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(Fall 2005) by George Dionne
Stream of Passion is the latest project by musician Arjin Lucassen. This
time around Arjin wanted to do something different. For this project each
contributing member was located in a different part of the world. Each member
contributed their assigned parts via e-mails and online streams until Lucassen
put all the pieces together (thus inspiring the band name as well). The outcome
is their debut release Embrace the Storm (read
CD review). Once again, Arjin
reunites with Mexican vocalist Marcela Bovio, with whom he employed for his
last rock
opera
project, Ayreon. Rock Is Life would like to thank Conrad from the Arjen Lucassen
forums for submitting his questions.
RIL: If I knew absolutely nothing about Stream of Passion how would
you describe the group’s music to me?
MB: Hmmm. I’ll have to say a combination pf
progressive rock, heavy metal, and maybe dark or gothic.
RIL: What’s the difference between Stream of Passion and the
Ayreon Project that you last worked on with Arjen Lucassen?
MB: It’s quite different you know. Ayreon is a rock opera; its very
grandiose and symphonic, big, and tons of instrumentation and analog keyboards,
synthesizers and lots of vocals. Stream of Passion is more direct and organic
in a sense that it’s only guitar, bass, drums, piano and real strings.
It’s a more precise and direct approach to making an album.
RIL: Did you contribute to the writing on the new album?
MB: Yes actually. I was in charge of writing all the vocal melodies and lyrics
so I had a lot of responsibilities.
RIL: Did you get to play any instruments on the album?
MB: Yes. I’m a bit of a violinist, so I added
a few parts here and there.
RIL: Is the new album a concept album?
MB: Well not exactly. The album title Embrace the
Storm is sort of a metaphor about changing, hard times in life, accepting them,
and getting the most
from them. It’s not like Ayreon which has that whole storyline; it’s
more personal and human.
RIL: But similar themes and topics would you say?
MB: Some of them. They’re mostly melancholic and a bit dark I think,
but there are also little mentions of light and hope. It’s not all
dramatic.
RIL: Which song on Embrace the Storm are you most proud of?
MB: I really can’t choose yet, they’re
all my babies. They all mean a lot to me.
RIL: The new album was put together through the internet more or less, how
did you work that out?
MB: It was interesting. We started out with the rough
songs, you know acoustic guitar chords strummed, getting a feel of the rhythm,
and then I would create
the vocal melodies and record them to an MP3 file. I’d send them back
to Arjen who would work on the instrumentation. Then he would send them back
to me and to the band. Everyone brought in their little arrangements. This
was all done through emails and file sharing, chatting, and telephone calls.
RIL: How long did that whole process take?
MB: I’m not quite sure. We started last year
talking, but we recorded in January this year. From January till April.
RIL: You embraced the internet to help compose the album, have you thought
of using the internet to help release the album?
MB: I think there is going to be some stuff around that idea. We are already
heavily depending on the website as headquarters for the album. We have a
little trailer for the album and video there. I think its going top be a
big tool for us.
RIL: You’re going to tour Europe in 2006 as a group, are there
any US tour dates in the works?
MB: No, I’m sorry there are no US dates. I really do hope we have the
chance to. I’m getting a lot of inquiries though.
RIL: Will you be performing just songs from the new album or will you be
doing a few songs from the Ayreon project?
MB: Yeah defiantly. We only have one album so we have to complete sets with
some Ayreon songs. I think people are going to be very pleased to hear some
of the Ayreon songs.
RIL: You entered an online contest to sing on the Ayreon album, what was
the song that you submitted?
MB: I really didn’t submit a song per se, but a song from an album
I did with my Mexican band Elfonia. I did a song called “Valley of
the Queens”
RIL: What were you doing before you became involved with the Ayreon project?
MB: I have my normal day job, but I’ve also been
working with [Elfonia] for four years.
RIL: What kind of music do you do with Elfonia?
MB: It’s a bit different; it’s more progressive rock, jazz oriented,
and a bit more experimental. It’s mellow at times, at others it’s
more complex rhythm patterns and structure.
RIL: Do you sing in English or Spanish?
MB: It’s mostly Spanish, but on the new album that we are just about
to release, I’ve included the a few English tracks.
RIL: You are a classically trained singer, why did you choose to perform
in the hard rock genre?
MB: Well, I chose classical singing because I know
it’s a technique
that will help me be more confident when performing, be more relaxed, and
not stress my voice to much.
RIL: Why do you think Stream of Passion’s style of music is
more popular overseas than in the states?
MB: I have no idea. I think it might be a trend going on over in Europe.
RIL: You’re from Mexico, correct?
MB: Yes.
RIL: What kind of music is big in Mexico?
MB: Well, just typical pop, and you have all the folk music too. When it
comes to rock, I think rock and folk mixtures are very popular.
RIL: Has the entire Stream of Passion band ever been in the same room together?
MB: Yes, it has happened. It was very exciting actually.
It was when we were just about finished with the recording. We got together
for a photo shoot.
That’s when we finally got the chance to meet each other.
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MARCELA BOVIO
