Demir Demirkan – Awakening

By starrymag | March 14, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) First of all, I am a guitarist and my main instrument is the electric guitar. My whole sound is centered around my voice and my guitar (my extended voice). Rock drums and a bass guitar set the groove and hold the bottom. Symphonic and ethnic instruments, local and global musical elements all combine in an ebb and flow to create musical textures, to complement or to contrast. All musical elements are arranged in detail to surround, embrace and carry the songs’ messages in all its intellectual and emotional depth.

 

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) As a young boy growing up in Turkey, I was exposed to a lot of Pink Floyd and Deep Purple because my older brother was playing guitar and he had a band playing local shows. There also were a few Paul Simon records and songbooks around. I was into Eric Clapton and J.J. Cale for a while. These were my first influences. Then, as I developed as a guitar player and a songwriter, I went into harder and heavier material like Whitesnake, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and many other hard rock and metal bands of the time. It was the end of 80’s. Meanwhile, Turkish traditional and pop music was always playing somewhere on the radio or TV. Of course, it’s almost in your genes and it influences your musical texture naturally.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Hold On To The Innocence.”

 

A) I wanted to write a simple and a naive song about innocence, simplicity and purity in relationships. We make relationships too complicated by expecting too much from each other and the relationship itself. Then, the relationship changes in meaning. It turns into something else other than your most inner and intimate connection, more to a mental gain and loss chart. We lose our grip on the truth of it all and give in to whatever is influencing it from outside. Well, then it ends. I wanted to write and sing about keeping our connection to the core value of our relationship by holding on to the center of it, the innocence, without expecting any beneficial outcome.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) First of all, I think the simplicity of the song, a 3-chord structure and the message complement each other. Sadly, I believe it has become a universal issue to lose a relationship to the realities of “life.” We hear so many people saying things like “life got in the way,” “I am caught between my mind and my heart,” etc. I might be singing about myself, but I believe I am no different than anyone else in falling into this trap. Like every song that is about a common reality, written and sung from the heart, “Hold On To The Innocence” connects people on a deeper level. The possibility of “staying true to the innocence” is very encouraging and heart-warming.

 

Q) How does Awakening fit into your War III trilogy?

 

A) Awakening is the first episode of the WAR III Three episodes are the three stages of a person’s, therefore on a larger collective scale, a society’s evolution. Awakening is about how we feel when we find out that we are being manipulated and controlled through our beliefs, love, convictions, dreams and hopes. What would happen if they are taken away? What is it that goes on in an individual’s mind after figuring out how “the world” works? What kind of emotions does he or she go through, torn between conforming and rebellion? Awakening, the first episode, is the part where we begin to figure out the exchange of “standard of life” with our freedom and most fundamental human rights.

 

Q) What made you decide to finally make a full-length English album?

 

A) I moved to New York almost about two years ago. Music is my way of connecting to the world and I express and define myself with and through it. English, I thought would be the strongest language that I can use to build this connection with.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) I can either start from words or from the melody or it could be piece of a backing track I created. It is not really possible sometimes to know what the first movement will emerge from. It can be a feeling, an idea, a subject, a song title, some news, something that happens in your life, a phrase, a word, a piece of music, a musical phrase or an improvised lyric or music. When that happens, the rest is like wave surfing. Some waves are big, some are small, some curve, some take you to places where you’d never go or some just fade out half way. I build up on or jump off of the first emerging idea and take it as it comes. I usually have the frame structure set up in my mind as soon as the first movement happens and most of the time I stick to it. When the structure, melody and lyrics are half way done, I make a little demo, a prototype of the song. This gives me a push to finish the song and sets my attitude for the performance of it. And then I complete the song, hoping that it will be something I will like forever. [smiles]

 

Q) You have always written and produced your own albums up until now. On War III you co-wrote and co-produced with Phil Galdston. What made him the perfect fit?

 

A) First of all, I need to have a personal connection with someone I’ll collaborate with to create music. Like I said on a previous answer, music is the way I connect to the world and define myself. So, I wouldn’t let just anyone to get into that zone if there is no trust and a correct connection. I worked with Phil years ago on a different project and it was one of the most successful collaborations I did in my life. So, when I was ready to begin WAR III, I took the project to Phil and proposed to co-write and co-produce. I knew he would be intrigued by the subject matter, but he really decided to do it after he heard the songs. It is a blessing, really, to find someone to create with and to do this in a positive, productive flow.

 

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Demir Demirkan performance?

 

A) I usually perform as a power-trio, drums, bass guitar and electric guitar. I play the guitar and sing. I like the simplicity and the sheer power of a metal/rock power-trio. It opens up so much space for musicianship, improvisation and on-the-spot expression. We have synced backing tracks on a few songs. To be honest, I do it all for the live performance. For me, the songwriting, arranging and making the record must end up in performance. We play all the songs from WAR III – Awakening, a few more songs in English from my previous albums and also unreleased material. And, of course, we play all the hits and more from my Turkish albums. A listener who comes to my show will share with me the experience of traveling on an emotional roller-coaster. I like to embrace all the emotions that rise within so the playlist includes songs from ballads to up-tempo hard hitters, from oriental rock/metal to improvised sections and more.

 

Q) What songs off your Awakening EP are you looking forward to performing live?

 

A) We play all 5 of them.

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your new EP as a whole?

 

A) Awakening, being the first episode, makes sense in itself. If you did not know that it was the first episode of a trilogy, you wouldn’t feel you’re left half way. I hope whoever listens to the EP, first will get the message on all levels, secondly enjoy the musical depth and freedom that it possesses. I wanted to bring out and release a music that does not conform to mainstream industry standards and the result is restriction-free creativity, with a rock/metal attitude. So, if you like music with well-arranged heavy guitars, vocals, drums, bass and deeply explorative, this is your album.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) I like playing in mid to large clubs and concert halls. Festivals are fun also, but they are not really focused. In New York, so far, my favorite place is DROM NYC. But, also, I haven’t done many places here yet. So, I’m sure there will be additions to the list. For example, I am playing at The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn on March 20th, my first Brooklyn show ever! I’m pretty excited about it. I also like playing in a few venues in Turkey like Dorock XL, IF Performance Hall, 6:45, Hayal Kahvesi, Ooze Venue. In Europe my favorites are O2 Academy Islington (London), SO36 (Berlin), Melkweg (Amsterdam).

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Tom Morello, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Steve Vai, Paul Simon

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

 

A) These days I listen to some instrumentalists like Bill Frissell, Greg Howe, Gus G., Kiko Loureiro and Animals As Leaders. Also, I listen to older rock material and compare with the newer rock albums. I don’t know what it is, hope it’s not age, but I’m trying to figure out what does not satisfy me in some new stuff. Anyway, other than the above I listen to a lot of traditional Flamenco. I was hooked when I went to Sevilla and listened to the authentic Flamenco artists and watched them dance and perform. I am hooked forever.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) It is a great way to connect instantly. It used to be from album to album or from show to show, but now it’s real-time all the time. You can shoot out or shout out anything immediately and share music or ideas with your tribe. And, finally, it is a great thing to know who is in your tribe. It is a sense of belonging, really, for all of us. I know who listens to my music and my ideas. This is a liberation from a monologue towards a dark auditorium, so to speak. And it is a mutual affection, in a way.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) I am forever grateful! I promise there is a lot more to come and will get better and better. I hope to meet personally at a show or in some other way in the near future. Songs and music are meaningful when they are shared and experienced together and I am truly thankful that what I create is made meaningful by everyone who listens to it!