Backstage Pass - Isenmor - Interview

ATP

What is the title of your CD? How did you come up with the name?

ISENMOR

Nick Schneider (violin/vocals): The title is "Land of the Setting Sun". It is taken from one of the songs of the EP of the same name. The song is based on the voyages of the vikings discovering the new world. The title refers to the Americas, as the lands far beyond the western horizon of the Old World. We chose the song as a title track not just because we like the song, but also since the title refers to North America, and that just happens to be where we're from.

ATP

Is this your first CD and if not, how is this one different from the others?

ISENMOR

Mike Wilson (bass/vocals): This is our first CD, so I can say with confidence that it's the best thing we've ever released.

ATP

Did you write all the songs before going into the studio or did you write them as you were recording?

ISENMOR

Mike: We had everything written prior to recording, and we had played them live as well. This gave us a good amount of time to shake any kinks out and improve upon them.
Tim Regan (guitar/vocals): We tweaked some very minor things for the recording since we could do things in the studio that we can’t necessarily logistically do live, like stacking keyboard lines or having Nick do 3 things at once.

ATP

Walk us thru the process of writing your music?

ISENMOR

Mike: Tim, Nick, and I do the majority of the writing, though everybody works on coming up with ideas. We usually meet once a week to brainstorm. No one person is responsible for a majority of the music, regardless of instrument, and we try to solicit feedback from the whole band when writing. For instance, if I write a violin part, usually Nick will see it and say, "This is far too simple," and then he'll turn it into something amazing. Then Tim will have an idea and build upon that violin melody. Several iterations of that, and we've got a song.
Nick: Everyone in the band does provide some input. Most of the song structure and main riffs are written by Tim or Mike, and then we work on changing around parts and editing til we get a finished song. After parts are finished for instruments is when we work on lyrics and vocal lines. Usually this involves me leafing through copies of very old books.

ATP

Where did you record and why?

ISENMOR

Mike: We recorded at Tim's home studio and my home studio, really because Tim and I are gearheads and we had everything we needed to make it sound good.
Tim: Recording this EP was basically testing the waters for doing full scale recordings for ISENMOR. We have many lessons learned about recording folk metal and these guys in particular that we can apply to our full length to take it to another level.

ATP

HHow did you pay for your recording?

ISENMOR

Mike: I gave myself a lot of pats on the back and high-fives.
Nick: Mike made us give him a lot of pats on the back and high fives.
Tim: I paid myself in beer.

ATP

Did you have a producer or did you self-produce? If so, what kind of input did the producer have. If your self-produced, why?

ISENMOR

Mike: We self-produced. In general we didn't want to go all out financially on this release -- it's hard to gauge how you're going to be received for your first release, so we did everything on our own. The overall reaction has been pretty positive so far, so we're likely going to buy some studio time for the next recording.

ATP

Did you try to capture your "live sound" or did you go for something else?

ISENMOR

Mike: We tried to go for a very clean sound. Since we've got 6 instruments and 4 vocalists, it was pretty important that we got the sound to present everyone equally.

ATP

Did your record label have any input into the music you recorded?

ISENMOR

Mike: We're unsigned, so no.

ATP

Are you pleased with the final product?

ISENMOR

Mike: There are definitely things I'd go back and change if I could, but overall I'm really happy with it. I think it's definitely a good first offering from us!

ATP

Where will we be able to pick up a copy?

ISENMOR

Mike: You can pick it up digitally on Bandcamp (http://isenmor.bandcamp.com/), Amazon, iTunes, and other digital music sites. You can also get a physical copy from our Bandcamp, which comes with some extra goodies the digital version doesn't.

ATP

Will you be touring to promote your CD?

ISENMOR

Mike: We don't have a tour planned yet, but we're looking into it. Logistically it's a little difficult due to the wide age range in the band and varying responsibilities. We have to plan around school, jobs, and children. We are playing a good number of shows coming up, however, including opening for The Dread Crew of Oddwood in September and Arkona in October.

ATP

Would rather be recording or playing live shows?

ISENMOR

Mike: Personally, it's hard for me to pick. I'd say I like them both 50/50.
Tim: Depends on the show. My favorite feeling is to be finished recording.

ATP

Anything you would like to say to your fans?

ISENMOR

Mike: You guys are awesome. We've got a lot of new stuff written, and we'll be playing it live at the next few shows. We hope to have an LP out for you guys soon!