A New Dawn interview

A New Dawn hail from the Netherlands and I recently got to check in with them to find out more.




- Hello, please introduce yourselves and tell what instrument you play.
Jamila: Hello, my name is Jamila and I am one of the leading vocals. My gear is: AT wireless mic. + AT in-ear.
Elbert: My name is Elbert de Hoog. I play guitar in A New Dawn
Monica: Monica Janssen, bass guitar and raw vocal parts (grunts)

- Tell us a little about your band’s history.
In the 90’s Elbert played in a band, that he (co)wrote his first original songs with. When this band split up, he decided to record some of these songs, because he felt it would be a shame never to have recorded them at all in a proper way. This project was called A New Dawn. Elbert also recorded two cover songs, that he had played with other bands. Shortly after the demo was finished, he started playing in another band and the project was put on a shelve. Until a few years ago, he decided to record some new material under the name A New Dawn. Elbert teamed up with Sanne, who at that time was looking for a band or project. That was basically the beginning. Elbert was looking for somebody who could add some grunts to one of the songs we were recording and that’s when Monica came in the picture. After the recordings were finished, we got the idea to form a band to promote the recordings and that’s when things started for A New Dawn, basically.

- Who are your influences?
Jamila: I listen to all kinds of music, it depends on my mood. Soul, blues, rock, metal, jazz, pop and so on.
Elbert: Music-wise, my influences come mainly from the mid-80’s heavy metal with bands like Savatage Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche, Metallica. As a guitarist, I am a huge fan of Randy Rhoads, Criss Oliva, Eddie Van Halen and Brian May. Of course, there is a lot more.
Monica: All kinds of metal, but also rock, classical music, basically anything that enters my ears.

- What are you currently working on?
We just released our debut album “Falling From Grace”. Right now, we are promoting the album with our live shows, which goes pretty well, we might add. The reactions are quite overwhelming, which is a great thing. Of course, we have started working on new tunes as well. It’s like starting a new chapter on a blanc page. It’s quite exciting!

- Your MySpace page says that you once started off as side project, but have become the full-fledged metal band today. What other bands were you in and how does being in A New Dawn differ from being in those other bands?
Jamila: When I was younger I sang in a rockband called: Madieval. This band doesn’t exist anymore, but I enjoyed singing there. The last 8 years I sang background and lead in a soul/funk and disco coverband called: 2MF. We played songs like: It’s raining men, Relight my Fire, Disco Inferno. It was very fun to do and the bandmembers were very close.
Now I had to quit the band, because I couldn’t combine it anymore with A New Dawn. A coverband is great, but it would be greater to make your own music and get a fan base who really love your music. So with a lot of pain in my heart I told 2MF that I wanted to quit and I focus all my energy on A New Dawn now, and it all goes well.
Elbert: By the time A New Dawn was still a project, I played in a band called Mental Captivity. With Mental Captivity, there was one (male) singer, whereas A New Dawn works with more (female) singers. Working with more than one singer brings so much more possibilities in writing songs.
Monica: I have done a lot of different stuff, but still play in two other bands (X-Tinxion and Imp) besides A New Dawn, they differ a lot from what we do in A New Dawn.





- What are some of your favourite albums of 2008 so far?
Jamila: Like I said, I listen to a lot of different music and I really don’t have favourite albums.
Elbert: I definitely like the latest album by Judas Priest. It’s quite different from what they did before, yet so unmistakeably Judas Priest.
Monica: Depends on my mood, but I really like the Volbeat album.


- Who have you opened for? What have been some of your more memorable shows so far?
We’ve openened for After Forever, Delain, Epica, Battlelore and many others. The most memorable shows so far are the big show: with Epica in “De Kade-Zaandam” and with Epica in “De Groene Engel-Oss”. Also with After Forever and Delain. The audience was great and we’ve put on a great show. Opening for these acts often means, playing for bigger crowds, which is a great thing to do!

- What is the music scene like in your area of the Netherlands? Are there many hard rock/metal bands? Are there many clubs for local bands to play at?
Yes, the music scene counts up to 10.000’s of people who go to concerts of rock/metal bands here in The Netherlands. There are a lot of clubs where we can play like: De Baroeg, De Kade, De Groene Engel, P60, 013, De Bibelot, Escape and many others. The number of bands is huge. However, many bands do not last long. They are together for a year or so, and then they fall apart again. Playing in a band that starts out can be a tough thing. Because there are so many other bands, it’s hard to find a place to perform. You have to find a way to get noticed by venues and, of course, be persistent.

- It looks like you have a number of live dates coming up over the next few months. I noticed that you are playing an event called the Gothic and Fantasy Fair. Have you ever played at this event before and what exactly is it?
We’ve played on a Gothic and Fantasy Fair before. It’s a little bit different than concerts we play in venues like De Kade. At a fair you can come if you like Gothic and Fantasy. Gothic and Fantasy Fairs are basically fairs in bigger halls. Here you can find anything you can think of concerning Gothic and Fantasy (you can think of clothing, live role playing, interiour). During these fairs, several bands play a show. In the past we have played on some of these fairs (and in the future we will too) and they were always fun to do.

- How do you think that your band has progressed since you first started out?
We believe we are in a fasttrain right now. A New Dawn made some huge progressions since we started out and is doing really great. We only get more and more great shows.
When you start with a band, you are looking for a sound that suites the band. You look for the things that can make you special. We participated in some band-contest and used the jury-reports to see what things needed improvement and what things worked out fine for us.
We also think that we have grown in all possible ways. The music has evolved and become a bit tighter, the vocal parts have improved and we have grown as a team. A New Dawn is 6 very different people and 6 very different opinions, and writing new material seldom is an easy process, but somehow it takes the music to a higher level.

- In what areas do you think that you still need to improve?
You can always improve things in any area. Why not? We still think the best possible song is yet to be written, the best possible show is yet to be played and so on. You should never be too satisfied with what you accomplished. There is never an end to growth. The horizon isn’t something you can reach, it just keeps shifting as you move towards it.





- What are you doing that sets you apart from other bands going today?
The musical backgrounds of the various bandmembers are so different from each other, that it is basically impossible to even try to sound like any other band. We each put our own ingredient in every song and the result sounds like A New Dawn. Perhaps one thing that sets us apart is the fact that we have two, sometimes three singers instead of one lead singer that most bands use. Having more than one singer also gives us the possibility to sound live, the way we sound on CD, without the use of samples. Musically, we’re a classic heavy metal band with two guitars, bass and drums. No keyboards or samples. The harmonies and melodies come from the guitars and the vocals.
There is an old-fashioned element of twin solo’s and heavy metal and yet a very modern groove. The use of classical elements in vocal parts are often linked to gothic, but we think, because our music is so different from standard gothic, we bring something different to the scene.

- What other interests do you have besides music?
Elbert: I love watching movies and TV shows. I also like to design things on the computer. Most time is spent on making music and the things that come with that.
Monica: I like to read, write poetry, paint, but also like keeping myself busy and my body in shape. I like film, theatre, or just hang out with some friends at the pub.
Jamila: I like to go out with my friends and family, drawing and painting, watch movies and a whole bunch of other stuff.

- If you could only listen to three albums over the next month then what would you pick?
Elbert: Cool question! Let me see. “Tribute” by Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads. I remember hearing “Crazy Train” for the first time. I could not believe what I heard. Randy Rhoads was such a great guitar player and such a big example for me. The second one would probably be “A Day At The Races” by Queen. An album that holds one masterpiece after another. Beautiful arrangements, at one time subtle, then again heavy. “You Take My Breath Away” was played by A New Dawn in the very early days. A song that may look like a simple track, but it’s got such great chord progressions. Stunning. The last album would probably be “Live After Death” by Iron Maiden. Another live album, I know… What can I say… I love live albums and I love Iron Maiden. Iron Maiden were one of my main influences when I first started playing guitar. Adrian Smith is still one of my all time heroes. And perhaps (if no one looks) I might sneak “Falling From Grace” with me, because I really like that album!
Monica: Oh my god, that’s like asking me to sit still all day!!! Haha, I think I wouldn’t listen to anything, or maybe to some albums that are just released and not yet in my possession. I would like to hear the new Hollenthon album, Also the new Textures and Iced Earth.

- Is there anything else you would like to say about your band of your music?
We hope the people who read this interview care to visit our website at http://www.anewdawnband.nl/ or our MySpace at www.myspace.com/anewdawnband . Take a look at our videos to get an idea of our shows or have a listen to our songs. Hope you will enjoy! Come see us, so you can judge for yourself !!
Further we would like to thank you for this interview! You came up with some nice questions. Thank you.