WINTER MOODS: A BAND FOR ALL SEASONS!
June 2003
There are few sure things in this world, but one of them has to be that
everyone in Malta must have heard a Winter Moods song at some time or
other. This can hardly be termed a difficult feat, especially because
for the past three years at least, the radios – and I don’t just mean
local stations – have been blasting Winter Moods’ music on the airwaves
at a regular rate.
Making the play list (more than once, by the way!) of an international
station like Radio Voyager has obviously been essential in developing
the band’s profile beyond these shores, but they have also been busy on
the live circuit, even hopping over to play a gig in Cyprus and France
in between a tasking gig schedule that took in all of Malta and Gozo.
The natural step was of course a new studio album, which is why Winter
Moods seemed to fade out of the public eye around October 2001, their
existence kept alive only by a steady presence on the airwaves. And
while Joe Public was whiling away the time listening to songs like
Jamaica, Ride, Brittany, Water and Everyday Song, Winter Moods retreated
to Gozo for some brainstorming and, more importantly, song writing.
But that was then, and this is now. Winter Moods have bounced back among
us, revived and most certainly relieved that the hardest part – that of
completing the new album – is over. Butterfly House is the band’s new
album, its name borrowed off the Gozo farmhouse that kick-started this
very record into existence, and by now, you should already be familiar
with Come To You and Adrenaline, the first two singles to be lifted off
this sparkling new 11-track volume of Winter Moods’ music.
The new album’s mixture of upbeat songs and ballads reflects a varied
mood to the record, but remains faithful to the contemporary rock
direction that was the essence of Morning Ale, even if this time around,
the sound oozes more of a live, recharged feel, as can be heard on
tracks such as Adrenaline, Albino and opening track All The Time In The
World. In between listening to Butterfly House and a million other
things on my ‘to-do’ list, I managed to (finally) get some
answers/comments from the singer Ivan and the band about writing,
recording, radio and butterflies (not really!).
Q.
With a good number of radio-friendly tracks, Butterfly House could
easily follow in Morning Ale’s tracks and yield several singles. It is
my feeling however, that this is probably not what the band has in mind
this time around…
A. To tell you the truth, when Morning Ale came out, despite its catchy
song writing and commercial richness, we did not plan for 7 singles to
burn the airwaves, it just took a life of its own and each and every
single did its job. ‘Butterfly House’ also has around 7 potential
singles, but then again we’ll let it flow and make its own way through
to the listeners, we already put out “Come To You” and “Adrenaline” and
they both did very well, still loads to come.
Q.
With Butterfly House, I sense a difference in that it has some tracks
that – unlike Morning Ale - don’t necessarily hit home on first listen,
but they do grow on you after further listening - your comments!
A. Yes you are right, a more mature touch maybe, we got this comment
from most of the music critics. It’s good to hear that, its takes more
then one listen for most of the new songs to get to you, but once they
do, they stay there longer.
Q. Musically, Butterfly House seems to remain pretty close to Morning
Ale. Was this deliberate or did it seem like the natural thing to do?
A. It’s a natural continuation, we did not hassle ourselves to stay
fully in touch with ‘Morning Ale’. We were all aware that its the right
formula, just had to improve and experiment with what we are now capable
of. I personally think we just went to the next level of our musical
journey.
Q. I
think the release of Come To You as a single was a crucial moment
because of its shift towards a more ‘pop’ sound. How do you rate the
song in hindsight, knowing that it was well received? Also, how much of
that ‘pop appeal’ do you think the album has been layered with?
A. I personally think that we should have given more time to “Come To
You”. The album was released two months after it hit the airwaves and it
was still at its peak, the first single ever to top Bay`s Top 40 and
stay there for three consecutive weeks. It was also at No.14 on Radio
Voyager`s Top 30, being played once every hour as a power shot. I
wouldn’t call it pop though. It’s one of the best songs on the album and
it definitely reaches a wider audience, it’s still in the ‘will grow on
you’ list. Every song is a different story, I can’t compare one with the
other. Second single ‘Adrenaline’ is a completely different song for
example, but it is also doing very well, reaching No. 3 on Bay`s Top 40.
Q.
Compared to your previous recordings, Adrenaline and Albino represent a
rockier slant to your music, a sort of balance against the softer tracks
like Come To You or Lifetime. Is the band venturing towards a broader
musical range, especially since Lesson One is quite different from all
the other tracks?
A. As I said there is such a different approach to each and every song,
from Albino to Home Again, from I`ll Get Up Again to Friends, All The
Time In The World to Eyes Open Wide, if you had to hear these songs
without the voice, you can easily say it’s not the same band, but then I
come in and ruin, sorry I meant sing, its obvious…
Q.
When you retreated to Dar Il-Friefet to start working on the new album,
how hard was it to get focused on the task at hand? More importantly,
those first sessions seemed to be fruitful, as the songs seem to be more
of a group effort this time round…
A. Group effort it is and always was, we do things together, everybody
puts something in each and every song and that makes the whole
difference. It was a good thing to get to Dar Il-Friefet and start a new
page, Morning Ale was a good long phase and in a way we had to let it
out if us, ride the good vibes it gave us and start the new trip to
Butterfly House, the first session was an asset, we did the first song
there which is All The Time In The World. That was a good start and so
on...
Q.
All your albums include the lyrics, which I interpret as a sign that you
place a great deal of importance on them. What was/is the main
inspiration for the lyrics?
A. People are now aware that our lyrics are deep, true and personal.
They are a life in words, no fiction around. My lyrics take me places,
mostly back in time and in touch with my childhood; its all about who I
miss, what I`ve been through and things I wish would have happened.
Q.
How different was it recording Butterfly House compared to the Morning
Ale sessions and why?
A. Well we had a bit of pressure on us, we were very choosy and became
more demanding, it did take a long time, I must admit that there were
times of frustration and tension, it took us about a year and two months
in scattered sessions to get it over and done with, we would never do
this again, next time we will be in the studio for a whole one month and
finish it. We even put a lot of pressure on David, our daily jobs,
family commitment and health problems got in the way as usual and made
the whole thing a bit dragging at times. I did all the vocal sessions
towards the end (Christmas holidays included) and that was not so
pleasant to any of us. With regards to the rest I must say that
experience has given us a push, we knew what we wanted from each and
every song, we knew our capabilities and pushed them to the limit, David
did his bit as all great producers do and if we rounded all up, we can
say it was all worth while.
Q.
What bands/artists do you feel are the main influences on Butterfly
House?
A. Its not an easy question, our roots were put on the table before and
its no use going through them again, we all have our own different
influences, each and everyone of us has his own favourite bands, but we
personally think that the main influence on this album was (previous
album) Morning Ale. We did not want to sound like anyone in particular,
it all came out naturally.
Q.
What do you think has been the band’s best moment so far?
A. There are a few to mention. For sure, winning Best Band twice with
both previous albums 1997 and 2001; playing with Fish, Deep Purple and
the SAS Band, plus the gigs in France and Cyprus and of course the
success of Morning Ale!
Q.
What should we expect from Winter Moods this summer?
A. We are getting ready for a big gig in Rome in June, then we’ll come
back and play a local concert in July. There are people from record
companies coming for this concert and the guys from Radio Voyager are
also on the list, we need all the support we can get to make this
concert a memorable one.
Q.
Any news regarding the Venditti matter with Everyday Song?
Regarding the Venditti matter, he asked in writing to cover Everyday
Song, when we last got in touch with him he had two different
instrumental backings of the song, he was playing with words and melody.
When his manager got in touch with me lately he said that Antonello was
not finding it easy to fit his voice on the melody, my way of singing is
very different obviously and that is a problem. He is still working on
it so we’ll just have to wait and see, with fingers crossed.
Q.
Finally, what is the personal favourite Winter Moods track of each band
member?
A. IVAN: ‘Come To You’. It’s a personal matter, it’s so uplifting - a
great song from all aspects.
JOSEPH: ‘Ride’. I can’t really explain why. The words are so real, the
music is deep – I can’t say much more, it’s just a great song!
ETIENNE: ‘Come With Me’. It has a surreal atmosphere - another world!
JAMES: ‘All The Time In The World’. It’s a grand song; strong with a
cool melody, plus it was the starting point of the new album.
MELVIN: ‘Friends’. It was my dream to record such a deep and emotional
song. Its acoustic richness just takes me places.
STEVE: ‘Sarah’. This was the song that introduced us to a new audience.
It’s an anthem to us. I must also say that “Eyes Open Wide” is in the
same area, another favourite.
Recommended weblink: www.wintermoods.net
