It’s always a pleasure to happen upon talented and promising newcomers. Collibus is one of those new bands which fall in the categories above. The debut album “The False Awakening” will give more people/fans the chance to get to know them. Grande Rock had a chat with the vocalist Gemma Fox & the bassist R.J. Kershaw about their early days and their future plans. Have a look below…
Hey Gemma and RJ… I’m glad we’re given the chance to talk. Your debut album, “The False Awakening” was a nice surprise for me.
G: Thanks very much! Feels good to finally have it out there! What you’re listening to is a lot of blood, sweat and tears!
So, do introduce us to the band and tell us when you started out.
RJ: Gemma Fox on vocals, Stephen Platt on guitars, Dan Mucs on guitars and my bad self R.J. Kershaw. Well, the nucleus of the band started off round the time Ste and I met during our college years. During these years we realized we had a lot in common with music tastes and had similar visions how music should be written, so it was basically a no brainer to form the band. But it wasn’t till we found Gemma that we found the true potential of where our music could go. As well as having a great voice, she has a great sense of melody and harmony. Then after that it was just a matter of time we found Dan and asked him to join the band and from there we’ve been going from strength from strength.
Is Collibus prior to DamageScape or not? You see, I first came upon DamageScape and then I found out about Collibus. Is DamageScape active as we speak?
G: Collibus was around first. The band started years ago as a college band originally, Stephen and RJ being the founding members. After I joined in 2009 things started to turn around and became much more of a serious project. With the music of Collibus being mainly Ste’s creative outlet, I needed something for myself for my music, and later created DamageScape. You might wonder why not just use my material in Collibus, but Stephen and I decided the too writing styles were too different and so decided it was best to create an entire new band! DamageScape are indeed still active, we’re just taking a little bit of a backseat while things with Collibus are on the rise. Think of it as the Corey Taylor approach!
How would you characterize Collibus’ music style and which are the differences between Collibus and DamageScape?
G: The Collibus “style” comes from Stephen and RJs influences. Nevermore, Dream Theater, Devin, Opeth, even classical. It’s a dynamic style of heavy metal, even progressive at times. Technical sections, melodic sections, fast bits, and slow bits! Lyrically, quite dark in content. DamageScape derives from my acoustic playing. I’m singer/songwriter at heart, and the majority of my songs start off very simple with nothing more than a few chords and a melody. We then take that song and create around it so it becomes ‘band-friendly’. We’re a rock band really, influences including being Alter Bridge, Foo Fighters, even Bon Jovi! Anything memorable with a good melody inspires me. Doesn’t necessarily have to be rock or metal.
What does “The False Awakening” declare? How it is related to the Lovecraft-like cover artwork… and Cthulhu?
G: We had decided on the title, “The False Awakening”, and sent that and a brief description of what the song was about over to the artist who designed our artwork, Rob Borbas at Grindesign. We were blown away with his style and what he created just from the title. It was his concept to come up with the Cthulhu style character, and we loved it!
The album lasts about 69 minutes and features 13 songs plus one intro. Did you use every song that you've written? Weren't you afraid that so many songs and the long running play would somehow be a deterrent for the metalheads?
RJ: We used all of our completed material and on the plus side we felt all the tracks were strong enough to be on the album. Our only concern was, if it was all going to all fit on to CD etc. Apart from that, we were quite confident with the amount of songs and the running play didn’t matter. The most important thing on our minds was being artistically satisfied.
Do you give us a hint about each track…
G: “Lie in Wait”: It’s instrumental, and introduction to the album. It needed a title and this this seemed to fit! Waiting patiently for what’s about to come...
G: “Leave It All Behind”: I wrote these lyrics not long after I first joined the band. Basically, it’s about leaving the past behind, looking to what’s to come, embracing the positive and leaving being the negative.
G: “The Fallen”: This is about basically believing in someone you thought you could trust, then finding you’d be lied to and strung along the whole time. You fall for their act, and become the fallen.
RJ: “Thoughts in Vain”: This was kinda written as a rough short story before the track was written so I had to cut it into installments. So, “Thoughts in Vain” ended up the first part. This is basically about the about the focal subjects first realization he is faced with many bureaucratic mechanisms etc., in pursuit of truth. Will it ever be found? Will it be all in vain? Tune in next week or album for your daily dose of “Thoughts in Vain”! But yes, you can kinda say this is a Part series sort of thing.
G: “Burn Out”: It’s about working hard at what you believe in, fighting your way passed the things that were holding you back, and never stopping until you’ve achieved your goals.
G: “Break the Silence”: Feeling low and insignificant, and searching for that light at the end of the tunnel and hoping you have enough strength to reach it.
G: “Undone”: Being poked fun at and humiliated time and time again by self-righteous, blind ignorant people.
G: “Hollow”: About a person in your life who you once loved, to find out they are nothing but hollow and empty inside.
G: “Dead Inside”: This is about being stabbed in the back when you’re least expecting it by a person/persons who just loves creating chaos!
G: “Insurrection”: Being promised something you’d being seeking, only to have it taken away from you at the last minute and finding out the whole thing was a farce the beginning, then seeking your revenge!
RJ: “LifeBlood”: It’s basically simple this one. It’s about someone who preys on the weak and drains all the good things in life for their gain. Pretty straight forward really.
G: “Spite”: This song is about never backing down or giving into the person you chose to run from. They have been spiteful in the past, but now it’s you turn by not giving into their demands and become the victim again.
G: “The Hunted”: This is about being chased by the person/thing you fear the most. And when you think you’ve escaped, you release they are still there even if you can’t see it.
G: “The False Awakening”: This song refers to a type of dream called a false awakening, where you believe you are awake when in actual fact you are still sleeping, and once you realize you’re still sleeping you panic and can’t move or speak, even see and hear things that are not there. And in some, the feeling of waking reoccurs within the same dream and you continue the whole cycle again. A scary situation.
Where did you record the album and who did the production? Did you have in mind to work with any known producer or you wanted to do things on your own?
RJ: We recorded the album from our recording base “Collibus HQ” as we like to call it and Ste handled production duties. I have a shortlist of producers I like Andy Sneap, Jens Bogren, Daniel Berstrand etc, just to name a couple of the top of my head there’s others but it’s morning and I haven’t had my coffee to function cognitively (laughter). But due to limited budget Ste ended up picking up the with the duties and did a rather stellar job.
Did you do any label fishing around? What happened and you decided to go independently? Can you actually tell that you did the right thing going your own way?
G: We believed it to be more important to gain momentum on our own, through our own hard work and dedication. A label is not something we are ruling out, and the right deal comes along it’s something we would definitely consider. Now that we have management and the album is released, things are starting to pick up quite nicely for us. Who knows what the future will bring?
What can a label offer you that you cannot do it on your own? What are the benefits and the disadvantages of releasing your album on your own and through a label?
G: The obvious advantage is that you have full creative control on pretty much every aspect, and you work hard you can achieve quite a lot. The cons being, you might not have the professional skills to get to the places you want to be. Which is where a label helps. It’s much easier to take a signed band more seriously and the hard work is shared then between band label. However, I’m not sure I like the idea of a label owning my music!
You have already released a video for “Dead Inside”. Are you planning to release any other video soon and if yes for which track?
RJ: Oh yes! We’ve just recently finished shooting for two videos for “The Fallen” and “The Hunted”. I had a bit of a nightmare while shooting the shots due to having a hernia. What can I say, I’m dedicated to the cause! (laughter)
G: Thanks very much! Feels good to finally have it out there! What you’re listening to is a lot of blood, sweat and tears!
So, do introduce us to the band and tell us when you started out.
RJ: Gemma Fox on vocals, Stephen Platt on guitars, Dan Mucs on guitars and my bad self R.J. Kershaw. Well, the nucleus of the band started off round the time Ste and I met during our college years. During these years we realized we had a lot in common with music tastes and had similar visions how music should be written, so it was basically a no brainer to form the band. But it wasn’t till we found Gemma that we found the true potential of where our music could go. As well as having a great voice, she has a great sense of melody and harmony. Then after that it was just a matter of time we found Dan and asked him to join the band and from there we’ve been going from strength from strength.
Is Collibus prior to DamageScape or not? You see, I first came upon DamageScape and then I found out about Collibus. Is DamageScape active as we speak?
G: Collibus was around first. The band started years ago as a college band originally, Stephen and RJ being the founding members. After I joined in 2009 things started to turn around and became much more of a serious project. With the music of Collibus being mainly Ste’s creative outlet, I needed something for myself for my music, and later created DamageScape. You might wonder why not just use my material in Collibus, but Stephen and I decided the too writing styles were too different and so decided it was best to create an entire new band! DamageScape are indeed still active, we’re just taking a little bit of a backseat while things with Collibus are on the rise. Think of it as the Corey Taylor approach!
How would you characterize Collibus’ music style and which are the differences between Collibus and DamageScape?
G: The Collibus “style” comes from Stephen and RJs influences. Nevermore, Dream Theater, Devin, Opeth, even classical. It’s a dynamic style of heavy metal, even progressive at times. Technical sections, melodic sections, fast bits, and slow bits! Lyrically, quite dark in content. DamageScape derives from my acoustic playing. I’m singer/songwriter at heart, and the majority of my songs start off very simple with nothing more than a few chords and a melody. We then take that song and create around it so it becomes ‘band-friendly’. We’re a rock band really, influences including being Alter Bridge, Foo Fighters, even Bon Jovi! Anything memorable with a good melody inspires me. Doesn’t necessarily have to be rock or metal.
What does “The False Awakening” declare? How it is related to the Lovecraft-like cover artwork… and Cthulhu?
G: We had decided on the title, “The False Awakening”, and sent that and a brief description of what the song was about over to the artist who designed our artwork, Rob Borbas at Grindesign. We were blown away with his style and what he created just from the title. It was his concept to come up with the Cthulhu style character, and we loved it!
The album lasts about 69 minutes and features 13 songs plus one intro. Did you use every song that you've written? Weren't you afraid that so many songs and the long running play would somehow be a deterrent for the metalheads?
RJ: We used all of our completed material and on the plus side we felt all the tracks were strong enough to be on the album. Our only concern was, if it was all going to all fit on to CD etc. Apart from that, we were quite confident with the amount of songs and the running play didn’t matter. The most important thing on our minds was being artistically satisfied.
Do you give us a hint about each track…
G: “Lie in Wait”: It’s instrumental, and introduction to the album. It needed a title and this this seemed to fit! Waiting patiently for what’s about to come...
G: “Leave It All Behind”: I wrote these lyrics not long after I first joined the band. Basically, it’s about leaving the past behind, looking to what’s to come, embracing the positive and leaving being the negative.
G: “The Fallen”: This is about basically believing in someone you thought you could trust, then finding you’d be lied to and strung along the whole time. You fall for their act, and become the fallen.
RJ: “Thoughts in Vain”: This was kinda written as a rough short story before the track was written so I had to cut it into installments. So, “Thoughts in Vain” ended up the first part. This is basically about the about the focal subjects first realization he is faced with many bureaucratic mechanisms etc., in pursuit of truth. Will it ever be found? Will it be all in vain? Tune in next week or album for your daily dose of “Thoughts in Vain”! But yes, you can kinda say this is a Part series sort of thing.
G: “Burn Out”: It’s about working hard at what you believe in, fighting your way passed the things that were holding you back, and never stopping until you’ve achieved your goals.
G: “Break the Silence”: Feeling low and insignificant, and searching for that light at the end of the tunnel and hoping you have enough strength to reach it.
G: “Undone”: Being poked fun at and humiliated time and time again by self-righteous, blind ignorant people.
G: “Hollow”: About a person in your life who you once loved, to find out they are nothing but hollow and empty inside.
G: “Dead Inside”: This is about being stabbed in the back when you’re least expecting it by a person/persons who just loves creating chaos!
G: “Insurrection”: Being promised something you’d being seeking, only to have it taken away from you at the last minute and finding out the whole thing was a farce the beginning, then seeking your revenge!
RJ: “LifeBlood”: It’s basically simple this one. It’s about someone who preys on the weak and drains all the good things in life for their gain. Pretty straight forward really.
G: “Spite”: This song is about never backing down or giving into the person you chose to run from. They have been spiteful in the past, but now it’s you turn by not giving into their demands and become the victim again.
G: “The Hunted”: This is about being chased by the person/thing you fear the most. And when you think you’ve escaped, you release they are still there even if you can’t see it.
G: “The False Awakening”: This song refers to a type of dream called a false awakening, where you believe you are awake when in actual fact you are still sleeping, and once you realize you’re still sleeping you panic and can’t move or speak, even see and hear things that are not there. And in some, the feeling of waking reoccurs within the same dream and you continue the whole cycle again. A scary situation.
Where did you record the album and who did the production? Did you have in mind to work with any known producer or you wanted to do things on your own?
RJ: We recorded the album from our recording base “Collibus HQ” as we like to call it and Ste handled production duties. I have a shortlist of producers I like Andy Sneap, Jens Bogren, Daniel Berstrand etc, just to name a couple of the top of my head there’s others but it’s morning and I haven’t had my coffee to function cognitively (laughter). But due to limited budget Ste ended up picking up the with the duties and did a rather stellar job.
Did you do any label fishing around? What happened and you decided to go independently? Can you actually tell that you did the right thing going your own way?
G: We believed it to be more important to gain momentum on our own, through our own hard work and dedication. A label is not something we are ruling out, and the right deal comes along it’s something we would definitely consider. Now that we have management and the album is released, things are starting to pick up quite nicely for us. Who knows what the future will bring?
What can a label offer you that you cannot do it on your own? What are the benefits and the disadvantages of releasing your album on your own and through a label?
G: The obvious advantage is that you have full creative control on pretty much every aspect, and you work hard you can achieve quite a lot. The cons being, you might not have the professional skills to get to the places you want to be. Which is where a label helps. It’s much easier to take a signed band more seriously and the hard work is shared then between band label. However, I’m not sure I like the idea of a label owning my music!
You have already released a video for “Dead Inside”. Are you planning to release any other video soon and if yes for which track?
RJ: Oh yes! We’ve just recently finished shooting for two videos for “The Fallen” and “The Hunted”. I had a bit of a nightmare while shooting the shots due to having a hernia. What can I say, I’m dedicated to the cause! (laughter)
You told me that you have been confirmed for Download Festival this summer. What other live shows have you planned and you can share with us?
G: Our first show of the year is at a venue called The Bedford in London on 27th March. Quite an important gig for us as our manager is using this as a showcase event for us. Much like when we played Rock the House at Parliament last year, some high-profile music industry people are expected to be there. The show will also be streamed live, so anyone can watch! We’ve also just confirmed a hometown show in Manchester for our local followers where we will perform the album in its entirety, which we are quite looking forward to! And other than Download, we have some more festival slots confirmed but are not allowed to say anything just yet... Watch this space.
The first step is done. You debut is out and there’s already a buzz around your name. So what’s next for the band? What do you wish for the future?
G: We’re still testing the water at moment! We do have a new drummer, and he is learning the material. We planning on gigging/touring throughout the year. Some bigger festivals, such as Download and some smaller gigs we’ve always played. We’re just getting the name out there so that by the time album No.2 is ready, everyone should know who Collibus are.
I’d like to know how you got Brian May to listen to the band. I guess hearing Brian saying such nice words for your band is a great thing! How do you feel about it?
G: Basically, Brian is a patron for the Rock The House competition which we performed at in November. Our manager, Mike, is the founder of the competition which raises awareness of intellectual property rights. Brian May supports this cause and was there at the event to support the cause and to support us. He was amazing to meet, very genuine and lovely man. And yeah... It feels great to know that he supports us and I hope he continues to do so!
And some weird questions now!!! How did you come up with the name Collibus?
RJ: It was coined by one of our original members and it kinda just stuck. The rest is history clouded in mystery!
Which are the things that piss you off in today’s music industry?
G: People who don’t pay attention! Bands that don’t get recognition they deserve. And the bands that get undeserved recognition... Teen idols earning millions for having songs written for them and appearing half naked in music videos. Talented and genuine musicians struggling to put food on the table. Autotune. Simon Cowell. People stuck in the past. Sheep. People who lack passion and originality. People who are scared to try something new. Bands being ripped off and underpaid, to quote Bon Scott! I could go on...
Which will be the best soundtrack to play on the day we will be forced to evacuate planet earth?
RJ: Devin Townsend – “Ziltoid the Omniscient”…
Do you prefer the digital music files or the psychical copies and why?
RJ: I like both for different reasons. Like for instance If I’m on a plane flight, it’s just more convenient to have my entire music library on my phone or mp3 player. But also on the flip side I do like a physical copy for flicking though the inlays, admiring artwork, reading the credits. I think as well you tend to have a more of a bond to the music because of this as well.
What’s your opinion on people downloading free music from the Internet? What shall an artist do in order to avoid losing money and time?
G: It’s one of those things with various responses. Some artists are against it and some are for it. On one hand, your music is being stolen. It’s possibly not even about the money at this stage, just principal. A small unknown band, like Collibus, release their first album to find it has been leaked and illegally downloaded can feel a bit disheartening. But, on the other hand, there are people out there at least listening to and sharing your music, even if illegal. I’m not sure there is way to prevent or stop it from happening. It is an on-going battle.
Which is the record you wish you had written and why?
G: There is no record I wish I’d written, as it would just never be the same! There are writers that inspire me that I wish I could have even just a fraction of their talent. For me, that would be Freddie Mercury. He was much more than just a singer and performer. His passion for music and style of songwriting stands out, to me, above just about anything else. And nothing can replace early Queen albums in my opinion, so why would I wish I had written any of them?
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music evolution, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
G: Queen – “A Night at the Opera”…
That’s all for now Gemma & RJ. Wish you the best for the future to come. Say anything you’d like to close this interview… Take care!
G: Thanks for asking us for an interview! Always a pleasure! I hope a few of your viewers check us out, and maybe even like what they hear. Hopefully see some of you at a show soon!
G: Our first show of the year is at a venue called The Bedford in London on 27th March. Quite an important gig for us as our manager is using this as a showcase event for us. Much like when we played Rock the House at Parliament last year, some high-profile music industry people are expected to be there. The show will also be streamed live, so anyone can watch! We’ve also just confirmed a hometown show in Manchester for our local followers where we will perform the album in its entirety, which we are quite looking forward to! And other than Download, we have some more festival slots confirmed but are not allowed to say anything just yet... Watch this space.
The first step is done. You debut is out and there’s already a buzz around your name. So what’s next for the band? What do you wish for the future?
G: We’re still testing the water at moment! We do have a new drummer, and he is learning the material. We planning on gigging/touring throughout the year. Some bigger festivals, such as Download and some smaller gigs we’ve always played. We’re just getting the name out there so that by the time album No.2 is ready, everyone should know who Collibus are.
I’d like to know how you got Brian May to listen to the band. I guess hearing Brian saying such nice words for your band is a great thing! How do you feel about it?
G: Basically, Brian is a patron for the Rock The House competition which we performed at in November. Our manager, Mike, is the founder of the competition which raises awareness of intellectual property rights. Brian May supports this cause and was there at the event to support the cause and to support us. He was amazing to meet, very genuine and lovely man. And yeah... It feels great to know that he supports us and I hope he continues to do so!
And some weird questions now!!! How did you come up with the name Collibus?
RJ: It was coined by one of our original members and it kinda just stuck. The rest is history clouded in mystery!
Which are the things that piss you off in today’s music industry?
G: People who don’t pay attention! Bands that don’t get recognition they deserve. And the bands that get undeserved recognition... Teen idols earning millions for having songs written for them and appearing half naked in music videos. Talented and genuine musicians struggling to put food on the table. Autotune. Simon Cowell. People stuck in the past. Sheep. People who lack passion and originality. People who are scared to try something new. Bands being ripped off and underpaid, to quote Bon Scott! I could go on...
Which will be the best soundtrack to play on the day we will be forced to evacuate planet earth?
RJ: Devin Townsend – “Ziltoid the Omniscient”…
Do you prefer the digital music files or the psychical copies and why?
RJ: I like both for different reasons. Like for instance If I’m on a plane flight, it’s just more convenient to have my entire music library on my phone or mp3 player. But also on the flip side I do like a physical copy for flicking though the inlays, admiring artwork, reading the credits. I think as well you tend to have a more of a bond to the music because of this as well.
What’s your opinion on people downloading free music from the Internet? What shall an artist do in order to avoid losing money and time?
G: It’s one of those things with various responses. Some artists are against it and some are for it. On one hand, your music is being stolen. It’s possibly not even about the money at this stage, just principal. A small unknown band, like Collibus, release their first album to find it has been leaked and illegally downloaded can feel a bit disheartening. But, on the other hand, there are people out there at least listening to and sharing your music, even if illegal. I’m not sure there is way to prevent or stop it from happening. It is an on-going battle.
Which is the record you wish you had written and why?
G: There is no record I wish I’d written, as it would just never be the same! There are writers that inspire me that I wish I could have even just a fraction of their talent. For me, that would be Freddie Mercury. He was much more than just a singer and performer. His passion for music and style of songwriting stands out, to me, above just about anything else. And nothing can replace early Queen albums in my opinion, so why would I wish I had written any of them?
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music evolution, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
G: Queen – “A Night at the Opera”…
That’s all for now Gemma & RJ. Wish you the best for the future to come. Say anything you’d like to close this interview… Take care!
G: Thanks for asking us for an interview! Always a pleasure! I hope a few of your viewers check us out, and maybe even like what they hear. Hopefully see some of you at a show soon!