Vesperia Interview with Morgan Rider vocals and bassist for the Canadian Epic Melodic Metal band talks about The Iron Tempests EP. Interview May 1, 2015.
Vesperia Interview
– What’s new in the world of Vesperia?
We are working on a great many things going into 2015. The last year or so has been relatively quiet for us in terms of live activity, so it has given us ample opportunity to write new music, lyrics, rehearse our live performances and plan for the next stage of the band. We are about to embark on a 20+ date Canadian coast to coast tour this June & July and we also have the Wacken Battle Finals to look forward to in June as well. We have also been working away on the new album’s pre-production tracks as well as the recording of an EP to demonstrate some of the new material.
– How was it recording your EP The Iron Tempests?
The recording process was very relaxed and easy-going. Our engineer (and good friend as well as ex-keyboard player) Ryan Bovaird (Hallows Die) brought his mobile rig to one of our rehearsal spaces where we recorded the drums. We did all of the guitar, bass and vocal tracking at Ryan’s new studio in Brampton, Ontario. I recorded all of the orchestrations at my home studio and we are currently wrapping up the re-amping. The entire process has been very smooth and I don’t think we’ve once felt rushed or stressed to get the recording finished. We can’t wait for the end product!
– How did you go about making the artwork?
Apart from the band, I am also a freelance graphic designer, so it only made sense to brainstorm cover ideas with the rest of the band and make the art myself. I use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, so I built the cover from the background to the foreground all from scratch. Mountains and rocks are very easy to draw and sometimes I have stock photography that I’ve taken while out on tour that I can use and manipulate to give more realistic finishes.
– Are the equipment and instruments used on stage mostly the same as the ones used on the albums?
All of the guitars, bass and effects we use on our albums are the ones we use live. Of course, over time we upgrade our equipment, which only enhances our sound in a live situation. All of the celtic or orchestral sounds on the album are written and pre-recorded by myself and our guitarist Frankie, so in a live setting we use playback and a small onstage mixer for these.
– How many shows do you play per year on average, and how crazy does the schedule get?
The last few years have been building exponentially in terms of how many shows we are doing. We used to only do 1-2 per month, but as of May 2015 we are averaging 10-16 per month. We only expect that we will be doing more as time progresses as our immediate goal is to be playing 200+ shows per year in all major markets.
– June 11th Vesperia will be playing in Halifax, NS. How does the audiences in the Maritimes compare to anywhere else in Canada?
I would love to give you a definitive answer, but we have never played in the Maritimes before! We are very excited to bring our show there and to give the people of the Maritimes a performance they won’t soon forget. We try to be as interactive as possible with our audiences to give them the best show experience, so we definitely will not hold back an ounce of energy for them! The rest of Canada is very metal-hungry as a lot of tours don’t visit many of the markets because of how accessible these regions are. We are very determined to visit all our brothers and sisters across our home country, so we shall soon see!
– Could you describe what goes on in a day in your life as a musician on tour?
Life as a musician in general can be very tumultuous, as there are so many uncertainties we face day to day. In order to do the thing we love, we have to work extra hard to make life livable when we are on and off the road. But on tour, a different hue of life and living seems to reveal itself. You begin to stop taking for granted the things you normally wouldn’t think twice of in your regular day to day. Sleeping space, food, comfort, money and safety are all things that become a commodity when you’re a musician on tour.
A regular day on tour for us would be leaving whichever venue we played the night before to hit the road. In a lot of cases, especially playing across Canada, many of the cities are VERY far apart, so that means upwards of 11 hour drives on average. SO, after the show is finished and we have packed the van and trailer of our equipment, we will hit the road. We would drive maybe a third of the trip, taking turns driving and sleeping (sleeping on the floor, or the van seat as there aren’t many options) until we come across a Walmart parking lot or somewhere we can park overnight. The closer to food + washrooms the better! After the sun comes up, the van tends to get VERY hot inside, no matter what time of year it is, so you don’t sleep well past sunrise in many situations. A quick Wal-Mart supply run is usually in order at this point. Granola Bars, water, fruit cups, P.B + J’s. The tour fare isn’t a very eloquent one. From there its then time for the long haul to the venue in the next city. Extra points if you managed to get to the next city in the same night! We then get to the venue and wait for it to open and then we load in and set up our equipment and merch and then do it all over again!
So basically touring is a lot of driving, waiting, sleeping when you can and eating shitty.
– How is the music scene in your area these days? Are clubs still popular?
The music scene in the GTA is alive and well! Our local scene is always growing as a lot of new and exciting bands seem to be emerging every year. Unfortunately some clubs do close from time to time, but largely there seem to be one or two opening for every one that shuts it’s doors. There are many places to play at the end of the day and many of these places are happy to have bands any day of the week. There are also a lot of local promoters who do try to work with each other to the best of their ability to make sure there are few overlapping shows. At the end of the day we have a very massive, healthy and vibrant music scene.
– How important is merchandising? Could artists survive without?
I do believe a lot of artists COULD get by without it, but merch makes up a large percentage of a band’s revenue both on and off the road. Taking this element away would be a huge detriment to any band, large or small. In many cases, the money we have made from merch spelt the difference between making it home and being stuck and out of gas thousands of kilometers from home. If you go to see a band play live, please do try to pick up a shirt or a CD, or both. These sales go a very long way for these artists who have traveled so far and rehearsed so long to play for you.
– In your opinion, which album would be essential to have if someone were stranded on a deserted island?
Of the thousands of albums in my collection, the one I’d be happy as hell to be stranded on a desert island with would be Nightfall in Middle Earth by Blind Guardian. My ultimate favorite!
Hope you enjoyed the Vesperia Interview with Morgan Rider. You can check out the band online here. http://vesperiametal.com/