Datum intervjua: 10.05.2007
Nakon njegova izvrsnog nastupa na Rock in opposition festivalu uspio sam kratko porazgovarati s Daveom Kermanom, legendarnim bubnjarom grupa 5uu’s, U Totem, Thinking Plague i naravno Present. Razgovarali smo o festivalu, njihovu nastupu, planovima za budućnost i štoviše o mnogim drugim stvarima.
RockLine: Kako bi ocijenio svoj nastup na RIO festivalu?
Dave: Teško je uspoređivati nastupe i dovoljno ih precizno analizirati da bi ih se moglo ocijeniti. Na RIO festivalu bili smo u donekle nezgodnijoj poziciji jer smo morali ponovno naučiti Rogerove skladbe. Inače ih dobro znamo u električnoj izvedbi, ali problem je akustična izvedba, u kojoj nastupa i dodatni pijanist. Imali smo samo nekoliko dana za probe da razradimo aranžmane i iznova napišemo dionice udaraljki za nas petero. Uz to smo htjeli napraviti i nešto novo i originalno. U tom pogledu mislim da nam je prilično dobro uspjelo. Skladbe su dobile “klasičniji” prizvuk nego inače, no…bio je to eksperiment. I mislim da je eksperiment bio u skladu s duhom festivala.
RockLine: Koji ti je nastup bio teži, akustični ili električni?
Dave: Osobno mi je bio teži električni, jer sam imao samo nekoliko sati da zaboravim stvari koje sam naučio za akustični nastup. Bilo je kao da učiš voziti bicikl, ali sjediš okrenut u pogrešnom smjeru. Iako bi mnogi rekli da se te stvari brzo vrate, nije tako. Jedan problem s akustičnim nastupom bio je to što je pošta izgubila sve klasične udaraljke koje sam par tjedana prije poslao na mjesto festivala. Tako sam svirao na improviziranim bubnjevima, a ostali su morali udarati po velikim kantama za smeće, bačvama itd. Ništa nije išlo prema planu, ali je akustični nastup upravo zato na neki način zaživio, jer smo morali svirati na ono što smo imali.
RockLine: Koliko dugo ste vježbali za nastupe? Sviranje je bilo izuzetno precizno.
Dave: Hvala. Za akustični nastup imali smo probe i pripremili aranžmane u samo pet dana u manjoj festivalskoj dvorani. Za električni nastup imali smo probu jednom ili dvaput u maloj sobi za probe onog jutra kad smo nastupali. Prije toga se nismo vidjeli otprilike godinu dana.
RockLine: Je li teško organizirati probe, s obzirom na to da su članovi grupe Present razasuti po cijelom svijetu?
Dave: Budući da smo toliko razasuti, zapravo uopće nije moguće organizirati probe. Prije turneje ili snimanja u samo nekoliko dana odradimo toliko proba koliko bismo ih trebali imati u par mjeseci. To zna biti vrlo išcrpljujuće i intenzivno, ali iako ponekad dođe do svađa, zapravo smo jedna velika obitelj: braća bez krvne veze. Svatko se divi drugome i navikli smo se na to da svatko ima svoje navike.
RockLine: Kako si uopće došao u Present?
Dave: Početkom devedesetih bio sam član grupe U Totem, koja je također bila na izdavačkoj kući Cuneiform. Izdavačka kuća predložila je Univers Zero i Present da odu na koncert na sveučilištu u Bruxellesu dok smo bili na turneji po Europi. Nakon nastupa Roger Trigaux (Present) pitao me bih li im se pridružio, jer je Daniel Denis namjeravao otići kako bi oživio Univers Zero. Na licu mjesta sam pristao, bez oklijevanja, i nikad nisam požalio. Na kraju krajeva, radilo se o glazbenicima koji su mi bili heroji: Roger, Daniel, Guy Segers (Univers Zero), Reggie Trigaux (Present)…
RockLine: Skladbe Rogera Triguauxa vrlo su intenzivne. Kakav je osjećaj svirati ih u usporedbi s vlastitim skladbama?
Dave: Prilično se razlikuju. U 5uu’s smo imali “pravila”, gdje smo se pokušavali držati strukture skladbe i same kompozicije, pa i kad je riječ o mom bubnjanju. Nasuprot tome, u Present svi sviraju prema Rogerovim notama, osim mene. Roger pušta da bubnjevi budu slobodni tijekom nastupa uživo, prepušta mi da sam odlučujem i da me vodi situacija. Roger vjeruje da ću se tijekom nastupa sjetiti nečeg zanimljivog (obično improviziranog) i na tome sam mu vječno zahvalan. Razlika je i u tome što su moje skladbe čudno teške, dok skladbe grupe Present polako sazrijevaju i razvijaju se.
RockLine: Kakav ti se čini novi album grupe Present?
Dave: Prerano je da bih išta rekao, jer ga još uvijek postupno snimamo. Ali sasvim je moguće da će biti najbolji dosad.
RockLine: Planiraš li snimiti nešto novo s drugim grupama (5uu’s, Thinking Plague)?
Dave: Rado bih, ali i članovi tih grupa žive daleko jedni od drugih. A te je grupe jednako teško predstaviti kao Present. Udi Koomran, Bob Drake i ja uvijek nešto kujemo za 5uu’s, a Mike Johnson za Thinking Plague; ali sve mora ići glatko. Snimanje i miksanje oduzimaju dosta vremena, puno je troškova, uključeno je i dosta emocija, pa obično čekamo pravi trenutak, a onda ga iskoristimo. Kad preskočimo neke prepreke, ljudi će opet moći čuti nešto od tih grupa.
RockLine: Što je s grupom U Totem?
Dave: Mislim da je grupa mrtva, iako to još nitko nije službeno izjavio. S Bobom Drakeom sam prošle godine snimio album zajedno s Jamesom Grigsbyjem i Jerryjem Wheelerom, naslovljen “NIMBY”. Kad bismo s tom grupom mogli na turneju, to bi bio nekakav nastavak grupe U Totem. Barem emotivno, jer je glazba prilično drugačija; obojena humorom i udara te prije, dok je U Totem bio teži i suhoparan, i prilično, prilično kompleksan. Ostali iz U Totema također već imaju vlastite karijere. Na primjer, Emily Hay snimila je već dosta albuma i puno nastupala. Još smo dobri prijatelji i družimo se kad možemo, ali to se događa vrlo rijetko.
RockLine: Tvoj način bubnjanja djeluje blizu Danielu Denisu. Je li on bio jedan od tvojih utjecaja, ili je glazba koju svirate jednostavno toliko slična Univers Zero da se bubnjanje samo čini sličnim?
Dave: Oboje. Daniel je bio prvi bubnjar grupe Present i neke dijelove moram stilski odsvirati slično, jer su važan dio ranog rada grupe. Zato na nekim mjestima sviram poliritmičke uzorke slične njegovima, jer je to važan dio skladbi. Ali ponekad se naši stilovi prilično razlikuju. On je vrlo ozbiljan bubnjar, dok sam ja na pozornici cirkusant. Volim ubaciti kakvu vragoliju. Što se tiče njegova utjecaja na mene: naravno. Dok sam odrastao, u određenom razdoblju Daniel mi je bio najdraži bubnjar. Kad sam postao član grupe, on je još uvijek bio službeno tu. Na mom prvom koncertu s Presentom svirali smo bubnjeve zajedno. Bio sam oduševljen. Ali od 1994. postao sam stalni bubnjar i morao sam u grupu unijeti svoje ideje i utjecaje, a u tome sam uživao.
RockLine: Sviraš i mnoge druge instrumente. Smatraš li da si više bubnjar, skladatelj ili nešto treće?
Dave: Pa, sviram druge instrumente, ali prilično loše, barem po standardima glazbene industrije. Sviram ih jer moram, jer na njima skladam i razvio sam svoj stil. Ipak, bubnjanje je u prvom planu. I iako smatram da sam i skladatelj, tekstopisac, aranžer, producent, predsjednik izdavačke kuće i direktor distribucijske firme, najudobnije se osjećam za bubnjevima. Bubnjanje mi je strast otkako sam otkrio kisik. I upravo će me po tome ljudi pamtiti, ako me uopće budu pamtili.
RockLine: Jednom si mi spomenuo da si nekad živio u Sloveniji. Je li to bilo povezano s glazbom?
Dave: Na neki način jest. Europu sam nekoliko godina imao kao bazu. Imao sam Slovenku za curu, a živjeli smo u Lokevu, ali većinu vremena bio sam negdje drugdje – u Belgiji, SAD-u, Izraelu. Kad smo bili na turneji, uvijek smo svirali u Sloveniji. Uvijek su mi se sviđali ljudi i tempo života. Slovenci imaju pristup koji bi mogli imati i neki drugi ljudi: izniman smisao za humor u prilično čudnim situacijama i opuštenost u situacijama u kojima bi zapadnjaci eksplodirali. Već sedam godina nisam bio u Sloveniji, trebali biste me pozvati. Poznajem izvrstan restoran u Ilirskoj Bistrici s divnom srpskom hranom.
RockLine: Kakve planove imaš za budućnost? Kad bi te netko lijepo zamolio, bi li te zanimalo raditi nešto drugo osim prog rocka?
Dave: Joj, mrzim izraz prog rock. Iako je istina da se Present i ostale grupe svrstane u rock in opposition vide kao drugi val proga, mi sami radije tvrdimo da imamo više zajedničkog sa starim punkom nego s progresivnim rockom. Bio sam član grupe Black Flag u njezinim ranim danima. Praktički je svaki član Presenta svirao u nekim od najzabačenijih punk lokala u Europi. Nasuprot tome, danasšnje prog rock grupe sviraju na lijepim pozornicama i sviraju sentimentalnu glazbu za ljude koji su otvoreno previše emotivni. Present ni izbliza ne želi ići u tom smjeru. Trudimo se svirati glazbu koja nije tako vesela i optimistična. Pokušavamo istraživati očaj, poniznost i tjeskobu, kao u stvarnom životu, a ne sreću i beskrajnu radost, kao u svijetu fantazije. Naravno, u budućnosti bih rado svirao jazz fusion, ili grindcore, ili tech-death… ali ovo što zovu prog definitivno ne. A ne moraš me ni lijepo moliti!
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After the excellent performance at the Rock in Opposition festival, where he played with the legendary Belgian group Present, the great drummer Dave Kerman (5uu’s, U Totem, Nimby, Present, The Thinking Plague) took a few moments to answer some questions for our website.
Rockline: How would you rate your RIO fest performance?
Dave Kerman: It’s hard to compare gigs, and to examine them enough to specifically rate. Surely at the RIO Fest we had placed ourselves in a less than advantageous position: Having to re-learn Roger’s music, which we know well as a Rock band, as an acoustic ensemble, with the addition of a second pianist. We had only a few days’ worth of rehearsal time to tear apart arrangements, score the percussion for 5 of us, and come up with something new and different. In this respect I think we did pretty well. There was a more “classical” feel to the compositions than usual, and…well, it was an experiment – one that we hoped would agree with the spirit of the festival.
Rockline: Which show was the more difficult for you, the acoustic or the electric?
Dave Kerman: For me personally, the electric set, because I only had a matter of waking hours to un-do all of the acoustic set’s training. It was a bit like learning to ride a bike whilst sitting backwards on the seat: Although one would think it should come back easily, in fact, it didn’t. One tough thing about the acoustic set was the fact that UPS had lost all of the classical percussion I had shipped to the festival site weeks earlier. So, I ended up playing a quasi-drum kit, and others were forced to bang on large trash cans, oil drums etc. Nothing was at all how we had planned it, but in a way, this gave the acoustic set a life of its own, as we were able to make due with what we could find.
Rockline: How long were you rehearsing for the show? You seemed to be playing really tight.
Dave Kerman: Thanks. We arranged & rehearsed the acoustic set for 5 days in the festival’s smaller hall, and played through the electric set once or twice in a small rehearsal room there on the morning of that particular show. Other than that, we hadn’t seen one another in roughly 1 year.
Rockline: Is it hard to organize rehearsal sessions, seeing as the members of Present come from all corners of the globe?
Dave Kerman: As we’re so spread out, it’s actually not possible to have a rehearsal schedule of any kind. We compress a few months’ work into a span of a few days before a tour or recording. This can be tiring and intense and, although tempers can flare from time to time, we are all like one, large extended family; we are brothers with no common blood lineage. We are also one another’s greatest enthusiasts, and we’ve learned over the years to tolerate each others’ idyosynchcratic behavior, whilst somehow injecting that aspect into the mores of our little group of musical misfits.
Rockline: How did you get involved with Present in the first place?
Dave Kerman: In the early 90’s I was in another Cuneiform band, called U-Totem. The record company suggested to Univers Zero and Present that they should check out our concert at the University of Brussels whilst we were touring in Europe. After the show, Roger Trigaux asked me to replace Daniel Denis in Present, as Daniel had wanted to leave the band to re-animate Univers Zero. Of course, I accepted the job right then and there, without hesitation, or regrets. After all, these were some of my hero-musicians: Roger, Daniel, Guy Segers, Reggie Trigaux……
Rockline: Roger Trigaux’s compositions are very intense. How does it feel like playing them compared to playing your own material (not that your material isn’t intense)?
Dave Kerman: It’s very different. In 5uu’s we had performance “rules”, so to speak, where we faithfully tried to stick to the structure of the song, and the actual compositions, including my drum parts. By comparison, in Present everyone is playing Roger’s scored instrumentation EXCEPT for me; He allows the drums to be the differential in live performances, letting me to step out of the mold however the situation may insist, or how I may see fit. Roger trusts that I will come up with something interesting for his music (often spur of the moment), and for that I’m eternally grateful. Also, my music tends to bear a sort of truncated complexity, whereas Present’s compositions slowly and maturely take their time to unravel.
Rockline: What do you think of the new Present album?
Dave Kerman: Well, it’s too soon to tell, as we’re still recording it, piecemeal. But it may well end up being the strongest to date.
Rockline: Do you plan to record any new stuff with some of your other bands (5uu’s, Thinking Plague)?
Dave Kerman: I’d love to. But, these bands are also spread out geographically, and are as much a challenge to present as Present. Udi Koomran, Bob Drake and I are always “scheming” for 5uu’s, and Mike Johnson for Thinking Plague; but the situation has to be right. Recording and mixing can take considerable time, expenses, and emotional tolls, so we usually wait for just the right moment, and then pounce on opportunity as a cat might pounce on a mouse. Once some obstacles are overcome, people will hear more from these bands.
Rockline: What’s the status of U Totem?
Dave Kerman: I would venture to say defunct, though no-one has ever said it publicly. Bob Drake and I made and album last year with James Grigsby and Jerry Wheeler, called “NIMBY”. If we can tour with that band, it would be a sort of extension of U-Totem. Emotionally, at least, as musically it’s quite different; humorous and immediate, whereas U-Totem was dry and academic, and very, very complex. The others in U-Totem have their separate careers, as well. Emily Hay, for instance, now has an extensive discography and performance schedule. We’re all still close friends and see each other socially when circumstances permit, but that’s like…on leap years, or something.
Rockline: Your style of drumming seems quite close to Daniel Denis. Was he one of your influences, or is the music you play just so close to that of Univers Zero that the drumming appears similar?
Dave Kerman: It’s a little of both. Daniel was the original drummer for Present, and some aspects of his style were necessary to “simulate”, as they were the quintessential drum parts for much of the band’s early music. So, in some places, I play polyrhythmic patterns that are similar to his, simply because the music demands it. However, at other times, our drumming couldn’t be more different. I mean, he’s a serious drummer, and I can be a bit of a circusant on stage, as I’m a bit of a prankster by nature. As far as his influence goes: sure. Daniel was, at one point when I was growing up, my very favorite drummer. When I first joined the band he was still technically a member. At my first concert with Present we both played drums together, and I was quite thrilled. But since 1994, I’ve been the staple drummer for the band, and I’ve had to (and enjoyed) bringing into it my own voice and presence.
Rockline: You also play many other instruments. Would you consider yourself to be more of a drummer, composer, or something else?
Dave Kerman: Well, I do play other instruments, but fairly poorly, by industry standards. I play them out of necessity, because these are the instruments that I compose on, and I’ve developed my own style. Still, drumming is at the forefront. So, while I do consider myself to be a composer, lyricist, arranger, producer, tour organizer, record company president, and distribution company CEO, I’m most at home behind a set of drums. Drumming is a passion for me, and has been since my introduction to oxygen. And it’s probably what I’ll be remembered for, if I’m remembered at all!
Rockline: You mentioned once that you lived in Slovenia at one point. Was that somehow related to music?
Dave Kerman: It was, inasmuch as I was using Europe as a home base for a number of years. I had a Slovene girlfriend, and we lived in Lokev, but I was gone much of the time, to Belgium, the USA, and Israel. We always played in Slovenia when we toured, and I’ve always loved the people and the “pace” of life. Slovenes have a sensibility that most other cultures and people in the world would do well to embrace: a sense of humor un-paralleled in some of the strangest situations, and an attitude of ease during times when most westerners would lose their cookies. I haven’t been to Slovenia in 7 years now, so you should invite me. I know a great little place in Ilirska Bistrica…..wonderful Serbian food.
Rockline: What are your plans in the future? Would you be interested in doing projects other than prog rock, if someone asked you nicely?
Dave Kerman: Eeee, I detest the term Prog-Rock; While it’s quite true that Present and other bands that once fell under the banner of “Rock in Opposition” have become ideologically adopted by the second wave of “Prog”, we would like to think that bands like ours have more in common with old-style Punk than Progressive Rock. I myself was a staple around the earliest workings of Black Flag (back when Greg Ginn and his pals were a band called Panic in Hermosa Beach, CA). And virtually every member of Present has cut his teeth in some of the very most squalid punk-squats throughout Europe. By comparison, todays Prog groups perform at nice venues, and play a sentimental type of music for people who wear their hearts on their sleeves. Present, for instance, is not at all interested in that direction. We endeavor to play music that comes from a less uplifting or spiritually resounding place, whilst attempting to examine despair, humility, and anguish, like real life – not happiness and unrelenting joy, like fantasy. So, sure, I’d like to play some jazz fusion, or grindcore, or tech-death in the future….but not this thing called prog. And you don’t even have to ask nicely !
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