Rocket Queen *Promotion*: Alan Tecchio

INTERVIEW: WATCHTOWER

ALAN TECCHIO
Pic © by Alan Tecchio

RON JARZOMBEK
Pic © by Ron Jarzombek

talked to Rocket Queen... so here`s the exclusive interview... have fun reading...

Well, many of my readers are kids from the younger generation, so it would be great if you could introduce your band to them first of all.

Alan: Watchtower has been around since the 80’s but we have kind of been on hiatus for a long time now. Just recently I was brought back into the fold and we now have 3 new songs we are looking to get out to the fans.

Ron: Musically, WatchTower has been described as Rush meets Metallica. We’ve got lots of heavy elements, some fusion, lots of tech/prog.

Why have you chosen the band name “WATCHTOWER” ? Due to a particular reason?

Alan: That was before my time but I was told that it represented their lyrical approach. Meaning that they were writing about subjects as if viewing them from the top of a tower. Not from a condescending viewpoint but rather from an objective one.

What have Mr. Rick Colaluca and Mr. Doug Keyser been doing within the last twenty years?

In the meantime we have heard from Mr. Tecchio and Mr. Jarzombek so we wonder what the others did. Which projects did they partake in musically and apart from the music business?

Ron: In the early 90s (during the time when my hand was screwed up) Doug and Rick were in a funk/rap band called Retarted Elf. That lasted a few years. After that, I don’t think they did much musically. They just stuck to their day jobs and led normal everyday lives. Rick played in a few local bands, but never made any recordings or played outside of Austin.

In 2010 you played the KIT-Festival in Lauda-Königshofen/Germany. What are your personal memories on the festival? … Impressions – how many fans showed up to see YOU live?

Alan: Well that festival may not be the biggest in Germany but it is one of the best. We had a great gig and the autograph signing session was over the top. Fans were rabid and enthusiastic. It was such a great feeling as a band member to be remembered so passionately after all these years.

By the way we are talking about live shows so I wonder: What was the wackiest thing happened when you were on the road?

Alan: Hmmmmm….. Not really sure. We had an underwear party backstage once. I cannot get into details but it was a lot of fun. J

Ron: A funny story on my part was when we first flew out of Texas to go to Germany, I was stopped at the airport because they thought my homemade metronome in my suitcase was a bomb. This was before 911 (Sept 11), so I’m sure if that happened now, they’d close down the whole airport.

Could you please give a little update on what the band has been doing since then – is there any news you could reveal? Like if you have a new label-deal?

Alan: As I mentioned, we have this new music that we are looking to release. However, we are awaiting mixes at the moment and once they are done we can see if any labels are interested or is we just want to put it our ourselves. Perhaps even release it digitally although I know the European fans are not big on downloading.

Ron: WatchTower has played European festivals in 2000 (Bang Your Head), 2004 (Headway) and 2010 (Keep It True). During those years, we’d get together a few months before and after the gigs, and try to finish writing and recording a third album, which was to be titled ‘Mathematics’. Other than those times, we’ve had very little communication.

And if you have a label deal we all want to know… what happened to the long awaited album “Mathematics”? We know back then in the 90`s somehow the labels didn’t show much interest releasing this album? Is there any chance that it will see the light of day sometime?

Alan: I do not think the labels were not interested back in the 90’s. Rather Ron had to have hand surgery after we toured for Control & Resistance so we were at a standstill and no music could be tackled until about 3 years later when Ron could play again. By then however I was living back in NJ and playing in Non Fiction.

Ron: Lack of label interest for a third album was never an issue. The problem was we never came close to finishing it. The chance of the entire album being completed and released are very slim. For now, we’re just going to digitally release individual songs.

Pic © by Ron JarzombekRON JARZOMBEK

And talking about new music do you plan on doing a new album in the near future and if you did would it be with the “Control Of Resistance” line-up? And once you do new stuff could you imagine to tour again… also showing up in Germany to visit your fans?

Alan: The new music we have features all of the members who played on Control & Resistance. We would definitely love to play for our fans in Germany again. But we have to take the first steps first. Meaning we have to find out how we will release the music and then we can determine how to play, what shows/tours we can get on, etc… It’s still pretty early to figure all of that stuff out.

There are still rumors about your band…. A reunion etc. - Could you please clear those up if you can already reveal them at this point!

Alan: We are for sure back together in the sense that we want to finish Mathematics and play some shows. So the reunion is no rumor. It is on!

Also I am curious to know how WATCHTOWER writing their songs, do you follow special structures or need special places to go to to be that creative and innovative?

Ron: The way WatchTower usually works is more of a collaborative thing. One guy will bring in a tune (part of a song), show it to the other guys and they’ll play off of it, then fit parts together and eventually complete songs. I’ve been in bands where one guy will write a full songs and they other guys in the band/project simply play written parts. That goes much faster. Sometimes tunes are written when members are on their own time, sometimes where we’re together in the same room.

Since you have established Watchtower – What has changed in the music industry? What turned to good account and what took a turn for the worse? Is there any advice you would send out to the kids who want to start a band anno 2015? Or would you say… I won` start in those days at all?

Alan: Hmmmm… So much has changed I do not know where to start. The hard product versus downloading thing is probably the biggest change. I think it is harder these days for a band to make it in the sense that people do not buy hard product anymore in the U.S. For bands to make it now, they have to sell lots of their merchandise and tour constantly. For the new bands out there I would say what I have always said: “Stay true to yourself and make music because you are passionate about it. Not because you want to be famous or whatever…” This way if you fail, you will still be proud of what you created and if you make it you will appreciate it that much more.

Ron: The internet (digital age) can do so much for bands to get their music out to the world, mostly because of youtube. And direct communication worldwide is so easy with social media. The HUGE problem is that now music is expected to be for free. I tell my students (and young kids getting into music) that if you are planning on making a living playing/writing/recording your own music, start thinking about a new profession. The reason is because the younger generation doesn’t see music as a profession. They think it’s a hobby. If that’s all you expect, then go for it. Unless you are in an older band who is already established, there is no such thing anymore as “making it”.

If you would ever write a book about your band “WATCHTOWER” which title would you choose?

Ron: ‘Mathematics’ - Count on it being completed in a few years, or decades.

Last but not least the floor is yours please leave a final message for my readers and me.

Alan: Thanks so much for continuing to help spread the word about Watchtower. As a person who is not just the singer but also a full-fledged fan, I believe this band is unlike any other in the world. Hopefully we will get our due one day but in the meantime we will continue to put out our unique style of music and hope that it is well received like all of the stuff we have done in the past has been.

Ron: We hope you guys dig the new songs... ‘M-Theory Overture‘, ‘Arguments Against Design’, and ‘Technology Inaction’. Check for them soon on iTunes, Amazon or wherever you get your digital download fix. If all goes well with these first 3 songs, there will be more on the way.

Thank you so much for taking your time answering my questions. I really feel honored that I have had the chance sending my questions your way. I wish you all the best and I hope to see you live again some day soon….. many fans waiting for this dream to come true again…. Thank you so much to Alan for lining this interview up.

Logo copyright by Harry Wilke

Featured: LEVEL FIELDS

Wer verbirgt sich hinter dem Synonym Level Fields, wie sieht die Besetzung hinter dem Logo aus? Fragen über Fragen, aber RQP hat für euch die Antworten darauf. Die Band wurde von Marco Ahrens (Poverty`s No Crime) gegründet. Level Fields ist also Marco`s Baby. Und für sein Projekt stand fest, dass es einfach Alan Tecchio am Gesang sein musste. Ein Bekannter von Marco mischte sich ein und stellte somit den Kontakt zu Mr. Tecchio (Watchtower, Hades etc.) her und schwupp die wupp war man in Kontakt.

Die Band besteht aus den folgenden Mitgliedern, die da wären: Alan Tecchio am Gesang, Marco Ahrens (Gitarre,Keyboards, Bass (Song 1,2,3), Andreas Tegeler (Schlagzeug Track 3 und 4), Clint Arent (Bass bei Track 4). Die Songs stammen von Ahrens und Tecchio und wurden ebenso von den beiden produziert.

Ein offizielles Bandfoto steht noch nicht zur Verfügung, wird aber sicher noch nachgeholt, man arbeitet hier erst einmal mit dem klasse gestalteten Logo von Harry Wilke, der bereits für Watchtower Cover designed hat.

Die erste digitale Veröffentlichung des Songs namens ENOUGH heizte bereits mächtig ein, das erste Demo namens Demo 1 ist nun auch digital erhältlich und umfasst die folgenden Tracks: Enough, Disowned, Womb To Tomb und ReMarquezAble.

Eine Homepage hat die Band (noch) nicht am Start ihr könnt sie aber gerne auf Facebook unter LEVEL FIELDS besuchen und sie massenhaft mit euren LIKES überschütten! Die vier Songs könnt ihr u. a. über Amazon kaufen!

METAL IT UP with Level Fields.

LEVEL FIELDS OF FACEBOOK

LEVEL FIELDS = Rocket Queen Promotion Roster :-)

Mittwoch, 21. Oktober 2015

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Freitag, 30. Januar 2015

Bericht über die phantastischen LEVEL FIELDS

Sonntag, 4. Januar 2015

Metal with Style... greetings from Team Mike LePonds Silent Assassins