Interview with DARK SKY

December 15, 2023

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

We got into music because we wanted to be rock stars like our idols from AC/DC and the Scorpions. If music hadn't become my great passion, then I would have either become a competitive athlete or an animal rights activist - or a mechanical engineer ;-)

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

I spend time with my family and do as much sport as possible. In fact, sport, especially running/jogging, is a source of inspiration for me. I can switch off and have melodies, guitar riffs or beats playing in my head.

How long has your band been around? Also, please tell me about the dynamic of the band of what brought you all together.

The band DARK SKY has existed since I started making music with my friends from school at the age of 15. Of course, today's line up has nothing to do with the beginnings back then. Ultimately, it was always the love of music and the joy of making music together that brought us together as a band and kept us together.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

DARK SKY has its home base in Rottweil, in the south of Germany. In fact, the musicians often came from completely different regions. At the moment we are a rather international band, with musicians from Holland, Italy and Croatia ;-) But of course, our creativity was also inspired by the local scene, and there have been renowned rock and metal bands in southern Germany since the early 80s.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

Unfortunately, that's not very spectacular, because the name came about at some point in the rehearsal room and we just thought: "Yeah, that sounds cool!". Now I can read a lot into the name, but actually there is no real story behind it - sorry :-)

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

In fact, there were shows with the Scorpions in both a positive and negative sense. There was this concert in Colmar where we as the support band were so well received by the French audience that we sold all of the CDs at the merchandise stand and could have easily sold a few hundred more copies. That was incredible!!! There was also a support show with the Scorpions in Freiburg in Germany. That was a disaster!!!!! We stood on stage and were amazed at the perplexed looks from the audience. Afterwards we found out that the sound engineer had swapped the microphone tracks of the keyboard player and me and therefore my lead vocals could hardly be heard, but the background voice of our keyboard player could be heard at full volume - he admittedly didn't have a good day vocally that evening either :-( CD sales didn't go so well that evening....

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

Of course it's great to play in large venues with solid infrastructure, as well as at well-organized open air festivals, provided the weather is right. However, I also love the concerts in larger clubs, where you are incredibly close to the audience and can therefore have a very direct interaction with the people. As a German rock musician, I would definitely like to play at the Wacken Open Air Festival at some point ;-)

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

We've already shared the stage with some big bands, but the ones I'd definitely like to play with at a festival are Motley Crüe, AC/DC, KISS and Rammstein. Ultimately I have to hope that these bands continue to perform live long enough before they retire ;-)

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Basically, it's important to be persistent, not to give up straight away and to do what you really care about. It's also important to have the right people around you so that everyone pulls together. And of course it is important to establish and maintain contacts. This is exactly what I would have recommended to my younger self: Don't hold on to people who slow you down for too long, concentrate on what is really important to you and use and expand your contacts!

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

I would say the song “Forgiveness” moves me the most because the topic of child abuse is so terrible. Otherwise, the song "Heroes On Ice" is of course something very special for me because it's about ice hockey and my whole family was in front of, behind and next to the camera in the music video ;-)

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

It's hard to say, because we like to play all the songs in the current live set. I can't pick anyone out that easily. But of course we're really enjoying playing the songs from the new CD at the moment and of the older tracks, the song "Cute Little Lies" has always worked well for years. Due to their topicality, I guess "Signs Of The Time" and "Heroes On Ice" are currently the most popular.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

We started writing songs for this album right after the last tour with TREAT. I worked on the new ideas with Markus Teske in his Bazement Studio. We also incorporated progressive influences from Markus and were inspired by symphonic and power metal music. The song “Forgiveness” comes mainly from Hannes Braun (Kissin Dynamite) and gives the album a different flavor. We also recorded an 80s cover version called “In The Heat Of The Night” and also a song in Czech, “Stín Katedrál”. It was a real adventure trip ;-) The inspiration for our music is ultimately life, i.e. what we experience and what concerns us.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

On the one hand, our songs are about current world events, love, and Christian content, and on the other hand, there are also autobiographical elements that we reflect with the music.

Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?

Before the release of the new CD “Signs Of The Time” in August 2023, our record company Metalapolis has already released three singles with music videos and after the CD release, the label released a fourth song including a music video.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

There are actually some remarkable concerts and performances scheduled for 2024. We will be playing at some of the biggest festivals in Europe, visiting many countries and meeting new fans. We are very excited to see how everything will work out.

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

We are currently on Facebook and Instagram regularly with posts and news and the band's friends and fans can of course comment and communicate there. There is also our homepage www.darkskyband.com.

Thank you for your questions und hopefuly we will meet somewhere, someday at a DARK SKY live show!!! ;-)

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