Interview with John Mitchell
Dreizehn Jahre lang war es ziemlich still um KINO, der Band um Pete Trewavas (Marillion, Transatlantic), Craig Blundell (Frost*, Steven Wilson) sowie Bandkopf John Mitchell (Lonely Robot, It Bites, Arena, Frost*). 2018 ist zudem John Beck (It Bites) als Special Guest zugegen und gemeinsam offerieren sie die Eintrittskarten für die zweite Vorstellung aus dem KINO. Titel der Vorführung diesmal ´Radio Voltaire´. Ein Interview (im Originalwortlaut) mit John Mitchell klärt Weiteres auf.
Why did you come back after 13 years?
The suggestion came from my record label really. I hadn’t thought about resurrecting the notion of KINO until that time although Pete and I joked about it on occasion.
To our surprice this year, because you had much work with other bands like SPIRAL KEY or Phil Lanzon.
Yes, I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with some very nice people. I love the SPIRAL KEY guys and Phil Lanzon was a joy to work with.
So, when did you find time to write this new album?
I found the time by shutting my studio to outside artists between September and December last year.
Are you the leader of the group and responsible for the cast of the other band members?
Well, I was the guy who the label approached to put this together in the first place, but Pete Trewavas has a vested interest in this as much as I do. To be honest I don’t think about things in those terms.
Do you feel like a super group of prog rock?
No, I feel like a coalition of talented musicians. The term ‘super group’ is normally applied to a collaboration of musicians for divisive means as a cynical way to sell records to their collective fan bases. I make music with people I want to make music with.
Which topics does the album deal with?
The usual…death, betrayal, inner peace, the decline of the textile industry.
Is there a relation to reality?
Well, it’s not about wizards and goblins and mythical nonsense if that’s what you mean. I write songs about things that I can relate to on an emotional level. I’ve certainly never written a song about ‘LA women’ or ‘Tokyo Nights’ and I don’t believe Pete has either.
Goes the music also hand-in-hand with the lyrical ideas?
They are as one! You can’t separate them. Music is another form of word painting and vice versa!
Will you find time to bring the news songs on stage?
I doubt it, everyone is too busy by half, but you never know J
