Shining – 09-11-2011

Interview with: Shining
By: Sabine van Gameren

The Norwegian band Shining was ont he road with their new release “Live Blackjazz” a live album+DVD that has been recorded in Norway. We got to talk with them about this release.

The band have got some good success with their latest release “Blackjazz” and toured worldwide with it. Their name and fame has grown a lot since that release and if it ain’t for their unique sound it is for their energetic live shows. Now the band extends the success of the album with a live album and DVD. The whole idea of making a live album came from the fact that they are primary a live band. “We have so much energy in our live shows it would be nice to have the visuals along with the music” Bernt Moen (Keys) tells. Also this was a way for them to bring a live experience to the people who have not had an opportunity to see the band live yet. Yet there is one other aspect that the band found a reason for bringing a professional video of a live show to their fans. “There is so much stuff on youtube, stuff with poor sound” the band explains. Obviously they found this a good way of bringing a decent quality in it.
The recordings of this release have been in Rockefeller in Oslo (Norway) at the end of the band’s European tour with the album “Blackjazz”. Only some Norwegians shows were up for them and the recordings almost did not happen. The band seemed to have some bad luck while preparing the show as the told: “The light system broke down a few hours before the show. It was like every force possible tried to prevent us from doing it.”
Those who have had the chance to see the product already may be aware that the lights worked pretty well in the end and that brings us to wonder if there should not be some warning for epileptic people as the stroboscopes used in their show is quite intense. The band at first seem to think that their audience is aware of it already, but gives in fast enough that at some shows there are warning signs telling that epileptic people must be careful
In the end the guys have spent a lot of time in editing it all as this is something they did themselves. Getting the sound right, getting it all in synch and the pictures. “A lot of work” drummer Thorstein says. “Then Jurgen went to the US again to do the mixing with Sean Beavan who did the “Blackjazz” album also.” They tell and this shows once again that the band have done a lot of it themselves instead of giving it away to a production company. It is obviously clear that it is a product of love from these Norwegians.

Furthermore we spoke about the other video’s the band has in their youtube channel. “Those videos are mainly teasers of what is coming. A way to announce what will be released” Brent explains. And when we talk about music video’s the band tells they have no plans to do one any time soon. Instead, the band have shot some material for the song ‘Fisheye’ but plans to release it are not very likely “We are not sure if it is going to happen” they tell and overall the band explains that they are now focussing more on the promotion of their latest release. “MTV is not a big fan of our music videos and also our songs are too long for videos” they say while laughing.

About the future the band seem to go with the flow mainly. Touring, touring and touring is what they talk about as if it was not obvious yet that the band loves to play live. “The States, Europe and we might go back to Asia” they say and when speaking about a new album the band says they do not have any plans of recording anything in the upcoming year. Though there is some light for the fans who are anxiously waiting for new material as they say: “We have some plans of getting new material ready for the Norwegian tour but we just see what happens.”

Links:
Shining Official