OLIVER: It was about ten days before the first concert of the Calling the Wild tour
when I got a call from a friend of mine, a drummer, who was in contact to
Doro's manager. The band was searching for a keyboarder. So I called Doro and we
met for the first time in her home town in Germany. I had a good feeling about it
from that first meeting on.
QUESTION: Were you already familiar with her music at the time?
OLIVER: Yes, sure. She is quite famous here in Germany and I bought my first Warlock
record when I was sixteen - more than ten years ago.
QUESTION: What are some of the bands you have played in before joining Doro?
OLIVER: I am active in many different styles and with a lot of different bands - I studied piano and guitar, in classical music, jazz and rock. One of the bands known in the german scene was Psilocybe (not existing any more). I do a lot of jobs where I am called for one time happenings, where for example a band member cannot play a gig and you have to learn a lot of stuff in a short time. On the other side I compose music and do recordings for very different projects. Music is a universal language for me - in any style.
QUESTION: Being that the "Calling The Wild" tour was your first with Doro, how was
that experience for you?
OLIVER: To tell you the truth, I was prepared for anything, up to a nasty, TV- throwing,
drug- smashed rock band. It came as a big surprise to me to meet four great people and musicians, who have become really good friends to me. They made it easy for me to join and shared their vast musical knowledge with me. So it was up to me to become as dependable to them as they were to me - especially on stage!
QUESTION: What was the highlight for you on the CTW tour?
OLIVER: Every show was a new highlight, to experience the power this band sets free. I play a lot of gigs with other bands, where the performance depends so much on the reaction of the audience - if people do not push enough, the music gets worse. With Doro it was different - if people did not seem to be ready to give anything, the band was always working so hard, that at least they had to give - the way we did on stage.
QUESTION: How come you didn't do any of the US dates?
OLIVER: As far as I know, it is more a financial thing. The US scene is growing bigger, but still the management has to think about where to save money. The songs the band played in the US can be done without second guitar or keyboards and so they did. Hopefully I will see your country next time - I must admit, I have never been there yet.
QUESTION: What are some of your favorite songs to play live?
OLIVER: Well, that is hard to tell, because there is a lot of great stuff. I especially like some of the newer songs, like Brutal and Effective or Dedication. Personal highlights are also Fall for me again and - we play it not too often - Beyond the Trees, which is just Doro and me on the piano. And there are some powerful new songs coming up on the new record - we introduced them to the audience last month in Switzerland, Paris, Belgium and Spain.
QUESTION: Who are some musicians/bands that have influenced you?
OLIVER: I am influenced by a lot of guys. In Rock these are some of the classical heros, like Led Zeppelin, Kiss or AC DC - no rock musician who is not in the wake of them. Then there are the progressive and experimental styles - Dream Theater or Steve Vai are on my list beside some others. Then there are some names who are very piano- or keyboard- specific and not rock at all: Classical musicians like Beethoven or Mozart, Jazz guys like Kenny Barron, Gonzalo Rubalcaba or Herbie Hancock. If some of you wonder how someone who plays rock can listen to such music, I just can answer: You would be surprised how much of their music is in rock, too.
QUESTION: What are some of your favorite bands?
OLIVER: At the moment I have my personal retro- period, that happens now and then.
Then I go through my CD- collection for all the good music that inspired me over the last years and re- listen to them. It is surprising how much new sides I discover then.
QUESTION: What are some of your hobbies and interests when not playing music?
OLIVER: To be honest, I nearly have no life beside music. Sure, I relax with my girl
friend sometimes, looking for a good restaurant or so. And in the moments
when I really need some spare time, I read a good book. But I even have no TV
at home. Normally sun comes up and goes down and the rest is music.
QUESTION: Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. In closing, is there
anything you would like to add to this interview or say to the fans?
OLIVER: I just can say, that I am very glad to share this whole experience - with
the band and the fans. Nowadays we have an overwhelming lot of sterile music
made by business men. For about one year I could luckily see how, on the
contrary, this - Doro's - music was made, and it is an honest and true piece of work
and you feel it by listening to it. I just thank all the people who made this
come true and who keep it up.
