Alright! Let me welcome you to this interview, thank you very much for the time you are talking for us!

When I first started listening to your actual album "The Imaginary Direction Of Time" I came to the opinion that it is an album I really have to listen to in a quite moment, not just between some other things. There are so many elements to discover that it really doesn't loose anything from its fascination no matter how often you start listen to it.

So I am really interested how you altogether managed to compose such a complex opus. Tell me something about the parts everybody of you takes over to compose such an album!

Andy:
Well, it's a multi step process where one person starts with some basic ideas for how the composition will be laid out. That person will then record basic tracks, usually over programmed drums to give an idea of what the song will sound like. Then others will continue the process with their arrangements and each member has a very specific role as far as their responsibilities. So far I have been the main composer on most of the tracks, and I am also responsible for my piano arrangements. Carl will usually be next in the process writing guitar arrangements, both rhythm and solo. Sometimes I will have recorded some ideas on guitar, and sometimes Lars has done the same, but Carl ends up writing the final guitar arrangements. For the next step it's bass and strings, which again can be based on ideas from others but Lars does all the final bass and string arrangements. Jan Axel does all his own drum arrangements in the studio with advisory input from me. As far as the vocals we have tried to work together as much as possible because the best vocal ideas tend to come when everybody is involved.


A thing which I find very interesting about your music is that you are just using a few classical instruments and not a whole orchestra as many other bands did. This gives a real chamber music atmosphere to your music. How did you come upon especially those four classical instruments and please tell me how you came upon the musicians playing them!

Andy:
The idea for us was never to put a big orchestra in the background of our music, it was to integrate the classical elements into the music and have it be like a fifth member of our band. In Winds each instrument at any given time plays an important role and has a specific purpose for the moods we are trying to create. We decided to use a quartet because the interplay between the four members of a string quartet perfectly contrasts the interplay between the four of us that make up the core of the band. These string musicians all play in the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and they are professional musicians of a high international class. The way they got involved was basically just by us looking them up when we needed string musicians. They do a lot of studio work on the side with lots of famous Norwegian mainstream artists.


It is also very interesting that there are four in their background so different musicians are playing together. Would you tell me how it came that especial you started composing music together?

Andy:
That was also a bit of a coincidence. I had known about some of Lars' other bands from before, and a producer friend of mine had recommended Jan Axel on drums. Carl came into the picture when our bass player at the time, who then played in another band with Lars, suggested using him for some solos on the first record. After that we found that we had a lot of common musical ground and we decided to continue Winds as one of our regular bands at that point.


The whole cover artwork of "The Imaginary Direction Of Time" is very interesting and harmonic at the same time. It really seems to be painted for the music on the album. So please tell me something about the development of it!

Andy:
It is meant to be a visual representation of the concept on the album. All our albums have themed cover art that is in the same style yet different for each release. The idea was developed by us and Travis Smith who is the graphic artist of the century, an amazingly talented guy who we have used three times now and each time he never seizes to impress us.


As far as you are from Norway - in my eyes the country of great nature and water - would you say that a part of your inspiration for your music even comes from that nature?

Andy:
To say yes to this would seem like a pretty predictable answer. So no, we're not really inspired by anything in particular when we write our music. It's not like we see a nice mountain top or a beautiful lake and think that we have to write music that portrays that mood. It's more of a task oriented process where you sit down and play music that sounds good on your instrument. It's almost more clinical I should say, because music is just as much a science as it is an art form.


Would you tell me from which Parts of Norway you are?

Andy:
Everyone in the band is originally from either Oslo or the surrounding areas in eastern Norway known as Østlandet. For those particularly interested in geography, Norway is divided into 19 counties and 5 regions, those being eastern, western, northern, southern and central. Oslo is both a city and its own county, but it is also completely surrounded by another county named Akershus. This is where three of us lived most of our lives up until a few years

If I would go over to your home country Norway - which special place of interest would I have to visit and why especially this one?

Andy:
I honestly don't know. I have had many visitors to Norway from other countries and every time it's really difficult to know what to show them because there is not a whole lot to see unless you want to see things like nature. If you like nature the fjords of western Norway are nice, and so is the north, or so I hear although I have never been there myself.


Will there be any chance to see Winds live around Europe?

Andy:
Not a chance.


So far, so good! Let me thank you for the time you took for our interview and of course for a very interesting and outstanding album! Mange tak for eur tid og ha de bra!

Andy:
You're very welcome. It was a pleasure to do the interview.


martin