Ivan, how would you describe your style to someone who never heard anything about you?
One of my friends told me that my music creates an image in her mind of musical notes flying around. With Sandcastle I tried to cover a lot of different styles I like. From progressive rock, straight hard rock and heavy metal to emotional ballads and some experimental stuff like Hi-tech Orient, Macedonian War Song or Raindrops.
Please, let us know something more about your music background. What were some of the things that influenced your musical tastes and led to your interest in the guitar?
Well, as a kid, while I was listening to some of my favorite bands, I was always imagining that I'm standing on a stage in front of the crowd and playing and singing that music to them. So one day I just decided that I have to start playing an instrument.
How do you feel being in a double role of playing in a band (Hard Time) and releasing music as a solo guitarist?
It's actually great! With Hard Time, we're touring a lot and we're playing straight hard rock which I really enjoy! And with my solo stuff I get a chance to explore other styles and experiment a lot musically.
Let's talk about Sandcastle.. What were your goals initially when you began recording tracks for the album? And how would you describe the feeling of completing your first solo release?
My goal was to create the best album I possibly could without any compromise or boundaries. I didn't think about how it's going to sell or if people will like it. I just wanted to make music that I enjoy and I'm really extremely happy to know that there are people that enjoy the music I made!
What I felt when I finished Sandcastle is priceless, for everything else there's Mastercard :D
I really appreciate your version of Vivaldi's Spring (from his Four Seasons). Why did you choose that track?
I loved that piece since I was a kid. It sounds so happy and upbeat. And the other thing is - I've heard people play it on the electric guitar, but I've never heard a true hard rock or heavy metal arrangement of it, and that's what I tried to do and I think it sounds great. It sounds like that piece was meant to be played by a heavy metal band from the beginning.
Btw, can you comment on the genesis of each track?
Ok, here we go, track by track:
1. Sandcastle
It's the title track and the album opener. I tried to write an instrumental track that would catch the attention of other guitar instrumentalists from the beginning and showcase my guitar skills and wrap it up in a nicely composed piece of music.
2. Cascading Mirrors
Basically, the name of the track tells the story. In my mind I had an image of a ray of light bouncing from side to side in a corridor of cascading mirrors and since I'm not a painter (and I seriously suck at drawing) I wanted to describe that imag
e through a song.
3. Distant World
This is the oldest song on this album. I wrote it a couple years ago, before I even planned this CD. I wrote this song at the end of a pretty long relationship and that's what it talks about. I found myself in the same situation a few years later and then I revised the lyrics a little bit.
4. Bulldozer
Again, the name says everything. I wanted to create a heavy metal instrumental track that crushes everything in its way slowly and without mercy like a bulldozer does.
5. Questions in My Mind (part I)
It talks about some bad things about human nature that I just can't understand. That's why I'm asking: 'Why are we doing this? Does it make us feel better?'
6. Hi-tech Orient
This is a weird track, but that's exactly the reason I like it! You've got this techno electronic drumbeat, an oriental feel and the distorted electric lead guitar.
7. Questions in My Mind (part II)
The problem discussed in part II is basically the same one as in part I, but this time with a less angry and a bit sadder twist to it.
8. Spring
I've told you all about it in the last question. ;)
9. Empathy
I wrote this song with a friend named Taher Sanuri. Actually, he had the song almost finished, but I rearranged it and turned it upside down and inside out. He wrote the lyrics and he's the one singing it on the album.
10. Macedonian War Song
I tried to write a song that sounds almost like Macedonian folk music, but make it metal! So, I came up with Macedonian War Song
11. Friend
It talks about fake friends. They'll always call you and act like you're their favorite person in the universe when they need something from you. You'll do everything you can to help them, but when you need a small favor from them, they'll turn their back on you.
12. Shimmering Karma
I don't really know how to describe this one. I have the image in my head, but the only way I can express it is through music, so you'll just have to listen to the track if you want to find out what it's all about.
13. The Road to Nowhere
This one was written in a little bit frustrating period. My old band Forsaken has split and I wasn't able to find a band which satisfied my needs. It seemed to me the time is passing and I'm going nowhere, just sinking. But the point of this song is that I refused to sink and decided to work my way out of there. And I made it in real life too.
14. Raindrops
One rainy day I was jamming with my friend keyboardist Igor Tatarević in my studio and this is what came out. We wanted to capture the atmosphere of a rainy day and I think we've done a great job on this one. In one part of the song, you can hear the rainbow - try to figure out which one! ;)
Which song is the most difficult to play and which one is the easiest, during the live set?
The most technically demanding song guitar wise would probably be Sandcastle. But for the whole band the most difficult songs are probably Bulldozer and Macedonian War Song because of all the odd meters. But we manage to work our way through them.
The easiest one would prob
ably be Distant World, but then again, the ending of that song is really demanding vocally...
Do you have any personal favorites among the tracks on the CD?
I like all of them. I wouldn't put a song that I don't like on the album. But my favorites are probably Sandcastle, Cascading Mirrors, Distant World, Questions In My Mind (Part II) and Raindrops.
Would you like to introduce the musicians playing on your CD? And would you spend some words also around the special guests appearing in Sandcastle?
Of course! My band mate from Hard Time Majkl Jagunić played the bass guitar on all tracks and a drummer named Craig Devine from Los Angeles recorded the drums. I played guitars, keyboards, percussion and sang.
There are three very special guests on this album.
John Denner played a nice short melodic guitar solo on Bulldozer. I'm really happy to have John on this record.
Igor Tatarević played an amazing harpsichord solo on Empathy and keyboards on Raindrops which he co-wrote with me. Igor is probably the best musician I have ever met and a great friend and I'm glad I had the privilege to write a song with him.
Taher Sanuri wrote Empathy with me and sang it on the album. It's great to have him on this CD too.
This is your first solo CD. What will you remember the most from both an emotional and a professional point of view?
I definitely learned a lot about writing music, guitar playing, singing and audio production and promotion from working on this CD.
Emotionally, this album means a lot to me because it's my first one.
You are an amazing guitarist: how much do you practice? Do you have a daily routine? What do you focus on the most?
I practice a lot! It varies from day to day, but I can tell you that it's been 6 years since the last day has passed during which I didn't have the guitar in my hands. Literally! I do have a daily practice routine for the technical aspect of guitar playing and for everything else I go with the flow and try to learn something new and interesting all the time.
What are you hoping to achieve musically? Which are your projects for 2009?
To write and perform the music that I love. It's about as simple as that!
I think in 2009 I'll be recording a new album with Hard Time, hopefully play as many shows as possible around the world (both, solo and with Hard Time) and write new music.
There will definitely be more things that will come along the way.
And now feel free to leave a message to all our readers.. :)
Hello to everyone sitting on the other side of the screen and reading this interview! Hope to see you out there on tour soon and thanks for making it this far through the interview.
You can find some more info about me and my album Sandcastle at www.ivanmihaljevic.com and www.myspace.com/ivanmihaljevic
Keep the Spirit of Metal alive!
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Interview done by Faith
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