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Forum Description: Original interviews with Prog artists (which are exclusive to Prog Archives)
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=79314 Printed Date: December 22 2024 at 18:27 Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: KarmakanicPosted By: toroddfuglesteg
Subject: Karmakanic
Date Posted: June 27 2011 at 11:37
No introductions is really needed here..... so let me keep this short & sweet.
KARMAKANIC is a solo project from Sweden's finest bass player Jonas Reingold. He is also the bassist in THE FLOWER KINGS and the ex bassist in THE TANGENT.
Karmakanic has just released their new album In A Perfect World and I got in touch with Jonas Reingold for the Karmakanic story.
Your
biography has been covered in your ProgArchives profile so let's
bypass the biography details. But which bands were you influenced by
and why did you choose that slightly odd name ?
We
had a hard time figure out a name for the band when we started back
in 2002. So we had a competition on the Flower Kings website that all
the fans could suggest a band name for us. We got about 200
suggestion from where I choosed 10 that I passed around to fellow
bandmates, musicians etc. And the one that got most attention was
Karmakanic. I thought it was great because I´m a big fan of “play
on words” and Karmakanic could be different things, Car-Mechanic or
Karma-kanic etc.
You
are also a full time member of The Flower Kings in addition to
Karmakanic. What is the main differences style wise and music wise
between those two entities and how do you decide which new material
goes where?
In
the past I believe that Karmakanic had a Jazzier approach than The
Flower Kings. The Flower Kings is maybe more about hard-core
“vintage” classic symphonic rock influenced by the leading bands
of the 70ies. E.g Yes, Genesis, King Crimson etc. Even though
Karmakanic is considered symphonic prog you can also find some metal,
fusion, Jazz, pop in our music. As much as we like the 70ies band we
also let us be inspired of guys like Pat Metheny, Weather Report, Tom
Petty, Jackson Browne, Dream Theather, Joni Mitchell but also modern
bands like Coldplay, Foo Fighters etc.
Karmakanic
is claimed to be a part of the Flower Kings family. If so, are you
not a bit afraid of loosing Karmakanic's artistic identity and
integrity ?
I´m
never thinking in terms like that, In The Flower Kings my job is to
make good music, in Karmakanic my Job is to make good music. They are
simply two different platforms that will do the job for me. It´s
just great to have different tools and the right condition to reach
your goal.
You
were also a part the English band The Tangent on some albums. As we
all know; there are some cultural differences between quirky,
slightly mad Englishmen and the more calm and collected Swedes. What
is/was the differences between The Tangent and The Flower Kings, work
wise ? Did you ever try to feed Andy Tillison and Guy Manning with
elk or reindeer sausages ?
HaHa,
the only dish we tried to serve was ice cold Moose Funk or Deer
Swing, and it was never a sucsess. I would say that the diferense was
not on a cultural level. It was more about musical background. All
the guys in The Flower Kings has been living off music for several
years while the guys in England been working on and off in the music
bussines. But the whole experience playing with the guys in The
Tangent was very educational and I have many fond memories from those
years.
This
is an archive based interview also intended for the fans you get well
after both you and I have passed away so let's go straight to your
albums. Please give us your long or brief views on your albums,
starting with.......
Entering
the Spectra from 2002
The
debut, some parts are good but I can tell that we where a bit un
mature when we recorded it. We jump around in terms of styles and the
lyrics good been better. But I like tracks like The Spirit Remains
The Same and Is This It? The are quite well crafted songs that will
stand the test of time.
Wheel
Of Life from 2004
This
album is more coherent than the debut. There are several great tracks
here and my favorites are When earth meets the sky, we have played
that track on every gig since the start, It´s working really well in
a live environment. Normally we strecth out the solo sections a bit
and Jam on it so it´s always great fun to play that song live. Do U
Tango is also one my favorites from WOL.
Who's
The Boss In The Factory? From 2008
This
is the best one so far in my book. I´m very proud of the production
and the playing is great. I think the song “Send a message from the
heart” put Karmakanic on the progressive map. Eternally is also a
track that I´m very proud of, we went all the way on that one with
real strings and I think Lelo Nika is doing one of the best overdubs
in the progressive history with his wonderful accordion, and for the
record, it´s a first take.
Karmakanic
& The Agents of Mercy - The Power of Two from last year
This
is a very great memory and documentation from our trip back in 2009.
We recorded a few shows and thought is was so good that we could
release it. Nick `d Virgillio was our guest drummer on this one and
what a great job he did, a nice guy too.
Your
new album In A Perfect World has just been released. Please also tell
us more about this album.
This
is the fastest recorded album for us so far. We did it in only two
month including the mix. But on the contrary I spend almost a year
writing the songs. I spend a great deal of time with the lyrics I co
wrote them with an American girl named Julia Olsson. It challanged me
to be more subtile in terms of nuances, Idioms etc, It challenged me
to dig a little deeper into the langwich. I´m a student of the game
ya know. I always try to learn new things both musically and
lyrically. Also a big change was that we had Nils Erikson on board
singing some passages and playing some keys. He was also a big part
in the mixing process. He´s a very talanted guy that has many hours
in the producers chair, he´s been involved in top selling
productions here in Sweden and has been nominated for two Grammy
awards here in Sweden. It was also a blast to have my old buddy
Marcus Liliequist back on the drum chair. He´s an uplifting spirit
and a great musician.
How
would you describe your musical development and style from Entering
the Spectra to In A Perfect World?
I´m
more serious about things now. Focusing on the important things like
songwriting, expression etc. rather than production perfection. But I
will of course always try to make a recording sound as good as
possible and a mix to be as soulful as possible. But my main goals
are the songs and the lyrical content.
Is
there any chance we will get a Karmakanic live album and/or a DVD
sometimes in the near future?
I
hope so, I think we are in that stage right now, we have done 4
albums so we´re getting ready for a DVD. I hope that will happen
within the nearest future.
Besides
of your new album and the promo work associated with it, what is your
current status, your plans for the rest of this year and beyond ?
I
will keep on working with Reingold Records, keep on promoting The
Flower Kings DVD “Tour Kaputt” We´ll start recording drums for
Lalle Larssons new solo CD in August, there´s a few Agents of Mercy
shows coming up this fall plus a new record. Nils Erikson and me has
started to write for a new project that hopefully will be ready this
fall. There´s been talk to maybe look into the possibilities to do a
new Flower Kings record and of course write new material for
Karmakanic.
To
wrap up this interview, is there anything you want to add to this
interview ?
Keep
up this great forum for progressive music.
Thank you to Jonas for this interview
Their PA profile is http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1093" rel="nofollow - and their homepage is http://www.reingoldmusic.com" rel="nofollow -
Replies: Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: June 27 2011 at 11:48
Torodd, you are worth a million pounds. Excellent interview, thanks very much
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: June 27 2011 at 12:15
Great interview. Makes me real excited for the new album. I'm trying so hard not to check out that preview clip for "A Perfect World"
I was hoping there would have been some info on why Zoltan is not on drums, but oh well... It's cool to yet again hear some news from another source that a new Flower Kings album may be on the horizon.
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Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: June 27 2011 at 12:29
Great band! Thank you for the interview.
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Posted By: Anthony H.
Date Posted: June 28 2011 at 10:39
Great interview. Jonas is a superb bass player and a great guy.
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Posted By: infandous
Date Posted: June 29 2011 at 12:20
Agreed, very nice interview. Excited to hear that a new Flower Kings album is starting to become a distinct possibility!
Posted By: memowakeman
Date Posted: July 02 2011 at 22:41
Excellent interview!
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Follow me on twitter @memowakeman
Posted By: StyLaZyn
Date Posted: July 06 2012 at 06:17
To me, Wheel of Life and Who's the Boss in the Factory are both outstanding releases. The rankings for these two releases being as low as they are is killing me. These guys show raw talent and excellent song writing. They almost can define Prog themselves. And their sense of melody? If they wanted to write a mainstream release, it could top the charts.
These guys are great..
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Posted By: progghead
Date Posted: October 15 2012 at 01:59
Such a great band! Thanks.
Posted By: dianneazuma54
Date Posted: November 24 2012 at 00:04
What Symphonic Rock albums have you really been into lately?