Ohme, Jan Henrik; Thomas Anderson; Jon-Arne Vilbo; and Mikael Kromer (Gazpacho) (July 2006)

Prog Rock Soup Is Served

Gazpacho are a Norwegian quintet who have released three albums to date - Bravo (2003), When Earth Lets Go (2004) and Firebird (2005) - plus an earlier demo album Get It While It's Cold. While the first two (and the demo) were released independently, the third came out through Intact Records (yes, Marillion's label) and thus is available through Racket Records. That isn't the only Marillion connection, as aside from touring with Marillion (and a certain Steve Rothery guesting on Firebird), this is the only formal one. The other connections are, perhaps, coincidental (the name, certain song/album title or two). In early June, Joshua Turner spoke with four of the ingredients that make up this Gazpacho - Jan Henrik Ohme (vocals), Thomas Anderson (keyboards), Jon-Arne Vilbo (guitars) and Mikael Kromer (violins) (rounding out the line up is Robert Risberget Johansen on drums and, at least on Firebird, Kristian Torp on bass).

Joshua Turner: Do you have any tours or concerts lined up at the moment?

Jon-Arne Vilbo: None at present apart from next year. We're planning on going to Holland in early 2007 with a week's tour. We're trying to get smaller venues booked and see if people show up at the shows. We should have our fourth album finished by then, so lots of new material.

JT: Would you consider playing at one of the festivals such as NEARfest or RoSfest?

Mikael Kromer: Of course! We're available anywhere as long as our own costs are covered!

JT: You've been listed in a number of "top ten" and "best of" lists. Any thoughts on the matter?

Thomas Anderson: Very happy (in a humble kind of way)! We're also happy that our music shows quality to other people than ourselves.

JT: How did you come up with the name Gazpacho for the band and is there any hidden meaning to that? Like do you like chunky liquid salad or is there more to it?

JAV: We have a policy of never serving gazpacho, as there is some superstition in the band, and if we actually eat it, things may not go our way... :-) As for the name, we'll admit that the title itself is inspired by a Marillion song on Afraid of Sunlight, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual song [*]. We felt it portrays us as people. We're all very different people in the band; we all have jobs and businesses to think of, while music is an outlet of emotions and creativity for us. One of the few things that shouldn't have a financial motive behind it. Anyhow, Gazpacho, like the soup, is not what you first expect, cold vegetable soup is something you don't expect and I guess that applies to us as well.

JT: Speaking of names, how did you come up with the name Firebird for the new album and what does it mean? Does it have anything to do with a car, the phoenix, the elements, or aviary science? Those are my guesses. Aside from that, I'm fresh out of ideas. What's the concept behind the album?

TA: The idea for the title Firebird is based on change, of which fire is a symbol, which to a certain extent is something happening to all the characters in the songs in various ways. The concept of the album is change and how we respond to and cope with change, be it voluntary or involuntary. The bird motif is reflected in some of the song titles such as "Swallow" where a little boy kills a bird just to find out how killing feels, or maybe just because the bird was there. This event changes him and the song is about how sometimes, when you can't undo something it changes you.

The song "Prisoner" is about the want for change in a middle-aged man who is realizing that his life has become a routine of just going through the motions.

JT: I find the artwork to be an interesting choice. Who is responsible for the graphics and what is it exactly? It looks as if it's a thorny stick or an arrow. I suspect this plays into the theme.

JAV: A wonderful artist and friend by the name of Antonio Seijas Cruz. We have a tendency to use art to describe each individual song, something we've been doing since Bravo. I created the artwork for the 2 previous ones, but I felt it was time to bring a new guy on board with unique methods of interpretation. The cover is my contribution; the art is from Antonio's interpretations of our demos while we sent them down to him.

JT: What do the two parts of "Orion" represent?

Jan Henrik Ohme: The first part of "Orion" is about someone driving up a mountain towards some life changing event. They might fall in love where they are going or they might crash their car or whatever. It is the drama of the event and [in] the build up to it, we try to describe in part one of the song, during the final instrumental theme, [that] the situation has gone beyond control, and part two is the aftermath and the stubborn struggle to acknowledge or deny what has happened after the first shock subsides.

JT: Who are the "Prisoner" and "Jezebel"?

JHO: "Prisoner" is mentioned earlier, "Jezebel" is a name taken from the Bible that has come to symbolize women who are controlling. In the song, the main character is madly in love with a girl but she wants to leave and live an adventure and is willing to do anything to achieve this. She is a caged bird in reality who wants freedom and he wants to capture her, so we try not to take sides in the track but the main character has invented a name for her, "Jezebel."

JT: What's "Black Widow" about?

TA: "Black Widow" is the only funny song on the album as it is about a woman who kills all her rich husbands?

JT: Who are the questions directed to in "Do You Know What You're Saying?" and what is the basis of the inquiry? What do you hope to find out and what exactly are you asking of this person?

JHO: The character in "DYKWYAS" is about to say or do something very painful to someone he loves. He is addressing himself throughout the song.

JT: The album ends by saying, "If you ever find it, don't throw it away." What's the meaning behind this advice?

JHO: It is about home; not the literal term, but the real place you call home, whether it is a place or a certain feeling. The message is that it is easy to keep on chasing higher goals, but sometimes you can lose the really important things in that chase. After this collection of stories about people going through various situations to influence their lives or the lives of others it seemed a good way to sum up the album.

JT: Similar questions in relation to When Earth Lets Go. What's the title mean, what's the concept behind it, and why a handprint on the cover?

JAV: The handprint, as with all other footage throughout the album (feet, hands, etc.) is supposed to symbolize an imprint/impression left behind in a certain period of time in one's life. They are the ghosts that never go away.

JT: Who's the "Snowman"?

TA: The snowman is from a fairy tale by H.C. Andersen. He is used as a symbol of the situation in the song where the main character is forced by circumstance to leave everyone he loves behind. Snowmen go away.

JT: What's the significance in the number "117"?

JHO: The number is from a news report of a major accident where the spokesperson from the company responsible for the incident was ordered to attend all 117 funerals of the victims to represent the company. The song itself goes through his thoughts during one of these where he fantasizes about the last thoughts of one of the casualties. After a while, I am sure this must have had an enormous impact on the man. The original name of the song was "117 Funerals" but we thought it sounded a little heavy, so we obscured it.

JT: Where's the "Beach House" and what's that one about? Does it have anything to do with the James Patterson book of the same name?

JHO: "Beach House" is about the explosive feeling of being alive as experienced by a couple who shake off the numbness caused by the familiarity of the things they see every day and open their eyes to truly experience the world. The actual title is from a photograph of a desolate house standing on a beach very close to the sea and it seemed a potent image of how close we are to the abyss and how beautiful the things we experience really are if we manage to see them.

JT: Out of all the songs you've created, which is most near and dear to the heart? What are your favorites and what makes you most proud?

JAV: I have personal favorites from each album. On Firebird, it's "Vulture" and "Orion," mainly because they have a certain mood and intensity that I enjoy in music; in short, I like the booms..:-) "117" and "Substitute For Murder" are my favorites from WELG, mainly because of the lyrics, which hit me hard every time I listen to it. I travel a lot; hence the more creepy "117" can be as a potential omen for myself. I personally love the end of "Subsitute For Murder." There's an extremely sad and lonely tune going on with the"whining" guitars. As for Bravo, there are many, but in retrospect, I think favorites are, "Ease Your Mind" (as it's sweet and creepy) and "Novgorod" (as it's very original).

JT: Gosh, it's really hard to make comparisons to your music. I definitely hear the neo-progressive movement buried within its layers and the poetic verses that originated with Genesis, but overall your style is essentially unique. Help me out? Who do you consider your influences?

JAV: We worked hard on not sounding like anyone else. We've been going at this since around 1996 but didn't really have a band until 2001. That's 5 years to experiment with a lot of styles..:-) However, at a push I would claim you could combine Russian classical music (Tom's kind of thing) with Radiohead/Muse undertones (My kind of thing), mix it with the rest of the band, you have a Gazpacho track... :-) Confused?

JT: Do you write the lyrics or the melodies first? In most cases, I believe it's the former, because the lyrics are so clear and precise. To shed some light on the issue, please explain your songwriting process.

JAV: It's actually mostly the opposite, although the general theme, thoughts and idea of content on the song is also there at an early stage. We try to capture a mood with a scene I guess. I've actually heard from people that our music can be quite filmatic and I guess it comes from that. Anyhow, rough sketches are first laid down in the studio (a large variety of riffs and themes). Ohme gets himself to the studio and experiments on singing over the different songs. If there's anything we all like, we continue to work on it. That's when lyrics come in (within the theme).

JT: [Directed to Ohme] When you sing, the words you choose are quite provocative. I especially like the verse about drinking freedom like wine. What motivates these thoughts when writing these lyrics and what exactly does this one line refer to?

JHO: These lines refer to how something can be seen completely differently from two sides.

JT: Unlike other progressive rock bands with something to say, you work in a lot of great melodies. I have to imagine it is difficult integrating these accessible elements with such involved lyrics. How do you do it?

JHO: The only way we achieve this is to let the music come first. We only start writing the lyrics after we have a completed demo of a song with gibberish lyrics. It sounds quite funny sometimes singing emotionally about doing the dishes or whatever, but only when we like the music do we sit down, listen how the song makes us feel and start inventing stories to write about. This means that the lyrics are fully influenced by the music and this sometimes makes a great match, if we are lucky?

JAV: A lot of dedication towards each individual track. We work like machines on getting things right.

JT: You've released several albums in short succession. What led to this decision, how do you coordinate with one another, and how were you able to work this into all your schedules?

JAV: With pissed off girlfriends..:-) We coordinate by holding Fridays and Saturdays off for band stuff, it's usually studio but also some live rehearsals as well. We also have a chemistry going where we know each other's likes and dislikes in music so we compromise and find that midpoint where we're all happy... We've come quite far down the road and at times we don't even have to talk to say if we know something's good or not.

JT: Maybe it's premature to ask and I wouldn't want you overworking yourselves, but what else we can expect from the studio?

JAV: Not at all actually, we're currently on album nr. 4. This one, we hope, is going to be a double album as the songs are starting to take shape in extreme length, maybe one of them will even be 40 minutes long, which is challenging in itself... We want to take a further step and not repeat ourselves, although you'll definitely hear Gazpacho in it.

JT: Anybody in the band doing any solo work these days?

JAV: Not really for me, although there are many sketches that I have come up with in the past to fill an album. If I ever feel the need for this to get out, I might revisit them for solo stuff. I am, however, a crap singer which makes things kind of complicated..:-).

JT: Are any of you involved in bands outside this one?

TA: I guess it's just Robert. Robert plays with some kind of heavy metal band.

JT: I hear you're not full-time musicians and have day jobs, which is hard to believe considering the quality of music and the amount you're putting out. When you're not making music, what is it that each of you do to earn a living?

JAV: I work in marketing within the health sector. I'm in between jobs now actually, but it's still going to be in the same vein. Although I would really prefer a full-time job as a musician, it just doesn't pay to keep up the costs (also for the band!).

TA: I work as a producer making albums and writing music for TV and radio commercials.

MK: I work as an electrical engineer making microchips.

JT: That's interesting. One of my brothers works in the health sector and I'm an electrical engineer myself... In any case, are there any plans in the works for live albums or DVDs?

MK: We wish we could. We'll probably be releasing some mastered live recordings later this year, but I think it will only be downloadable for the core of the fanbase. We've got some good stuff from the last tour, so we might just make something of it.

JT: Going back to the beginning, how did the rest of you get involved in music?

JAV: Through love for music. Thomas and I tended to listen to stuff together while we were young (I've known him for 26 years now!) and we thought of trying it out ourselves. I guess it just came as a coincidence that Thomas started on the piano/keyboards and I got a guitar. The guitar sound was crap as it was straight through a cassette player and I had no idea how to play, but through time it picked up..:-)

MK: I started playing violin when I was 5. I think it was to impress a girl in kindergarten?

JT: When did you decide on your instruments and decide to join a band?

JAV: The band thing just came up through Thomas and I fooling around with musical themes. We had chords and we wanted singing on them and got various people to sing on them, so it started off more as a project. We've had all kinds of drummers and bass players in our teens as well. So we got together in a garage and rehearsed/wrote ... It's much easier nowadays to get things recorded with PC recording-based stuff. It's a shame it didn't exist back then (or at least was extremely expensive.) Anyhow, the only serious one for me has been Gazpacho.

MK: I decided to join a band when I was 18. Playing classical music wasn't that interesting so I joined a folk rock band.

JT: If you had to categorize the band, what genre would you put them in?

JAV: Alternative Pop Rock or something along the lines of Art Rock.

JT: What kind of music did you grow up listening to and what led to choosing this genre as the one you would play in?

JAV: I grew up listening to a diverse range of music, but admit that my major inspirations have been Marillion, Ultravox, Kate Bush, Pink Floyd as well as the "other" side of music, with all the grunge bands. Faith No More was also high on the list.

MK: I grew up listening to classical music and various rock bands.

JT: Have any of you ever considered playing a different instrument or pursuing a different career altogether?

JAV: Don't know if you call our music a career as it's still only part-time. But, in short, there were times I was away from the music stuff, while at University. I considered at that time becoming something within Finance in London? It just didn't appeal, and thank god for that. Upon returning home, I met up with Thomas and we said we should try the music out again, and voila, out came "Scares Me." I would have loved to play the drums, but although I'm excellent in imitating drum patterns, in real life it is with awe I look at drummers.

JT: Anybody else play a major part in the production of these albums aside from the five of you?

TA: No. We had some input from Steve Lyon on producing "Substitute For Murder" on WELG, but if you listen to the original on our website, you'll see there isn't all that much difference from our original demo.

JT: Can you tell me about a Spinal Tap moment that you may have experienced in your career? This would be some practical joke, mishap, or just something out of the ordinary that occurred in concert, on the road, or in the studio.

JAV: I've got plenty! First and foremost, our first ever big concert at the Marillion Weekend in Butlins. Naturally, we were extremely nervous before we went on stage. Sound check went well, but for some strange reason some technician managed to turn off my amp. I was extremely confused when no sound came through my system and it took a few minutes to see that the damn thing had been turned off. There's also some stuff from the tours, one being in Zwolle when my locking system for the tuners came loose and all 3 of the top strings came down at least one half of an octave. As for practical jokes, Barcelona was fun (our last gig supporting Marillion's gigantic tour), the crew all had a laugh at that. Someone managed to tape over my floorboard (where I usually have things like "solo," "acoustic," "rhythm" taped) with labels such as "death," "misery" "suicide." We got a reputation of playing quite depressing music..:-) I also had a banana peel in front of me and in classic cartoon sense managed to slip on it?:)

MK: A drunk guitarist in one of my former bands spilled one pint of Guinness into my 200 year old violin during a gig. After emptying it, we all thought it sounded much better (it may have something to do with all the beer we drunk that night?)

JT: Any interesting, embarrassing, or funny experiences to share in terms of fan interaction?

JAV: Let's see? well, there are a lot of fun people out there, when we got samples from our fans to be included in Firebird we have an actual sample from a fan (who happens to be a tank commander) in a tank that's firing... you'll hear it "Orion II."

JT: What's the best part about being musicians?

JAV: When you end up writing a song you're proud of, it's better than sex. So I guess that makes us lucky..:-) You also end up on a European tour if you work hard enough on it, which gives experiences that will last a lifetime.

MK: The part I enjoy most is to perform at concerts.

JT: What's the worst?

JAV: The boredom of waiting while things are in the process of writing, programming before a song gets going. Politics also need to come into the picture as music is a very emotional thing and everyone wants to have their say, which can at times make things... complicated. It's difficult to be objective when it comes to writing music.

MK: Rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing?

JT: I'd like to find out about your current musical tastes?

JAV: Currently I love Muse, Jeff Buckley (not that that is recent.. :-)) and Porcupine Tree.

MK: I listen a lot to Mew, Porcupine Tree, and Martin Hayes at the moment.

JT: What's the last CD that you purchased?

JAV: Can't remember to be honest!

MK: Placebo - Meds

JT: What's the last concert that you attended as a fan?

JAV: It must have been Norwegian Wood. A festival where Tori Amos was performing, so I guess that qualifies as attendance as a fan.

JT: What is your favorite album of all-time? Is there any CD or tape for that matter that you've worn out?

JAV: Roger Waters' Amused To Death was fantastic and so is Hounds Of Love (I haven't quite captured Ariel yet).

MK: That must be Radiohead's OK Computer.

JT: Who is your all-time favorite band?

JAV: I guess it has to be Marillion as I've been listening to them since I was young.

MK: That's definitely Muse.

JT: What is your favorite movie?

JAV: Difficult to say, I love films but it's been a while since I've seen a really good film. I always tend to answer with horror classics like The Exorcist, The Shining or anything like that, but lately I've been into more drama stuff. I did enjoy Lord Of The Rings though (oh no, is this a proggy thing?).

MK: I think that must be Flåklypa Grand Prix. It's a Norwegian animation movie; I think I have seen it 50 times!

JT: What is your favorite TV show?

JAV: Prison Break,24, and Lost.

JT: Same for me. Do you have a favorite book?

JAV: Just finished reading A Short History Of Nearly Everything [by Bill Bryson], which once it gets going gets very "ohhh woww," it gets you thinking in how small you actually are? and I became a man of a lot of uninteresting facts for a little while.

JT: Are you sports fans and if so, what are your favorite teams?

JAV: Not a huge one, but I follow the national teams if there's ever a World or European Cup on, and that tends to be Norway, Scotland or Denmark... sadly, none of them are there this year...

JT: I like to ask this question, because it helps me to identify with the artist, but do any of you own a pet?

JAV: I have a couple of Siamese fighting fish in a bowl.

TA: I have a black cat.

JT: Before we wrap up, is there anything you'd like to say to your fans at this time?

JAV: Patience, patience my dear Watson.

JT: I really enjoyed Firebird as well as When Earth Lets Go. You seem to have a knack for creating outstanding music and doing so in very little time. I know it's a lot of work, but it's still a surprise to see several albums coming out within a matter of a few years. Usually, the quality suffers for the sake of time, but with your band, this is not the case. Very few accomplish this much in the music business over such a short timespan. Good luck with your future albums as well as any live events. I hope you keep the momentum going with more great albums and look forward to possibly seeing you perform live someday. Anyhow, that's all I have for you at this time. Thanks for taking the time to perform this interview.

[* I'm not sure they admitted that at the time I reviewed Get It While It's Cold. - ed.]

Discography:
Get It While It's Cold (2001) (OOP)
Bravo (2003)
When Earth Lets Go (2004)
Firebird (2005)
Tick Tock (2009)
Missa Atropos (2011)
March Of Ghosts (2012)
Demon (2014)
Molok (2015)

A Night At Loreley (DVD) (2010)
London (DVD) (2011)
Night Of The Demon (2015)