THE STRONGHOLD ONLINE INTERVIEW - JUNE 03
22. Do you two have regular contact? More friends or partners?
Silenius:
We don't know exactly what you mean with this question, but if you mean that
our personal contacts are not only to metal heads or the metal scene you are
completely right. Here in Austria we are not connected to what you can guess
a big metal family; we are more or less outsiders. We know a lot of Austrian
bands we are in contact with, of course not only metal bands, but on the other
side we don't know really what is going on within the present metal or black
metal scene.
23. you two have lots of side projects ; is Music a SideProject for you
? (that is to say is it you main activity or only a hobby ?)
Protector:
First of all we don't see our other projects as "side-projects". They
are the same important for us as "Summoning". The only difference
is that don't sell as much as Summoning, but this is no reason for us to focus
less on them.
But anyway it is absolute not possible for a working person to practice music
as the main activity, because if you spend 9 hours a day for your job, there
is not enough time to work the same hours for the music. Of course we do the
best we can for our music, but as long as we are not living from our music there
is no chance that Summoning will be our main activity.
24. Do you live thanks to Music or have to make a job to have enough
money ?
In the second case isn't it difficult to reconcile the two activities ?
Protector:
Of course making the music for Summoning doesn't bring enough money to afford
a normal life. It is quite enough to pay the fee for an average flat in the
centre of Vienna, but not more. We both have a regular job. Silenius is working
in Virgin Megastore and I am working as a programmer.
Of course it is not always easy to reconcile the job and the music; especially
the lack of time is sometimes a problem; but on the other hand, having a fix
job and fix money prevents us on being dependant on the commercial success and
makes it possible to make exactly the music we want to make. So we never loose
any time about how a release will sell; if we would only earn money from music
we surely could not be so relaxed.
25. Have you ever travelled ? What are your remembrances of where you
went ?
Protector:
Due to my lack of time I don't travel very much. In only get sometimes to other
countries when I give a concert for my other projects ("Ice Ages",
"Die Verbannten Kinder Evas"). I have been in Greek(Athens), Belgium(Gent)
and Netherlands.
Silenius:
In former times I often accompanied Max of Napalm Records during his commercial
tours to Sweden, Germany and France. In on side these commercial tours were
very interesting but the bigger Napalm got the stressier the meetings turned
out and the less fun I had.
26. What have changed in your life since the Beginning of Summoning
(facts not conected to the groups ; changes of mind etc..) ; how have you evoluated
?
Silenius:
What I really have learned during all those years is that you can't force success.
It is impossible to make cool music when the label or fans expect this or that
from you to make a record every year to change this and that or to try this
or that to sell more records. If you lay your inspirations into the hands of
others you truly will fail. That means you should only make music for you own
pleasure and hope that other people will enjoy it too. Everything else truly
will lead to nowhere.
27. Do you think this evolution can be felt in your music, or do you
believe that Summoning is completely disconnected to reality?
In contrary to many other bands Summoning or any other project is not
the centre of our lives. We never thought of making music just to be famous
or to satisfy our personal pride. Our music work is just or way of escapism
to the normal boring live, and if people get attracted by what we do it is satisfaction
enough for us.
28. Anything to add ? Tell to your fans and web surfers?
Silenius:
Thank you for this great detailed interview
and up the banners to all our fans in France.
BTW.: A big hail to "Derniere Volunté" the best military pop
band in France.