INTRODUCING WEST MIDLANDS ALT ROCKERS 'THE DEVIL IN FAUST' & EXCLUSIVE NEW SINGLE LAUNCH....
Alistair Pritchard recently contacted us to tell us of his West Midlands based alternative rock band 'The Devil in Faust' and to give us the heads up that they were planning to release their latest track 'Forsaken' on January 31st.
We thought this would be a great way of running an exclusive launch for their single and also to have a chat with Alistair about the band and their plans for 2015. In the meantime, check out their new single 'Forsaken' below;
Hope you liked the track, we think it's awesome....
We caught up with Alistair a few days prior to the launch date of the new single and we chatted about working with Led Zeppelin's producer, Mark Knopfler live shows and why chickens cross roads, here's how we got on....
Please introduce the band and your music in one sentence....
Dark and brooding
You’re called ‘The Devil in Faust’ how did you settle on this name?
The majority of songs I write if not all are quite dark therefore we needed a band name that reflected this and that of our image. Faust is a character from a German novel from the middle ages where he makes a deal to sell his soul to the devil in return for all his endeavors.
What is the best advice you ever received and who was it from?
I was doing some work experience when I was 19 at British Grove Studios and Glyn Johns (yes, the Led Zeppelin Producer) told me “You’re going to learn shit all with me” followed by an evil laugh. I was quite shocked at first, but I think what he was saying is that, you need to make your own decisions by getting yourself out there.
What does music mean to you?
In relation to writing, it’s an escape; it allows me to get things off my chest or make a point. I don’t think it’s possible to write a song that doesn’t mean anything, at least not a song worth writing. In regards to listening to music, I was introduced to it at a young age. My parents used to take me all over the country visiting different historic sites. We’d listen to lots of different music whist travelling.
‘Dark Places’ is your first single, what made you choose this one to be released?
We formed in November 2014 and whilst we were rehearsing the set list at the time, Dark Places stood out to us with a big, sustained chorus and classic structure. It was a natural choice really and felt right to be the first taste of the album.
Who directed the music video for the single and explain the process of how you recorded it?
Martin Turner, Zach met Martin at University, they had been friends throughout. Martin is interested in music, photography and videography. We asked if he’d be interested in working with us. He said yes to give it a go even though it was his first attempt at a music video. I came up with a storyline to which we made some small changes. We then filmed the video on 3 separate days. The first day we shot the band scene, it got muddy and cold. The second day we filmed with our friend who kindly acted for us as the dead girlfriend. We also did more individual band shots to give us more options. On the third day we had another actor who played the biker boyfriend in the video, he owns a very nice Harley Davidson, it’s bloody loud. Overall we had a lot of fun filming the video and for our debut release it’s gone down well.
Would you rather live with a dog that sings lullabies or a gorilla that can do sign language? Explain your answer
Can I totally change the options? It’s all about cats. You don’t need to be with them all the time, they purr and are usually quite a relaxing ball of fur to have around. A cat that enjoys making cups of tea would be prrrfect. Coffee would suffice.
In your opinion, what is the BEST album/record ever released and why?
This is insanely difficult as I listen to such a wide range of music and enjoy many records. However, I have a special place for 80’s music. I grew up listening to Dire Straits. Brothers in Arms is a phenomenal album, such a well crafted Rock record. Knopfler’s guitar playing is out of this world. I was fortunate enough to meet him in 2012 whilst at his studio British Grove.
If you had a chance to put together your own ‘super group’, who would be in it? (only living members please)
Phil Anselmo - Vocals, John 5 (Lowery) - Guitar, Nick Oliveri – Bass, Joey Jordison – Drums.
Being an unsigned band how hard is it to get noticed and do you think Social media is an aid or not?
It’s very difficult, yet you only get what you put in. It’s a matter of how much time and effort you want to give to your band. It’s not easy when you need to maintain a job on the side to have money to eat still. Social media helps a lot in terms that it’s much more efficient in this digital age to access new music. In the 40’s people would rely on vinyl being shared particularly in the first and second world war. Moving on in the 70’s and 80’s fanzines were a bands way into the music industry and to get noticed. It’s easier to have the opportunity to get noticed now with the Internet but to get peoples attention is much harder nowadays as it’s also much easier to ignore what you see.
Do you own a record that you wouldn’t like to admit you have?
Actually no, as I mentioned before, I enjoy a wide range of genres. Recently the new Marylyn Manson singles have impressed me.
Is there something you would like to tell each of the band members that you haven’t told them before?
If I were a girl, I’d date both of you but not at the same time.
First gig you ever went to or first gig you went to and decided you wanted to be in a band?
Mark Knopfler, Shangri-La tour, Birmingham NIA, 2004
Where did you record your Single ‘Dark Places’ and what made you choose that studio?
We’ve just recently got back from the studio after finishing off our 2nd single ‘Forsaken’ and recording our 3rd single ‘So Clever’. Edge Recording Studios is based in Cheshire. The Producer we’re working with is called Mark Winterburn, he’s great, a nice guy to be around and well experienced in his job role having worked with artists such as Plan B, The Script, New Order and 5SOS. It’s such a nice environment, literally in the middle of nowhere. It’s nice having someone professional to record with as Mark can give us an honest opinion whilst recording our songs. Rather than just being a yes man and saying it sounds good all the time. The recording then got sent off to Tue Madsen in Denmark (Antfarm Studios). He mixed and mastered Dark Places, he’s also doing these new singles as well. Tue has worked with artists such as Sick of it All, Dark Tranquillity & Moonspell.
Name three people (alive, dead or fictional) that you would like as party guests?
Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald Charlie Hunnam
There are many good bands and musicians out there, who would you ask the readers of musicmuso to look out for?
The new Moonspell single is great if you’re into Rock.
Your next release is called ‘Forsaken’, when will this be out?
It will be available to stream at the end of January 2015. All three songs will be available to download once 'So Clever' has been released in late February. I’m looking forward to sharing both. Forsaken is a very honest song. It’s been interesting recording all three singles, as they’re all different recording wise. We wanted to try new things and find our sound as a band.
Who would you like to know has your music on their iPod, MP3 or cassette walkman?
Lots of people, Rob Halford would be a compliment.
If you could describe your music in the form of a fictional character, who would it be?
The Crow
Do you think we can ever live in a world where a chicken can cross the road without having its motives questioned?
Why did the chicken cross the road?
What are your plans for 2015?
Firstly all three singles will be officially released by March. We’ve started to get live dates. It’s kind of mad that we’ve not yet played a show and to get as far as we have. We’ve been rehearsing and choosing a set to tour with. It’s nice having quite a range of songs to choose from so we’ve taken our time on this. We also weren’t sure how the recordings would come out, so we waited to find our sound recording wise first. If we really wanted, we could’ve been a Jazz band.
BBC Introducing Shropshire played our debut single Dark Places on the same day as it’s release in December 2014. We’re hoping with the release of Forsaken and So Clever this will continue.
We plan on playing as many venues / festivals as we can this year. I’m really looking forward to getting out there, meeting new people and gaining some support along the way. As long as people enjoy our music, it means a lot. I’ve finished writing our debut album and I’m well into the second. It’s an exciting time and I can’t wait to see how we develop as a band over the year. Thank you to Steve for taking the time to interview us. Thanks to all our friends, family, radio stations, media companies and other music industry persons that have taken the time to work with us so far. Ali, Ben & Zach.
As it was the date of their new single release, we thought we'd treat Alistair by throwing a few quickfire questions at him....
Coffee or Tea?
Tea, milk no sugar please.
Coke or Pepsi?
Coke
Drum machine or the real deal?
Real deal
Mac or PC?
Mac
Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin?
Ulf Herman?
Fry up or Sunday roast
Sunday Roast
Lemmy (Motorhead) or Ozzy (Black Sabbath)?
Tough but Ozzy
CD or Vinyl?
Vinyl
Car or Motorbike?
Motorbike
Acoustic or electric?
Electric
Shower or Bath?
Shower
Tattoos or Piercings?
Tattoos
Robert de Niro or Al Pacino?
Al Pacino
God or Google?
Guitars but google is helpful.
We'd like to thank Alistair for taking the time to answer our questions and to allow us to be the first website to launch the link to their new single. We wish them every success during 2015 and look forward to the next release....
Please spend a few minutes checking out the bands social media pages, they're all listed below, all you need to do is point and click, simple eh?
SOCIAL MEDIA