Interview with Country Music Journalist Christian Lamitschka
November 2009
Ch.L.: Country Music has many new fans in Europe, who may be hearing about you for the first time. How would you describe yourself and the music you play to someone who'se never seen or heard you before.
Answer: I am essentially a songwriter, with no fixed genre or performance style, but there are certain Country and Americana routes within my music.
Ch.L.: What's your latest CD and how's it doing?
Answer: The album is called Masquerade and its doing fine. People like it and it still sounds good. I have recently signed with Playapp who have further released the album in a format that goes beyond CD‘s and mp3s. I have also made some new videos to compliment the album and you can watch them from my websites!
Ch.L.: How did you choose the title for the CD, is there a story behind it?
Answer: I wouldn‘t say there is a story behind it, but I kind of explain the meaning of the title within the spoken word of the final track, ‘One Day You Will Remember Me‘. I guess when a person hears the album and understands its theme then the title becomes kind of self explanatory? I guess the title Masquerade works well with the tracks that are on there and sounds good too.
Ch.L.: Do you write the songs yourself and if not, how do you go about finding thesongs for the your CD?
Answer: Yeah, I write all the songs
Ch.L.: Please tell us about the songs on your album.
Answer: Well, the songs themselves have a running theme of life expounding through them and the theme ranges from topics such as Truth, love, human darkness, Jesus, Theology, sin, God, Gospel and the bondage of the human will. I wouldn‘t define the songs in terms of genre, they are what they are.
Ch.L.: What kind of songs do you like to record themost?
Answer: I like to record all my songs. They reflect a certain simplicity and I love simplicity and its complex character, but I wouldn‘t say I like to record any one kind of song above another, yet I do prefer certain presentation styles. I like a lot of rhythm but then again I think it is wrong to limit the existence of a song by connecting it to the style by which it has been recorded. However, I do admire something with a deep meaning. All my songs have meaning and something about them in one way or another and I produce them in a way that brings out that something. However, I guess what I do prefer…if I prefer anything, is to select a presentation style that fits or compliments each song in particular. Take for example Strange World with its deep longing and sadness yet recorded in a light and friendly way, the rhythm compliments the meaning, and the meaning compliments the rhythm, it is everything and I do enjoy a great amount of rhythm and beat music where it compliments a song and grabs you by the throat and wont let you go. I like that sort of thing, there is no middle ground for me.
Ch.L.: What's your favorite song among all the songs you've recorded and what's the story behind it?
Answer: I don‘t have any favourites, there are ten songs on Masquerade and I love them all
Ch.L.: How much creative control do you have over your music?
Answer: I have complete control over all my music. I‘m pretty much a solitary worker, songwriter, musician, producer, engineer, that sort of thing. I am very much in complete control over what I am doing and I don‘t work with producers or advisers or anything. I know what I want from my records and I work hard until I get it.
Ch.L.: As an artist you have to do so many different things such as recording, touring, doing interviews etc. What do you like best, what's your favorite activity?
Answer: I enjoy playing these songs with my band either in concert or otherwise. These songs take on another form when performed before a participating or lively audience and likewise with other musicians. Participation often adds a freshness to a moment and something fresh springs forth. But I guess the thing I like the most is the completion of something, when I can listen with open ears and know that it sounds good.
Ch.L.: What inspired you to become a songwriter?
Answer: I was never inspired to become a songwriter, I was compelled to be a songwriter but never inspired to become one. I heard these songs way back when they lay unwritten in the streets of my mind. It was more a case of my giving birth to them and allowing them to mature and take shape. I often wondered around these streets looking for that something that might help me to simply create what I heard. I would dream songs, compose songs, hear chords and lyrics in other peoples music that never existed and then I would bring out these none existent things so I could create them myself. Back in those days I would pretty much compose and record around the clock, but things are better now.
Ch.L.: What drives you?
Answer: Truth, God, Music, The Bible, musical instruments and sounds that I hear around me…people, all sorts of things really. But I guess you could also say I am driven by the inner desire to see things change and music is a great way to propagate some pretty important issues
Ch.L.: Who's your biggest critic, yourself or others?
Answer: Myself, I am my own biggest critique. I don‘t really show anybody my recordings or songs until they are complete anyway, and by then they are ready. I recognise that objective opinion is merely a matter of taste, and a person must understand something first before I can accept their constructive or opinionated critiques of that something, so I don‘t really listen to too many views unless they are of any worth or have a certain amount of wealth and understanding attached to them.
Ch.L.: Is there anyplace you haven't played that you would like to?
Answer: Sure, Germany, USA, Greece and most of all, Jerusalem
Ch.L.: Many music fans today get their information about artists via the internet. Do you have your own website and what will fans find there?
Answer: Sure. My website is www.shimeon.co.uk and on there you can find details of where the album is available, and you can also view videos, interviews, images and contact details and links to other sites. You can also find me on at www.myspace.com/shimeon
Ch.L.: Tell us about the fan club and how people can join it.
Answer: You can find my fan bridge on the links page at www.shimeon.co.uk Feel free to sign up and you will receive information and updates via email
Ch.L.: What's the best compliment a fan has ever given you?
Answer: All compliments have something valuable within them and none are better than themselves. When someone admires my work that is the greatest compliment in itself, so I guess there is something wonderful contained within all true and honest compliments. A man came up to me after a show recently and shook my hand and said he thought my opening song was a classic track from a ling time ago, I took that as a compliment.
Ch.L.. What message would you like to send your European fans?
Answer: Please keep in touch with me I would love to hear from you sometime!
Christian Lamitschka ( Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de )www.MySpace.com/ChristianLamitschka
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