2 music lovers from The Netherlands and USA met on the internet and discovered that they both shared the same love for creating progrock music and the result became the project Ghost Circus.
Their debut album "Cycles" didn?t impress me at first but it grew on me and now I can?t live without it.
Keyboardist and composer Ronald Wahle took the time off for melodic.net to tell us their story.
Hello there, tell me about how the two of you got together making music?
Ronald Wahle: We ran into each other on the forum on www.nealmorse.com. The first piece Chris heard from me was a track (in its current form ended up being Mass Suggestion I) I had posted there on the board. Chris had ideas for guitar parts but more in particular some lyrics and vocal melodies upon first listen. My music was nothing but instrumental up till then. After one or two emails I said "sure, why not?!?
I happened to like the result and Chris then started to share some of his songs (Broken Glass, Accelerate and The Distance) and I started to add drums and keys to them. It took us a while find a solid method to work the way we do but musically it matched perfectly.
Your debut album "Cycles" has traces of both AOR and progressive music, what bands/artists are your biggest influences?
Ronald Wahle: Generally you could say I love pop (U2, Coldplay, Tears For Fears, Keane), rock (Live, Toto) and prog (Genesis, Marillion, Rush, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, The Flower Kings) so I end up writing a mixture of that.
Chris and I share the love for Genesis, Marillion, Rush, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree and U2. As a producer he admires Devin Townsend for the modern world and Dan Swan? (Edge of Sanity, Opeth). As far as players go, he?s 50/50 on the heavy metal & prog on one end and 80?s influences on the other, stuff that like The Smiths, The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, & Kitchens of Distinction. And a fair share of guitar heroes such as Satriani, Vai, Gilbert, and Lynch. So you can see/hear where he comes from.
Will you continue to handle all the instruments yourselves on the next album or are you planning on getting a band?
Ronald Wahle: We?ll keep playing everything ourselves. It works for us and frankly I wouldn?t want to change that for now. We sound like Ghost Circus because Chris and I write and play all the music. Bringing in other people would change that for sure. It might happen in the future but not for the next album. Well, Chris is considering a female singer for the next album to feature on one or two songs. But that?s about it.
Will you do any own shows or prog festivals this year?
Ronald Wahle: Unfortunately not. Being a 2 piece project on 2 continents makes touring a logistical and financial??uhm?.. challenge! We sure hope it?ll happen in the near future. Maybe after the 2nd album.
Lots of good Progrock comes from The Netherlands, what?s the secret?
Ronald Wahle: Hmmm. Well, we do have a fairly big prog community. As in, people who love prog and are dedicated fans. There?s always been a strange contradiction though; we?re always open for new stuff and Holland often turns out to be a gate way for many foreign bands to enter Europe for the first time. But we?re extremely critical about our own bands. But maybe that?s why we have to raise the bar for ourselves and work harder to get attention. That might be an explanation for ?better? quality.
What rock/pop video will make you turn off the TV or switch channel?
Ronald Wahle: None. The bad and cheesy ones are the most enjoyable for me!
If you were stranded on a desert island and only had 3 albums in your iPod, which ones would you like that to be?
Ronald Wahle: A deserted island eh? Why not Temptation Island?!
And is it all right if I bring 3 adult DVD?s + player instead?
No? K, albums it is then. Well, first of all I would like to say that?s one crappy i-POD with only space for 3 albums! And how on earth am I going to re-charge the battery without an adapter and electricity?!
But anyway, for me I guess it would be:
Rush ? Different Stages
Marillion ? Afraid of Sunlight
Coldplay ?X&Y
Or Chris this will be:
The Cure ? Disintegration
Kitchens Of Distinction - Strange Free World
Opeth - Still Life
What?s the most underrated band in the world?
Ronald Wahle: I would say Porcupine Tree. So much more people should know about this band and some of their songs should?ve been hit singles by now. They deserve to play much bigger venues.
What do you think of the state of the music industry today? Is internet sharing killing the music or does it help the bands to gain more fans around the world?
Ronald Wahle: Both I guess. It?s hard to take a stand. I personally only download legal stuff (so I?m paying for it) because I believe the artist and the record company should get their money. The argument that the artist only gets a fraction of that money is irrelevant. It still doesn?t justify stealing. So many things you buy and use everyday aren?t the product of ?fair trade? but that doesn?t mean you go out and steal it instead.
And the argument about how evil and bad all the record companies are is also irrelevant.
Yes they take a big share of the profits but they?re also the ones to invest money into an unknown artist and pay for recording, videos and touring upfront. It has to be paid for you know.
On the other hand spreading free mp3?s can help beginning bands to gain some fans. As long as the people who really like it (and become fans) eventually buy the stuff then I don?t have a problem with it I guess.
I do have to say the industry should get their act together when it comes to this. They?ve been looking from the side line for far too long only worrying about copy protection. It doesn?t work and it?s a pain in the ass for legit buyers. If I pay and download a file I want to be in control over the product myself and be able to use any media player or storage device I want. That?s where the industry screws up. There are WAY too many formats and limitations to do that. And when I buy a legit CD I want to be able to burn a copy for my car stereo. All the current limitations often scare people away from doing ?the right thing?.
But let us not forget the positive and bright site of the Internet; exposure! I mean, Ghost Circus IS the internet. We?ve met on-line; we exchange demos on-line and 90% of the promotion happens on line. For us the Internet is a blessing.
What do you feel about the media hysteria around the Idol thing all around the world. Is it the wrong way to find an artist?
Ronald Wahle: Not really. It?s a good way to find a certain type of singer/performer for a very commercial market. Like trying to find the next Robbie Williams, Shakira or even the next Britney Spear. Although I highly doubt if Britney would ever qualify for such a contest because you actually have to be a good singer!
So yeah, personally I have nothing against it. They always end up with top singers. But it?s just that; singers. No songwriters or bands or good musicians; just singers within the soft pop and R&B category. And the choices are always very obvious and safe. You won?t discover the next Radiohead on these programs. So it?s very limited.
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