JAG PANZER
Jag Panzer is one my favorite
bands and finally after many years of waiting we had the chance to enjoy
them playing live! The interview took place at the backstage whilst Crystal
Tears played live and half an hour before Jag Panzer got on stage. So,
it is short and the sound was terrible and very poor. Anyway, I really
enjoyed it and I enjoyed even more the show that followed up! When will
we see them again? I hope soon enough…
1.WHAT HAPPENED TO JAG PANZER FROM
THE RELEASE OF “MECHANIZED WARFARE” TILL NOW?
We did some shows with Iced Earth
in North America and Canada, that went pretty good and this week these
shows, in Thessaloniki now and tomorrow in Athens and then we started working
on our new album “Decade Of The…” (note: sorry, I didn’t catch the whole
title), it’s a re-recording a lot of our older songs and that comes out
November 13 in Europe. That would be it!
2.I WAS ABOUT TO ASK YOU THAT! WHAT
KIND OF MATERIAL WILL IT CONTAIN?
It will contain songs from the
“Ample Destruction”, songs from the “Tyrants” EP…well, pretty much from
all our recordings.
3.SO, WHEN SHOULD WE EXPECT A NEW STUDIO
ALBUM?
A new studio album will be released
next year.
4.ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE FEEDBACK
YOU GOT FOR “MECHANIZED WARFARE”?
Yeaaahhh! I think so! I heard many
good words! A lot of people liked it, the critics liked it. Our record
label is satisfied… I liked it! Hahahaha! I think there are a lot of good
record!
-WHAT ABOUT THE U.S.? HOW’S THE SCENE
OVER THERE?
It’s getting better! The Iced Earth
tour last year was almost sold out every day! They had around 1500 people
in every show in North America which is BIIIIIG!!!! That’s more than Megadeth
in America! Imagine!
-YEAH! THEY ARE VERY FAMOUS…
Yeah and this helps the scene in
America a lot!
5.YOU RELEASED A WHILE AGO A DVD. LATELY
I OBSERVED THAT IT’S A VERY COMMON PHENOMENON THE RELEASE OF DVD’S. WHY
DID YOU DO THAT FOR? HOW DO YOU THINK IT CAN HELP YOU?
It can help us in a way…We did
this because a lot of bigger bands that sell more records release DVDs,
so a lot of people might think “I should listen to them, cause they might
be an important band to have a DVD out”. It might help! A lot of people
think this way! Hahahaha!
-YOU CHARACTERIZED IT AS BOOTLEG, RIGHT?
Oh no! It’s an official release!
-YEAH BUT WOULD YOU RELEASE IT EVEN
IF CENTURY MEDIA WOULDN’T AGREE WITH IT?
I don’t know if I would! Hahahaha!
We actually released the DVD in America by ourselves, but the Century Media
gave us the rights and Century Media released it in Europe. They didn’t
think the DVD would gonna sell first…
-SO, ARE YOU SATISFIED BY ITS SALES?
Yeaaah! Century Media told us that
you are allowed to do 1000 copies in America and 1000 were sold out in
6 weeks and they couldn’t believe it! We are very happy! I think it did
good!
-WILL YOU RE-RELEASE IT?
I don’t know! I have to ask if
we can! We have a contract that says we could do 1000 and they are sold!
I have to ask about that…
6.BY THE WAY, HOW MANY ALBUMS DO YOU
STILL HAVE WITH CENTURY MEDIA?
-ARE YOU SATISFIED?
Well, yes and no! I mean they are
better than the other labels we’ve been on, you see bands on other labels
that maybe the advertising is a bit better than yours…
-THERE BANDS THAT I KNOW THAT THEY
ARE NOT FULLY SATISFIED…THEY TRY FROM WHAT I KNOW TO MANIPULATE THE BANDS.
I DON’T KNOW IF THIS HAPPENS WITH YOU.
I wish they spent some more time
and money on helping us tour more. It would be nice if we could come to
Europe some more…
7.YOU EXIST MANY YEARS, HOWEVER, THIS
IS THE FIRST TIME YOU COME TO GREECE. WHY?
We’ve been booked several times
and every time we were cancelled! The first time we were supposed to come
to Greece was with Gamma Ray and then the promoters told us “we don’t need
you after all, we just want Gamma Ray”. We were also supposed to come in
1998 and the Rockwave Festival but this too was cancelled and that’s that!
8.WHAT SHOULD THE FANS EXPECT FROM
A JAG PANZER LIVE SHOW? WILL YOU FOCUS ON A SPECIFIC ALBUM?
We will play from our whole period.
The record company likes us to focus on a specific album, the latest one,
but we like to do a show for the fans. There are fans out there that follow
us many years and new fans, so we have to play songs for everybody here.
We would like to please everyone.
-DO YOU PLAY ANY SONGS FROM THE “DISSIDENT
ALLIANCE” TOO?
Well, maybe we will play one song!
There is one song that Harry likes a lot and we play it sometimes, but
I don’t know the tonight’s playlist. The boys are preparing it right now
in the next room. So, I’ll have to see the list.,
-YOU DON’T KNOW THE LIST?
No, I don’t know it! We have different
jobs in the band. I usually do the interviews and half the song writing
and I keep the website, but I don’t mix with the playlist. I don’t know
the list. I always get on stage and I see the list and I say “Oh, so these
are the songs we’re gonna play!” Hahahahaha!
9.DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON RELEASING
A LIVE ALBUM IN THE FUTURE?
That depends on Century Media.
We are ready to do a live album, we have many studio albums…
-BY THE WAY, DO YOU KEEP ANY RECORDINGS
FROM YOUR LIVE SHOWS?
Yes, we have! The sound is not
good, not for a live album…
-IF YOU DECIDED TO RECORD A LIVE ALBUM,
WHICH COUNTRIES WOULD YOU CHOOSE FOR IT?
Hmm…right now I have to say Germany,
cause I haven’t played in Greece yet! You have to ask me again after the
show! I am sure my answer will change! Hahahahaha! (note: Indeed I asked
him after the show, and he was simply amazed and enthralled by the Greek
audience…Guess what? He changed his answer!). I know a lot of musicians,
that they come to Greece and all of them tell me that Greece is the best!
10.IN WHICH MOVIE SOUNDTRACK WOULD
YOU LIKE TO HAVE TAKEN PART OR HAVE COMPOSED?
Hmmm…I would like to compose the
music for “Lord Of The Rings” or “Braveheart”. Yeah! ”Braveheart” would
be nice!
-HAVE YOU SEEN PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN?
Ohh no not yet! Everyone in the
band has seen it and they all loved it! I have to see it and I will see
it as soon as we get back home!
11.WHAT INSPIRES YOU IN WRITING LYRICS
AND WHICH SUBJECTS APPEAL TO YOU? DO YOU FOCUS ON POLITICAL, SOCIAL OR
FANTASY THEMES?
Harry writes the lyrics and he
has lyrics about everything! He has songs that talk about politics, other
that have fantasy themes, he has lyrics about social matters…He really
writes about anything he wants!
12.WHICH IS THE WEIRDEST/FUNNIEST QUESTION
SOMEONE’S EVER ASKED YOU?
Hahahaha! People ask me what my
favorite animal is…I get various questions. Some days ago a guy asked me
if a string broke on my guitar which one I’d wish to be…Hahahahhahaa! Weird
one!
13.IF WE LIVED IN A WORLD WITHOUT MUSIC,
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Oh! I’d be an artist! I have to
be creative! Maybe I could become a painter or something…
-DO YOU HAVE AN ORDINARY EVERYDAY JOB
IN THE U.S.?
Yes! I am a computer programmer.
That’s my job!
14.THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK
YOU ANYTHING AND YOU’D LIKE TO MENTION OR LEAVE A MESSAGE?
I just want to say that I am really
excited that after all we manage to come to Greece! We were looking forward
to coming for years! Thank you!
-THANK YOU TOO!
Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis
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