the career of the former Angra members, who went to Shaman.

TSB > Ricardo, there is in youtube, a video that would be related to ad DVD of the Reason album. Does this DVD exists? He Will be out someday ?

RICARDO > This video is a compilation of the making offs, of back stages and of tours that we’ve made on the season. I think that our video maker on the season, would have started an edition to show us, and not to have lost the job, after the line-up changes, decided to add this compilation on youtube. It Will not be released anymore.

TSB > In the season that I worked at the ‘Jornal Do Rock’, I was one of the firsts in Brazil to make news on Reason, in the season, I’ve talked to Hugo Mariutti about it. I want to know the reason of the big changes on the musical stile from Ritual to Reason and how was the rescue of the sound next to the original one ?

RICARDO > Reason have bringed a trend that’s not mine, don’t belong to me. My stile is Heavy Metal, with a wide variety of influences on the drums, like swing, virtuous ideas of guitars and voices. Ritual is still my favorite and it defines well Shaman’s stile. If I could go back in time I would make Reason a different cd. Now in Immortal we’ve tried to do a cd rich in Melody and Instrumentals, and at the same time, very heavy. Ritual is still my favorite cd of the old season, and it defines well Shaman’s stile. Immortal haves a lot of Ritual, but it goes beyond, because it is a very versatile album, where exists songs with low tuning and vocals with a lot of Drives, and there is still a totally acoustic song rescuing a sonority of “Holy Land”, from Angra. The Immortal theme was a way to show that Shaman would not end just because the most leaves the band. I wanted  to show people the feeling that, a single seed is enough to create a new forest. All that we need is courage and overshoot, a thing that I know well for all these years, fighting for metal, as a Drummer. The CD name Will also be a massage for all of us, with regard to our planet, that we still can save it, keeping it immortal.

TSB > How did you came to Thiago Bianchi [vocals], Léo Mancini [guitars] e Fernando Quesada [basses]?

RICARDO > It began with a partnership with Thiago Bianchi, in producing a band is studio. Talking about what would be Shaman, He told me about some good musicians that he already recorded in studio, and then the tests began. I Just have to say that they are excellent musicians, that have been chosen among dozens of other musicians that I’ve tested, during hearing seasons in my studio. It ended up been chosen Leo Mancini and Fernando Quesada. I always say to them that I didn’t chose them, they chose me. We also called Fabrizio Di Sarno, as a accompanist musician to develop and play the arrangements of keyboards and orchestra.

TSB > I was reading on internet, and noticed that the selection of the new members was secret. What was the motive of this initiative?

RICARDO > Yes, some things we do the way we know, and for me, that was the way that I’ve found to do the things. No appeal from fans. At the time of choice, had to come from me this option.

TSB > How’ve been the Immortal’s process of composition?

RICARDO > Was a job that first, we’ve done with very Will and dedication. We used our free time between our careers as producers, musicians, and teachers to record this CD. Much of this was recorded on Saturdays and Sundays, between the commitments. Like all works, was made a pre-production where we chose and finish the Best songs of each demo and we give a touch of the band, to have an unity. The material was numerous ando f great quality. Fernando brought many ideas, just like Leo and Thiago, Who wrote the most of the lyrics. The Record was one of the fastest that I ever done, I’ve recorded all drums in 2 days, e and that was the standard for guitars, basses and voice. Because we are experiment, we’ve jump some “boring” procedures, and finished it on a objective way. The arrangements of Fabrizio added a lot on this CD

TSB > Something curious happened while recording?

RICARDO > The Fabrizio’s Keyboards and orchestral arrangements added a lot on this CD. He conduced a little orchestra of strings made by musicians of the ‘Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo’ [OSESP],that have moved everybody that was present on the moment of the CD register. Of course, we have everything recorded in video and we went to use it on a future DVD