and you thought you knew.. Sibelian
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"When I finished my formal studies in 1999, I started work on Sibelian, and have continued working on and developing the material up until the present time.
The first Sibelian recordings were extremely dark and sparse in style, but more and more textures and nuances have entered the music over the course of time."
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Stephen Svanholm aka Sibelian won the 2004 IOMA for Best Soundtrack and with good reason. His music is an outstanding event of it's own... accomplished, accredited, and truly worthy of much praise and appreciation. With a career that spans over ten years, Stephen Svanholm has played lead guitar in a funk metal band, released two amazing CDs and he is also no stranger to the occasional professional stage environment (including an audience of 30,000!). The man has studied classical music with a specialization in voice, it's the dedication and passion in music that drives him, and it was with absolute determination that we tracked him down to answer the inevitable questions...
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The Interview - June 2004 |
| Welcome to IOM Stephen... can we begin with you telling us a bit about your background? |
I started playing guitar at about 12 or 13, and spent my teens learning how to play like my heavy metal idols, wanting to become the worlds fastest guitarist. I slowly came to realise that this was a bit of a tall order, and focused on riff-making instead. From 1989-92 I played lead guitar for the English thrash-funksters Ignorance, releasing two albums on the Metal Blade label, and touring in the US and Europe (under the name Stephen John).
I left the band to return to college to study classical music, and while at University studying for my music degree, I began singing. This soon took over as my main focus, and I ended up going to The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester for two years on a postgraduate course in Opera and Vocal Studies.
When I finished my formal studies in 1999, I started work on Sibelian, and have continued working on and developing the material up until the present time. The first Sibelian recordings were extremely dark and sparse in style, but more and more textures and nuances have entered the music over the course of time. |
| What would you say have been your main musical influences? |
My main influences are Dead Can Dance, Lisa Gerrard, Sibelius, Wagner, Peter Gabriel, Metallica (early), Roy Harper, Soundtrack music (especially the soundtracks for Gladiator and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Led Zeppelin, Beethoven, Handel. Oh and Iron Maiden's Number of The Beast…. A real turning point for me when I bought it as a 13 year old!
Inspirations: art (especially late Romantic), India , Buddhism, Hermann Hesse, Tolkien, film. |
| What could you tell us about “high points” in your musical career? |
Playing in front of 30,000 people at the Dynamo Festival with Ignorance in May 1991. Getting great feedback for the works of Sibelian. Getting my first Opera Singing job here in Stockholm, and knowing that I had a wage for a year and a half. |
| How about low points and how you managed to get over them? |
Not having the work, like now, and not having any money. Have often felt very alone and unsupported in my Sibelian work, but this is starting to change.
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| If you could turn the clocks back, is there anything you would have done differently? |
Work harder, and increase my output. It's when I'm producing a lot of new music that I'm happiest.
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| Who did you work with on your most recent projects? |
The Sin Eater features violinist Hannah Ekström, who will also be performing live with me in the future. Have utilised a female singer on two of my old tracks, but mainly it's just me and my Mac.
The Sin Eater, a long song at 9 minutes, took a hell of a lot of work, in all stages: writing, recording, producing and mixing.
Over the summer, I'm going to be re-recording the rhythm tracks of my old material (my old computer died) so that they can be performed live in the autumn.
Also, I've signed with Magnatune, and I am polishing all the files, mastering etc, ahead of them releasing my album The Soul Rush. |
| If you could pick a favourite track from your recent work what would it be? |
The Sin Eater….. I foresee me following this more epic direction more in the future! |
| What musical instruments/equipment do you normally use? |
Roland XP30 synth, Charvel Model 6 guitar, POD guitar amp simulator, Picado classical guitar.
For recording: Mac G4 Powerbook, Logic Platinum v6, e-magic emi6/2 interface, Rode NT1 mic, JoemeekVC3 compressor. Still don't own a mixer!!!!
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| Do you have a favourite instrument either as a player or appreciator? |
My vocal chords – priceless and I've always got them with me……..this can have its up- and down-sides!
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| Can you remember your first stage and/or studio experience? |
Standing on stage at primary school at ten years old, singing the lead role as a little soldier boy in a musical.
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| What five albums would you want to find if you were stranded on a desert island with enough food, water, a copy of IOM, a fantastic audio system, and any one musical instrument of your choice? |
Roy Harper ‘Stormcock', Sibelius ‘Symphonies no. 3+5 (Davis/LSO), Crowded House ‘Woodface', Rush ‘Hemispheres', Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack (Tan Dun).
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| Do you have a favourite album cover of all time? |
Led Zeppelin Volume 4
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| and what, may we ask, are the five albums you listened to most recently? |
Norah Jones ‘Come Away With Me'
Leoncavallo ‘Pagliacci'
Kristina från Duvemåla (Swedish musical by Benny and Björn)
Godspeed You Black Emperor ‘Raise Your Skinny Little Fists To Heaven'
Crowded House ‘Woodface' |
| What five movies did you watch most recently? |
The Shawshank Redemption, The Station Agent, Lost in Translation, Kill Bill 1, Troy. |
| Which artist would you most like to meet or borrow a bag of sugar from as a next door neighbour? |
| Brian Eno. |
| If you could have been responsible for writing the best song or piece of music ever written, what would it be? |
Song: Suzanne Vega ‘The Queen and the Soldier'
Longer piece: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. |
| If you could have three wishes, what would they be? |
That people stop fighting stupid wars and realise that love is all we really need.
That I could make a good living from Sibelian's music.
That governments stop wasting money on self-interest and paranoid preoccupations and sort out the environment and world starvation. |
| On to the more intimate side of Sibelian.. what did you dream about last night AND you can't say 'I do not remember'... |
Can't remember now but it probably involved nudity! |
| And, if we were to “shadow” you on a typical day, what might we see you doing? |
Practice singing, Sibelian administration, phone some important calls, eat lunch with friends, maybe some rehearsal, drink tea, surf the internet a little (mainly Nottingham Forest and Music sites). |
| What did you do, the day before yesterday? |
| Watched European Championship matches on TV ( Sweden 5 – Bulgaria 0 yippee), chatted a lot on MSN Messenger that day!, worked on a rerecording of old track Heartshine, Trained at the Gym, drank tea. |
| If you had to move to another country for a year to record an album, but you only had a few suitcases and an hour to pack… what would you take? |
| Powerbook, Robert Bly ‘Iron John' book – enough there to chew on for a lifetime, my classical guitar, my leather boots, score of Mozart's Magic Flute. |
| What bugs you most? |
| War, religious fundamentalists, people with no humour, McDonalds. |
| What makes your day really shine? |
| Good, nourishing communication with another person. |
| I hate to end it all like this Stephen, but.. finally, what are your plans for 2004? |
To get more paid work for the rest of this and next year. At the moment I have an underpaid summer opera on the go, and possibly a part in a musical this autumn. I have to pay my bills, and Stockholm is horrendously expensive (but also great!!).
Release The Soul Rush. Start performing live with Sibelian this autumn. |
| Stephen Svanholm (aka Sibelian) .. thanks for dropping by... the delightful Sandra will see you to the car... |
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Sibelian was interviewed by Colin Lynch 2004
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