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Rock My Monkey: Hello, you are listening to the Rock My Monkey netcast on RockMyMonkey.com. Today we are speaking with Heiko Spaarman of the band Poverty's No Crime. How are you doing today?
Heiko Spaarman: Fine.
Rock My Monkey: Cool.
Heiko Spaarman: Thanks for having me on the show.
Rock My Monkey: Cool. Now, why so long between The Chemical Chaos and Save My Soul?
Heiko Spaarman: Well, this has many reasons, but the main reason is due to some health problems Volker our singer had after we released The Chemical Chaos album about three years ago. So we had to take a break for one year after releasing that album. Yeah, one year after releasing an album you cannot do so much. Forget touring. So we took the time off, and started writing material for the new album. Then we had some delays in booking the studio. It sums up to more than three years, I guess.
Rock My Monkey: So are all the health problems that your singer was having, is he totally okay now? Is that all taken care of?
Heiko Spaarman: Yeah. He’s okay now. It was kind of a burnout he had from working too much, so the doctor said he should stop working, stop making music, and he would be fine again. And he’s fine again. He’s taking it easy right now, I think. That’s different from a couple of years ago. He was very, maybe wanting too much in all aspects. He’s a bit relaxed, more relaxed right now, and I think that helped him a lot.
Rock My Monkey: How do you think the band has progressed between The Chemical Chaos and Save My Soul and what do you think Save My Soul offers fans that The Chemical Chaos may not have?
Heiko Spaarman: First of all, Save My Soul is a bit more heavier than The Chemical Chaos. The Chemical Chaos has more of rock and progressive aspects to the songs and that’s changed a little bit more to the heavier side of Poverty Is No Crime. It’s a more metal album, even though it’s still progressive. If you look at the songs, the riffs are heavier, the production is much heavier, because Tommy Newton who produced the album is a more metal producer. He produced some Helloween albums, Redemption, Ark. He’s right now in the studio, just been in the studio with Gamma Ray. So yeah, Save My Soul is a heavy album. Chemical Chaos is more of a rock album. I think that’s the essence.
Rock My Monkey: Speaking of your producer, what do you think Tommy Newton brought to the cd as a producer that really would not have been there otherwise.
Heiko Spaarman: On Chemical Chaos and the two records before Chemical Chaos, we produced all three records in the same studio, in Oldenburg Germany. We’d really, really been looking into the very detail, everything had to be 100% perfect. If it wasn’t 100% perfect, we would record it over and over again. But for Tommy Newton he’s working more straight forward. Most of the other things you hear on the record, Save My Soul, are first takes. Pretty much the drums are all, all first takes I would say. And I just needed about one day for playing my bass for the whole album. So we were very, very well prepared for going to the studio and recording the album. But Tommy Newton, he pushed us to play good with the first take, so that makes it sound fresh, and not so constructed, I would say. It has more life than the other albums.
Rock My Monkey: With a cd that has as much depth as this one, how do you feel about artists, and even more so, record companies, that over compress things to create a hotter recording, just to make them appear louder? And have you even heard about the debate that’s going on about the loudness war?
Heiko Spaarman: Not really. Not really. Like for us, we’re not thinking about anything like that, like it should sound heavier, or it should sound like this or that. We were just very optimistic choosing Tommy Newton as producer. He comes from a more, more from the metal side of the music, and we thought that might help us to bring a new aspect to our songs. But we didn’t work on it actively. We didn’t say, ‘This has to be heavy.’ The outcome of heavier riffs on this album, heavier songs, and heavier production, but without planning it, if you can say it like that.
Rock My Monkey: Out of all the songs on the cd, you personally as a person that was involved with the creation of the cd, what song on this cd do you think has the chance of being your Ace Of Spades, the song that follows the band from here on out, and the song that fans demand for decades to come?
Heiko Spaarman: Actually that’s two songs. Yeah. I think the ballad, The Key To Creativity, is really outstanding from this album because it’s so different. It should be accessible for all kinds of listeners. Even if you’re not into metal music, or into progressive metal, or melodic metal, or any kind of harder music, you should be able to like that song. So I think that’s the most accessible song. But when it comes to all the songs from my personal point of view, I would choose the title track, Save My Soul. This has, I think, everything that is typical for a Poverty Is No Crime song. It has catchy melodies, nice riffing, and good playing of the rhythm in the song. So that’s the one I like very much.
Rock My Monkey: There obviously, especially being on the label that you guys are on, I’m sure you’re well aware that there is a ton of progressive metal bands out there. What do you feel that, what do you feel makes Poverty Is No Crime unique in the progressive metal scene, and what do you guys offer fans that no other progressive metal band does?
Heiko Spaarman: I think if you break it down, the music Poverty Is No Crime makes is always, we are always trying to make good songs, of course. But we don’t focus so much on playing long solo parts, or tricky stuff that makes the people keep their mouths open if they see it, if you perform it live. It’s just for the sake of the song that it has a good melody, that’s it’s really tight as a song. We always try to make it not too complex. It should be fun to listen to it. I think that’s typical for Poverty Is No Crime. I think melody. Nice melodies.
Rock My Monkey: Okay. Cool. Now, is there any plans for a video single for this release?
Heiko Spaarman: Not really. Not really.
Rock My Monkey: No? Okay.
Heiko Spaarman: No. No plans.
Rock My Monkey: If I’m not mistaken, you guys actually do have your own YouTube channel, and you guys have a couple of clips from the studio. Is there going to be any further videos posted there, of maybe of you guys doing live shows, or maybe practicing for a tour or anything?
Heiko Spaarman: Possibly. The YouTube thing was just that Andreas, our drummer, when he was in the studio recording his tracks he brought his video camera, and he thought, oh, that’s really good for people who play drums, who are interested in the band, to just get an inside in our studio work of how does it look like, if the drum tracks are recorded. So that’s just the reason why they put it on YouTube. Possibly if we have a chance to get some good videos from shows, or from a rehearsal, that would also go to YouTube, I think. That’s a good way to communicate to the fans, so they can see what’s going on inside the band, not just getting a record every three or four years. I hope the next one will come next year or at least 2009. But it’s always a good way to keep up with the fans, keep them informed of what’s going on.
Rock My Monkey: As well as maybe giving them another opportunity to maybe sample some of the music from the cd without just giving it away for free. So another way to push the cd further. Now, what song on here do you feel is the most personal song on the cd? Maybe a song that maybe gives a window into the lives of the band?
Heiko Spaarman: Regarding music, or regarding lyrics?
Rock My Monkey: Well, for you personally. What do you feel is the one that is personal for you? Even if you didn’t write the lyrics, maybe to you, you somehow have some kind of connection to it, maybe a certain passion for it beyond maybe the notes that you play. Something that for you, that’s your favorite song for personal reasons.
Heiko Spaarman: I think End In Sight is something I really like, music and lyrics. The song that makes most fun to play live and practicing. Yeah.
Rock My Monkey: What are the chances of the band doing a full coast to coast tour of the United States anytime soon?
Heiko Spaarman: If anyone’s interested in getting us over to The States, we will come. We’ve been in contact with a guy, with a guy who’s doing the Prog Power in The States, the Prog Power Festival.
Rock My Monkey: Right.
Heiko Spaarman: I think that would be something that everyone in the band would really love to play there. And sure, if there’s an opportunity to play anywhere, we would take it.
Rock My Monkey: So at this point, if you guys were to be able to tour the United States, you’d have to have maybe a supporting slot with a band that’s more established in this area?
Heiko Spaarman: Yeah.
Rock My Monkey: Alright. Cool. When people see you guys live, what can they expect from your live shows? Is it more of a stripped down kind of thing, or do you guys add something to it to make it more of a show?
Heiko Spaarman: It’s not really a big show. I think it’s simply playing the songs, and interacting with the audience. For myself I like running around on the stage, making fun. Which irritates some people, I must say, from reading live reviews. But yeah, we don’t have like paintings or screens or video projections or something. It’s kept simple.
Rock My Monkey: What do you think-any maybe you alluded to this a little bit just now, but what do you think is more important in a live show, being in a progressive metal band. Getting the notes right, or making a memorable show, and having that energy?
Heiko Spaarman: Having fun onstage and interacting with the audience, I think. For me, it’s not a must that every note is in the right place, and that everything is 100%, because then you can listen to a cd. We are also changing the songs a little bit when we are playing live. We’re adding a part here, adding a part there, leave out something here or there. We are also putting songs together from other records. For example, for the album Autumn Years, the second album, we’re not playing songs, but we have a medley of five songs from that album, which is about maybe ten minutes. So we take the parts we like the most from a couple of songs, put them together to a new structure. I think that’s something which is interesting for the fans, listening to songs they know, but put together in a structure. I like it playing, because otherwise it gets boring if you’re playing for years and years the same songs.
Rock My Monkey: I do have one final question. Every year we do choose one final question that we ask every single band from classic rock legends to the most extreme death metal bands at the end of every interview. Partially to stump people, but also to see who’s got the cajones and the balls to actually answer the question. This year I’m asking people to look into their crystal ball and predict what political figure, world leader, musician, celebrity, anybody well known, anybody world wide famous, who do you think might die before the end of the year?
Heiko Spaarman: Hmm. I don’t want anyone to die.
Rock My Monkey: It’s not a wish. It’s not wishing somebody’s death. It’s more of, somebody’s partying too hard, somebody’s getting kind of old. It could be a world leader.
Heiko Spaarman: Elvis is dead already. Isn’t he? (laughs)
Rock My Monkey: Who is it?
Heiko Spaarman: Elvis.
Rock My Monkey: Oh, Elvis. Yeah, well, some people debate that, but yeah it’s pretty much believed that Elvis is dead.
Heiko Spaarman: If he’s not dead, I think he will die this year. No. Just kidding. This is really a tough question. Who is old and might die? I have no clue.
Rock My Monkey: A week ago you could have said Pavarotti, but he actually already went.
Heiko Spaarman: Yeah. Yeah.
Rock My Monkey: Can’t think of anybody at all?
Heiko Spaarman: Not really. I’m sorry.
Rock My Monkey: Alright. I thank you very much for doing the interview. Anybody that’s listening to the audio version can go to RockMyMonkey.com for the full featured version with clickable links, readable text, and many more wonderful features. Anybody can click on the album cover above and below this interview to purchase Save My Soul by Poverty Is No Crime. And I do hope to see you guys up on tour in the Northwest in America sometime soon. And thank you very much for your time.
Heiko Spaarman: Thank you for your interest in the band, and thank you for listening.
