Interview: "The Knights"

Lennart (24), Khouzama (24), Marvin (25) and Paul (25) are "The Knights" from Hamburg

One leg in the rehearsal room, the other in everyday life

That the four guys from "The Knights" can rock, they have proven in numerous performances. Now they want to convince their fans on the screens and have just released the video for the single "James Dean". You can see the video here

We spoke with you Marvin Rinas (Vocals / bass), Lennart Plutat (Guitar), Al-Khouzama Sabour (Drums) and Paul Uhlig (Keyboard / DJ) about difficulties, tasks and hopes of a young band without a contract.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: You've been making music together since 2003. Where does the sudden ambition come from?

Khouzama: About a year ago, we had the feeling that we were standing still. We had no desire for our "school band image", so we had to decide if we stop or pull ourselves together. We decided on the second path, overcoming our own bastard and tweaking our sound.

Paul: A few years ago we filled up youth houses despite the bad sound. The feeling of standing on stage has given us the will to go on and get better.

Marvin: I think every new beginning has the potential to evolve. Therefore, it is good to set pillars and start a new business without forgetting the history.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: What are you doing now?

Lennart: You have to stand behind the music you make. If you do not celebrate your music yourself, then other people will not. We used to just write a song and think "Yeah, that sounds pretty good". Today we write songs that we would like to celebrate ourselves.

Marvin: If we listen to songs from earlier days, you realize that we were not as stringent in writing songs as we are today and did not question things that have become taken for granted today.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: So you are a seasoned ...

Lennart: Our music is born out of the feeling, but at the beginning you almost always have a clear idea and a strategy of how a song should sound.

Marvin: When we set out to write a danceable song, we naturally approach a song at a different tempo than when we want to create a ballad. Building on a good idea of ​​another, and that only works organically, because no member of this band would work without the other.

But it must also be said that it took us a long time to play in a band-oriented way, so that everyone plays their instrument for the song and not for themselves to be in the foreground.

Interview: "The Knights"

Paul, Lennart, Khouzama and Marvin

"Horny, crispy, danceable"

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: Do you have to follow the trends of the music scene to be successful?

Khouzama: In my opinion, 90 percent of the spectrum of what you have in your taste in music goes into the music you want to write. The music that you make and the music you like to listen to form a cycle.

Lennart: Trends are not bad, they can be something of a guide to your own creativity. Nevertheless, you should now and then free yourself from them in order to be able to set oneself.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: How would you classify yourself musically as a band in three key words?

Marvin: Going forward

Khouzama: Horny, crispy, danceable

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: Which musicians inspire you?

Marvin: Besides Tom Yorke of Radiohead and Fat Mike of NOFX, I am mainly inspired by people in my immediate environment, who make music with a lot of heart, energy and work.

Khouzama: I have always picked something out of many styles - from classic to Grind Core.

Lennart: My inspiration lies in the rehearsal room itself. The idea of ​​transforming creative energy into a song in just a few hours is inspiring.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: What are the basics of a well-functioning band?

Marvin: There should be a balance between input and output. If you can answer yes to the question of whether the whole thing is worth the energy, keep it up! And of course you need a proper rehearsal room with good acoustics to be able to rehearse professionally.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: Every band wants to be special. What sets you apart from other young emerging bands?

Lennart: The most important thing is the staging of his music. I think we deliver a convincing program live because the music is right and because the band is right.This of course includes a lot of promotion and that you know the right people and lures them.

Paul: To put it in a nutshell: you have to be relevant. We actually make good music! It may sound unfair, but most just make boring rock music.

Lennart (24), Khouzama (24), Marvin (25) and Paul (25) are "The Knights" from Hamburg

"Networking is the Alpha and Omega"

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: Is there a recipe that leads to success?

Paul: Networking is the name of the game. You can reach a lot of people over the internet today. Myspace, StudiVZ and Facebook are required to attract attention.

Khouzama: Mutual support is also pretty important. Our network is made up of friends who help us with graphic design, transporting instruments, public relations and organizing concerts.

Marvin: Kurt Cobain wrote in his diaries that a good band needs four days a week for the band. We rehearse only three times a week, but if you count our concerts at the weekend, that's the point.

Lennart: But you also have to say thank you that it's not just a rehearsal but that you can not forget the whole organization. The coordination behind the concerts is quite time-consuming and sometimes the circle of friends and the university are suffering.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: You financed the recordings of your first album yourself. Has this investment paid off?

Marvin: Yep, that was worth it, because nowadays thousands of bands are applying to record labels with high quality recordings. Therefore, record labels are no longer willing to put money in supposedly good bands, but want a product that still has some corners and edges to be ground. There is a lack of patience and financial potential, so a band has to do it all in advance.

Lennart: In addition, labels are looking for bands that have already proven themselves and are behind their music for a long time. The best way for such a band has been to play a fanbase and play a number of concerts. It takes a long time to be successful with a label, but until then it's time to get your hands dirty and invest time in rehearsals.

Paul: 15 years ago, the production of an album would have cost about 50,000 euros. There are many more options today, and probably everyone around you has a person who produces an album for a few hundred dollars. If you record the album yourself on the computer, it might not sound quite what you would expect, but it's a start.

"James Dean" - the video for the single

"Heart of Gold" is the title of the self-produced and self-financed album of the Knights

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: Are you looking for a record label that contracts you?

Lennart: It is an absolute misconception to assume that a label is always the solution to success. A band that does not manage to organize a small tour, to rehearse on a regular basis, to promote itself, does not need a label. For a month we have a manager who lets us play his relationships for us.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: Recently the video for the single "James Dean" was released. It all looks very professional ...

Paul: Thanks!

Lennart: We have to work together with absolute professionals in the video shoot. For example, the chamberlain Felix Storp shot the last video for Udo Lindenberg.

Marvin: Normally we would not have been able to afford the production for the video. We were in the right place at the right time and lucky enough to meet people who were willing to risk something.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Young Miss: What is the video about?

Khouzama: The video has many facets. We rock at a fashion show, in an underground car park and in a loft. Of course, a love story should not be missed.

Lennart: But mostly it's about our staging as a band in the internet age ...

Paul: ... and the internet offers small bands the opportunity to make a big impact and that's why we also publish our video on Youtube.

You can watch the video "James Dean" from the debut album "Heart of Gold" here.

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