Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

First of all for those that haven’t heard of Khaøs can you give us a brief history of the band, where you’re from, what you do, etc? Mark: Sure! Four members comprise Khaøs, with Chandler Mogel on vocals, me, Mark Rossi on guitar, N I c Angileri on bass and Trevor Franklin on drums. The band was formed in June 2012 through a German producer called Rolf Munkes. In his Empire Studios we recorded basic tracks for our debut EP ‘Rising’ which was then completed by Chandler in New York and Nic in Switzerland. The project has taken form through ‘Rising’, which was released in fall of 2012 to critical acclaim. It contains 5 songs and two radio edits. The EP has been the ideal vehicle to introduce the band to a wider audience.

Although every one of us has performed and studied a wide variety of genres, our common denominator is without any doubt Hard Rock and Metal.

What were the ambitions of the band when you started? Mark: This band was born as a musical journey, as a project. I didn’t know at the time what to expect exactly. I quickly realized that I’d need a bunch of great players in order to do what I had in my head. The ambitions grew while working on the material. After the EP release we all knew that only five songs couldn’t be enough to fully represent our music. Luckily we all felt adrenalized to do more and had the time to prolong and widen our dialogue that finally led to ‘Risen’, our first full-length album.

Your new single ‘After The Silence is out. How does it feel? Chandler:  Finally right? It feels great and it’s appropriately named since there was quite a silence for a while because we just had to get the pieces in the right places. But it was a long time coming and it’s gonna be a fun ride from here on out. 

What were your sources of inspiration for this song?

Chandler: Well, I wanted to write a song about the state of society today, not just complaining about it [laughs], but proclaiming that we have the power to rise up and change it, it’s in our hands, and we can do it with all we know now, and if we stand together with like minds.  We all want a change we are just searching for a way in our minds to change it.

Mark: Musically speaking the idea to write a timeless song about a timeless subject. I proposed the name ‘After The Silence’ as working title and Chandler took the invitation to write lyrics around it.

It’s the only track on the album that kept the original name. I like very much songs like ‘Broken Wings’ or ‘Blackbird’ of Alter Bridge that have a mix between clean picking on the verse and heavy dropped stuff on the chorus. The bridge is something in between where you can loosen things and offer the listeners a short space to breathe. ‘After The Silence’ goes exactly in this direction

What more can you tell us about the forthcoming album ‘Risen’? Chandler:  If you like ATS then you will enjoy the rest of the album I am gonna bet.  It’s dark, deep, heavy and inspirational.  It sort of picks up where the EP left off. Musically,

is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Mark: Difficult to tell. Older bands like The Beatles or Led Zeppelin have always been a major source of inspiration. Listen to song like ‘A day in The Life’ or ‘No Quarter’. These are gems that are hard to reproduce today. As far as production is concerned we’re obviously oriented to newer sounds. I like for instance all recent productions of Michael Baskette. I like the way he surprises people every time without revolutionizing his recording methods. Every new record he produces sounds richer and more detailed than the one he did before. Let’s go backstage now since you’ve played a few shows recently.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Chandler: As a singer, I warm up my voice for about a half-hour, I don’t eat right before I sing, I do what I can to relax, etc.  Typical singer stuff.  Gotta take care of the voice - No ‘warming up’ with cigarettes and whiskey for me! \m/

Mark:  Nothing particular. Just check that everything works fine, the gear, the guitar strings, the power supply… It’s not funny to start a show with an amp on ‘stand-by’ [laughs].

What’s been the best gig you ever played? Mark: With Khaøs? We only had two shows so far. Our second gig was the best! It was a big biker meeting in the hometown of our bass player Nic Angileri.

When you are on stage, what is the worst possible thing that could happen?

Mark:  To forget what you’re playing. I mean as long as you keep playing at least in the same tonal key everything is fine. But for some reasons it can happen that you might start messing up things on stage and in this case you have to be quick to find the golden thread that leads you back to the song. For singers to forget lyrics I guess, but this is a frequent issue we’re used to hear today, right?

What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you?

Mark: Joining the band on stage and singing with us a track. It was a song with a simple and anthemic chorus that everybody could remember. But it was fun and it worked pretty well and it sounded by far better than many of these new horrible karaoke and talent shows.

What music could we expect to hear on your tour bus?

Mark:  Too many things to mention I guess. Fusion, 70’s Rock, Modern Metal, Traditional Hard Rock, you will find a bit of everything. As long as music contains captivating melodies and hooks it has good chances to land on our music players. Personally I would probably listen to a record of Alter Bridge, Mark Tremonti or The Cult. These are my absolute favs. In my space you will find a lot of inspiring guitar-oriented stuff.  You might also find some bits of new music I’m working on.

How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums?/Because the single is only available digitally right?Mark: Regarding singles and EP’s I can accept and understand the use of digital releases. It’s a good way to promote a physical album. I’m an old school guy and still prefer to hold in my hands a well designed album (or vinyl) with a nice booklet and artwork. I collected bootlegs when I was younger and you can’t compare the joy that gives the smell of a fresh pressed vinyl compared to an anonymous mp3 or a stream.

How do you feel about the music industry today? Pick any subject…

Mark: Well the music industry of today makes me think. I’m a bit sad to be honest but also excited at the same time. Sad because music in general is becoming a strange animal, a weird thing that is slowly losing its original meaning and message. Too many talent shows without contents are dominating the media today and the space for real talents is getting shorter. This space is often filled and teeming with standardised content and it lacks of originality.

On the other hand I’m excited and feel blessed to do what I do because all in all there are many ways how you can present and express yourself today and it’s up to you as musician to explore them and make them work. How do we create an idea which is both tolerant to individuality, and also to collectivity, without polarizing the two into two different opposites? If you can answer this question you’re on a good way.

What drives Khaøs to keep playing? Chandler:  Mark is the one who always cracks the whip [laughs]. Well for me it’s the drive to get a positive message out there in rock and roll – Khaøs has been a great vehicle for that mission musically. The band is an awesome machine live even at an early stage and the camaraderie between all of us is a special thing. We just look forward to hanging out together!

What are your dreams for the band? Chandler: For the message and the music to be heard by the largest number of people. This is something we really want to nurture and take the time to do 150% RIGHT. It’s a very special thing and deserves special treatment.

What been the biggest obstacles for the band so far? Chandler:  Definitely the distance factor – I am in the US and they are in Switzerland.  But this didn’t stop bands like TNT back in the day. I also have the same issue with Outloud (my Greek melodic hard rock band).  So we do everything we can, work over Skype and just keep plugging away!

Mark: Yes indeed. We could have done much more if we only would live in the same country. But we knew that story from the beginning so there is no reason to complain now.

Tell us about your other projects/bands and what you’ve been up to?

Mark: Well my mates play in several bands. The list is growing daily: Iron Bridge Band, Outloud, Tore Moren, Alto Voltaggio, I’ve lost track of all names be honest [laughs]. They are a bunch of musical ‘globe trotters’.

I’m only playing for Khaøs at the moment. But I’m constantly writing new music. I have already pre-produced almost a new entire album and we’ll see in what form these songs will see the light of the day.

Finally, what’s next for Khaøs apart from the new album? And any final words?

Mark: We’re very excited about the release of our new album and in general about the future of this band.  The next goal will be to go out and play it live. We have another great video supporting the album we’ve shot with the same wonderful crew in Switzerland and a couple of other surprises. So it’s worth following us on our official Facebook Site www.facebook.com/Khaos2012 and checking out our new releases on our Youtube channel www.youtube.com/Khaoschannel.

I hope we will see you on the road soon!