Interview / Steve Schiltz (Hurricane Bells )

                                                                                                                                                                                              

This is an Interview with Steve Schiltz the soul  of the  indie acoustic project  Hurricane Bells.

 (αναδημοσίευση απο το άρθρο μου στο www.Rouamat.com , )






Hello Steve , I have to admit that you were very positive about this interview and that fact made me very happy .At first I would like to know how did you catch that music ‘’virus’’ and when did you finally understand that this is you ,this is the thing you like to do, was it easy  to start your career in music ?

Hi, there! Ok I started playing guitar at age 10, and I was able to play pretty early. So it was encouraging, and I just kept doing it and improving. I didn’t think I could make a living at it until a few years later, when I began to play guitar in bands that would tour. I realized that if you could string enough work together, you could make a living. So after that I worked as hard as I could on getting a band together and playing and recording a lot, and that band became longwave

  
When we first talked you were on the way to Japan , how long has it been since your world- tour is over ?Have done something like that in the past ? How did it feel ?

It was great! I have been to japan 6 times now. I love going there, because at this point I have a few friends that I get to see. I have been home for about 2 weeks now.

I have read that your album Tides and Tales , which I particularly love , is a D.I.Y  album , I mean homemade . Why did you  decide  to do it this way  ?.

Mostly financial reasons, at first. I have a studio now, and it is cheapest for me to record there. But I also know what I want, and I can usually get what I want myself, recording wise. If I run into trouble I can call a friend for help. I am lucky in that longwave worked with a bunch of amazing guys, dave fridmann, john leckie, peter katis, pete min. lots of guys, and they are all still friends. Dave helped with a few mixing things on this record. I would call him, asking, how do I make the drums sound like they are flanged and flying around your head??? And he would say, try adding reverb so that the flange catches it….he would know right away what I wanted to do.

At this point I am comfortable in my place, and it would take a lot of trust in someone else to do it elsewhere.

This album is  a very  quiet  and thoughtful music trip .Do you remember any of the places that inspired you writing the music or the lyrics  ?

Wow, thanks! Hmmm…..some of the songs were written all together, in a short block of time. I knew I wanted the first words on the record to be…”I’ve got a second chance”, for instance. So that one, possibilities, hours like days, a few others, were all written in the space of a week and a half, or something. I just sat in my apartment in Brooklyn and wrote. Then there are others, like the ghost of her, that were kicking around for a few years. That one, I changed one chord in it one day and it was like, bang! The song was done, after years of floating around. I think every record I have done has had a mixture of new and a few older songs. Sometimes you need to sit on them for a while before you find the trick that it needs.  

How did this  Twilight story exactly started and you finally gave your song Monsters for the music score of the film ? Was it your idea ?

No, I had no clue! I didn’t even know what twilight was, exactly. My song publisher did it for me. I had monsters around for a long time, tried it with longwave. It never worked, and then I eventually did it myself, for hurricane bells, and it sat in my itunes a while. Then one day my publisher called and said they were using it for this movie, and I thought, cool, a movie. It was only afterward that I found out that everyone I knew in a band was trying to get into the same one.

So , do you think that you gained any further recognition after the Twilight movie ? 

Sure, but it’s hard to say. Mostly it just helped with money. I was able to buy gear for my studio, and really focus on making more music. It was nice for my family. They get to see the song in hallmark cards and they can tell everyone they know. 

How about Longwave , is it still  an active band ?

Not at the moment. It has been over a year since the last show, I think? We have some music that never came out, that we will be putting out soon. We haven’t seriously talked about playing in a while, but you never know what will happen.

Are we going to listen  to a new <<homemade>> Hurricane Bells album this year or maybe next one ?

Sure! There are a few leftover songs again, and I am going to get back to writing a bit this month, with the plan being to record next month with the guys who have been playing live in the band. They are so good.

Have you ever been in Greece? How about the idea of participating in a Greek music festival ?

I have never been. I would love to go. I love greek food, and I hear there are lots of music fans there… If you can set it up, let me know! 

Thanks a lot Steve , I wish you continue making our days and dreams more beautiful . I would like to ask you to finish this conversation with one of your favorite expressions .

I am so happy you like the music.

“don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened!” – dr suess.

«μην κλαις επειδή τελείωσε, χαμογέλασε γιατί συνέβη» – dr suess