Interview

(Progressive Newsletter Nr.35 05/01)
excerpts from an interview with Jonas Christophs (Guitars)

You recently released double Live CD "Mind Vol.2" has a very different approach in comparison to other live albums. Who had the idea of combing music recorded before an audience together with 'live' studio recordings?

When we decided to do a live-CD we felt that we should do this in true "Isildurs Bane-spirit" and not the traditional-ordinary way and this is how it came out.


Some of the live material does sound very different to the studio recordings. How much of it the music has to be rearranged for the stage and is there also room for improvisation?

When we perform live we´re trying to arrange the songs so that it feels fresh and also to be able to have some openings for improvisation.


Over which span of time and on which occasions were the recordings made, for that there's also an orchestra included and that there are several guest players appearing?

The recordings with the big orchestra were made in 1995 and that´s where Björn J:sson Lind on flute and Janne Schaffer on guitar appear on "Exit Permit Part 2", but most of the music-pieces were recorded 99/00 with the 1999 line-up Klas Assarsson, Jonas Christophs, Fredrick "Gicken" Johansson, Mats Johansson and Kjell Severinsson.


You put a lot of energy and time in your highly sophisticated, very well-structured recordings, which are very out-of-the-ordinary musical stuff which can be heard on the radio or is presented by the other media. How is it possible to 'survive' financial and still being able to do publish such extra-ordinary recordings like for example. "Mind Vol.2"?

Isildurs Bane has always had and have high ambitions regarding music and recordings and to be able to stay that way you can´t resict or be affraid to new technology, just to old technology. Either you develope or you stop develop. Our 9 CD´s are constant selling and most profit goes into the next CD-project.


For that you can hear a lot of different musical influences in the music of Isildurs Bane, which musical background do the members have?

We all come from different musical backgrounds and ofcourse it´s colouring the sound of Isildurs Bane, hopefully in a positive way.


To what kind of music do you listen and what or who gives you your musical inspiration?

If you look at the CDs you´ll find that we often wright music that are inspired by different odd people or places, thats not the only way but one way of making music.


Kristian Selm © Progressive Newsletter 2001