Interview with Kaaper
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.
Kaaper: Hey guys! Thank you for having me here!
CV: Over the past several years, the music industry has essentially changed multiple times. How have you navigated these changes and what positives have you taken away that keeps you moving forward?
Kaaper: I've been a metal musician for 20+ years, so I can agree with you! The changes have been tremendous, but it doesn't necessarily mean that things have gotten worse. For example, 20 years ago, when I started my journey as a musician, I had no idea what to do or how it was supposed to be done. In my young brain, it was like some kind man would come, take my hand and lead me to the huge stage like, "James Hetfield? Fuck you, James Hetfield! Evgeny, take his mic, now it's your turn." We had no information about how to make music or what to do with it once it was ready, so we had to collect information bit by bit, make a lot of mistakes, and now, 20+ years later, we're still at the bottom, but now we have all the chances to be heard, and we take them all.
CV: Artists everywhere seem to be struggling to find not only an audience but a stage to perform on. Do you feel this is more of a temporary trend or more of a signal that music has lost its impact?
Kaaper: It's time to disagree. Actually, no, 20 years ago it was way harder. Now we have a lot of different venues waiting for good musicians to perform. On the other hand, it has always been difficult to find your audience, and that hasn't changed, but at least we have the Internet and a lot of tools for advertising and promoting your music. I believe that if you complain about anything, you don't devote enough time to solving the problem.
CV: Genre classification has essentially altered listener perspective and has redefined music categories. Has these perceptions changed the way you write music? Is songwriting more of a “fitting into a niche” than writing from the heart nowadays?
Kaaper: I doubt it. Look, if we're talking about mainstream music, most probably, you're right, but the underground allows you to be yourself. We know a lot of great examples of bands becoming popular simply by following their own path. This is what we love about it the most. The underground has so many hidden gems simply because there are a lot of crazy people who don't bother trying to fit into the framework of "good music for the masses."
CV: Tell us a little about what you have going on right now.
Kaaper: As you know, we released our second album "When Gods Walked the Earth". It came out fantastically, our listeners love it and we're happy with it, now we're concentrated on our live performances and exploring new stages, but at the time we're also writing new music, so there's no time for boredom.
CV: How do you stay inspired as an artist?
Kaaper: Hehe, we do drugs. Just kidding, of course. To be honest, playing live is one of the best activities in the world for me, if not the best. So I know that if I write a cool song, I'll have a lot of fun playing it live. That's the goal, and it's what keeps me inspired. Simple.
CV: Is there ever the fear of possibly repeating yourself musically over time?
Kaaper: Honestly, I don't care. All musicians take ideas from the music they love, including their own old records. It's inevitable, so why should I worry about it? The most important thing is that I'm having fun writing new music and playing it live. When I enjoy it, the audience enjoys it as well.
CV: Many critics believe music has lost it touch...it's connection with the audience. Is that really the case on some level, or has music found itself competing for attention in a sea of over stimuli?
Kaaper: I think the process of making music has become too simple. This is why we have this tremendous quantity of bands releasing music every day, so we're getting overwhelmed with music and have almost no chance of finding the good stuff among these tons of tracks.
But I believe the most important problem is that bands nowadays devote too much attention to their "identity," forgetting to write good songs. You listen to new music and think, "Fuck, it sounds so cool, so INTERESTING," but it leaves no emotions at all.
A lot of metal music has become art-house stuff - deep, sophisticated, but empty, made to soothe one's ego. Something like, "Look, I'm not like the others." Of course you are! If you want to play an extra note, think twice: will it make the song better?
Look, it's great that we have bands who play unique music, but the line between a good song with a cool musical trademark and a sophisticated piece of shit is very thin. A lot of people don't want to balance on it, betting on their uniqueness instead.
CV: What do you believe music has given you that nothing else would have?
Kaaper: I can't say that nothing else can give you the same benefits that music can. Music is just one side of life, but for us, music can give you unity. That's the most important thing in a world where you can rely only on yourself.
CV: What more can fans expect coming from you this year and beyond?
Kaaper: By the end of this year, we have many shows planned and, most probably, we'll start recording new songs. There's a chance that you'll hear a couple of new singles.
CV: Thanks again for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you all the best and continued success.
Kaaper: Thank you! It was my pleasure. Thanks for your interest!
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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, author, show host, big dreamer & 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 & a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books & now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar & showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.
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