Interview
(Progressive Newsletter Nr.38 01/02)
excerpts from an interview with Renato Jardim (Vocals)
In that time I had just gone by several experiences with a lot of different bands. I then decided to start by looking for musicians who were overall disposed to work without measuring efforts for the accomplishment of that project, even if they were not in total syntony with the artistic proposal intended by me. In that sense I ended up eliminating a series of hindrances that the search of the ideal formation is revealed ineffective a lot of times.
Does the idea of singing in English already came before forming the band, or did it really pass accompanying you during the compositions of "The sun and the embryo"?
Since I began to twitter during my childhood my preference was already for hits like ‘’Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’’ from Elton John or "’Only yesterday"’ from The Carpenters. Even though my first compositions had lyrics in Portuguese but I always ended up characterizing the metric and the format of the melodies with such an English sonority that turned them hybrid. Then I decided to assume the English language definitively with eventual exceptions.
It has been very common to find people who say your voice is well resembling to the voice of Jon Anderson from the English band Yes. Would you say that he has been until then your main inspiration source?
No doubt Jon Anderson was one of my inspiration source, mainly on the threshold of my search of spiritual self-knowledge until to the conclusion of "The sun and the embryo"’. I believe Jon Anderson and Yes conquered in the sphere of the modern music a type of remission of the sordid aspect of Rock music elevating it to luminous heights. However since 1995 my attentions are gone back to another inspiration source.
The music ‘’Nascer do Sol’’ is the only tune in Portuguese in this first work of Grandbell. Did something take the band to decide for not singing it in English?
It basically happened as an exigency of Marco Marques who composed it along with me. I decided to accept the challenge.
I was a bit surprised on acquiring the CD of the band Sathyananda and to find the drummer Felipe Lua playing with them as an affective member whereas their musical proposal trends to an Indian music. What made him leave Grandbell and decide for following another musical direction?
I believe it happened because of temper incompatibility and also for different forms of working that was revealed along the events, a serious impediment to the development of our music, I’m very sorry for that because Felipe is an excellent musician.
As I haven’t lately had much information regarding Grandbell, I’d like to know if somebody else besides the drummer Felipe Lua has left the band. So, how is the line-up of your band at present?
I must tell you although half of our next CD is almost ready, the band is once again in phase of alterations. The keyboardist & flutist Roberto Reolon is the only remaining member from that old line-up and some of the new compositions are also on his credit. Juliano Pereira who’s my friend will be the bassist; he will give us more of his musicality in approximately five of the songs that are already recorded. In these songs we will also have the co-operation of an excellent drummer called Daniel Fontoura who has been playing along with us since then. It all will happen under the co-production of Henrique Wilasco.
It is very common in "The sun and the embryo" to find the word "Freedom". Is the freedom that you express in poetry form the same that you uphold on your daily living?
I’d like things were so, but I have to say our everyday reality is too far from the vision I have from the freedom on which I have expressed poetically. Standing up for such freedom is only possible in small circles because the ambiguity of the human condition, not understood by the masses it affects the integrity of a deeply true vision negatively. Such vision when in the common way, it is attacked seriously by a system that crucifies its liberators literally, anyway I maintain in the mind the hope of great changes.
For being a beautiful work I suppose that "The sun and the embryo" has crossed a lot of borders in the world. Do you by chance have knowledge of how many editions it has had since its release in 1995?
According to some information that I received from the owner of the record company PRW, our CD was distributed in Brazil, Europe, USA, Japan and Canada. Also, I got to read a fine review of our CD in a reputable French magazine called "Harmonie". Concerning the editions, I don’t have control absolutely on them and the information that I have towards this matter are not so clear.
Five years have passed since the release of "The sun and the embryo". On behalf of the fans of Grandbell I’d like to know when we are going to have the pleasure to share with you of the such expected second work of your band.
As it was previously mentioned by me , we had already initiated the recordings of our new CD in 1999 but because of turmoil and bureaucracy we had to stop, all of that hence scattered our band. At present I’m reassuming the band’s direction and rearranging the line-up, which I hope we can reach the closing of our next work. It’s well likely that during the Autumn of 2001 we will have the pleasure of sharing our new CD with all our fans.
Antonio Sergio de Jesus Motta © Progressive Newsletter 2002