Inquire (July 2010)

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This German symphonic prog band is a pretty unknown band. But they should not be dismissed because their music is worth while our attention. 
I got in touch with Thomas Kohls for the Inquire story..... so far.
--------------------
When, by whom and where was Inquire
born ?
Inquire
was founded back in 1996 by the current members. However our former
bass player Michael Eckert passed away in 2006.

We
are from Leichlingen, Germany, a small town 15 miles north of Cologne
and 3 miles south of Aufderhöhe, deep in the heart of the
“Bergisches Land”.

What inspired you to start  Inquire ? 

From
our early years on we have been avid fans of progressive Rock and
already played that style of music in some bands prior to Inquire. We
call ourselves lucky to experience all the great Kraut Rock bands in
the 70`s live in our hometown. These  extremely exiting
times had a deep impact on us and encouraged us to start our own
band. 

To start with; please
give me your (long or brief) thoughts and reflections on your
albums.......

Inquire Within from 1999

In
1999 our first album “Inquire within” was recorded live in the
studio in only five days.  After playing cover songs by Camel
,ELP or IQ for two years,  on “Inquire within” we finally
made our own compositions. 

The Neck Pillow from 2000

On
“Inquire within” we were definitely very much influenced by our
favourite bands. This changed on the second CD “ the Neck Pillow”,
where we tried to create a more individual style by mixing our
passion for progressive music with our love for the post war
German cinema . So we came up with the idea to compose a Rock opera
around the film “die Bettwurst” . The story of that film, is a
bizarre love story of two unusual individuals who failed in society
and seek to escape the threat of destruction into an ordinary life.
This story was the perfect frame for our creative ideas.

Melancholia from 2003

On
“Melancholia” we were also looking for a sujet to develop our
musical ideas. With Sartre`s book “ Nausea” as a guiding line the
more depressing direction was logical from the early beginning of the
working process. At that time we realized that there would be no
future for Inquire. Due to job and family commitments we were forced
to put ourselves under time pressure and therefore had to compromise
. Nevertheless we consider Melancholia our best work and the bonus
track “ Long live Rock and Roll ” is still a lot of fun to play.
This 20 minute piece is a rock version of the third organ symphony by
the French composer Louis Vierne and was composed between 1906 and
1919. Another fact what makes Melancholia so special to us is that
Eroc, the drummer of Grobschnitt, did the mastering. The “neck
pillow” has a lot of references to Eroc `s infamous second CD.

Das auge ist der erste kreis-Der erste
inoffizielle Live-bootleg from 2001.

Das
“Auge ist der erste Kreis” is a compilation of live recordings
and studio out takes. This is meant to be only for friends and
diehard fans. It is definitely not for the fainted heart. This CD is
dedicated to our stupid  local job center and Erich
Ribbeck, the former “want to be” coach of the German national
soccer team. 

What have you been doing since 2003 and
what is the latest update on Inquire ?

We
had to go through many personal and career changes that there
was no time to continue with the band until 2009. On and off we
played with other bands in different styles of music. From 2005 until
2008 we reformed our school band Trespass and played some funny
concerts. Since 2009 we are back with Inquire and hopefully we will
find  the time and discipline to continue into the future. We
have a lot of new compositions and it is only a matter of time to
record and release them. 

How would you describe your music and
who would you compare yourself with ?  

We
play progressive Rock influenced by all the bands from the 70`s and
the so called Kraut Rock Bands from Germany. We would describe our
music as a mixture of all these sounds. Furthermore we love bands
like After Crying,  Mars Volta, Ars Nova, Steve Vai,  Dream
Theater, Frogg Café, Echolyn ,Versus X, Embryo  and so on…
But
of course we wouldn`t compare ourselves with these bands.

What is the availability of your albums
and what is your experiences with the music industry ?

All
our CD’s are still available from almost all distributers of
progressive Rock. Especially Musea from France helped us a lot to
distribute our music worldwide. We are still receiving mails from
fans and playlists from radio stations which is very much appreciated
and more than we hoped for. The progressive Rock society is very
loyal and supportive. 

Prog rock is now in fashion again. What
is your view on today's scene ?

For
us Prog Rock has always been in fashion. However, nowadays the scene
is not so close like it used to be in the 80`s, where the first
magazines started and a Prog concert was something special. Therefore
it is not easy to make a statement.  We would say that despite
all the festivals, millions of magazines and all the other activities
within the scene it is still an underground scene that fortunately is
strong enough to exist beyond the madness of the mainstream music
industry . 

Just to wrap up this interview; what is
your five all-time favourite albums ? 

1.Änglagard
– Hybris

2.Yello
– Touch Yello3.Antonio
Sanchez – Migration

4.
Phish  - Rift

5.Led
Zeppelin – 3

Anything you want to add to this
interview ?

Thank
you for your interest in Inquire and all the best…

Thank you to Thomas for this interview

Their PA profile is here and their homepage is here

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toroddfuglesteg Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Retired Joined: March 04 2008 Location: Retirement Home Status: Offline Points: 3658	Topic: Inquire (July 2010) Posted: July 26 2010 at 13:19
	This German symphonic prog band is a pretty unknown band. But they should not be dismissed because their music is worth while our attention. I got in touch with Thomas Kohls for the Inquire story..... so far. -------------------- When, by whom and where was Inquire born ? Inquire was founded back in 1996 by the current members. However our former bass player Michael Eckert passed away in 2006. We are from Leichlingen, Germany, a small town 15 miles north of Cologne and 3 miles south of Aufderhöhe, deep in the heart of the “Bergisches Land”. What inspired you to start Inquire ? From our early years on we have been avid fans of progressive Rock and already played that style of music in some bands prior to Inquire. We call ourselves lucky to experience all the great Kraut Rock bands in the 70`s live in our hometown. These extremely exiting times had a deep impact on us and encouraged us to start our own band. To start with; please give me your (long or brief) thoughts and reflections on your albums....... Inquire Within from 1999 In 1999 our first album “Inquire within” was recorded live in the studio in only five days. After playing cover songs by Camel ,ELP or IQ for two years, on “Inquire within” we finally made our own compositions. The Neck Pillow from 2000 On “Inquire within” we were definitely very much influenced by our favourite bands. This changed on the second CD “ the Neck Pillow”, where we tried to create a more individual style by mixing our passion for progressive music with our love for the post war German cinema . So we came up with the idea to compose a Rock opera around the film “die Bettwurst” . The story of that film, is a bizarre love story of two unusual individuals who failed in society and seek to escape the threat of destruction into an ordinary life. This story was the perfect frame for our creative ideas. Melancholia from 2003 On “Melancholia” we were also looking for a sujet to develop our musical ideas. With Sartre`s book “ Nausea” as a guiding line the more depressing direction was logical from the early beginning of the working process. At that time we realized that there would be no future for Inquire. Due to job and family commitments we were forced to put ourselves under time pressure and therefore had to compromise . Nevertheless we consider Melancholia our best work and the bonus track “ Long live Rock and Roll ” is still a lot of fun to play. This 20 minute piece is a rock version of the third organ symphony by the French composer Louis Vierne and was composed between 1906 and 1919. Another fact what makes Melancholia so special to us is that Eroc, the drummer of Grobschnitt, did the mastering. The “neck pillow” has a lot of references to Eroc `s infamous second CD. Das auge ist der erste kreis-Der erste inoffizielle Live-bootleg from 2001. Das “Auge ist der erste Kreis” is a compilation of live recordings and studio out takes. This is meant to be only for friends and diehard fans. It is definitely not for the fainted heart. This CD is dedicated to our stupid local job center and Erich Ribbeck, the former “want to be” coach of the German national soccer team. What have you been doing since 2003 and what is the latest update on Inquire ? We had to go through many personal and career changes that there was no time to continue with the band until 2009. On and off we played with other bands in different styles of music. From 2005 until 2008 we reformed our school band Trespass and played some funny concerts. Since 2009 we are back with Inquire and hopefully we will find the time and discipline to continue into the future. We have a lot of new compositions and it is only a matter of time to record and release them. How would you describe your music and who would you compare yourself with ? We play progressive Rock influenced by all the bands from the 70`s and the so called Kraut Rock Bands from Germany. We would describe our music as a mixture of all these sounds. Furthermore we love bands like After Crying, Mars Volta, Ars Nova, Steve Vai, Dream Theater, Frogg Café, Echolyn ,Versus X, Embryo and so on… But of course we wouldn`t compare ourselves with these bands. What is the availability of your albums and what is your experiences with the music industry ? All our CD’s are still available from almost all distributers of progressive Rock. Especially Musea from France helped us a lot to distribute our music worldwide. We are still receiving mails from fans and playlists from radio stations which is very much appreciated and more than we hoped for. The progressive Rock society is very loyal and supportive. Prog rock is now in fashion again. What is your view on today's scene ? For us Prog Rock has always been in fashion. However, nowadays the scene is not so close like it used to be in the 80`s, where the first magazines started and a Prog concert was something special. Therefore it is not easy to make a statement. We would say that despite all the festivals, millions of magazines and all the other activities within the scene it is still an underground scene that fortunately is strong enough to exist beyond the madness of the mainstream music industry . Just to wrap up this interview; what is your five all-time favourite albums ? 1.Änglagard – Hybris 2.Yello – Touch Yello 3.Antonio Sanchez – Migration 4. Phish - Rift 5.Led Zeppelin – 3 Anything you want to add to this interview ? Thank you for your interest in Inquire and all the best… Thank you to Thomas for this interview Their PA profile is here and their homepage is here