Interview with vocalist David Reed Watson of Alchemy Fire
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: Tell us a little about ALCHEMY FIRE.
David Reed Watson: I’m the vocalist/lyricist for the band. We have Paul Wright on Guitar, Tom Schofield on Drums, Felipe Kopke on Bass, and Neil Taylor on Keyboards. This will be our first album together. We’re excited to get it out to the public considering we recorded this pre-pandemic. Paul and Tom recorded the Guitars and Drums in Florida back in 2018! I went over to England and recorded the Vocals at Misha Nikolic’s Monster Trax Studio in Newark, UK. We then sent it over to one of Tom’s friends, Ulrich Wild, who had mixed albums for Tom’s band, SOiL. Ulrich has worked with some big hitters like; Pantera, Deftones, Breaking Benjamin… the list goes on. Then for the Mastering it went to Alex Psaroudakis in NYC. I think what makes this album so unique is Alex’s Mastering. I mean, traditionally he mixes RnB, Soul, Hip Hop… stuff like that.CV: Given so many major changes over the last decade, do you believe the music industry is a practicable and stable enough environment for new artists to even consider making it a valid career choice? Can a level of sustainable success really be achieved in your opinion for your band?
DRW: You’ve heard the phrase, “Don’t quit your day job, kid”? Haha. All I can say is that we’re doing what we love. Is any career choice a valid one? To the one that chooses it, it’s valid. One thing that has changed in the past 10 years‑ at least Rock and Metal is this… You’ve got to love it. If you’re here to make money you’ve got to work hard, and on the other hand if you go into anything with just the thought of making money it’s probably not a good path for you. Polonius said it best in Hamlet, “To thine own heart be true.”CV: What do you see as the biggest change in the music industry since you first started out?
DRW: Well, the obvious one was the Pandemic. It almost killed this industry. I had left England to come back to the states at the end of 2019, then WHAM! Nobody was expecting that to happen. We all got together via Skype and just looked at each other like…”What do we do now?” On a positive note it gave us ample time to Mix and Master. We were no longer under any time constraint. It was kind of peaceful in a way. I know that it killed a lot of bands, but the majority of the bands I know headed right into the studio and took advantage of the downtime. We couldn’t tour, so writing and recording became our life. I think I can pretty much speak for most artists out there.CV: How do you see ALCHEMY FIRE’s music separating itself from your peers and avoiding just being another cog in the wheel?
DRW: We have something to say. Alchemy Fire isn’t just any ‘band’. Alchemy is a belief system. We want to wake up the world to this magic. We want people to recognize that whatever dreams they might have they can be achieved if they believe them and they use certain principles. I personally, am an energy worker, I am a Reiki Master, and I believe that we’ve captured that ‘Magic of the Journey’ as I wrote in the title track. When you capture that energy and put it to Vinyl, people feel it. On a non-esoteric side…it just kicks ass! Haha.CV: Has the industry’s many changes affected how you write music? Has it influenced your songwriting style in any drastic form?
DRW: Yes, it has. I mean, we kind of did it backwards with this album…Tom laid down the drums with Paul laying down the guitars, then the vocals, then the bass, then the keyboards. Traditionally, I’ve always laid down a melody line with the band and then when the music is done I’ll put the lyrics to it, as if the music is telling me what to write. I don’t know if it’s better or worse really. I mean, I had an ideal setting for writing. I would literally sit in the garden in England writing verse, and it seemed to work. I think we were all surprised that it came together so well. But, to answer your question more directly…it’s always a lot more fun getting all the guys in a room together instead of trading files via the internet.CV: Has digital technology led the way for almost anyone to be a musical artist in your opinion?
DRW: It has, but I don’t think any differently than the old days. It’s made it more accessible I guess. But in a good way, it’s allowed creative expression that probably never would see the light of day had it not been for the internet. We hear stories of great bands getting signed and shelved. That’s crushing. At least Artists have the opportunity to work hard and actually have an audience, and aren’t reliant on big labels. Labels were only Banks giving out loans anyway.CV: Has music in general been broken into too many sub-genres? Why do you think there are so many classifications of music types? Can this be confusing for an artist who is looking to build a brand? As well, can it be confusing for the fans?
DRW: Have you ever done an interview and asked the band what their sound is like? I think that is why so many sub-genres started branching off of each other. It’s terribly frustrating. When Black Sabbath came about there was no ‘Heavy Metal’. Listen to the interview with Tony Iommi about that. It’s Rock n Roll basically. I think it’s a psychological thing. People need to put things into boxes. We, Alchemy Fire, are here to take you out of your boxes.CV: How would you define “iconic” when it comes to being an artist or musician? What do you think makes an artist iconic?
DRW: Iconic Artists are the ones that usually start a different genre and people follow them, but they are never trying to start another genre… they just do because they have their own sound, their own voice. Look at Hendrix, Sabbath, Bowie, Yes, or even Nirvana. There are many more, but most ‘Iconic’ people or bands draw very little attention at first. They are either loved or hated. But because their music is so timeless you can pop them into any year and they would still be relevant. That… is iconic.
CV: Who would you consider to be a modern day “rock star?” And is being a “rock star” something to aspire to?
DRW: Great question! Seriously, what is a rock star now? I hear people calling people not even in the music business ‘Rock Star’. But there are people who have a ‘presence’ that you can’t escape. They almost seem immortal. Who alive today? I’m not really sure. Maybe someone like Steven Tyler?CV: Does music need to have a message to convey to the world for it to be worth listening to in your opinion?
DRW: It doesn’t. The music in itself is worthy enough to listen to… but you’re talking to the vocalist and lyricist. I personally WANT it to be relevant. I do have a message in the lyrics that I think will speak to people… but again, no…it needn’t not have a message to be worth listening to.CV: What's next for ALCHEMY FIRE? What can fans expect to see coming?
DRW: We have a solid line-up right now. All amazing players, and we all get along. We’ve got a great PR team and Label that believe in us and we’re all just excited to get out and play for everyone. Paul, our Guitarist has a couple dozen songs ready to pass off to us to put out own magic towards, and we’re hungry to write more. I think the fans are going be hungry for more as well.CV: Thank you again for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. It was a pleasure. I wish you all the best and continued success.
DRW: Thank you for the interview and the great questions. We can’t wait to see you all out on the road!Check out ALCHEMY FIRE at:
https://www.alchemyfireofficial.com/site/
http://www.facebook.com/alchemyfireofficial
https://instagram.com/alchemyfire
https://twitter.com/AlchemyFire1
https://www.youtube.com/@alchemyfireofficial
http://www.tiktok.com/@alchemyfire_official
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7eP0sp9OSmwifC9zpvWZDO
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