APRIL: Pallas formed 30 years ago as Rainbow. That's longer
than a lot of partnerships last, weathering some lineup changes over the years
as well. What thoughts come to mind when you reflect on such a long-standing
collaboration?
ALAN: Speaking as a relative newcomer (20 years this August!!), I'd
say it doesn't seem that long really. It's been part of my life pretty much
all of my adult life and I can't really imagine what it'd be like without Pallas.
It's the mix of personalities involved that make it work as much as the musical
ideas or ability. One without the other and it wouldn't have worked. We're just
lucky we get on
(most of the time) really.
APRIL: The 1979 lineup is described as the first "stable"
one. That's a curiousstatement -- most bands start out stable and cohesive,
then fall apart after a few years of gigging, rehearsing, recording, touring
and just plain getting sick of each other. Can any of you comment on these 5
"unstable" years, and what made them so? Were there creative, personal,
or some other issues?
ALAN: I wasn't there, but I think the answer above gives some inkling
of what's involved. The early incarnations of Rainbow/Pallas were stages on
the way to finding the right balance of people and abilities. Most bands go
through this, but airbrush out the formative periods in their histories. We're
just a bit more honest about it than most.
APRIL: What happened between 1986 and the release of "Beat
The Drum"? The band's activity dropped back quite a bit, but you didn't
part ways or break up either.
ALAN: Well I did actually leave (1988) but kept in touch via
Mike Stobbie in London.. Pallas never officially broke up, just became more
and more of a "studio" project that never quite achieved critical
mass for one reason or another. But then suddenly the time was right again..
APRIL: How has the band's sound changed and evolved through
the years?
ALAN: We've become better players.. We've been exposed to a
wider range of styles and techniques.. We've kept up with changes in musical
technology..All these and more.. I guess we've gradually got closer to the music
we hear in our heads.. I think really that's all we've ever tried to do.
APRIL: The LA2 gig in November 2000 -- Was that really your
first London gig in 12 years? (Great show, btw -- I was there!)
ALAN: err. Yes.. Didn't seem possible but it was true.. Funny how time
passes when you're not paying attention :-)
APRIL: Your first EMI album, "The Sentinel", is a
"concept" album about the lost city of Atlantis. Given all of the
technological changes in both music and renewed interest in general in underwater
exploration, do you think that's a theme that you'll ever revisit?
ALAN: I don't think so really.. Lyrically I prefer to address
things in a slightly more direct way than using myths and legends to illustrate
an idea. I think it worked at the time, but I wouldn't be too comfortable approaching
subjects in quite that way now.
APRIL: "The Cross & The Crucible" seems to have
a theme, but not a fully fleshed-out concept, of good vs. evil that exists in
all of us. What
inspired that theme?
ALAN: Graeme was reading some books that dealt with the medaieval
struggle between faith and science - the birth of modern thought if you like,
and it seemed to be a rich seam for ideas and images.. Initially some of the
songs had quite different flavours, but as the album developed it became clear
that music and lyrics were taking a definite gothic turn. We then actively pursued
that as it seemed to work well and gave the album a cohesiveness it may not
otherwise have had.
APRIL: Is there a different between a theme and a concept,
given the last question?
ALAN: Probably not.. It's a matter of degree really.. To illustrate
I'd say that, for example "Dark side of the Moon" or "OK Computer"
are thematic, as they present a collection of disparate songs that together
seem to explore related themes - but still remain individual stand-alone pieces.
Whereas a "concept" is more like "Lamb lies Down" or "Tommy"
where there's an attempt at a narrative structure and the songs often don't
make much lyrical sense on their own. So by that definition "the Sentinel"
is a concept album, and "The Cross.." is a thematically-linked one.
APRIL: Please explain your strawberry yogurt fetish (see www.cix.co.uk/~voyage-34/pallas/pallguys.html).
ALAN: It's a deeply personal thing that only I and about 300
groupies have been able to share :-)
APRIL: I've seen Pallas called a "neo-prog" band,
then last week saw Pallas grouped together in the "Metal" section
at a local Tower Records. Since labels can be misleading or limiting, what would
you call your sound and/or genre, and how would you describe it?
ALAN: "Post post-modern krypto-industrial pop-rock-metal"
or even "heavy rock with keyboards".
APRIL: Why do you think Prog/Art rock has such a male-dominated
fanbase?
ALAN: I've no idea.. Probably because the bands are usually pretty
ugly (us included).
APRIL: What bands and CDs are you into now?
ALAN: Re-discovering Deep Purple at the moment after I found
"Made in Japan" in the bargain bin at my local record shop.. And very
keen on the last Muse album, "Absolution".
APRIL: Derek: Have you purchased your plane yet? Are you still
"Bananaman"?
(Now you'll have to explain that one, too)
ALAN: Derek is sadly no longer with us (bizarre gardening accident
involving helicopters) .. I think it's fair to say he never bought his plane,
and that Bananaman was dead and buried the moment his yellow karate suit got
mangled in the wash.
APRIL: Besides yourselves, who are your favorite bands:
ALAN:
APRIL: What is everyone's current favorite "toy"
(not necessarily musical)
ALAN: Roland VG8 (virtual guitar synth) which the guys just bought
me and I'm really only just beginning to understand. Can replicate a Les Paul,
Strat, 335, Rick 12-string, Tele and god knows what else at the flick of a switch
- not to mention a dizzying collection of amplifier/speaker combinations. A
very useful live tool.
APRIL: Were you a student or a teacher at Stirling? What were
you studying/teaching?
ALAN: Student - English, but I was doing teacher training as part of
my degree with the aim of becoming a (high school) English teacher. I didn't
complete the teacher training bit as the final teaching practise conflicted
with some Pallas commitments. Generations of Scottish schoolchildren have much
to be thankful for.
APRIL: What careers were you all looking towards when music
intervened?
ALAN: See above
APRIL: If music hadn't intervened, what do you think you would
be doing now?
ALAN: Marking exam papers.. Hoping for a pardon from the governor.
APRIL: What projects are any of you working on outside of Pallas?
ALAN: Not much time for anything else to be honest, though I have a
number of (non-Pallas) songs I'd like to record sometime. No idea when, or if,
this may happen.
APRIL: Do you have any U.S. gigs planned besides NEARfest?
ALAN: Sadly not so far.. The visa situation in the States makes it
prohibitively expensive for us to tour outside of events such as Nearfest, so
it's not really practical. Never say never though..
APRIL: Why now, after 30 years, is your first U.S. gig just
now coming about?
ALAN: Errr.. They asked us.. But I think it's fair to wonder
why we haven't been over before - especially as "The Sentinel" was
in fact
recorded in Atlanta GA. At one point - just after I joined the band - it looked
very likely that we'd be spending quite a bit of time in the U.S.,but for various
reasons that just never happened.
APRIL: And finally -- what's next after this summer?
ALAN: A new album, swiftly followed by more european dates.. We don't
tend to look much beyond the next project, and take things as they come. The
one thing I've learned in this business is that nothing happens till it actually
happens.. Most of the things that get talked about never usually get to be more
than just talk.
Thanks to Alan for taking the time to answer our questions. Check out Pallas at Nearfest.