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Opal
Opal is a London-based four-piece rock band.
They are: Steve Walker on guitar, Nick Williams on bass, Steph Naylor on vocals, keyboards and guitar and Michael Soussan on drums.
All four were signed artists at one time, touring and producing records under major labels. But they were unhappy with the corporate world, so they formed their own, unsigned band nearly two years ago. Opal has an edge unlike many bands—they are not striving for stardom. Instead, they focus on their music. “Success tends to make people forget why they started playing. They get dragged into the corporate world, which doesn’t mix—they forget about the music,” said Walker.
What
age did you each start playing music?
Steve’s dad drummed for Wilson Picket. He
asked for a drum set but his mother wouldn’t allow it because she always sat
next to the drum kit. So Steve got a guitar for Christmas when he was 15.
Steph- always played in orchestras and
bands. He taught himself how to play piano at home.
Nik -played bass through the university.
Steph said, He was born to play the bass. He is brilliant.
How
many are you?
There are four of us: Steve Walker on
guitar, Nik Williams on bass, Steph Naylor on vocals and guitar, and Michael
Soussan on drums.
We were all in signed bands before.
What
is your current position—tell me about the band now.
We got together about 1 and half years ago.
Steve-
We have all got so much experience. We have more
direction and focus too because we know what we want to do.
Steph- I want to be successful, but at the same time I don’t because I
don’t want to go that way.
Steve-
Success tends to make people forget why they
started playing. They get dragged into the corporate world, which doesn’t mix
with art. What about the f****g music?
We have done half a dozen gigs so far. We
want to make the show and music completely right before we do it.
Steve-
I’ve done so many little gigs with small numbers of
people there. I want to do less gigs but with more people there.
We are trying to sneak onto some festivals
for the upcoming season.
Since we have all played in previous signed
bands we don’t want to be judged based on past music.
We have done a free-be for Notion magazine.
But we are recording our first CD soon. We hope to have it done by April.
We listen to Radio 4. Everything is so
commercial now. Play lists are so obvious. Music is become like karaoke. They
are puppets singing along to the same tunes.
All of us have different tastes. Steve
likes Ben Folds and Pavement is his all time favourite band. Steph likes
screaming, pissed off music.
Steph- I like when people write and sing about their passions and their
anger.
Steve-
I know a guy who was really talented. He followed
what was popular and never made it. He would follow the big artists who had
just come out, copied their styles, and tried to get signed. It was a waste of
talent. I learned early on to do things your own way.
Not much a like, but we have a common
thread that weaves us all together. We don’t do everything together.
Steve-
I did some three month tours in the states and I
couldn’t see my band members for 2 months after because we had been in each
other’s pockets for so long.
When we come together we bring different
things. Other bands do all of the same thing. They wear the same outfits,
listen to the same music, we don’t. They concentrate on image, not music. They
are s**t.
Music is about opening things up, not
closing things down.
Do
you target a specific crowd or audience?
We don’t have a real scene, but we’ve heard
some bands like us. Maybe there is something in the wind. There could be.
What is the major difference of being
signed? What are the advantages of each?
I’d love to tour the Far East, but without a record
label it’s hard. Who is going to ship four guys and all their equipment that
far?
Without a record label we don’t feel the
pressure to do stuff of the moment. Used Coldplay as an example: Record labels
want to have live piano’s in their bands because Coldplay does.
All of the record labels want the same
thing. It’s like selling soap.
We just do our music. We are more of a musician’s
band because we focus on our music and not just our look. There are bands in London that are
dressed in millions- they have a look, a style, and when you see them you think
‘Wow, they look like they would be in a band.’ But you ask them about their
music or songs and they haven’t written any. We do it the other way. We work on
our music first. We get respect for that—it’s our strength. We know who we are,
what we’re trying to do. We’re carrying on writing Opal tunes.
Do
you want to keep your music just to Britain or would you like to
expand internationally?
Steph- Would love to tour the Far East, I haven’t done that yet.
Do
you have other jobs to pay your bills?
Are
you able to play live as much as you’d like?
Since we don’t have a record label we have
to work to make money. As much as we would like to play all the time, working
makes us more focused. I know that I don’t want to do these jobs. I want to do
music. We are weekend warriors now. We are completely driven because there are
barriers in front of us, work. We have to soldier on. So we can’t play as much
as we like because we have to work sometimes. We are not bankers, 9-5, but we
have jobs at times when other people have jobs.
You
were told that “unlike some bands you don’t confuse volume with power.” That is
quite a compliment. How did you react?
Did
it motivate you to play more? Did it shape your plans or goals at all? Did it
improve your reputation / popularity?
That was after our first gig. It was
awesome to hear. We asked him to write a review for the website and he took it
really seriously.
What
has been your most memorable experience as a band?
The first gig at The Caernarven Castle in Camden was our most
memorable experience. It really worked. We were like ‘blimey.’ We realized it
was going to be good. Notion had featured us. We were unbelievably positive.
Steve-
For the first time in a long time I was nervous. It
brought me back to why I learned to play the guitar.
What
would you say to an artist or band who is thinking of signing?
To anyone who is thinking about signing
with a record company: don’t sign everything away. Remain in control as much as
possible. Let them know who is boss. SO many bands get chewed up and spit out
[by record companies].
Steph- Stick to your gut. It’s about marketing now. They say “We need you
to be the next, Coldplay. So you need to write a song like this.”
Steve-
Keep whatever makes you unique.
How
will you spread your music?
We would love to play on the radio. We are recording our new CD soon, so hopefully
it will be played.
On a
Friday or Saturday night, where would you most likely to be found?
We like the pubs. But we like whatever is
interesting.
Steve-
Just be completely open minded about music. There
might be an excellent band down the road, but if you’re too much of a snob to
check it out, it’s your loss.
Interviewed by
Patricia J Foster
March 2006
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