MARILLION
30 years "Fugazi"
"We were in a transitional phase as a band: from a bunch of kids in a van hunting for a record deal to a band that finally had that deal in their pockets and was now trying to record the follow-up to a successful debut album This is Fish's assessment of the situation Marillion found himself in a few months after the release of "Script For A Jester's Tear" in spring 1983.
PETER GABRIEL
Berlin calling
In mid-February, people like George Clooney, Tilda Swinton or Viggo Mortensen can meet you at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. This year's number of stars at the Berlinale's main playground has seldom been as high as it is now. The round gentleman in an XL shirt with a silver-white stubble hairstyle and d'Artagnan beard is hardly noticeable. Peter Gabriel flew to Berlin on this afternoon of 11 February to personally present the preview of his concert film "Back To Front".
MIKE OLDFIELD
Our man in the Bahamas
The news that Mike Oldfield has recorded a rock album again should be a good one for many of his fans. After all, his last work with simple vocals, "Heaven's Open", was twenty-three years ago. And the Englishman, once known for his shyness and unwillingness to talk to journalists, also willingly gives information about studio album number 25.
THE ROLLING STONES
For the very last time?
Suspicions that the Rolling Stones might lose the desire to tour were fired up by the band members themselves in the seventies. In 1975, a 27-year-old Mick Jagger declared: "I can't jump around like a 21-year-old anymore, and I'd rather die than sing satisfaction at 45."
PROG AHOI!
Progressive Nation at Sea
Tuesday, 18 February, 5 p.m.: On the huge pool deck and along the higher parapet of the luxury liner Norwegian Pearl off the coast of Miami, around one thousand progfans from all over the world cheer for the multinational supergroup TRANSATLANTIC.
MOTORPSYCHO
To hell with the monotony!
The singer and guitarist Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan is very balanced these days: As if the relaxed mood of the current Motorpsycho studio factory had been transferred to the musicians. Or was it the other way around? In the interview "Snah" talks about the advantages of purifying songs and why it's liberating that the big hype around the trio from Trondheim has diminished a bit.
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX
Powerful music, honest from the ground up
Crippled Black Phoenix made it. They have outgrown the underground and gained a reputation on a broad level, which allows them to tour worldwide and play at the big festivals. And all this without bending, without giving up her vision of an alternative artrock. Band founder and guitarist Justin Greaves talks about the inner workings of his band and the new album.
ELBOW
Back to the ground
"I'm afraid the press has misunderstood Guy's statement," Pete Turner puts Guy Garvey's announcement to make a prog album into perspective right at the beginning of the interview. "What he actually meant by 'progressive' was the word in the sense of progress, being progressive. This statement did not have much to do with the musical style of the same name." In the following, the 40-year-old Elbow bassist helps to clarify further open questions.
