Macaluso, John (Ark) (June 2002)

On An Upward ARK: An Interview John Macaluso

I had already talked with Tore Østby about the release of the great Burn The Sun early last year, but the fact that the album saw the light of day in the US only a couple of months ago gave me the opportunity to schedule another interview with the band, and it shouldn't go unsaid that I quickly jumped on it. This time I was hooked up with John Macaluso, who proved to be the perfect speaker regarding recent news on the band. So now sit back, enjoy the talk and ... go buy Burn The Sun, if you haven't already done it!!!

Igor Italiani: Hi John, it seems that we have finally made it ... so can we talk in Italian or not?

John Macaluso: Well, to be honest with you I think it's better to do the interview in English. You know, my father has always tried to teach me Italian, but I still have to learn a lot. Let's just say that the older [Italian] generations here in the US would like to hear the young ones speak some Italian, but we hardly listen. [laughs]!

II: OK John, no problem. However, before the first question, let me praise you for Burn The Sun , which was the best album of 2001 in my opinion. Now can you tell me what are the latest news from the ARK camp?

JM: Well, thank you for the compliments, I'm glad you enjoyed the album. Well, the latest news in the ARK camp is ... that we have just fired our manager, Paul Ewing. Yes, I know he is considered a big name out there, but he somewhat didn't possess the right connections for a band like us. The main reason [for this break-up] is that we badly want to organize a tour here in America to support the release of Burn The Sun, and at present we weren't pleased with the results he was achieving. So now we are looking for a new manager that will be able to organize at least some shows, even if we are well aware of the difficulties a band like ARK faces to arrange such a thing. Right now our kind of music is not supported by big media like MTV or radio stations, so it's hard to fix a large tour, but we don't want to give up, because we have already received tons of great reviews and feedback. However if the tour doesn't happen we will certainly enter the studio. In fact we have already decided to enter the studio [to record the third album] by September at worst, with Tommy Newton again at the production helm.

II: Well, this is great news, considering that I really loved what Tommy was able to do on your second album...

JM: Yes, he did an outstanding job. We decided to retain almost everything from the Burn The Sun sessions: same musicians, same production staff, because we were very pleased with the results we obtained. But this doesn't mean that the music direction will stand still, or we should stop call ourselves progressive. [laughs]! However don't worry, we won't go commercial! The first day we go commercial I think we will be dead!

II: [laughs]Probably... Speaking about the new album, have you already written something? Do you think there will be a lot more input coming from Randy [Coven] and Mats [Olausson] this time?

JM: Yes, I've already written some lyrics and the same [is true] for Jorn [Lande]. On the other hand, Tore will come here to New York next week, so we will start working out with new riffs and arrangements, too. The first writing session will derive from these rehearsals, then the second one will take place once Randy and Mats join us in the studio. Randy should be available very soon, while Mats is recording another album in Connecticut right now. So the complete songs should take shape once everyone is in the studio. After that it will be up to Jorn to create some vocal lines like the beautiful ones he already managed to do in the past. Sound-wise the album will be much different from the first two, sort of like a new planet for us. The mood should be much darker, and my drumming will feature a lot of double bass kicks, but not in the vein of thrash metal bands, it will be more similar to the style of Stewart Copeland.

II: Mmh, sounds similar to "Absolute Zero," which was my favourite song of Burn The Sun...

JM: Hey, "Absolute Zero" is my favourite song, too! Great! Well, you are right, I think we'll develop more gloomy atmospheres like this one song, and hopefully they will carry on the same mystique "Absolute Zero" possesses. In fact, this tune was born the first time Tore and Jorn arrived in the US, as we were hypnotized by a gig of a local musician who plays some killer drum 'n bass stuff. Well, it seems that we couldn't let this influence pass us by, as we also love Björk and her music, which is somewhat close in style.

II: John, Burn The Sun was released in the US only a couple of months ago. Are you satisfied with the reactions the CD has received so far?

JM: Yeah, sure. America is a small market for progressive music, but the reactions have all been fantastic so far, and we received a lot of e-mails asking us to do some shows, too. In fact everyone that has listened the album was impressed, but the real problem is that not many people had the possibility to listen to it completely [chuckles]. So I think that this is the reason why we are working real hard to set up a tour, because we believe that once we hit the stage we will turn a lot of heads. The reason is that we play progressive, but it's not the "classic" [style], it's more like a mix of hard rock and prog. I mean, we all love "classic" prog rock like Yes, Genesis, King Crimson; they are our favourite bands ... but we have a hard rock attitude, especially for live gigs, and that's something few people expect from a band like us.

II: Another place where the CD was finally released is South America. You know, a lot of prog musicians told me that there is a huge passion for prog in those lands, so maybe you'll become the next superstars of the genre there?

JM: Yeah, who knows. Actually our CD will be released in Brazil, but maybe the other countries will follow soon. However there's a growing scene in South America, and I'm quite familiar with bands like Angra or Sepultura, two examples that show the quality of the music scene down there.

II: Now John, I would like to ask you something about touring. What is your report on the first real tour ARK managed to do in Europe last year?

JM: Oh, it was a huge experience, without a doubt. We played with another great combo, Threshold, and we were like brothers. You know, it's not so simple for two bands to divide the same tour bus and not have any problems, but in this case everything went smoothly. Talking about the dates we were very happy to play in such great places like France, Holland, Germany, and we are sincerely looking to add the countries that for some reasons we missed with the first tour. For example I really want to add Italy to the picture, 'cause I'm looking forward to visit my relatives in Sicilia once I'm there. I've already talked with Alex Masi, who is a great friend of mine and with whom I'm recording an album, and I said to him that I have to go to Italy as soon as possible, 'cause it's one of the few places I have yet to visit. I want to do it so badly that I'm also thinking of playing some shows with him as a duo.

II: Wow, cool...

JM: Yeah, I'll do it, believe me. And speaking of Italy, when we played the Switzerland gig I was stunned to see the Italian flag in the audience. Someone even started to call out my name, and I was amazed. So after the show we managed to know these brave people, and in fact there were a dozen boys who drove from Milan to see the show. Incredible. So we offered them some beers and then we made tons of pictures. Tore also played some Italian melodies with the acoustic guitar. It was kinda cool. Another show I'll always remember is the one in Paris. We sold out the venue, and in the first row there were 5 or 6 guys with the "plant" make up that Jorn usually wears. Suddenly it seemed like a Kiss concert and I liked it a lot, 'cause that's exactly what our attitude is all about.

II: Great ... Switching to the future, is it possible to imagine a Steve Vai guest appearance on your next album, considering that Favored Nations is your American label?

JM: Mmh, I had never thought about that one. It's a cool idea. Thanks for the proposal. Well, in fact Randy has already played with Steve in the past, and we all are fans of Frank Zappa's music, so it should be something to investigate further. Steve is such an amazing musician that the collaboration would certainly work out in the best way possible.

II: John, if I'm right, you live in New York, so what can you tell me about your city? Do you think that the Big Apple is finally reacting to the massive hit dealt by terrorism?

JM: Yes. New York is filled with strong people and I think it is slowly returning to normality. You know, if you come down here you'll find people coming from all over the planet. That's the fascinating thing about New York, it's a world within a world. I remember that when the terrorist attacks happened I was on tour with ARK, and we were in the Czech Republic. We were finishing the sound check, when one of our roadies told us to watch the TV. Well, I was totally astonished to see such a thing, I couldn't believe my eyes. So the road manager asked us if it was better to cancel the show, but we decided to play anyway 'cause we couldn't receive any additional information due to the heavy phone traffic, and it was very weird. So ... you know, we were playing but, at the same time, we were thinking about our friends and relatives who live in the city, hoping that they were all safe. Then after the show, which was, strangely enough, very well played, we all got drunk to get the thing off our mind for at least a few hours, and after that we checked [to see] if the people we knew were all OK ... well, fortunately they were. Nevertheless one other thing that will probably stay on my mind is that when we arrived at JFK airport some days later we were the only ones in there, and I had never seen the building so empty. In that exact moment I quickly realized we were at war, and the thing is that it is not finished yet. The threats are still palpable, but the common thinking is that if something happens you can't do nothing about it. You have to live your life, return to normality ... "back to business" as someone would say.

II: Now talking about you as a drummer, I've read that you recently switched endorsement. Can you tell me something more?

JM: I've been endorsed by Vic Firth and Sabian cymbals for quite a while, but until recently I had never been endorsed by a drum company. You know, I've always loved Tama more than the others, and I dreamed of their endorsement a lot of times, but maybe my style was lost in the mix of my first few albums, as they never noticed my playing. That's until the ARK adventure, and I have to thank Tommy a lot for the incredible job he has done throughout the album, especially with my sound. He was awesome, the missing piece of the band, sort of like the fifth Beatles for us. So finally Tama spotted me and offered a full endorsement, and I couldn't be more happy with the thing. I'm especially thrilled to have the same endorsements Mike [Portnoy] has, so we can frequently exchange opinions about the instruments and everything else.

II: One other thing John ... ARK is rightly considered one of today's few original bands, so let me reverse things for a moment ... is there an original act out there that has really caught your attention lately?

JM: Yes, sure. One band I really admire is Tool, even if I prefer them in a live situation than on album. Another one is Magma, which is kind of old, but me and Tore have discovered this underground gem only recently. In fact, I have to confess you that the next ARK album will certainly be influenced by Magma, 'cause we simply fell in love with their way of playing and organizing the song's structure. For example, I've found very intriguing the detail that showed their drummer using a completely new language in their albums. Hey, someone might think this is a stupid thing, but I'm not of the same opinion. That's a great idea, very original.

II: Well John, the questions are finished. I have one final curiosity ... these days there's the Soccer World Cup ... are you following it?

JM: Oh well, Tore is the real soccer fanatic of the band. He always tries to convince me to follow the games, as he usually says: "This is the best game on earth, you can't miss the next match!" But I'm still not so hooked about the competition. I tend to prefer American sports, as a lot of other people here in the US do, 'cause soccer is frequently low scoring. Nonetheless, the other day I watched the game in which Italy played, and even if they lost I was impressed by the quality of playing. It's a cool sport man!

II: Ok John. So that's all ... thank you for the wonderful talk and I really hope to see you on tour as soon as possible.

JM: I hope it, too, man. It was a pleasure talking to you. Please stay in touch. I promise that I'll do everything I can to come to Italy soon. CIAO!!!

[The band split in 2011; Randy Coven passed away in 2014, and Mats Olausson passed way in 2015 -ed.]

Discography:
Ark (1999)
Burn The Sun (2001/2002)