Interview with the Dutch Band Traversus

September 23, 2024

Interview with the Dutch Band Traversus

By Mick Michaels

Cosmick View: Hello, and welcome to The Cosmick View. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to speak with us. It's greatly appreciated.

CV: What do you feel are three essential characteristics, aside from style, genre, or even to some degree technical abilities, a band or artist should possess to help set them apart in thus business?

Aside from style, you just want the music to be cool don’t you? When you hear a guitar riff or a vocal melody you want your body to move to it, doesn’t matter what genre it is. The music has to do something with you.

We think it is very useful if you are able to build a fanbase with like-minded people. It might be strange to say this because you can’t really pick your audience, but if you manage to get your music to like-minded people it will be more likely that they will like the music, at least that is something we are noticing with people in our fanbase.

CV: Why do you think there's been a massive shift and decline in music's overall popularity in recent years? Are streaming platforms really to blame?

I don’t know if streaming platforms are the only ones to blame but they definitely play a large part in the decline of music’s popularity. People don’t have to put any effort in listening to music they go to Spotify and put on a song and that’s it, Spotify will choose the next song for you and done. Before streaming services existed you had to go out and buy cd’s, vinyl and what not. You had to put some effort into obtaining new music so therefore you were probably listening to the cd more often.

On the other hand, apart from the smaller bands that are just starting almost every band are on streaming services. Therefore you are able to find new bands that you wouldn’t have found without the streaming service.

CV: Has modern music become just another disposable commodity to listeners?

To a certain degree, probably yes. There is a lot of music nowadays that is made with AI for example that is purely made for entertainment. TikTok music for example.

CV: The music scene on all levels seems to be in a constant state of flux. Music has found itself splintered in multiple sub sections. Do artists and bands need to reinvent constantly or at least with every release to better appeal to modern-day music audiences?

It depends on what genre music you make I think. I think pop artist are sometimes more likely to reinvent themselves with new release because people tend to forget you a lot quicker in the pop world. That doesn’t happen in let’s say, the metal community. Once you have a fanbase most people will stick around. Great example of this is Karnivool, they haven’t released a record since 2013 but they are still touring across the entire world.

CV: Tell us a little about your latest release. How do you feel this project separates itself from similar releases?

I know it might be a bit of a cliché but we feel that are sound has a very distinctive and personal sound. It does not sound like a different band in our opinion. It sounds like Traversus, and we are very proud of that.

CV: With digital downloading and streaming seeming to make full-length albums almost obsolete, do you feel audience consumption of music would serve itself better with a "less is more" attitude? Are EPs and singles the way to go these days?

In a lot of genres EP’s and singles are the way to go. People tend to be interested in artists that releases singles non stop. For us it’s a li=le different. We don’t have the opportunity to constantly release songs. First of all because it takes quite some time to write songs in the style as we do. And secondly, we aren’t able to constantly record songs at are home. We have to go the a studio and record the instrument separately. Simple pop music is a lot easier to make at home with sampled drumbeats and plugins etc. that is just not an opportunity for us. So for a band like us it makes a lot more sense to write an album, record it at a studio and then release it as an album.

CV: Everyone from Elvis and the Beatles to Metallica and Disturb have done cover songs. Do you believe that artists and bands need to include cover songs in their own body of releases as a way to gain a larger portion of a supporting audience?

Covers are definitely a way to gain a larger audience but is can also be dangerous. You can also become known as that band with a few good original songs but they are really good at covering Avenged Sevenfold. I feel like the audience will tend to compare you’re music to the band that you cover, therefore it can come across as non original. But a band like Metallica, they don’t need to play covers to gain a larger audience. Everybody knows them, they just like the songs.

CV: What more can fans expect to see coming from you in 2024 and beyond?

In 2024 the fans will need to be a bit patient. Later this year we will be entering the studio to record seven new songs which will be scheduled for release in spring 2025. And they can always check out are social media to see if we have some gigs coming up!

CV: Thanks again for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you all the best and continued success.

Thank you, we appreciate it!

Check out Traversus at:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/41bwmvibv71jyxuLO2aDsB?si=UhzV0BUUQ9Khb3L5SXyCEQ h=ps://traversus-band.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Traversusband

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traversusband

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.