After a great live appearance in a small club in Athens, Greece MER took the chance to talk to Kevin Ridley the singer of Skyclad which is the greatest folk band in the universe about their new record deal the upcoming album.
Metal Express Radio:
A Semblance of Normality has been in stores since 2004; what was Skyclad’s fans reaction to it?
Kevin Ridley:
The reaction of the Skyclad fans has been overwhelmingly positive (and they are really the people who matter). It’s great to go to places. Like Athens, where we haven’t been for a while, or even new places, and see people joining in with new songs – like “Anotherdrinkingsong.”
MER:
On January the 28th you played live in Greece. You seem to have a special connection with the Greeks; can you give an explanation to this?
Kevin Ridley:
Well I’d like to think we have ‘a special connection’ with fans all over but it does seem like the people in the south of Europe are particularly passionate about their rock and metal. We put it down to the weather and the food and the wine (especially the wine).
MER:
This appearance was a part of a small tour or one time appearance?
Kevin Ridley:
This appearance was the first date of what is turning into quite some tour. Last year we decided to split the touring into two parts for the first half of this year; playing southern Europe first and then playing northern Europe a bit later. This tour should, hopefully, be followed by some festivals in the summer.
MER:
In the re-recordings of some classic Skyclad tunes on “No Daylights nor Heeltaps,” you’ve introduced a clean guitar sound loosing some power from the original versions. On the other hand in your live performance you played faster and heavier; can you give an explanation to it?
Kevin Ridley:
I’m not sure what you mean by ‘a clean guitar’, No Daylights… is supposed to be an ‘unplugged’ album therefore it features a lot of acoustic guitar. We had to add some electric guitar to keep the riffs and melodies. When we play live, of course, things tend to be a lot ‘heavier’. Skyclad ‘unplugged’ is still quite a ‘full-on’ experience.
MER:
There is a new album on the making. Can you give us some info about it?
Kevin Ridley:
Well I’m really keeping things under wraps for the moment but I can say that it will be more of a ‘band’ album (where the last album had lots of ‘guest’ musicians) and where the last album was more about a sense of identity and fairly ‘inward looking’ the new album will, perhaps, be ‘outward looking’; kind of the opposite, if that makes sense.
MER:
After almost 6 years, can you spot the after-effects of Martin’s departure from the band?
Kevin Ridley:
Well the only thing I can say here is that this line-up is still together after five years and we’ve just signed a new recording deal (with Black Lotus, as you know) and we’re in the middle of doing a tour etc. So things are progressing nicely.
MER:
Are you still in contact? Can you foresee a future reunion?
Kevin Ridley:
No we’re not and no we can’t. Everyone’s moved on now.
MER:
Why did you change the classic Skyclad logo?
Kevin Ridley:
Well there have been a few logos but I suppose you mean the last one (with the Heron). After the band split we wanted to move onto something fresh and new in terms of the band image, logo and so on. When I saw the artwork (by Marie Wright) I thought it was perfect (and still do) as it combines the past and the present in an abstract way. However, we felt that the old logo was a bit too bulky and ‘heavy’ for the artwork and we wanted a handwritten feel (something that reminds you of runes etc) and this is what we came up with. Having said that though, we’ve just had another logo designed for the new EP and tour – so things change.
MER:
Back to the new album; what is your composing process?
Kevin Ridley:
Like most band’s I guess. People come up with some ideas and record bits and pieces and we jam them and then I’ll try to fit some words to the music and, eventually, we come up with an arrangement and do some demos etc. There’s nothing special about it, it can happen very quickly for some songs, but others take ages – it just depends.
MER:
Who writes the lyrics?
Kevin Ridley:
That’s my job now I suppose. Like most singers, I guess, I like to sing what I write.
MER:
Can you pinpoint Skyclad’s musical influences?
Kevin Ridley:
Well as you can probably imagine, they are many and varied. Lots of metal and rock, of course, but also Blues, Punk, Classical and, oh yes, even a little folk music. I wonder if you can guess who likes what?
MER:
What is your relation to Skyclad’s fans?
Kevin Ridley:
My relationship with the fans is excellent. I have to say; right from the beginning when I started to play with Skyclad (after doing the studio stuff) I have always been greeted with genuine friendliness. This band has some truly dedicated supporters (as you saw in Athens) and, let’s face it; they’ve had a bit to contend with. But after fifteen years or so we’re still here and we’ve still got lots of drinking buddies around Europe.
MER:
When you’re writing music do you think of the fans’ opinion?
Kevin Ridley:
Well here I think you have to strike a balance because, on the one hand, you have to know who you are and what people expect. On the other hand, you can’t just keep doing the same old thing, you want to try and progress or evolve, try new things as a band (like using the orchestra on the last album, for example). You have to be happy with what you’re doing but you don’t want to alienate your fanbase. But, as they say, ‘you can’t please all of the people all of the time’.
MER:
Do you have plans to release a live DVD? Kevin Ridley:
The short answer here is yes, vaguely. We think one is long overdue and we’re working on it – honestly.
MER:
Where do you get your inspiration when writing music or lyrics?
Kevin Ridley:
If I knew that I’d bottle it and keep it for the bad times. Honestly, I can’t say where ideas come from or dictate when. I think inspiration (if that’s what it is) just comes from being alive and being aware. You’re constantly being bombarded with images and news and so on. It all kind of sinks in and you try to make some sense of it somehow.
MER:
What names will we find in your best 5 bands list?
Kevin Ridley:
Again, a very difficult question to answer here. Are you’re looking for my ‘best 5’ rock bands for the purposes of this interview or my ‘best 5’ bands of my youth or the ‘best 5’ albums I’ve bought this year because (as I suggested earlier about ‘musical influences’) people listen to so much stuff and tastes change over time. I tend not to have strict ‘favourites’ of anything as I like to try new things etc but every now and then I might like to be nostalgic and play (or buy) something I haven’t heard for years.
MER:
Can you consider writing/playing music as a regular job?
Kevin Ridley:
As you may know, some of the band at least did write and play music for a living and I worked freelance for many years. But it isn’t easy making a living out of just playing music year in and year out. As you get older you get different priorities (people get married have children and so on) and you have more responsibilities. So while it would be nice to ‘just’ write and play music we sometimes have to do other things to support ourselves. However, for most of Skyclad this involves writing, playing and teaching music full-time, so it’s quite good.
MER:
What can we expect from Skyclad in the future?
Kevin Ridley:
Well, thanks to the new deal, more albums certainly with lots of quirky and original music probably and loads more good memories of drunken reverie – hopefully.
MER:
Thanks for your time and keep the folk metal banner high. Feel free to add anything to close this interview.
Kevin Ridley:
Presuming this goes out in Greece, all I want to add is a big thank you to all the people who came to the show recently. We know it’s been some time since the last gigs there and it hasn’t been an easy time for the band but it was great to see that people made the effort to come along and, hopefully, you all had as good a time as we did (and not just at the aftershow party). If we have anything to do with it (and we do) it won’t be as long until the next time. Thank you.
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