Interview with JIM MATHEOS (FATES WARNING/OSI) at ROCK OVERDOSE!

 

RockOverdose.gr : Hello Jim and welcome to RockOverdose.gr. Happy New Year and I wish the best to you.

Jim Matheos : Thank you very much, I wish the same back to you.

 

RockOverdose.gr : How are you these days?

Jim Matheos : It's all going great.

 

RockOverdose.gr : How are you feeling today since the release of 'Sympathetic Resonance' 3 months ago? Are you satisfied with the results?

Jim Matheos : Yeah,I think so. We had so much to work on with John (Arch) and we didn't know what the results would be, we weren't sure if the fans would accept it the way we composed it but the feedback was great as usually with Greece's one as one of the greatest ones. Now I am re-learning some stuff for the shows we're scheduling, just rehearsing with the guys and having fun.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Were you suprised when you heard John's voice so "pure" and in a good condition as if time never passed since 1986? 

Jim Matheos : Not exactly. And that's because we've been in touch for a long time and I knew he was keeping his voice in a good condition, he does nothing that damages it,it's something natural for him anyway. So it's not a suprise,it's just John.

 

RockOverdose.gr : What was your inspiration for the those heavy riffs? Was the composition of those tracks difficult until the final result?

Jim Matheos : Inspirations...well I don't know,I just began to write stuff having my mind clear. Whatever that was, took me to that specific destination and the songs were that way without any particular plan or way of listening to them. If something is interesting and my ears like it, I just proceed with it and that's exactly what I learn.

 

RockOverdose.gr : So, how is it with John Arch,rehearsing together with him,like the old times? 

Jim Matheos : Well no, we never rehearsed together with John, not even the old times. We write our music one away from the other. I don't remember any event with me and him being together to write music apart from some riffs which needed group-work. But I always wrote the material and the music myself alone (because that way I find it more comfortable for me) and then I sent everything to John and he worked on it alone,wherever he was : studio or home. Then he sent the stuff back again with vocal and lyrical ideas and plans. I prepared and completed with the rest of the songs the songlist and had John to perform the vocals. That's the way we work.

 

RockOverdose.gr : You're headlining the "Keep It True" festival,right?

Jim Matheos : Yes.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Are you planing any other shows and since you've never performed any songs from the first era of Fates Warning history,are you playing anything from that era now?

Jim Matheos : Yes,we're on that point now and we're working on it, to play some songs live, but we're not spending an entire show just for them so we're trying to choose how many we'll perform. We have plenty of material so we'll see. As for the shows,we're playing on 'Keep It True' festival and we'll probably play another one on America. There might be an expanding of the current tour for the recent release.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Any other plans for Greece or Europe generally?

Jim Matheos : The only one now is for the show on Germany and "Keep It True". I would personally like to do more shows and Greece would be in them but for now there are no plans for anything. It's John's decision,you know, he hasn't been on stage for almost 25 years and it's a whole new step for him. So we have the show in Germany, a possible one in America and then we'll see how it goes.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Is there any possibility for you two to make another album together in the future?

Jim Matheos : I believe so, you know, we're having fun and the feedback is great and we're really happy with that and we also enjoy working together but there is no schedule for something like that yet. If there is though, some inspiration or anything,we would definetely do it again.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Ok, so let's move to the other bands of yours, OSI and Fates Warning.

Jim Matheos : Sure.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Any news from those two bands? Any releases or anything else?

Jim Matheos : OSI will release a new record in March, I won't tell an exact date,we recorded it and sent it to the record company so I can't know the exact date except that it will happen in March. Fates Warning will perform some shows in Europe in March I think. We're working on a new album that will be released somewhere in 2012.

 

RockOverdose.gr : What will the musical direction of the new Fates Warning album be?

Jim Matheos : It's too early for me to say,it's like what happened to the Arch/Matheos songs I told you before, I don't follow any ideas or plans for the musical shape and even if I do have something in mind, it might change to something else,different in the end. I can only tell you that the result will be completely different. 

 

RockOverdose.gr : So you say that it will be something different from the other releases so far?

Jim Matheos : That's what I like to do, to compose the album releases in a different way each time, I find it very interesting for me. I truly don't know, I try not to be mysterious but I don't know how the record will be yet, even the composition might change a few times.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Have you ever thought of adopting back the old sound of Fates Warning?

Jim Matheos : No. No, I like moving forward,not going to the past and recreating things. Even with John, we decided that we didn't want to see back and do "Awaken The Guardian" again,to take that formula and bring to 2010 and 2011. I don't want to do "Pleasant Shade Of Grey" again, I don't want to do "Parallels" again, I want to do new stuff whether fans will like it or not, that's me, honest with myself. Doing something that I did in the past again is not interesting for me.

 

RockOverdose.gr : What happens with the fans? What if they want to listen to something old?

Jim Matheos : Yes, I do understand them, I'm a fan myself, I like many bands, different catalogs from different material. You can listen to Rush, Pink Floyd, Marillion, I love every band and I'm really excited to see where they take their musical direction so I go with that and I will like it. The last thing I want is for those bands to play something they don't like just because I want to listen to it.

 

RockOverdose.gr : What happens with the live presentation of an album,a tactic that many bands follow these days?

Jim Matheos : We did that with "Parallels" in Greece, 2 years ago.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Would you do that again for another previous album release?

Jim Matheos : We're about to re-release "Inside Out" next year and we may do some live shows, it's a big deal to be all together,it will also require extreme work from everyone in the band now and also the old members to be available. So, I'm not 100% sure that this will happen but I would definetely enjoy it, it would include beautiful moments like the shows of "Parallels".

 

RockOverdose.gr : 2011 was a great for the progressive element and many bands released fantastic albums. Do you agree with that and what was your favorite release from 2011?

Jim Matheos : Yes,many bands composed good music. My favorite release doesn't have any relation with the rock or metal genre but if this is the criterion then I can say that I truly like Steven Wilson' release.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Any titles from the upcoming releases of your bands?

Jim Matheos : OSI album is ready,titles are set but I'm not allowed to say anything as the record company will do,possibly next week and for that reason I can't tell you anything. Fates Warning's material is still ongoing,there are some ideas that I am trying to connect to the songs for the moment.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Ok,last question. What is your opinion for band reunions? What do you think of that?

Jim Matheos : Depends on what band we're talking about. As I told you before, I like a lot of bands with a great variety of album releases and it would be great for me to see some of them reunited and this goes for us as well, like when we did "Parallels" and had some great shows. Yeah, I like that idea but only if it happens for the right reasons.

 

RockOverdose.gr : Thank you very much for the interview Jim, hope to see you again soon.

Jim Matheos : Thank you as well. Take care.

 

For Rockoverdose.gr

John "Dr. Feelgood" Koutsosimos