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What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
Carol: It's hard to confine "Ancient Delirium" into one category because it fits into several genres, such as alternative rock, gothic, world fusion, neotribal, alternative world, etc. I think it just depends on who you are talking to as to how the music is viewed. The music has rock vocals and exotic music you can dance to in a club or belly dance to or rock out to in the car. As for influences, I love classical music most but I also love Deta blues to medieval music to Bernard Herrmann (Alfred Hitchcock's film composer). I love blues-based hard rock bands like Led Zeppelin to the artsy 90s duo Curve to Queensryche and Stone Temple Pilots to goth bands to Lacuna Coil.
How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?
Charles: Carol and I first met back in 01' at an event that Seraphim Shock was headlining in L.A. We were introduced and ended up having a great conversation backstage about music in general. Carol spoke to me of possibly lending my vocals to her work and, lo and behold, five years later the timing and circumstance was right for us to work together.
Carol: I had been searching many, many years for a male vocalist whose voice possessed certain qualities I like. I had worked with vocalist Lenny Wolf from the late 80s/early 90s band Kingdom Come and wrote lyrics with him for two Kingdom Come CDs ("Hands Of Time" and "Bad Image"). I did consider Lenny as the vocalist for "Ancient Delirium" but eventually I decided to continue my search. When I saw Charles perform for the first time, I immediately recognized the elegant, superb vocal quality Charles possessed - the smooth, even vibrato with sustain, warm tone with clarity, wide vocal range, excellent stage presence, etc. And when we talked backstage, he was so nice and down to earth. So, when I had the opportunity to add a track to my German label Accession Record's compilation CD, I called Charles. The track we would eventually record was "Primitive Kiss," a song about a vampire couple traveling through time together who are completely and madly in love for all eternity. My long-time engineer, Florian Ammon, recorded us and when he first heard "Ancient Delirium" he said "Carol, I love this new direction you are taking." Florian is amazing, having recorded all the Rammstein CDs (with several gold and platinum records), Van Halen, Elton John, etc., and he worked on U2's last CD "No Line On The Horizon."
When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?
Charles: Well, we started off in 06' working on a single for a German compilation. I think it was just one of those things that continued to grow over time. One song turned to four that ultimately led to making an entire album. I think the reason it works so well is that we don't sit down and map this project out so much as we just let Carol's natural creative expression happen.
Carol: Well, we are not a "band" in the traditional sense of the word but we are a great team because we are loyal friends, have a lot of respect for each other and have the same work ethic. Our internal visions are fundamentally compatible but when I presented Charles with this new musical style that he had never done before, it was pretty exciting and a little scary at the same time. I was honored Charles trusted me enough to let me guide him into a new vocal style that stretched his range a lot and was "lighter" than his original music. Charles' huge fan base knows him as this dark, radical, awesome industrial metal shock-rock singer and here I am having him sing these beautiful, romantic melodies. He was a good sport, for sure!
Do you have a record label? Are you a member of any music organizations?
Carol: The label that releases "Ancient Delirium" is my label Trine Records. I am a member of ASCAP and I just signed a worldwide administration and digital licensing deal with Bug Music, a publishing company whose roster includes Scott Weiland (STP), Joan Jett, Alice Cooper, Dave Navarro, Iggy Pop, Alison Krause, etc.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?
Where do you draw your influences from?
Carol: I write the music and lyrics and Charles adds his amazing, luxurious vocal style to the songs and makes them come alive. I think Charles could sing the dictionary and make it sound gorgeous. As far as the main themes of the songs, "Ancient Delirium" is definitely about love. In fact, "ancient delirium" is a euphemism for love. I had never written songs about love before so I decided it was the right time to do that. It's about love in all its forms: eternal love, hurtful love, friendship love, erotic love, unrequited love, singing love's praises, love of having a life as an artist, etc. My influences come from life's experiences, movies, photographs, dreams...especially dreams...even some nightmares...
Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
Charles: Carol writes all the songs/lyrics and this is her baby...her vision. My place is to dig deep and capture that vision as a vocalist. This obviously is very different from anything I have done as a singer/songwriter and was a great experience in stepping out to do something different.
Carol: Charles and I had the challenges of being new to working together and working on music while Charles was living in Denver and I was in Los Angeles. The challenges were met by having lots of phone conversations and then flying Charles to L.A. about a half dozen times to record. Being in different states, we really had to be adaptable, flexible and patient in order to pull it together. And Flo (engineer Florian Ammon) would have to go off and record Rammstein or U2 for months at a time so there was a lot of down time, which is why it took so long to release "Ancient Delirium." But quality takes time and Charles and I decided time didn't matter and that we would not put anything out unless it was as close to perfect as we could get. Our work ethic dictated that if it wasn't right, it wouldn't go out. All the songs on the CD were heavily scrutinized so we are personally very happy and comfortable with the results.
What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
Carol: Right after we finished the last vocal tracks on "Ancient Delirium," Charles had to fly back to Denver in order to work on his new Seraphim Shock CD "Black Heart Revival" (Feb. 2010 release) and pack to move to Los Angeles. Charles is now living in L.A. but he is putting the finishing touches on his new CD and then will do a national tour at select venues (see Seraphim Shock at Bar Sinister, Los Angeles, Saturday, March 6, 2010). So, we are not rehearsing at the moment but I am doing the groundwork for new songs for our next CD, which is an ongoing process. And I have no idea when that will be released. Hopefully, before 2012!
What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Carol: Our biggest challenge was trying to record a CD with Charles in Denver and me in Los Angeles. And coordinating the guest musicians' schedules with the studio schedule.
What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Charles: Umm, don't! lol...no, seriously...Understand that music is music and business is business. Meaning...learn to be objective about your art and know the realities of the industry. Obviously, the music world can be treacherous.
Carol: Yeah, don't! Or if you do, be prepared to work like you've never worked before in your life. The work is never done and you are always learning something new. There is always some way to further your career and it's up to you to keep the ball rolling even if you are tired. Be flexible and adaptable and wise and read every word of a contract and understand what those words mean before you sign. And LEARN HOW TO ARRANGE!! That's probably #1. Good arrangements can make or break a song. Good arrangements are on the radio. All you have to do is listen with an analytical ear. It's all there. You just have to hunger for betterment. You have to push it through with no excuses.
How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
Yes. Our websites have song clips, new photos, bios, artwork, etc. They are:
www.myspace.com/caroltatummusic
www.myspace.com/charlesseraphimshock
Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
Carol: Yes, my Dad, Jack Bauder Tatum, contributed money for the recording. He was an executive at MCA Records and plays alto sax and trumpet. When I was about five years old, he took me to a jazz club with live, amazing musicians and that experience impacted my tiny brain and changed my life. My Dad is very supportive of me in music, financially and emotionally, so Thank You, Dad! Thank you, Crystal Lyn Moran/DJ Catalyst Echo, for your superb artwork and vision. And thank you to Flo for continuing to record with me after all these years and for making Charles and I sound so pulled together and polished sounding. You are the best and thanks for your friendship and steady support.
Any last words?
Carol: Thanks, DJ Mirage, for having us for this interview. It's been a real pleasure!
