Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

Have any of you played in other bands? Hi Robex, how wonderful to be doing this interview! Lyraka musically was never a band really, it was just me hiring musicians to play music I composed and play lead guitar on.

How is it that you started playing music? Tony Iommi's leads and overall atmosphere on the 1st Black Sabbath album inspired me to start playing and writing guitar.

What are your names? / Who plays what? I hired  people to record the music I've composed, and those people include Graham Bonnet, Mark Boals, Al Atkins, Veronica Freeman, Rob Diaz, and Robert Lowe (Candlemass) have all worked for me on vocals, and I have another Metal Goddess named Nina Osequeda ready to record for me as well. Rhythm guitars and co-production on the first album by Mr. Andre Maquera (8084) at West Street Digital, bass by Thom Carvey, drums by Gary Spaulding and Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus, Suffocation).

Have you had other previous members? Just Phillip Young and Nicole D'andrea for opera vocal sessions.

As a pre-teen I used to take long walks and dream up variations on the music I heard. I was really reclusive with few friends, so music was a big deal for me from as far back as I can recall. The first two albums I ever owned were Elton John's Greatest Hits I and Jerry Goldsmith's score to the Wind and the Lion.

I must mention that my Neapolitan grandfather was big on classic art music like Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, plus super musicians like Louis Armstrong. That, plus my father's preference for rock, made for some really influential background music when I was growing up.

Where are you from? Springfield, Ohio. I lived in Ohio from birth until a few months after my 13th birthday, from there I lived in Florida 6 1/2 years and New England 33.

What year did the band form? The project, which is a multi-media one including works of art by Ken Kelly (Rainbow, Kiss) and Vince Locke (Cannibal Corpse, Sandman) was originally the brainstorm of Jasmine Lyraka Aliara in 2006. Jasmine came up with the entire concept and began on the scripts for both screen and graphic novel right around that time. From there she asked me to provide music and we were off.

What's your style of genre? The early Lyraka material was influenced by the 70s and early 80s classic metal bands like Rainbow, Purple, Scorpions, Judas Priest, Manowar. But these days that isn't considered metal except by us old people, so I'll just say classic heavy rock.The rock operas and music in general of the 60s and 70 band the Who were on my mind a lot as well, plus Under a Dark Sky. I was also listening to a lot of Beethoven's late string quartets, Wagner's operas, as well as 20th century heavies like Schoenberg.The second album was even more experimental with influences from Aleatoric and Serial composers, Funk, country blues, electronic film scores, Romantic and Classical, opera...

Well, Jasmine's concept was what mostly drove me, and in the beginning I was musically mostly about the classic heavy rock mentioned above, with a peripheral infusion of Richard Wagner's Ring and Tristan und Isolde. As time went on I became interested more in albums like Pet Sounds, the Smile Sessions, John Coltrane's Ascension, the works of John Zorn and latter-era Scott Walker, Bartók, Golden and Silver age film scores...

I ended up discovering I liked the sound of the orchestra more than guitar and from there concentrated my powers mostly on the former. Overall though, Jasmine's vision and support were probably my greatest inspiration. 

How have you developed since you started with the music? I went from a rock guitar player who also wrote songs to a composer of art music for the symphony orchestra, choir, and the individual instruments therein.

Do you have other interests of work outside the band? I am the quintessential starving artist and typically spend an average 5 to six hours a day, 7 days a week on music composition, arranging, production, orchestration. So, no...I don't have the time. Composing music chews up a lot of one's time and energy.

Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? I'll answer both questions: no. I only care about making the music as expressive of myself as an individual, artistic voice so what others think of it is a much lesser concern. The day I let go of the erroneous idea that there was money to be made in music was one of the happiest and most inspiring of my life. I find the avant-garde nature of some of my symphonies to be a great vehicle for unique expression.

What made you decide to make this music? I was diagnosed as chronic alcoholic in the 90s and went through suicide attempts, but when I met Jasmine and got onboard with her as an artist my life became a million times better. These days I operate on what I know is representing my own vision most, and these things are mostly, necessarily outside the Lyraka banner.

What are your songs about? All of the songs on Lyraka Volume 1 and 2 center around Jasmine's concept, without that as a peripheral...perhaps I should say without her vision as a guide they would have been non-existent.

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? Music and lyrically I do everything.

Do you start with the music or the lyrics? Mostly music, sometimes the other.

Do you compose in a certain environment? Well, I have to be housed (laughing). I need to be left alone with my incense and pets when I write.

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? Where can people buy your merchandise? Lyraka Volume 1 is on sale at CD Baby as mp3s, which is the only place we make any money off it.

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? It means there isn't any money to be made unless you have the support of high end agents, patrons...friends.

How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? I did this interview only because you were nice to ask, Robex. I don't do interviews much anymore, as I don't identify as readily with the rock genre as I did, and people who liked my early music probably aren't as interested in my growth away from it. It was just nice of you to ask so sure! I don't expect much to come of it, I just don't have that kind of audience (though I love and am deeply grateful to my fans).

In the beginning I did: musically that includes Uli Jon Roth, Blackmore, Iommi, Schenker, Gary Moore. When I became immersed in art music Richard Wagner and Ludwig Van Beethoven ruled the roost for me. These days I go for BEING a musical inspiration unto myself, and I'm so much happier that way.

To this day I highly admire men like Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa...

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? I don't listen to modern day rock bands anymore, too much of it sounds like an homage. That goes to for bands coming back from the past. I still break out my old albums of course, and love them.

What have been your biggest obstacles? My music never attracted the kind of paying patrons I needed. But that obstacle ultimately got me away from Popular music and into more personally expressive realms, so no worries.

What advice would you give other bands or artists? Unless you're doing this only because you love it (whether successful or not)  don't do it. If you're doing it for money...make sure you have the kind of support system you need in case it doesn't pan out that way for the first couple of years.

Do you have any new material? Three of my four symphonies are up on my blog.