Band Interview
Band: Razor Skyline
Band Members: Corey, Karen
Bands Discography:
Journal of Trauma
Fade and Sustain
Bands Web Page: http://www.razorskyline.com/
Bands email Address: corey@studioarchetype.com
Bands Snail Mail Address:
Interviewer: Gordon Taylor
Interviewee: Corey (gun), Karen
Date: Wednesday, September 22, 1999 5:30 AM
1.When Did You All Become Involved in Music?
Karen: I have been active in various underground music scenes since the late 70's, but did not actually become involved in a performance sense until the mid-90's.
The_Gun:
I began playing the piano at age 7 and the guitar at age 12.
What have been some of the previous bands you have been involved in?
Karen:
Prior to TRS, I was in a local band from Portland that has since disbanded.
The_Gun:
I was in a couple of new wave bands in High School, but the first serious band I was in was an industrial band called "Shallow head" in 1993. After leaving Shallow head in 94, I went on to form TRS in 1995
With Karen.
How did you all first meet?
Karen:
Through an ad in a Seattle music publication.
the_Gun:
I was looking for a singer for the industrial project I wanted to start. I saw Karen's ad for a Goth singer and I figured that was close enough. When I went over to her house to audition her (or for her to audition me) I knew that she was the one after she sang some lyrics to the music that later became Andrea.
You were first called "Journal Of Trauma" you had to change the name why did you to have to do this. What is the meaning behind the name "The Razor Skyline"?
The_Gun:
We had to change our name shortly after finishing recording on our debut album when we were contacted by the American Association of Trauma Surgeons. They informed us that they had the copyright on Journal of Trauma which was the name of their trade journal and they would sue us if we didn't change our name. We then came up with The RaZor Skyline, which occurred to me one night when I looked up to see the stars. I couldn't see them due to the buildings, lights, telephone wires, etc blocking the view. I could see only a few slices of the sky in between all the man made interference. The skyline became like a razor, slicing the sky into pieces.
After producing your Debut album "Journal of Trauma" you disbanded what was the reason for this? What did you all do when you were out of the band. And most importantly how did you get back together.
Karen:
A lot of tension and conflict was present and things had stopped working. After my departure, Corey continued on with TRS. I took some different directions with my life and followed some other pursuits mostly involving wilderness activities. I checked out a couple other projects in the interim, but nothing compared to Corey's writing. I did start trying to learn some programming on my own as music has
Always been my greatest love. Corey and I reconnected after a year and both of us realized we had a very special chemistry musically. In hindsight, I think the break was absolutely a great thing. We both gained a lot of wisdom from some of the mistakes that had been made previously, and things are stronger now than they ever were.
The_Gun:
IoEjekta, our former drummer, and I continued The Razor Skyline with another vocalist, Charlotte Chai. We played a few shows in San Francisco and recorded a couple of songs for some compilations, but the chemistry was all wrong and while trying to record our second CD, things just ground to a halt. I actually disbanded TRS in July 98 out of frustration. Luckily, Kim X from COP international convinced me to get in touch with Karen again and things just clicked from that point on.
Karen, after the break up of "The Razor Skyline" you a bought a keyboard. Have you produced any music? Will you be writing the music for the next Razor Skyline Album?
Karen:
My programming skills are still in the infancy stage, but I am working at it, and hopefully, will be able to help contribute to some of the music for the next album. I think we'll always stick to the basic foundation, Corey's music, my vocals and Onyx's percussive skills, but I think we're all very open to crossover between the band mates. Onyx writes some wonderful lyrics, Corey's been doing some singing, and I've started writing music, so I think the next album will be an even bigger corroboration.
Corey you are involved with a music magazine. What is your role within this magazine?
The_Gun:
I assume you are referring to Pandemonium magazine. That e-zine is no longer around and I am not currently working with any music magazines.
What instruments do you all play and are there any particular instrument you enjoy the most?
The_Gun:
I play the guitar, keyboards, bass and drums. I really enjoy playing keyboards the best, but my best instrument is definitely the guitar.
What creative process do you go through when composing your music?
Karen:
Generally, in order to write lyrics, I need to hear music. It's strange that way, but the music seems to draw the words out of me. I get an idea of what the song is evoking for the melody line and me and lyrics fall into place.
The_Gun:
The music usually begins as a few chord changes and a drum beat that I just keep working on over the course of a few days or weeks, adding a little bit more each time, flushing out the bits that are sounding good and discarding the parts that aren't. Sometimes I'll find a cool sound on the keyboard and write a song around that.
What inspires you when you write your music?
The_Gun:
Drinking too much coffee and getting really wired really helps to inspire me. I generally think allot more than I act, so ideas will be floating around my head for a while until I can find the time and the motivation to sit down with the guitar or keyboards and start writing.
Many of your songs cover such topics like social politics, personal feelings, hope and beauty what is it that you enjoy about these topics when it come to writing songs and music.
Karen:
I am political animal. I think that came from my early involvement in the punk scene. I've always enjoyed music that "says" something, that makes one think. Right now, I don't feel there is enough focus on beauty in the world and certainly not enough hope. I have seen many beautiful things, had many wonderful feelings and I wanted that to be reflected on this album. It's easy to be angry and hostile, it's much harder to count your blessings and focus on quieter but equally intense feelings.
Are you influence by books or movies or plays.
Karen:
I like to read spiritually oriented books, and I'm pretty interested in the esoteric part of life, so I think that's reflected in some of my lyrics.
Do you have any writers you enjoy reading and what are your favorite films?
Karen:
I like Kahlil Gibran, Poe, and mythology anthologies. I also like good historical and political non-fiction. My favorite films are "Silence of the Lambs", almost any period film, and lately I've been enjoying good sci-fi more that I did in the past.
the_Gun:
I like existential writers like Sartre and Camus as well as sci-fi writers like William Gibson. My favorite films are Blade Runner and the Road Warrior.
Do you have any favorite bands that you like listening to?
Karen:
The Cure, Skinny Puppy and The Doors are some of my favorites. Newer bands include Kevorkian Death Cycle, Mentallo and Love Spirals Downward.
The_Gun:
I've been listening to Soil and Eclipse a lot lately and I heard Android Lust for the first time the other day and I was liking that.
Are you doing any side projects?
The_Gun:
I've just started working with Jay from Soil and Eclipse on a song. I've also been playing guitar with Soil and Eclipse and Deathline International.
To the readers who may have not heard much of your music how would you
Describe your sound?
The_Gun:
I would describe it as dark, moody keyboards teamed up with guitar power chords topped off by intelligent lyrics sung by a woman with a voice that can be incredibly powerful and in your face or fragile and filled with emotion, depending on the music she is accentuating.
How has the response been with "fade and Sustain"?
Karen: So far, it's been very positive. That's nice because we took a different direction with this album.
What Country's has the album been given air play?
The_Gun:
We've seen it getting airplay in Germany, France, the UK, Switzerland, and Canada and of course America and Australia.
What was the inspiration behind "fade and Sustain"?
Karen:
I think it's an album about hope, going through rough things and coming out to the light at the end of the tunnel.
How long did it take to produce?
The_Gun:
We started writing the music in December 1998 and then started recording in January 1999, finishing it up by May 1999.
What was the inspiration behind such songs as "Strangeness," Quest for deliverance" "Fade and Sustain" "Snow flowers" "See the light"
Karen:
Lyric Wise Strangeness: That's kind of a mystical song that can be taken a lot of ways depending on where you're. It's left for people to interpret in their own way. Quest for Deliverance: Hope for mankind to survive Fade & Sustain: Sticking it out till the end, but knowing you'll be o.k. No matter what happens.
Snowflowers: That's inspired by my cat, Violet See the Light: It's about a recurring dream I had as a young girl.
What have you got planned for the next album?
Karen:
I haven't even started thinking about that yet, but I know Corey and I am constantly creating stuff. Things will probably start to take shape as things go along. We'll have more time on the next one, so it
Will be a lot of fun to see where it goes.
Where have you toured, are you planning any up and coming tours. What
Countries would you like to tour in.
The_Gun:
We've mostly just played up and down the West Coast so far. However, we are putting together a tour back East in October hitting cities like Atlanta, Richmond VA, Philadelphia, etc. We really want to play Europe and are seriously looking into it. Sydney and Melbourne would be super cool, too.
What gigs did you enjoy the most and what was the audience response.
Karen:
My favorite show ever was one we did on our first West Coast tour in San Diego. The audience was amazing, we were all totally on, and the energy was great. I also love playing the Fenix in Seattle because the club is wonderful and it's our home base.
The_Gun:
The best part about that show in San Diego was that the audience was small but really into it, it was like playing in front of a bunch of friends. At one point after we played "See the Light", when the clapping died down, one girl said quite casually "I really liked your voice on that last song". Talk about instant positive feedback!
What gigs did you not enjoy?
Karen:
Our first shows at rat holes when the band first started. The most memorable of these was the soundman who knocked over Corey's Korg and broke it. I will say that playing in places like this is great because it prepares you for any situation and you learn to work with the most horrible sound systems on Earth.
The_Gun:
One of the worst shows we had was when we opened for A Flock of Seagulls in Seattle. They were one of my favorite bands in the 80's and I really wanted to impress them. Unfortunately it was a terrible show. We couldn't hear anything on stage, I broke a guitar string in the first song and when I picked up my backup guitar, it was way out of tune. The place was packed and we were sucking in front of one of the largest audiences we had ever seen. I just wanted to slink out after the show was over.
Is there anything special incorporated within your performances?
Karen:
I think it varies. The more energy you get back from the audience, the more freedom you feel to create something special for them. As time goes along, I would love to be able to have some neat visual effects and stage settings.
When you have a performance what goes through your mind when you are on that stage. What is it that you feel? What sort of emotions do you go through when the eyes of the audience are on you?
Karen:
I usually just go away - I feel almost like I'm on a different plane. I enjoy being on stage; it's the natural love for acting. I used to be in plays regularly when I was young, and I've always loved performing in front of people. There's always the queasiness when you first go on, but if you're prepared, that goes away and then it's an incredible high.
What are your future plans.
Karen:
To tour, to write and to have a hell of a time doing it.
The_Gun:
To write the best album I am capable of writing and have it be heard by the largest audience it can be heard by.
Is there anything you would like to say to the readers out there?
Karen: Always believes