12/10/2007 11.46.49
Uz Jsme Doma interview (Mirek Wanek)
1) Tell us a brief history of the band (influences, experiences,.)
Uz Jsme Doma, (pronounced oosh-smeh-dough-ma), are a progressive rock band from Czech Republic, who originally formed in northwest border town Teplice in 1985. The band's name translates literally to, "we're home now" but, as an idiom, means something more like, "well, there we go" in Czech conversation.
The band has, to date, released six proper studio albums, two live albums, a best-of package and a DVD containing live footage and a documentary about the history of the band, which discusses its artistic significance and chronicals its dozens of lineup changes in its 22+ year career. In addition to traditional band functions such as recording albums and touring, UJD have taken on a wide array of ambitious projects, including work with theater, fiilm and art. They collaborated very closely to the world famous band The Residents on their Freak show and felt in friendship with them and many other great musicians all over the world (Tom Cora, Amy Denio, Jello Biafra, David Thomas etc)
Band tours frequently whole the world, from first foreign show in Germany till now they visited almost 30 different countries, major part of them took USA (more than 600 shows in almost all states)
The band's approach to arrangements is unique in the world of rock. They bring the instruments and vocals in different directions within the same scales and keys to create a dense melodic atmosphere. In addition, their rhythms often accent off-beats and half-beats, throwing the listener in unexpected directions. The music seems to be an exhausting juxtaposition between beauty and ugliness, as songs will frequently shift between modes to create tumultuous, powerful hooks (a good example of this is the song "Hollywood.") The band is also fond of shifts between time signatures and the insertion of extra beats in the shaping of the mood of the song.
Artist Martin Velisek, the non-playing UJD member, has been published in several volumes and enjoyed popularity outside of his work with UJD as well. His unique, absurd cartoon style, replete with alarming flourishes of realism, gruesomeness and beauty, gives UJD records their distinct look.
2. Usually the punk attitude means rough composition, angry approach, not much reflection and a great destructive energy: the opposite of progressive and RIO music, how can you conciliate these styles?
Well,. each style has wide collection of points of view. When I was 16-18, it was very difficult to get any west music because of censorship. There were paradoxly some streams coming on unusuall way into the country, through the diplomatic mail or so. Thanks to that we got very specific part of new music, mostly in connection to specific taste of that particular person. We were lucky that for example US cultural attache in that time was interested in progressive styles as new coming punk, Residents, Pere Ubu, Chrome, Killing Joke, Chinas Comidas, Rock in Oposition etc. Also swedish ambassy was unique, we got Ebba Gron or Noise.
For me in that time all this music was one stream, I didn't make any difference in between these bands and what was different I felt as specific of that band and not classifing it as another style. So when I started to play, as many others I was influnced by some "heroes" and heroes for me were these bands. I began with band called FPB, one of first Czech punk bands, and in our repertoir were all these mentioned bands plus our own songs based either on straight punk or on experimental base with a lot of humour and fun in. So if I say that UJD are something in between Damned and Residents, that is not too far from true.
3. Which process do you use to compose your music?
Last 15 years I write the whole song including each tone and each drum beat to music scores and musicians playing with me learn it from that. Of course there might be some discussion on arrangements during practicing, but on the end we play each show identic score.
If you ment how I compose, well, usually I get idea in melody or some short drum pattern, than I slowly build measure by measure. Usually I have several these melodies or short pieces, so I decide if there will be more songs out of them or if I will connect them into one longer one. When the whole piece is done including final vocal lines, I write lyrics, trying to fit them with sylables to each pre-composed tone with all its longiness or frequency. Sometimes I call it "filling crossword"
4. How do you think about improvisation?
We almost never use it. I respect people who know to do it, but it is not my case. I like to prepare all in advance.
5. I love your last studio record, with more instruments and complex structures, will you use this approach also in the future?
That is not too much in my mind. Each arramngent comes from song need. So I thing it might be very close to that sound, but some songs [as on that album too] will be very simple and with no addition extra instruments. For me that is not a goal but instrument.
6. Don't you think that writing the lyrics in english language could open for you new markets with the possibility to show your ideas to a much wider audience?
Does opera sells fewer CDs because it is usually in Italian language? Should band Bulgarian Voices sing in English? Are songs from Bjork sung in English more popular than those in Icelandic? Are French chansons better in English? Asked anybody Vladimir Vysockij to sing in English his beautiful Russian songs? The sound of language could be part of the aesthetic message, when I watch movies, I always prefer original sound with subtitles than dabbing. So we do. We bring originals to audience and if they are interested in lyrics in terms of meaning, there are several ways how to discover it - booklets on CDs, Internet etc. And for example in USA during our tours I did't notice that people would ask for English on stage, they appreciate that original, I think.
7. Could you describe your local scene?
Czech scene is probably very similar as any other scene in Europe or in USA. Wide, rich, full of commercial stuff and still enough full of original people with ideas and something to say.
From young bands I like I can mention Budoar Stare Damy, Neocekavany Dychanek, slovakian Hvozd and several others. But I am not so good choice to ask. I don't listen to music too much.
8. Which kind of music are you listening now?
Partly I answered that in previous question, I don't listen almost to anything. I spent too much time with making music and playing music, so my relax is book or movie, or now very freshly my new born daugther.
9. What about the future of the band?
I am optimistic, we want to continue, audience ask for it and it makes fun to us. Next year we would like to release new album, we will record music for second series of pupet fairytales for Czech TV and we will tour as we do constantly. How long, that will be shown.
10. Do you want to add something?
I want to say two things - one is about our playing in Italy - we would like to come as much as possible to Italy, it was always fun and the country is very beautiful, also food and women. We still search for clubs or promoters who would like to help it. The second note is to audience, I understand that there are too many bands and too many productions, but if someone likes bands as ours, the only support is to come to the show and also to buy a CD, because without that bands like us will be not able to continue. Than the audience will have only that commercial stuff for choice, because they have money to support themself. And I think it would be pity.
Mirek
