Interview with ‘Flowers in Flames’
http://www.myspace.com/flowersinflames
Nattsol: First of all, introduce yourself and ‘Flowers in Flames’, please.
David: We are Flowers In Flames – a captivating, swirling, spark of energy that contains elements of Goth, PostPunk, and Psychedelia. We are Cynthia Dimitroff: Vocals, Synth, Guitar, John Lee: Drums, Mary Plazo: Bass Guitar, David Chavez: Guitar, Vocals.
Nattsol: How did you come into the music? Did you play in a band before forming ‘Flowers in Flames’?
Cynthia: The band was formed in 2006. I’d performed at a David Bowie tribute show that Dave had attended and he contacted me afterwards about forming an original project saying he thought I’d make a good front person. He had also contacted John and Mary about the project and they were enthusiastic about it. Since we all knew each other we were quite familiar with each other’s personalities and musical capabilities, so we had fewer problems relating to one another as a band than many music projects do.
David: We had all been in previous bands before deciding to start Flowers In Fames. We all shared a similar outlook on what we wanted the music to be. It’s part of the reason why we knew this band would work because of the love we shared for certain bands. Plus our personalities mesh, which is important when creating a band and a recording project. We have played in previous bands before here in Cleveland. Some successful and some not successful. We started out with the 10 tunes on our debut disc and basically rehearsed them to death for year. It is a very creative way to write music. Some writers can write a good tune in fifteen minutes then record it the next day. We wanted to incorporate and try out new things for each song and we achieved that.
Nattsol: How and when was the band formed? And how did the band members meet each other?
David: All of us have been active in the music scene here in Cleveland, Ohio. We knew each other from meeting in various clubs and seeing each other play out from time to time. We were friends first than bandmates. A few of us had taken a break from the music scene but then decided to get back into it. I think the deciding point was hearing new fresh music like Ladytron, etc. happening. We thought we could do the same here – bring an exciting change of pace to the music scene which I think has not been happening much here these last 5 years in the states, which accounts for the lack of CD sales that is hurting the music industry right now. The European scene seems to be quite exciting at this time.
Nattsol: What were the guidelines and the original idea of the band? How has it been changing (if it has been so)?
Cynthia: The original idea was to combine mine and Dave’s songwriting talents and come up with a unique sound. I think we’ve achieved that well – Dave’s songs are more Goth-oriented, mine tend towards dark Psychedelia. It’s an interesting mix and makes for a broader appeal to fans. We’ve each been writing our own songs mostly up to now, Dave writing his and I writing mine, but in future we’d like to try some collaboration as well.
David: Attitude, a sense of style, promoting the band, getting the music out to people that would enjoy listening and supporting us. We have gotten great press so far regarding the CD. We believe the music scene in Europe is really happening in regards to what we’re doing. We have gotten good feedback in Europe so that is very exciting to us. We’d love to tour there – hopefully soon. We want to continue to have a blend of swirling guitars and synths in the music plus expand on the vocals since we have two main singers in the band. We’d to do more harmonies and more acoustic piano on the next project.
We wanted to produce a new sound, exciting music that drew on our influences and was different from the norm that is happening now on the music scene. We are changing of course but the concept of keeping the music exciting is always there. Why listen to music if it’s not going to excite you?
Nattsol: Some people find the influence of ‘Christian Death’ on your music except those influences which are ‘on the view’. What can you say about it?
David: We have many influences. Christian Death is one of them amongst many. That was an exciting time when bands such as Christian Death were happening. The thing I like about that period was you had a great blending of fashion with the music. Fantastic! Plus an attitude to go along with it. It was easy to spot a «poseur» too. Thats what I enjoyed about it.
Nattsol: How can you characterize the band’s music style, and do you have colleagues in it?
Cynthia: We’ve all been active in the music scene for years and have many colleagues; we’ve gotten much assistance and advice from them, for which we are quite thankful.
David: Gothic, Post Punk, Psychedelia – we have incorporated these elements in a modern representation for this day and age. We basically want an energy to be felt when someone listens to our music. We want to exhilirate the listener and wake them up.
Nattsol: What things other than the writing of the album became (or are considered to be) important for the band?
David: Agreeing on exactly what we wanted to do. Our stage performance. Visual effects to use onstage and how to make the «live» show exciting. We use unique lighting in live shows and will eventually expand upon this. The live presentation of the music is very important to us.
We try to have a consensus on everything-it helps to keep everyone happy in the band. Who wants to play in a band where everyone hates each other? Not fun even if you do rock!
Nattsol: What are the songs of ‘Flowers in Flames’ about?
Cynthia: Personal experiences interpreted in an artistic manner.
David: It’s difficult to break it down song by song. Each song has a certain relationship to the others but in a different way. We have two songwriters in the band so there are two different perspectives but they compliment each other since we share similar influences. We like the fact that we have songs that are postpunk, gothic and psychedelic in nature. Not every song sounds the same on this CD, which with most bands happens often. We have a good range when it comes to the songwriting, which I am grateful for. I’d hate to release a CD where you have 10 variations on the same song. That would be quite boring!
Nattsol: Now about the band’s debut album. Represent it in your own words, please.
Cynthia: Some of those songs I had written years ago, but they have received a fresh interpretation from the other members of the band. Others I composed specifically for this project. But all of the songs, mine and Dave’s, gel quite nicely and made for a cohesive and interesting debut release.
David: We wanted to record music that was fresh, exciting, vibrant, dangerous, dark and different. Unlike what we hear on the radio, internet or T.V. We believe it is very relevant to today’s music scene. I think we stand out as a band. You have many elements happening on this CD – a mix of great vocals, great guitar work, keyboards etc. plus the cover art is pretty cool too.
Nattsol: Now, after the album’s release, what are the plans of the band?
David: To promote the album, play out live, build a fan base, work on new music for a second album. We’d love to tour Europe. Many American bands dream of playing New York City or L.A. as do Europeans bands but I think the dream of every American band is to tour Europe. We’d love to play in Russia also. That would be a dream come true for us.
Nattsol: What books/films/music and other Art aspects are the band members interested in?
Cynthia: Personally, I like many different types of music, films, and am an avid reader. Far too many to list individually here. I will say that I am a particular fan of Pre-Raphaelite art. Beardsley and Gorey are just two of my favourite artists.
David: We enjoy any art that breaks away from the «norm» and is not cliche. It also has to be entertaining otherwise why else bother? Too often people rely on what every else is doing artistically and that is all well and fine but the question is, are you really challenging yourself? I think when you try to do something different instead of following «the herd» you really break out and find your true artistic sensibilities. Everyone may not like it but many may also love it. It’s taking a chance but it’s so much fun when you do.
Nattsol: And some words in conclusion.
David: Thank you for this interview. We appreciate the opportunity and hope your audience enjoys our music. Saint Petersburg has a great music scene developing – one day we would like to come and play there.
Questions: Pall ‘Nattsol’ Zarutskiy
“Grave Jibes Fanzine”
