ProgRockMain

Interview: Mr. Matthew Cohen Bassist for Magenta

How did you get involve with Magenta? What were you doing before joining Rob Reed's creation?

I got involved with Magenta when Rob phoned me one day to say that he was putting a band together to showcase the album “Revolutions” and would I like to be part of it. I jumped at the chance. Rob and myself met while he was producing an album I was recording with a band called “Erasmus”. This was a heavy rock prog album I had co-written with a guitarist. During those sessions Rob played me “Revolutions” and I said that if it ever came to gigging it, I would love to be the bass player in the band, as I absolutely loved what he had written and recorded. It is a real musical journey. So there you have it, a dream come true.

To the uninitiated, please explain briefly what Magenta is and their musicality.

Magenta is progressive rock in its truest sense. We play music that has no boundaries yet does not ever loose site of the fact that melody is always the key. Without melody there is only widdle and even though we have widdle sections, we make sure that the song comes first. Some prog bands today believe that technical prowess is the only way and though sometimes that is ok, we believe that the fans who buy our CD’s and come to the gigs want to hear music first and foremost and should leave humming, whistling or singing the songs they have just heard. Magenta has all the technical aspects to our songs, but it is done subtly as to not throw the listener completely of the point of the song. Magenta in summary is about songs, melody and putting on a show to remember.

What players influenced you at a young age? What do you listen to now?

I first got into music via Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Queen, AC/DC and Status Quo. I was a young rock dude!!! I loved hearing those dirty guitars and strong vocals and driving beats. It made me want to shake my head and still does. Good music should do that. Players such as Steve Harris (Iron Maiden), Roger Glover (Deep Purple), John Deacon (Queen) really made me want to pick up the bass. When I first saw Steve Harris at the age of 14, I was blown away and knew that that was what I wanted to do.

Today I listen to all sorts of music from the hardest Black Metal through to standard rock, jazz, and of course prog. With prog I mainly listen to the old classics like Yes, Rush and King Crimson. With the newer bands there is one band I love and they are called Opeth. They are incredible and I can’t wait to see them one day. Also bands like Spocks Beard and Dream Theater are firm favourites.

Do you write or play outside the group?

Not much. There was talk of doing a follow up to the Erasmus album “Voyage” (also released through F2 Music) but that didn’t happen for various reasons. Magenta is the priority as there is so much to do and with the release of the live album and new single coming soon, the future looks very busy for us.

What brands of instruments do you use? Why did you choose them?

All my equipment is Warwick. I have a custom Warwick Streamer LX 6 string bass and a Warwick Thumb Bass Bolt On 6 string and amp wise I use a Warwick Pro FET IV head with a Warwick 2x10 cab and 1x15 cab. I don’t use effects but I do use Roland midi bass pedals and I also have a Korg DTR-1 rack mount tuner in my set-up. Why this equipment? Basically it is the sound of wood. It does exactly as it says on the box. They are great basses with a huge range of sounds. They are sturdy and respond well to all environments. In conjunction with the amp my instruments come to life. I have found my sound and I don’t see me changing in the foreseeable future.

The classic question. What would you listen to if you were stranded on a desert island (With a CD player and batteries), and you could have any ten albums, what would you choose and why?

Bloody hell, that is a tough one. I will give you the list, but the reasons, I don’t know. As you are aware music is a mood thing, so all I will say as the reason for this list is that it encompasses all the moods I require in a stranded, on a desert island situation ha ha ha. Here goes :-

1)Magenta – Revolutions

2)Magenta – Seven

3)Iron Maiden – Somewhere In Time

4)Enigma – Le Roi Est Mort, VIVE Le Roi!

5)Dream Theater – Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

6)Opeth – Still Life

7)Deep Purple – In Concert

8)Yes – Relayer

9)Marillion – Misplaced Childhood

10) Blackmores Nights – Ghost Of A Rose

What is your favourite book? Movie? Hobbies/interests outside music?

My Favourite book has to be all the David Eddings books. My favourite movie and I am going to cheat here, as there are 2 – Spinal Tap and The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy. My hobbies outside of music are quite simple. I like to socialise, so that means meeting my friends up the local pub and having a good chat and a drink. I love cycling and going to watch other bands play.

What do you think of the way commercial music is handled today? Do you think progressive rock has a chance in today’s rap/hip-hop/teeny-pop/hardcore attitude? Is it now underground music?

Business is business. The music industry has been run the same for years but the main difference now is the fact that music is far more accessible because of things like the internet. This manufactured crap that the industry insists on regurgitating just drives me crazy with anger. I just don’t get it. Give me real bands who know how to play and who can do it live. All this miming shit undermines what us real musicians have worked so damn hard for.

Progressive rock. Of course it has a chance. I don’t think it will ever be mainstream in the sense that you will have it on rotation on all these music channels, but look at the size of the audience for it. With great festivals such as ROSfest and NEARfest and Baja Prog and Progeny, prog has proven that this form of music is very much alive and kicking. Look at the current tour of Yes and Dream Theater. Brilliant!!! Rush, they are selling out all over the world. Marillion are doing exceptionally well. Prog is here to stay and if it is termed as underground, then it is a bloody big underground.

If you could work with a `dream’ band, what `dream’ musicians (living or deceased) which you chose to play with you?

Ahhhh!!! That is really hard, but I will give it a go.

Singer – David Coverdale – Deep Purple, Whitesnake.

Guitarists – Ritchie Blackmore and Steve Vai

Keyboard Player – Rick Wakeman -Yes

Drummer – Mike Portnoy – Dream Theater

Bass Player – Me Obviously.

On the April 24th, 2005 you will be debuting in the United States- playing at the ROSfest 2005 festival at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Any thoughts? Any special things planned for the show? Will you be touring elsewhere in the US? Perhaps a NEARfest gig?

I can’t wait to get to the USA to play ROSfest. How exciting is that? It has always been one of my dreams to play in America. We all feel so honoured to be asked. As far as the show is concerned, I am not allowed to tell you, but hopefully we will be doing a super special one for all our fans over there. We are talking to a US promoter as we talk now. There are plans to do a more extensive tour of the States but it is in its very early stages at this point. As far as NEARfest, we would love to do that and maybe we could do that in the future, as part of a tour, but time will tell.

How do you like the direction of the band? Would you like Magenta to explore or incorporate other genres of music?

I love the way Magenta is going. We do explore other genres of music. Rob is a very comprehensive and clued in composer. He is fully aware of the music scene and he brings in many different styles. You only have to listen to our single “Broken” and you will see that we have tried something different from the album material, yet when you listen to it you can tell it is Magenta through and through. The new single is the same. It is exploring the range of our style and music. We also explore the sound live as well. We are a lot heavier live and we really push the boundaries of what we are playing. This is why we get so many great reviews about Magenta on stage. We give the fans what they want and more and that is where you see us come to life.

When you play live, does the musical structure allow improvisation and experimentation or do you stay the course of the recorded album?

I will refer you to my last answer. Yes it does allow us to improvise and experiment. People don’t often realise that on stage we will throw in extended sections and key changes on a whim when the show is running like a dream. Obviously we can’t stray too far from what the song is about because that is what people want to hear. If we started going off on a super extended exploration into modal movements or free form jazz you would lose the true essence of Magenta which as stated earlier, is melody.

What does music mean to you on a personal level?

This may sound rather clichéd, music is everything and without it I couldn’t function. Whether I am in the car, in the pub or at friend’s houses or just sitting at home, music is on. It takes me everywhere and gives me everything. If I couldn’t listen or more importantly play music, I would be a lost soul, trust me.

After a critical acclaimed `Seven’ what is next for you and the band?

We are currently mixing the live album, which is sounding fantastic. That should be released sometime around October / November of this year. We also have to record the new single and then look at shooting a DVD for release next year. In between all that, gigs are being booked and then we have to look at a new album, which we should have news on very soon.

You have an open forum. Do you have any words to the Prog fans out there? Or to young inspiring musicians?

Firstly I would like to say a massive thanks to all the fans of the band for enjoying the sounds of Magenta. It blows us away to think that there are so many people out there really getting into Magenta. It is always a pleasure playing for everyone and then speaking to them after a show and getting their feedback. Secondly, I would like to thank people like your good self and the other e-zines, websites and hard copy publications for keeping this music alive and for promoting prog and for giving bands like Magenta a forum to present their music to the wider population. Keep up the good work. Thirdly, if anyone wants more info on the band then please log onto our official site at www.magenta-web.com for all the latest goings on and insights into the band. Finally, to aspiring musicians, what ever you aspire to be or do in this industry, just keep working at it and believe in what you do. If you don’t believe in it, how are you going to get other people to believe in it and listen and enjoy the fruits of all you hard work. Music is a gift and it touches everyone. Just enjoy it and rock!!!

Thank you so much for this interview, Matt; perhaps I'll see you at ROSfest! Cheers and best wishes, Lee

Thanks ever so much Lee for taking the time to ask me your questions. I thoroughly enjoyed answering them and yes, let’s hope we get to meet at ROSfest. Take care and keep up the great work. Matthew.