Post by Col on Dec 22, 2009 16:53:25 GMT
Posting on behalf of Col - many thanks to Florian for taking the time to do this.
How did you come to get the gig with Ian Anderson? Did you have to go through the process of an audition or were you asked to join or "head-hunted".
In 2003 I was on tour with a German singer by the name of Masha. After a short clubtour in Germany we had the honour to perform the opening act for Jethro Tull. We did all the German dates and had two more dates in Switzerland. I remember the night before the last show when Ian invited me to his dressing room and gave me a CD with two Tull songs on it (Living in the Past and Eurology). He asked me if I could learn the material till the next day.
After the show I went straight back to my hotel room and practised all night trying to get the shape and form of the songs into my head. As you can imagine I did not get a lot of sleep that night as I wanted to be able to play the songs the next day.
The following day, Tull was playing the Montreaux Jazz Festival. Ian and I met again and had an acoustic play through the songs backstage.
Shortly after that I received an email if I would like to do a TV show in Italy with Ian Anderson. I was more than happy and very honoured, practised the material over and over again and did the gig. From then on everything happened very quickly and on the next Ian Anderson tour I found myself on the roads of Italy touring with Ian. A dream had come true.
Considering Jethro Tull's music over the last 40+ years, you must have intially found it fairly daunting but you seem to have handled it rather well. So in that light, what would be your favourite Ian Anderson composition to play and why?
Well, thank you for the compliment. It is hard to answer the question in one word. There are so many fantatsic songs which I really enjoy to play, especially songs like Aqualung, TAAB or Heavy horses. I really like the arrangement, composition and mood of the tunes. For me it is a thrill to play these massive songs that keep you busy regarding the individual parts. Switching from a quiet section to a rock one, from a folky to a classical one. It feels great when you play the different, musical sections live on stage and when you feel the vibe and energy of the musicians. The blackout before the Aqualung riff gives me goosebumps. On the other hand, I adore pieces like the two new Indian ones Tea With a Princess and A Change of Horses. It is quite challenging to combine the Indian vibe of the songs and the tonal material with regard to the fact of playing an acoustic guitar and make it sound more like a sitar.
You normally play a gibson les paul electric guitar but on the solo tour you played an acoustic. what make was it and have you made any moddifications to it.
You are right. The USA tours have been acoustic. I was playing a Brook guitar. Ian was so kind to lend me one of his guitars. The Brook guitar just sounds great. It is a little smaller in shape and body and it almost feels like an electric guitar, especially when you play it standing. It is equipped with a Fishman humbucker pickup and played through a Fishman loudbox. I love that unit. The guitar offers you a wide range of dynamics and has a very fast fretboard. So it suits me very well, especially in pieces like Tea With a Princess or the flamenco solo piece I have been performing during the whole U. S. tour. It was also part of the German program.
When you look at the long and noteworthy career of some guitarists - Mr Barre to name but one and see the passion in his live performances all these years later what do you think the magic formula is and can you see yourself doing the same?
I think it depends on whether you really love what you do. When I see Martin on stage, I am always stunned by his great tone and energy on stage. I imagine it is a mixture of passion, of professional experience and the fact of being on stage with fantatsic musicians. I personally enjoy playing live so much and feel honoured to be on the same stage with these great musicians (Ian, Martin, Doane and the Tull boys) who had already toured around the world before I was even born. You can learn so much from them by watching and working togther. I personally would love to be playing and touring around the world 40+ years from now....
What really happens on the tour bus?
Drinking tea, reading books, skyping with the girlfriend.....all very rock n roll.
What are your least favorite Tull songs to perform ( you can tell us...Ian won't mind...), and which ones do you wish you could perform if given the chance?
To be honest there ain't. I think every song has its own characteristics. It is more a question of understanding these characteristics and feeling the song, which sometimes can take you a little bit longer. Playing songs that can vary from folk influenced material to prog rock influenced material, you simply have to be open minded towards different genres and combine that with your own style and taste of music.
When did you first get into music and what made you want to become a musician?
Probably that happened when I was still a baby. My mother used to sing with me and my brother when we were very little. I think that was the first time I got in touch with music. At the age of four or five I started taking music/guitar lessons and I think when I turned twelve I thought: “That is what I want to do: Being a musician.“
What aspect of making music excites you the most right now and what aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?
I get excited by music that comes from the heart, that gives you or tells you about a certain feeling or emotion. Music should always have a message for the listener, no matter if it is played live on stage together with the band, in a recording studio or when you listen to music at home or whilst driving your car, no matter which genre or style it contains.
I find it discouraging that so many people are stealing music by illegal downloading online or copying whole libraries. In the end, everybody is suffering from that development. Stealing music or illegally downloading it causes harm to a whole industry. Those who suffer the most are usually great young bands or artists that don`t get a chance anymore to be contracted by labels or business partners.
As you studied first in classical guitar and now are somewhat of a rock musician what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener?
I feel attracted to a huge variety of styles going from Classical music, O.S.T. to Jazz, Blues, a bit of Country, Rock Pop, Progressive, Electro and sometimes Heavy Metal. If you look on my IPod you will find all kinds of music. I think nowadays, especially as a session musician, composer or arranger one should remain open minded to all sorts of music. On the other hand, it depends on my personal feelings of the. Sometimes I listen to the latest Rihanna album and on the next day it may be Jimmy Hendrix.
What was the first song/tune you every learned to play?
A piece called the „Kater Kasimier“ (“the cat named Kasimier“). It was one of the first guitar pieces I was taught when I was about 5 years old.
What advice would you give to beginners just starting out in music?
Always try to have fun when you play. It is called „to play“ music not „to force“ music. Try to enjoy what you do and even if you have to fight through a certain passage of a song or a chord take a break and try again. But keep smiling. That is what playing music is all about and that says it all.
Have you met or had any contact with Martin? If so, what advice did he give you for playing Tull material?
Oh yes, we met several times. We always had a great time seeing each other backstage and having a chat. But to be honest, we talked more about guitars, strings, amps...and snowboarding:-)
Finally, what can we look forward too from you for 2010 and beyond?
At the moment I am preparing for a bunch of different projects. In some of them I will be involved as a producer, composer or arranger. I 've just founded a music production company with my partner in Germany called Time and Venue.
There will also be some recording of more solo material. After having done a more classical flamenco guitar record in 2006, I am currently working on an e-guitar oriented bunch of songs. I'll also do some more international work. Just keep checking my website: www.florian-opahle.com for all news and updates. But most of all I hope to stay healthy and I hope there will be many more shows around the world with fantastic musicians.
How did you come to get the gig with Ian Anderson? Did you have to go through the process of an audition or were you asked to join or "head-hunted".
In 2003 I was on tour with a German singer by the name of Masha. After a short clubtour in Germany we had the honour to perform the opening act for Jethro Tull. We did all the German dates and had two more dates in Switzerland. I remember the night before the last show when Ian invited me to his dressing room and gave me a CD with two Tull songs on it (Living in the Past and Eurology). He asked me if I could learn the material till the next day.
After the show I went straight back to my hotel room and practised all night trying to get the shape and form of the songs into my head. As you can imagine I did not get a lot of sleep that night as I wanted to be able to play the songs the next day.
The following day, Tull was playing the Montreaux Jazz Festival. Ian and I met again and had an acoustic play through the songs backstage.
Shortly after that I received an email if I would like to do a TV show in Italy with Ian Anderson. I was more than happy and very honoured, practised the material over and over again and did the gig. From then on everything happened very quickly and on the next Ian Anderson tour I found myself on the roads of Italy touring with Ian. A dream had come true.
Considering Jethro Tull's music over the last 40+ years, you must have intially found it fairly daunting but you seem to have handled it rather well. So in that light, what would be your favourite Ian Anderson composition to play and why?
Well, thank you for the compliment. It is hard to answer the question in one word. There are so many fantatsic songs which I really enjoy to play, especially songs like Aqualung, TAAB or Heavy horses. I really like the arrangement, composition and mood of the tunes. For me it is a thrill to play these massive songs that keep you busy regarding the individual parts. Switching from a quiet section to a rock one, from a folky to a classical one. It feels great when you play the different, musical sections live on stage and when you feel the vibe and energy of the musicians. The blackout before the Aqualung riff gives me goosebumps. On the other hand, I adore pieces like the two new Indian ones Tea With a Princess and A Change of Horses. It is quite challenging to combine the Indian vibe of the songs and the tonal material with regard to the fact of playing an acoustic guitar and make it sound more like a sitar.
You normally play a gibson les paul electric guitar but on the solo tour you played an acoustic. what make was it and have you made any moddifications to it.
You are right. The USA tours have been acoustic. I was playing a Brook guitar. Ian was so kind to lend me one of his guitars. The Brook guitar just sounds great. It is a little smaller in shape and body and it almost feels like an electric guitar, especially when you play it standing. It is equipped with a Fishman humbucker pickup and played through a Fishman loudbox. I love that unit. The guitar offers you a wide range of dynamics and has a very fast fretboard. So it suits me very well, especially in pieces like Tea With a Princess or the flamenco solo piece I have been performing during the whole U. S. tour. It was also part of the German program.
When you look at the long and noteworthy career of some guitarists - Mr Barre to name but one and see the passion in his live performances all these years later what do you think the magic formula is and can you see yourself doing the same?
I think it depends on whether you really love what you do. When I see Martin on stage, I am always stunned by his great tone and energy on stage. I imagine it is a mixture of passion, of professional experience and the fact of being on stage with fantatsic musicians. I personally enjoy playing live so much and feel honoured to be on the same stage with these great musicians (Ian, Martin, Doane and the Tull boys) who had already toured around the world before I was even born. You can learn so much from them by watching and working togther. I personally would love to be playing and touring around the world 40+ years from now....
What really happens on the tour bus?
Drinking tea, reading books, skyping with the girlfriend.....all very rock n roll.
What are your least favorite Tull songs to perform ( you can tell us...Ian won't mind...), and which ones do you wish you could perform if given the chance?
To be honest there ain't. I think every song has its own characteristics. It is more a question of understanding these characteristics and feeling the song, which sometimes can take you a little bit longer. Playing songs that can vary from folk influenced material to prog rock influenced material, you simply have to be open minded towards different genres and combine that with your own style and taste of music.
When did you first get into music and what made you want to become a musician?
Probably that happened when I was still a baby. My mother used to sing with me and my brother when we were very little. I think that was the first time I got in touch with music. At the age of four or five I started taking music/guitar lessons and I think when I turned twelve I thought: “That is what I want to do: Being a musician.“
What aspect of making music excites you the most right now and what aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?
I get excited by music that comes from the heart, that gives you or tells you about a certain feeling or emotion. Music should always have a message for the listener, no matter if it is played live on stage together with the band, in a recording studio or when you listen to music at home or whilst driving your car, no matter which genre or style it contains.
I find it discouraging that so many people are stealing music by illegal downloading online or copying whole libraries. In the end, everybody is suffering from that development. Stealing music or illegally downloading it causes harm to a whole industry. Those who suffer the most are usually great young bands or artists that don`t get a chance anymore to be contracted by labels or business partners.
As you studied first in classical guitar and now are somewhat of a rock musician what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener?
I feel attracted to a huge variety of styles going from Classical music, O.S.T. to Jazz, Blues, a bit of Country, Rock Pop, Progressive, Electro and sometimes Heavy Metal. If you look on my IPod you will find all kinds of music. I think nowadays, especially as a session musician, composer or arranger one should remain open minded to all sorts of music. On the other hand, it depends on my personal feelings of the. Sometimes I listen to the latest Rihanna album and on the next day it may be Jimmy Hendrix.
What was the first song/tune you every learned to play?
A piece called the „Kater Kasimier“ (“the cat named Kasimier“). It was one of the first guitar pieces I was taught when I was about 5 years old.
What advice would you give to beginners just starting out in music?
Always try to have fun when you play. It is called „to play“ music not „to force“ music. Try to enjoy what you do and even if you have to fight through a certain passage of a song or a chord take a break and try again. But keep smiling. That is what playing music is all about and that says it all.
Have you met or had any contact with Martin? If so, what advice did he give you for playing Tull material?
Oh yes, we met several times. We always had a great time seeing each other backstage and having a chat. But to be honest, we talked more about guitars, strings, amps...and snowboarding:-)
Finally, what can we look forward too from you for 2010 and beyond?
At the moment I am preparing for a bunch of different projects. In some of them I will be involved as a producer, composer or arranger. I 've just founded a music production company with my partner in Germany called Time and Venue.
There will also be some recording of more solo material. After having done a more classical flamenco guitar record in 2006, I am currently working on an e-guitar oriented bunch of songs. I'll also do some more international work. Just keep checking my website: www.florian-opahle.com for all news and updates. But most of all I hope to stay healthy and I hope there will be many more shows around the world with fantastic musicians.