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Band page - Final Conflict
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Band Profile
What is your name and your current position in the band?
My name is Henry Rogers and I am the Drummer.
How would you categorize the style of the band? And did you ever consider or try playing other styles of music than the one(s) you are playing now?
Final Conflict is categorised as Progressive Rock. I play all styles of music in different bands, styles that vary from Jazz to Metal and Prog Metal. I enjoy taking all influences on board, it opens up so many avenues when writing music as I am not restricted to focus on one area.
What is your latest album and why should people buy it?
Our latest release was our live DVD entitled "Another Moment In Time" This was Produced by Metal Mind Productions and recorded in Katowice. I think that this DVD is a turnaround point for Final Conflict; it is a spectacular reward for 23 years hard work! The DVD is a collaboration of what we believe to be our best work, it is a portfolio of we think we are about and what our music represents.
We have a new album on the way out entitled "The Return of the Artisan". We hope that ROTA will be released around the Christmas season and we are so excited to release our new material.
Tell us about the history of the band. More specifically, when was the band formed, how did you meet, and have there been any particular highlights or low points in your career, any crucial events that have taken you where you are today?
Final Conflict was originally formed in 1985. Over the years FC has developed its own distinctive sound which has received worldwide acclaim.
The band's early cassette releases "Channel 8" (1987) and "The Time Has Arrived" (1989) were followed by a series of CD's: "Redress The Balance" (1991), "Quest" (1992), "Stand Up" (1997), "Hindsight" (2003) and "Simple (2006)". Recently we have added the live DVD/CD "Another moment in time". Each has been a landmark release for us in its own way.
Highlights are: 2002 when we built our own "Gaolhouse" recording studio; 2007 when we featured in 5 categories at The Classic Rock Society's BOTY awards; 2008, at the same awards, when we were presented with the MD's award by Steve Hackett of Genesis; and last but not least when we were invited to Poland to perform at the Wyspianski Theatre in Katowice for the live DVD in October 2008.
Our biggest low point happened during the recording of "Simple", when we lost our drummer Chris Moyden to cancer. This was a great personal blow to FC. Simple was intended to be a celebration of 21 years making progressive music, but ended up also being a tribute to Chris.
Was there ever a time when you wondered if your band would remain just a local outfit and never make it in the industry?
We've always been focused on making music that we like and we hope that it is enjoyed by our audiences. This has been the primary aim of the band. Any success we have achieved has been incidental to this one aim. We just taken it as it comes..
Can you share with us one or two of your favourite moments with the band
Well the live DVD was of course a highlight of all the F.C experiences for all of us! It was a magnificent feeing and such a thrill! For me, it was a turning point in my career and is what made me think, 'this is what I want to do for the rest of my life'.
Another experience would have to be when we went to Lithuania to perform at The Baltic Prog Fest. This was my first gig abroad with the band and it was a brilliant experience, getting to know everyone better, and the added pressure of it being a new line up! But we pulled through a played a brilliant and exciting gig.
How is the writing process in the band?
When we are writing, we all come together in the studio and start to plsy with idea's. Everyone has there own idea of what we would like to achieve and everybody has good input into the music. There are moments where we clash and that leaves us stuck, when this sort of thing happens we just have to strip everything out and start to re-input ideas in a different way.
What brought you on the path to becoming a musician? Did you ever consider or take any other paths through life besides music?
I wanted to be a musician from the age of around 8. I have always wanted to play the drums but I never started until I was 13 years old. I lways wanted to play as my brother had a drum kit and used to play when I was younger. It took and long while and a lot of convincing to get my parents to let me play the drums after already having had one drummer in the family. (haha)
Do you have any idols? If yes, who?
I would say that I have favourite drummers but I take something different away from all of the drummers that I watch. Everyone has something unique about them when they are performing, and if it's not the drumming skill or ability it could be the showmanship and finesse. I think that Gavin Harrison is my favourite drummer and off the topic of drummers, Steven Wilson is one of my favourite musicians, I think the man is a genius!
Do you have any regrets looking back at your career? For example any songs or even full albums that you regret recording? If so, what made you regret it?
We've answered this in part in the next question. The songs that we write have to be liked by all of us or we do not work on them. This means quite a lot of material is rejected at the early stages. By the time a track is finished it pretty well means we all like it. Consequently, I don't think we have any regrets. We may wish we had more time / skill / facilities in order to do a better technical job of the recording etc, but that's just the way of things. Everything has to be done to a budget and we think we have achieved a lot in our career.
Are there particular songs in your catalogue that the fans love but you're not particular fond of yourself?
FC's musical output is very diverse. If you come to a live gig you will be surprised at the range of songs we play. It is very difficult to pigeon-hole us. FC songs are an amalgamation of a group of musicians with diverse tastes coming together and it is always the case that some songs are liked more by some band-members than others. Our fans also have their own pet likes and dislikes. I don't think we can single out any songs that we perform which any of us really dislike. By the time songs get to be recorded the less popular ones fall by the wayside anyway!
How important do you rate the lyrical side of your albums?
Every song we do is carefully crafted to be as complete a musical experience as we can manage. The lyrics are an extremely important factor to complement the music and set the atmosphere of the piece. We constantly critique and refine the songs until we are happy with them. This is part of the reason why we don't set ourselves rigid targets for completion of projects. We want to make each release as good as it can be.
What do you think about the state of the music industry today?
The music industry is very much ever changing at the moment, what with the 'Indie scene' and the 'pop scene' shining through and disappearing again. I think that music is certainly turning its head more towards commercial progressive music. It is the sort of music that people have always listening to but never owned up to it. Progressive is now becoming a more commercially accepted music, I think the latest break through from Porcupine Tree have shown this.
What do you think is the best way to fight music piracy?
There is no full proof plan to fight it, only ways to try and slow it down. With music sales now being based on line with places like Itunes as well as shops it becomes hard to stop illegal downloads. I think the best way is to restrict where your music is sold on the internet and base sales around C.D's sales in the shops and at gigs if possible. There is action being taken at the moment on all people who download and I think this will be a huge scare for people who do download music, after all, the thought of being faced with a substantial fine just for downloading when albums are cheap enough to buy online. it seems silly.
Do you have a life philosophy? If yes, what is it?
I wouldn't say I have a life philosophy, I have a huge passion for music and that is part of my life. I enjoy working in music and will never stop learning, I don't think any musician could say they know everything they could learn. It is important to just keep doing what you believe is right in music and try and stand out.
Can you describe a typical day in your life?
I get up in the morning and take care of my emails from overnight and I see what work I have received. I respond to all and any work will be added to what else I have to do. I will have breakfast and then spend time working on whatever needs typing up and gigs etc that need organising. After this I like to find the time to practise, so this could be at home if one of my kits is around or I will go down to the studio to practise. I warm up, go through rudiments and play along to music. After all of this I like to free style play and see what I can come up with and what new comes out. Then I can come home and continue with more work. Obviously if I have a gig then I have to spend more time in the day packing up ready.
What do you like to spend your time with besides music?
When I'm not doing something involved in music I like to take some time off to go fishing, to play squash and to go out. I used to play rugby from the age of 5 and I have loved it all of my life, but I had to sacrifice rugby so that I could continue to drum, the problem is that I was a prop and used to get injured every match. Obviously risks like this could devastate my career in music so I had to stop.
What's the craziest thing that has ever happened on a tour?
Well there have been a lot of things that have happened on tour from watching other bands falling down flights of stairs drunk to accidently pulling the built in power lead out of a TV mistaking it for an ariel. I think it is hard to categorise the craziest thing as there are so many different types of things that happen. Put 4-6 band members on a bus together and things are going to go wrong every now and again (haha)
You're heading off to live on a deserted island for a couple of years with your portable entertainment system... Which albums, movies or books would you bring? (Max. 3 of each)
Well I would have to take:
C.D's : John Coltrane - wheelin' and dealin'
Blackfield - Blackfield II
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Books: The Da vinci Code + Angels and Deamons
(its technically just one choice as they follow each other haha)
The Biography of Ozzy Osbourne "I Am Ozzy"
Lord Of The Rings
Movies: A beautiful mind
Meet Joe Black
Con Air
What is your favourite joke?
What do you call a man with no shins?... Tony
Can you tell us about any future plans for you and your band?
Future plans are hard to predict and plan in the music industry, however the ultimate aim in my eyes is to keep working on what I am doing, keep the skill levels up and try and push the music that I love. I would love to do well in music and it is something that I shall strive for.
Thanks for answering these questions. Now you are free to write a few lines to our readers.
Just to say thank you so much for all readers who support the magazine and make RevelationZ able to keep producing interviews and writing articles like they do. Every bit of support and help is appreciated by bands like ourselves and we hope that some of you will find the time to listen to our music through the various media outlets.
www.myspace.com/finalconflictmusic
www.myspace.com/henryrogersdrum
www.fc-music.com
Hen
Added by Steen - 1/29/2010
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