NEKTAR – The space rock invaders
Interview with Roye Albrighton
1. What is the secret behind the band all those years? How did you manage to keep the band alive?
It may sound like an old cliché’ but really it boils down to the love of the music and it’s creation. Nektar have always been a band that create on the move (so to speak) so writing a complete works while we are on the road was pretty normal.
Adding sections to a piece as we move down the tour dates at sound checks was the exciting part as we would try them out on the audience every night.
2. The band was mainly based in Europe but suddenly in 1974 you entered the Billboard charts with your album. What do you remember from those days?
‘Gobsmacking’ I think is the word to use..it was like a dream you never thought would come true, and there we were, standing in front of thousands of people who came from all over to listen to our specific brand of music. It’s difficult to explain how it feels, I guess only the few have shared that eperience.
3. How did you manage to enter the US Billboard Charts without having visited US before?
To be honest I have no idea, if you were to look at the charts in those days and saw what was above us and below us..we really looked like a fish out of water. I think it was the fresh approach of the music and the melodic interchanges laced with Rock that helped it on it’s way.
A great deal of help was given by WNEW in NYC when they picked up the album that KSHE radio in St Louis was playing a lot.
4. Do you think that US was a successful market for the band?
Most definitely..we had played mostly all of Europe and all the places in London that were offered to us, so it was time to concentrate on the USA.
A lot of GI’s went back home from Germany with Nektar albums under their arms and that helped a lot to spread the word.
5. Do you remember anything from your first US tour?
Many things but the one that sticks out in mind is the simulcast show at the accademy of music that went out ‘live’ over WNEW.
This is an old story but still love telling it. As we launched into our first number of the show with all the radio mics on and lightshow blasting into the pitch black of the academy we were 30 seconds into the number when the power went off. It was unbelievable..all that the NYC listeners on WNEW heard was me shouting ‘oh shit’ over the mics.
6. Can you compare Europe and US in terms of music commerce? How different are the audiences in these regions?
These days audiences between Europe and the USA are pretty much the same. Of course there is the ‘pop’ scene which makes up most of the concert goers, and the package tours consisting of the older bands still trying to make a living. The only downfall now is that because of the tribute bands springing up everywhere (which is not really a bad thing, it’s just that people are not open to going to a show of new music and new ideas as much as before. The grass roots clubs are few in number now as venue promoters are not willing to take a chance as they were back in the 70’s.
7. Why did the band split during the 80s?
I left the band in 1976, and they took on another guitarist, but why they split in the 80’s I really have no idea.
8. An online label, Itsaboutmusic.com recently re-released your albums “A tab in the ocean” and “Rememberthe future”. Were you involved in these re-issues?
Yes I was, It seemed time to get the entire catalog out there with the added bonus CD’s. It was getting complicated as everyone was releasing material of the band without our permission and quality control.
9. The bonus material in these releases is demo versions of your songs and live tracks from a concert in Brazil. Would you like to comment on this material and let us know more about it?
Since the re-union show in 2002 there have been changes within the band and although Ron Howden and myself are still two original members, bass players and keyboardists have changed. I thought it interesting to release the phases of the band since that re-union show. Each musician that joined us had something special to offer and it’s something the fans appreciate. OK the recordings are not top quality but they are very listenable and the content far outweighs the quality.
10. You have a new album coming out that is called “Juggernaut”. Can you give us more details?
As usual the new album will be different again, this is the hallmark of Nektar, you never know what you are going to get. The intention was to release this before our forthcoming tour however, we decided that more work needs to be done on it so delayed it until later in the year.
11. Who was the designer and what is the concept behind the beautiful artwork of your new album?
The last three album covers were designed by myself and painted by my wife. Looking at ‘book of days’ one can see the music described in the artwork parts (eg) the whale, ‘doctor kool’ ‘the iceman’ etc etc
12. Do you have the same line up in this release or do you use any additional guest musicians?
The lineup for this album will be Ron Howden / Klaus Henatsch / Peter Pichl and myself. We may add some extra musicians on the tracks but as yet nothing is concrete.
13. You are going to tour in US along with other classic rock legends from the Cleopatra Records roster, please let us know about all the details.
I could take up pages describing the details of the tour but all that can be gleened from Cleopatra themselves. I will say however that I am excited by the prospect of touring with the guys as I think the evenings entertainment will be of the highest calibre.
14. Do you have any plans for a European tour as well or different regions like Japan or Australia?
Nektar have tried during their entire career spaning over 40 years to get to Japan and play. I know we have a lot of fans over there but I think it’s a case of who you know to be able to go. As for Australia, the far side of the world is not exactly Nektar territory, we have tried to organize shows there but there is not enough interest for the band to warrant the expense of a tour.
15. I remember attending your concert in Greece a few years ago. Do you have any memories from that night?
Very much so..it was a great night..the club was absolutely crammed full and I loved the fact that as many people were standing at the back of the stage too. That was a very warm night and I think I lost a few pounds in weight during that show. The crowd was very responsive and we had a great time.
16. How different is touring in 70s and in 2011? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
One word I guess ‘COST’ the cost of putting together only a small tour like this one is quite unbeleivable these days. Back in the 70’s it would cost too but you could do a lot more with the same amount (more bang for yor buck) as they say. Everyone wants a piece of the pie now and the idea of investment is just a word from the past.
17. How do you manage to keep yourself alive during the tour?
You must have a regime to stick too if you don’t you can get unstuck very easily. OK in the early years we used to party a lot as do most of the new young bands, but believe me you need to take stock sometimes and realize how long you have been doing it and assess what the penalties will be on your health.
18. What are the traps and barriers in the music industry today for the old school bands?
I would like to be able to say that the old school band like ourselves have seen all there is to see regarding traps and barriers but alas not. A case in point was our last manager who we believed to be 100 percent behind us but it ended up not so.
19. Are you familiar with internet as a tool for music promotion or even for the online collaboration in the music recording?
The internet is a great tool for the musician for all of the above, but is also a means of illegal downloading. Someone asked me a similar question before regarding downloads my answer was that from the outset, the internet should have been monitored a lot better.
20. What would be your advise for newbies that want to keep their band alive for the next 40 years?
Keep believing in what you are doing..listen to what your critics say but don’t act on them irrationally. Decide if you are in it for the long term.
Most important is be yourself..this way you are original.
Information: http://nektarsmusic.com
