Interview with Charles Kieny of the Jazz Metal Band CKRAFT (France)
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| Photo by SamandMax Photo |
By Mick Michaels
The Cosmick View: Hello, and welcome to The Cosmick View/MBM Ten Pounder! Thanks for taking some time to chat with us!
CV:
Describe your definition of the band’s sound and style and how does
that definition uniquely describe the music?
Charles Kieny: Hi there, thanks a lot
for having us today! We're CKRAFT, a five piece instrumental Jazz-Metal band.
CKRAFT is Théo Nguyen Duc Long on tenor saxophone, Antoine Morisot on guitar, Marc Karapetian on bass, William Bur on drums. I play augmented accordion, which is an accordion with electronic sensors, allowing me to play synths directly on it! I call it "augmented accordion.” We're based in Paris, France.
We’re heavily influenced by melodies from the Middle Ages, and by the crushing riffs of the Metal bands we love, such as Gojira and Meshuggah.
CV:
Today, everyone talks about artist and audience connection. Is such a level of
connection actually achievable for an artist and if so, how have you made the
connection to your fans?
Charles: I think social medias
are a great tool to connect with your audience as an artist: now more than
ever, fans can follow the making of an album, the backstage of a show, sound check
snippets.... These things are just gold for all music lovers.
CV:
Is fan interaction an important part of the band’s inner culture?
CK: Sure! The other band
members sometime tell me that I share too much information…I always want to
explain and talk about the music we're doing, as music making is one of the
most, if not the most, important thing in my life, I'm always keen to
share details about this or that title, where the melody is taken from, the
process of creating music with friends etc.
CV:
Can a band truly interact with its fans and still maintain a level of personal
privacy without crossing the line and giving up their “personal space” in your
opinion?
Charles: I think this is down
to everyone's value of where they place their limits. As far as I'm concerned I
like to always keep everything about the music and the friendship and sense of
little community behind it. You probably won't ever see my girlfriend -or my
butt- on Instagram.
CV:
Is music, and its value, viewed differently around the world in your
opinion? If so, what do you see as the biggest difference in such multiple
views among various cultures?
CK: Wow that's a big
topic! Of course music is viewed, listened to, and felt differently throughout
the world. We, as westerners, make it a specialty, musicians on one side,
non-musicians on the other side, but if you go to Central Africa and meet the
Aka people, everyone in the community is doing music, and most of the time
incredibly complex polyrhythms that even the best musicians in Europe would
struggle with. That's just one example among many others. If you go to India,
and ask them to play you what they call "classical music," you might
have a surprise there as well.
CV:
Do you feel that a band that has an international appeal, will tend to connect
more so to American audiences? Would they be more enticed or intrigued to see
the band over indigenous acts because of the foreign flavor?
CK: I think if the music
is made in a genuine way, and you put your heart and soul into what you're
doing, people throughout the world, including in America, will feel it and show
some interest, no matter where you're from.
USA
versus other countries and cultures is just a matter of marketing in my humble
opinion. If you pitch your band or your brand as being representative of a
foreign culture worth of showcasing, you better actually be knowing your stuff
and be ready to be a proper spokesman of your culture
CV: Has modern-day digital technology made everyone an artist on some level in
your opinion? Have the actual lines of what really is an artist been blurred?
CK: I think everyone is an artist in some ways yes…everyone
can try and do something creative, and if they find an audience that is happy
to watch, why not.
But artistically speaking nothing will ever replace hard work and the satisfaction that you get when you release something that you put your heart and soul into.
Also, we're all part of an ecosystem that we call "society" and whether we like it or not, it's directed by money. If you define yourself as being "an artist" above anything else, the next question will be: “is it enough to pay your rent?” If not, are you going to that direction? If it's not the case yet, it means society doesn't really see you as a professional artist yet. Me and some other people can all surely appreciate the value of your work, but as long as it doesn't put food on your plate, sadly, it will always be considered a "hobby" by the world we live in.
Please note that I'm talking about the common folks here, like you and me, not about those born in extreme poverty or in a wealthy family.
CV: How would you describe the difference between an artist who follows trends
and one who sets them?
CK: I have no idea! I
really don't know if there is such a thing as "following a trend"
when you write your own music.
I guess it's good to be influenced and to be part of a culture that is bigger than you and to identify with, but I'm really not sure about this "trend" thing. If you truly love music and the process of making it, trends probably don't have an effect on you. Whether you create one yourself or not is another question. Oh, I guess I might have inadvertently replied to the question!
CK: I think sub-genres are comparable with what marketing people call "elevator-pitches." Fans just need to read a few words that will give them a quick idea of what the music they're about to listen sounds like. After that, whether they like it or not, it depends on other parameters than these few words, in my opinion.
On the other hand, I have no idea of how music enthusiasts really buy and consume music. Maybe these few "pitching" words can have an impact on some fans when they choose to attend to a concert or not, click on a streaming link or not.... Studies of these behaviors are made by big shots; I'm just a small musician trying to find his audience. Our music with CKRAFT can be defined as "Gregorian Jazz Metal", because it elevator-pitches the fact that we play heavy riffs, that there are jazz-influenced solos and textures, and that we use melodies from the Middle Ages, but frankly if you ask me, we don't play Gregorian Jazz-Metal, we just play CKRAFT.
I was actually thinking about it the other day. The bands that I love are not defined by genres anymore: Gojira plays Gojira, Meshuggah plays Meshuggah, Car Bomb plays Car Bomb, etc.
CV:
What can fans expect to see coming next from you?
CK: I'm in the process of
writing new songs, hopefully we'll produce them in 2023 and release them in
2024. Check us out on social medias to be updated!
CV: Thanks again for taking some time and talking. It is greatly appreciated. CK: Thanks a lot for having us, it means the world!
Check
out CKRAFT at:
https://linktr.ee/ckraft.music
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