[IMGLEFT]http://www.russell.ultimatemetal.com/Interview/LWfront.jpg[/IMGLEFT]By Russell Garwood
Lone Wolf Music began life in 2002, a division of Lone Wolf Productions. Stemming from a desire to branch out from video and marketing into music, the label is driven by John W. Crawfords passion for progressive rock and metal. I recently had to chance to talk to him about the label, his views on prog, and some intriguing future plans...
I have worked in Video Production and marketing for 5 or 6 years, John begins when I ask of the history of Lone Wolf. In 2002 I began work on a project featuring some impressive musicians in progressive music. After intensive negotiations with several big record companies, I was very sceptical of their intentions. I was also discouraged by the way they treat new artists. I decided to actually start my own label, create a stable and trustworthy environment for bands and release my own project.
So you label started as a vehicle for your own band, then expanded?
Yes, we have some exciting projects coming in 2005. They will be groundbreaking and will have some impressive names on them. And the labels aims? To research and develop new artists, release high quality Progressive music and bring the fans new and exciting music. John states.
I then ask the CEO about the state of prog. I often feel that in recent times the genre can be far from progressive (in a literal sense). He agrees this can be the case at times the genre is being mixed with other styles. It has to have a careful blend of both melody and musicianship. Too many bands have all kinds of odd times and structures but no melodies. Without the melodies, no one really cares. It doesnt make the music magical or memorable.
Agreed, but I was more thinking that some progressive music is no longer progressive at all, rather it seems quite stagnant lots of people doing the same thing, over and over again, with little originality. Would you agree with this?
Yes, I think too many bands try to be like their idols or influences. There is a serious lack of originality in many of rocks genres......Prog included comes the diplomatic reply.
So what do you think the future holds of the genre?
I think it will continue on toward a more metallic edge, but I think its popularity will grow. People are fed up with the same old boring and non-substantial music.
This being the case, have you ever considered releasing heavier progressive music? Your metal releases so far tend to focus on progressive power metal
That isnt necessarily an accurate statement. Our first two releases, Divine Ruins and Lyranthe tend to lean in that direction. But our other three releases are more along the lines of progressive metal. Actually, Without End floats between Prog-rock and metal. Natural Science and RWS are unique, original and more along the lines of Prog-metal. I cant see Lone Wolf Music releasing anything along the lines of Opeth or Shadows Fall. Its just a bit too heavy and not what we are looking for. Its great stuff, but its not in our thought process. When I ask John what he doesnt like about progressive black and death metal, in turns out it is the vocals. Moaning and growling takes away from the melody. And vocal melodies are king in my book.
On the subject of his own music endeavours, John says I always was a music fan, I grew up on Led Zeppelin, Rush and metal in the 80s. I sat down one day and started writing songs. I was fortunate enough to find a few professional musicians who put their faith in me and taught me about the music business. We [at Lone Wolf] are currently working on a rather impressive project. But, I cant say much about it. Its top secret, but I can tell you it will be a big deal in 2005!
Sounds exciting, I cant wait to hear about it!
Well, I can tell you it will be a cool thing and will have a lot of people talking the CEO concludes.
On the subject of the label, you recently signed Dawn, from Ireland. How did this deal come about?
Dawn is just a great Prog-metal band. I was surfing the UM forums and saw an announcement they made about their EP. I hopped to their site and checked out their MP3. I didnt think much of it, but I couldnt get the song out of my head. I dropped them a line and we talked. They sent me their EP and I was blown away. They did a great job and it was so well produced. They are very original and unique and are putting the finishing touches on the CD. They have a female singer and the music is very guitar driven. Picture Black Sabbath meets Lacuna Coil. Its very melodic stuff. I just love it!
Haha, Its good to know we have helped! When can we expect to hear more from them?
Their CD will be released in April of 2005 and more info will be available on our site.
Next I feel it is time to ask John, as an insider in the music industry, what he thinks of file sharing. Is it a powerful promotional tool, or a major problem for modern businesses?
Even before I was a label owner I thought it was wrong comes the reply. It is clearly taking its toll on sales and even concert sales. I have a theory on why concert sales are down and it involves file sharing.
Cool, care to elaborate on your theory? Id be interested to hear it!
Well, back when Vinyl was the standard format, we had great artwork and pictures. It was a whole experience. While you listened to the music you also checked out the art and pictures. You fell in love with Ann and Nancy Wilson or wondered at a [/B]Pink Floyd[/B] album. Then cassettes and CDs made the artwork a bit smaller and less profound, but it was still a part of the experience. Now, with downloading, we have this CD with no art, lyrics or pictures. We are less interested in the artists or the experience. We have no real reason to see them live as we dont know their personality or understand their musical statements. It takes away the imagination, therefore we arent interested. We listen to the music but thats it. We need to get back to the whole experience.
This is an interesting theory indeed, which prompts me to ask John what he thinks of the modern music industry.
The underground market, meaning non-mainstream genres are relatively honest and reliable he muses. Although I have heard some amazing horror stories, most indie labels seem to treat their artists right. However, the mainstream music industry, especially here in the USA is terribly corrupt. Styles seem to mean more than any type of quality and the industry is just so corporate. The communications companies and record companies are clearly working together and the fans and artists suffer from it. It is truly sad comes the conclusion, one which I am tempted to say the majority of underground music fans would agree with. Unfortunately, at this point our interview has to draw to a close. We have 5 releases out now and then the dawn release in the spring. John says of Lone Wolfs immediate plans. We will have a major announcement in early 2005 about this project, and perhaps a few other surprises as well. We will be building up our distribution and plan to bring our releases to more places in the world.
Many thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, do you have any final words for the UM readership?
No problem, thank you. We certainly appreciate everyones support at UM and look forward to bringing you more great music is the encouraging reply. An intriguing interview, we can hope we wont have to wait too long to find out more of this high profile Lone Wolf Project. This just leaves me to thanks John for taking the time to answer my questions, and wish all at Lone Wolf a happy and prosperous 2005!
Official Lone Wolf Music Website
Lone Wolf Music began life in 2002, a division of Lone Wolf Productions. Stemming from a desire to branch out from video and marketing into music, the label is driven by John W. Crawfords passion for progressive rock and metal. I recently had to chance to talk to him about the label, his views on prog, and some intriguing future plans...
I have worked in Video Production and marketing for 5 or 6 years, John begins when I ask of the history of Lone Wolf. In 2002 I began work on a project featuring some impressive musicians in progressive music. After intensive negotiations with several big record companies, I was very sceptical of their intentions. I was also discouraged by the way they treat new artists. I decided to actually start my own label, create a stable and trustworthy environment for bands and release my own project.
So you label started as a vehicle for your own band, then expanded?
Yes, we have some exciting projects coming in 2005. They will be groundbreaking and will have some impressive names on them. And the labels aims? To research and develop new artists, release high quality Progressive music and bring the fans new and exciting music. John states.
I then ask the CEO about the state of prog. I often feel that in recent times the genre can be far from progressive (in a literal sense). He agrees this can be the case at times the genre is being mixed with other styles. It has to have a careful blend of both melody and musicianship. Too many bands have all kinds of odd times and structures but no melodies. Without the melodies, no one really cares. It doesnt make the music magical or memorable.
Agreed, but I was more thinking that some progressive music is no longer progressive at all, rather it seems quite stagnant lots of people doing the same thing, over and over again, with little originality. Would you agree with this?
Yes, I think too many bands try to be like their idols or influences. There is a serious lack of originality in many of rocks genres......Prog included comes the diplomatic reply.
So what do you think the future holds of the genre?
I think it will continue on toward a more metallic edge, but I think its popularity will grow. People are fed up with the same old boring and non-substantial music.
This being the case, have you ever considered releasing heavier progressive music? Your metal releases so far tend to focus on progressive power metal
That isnt necessarily an accurate statement. Our first two releases, Divine Ruins and Lyranthe tend to lean in that direction. But our other three releases are more along the lines of progressive metal. Actually, Without End floats between Prog-rock and metal. Natural Science and RWS are unique, original and more along the lines of Prog-metal. I cant see Lone Wolf Music releasing anything along the lines of Opeth or Shadows Fall. Its just a bit too heavy and not what we are looking for. Its great stuff, but its not in our thought process. When I ask John what he doesnt like about progressive black and death metal, in turns out it is the vocals. Moaning and growling takes away from the melody. And vocal melodies are king in my book.
On the subject of his own music endeavours, John says I always was a music fan, I grew up on Led Zeppelin, Rush and metal in the 80s. I sat down one day and started writing songs. I was fortunate enough to find a few professional musicians who put their faith in me and taught me about the music business. We [at Lone Wolf] are currently working on a rather impressive project. But, I cant say much about it. Its top secret, but I can tell you it will be a big deal in 2005!
Sounds exciting, I cant wait to hear about it!
Well, I can tell you it will be a cool thing and will have a lot of people talking the CEO concludes.
On the subject of the label, you recently signed Dawn, from Ireland. How did this deal come about?
Dawn is just a great Prog-metal band. I was surfing the UM forums and saw an announcement they made about their EP. I hopped to their site and checked out their MP3. I didnt think much of it, but I couldnt get the song out of my head. I dropped them a line and we talked. They sent me their EP and I was blown away. They did a great job and it was so well produced. They are very original and unique and are putting the finishing touches on the CD. They have a female singer and the music is very guitar driven. Picture Black Sabbath meets Lacuna Coil. Its very melodic stuff. I just love it!
Haha, Its good to know we have helped! When can we expect to hear more from them?
Their CD will be released in April of 2005 and more info will be available on our site.
Next I feel it is time to ask John, as an insider in the music industry, what he thinks of file sharing. Is it a powerful promotional tool, or a major problem for modern businesses?
Even before I was a label owner I thought it was wrong comes the reply. It is clearly taking its toll on sales and even concert sales. I have a theory on why concert sales are down and it involves file sharing.
Cool, care to elaborate on your theory? Id be interested to hear it!
Well, back when Vinyl was the standard format, we had great artwork and pictures. It was a whole experience. While you listened to the music you also checked out the art and pictures. You fell in love with Ann and Nancy Wilson or wondered at a [/B]Pink Floyd[/B] album. Then cassettes and CDs made the artwork a bit smaller and less profound, but it was still a part of the experience. Now, with downloading, we have this CD with no art, lyrics or pictures. We are less interested in the artists or the experience. We have no real reason to see them live as we dont know their personality or understand their musical statements. It takes away the imagination, therefore we arent interested. We listen to the music but thats it. We need to get back to the whole experience.
This is an interesting theory indeed, which prompts me to ask John what he thinks of the modern music industry.
The underground market, meaning non-mainstream genres are relatively honest and reliable he muses. Although I have heard some amazing horror stories, most indie labels seem to treat their artists right. However, the mainstream music industry, especially here in the USA is terribly corrupt. Styles seem to mean more than any type of quality and the industry is just so corporate. The communications companies and record companies are clearly working together and the fans and artists suffer from it. It is truly sad comes the conclusion, one which I am tempted to say the majority of underground music fans would agree with. Unfortunately, at this point our interview has to draw to a close. We have 5 releases out now and then the dawn release in the spring. John says of Lone Wolfs immediate plans. We will have a major announcement in early 2005 about this project, and perhaps a few other surprises as well. We will be building up our distribution and plan to bring our releases to more places in the world.
Many thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, do you have any final words for the UM readership?
No problem, thank you. We certainly appreciate everyones support at UM and look forward to bringing you more great music is the encouraging reply. An intriguing interview, we can hope we wont have to wait too long to find out more of this high profile Lone Wolf Project. This just leaves me to thanks John for taking the time to answer my questions, and wish all at Lone Wolf a happy and prosperous 2005!
Official Lone Wolf Music Website