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At the 4th of April we were at the Evergrey gig in Weert/Netherlands. The opening act was a not that well-known band which called CirrhA Niva. I’d really like the show and afterwards I did a little chit-chat with the singer and I ask for an interview.
Next day we met again at the Biebob in Vosselaar. After the show we went outside the venue and tried to talk about the band and the last CD, but everything seems to be against it.
At first, every time I started to record a car or loud people did boycott our conversation and than it became colder and colder. But we stayed hard nearly ‘til the end….
For the introduction tell me who you are and which band you in!
All right. My name is Arnold Kloek and I’m the singer of Cirrha Niva and probably I will be singing in Cirrha Niva…
Okay. Why did you choose this band name?
It’s a long story. It starts in the beginning when the two guitar players formed the band. I wasn’t in the band at that time. I’m in the band for 6 years now . The band exist for 10 years now.
But it based on a philosophical book from Dante. In the book he describe the prognosis mountains and both have high tops, high pikes and the one called Cerra and the other Nisa and they stand for wisdom and political blablabla.
But if you want to know it for sure, check our website: www.CirrhaNiva.nl. And you have to look for the other dimension.
And so it has the meaning which we wanna put in our songs. But Cirrha Nisa didn’t sounds so nice, so that we changed it into Cirrha Niva
How came up with the idea to make a conceptual story on your last CD?
Well, it’s started with the first song Nightwish on the album, I guess a little bit more than two years ago. We had the lyrics written by Rob Willemse, our guitar player and we started and were thinking, well we miss something. The lyrics didn’t told the whole story, so it seems to miss something and I told the guys that it’s not finished and the other guy’s went to a bar, when I was at home and they had a lot of very good thoughts about it. And the other guitar player Diter said: „Hey, let’s make it a conceptual story!“ and everybody had a lot of good ideas about it. And than everybody was at home and thought: „Well, why not?“ So we said at that moment: „Okay, let make a concept album. Let’s try to make the story complete.“ We started writing first the story and afterwards we filled in the music and tried very hard to let the emotion of the characters fit in. Normally I listen a lot to the music and I miss that part of the music in that you can hear the emotion. That it should be in a right balance. I hope, we succeed with it. I think so… At the moment….
I can imagine that it was hard to have a red line. To make songs in a way that they can stand alone as well, right?
On the other hand we said to ourselves: Well, let’s do a concept album. It was hard to make it, so that a red line is leading through the album. Looking backwards it was very simple. The whole album is based on two guitar riffs. We did a lot of variations of those guitar riffs, so it always fits. And if you listen real careful, you can hear the line in it. That was the idea, how we could keep it in balance. And still we can play them separately. That was one of the main things, we wanted. And at some shows we couldn’t play the whole show like tonight and we luckily can pick some songs and can play them separately, out of the concept.
The story is split in seven parts, right?!
Yes
Why seven?
✶laughter✶ It’s a good question, but there is no reason at all.
I thought, it is! Cause seven is a mystic and holy number so ..
It could be… Maybe it’s a decision from the other side… That could be… It’s not that we put in a symbolic. There are enough symbolic things in the lyrics. For example the first part is called October, the 31st which is in all religions the day when the line between death and life is thin. You have so many religions, but the date is always the same.
Could you tell me a little bit about the story. Maybe the reader is becoming curious of it…
I try to keep it short… Let me tell it in a nut shell… The main character is an old man who is at the point where his wife had passed already and he wants to end his life. At that moment he had no fun in life at all and he miss his wife and wants to go back to her and be reunited with her. His deceased wife is in the twilight world, in the moment between life and death. The third person is the ruler of the underworld, the master of the underworld and he collects souls. The deceased wife has to collect the souls for him. But she thought: „Well, I wanna get out. I don’t like it here. I wanna move out!“ And at that time she reaches out for the old man, because at that date October, the 31st she sensed his feelings to go to the other side. And she thinks: „Well, maybe I can trick him and he replaces me. The ruler says: „Okay, I make the deal.“ But then he wants to keep both. That is the short version.
So it isn’t a love story. Only conspiracy and tricking….
Well, it deals with everything. All the emotion which you have within a loving relationship, with all the tensions you can put in. But you’re right, not a love story. ✶melodically grunting✶ This is not a love song !! ✶laughter✶
On stage you kinda act the characters… How do you do playing two characters.
I’ve studied Madonna for a good time…✶laughing✶ … Just kidding, but we have a very good and big team. And in-between the play, I’m running backstage to change my clothes and come back as another character.
Stress!
Yes, so I do a few transformations on stage. But it’s fun to do and hilarious, because at the first gig we had some problems. We had rehearsals before the first gig and it was okay, but we never did it with the complete light show, etc. At that day it was very, very hot on stage and when I had to change between the two characters, I was backstage and try to change my clothes, but it doesn’t work. I was sweating so much, because I had to wear a very big mantel jacket and other things, but I can’t get it off. So I was running out of time. I have an ear monitor system, so I can hear what they do on stage and I got my microphone with me and in that moment I had to start. Fuck! I had to be on stage! And at that moment I gave my mic to one of the girls backstage and the other one was tearing my clothes off and the other one as well. And I was starting to sing already and leave them hanging on stage without me. So that was very funny afterwards, but at that moment I want to sink down in the ground. But afterwards… It is a very good story.
Yes, it is. ✶laughter✶
So we changed a lot of my clothing, so I can be much faster.
Good for touring also. ✶smile✶
That’s right
How were the reactions about this project so far?
When we playing live its very strange to see people, just like they living there… In this world. Great reactions… Very good, I have to. Well, only in Holland they’re not into it. We started slowly in Holland, but it’s getting better now.
What’s your impression about Evergrey? How does it work with them?
Well, it’s very much fun with them. They are very nice guys and it’s always good to do some support, because we just somewhere down here ✶shows a low leveled point✶ and we want to rise very much higher ✶shows the rising with his hands✶ Not everybody knows who is CirrHa Niva!
We work on it
Yes… And so we have to do this support to get the right attention and it’s working great for us.
Now you play only some songs of the theater story and others of the albums before. Are the reactions similar when you play the whole story?!
No. It couldn’t be. This is the reaction as usual. We do this kind of normal show for many years now and we know the reaction for this and it’s always good. But it’s different to the theatrical show.
What are your plans for the future?
We’re starting to write. We have new ideas now. And we’re talking and thinking what we do afterwards. We are not sure, if we do another concept show. It have to be another theatrical story again, coz we like it very much. Although it’s very much stress for the crew and we have to work on it many hours, but we like this. It’s different..
How did you pay the costs for this productions? It have to be very expensive, isn’t it?
Yes, it is very expensive, but we’re very proud that we are the one and only band which is sponsored. We do the artwork and the combination between music and art on our own. We know, we do something special!
What do you expect from the Wave Gothic Treffen?
Well, I hope it will be over fast! I’m a little bit nervous, because there are very much human beings over there. ✶laughter✶ Well, but I hope that I can transport the message of what we want to do. It will be the first festival with the whole show, so we hope that we can rebuild a lot of the scenery.
Good luck! I’m sorry that I can’t come over to see it.
Thank you! Yes, me to!
Okay, I think we should stop here. Because it’s too cold…
Yes, your fingers are turning blue…
Thank you very much. We’ll do a little update next time.
How I said, Arnold, thank you very much for this spontaneously interview. But next time we only do it in the summer time or next to a heater! 😉
Nadja Meyer