Heathen Harvest: Can you explain how Dies Natalis originally formed? Who its founding members were?
Tobias Strahl: In 1994 Tobi and Janos P. began to write songs by keyboard and diverse samples, Norbert made the lyrics. The songs did sound like EBM or Synthiepop. From 1996/1997 Dies Natalis was a family circle because my sister Maria Strahl entered the band playing piano. At this time the new foundation of today’s Dies natalis was made. I played guitar, the songs became more and more “folky”, melancholic – totally fitting to the stereotype “Neofolk”. A little later Steven Beil entered the band as drummer. After he left he founded his own project “Sonnwin”. Mario Krieg entered Dies Natalis as the new drummer. A very creative period began as Alexander Meier, the new keyboarder entered the band in 1998. After a few sessions we recorded the new EP “Raunen”. Many live-gigs followed, the recordings to the new LP “Vom Gedanken und der Erinnerung”, further concerts until there were more and more differences so that Mario left in Summer 2002 and Alex in Dezember 2002. Alex started his own Gothic-Metal-Project “Dead Ends Made Of Nostalgia (D.E.M.O.N.)”. The end of Dies Natalis was in sight as we could win two new members. Jens Vetter (guitar, percussions, drums) and Susanne Schulze (microphone). Jens played in a punkrock band called “BGS”. Susanne enjoyed a musical education (piano, classic voice) and was the drummer of the Death-/Black-Metal-Band “Vampire Dog”. During our studio recordings to “Raunen” we have been greatly assisted by a second guitar player, Mario Röhle, frontman of the smoothest Reggae-Ska-Band in Saxony called “Tu teijk se raff wis se smus” (in English: to take the rough with the smooth). This is a short cut out of the past years of all the involved members.
HH: The first Dies Natalis album “Vom Gedanken und der Erinnerung” sold out relatively quickly. Was this due to a high demand for the album or limited pressings?
TB: We had great demands on our first longplayer, we have been playing only live before so that the poeple were longing for this CD. Meanwhile we have released it three times (2 re-releases).
HH: The bands first album “Vom Gedanken und der Erinnerung” varies drastically in composition and sound from the second full-length album “Tristan.” What brought about the change in Dies Natalis sound?
TB: Well, Dies Natalis experienced a lot of changes the last few years. Not only in style and music but also in opinion/view. It does not mean that this album is worse that the “Tristan” but we were 4 years younger and our view onto things and situations much more simple. “Tristan” is the first release where Susann and Jens were involved. The have influenced the quality of the recordings to the album very much.
HH: Tristan is truly an epic work when the music and the albums themes are considered in context of the accompanying book and its artwork. Was it daunting for the band to undertake such an epic work?
TB: No it was not daunting at all, when you can spot a clear aim in front of you and when you keep on working towards this aim. Sometimes we felt like beeing in ecstasy. The main idea to “Tristan” was already in my haed and was filled with more and more emotions and experiences. The psychical process of creating this work was much longer than the physical. It took us only a couple of weeks, calling the members, introducing the indeas, a lot to talk, a lot to explain, lots of emotions and finally everybody worked with like beeing addicted to this.
HH: The artwork in the “Tristan” book is beautiful and haunting. Can you discuss who contributed artwork to the book?
TB: My cousin Norbert Strahl is working with since our first days. He also is a painter and had several exhibitions in Europe or was more or less involved. So it was a logical consequence for him to work out the “Tristan” design and to make some drawings for the album. Stephan Popella is a good friend of mine, I love his paintings and we have started a similar project in the past – which is still kept behind closed doors but will be released on our next releases. Walter Piroch is also a painter and a teacher on our local high school. He has done the spoken words on the album, because of his amazing voice. I like artists that are close to my world of emotions, which is dark and sad and connected to the unreal things. He is a great artist I think. Our main idea was to create an artistic family beside the ideas of hippie communities. A family influenced by all generations and styles of art. This has been come to reality with “Tristan” after 8 years.
HH: It is uncommon for a band to produce such a stunning musical presentation as a second release. Were the band and your label Nielozilla Records confident that the book and accompanying album would receive a warm reception by music fans?
TB: Nielozilla and Dies Natalis are working together in a friendly relationship. We are discussing our relases with each other and check the possibilities. The most important thing is the visionary power – it is important to believe! Ideas become reality – even if it costs a little bit more. We live in an empty world where you need to have the power to walk a new way no matter how hard it is. Our audience are more sensitive people who are satisfied to share their ideas and emotions with us, so we are depending on their ideas. We have a very close contact to our fans, we talk to them after the concerts and so we have developed a networt or a community. I think it is important to create complex ideas and contents – entertaining music we do have enough around us day by day.
HH: Dies Natalis now ranks amongst the most popular and achieved Neo-folk bands. Did Dies Natalis expect such a demand for their music?
TB: I don’t know if we ever wanted to become so popular in the neo-folk scene. Maybe in the beginning. Of course we grew up in the scene but for us it was important to be interesting for listeners who really listen to the music and to just to be entertained by „another act on stage“. And we have not really found this kind of audience in the scene. It was not important for us to see only the success, when you just believe in this music and keep on producing quality. We do not deceide if an album becomes popular or successful – so we do not care what future brings. You can always just see it afterwards. That’s it.
HH: The musicianship on the “Tristan” album is nothing short of amazing. Can you discuss the bad member’s musical training and experience?
TB: After listening several times my own work “Tristan” I am not as convinced of its musical quality and this is okay, otherwise we could not go on developing our music. Nevertheless I thank you for elaborating this work so perfectly, this shows a real interest in our music. Furthermore I can promise that we have increased the quality (compared with the “Tristan”) at 100% on our next and already recorded album “The Bride and The Pure”. Now to your question: For the “Tristan” we have changed the studio, the old one was okay but the technician there was a punk and so he had not the knowledge in producing folk. Then there are also 2 years of musical development between “Vom Gedanken…” and “Tristan”. The last years EP “Abyss” started the new Era of Dies Natalis. The musical training was as it always was. I developed the tracks and we finished and cleaned them together in the studio.
HH: The song compositions attain a very authentic traditional folk feeling on the “Tristan” album. Is there a particular folk music tradition that is reflected in the song compositions on “Tristan?”
TB: Honestly the last recordings were definitely influenced by the last albums of Johnny Cash. I like the “American Recordings” and a couple of songs together with Nick Cave. As I also play in an Irish Folk band I know the way of this traditonal kind of folk music. Modern elements do have a certain charme, because of its uplifting moments for the traditional styles in the songs. I think this is a good symbiosis of traditional and modern music. Especially Norberts roots as well as mine go back to classic folk like Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan etc. Still to mention is the music of Changes – one of gods gifts.
HH: The themes of the “Tristan” album deal with many universal issues of humanity such as belonging, alienation, renewal in nature, war and discontent with modern civilization. Do these themes represent personal feelings of the band?
TB: Dies Natalis does not want to make entertainment music, we are focused on content, lyrics and quality music. Our songs should reflect own thoughts, very impotant are the essential themes, as we cannot stand the discussions about local problems and problems of minor importance. As for example the people overseas see Europe completely different as we see it. Questions of mankind like war, civilisation or love makes us to brothers, even if some man do not like that. I want to communicate with people instead of shooting them. These are the ideas of the band.
HH: Can you discuss the inspiration or motivation for the creation of the “Tristan” album?
TB: The main emotion is the awareness of the nature and the environment. For me it is very important to force people to get in contact with other cultures and to leave their very own simple mind. I was as a soldier in the civil war in Jugoslawia and there I have seen that the Western civilisation has no essential problems. Our problems are the prices for oil and gas, the social wellfare and the health system. This is ridiculous. Will Smith makes war movies where robots kill humans – and this is meant zynic when you see the background of wars in the world. To bring these things to mind is the will of Dies Natalis.
HH: “Tristan’s” themes and narration invokes a sense of myth and folklore in the listener. Is it Dies Natalis intentions to create a new folklore of our times?
TB: Yes and No! Folklore has the advantage that everybody can understand this music, everybody can identify hisself with it, this music is reflectable and syntheszer music is not. Furthermore you can have the feeling to get involved in that music only by using 2 spoons copying the rhythm. It is an archaic expression of music. To create a new folklore is not our aim. We will not re-invent the wheel. We see ourselves in the tradition of the old great folk heroes even if our quality is much poorer. Tommy Sands, Pete Seeger, Changes, The Dubliners and Chieftains are our real heroes.
”There were songs before in the radios of love that stays and love that goes…” (Johnny Cash)
HH: Dies Natalis music draws upon traditional music and generates a certain sense of myth. A sense of spirituality grounded in nature permeates Dies Natalis music. Does the band have prescribed spiritual beliefs?
TB: I can only speak for myself. I am very deeply involved in spirituality. As a pantheist I believe god is in everything, especially in arts. Listen to the new work of Lisa Gerrard “Immortal Memory” and you can see what god wants to tell us. His language is arts and the suffering. I think every humanisation of god in a person like Jesus Christ brings us away from the real face of god. The Church, especially the katholic and protestantic, are a deceit on people who believe – in opposite to communities not interested in other people money. It is a pitty that so many people have not seen this way of making business. I spend a lot of my sparetime in the nature, I am a hill climber, a photographer and a writer. This is my way to find god, to kommunicate with the creator. I have experienced a lot of precious moments there.
HH: Dies Natalis recently released a double LP on vinyl of live material from concerts abroad. Are there any plans in the works for a third full-length studio album?
TB: As already mentioned we already produced our next EP “The Bright And The Pure” (31 min.). It will be released in May. In June/July we will be in the studios for our next longplayer called “Adrago Beach – Praia de Adrago” Thank you for your interesting questions, we hope to be in the US very soon to have some concerts over there.
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