Interview With FATES WARNING/REDEMPTION Vocalist Ray Alder TONIGHT...Any Questions?

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

Hey y'all,

I have an interview with Ray Alder tonight at 9pm.

I originally requested an interview with Jim Matheos. But he was out of town and/or busy during this stretch of time. So Ray graciously agreed to spend time with me on the phone.

If you had 45 minutes with Ray Alder, what would you ask him?

I have about 10 pages of Qs ready to spring on him. But perhaps I overlooked something. So I'm tossing it out to Forum readers.

Any questions for Ray?

Cheers,

Bill

 

[ChrisAnnwfn]

Ray was into muscle cars at one time. I'd be interested to know if he still is, and if so, what he has.

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

Ray was into muscle cars at one time. I'd be interested to know if he still is, and if so, what he has.

Great question! I didn't know Ray was into muscle cars. If I have time, I'll ask him if he still is.

Thanks!

Bill

 

[General Zod]

Not quite sure how you'd phrase it but, I'd be kind of curious to know how he approaches Fates' older material, as his voice changes with age. And if he now regrets hitting so many high notes in his 20s.

Zod

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

Not quite sure how you'd phrase it but, I'd be kind of curious to know how he approaches Fates' older material, as his voice changes with age. And if he now regrets hitting so many high notes in his 20s.

Zod

You know, I sort of have a question like that. I don't think it's inappropriate to ask a vocalist about his voice being different now. It happens to everyone. I don't sound like I did when I was in my 20s. So why should Ray Alder?

Some singers are touchy about that. Greg Lake (of ELP) for one. His voice went from "choir boy" in the 70s to kind of rough in the 90s and 2000s. I was backstage at a meet and greet in Milwaukee in the late 1990s. He was in the room and Keith Emerson was in the room. I told Greg, "Your voice sounded great tonight!" (because it did) thinking I was paying him a compliment. Then I realized, after he paused to muster a reply, that he might not see it as a compliment. "Thank you," he said. I felt like I'd put my foot in my mouth, even though I meant Greg no disrespect. And I'll surely mean Ray none, either. It's just hard to ask questions like that if it's a touchy subject.

Still, I'm game to try. Ray's still a phenomenal singer. So it's not like he's Steve Walsh (Kansas) who can't sing at all any more. Ray's voice is still incredibly powerful.

Bill

 

[General Zod]

Still, I'm game to try. Ray's still a phenomenal singer. So it's not like he's Steve Walsh (Kansas) who can't sing at all any more. Ray's voice is still incredibly powerful.

He is. I liken guys like him to some pitchers in baseball. They come into the league in their 20s, relying heavily on a 95 mile an hour fastball. Then, they lose a few miles off the fastball, batters begin catching up to them and they have to learn how to actually pitch. I think Ray is a lot like that. What he once accomplished with power, he now accomplishes with finesse.

Zod

 

[DreamNeonBlack]

What does the future hold for Fates warning? It seems they've slowed a lot and everyone has other projects. How does this affect the band?

What is the real status of Mark Zonder? Will he record again with them or will there be someone else from now on for all studio/live music?

 

[Pellaz]

He is. I liken guys like him to some pitchers in baseball. They come into the league in their 20s, relying heavily on a 95 mile an hour fastball. Then, they lose a few miles off the fastball, batters begin catching up to them and they have to learn how to actually pitch. I think Ray is a lot like that. What he once accomplished with power, he now accomplishes with finesse.

That's a great way of putting it, too. Not just for Ray; there are other singers who have done the same.

 

[poundingmetal74]

What does the future hold for Fates warning? It seems they've slowed a lot and everyone has other projects. How does this affect the band?

What is the real status of Mark Zonder? Will he record again with them or will there be someone else from now on for all studio/live music?

I've often wondered that myself. At this point, it seems more of a paycheck than anything else with all the inactivity.

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

I've often wondered that myself. At this point, it seems more of a paycheck than anything else with all the inactivity.

Many thanks for the input.

My interview was last night. It went well and lasted for about 45 minutes. Ray is a great guy. Very open and honest about his career(s) in various bands.

We chatted about every Fates album and, yes, what the future holds for the band. I even asked him about muscle cars.

Interview will be posted in a few weeks.

Bill

 

[BABS]

If you had 45 minutes with Ray Alder, what would you ask him?

I'd go on a long diatribe on how I'd make the perfect wife for him.

Too bad I read this post 2-days after the fact, looks like Ray dodged a bullet (ha ha).

 

[Virtual Scott]

Hey Bill, sounds like you did fine work on this interview. Is it posted yet? I'm chomping at the bit to get into it, especially with their Offical (and exclusive) Prog Power gig coming up...

As for Ray's voice changing with age, well, I agree - doesn't everyone's? Some like Dio it's almost unnoticeable (in spots) but most singers, regardless of genre or style, the change is evident, and if they were a good vocalist to begin with, redefining (or more accurately, refining) one's voice is part of the natural of being a musician. Sure, Ray can't hit the higher-than-the-Sears-Tower vocal parts (I think I remember he mentioned somewhere in an interview sometime that some of the older material and his screams, are now embarassing) but his voice has become more distinct and focused in his mid-range which is where his true power and style lie. So while almost all of us loved the high screams back in the day, I think even as I listener, I've evolved to the point where screaming for the sake of screaming is more juvenille and self-indulgent than anything.

Of course, that's just my opinion and I could be wrong!

;-)

 

[Soundscape]

for those who never read/heard this interview, there's another one with Ray I just saw today. And for those who didn't see it, here it is. Fates Warning signed with I/O Europe and are working on the next album (Jim and Ray).

Should be interesting to see what happens with who plays drums on the record among other things. Certainly an album I'm looking forward to, presumably in 2010.

http://www.theartofprog.com/?p=477#more-477

Ray: Yeah, well right now we’re in the middle of writing another record, which has been a loooong time coming, obviously.

Ray: Well, me and Jim actually had a big sit down, over the phone of course. But we were talking about our careers. We’ve been doing this for so many years. [We were] wondering whether or not it was time to throw in the towel. We want to do. And we had a good run. We had a good time and made a lot of fans and did some good music. But we just decided this is not the time for us to go quietly into the night. We’re gonna make another record and see what happens. So we actually signed to a different label, the first time we’re going to release a record that’s not on Metal Blade. We signed with Inside Out in Europe.