Mitch
Lafon of Bravewords.com recentlay conducted an interview with Europe
singer Joey Tempest to talk about the new album "Bag of Bones" – and
other stuff. Read excerpts below:
BraveWords.com:
The band had five albums come out between 1983 and 1991. You took a
break until 2003-04 and have since released four new albums. It seems
less of a continuation, but more like it’s two separate bands.
Would it be fair to say that this is a ‘new’ band?
Joey Tempest: “I think so. When we met in 2003 and talked about the future, we said we only have two options. We can do one ‘80s style album, reunion tour, and go home or we can build it up from scratch, build a new relationship with the audience and with the media. We knew it was going to take time and we were going to get some shit, but let’s do it and build it up slowly. Some countries have really jumped onboard. The UK being one of them which is really satisfying. So, I would agree with you that it’s a different band... a ‘new’ band. We came back from a hiatus where I did three solo albums and dove into the singer/songwriter thing (and hopefully brought that back with me). Jon Levén started D-tuning and the other guys toured with classic rock acts like Glenn Hughes. We came back with more experience and wanted to make a new journey. We wanted to make every album different, but at the core of it - make music that people remember. When we grew up the albums we listened to had such great songs and great riffs. We wanted to keep that as well, but there’s a new expression especially with `Bag Of Bones`. We never thought we could make an album like this.”
BraveWords.com: Bands that started along side Europe (like a Bon Jovi or Def Leppard) seem to have gotten ‘softer’ or more ballad oriented over the years and what I find refreshing with Europe is that you’ve actually become more of a rock band as time goes by. Is that a risk in today’s market (for a band that has been around so long)?
Tempest: “We never wanted to stay in one place and wanted to keep it progressive. We’ve try to challenge ourselves and the people listening. We don’t want to play it safe. Europe, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard were around at the same time. They’re still around and still doing good. I think we’re on a more crazy journey and so you take chances. Some are going to work and sometimes not, but we’ve had some great feedback on the last two albums. We’re really excited about `Bag Of Bones` and we’re getting great reviews.”
Joey Tempest: “I think so. When we met in 2003 and talked about the future, we said we only have two options. We can do one ‘80s style album, reunion tour, and go home or we can build it up from scratch, build a new relationship with the audience and with the media. We knew it was going to take time and we were going to get some shit, but let’s do it and build it up slowly. Some countries have really jumped onboard. The UK being one of them which is really satisfying. So, I would agree with you that it’s a different band... a ‘new’ band. We came back from a hiatus where I did three solo albums and dove into the singer/songwriter thing (and hopefully brought that back with me). Jon Levén started D-tuning and the other guys toured with classic rock acts like Glenn Hughes. We came back with more experience and wanted to make a new journey. We wanted to make every album different, but at the core of it - make music that people remember. When we grew up the albums we listened to had such great songs and great riffs. We wanted to keep that as well, but there’s a new expression especially with `Bag Of Bones`. We never thought we could make an album like this.”
BraveWords.com: Bands that started along side Europe (like a Bon Jovi or Def Leppard) seem to have gotten ‘softer’ or more ballad oriented over the years and what I find refreshing with Europe is that you’ve actually become more of a rock band as time goes by. Is that a risk in today’s market (for a band that has been around so long)?
Tempest: “We never wanted to stay in one place and wanted to keep it progressive. We’ve try to challenge ourselves and the people listening. We don’t want to play it safe. Europe, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard were around at the same time. They’re still around and still doing good. I think we’re on a more crazy journey and so you take chances. Some are going to work and sometimes not, but we’ve had some great feedback on the last two albums. We’re really excited about `Bag Of Bones` and we’re getting great reviews.”
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