Hello everyone - I have a treat for you, today!
Remember when I review the music of Ivan Mihaljevic & Side Effects? (link here)
Today, I have got an interview with the frontman of the band. CHECK IT OUT BELOW, and check out the music of Ivan Mihaljevic & Side Effects. You won't regret it - promise.
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What member of the band am I talking to?
Hello, Ivan Mihaljevic (guitar, vocals) here.
Who are the band members, and what do they each
play?
Alen Frljak is playing drums and singing
backing vocals. Marko Karacic Karo is playing bass guitar and singing backing
vocals and I'm on guitar and lead vocals.
How did the band come together?
I recorded the first album Sandcastle by myself
(as my solo album) in 2008. Then I got some gig offers, so I needed to find a
band to play the material with. I've known Alen (drummer) and Majkl (our
ex-bass player) for a while and they were very happy to join the band. Last
year we had the first line-up change so far. We had to split with Majkl since
he was drowning [with] family and job commitments, so we invited Marko Karacic Karo to
the band. Alen and I have known him for a long time and he's a killer bass
player, so we decided he's the right choice for us.
Your band's name - how did that come about?
I recorded the first album Sandcastle on my own
(without a band) in 2008 and it was released under my name (Ivan Mihaljevic).
After the album was released, I needed a band to play those songs with live. So
we formed Side Effects. We wanted people to know that it's a continuation of
that same project, so the second album was released under the name Ivan
Mihaljevic & Side Effects. For the third album, we actually wanted to
change the name and leave only the band name, but our friends and record label
strongly advised us not to do so because we got a lot of publicity under the
current name, so the name stayed.
What do you feel sets you guys apart from the
crowd?
I don't know. We don't think in terms of
setting ourselves apart from the others. We just do what we love with all of
our passion and hopefully others can feel it and connect with us.
If you could describe the band and your music
in five words, what would they be?
Passionate, eclectic, progressive, meaningful,
technical.
At least that's our goal! :)
What is the inspiration for your music?
Anything. There is no exact formula. Sometimes
it can be an event, sometimes it can be a book I read, a movie or a piece of
music. Anything that can move me emotionally is a possible inspiration.
Have you guys ever worked with any other
notable musicians, or on any other projects/collaborations?
We're all workaholics and always work on a
bunch of projects at the same time. We've opened for Richie Kotzen a couple of
times, for Paul Gilbert once, Brett Garsed and Phil Hilborne were guests on our
last album, I've played live on stage as a guest with Les Paul in New York...
How were you first introduced to music in your
life?
Well, we're all surrounded by music and we
listen to it every day whether we like it or not. I've always loved music. The
idea of playing an instrument was heating up for a couple of years until it
reached the boiling point and then I just had to pick up an instrument and
there was no way back.
At what point in your life was the defining
moment that made you realize what you wanted to do, as a musician?
I think it was at about age 16. I remember
sitting down with my parents and telling them that I wanted to be a
professional musician. I thought they wouldn't take it too well, but they were
actually OK with it and they always support me.
What do you feel is the best piece of music
you've created? Why do you choose this one?
That's always a very hard question. I don't
have a favorite piece of music, but there is one that I'm the most proud of.
It's the song Eclipse from our new album Counterclockwise. It was very
challenging to make such a long song with so many different parts sound
interesting and cohesive. I think we did a great job and that's why I'm very
proud of that song.
Tell us about your current album? What sets
this project apart from the others you've done before?
Counterclockwise is a concept album which is
something we've never done before. On the previous albums we usually had a lot
of instrumental tracks and for this album we decided to cut down on the amount
of instumentals and make songs longer with extended instrumental sections in
the vocal songs instead.
Where do you see yourself and the band five
years from now?
I don't make such long term plans. I hope we'll
continue making the music that we love and touring with it. It would be nice to
gain a wider audience and be able to earn a living just by playing in this
band. We'll see what the future brings once it comes.
What plans do you have in the near future for
music release/recording? What sets this upcoming project apart from your
previous ones?
We just released our new album Counterclockwise
about a month ago. We're already working on some new songs, but don't plan any
official releases for a while since the album is still very fresh. But we
always have plans for some YouTube projects and we will surely have some new
videos before the next album.
Any upcoming tour plans?
We hope to do an Italian tour as soon as
possible. We've played some gigs in Italy and the reception has been great, so
we're looking forward to do more of those. We're also playing and Croatia and
looking forward to any other invitations that might float along.
What are your thoughts of the current state of
the music industry? How do you feel you and the band fit into it?
Music industry is falling apart. There are
great bands out there, but the CDs don't sell anymore and record labels are in
trouble. We don't really care about the music industry. I actually feel that
the current state has helped to link musicians and fans closer. However, the
problem is earning money from the work you do. It's absolutely obvious that
we're not doing this for the money, because this is the riskiest job on the
planet. If we wanted to earn a lot of money, we'd be stock brokers or bankers,
but in today's world you still have to earn some money to survive and that's
very hard to achieve as a musician. If you can't live from playing music, then
you need to get another job and if you get another job, you probably won't be
able to play music as much and keep the quality as high. So, I think something
will have to change...
Any words of advice for young/aspiring
musicians?
Just keep doing what you love and enjoy playing
music! Play songs that you like and it will make you want to play often and get
better quickly.
Anything else?
Thank you for this interview. Please visit our
website www.ivanmihaljevic.com if you'd like to learn more about us.
You can listen to our whole new album for free
on Soundcloud here -
https://soundcloud.com/ivan-mihaljevic/sets/counterclockwise-1
and if you like it, we would appreciate it if
you could buy it from CD Baby - www.cdbaby.com/cd/ivanmihaljevicsideeffect
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Thanks for reading! Check out Ivan Mihaljevic & Side Effects here!
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