MS: Hello Chris, thank you so much for you time, it´s a pleasure
for Metal Symphony the chance to talk to a metalworker like you. First of all
congratulations for your excelent and last work "Pins and needles".
How is working?
CC: Thanks for your interview! Things are working well. The CD just came
out in the US and we are on tour opening for Doro here. It is going very well.
The CD has sold out just about everywhere here! The tour is going great and
I am having a very good time.
MS: First and obvious question …. By the end of april was scheduled
3 concerts in our country with Kotipelto, Elis and Triosphere but inlikely for
the fans they were canceled. There was any press comunicate by the promoters
in Spain. ¿What could Chris Caffery say about it to the fans?
CC: I was looking forward so much to coming to Spain. I had hundreds of emails from fans and to be honest I was very angry that the shows got cancelled. From what I understand it had something to do with advance ticket sales, but as you say many tours get cancelled and I know it is difficult for fans to get their money back. You cant expect everyone o buy tickets until they know for sure you are playing and we never got the chance to see what would happen. I was in Europe all the way from the US to tour. I wish the promoters would have let me know there was a problem before I got my band on an airplane. It was very unprofessional and I am not happy at all about it.
MS: This is not an isolated incident, in Spain is becoming common with lots of cancelations, the time and the place is changed and there is a lot of disscontent and dissatisfaction. Neither in Europa tours go well, for example tours like Belphegor with Unleashed or other tour bands like Finntroll and After Forever have being cancelled. Is this a bad moment for metal or is a problem of organitation?
CC: I think it is the second The tour was totally unorganized. Not
sure who to blame or why, but when I arrived in Europe there were so many things
that were not together. I think the music business in general is suffering,
but this particular tour could have happened and I am upset and embarrassed
that we had to cancel Spain and a couple other shows. I hate knowing that even
if it was ten fans, they did not get to see us and I did not get to play for
them.
MS: Let´s talk about something nicer. Let´s talk about Pins & Needles yor new record. You only need to hear i once to realize that it´s a great mixture of sounds. Where does Chris Caffery find the inspiration to compose such a varied album? Is this because of the amount of bands and proyects in which you have been envolved?
CC: I do have a wide variety of influences. I also like to try new things.
I could write a CD that sounds exactly like Savatage, but then I would be copying
Jon and his style of writing. I think music is fun and being creative is a big
part of that fun. I get inspired from many places. You like to eat different
food from day to day, I like to play different types of music!
MS: We think that "Pins & Needles" it´s
one of the most agressive works in Chris Caffery´s musical career. Is
this something spotaneous or premeditated? Why in this ocassion you have made
the sound such harder that it has been compered with Savatage´s first
years?
CC: Hmmm "Heavy metal makes me happy. The heavier the better. I wanted
to just do what came natural to me t this point and time and I was feeling a
heavy CD!!!
MS: Is this the type of sound that Chris Caffery wants for his solo
career or "Pins and Needles" is a experiment and you are going to
change the style in your future works?
CC: I think my works will always change a little. Wbo knows what the next
CD will sound like. I doubt I will ever stop making heavy music!
MS: In this record have been participated very good friends of yours.
Tell us why you chose thouse musicians and if you had any complications to schedule
everyone with the recordings.
CC: Luckily I recorded in New York City so many people were around! Nick
Douglas from Doro played some bass. He is also in my touring band. Yael played
drums, she played with My Ruin and Killswitch Engage. Alex Skolnick did a guest
solo, Paul Morris played a song on piano and co-wrote it with me. My brother
Phil played a song on drums. I also had Dave Eggar once again do string arrangements.
So many great musicians and friends!
MS: Chris Caffery started to be the singer of his solo proyect besides being the guitar placer but, Have you ever thought about the possiibility to let other person being the singer, or this is something you din´t think?
CC: I did, but along with singers comes a lot of problems at times! And,
I did my solo thing to fill in my free time. Not everyone will have my schedule
So, I fgured it would be much easier for me to find a band to play when I needed
it than get a band that had to have the exact same time off to work. In the
end I really enjoy the singing. It is something I always wanted to do, jst never
had it in me to try. I learned a lot about myself doing Faces and I think it
is kinda a new beginning in some ways. I can always make music on my own and
this is a good feeling!
MS: "Pins & Needles" its a very complex album and we dind´t have the chance to see this record on stage , so we asume that is really hard to play this album alive beacuse of all the details in the songs. Is this really hard?
CC: Well, live is something I treat differently than the studio If you
have 75 voices on a CD and 4 people in your band I think it is much cooler to
sound like 4 people than 75. I don’t like to use samples. I have used a few
keyboard voices and things, but I do like to keep it raw. I have great
live band and we just get up there and try o kick ass each night. It is challenging
but fun!
MS: We know that Chris Caffery has being in Gotemburg working with our compatriot Jordi Sandalinas in his new work called "Insight" that soon it´s going to be released. Tell us how you participated in the proyect and how was the expirience of working togheter.
CC: Jordi contacted me via email and asked if I would come in and play. I had the time and was more than happy to do it. He is a great guy and the experience in Sweden was so much fun. I loved working with Andy Laroque as well.
MS: What can you tell us about the situation of Trans-Siberian Orchestra?
We have no news after the last tour.
CC: The last tour sold one million tickets! We are working on a new non-holiday
CD right now. It will be out n 2008 and hopefully a non holiday tour will follow
that will in clued Europe!!! There will of course be a tour in November and
December in the US!
MS: Do you think it is possible another Doctor Butcher´s album? Last year this great record that you made with Jon Oliva, a Savatage´s partner., with more material and some chanches was reedited.
CC: I would hope so, this is really up to Jon and if he can get the time
to do it. I would love to!
MS: And the million dollar question: Is there any chance that Savatage
could reunite soon? Would you like to?
CC: I would like nothing more! I never wanted us to stop. I love Savatage. The fans, the music, the band. I miss it so much. I believe something will happen in 2008! Fingers crossed!
MS: Is there something you wanna tell to spanish Chris Caffery´s and Savatage´s fans?
CC: First I want to apologize again for the shows not happening. One way or another I will make it up to you! Second I want to thank you so much for your support and
friendship! I love Spain and will always come back there as long as I am wanted!
MS: This is the end of the interview Chris. We would like to see you around here with your new album on tour and we wish you the best. We hope things are going as well as were in the last edition of Lorca rock where we know that you enjoyed as kid . See you!
CC: See you soon! Bye!
Raúl del Amo
LINKS:
Lorca
Rock ’06: Chris Caffery
Chris Caffery:
Pins & Needles // Metal Heaven (Germusica)