Alec: Philip’s voice was recorded in L.A., the additional drums in Sweden and the rest in Studio 430 in Barra Mansa. When everything was finished, I sent the material to Sweden so that Martin could start the mixing and recording of the drums.
Maila: Who are the band´s founders besides you?
Alec: I’m the only founder of the band, I’ve already recorded previous albums but when a lot of people have a saying so it’s complicated to maintain the focus on what you intended to do in the first place. Songs always pop up in my mind, I never sit down to create anything, so If anything disturbs this creation process, it’s complicated to maintain its integrity. I even got to record the guitars as I wanted, micced guitars using a valved BUGERA amp, something technicians hate to do, due to the difficulty in the setting, but I was adamant about it, so I finally got it, Ivan played it and the result was FAB! I can easily say that this album is an extension of myself, with the exception of the Dragon on the cover, of course.....
Maila: Another interesting topic is your lineup with the presence of Philip Bardowell on vocals, singer with a great bio having played with artists such as Peter Criss and Ace Frehley (KISS), besides doing other great stuff. How did it happen, a Brazilian band and Philip, and how was the recording process in distance?
Alec: When I finalized the songs I thought, oh my, I can’t sing this as well as I would like to, so I started sending it to vocalists I admired, there was one in Sweden that was wonderful, but very Toto like, so I sent the songs to the U.S.A, to Philip, and to my surprise he said : ’’Alec, I loved your songs so much I’ll sing them for you’’. There’s even a testimony about it on my myspace page. One of my all time idols is Lou Gramm from Foreigner, and Philip’s voice resembles him A LOT, so I was in heaven! He also said and I quote : I’ll pour my heart in your songs’’ and he really did it by what you hear in the album. I sent the MP3 of the songs to him and he put his voice in Gary Griffin’s studio in L.A. then he sent them back to me via server and I since his voice with the pre-recorded tracks in studio 430 here. It got perfect. Philip is a one of a kind person, nice, easy going and very kind. He also said that I have an excellent voice, very similar to his,well, you’ll be the judge of that.
Maila: With a brand new material coming out, ready to the market, it´s time to hit the road. Do you already have concerts booked for this year?
Alec: Nowadays things have changed, the CD is what promotes the shows and the band, not the other way around, it’s the internet times. A good example is the band Pride Of Lions, they sell well, it’s a terrific band with 4 albums released but only 1 show so far, and the show was in a festival, it was not a Pride Of Lions show
Maila: AOR was a very popular style on the 80´s bringing us excellent bands such as Journey, Survivor, Foreigner. After that some obscure moment came out, in the 90´s, at least in which concerns to America. In Europe and Japan, though, we can see a real coming back in these last years. Ups-and-downs are undoubtedly real life things that happen to everybody in any type of art. How do you see this AOR return as a headliner in several festivals and recording companies? Do you have your own theory for that?
Alec: Well Maila, the biggest problem in my opinion was the same old same old of the bands in the 80’s. They all sounded the same, so the audience started looking for something more honest, raw, close to Rock roots. The bands that withstood this process are the real good bands, the cloneswere gone. Due to the major TV audience of the program American Idol it has been helping the melodic rock coming back, mainly because the jury always include Melodic rock and AOR songs for the contestants to sing and Randy Jackson is the former Journey Bassist. I am very critical regarding music, I never sit down to write songs, I don’t follow a formula when making a song,I follow my inspiration and sometimes because I am so honest with it the words may sound a little depressing...... but that’s my real me.
I think that history will repeat itself and all the real good bands will withstand whereas the clones will vanish . This is the band’s fault much more than the audience’s. The audience is eager for something real good and honest, eager for songs that come from the heart and not from some music tablature.....
Maila: So, talking about inspiring moments, how was the music making process of your album´s songs and what do the lyrics talk about?
Alec: As I said above, the songs popped in my mind, sometimes I had to stop the car to record the melodies and then when I arrived home I could put the harmonies together. The words talk about day by day situations or family issues and about people I have known, missed or lost.
Maila: If you could choose 3 bands to go on tour with NOW, which would they be and why?
Alec: Foreigner because they are a big influence on me and they have a mix of soul in their AOR music that astonishes me until today. Toto has a history very few bands will ever have. Paul McCartney? Well, I am a Beatlemaniac since I was 6, do I have to say more? Hehehe
Maila: Among musicians you admire and idols, whom would you like to meet mostly and what would you ask him?
Alec: Paul McCartney. I would ask : May I co-write a song with you?
Maila: Tell us briefly how you see the market nowadays and the generation totally backed to the internet, downloading and etc, and as an artist, since it´s impossible to fight against it, what should be done to turn things to a positive side?
Alec: First of all, I know that there are several people who like to collect like me, read the booklet, see the photos, follow the words to the songs. Also, having a CD is an asset, because when you’re in trouble, you can always sell it through EBAY, I would like to see someone selling his 10 gigabyte of music in the PC...... I know people who bought apartments selling their CD collection. I also think that the recording companies have to offer always the best to the public, no fillers. I am not against music downloads for you to get to know the band, after all, I’ve already purchased several CDs because of only one song..... it sux. But I am against downloading the entire album and not buying in case you really like it. It’s amazing, sometimes people think you are obliged to record a CD for them to download for free without even saying ’’thank you moron’’. I would like to see a doctor appointment for free, a professional working for free, these very people who download, getting nothing in return of their hard work. Music is also a profession, musicians have bills to pay as well. There will come a time when excellent bands will not record a second CD because the first one didn’t sell, it’s going to be bad for the very people who download the album.... it’s the audience loss, much more than the musicians’
Maila: What are your expectations for 2010?
Alec: They are more than great, I just got the news that a webzine (Metal Underground) in German just made the first review on the N.O.W. – FORCE OF NATURE album. Their conclusion is that the album is a MONUMENTAL CLASSIC ROCK ALBUM THAT CAN’T BE LEFT OUT OF ANY SERIOUS COLLECTION.
Maila: Leave a message to the readers.
Alec: Never cease to use your creativity, your curiosity, because of them, ordinary people of the past became the genius and inventors we know of today. Never give up your dreams, no matter how far they seem, because the only barrier between your dreams and the reality, is you.
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