Heathen Harvest: Can you discuss how Cawatana came into being and who the founding members are?
Kiss Balazs: In 1999 there was a festival in Bekescsaba, Hungary, where we live, connected to an “alternative” music (and more) programme of the local radio-station. They organized a festival, to celebrate their half-year of existence. We, the two founding members (Sörös Gergö – vocals, guitars, percussions, and Kiss Balazs – guitars) were known in the local musical scene, so they asked us to play there. We wanted to form a band based on acoustic guitars for a long time (formerly we played a lot of noisy music), so we decided to create a tranquil set. And we liked it very much, so we’ve continued it till today, this is our main (and only) musical activity now.
HH: Who are the current active members of Cawatana?
KB: Besides the founding members we have a very talented keyboard-player (Benkö Mihaly, he’s with us from the very beginning, he played with us on almost every concert, and most of the recordings), and a bass-player (Kiss Kornel, he joined the band in 2000, on our fifth concert). In addition there are several guest musicians contribute on various instruments, but the nucleus of the band are these 4 people.
HH: Can you please discuss any musical experience the members of Cawatana had before starting the band?
KB: Before Cawatana we played in some bands in the so-called “alternative-experimental” scene. We were amongst others in post-punk, noise-ambient, industrial-crushcore bands. We started playing music together more than 10 years ago. Our guest-musicians have not played in any bands formerly, but for example our keyboard player has a significant musical education, principally in classical music, he’s currently studying at a Musical University and he also teaches music.
HH: What was initial musical vision that brought Cawatana together and how did this vision evolve through recording the first album?
KB: Our primary idea was to create a set based on acoustic guitars without any “constraints” relating to styles. In the very beginning we used a simple drum-machine and simple keyboard tunes, and only later, during the recording of the album did we improve the whole sound, richer instrumentation, better percussions, etc.
HH: Are there any bands that had a strong influence on the sound of Cawatana or any bands that inspired the members?
KB: There were no strong influences, but there were some bands in the beginning, which influenced us a little. For me they were Swans and Death in June, who turned my attention to acoustic guitar-music.
HH: When did you become aware of the neofolk / neoclassical music scene and how did you first become involved?
KB: It’s a difficult question, because on the one hand this is quite diverse by both of us, on the other hand it is almost impossible to determine what belongs to here. I may say that about 8-10 years ago we have already been listening to this kind of music and gradually it became our main range of interest. We have always liked such bands that are not strictly part of this scene, but have some connection to it, for example I have already liked Laibach, Joy Division, or Swans 15 years ago. And it was the Swans where I really became involved in this (so to say) genre, it was their influence on me why I came to like acoustic guitars and keyboards (I preferred more noisy stuffs before). I was always curious about musical information, I have read a lot about Death In June, Sol Invictus and the others, and after a while I began to listen to their music, became more and more immersed until I was actually submerged in this style.
HH: Cawatana is a musical project based in Hungary. Given that Hungary has one of the fastest growing economies in the former Eastern Block is it difficult to launch a musical project from your home country?
KB: I think it’s not much more difficult, than in other countries. If you have enough money, you can get everything here (instruments, equipment, etc.). The only thing, that can be problematic, is the distance. If we would like to play a concert somewhere in Europe, we have to travel a lot, and the expenses are quite significant.
HH: Have you found that musicians and others in the pan European neofolk / neoclassical scene have lent Cawatana support?
KB: Yes, we can say this on some level. I can’t make it factual but I can see the positive attitude by most people. Who has helped us recently the most in organizing the gigs was Gerhard of Allerseelen, we’ve got a wide range of cooperation with him. And of course also Stephan, our publisher has helped us a lot.
HH: Do you find that you enjoy more recognition abroad or do you also have a stable fan base within Hungary?
KB: I don’t think that we have fans in Hungary. There are some people, who maybe like our music, bought our CD in the only shop, where it was available. According to its size, Germany is the greatest market for this kind of music. About two-thirds of the copies of our CD have been sold there. Besides Germany we have a considerable audience in Italy, but we’re getting feedbacks from many places of the world, from Argentina to China, that those people there know and like our music, local (web)-radio stations and clubs broadcast/play our songs, etc.
HH: Cawatana recently released their debut release on Eis & Licht Records of Germany. Can you discuss how you came about working with Eis & Licht? And have you found that the label has been successful in introducing the band into the scene?
KB: Then we were ready with the recordings, I sent a CD with the material to Stephan of Eis & Licht, he liked it very much, and replied immediately, that he would like to release it. And I sent it only to him, not to other labels, because I was very satisfied with the result, I believed in the material very much, so I thought, we should try the best label on this scene. And we are very satisfied with his work, I think he has made a good job, he has helped us a lot to introduce the band.
HH: Cawatana’s debut album “Struggle for Wisdom” says it was recorded between September 2002 and January 2003. What difficulties did the band encounter while working on their first recording?
KB: There were no big difficulties during this recording. But I have to tell that, that this material was recorded in a studio of a friend of us in Budapest, on very favorable terms, but we had to accept, that we could make it, when he had no other works. The recordings were taken in September 2002, then he made a “preliminary mixing” in his spare-time, he sent the result to us, we listened to it, opined it, and then in January 2003 we went to the studio again, amended it here and there, and made the final mixing.
HH: How does the band approach composing the music of Cawatana? Who is responsible for writing the lyrics and music?
KB: Both of us are responsible for both lyrics and music. Usually we write the base (guitar chords, drums, lyrics, tunes) of the songs, and then we arrange it together with our keyboard player. We can say about the Struggle for Wisdom album, that we shared the composing on fifty-fifty, one half of the music and lyrics comes from Gergö, the other half comes from me. And they come from quite different ways; both of us have written his own lyrics for his own music. In the later songs that appeared on compilations we had a lot more common work.
HH: From looking at Cawatana’s website it becomes apparent that the band has a large number of collaborators and guest musicians that fill different roles. Is it Cawatana’s intention to keep the nucleus of the band small?
KB: No, it wasn’t intentions, but maybe it’s quite practical this way. The less we are, the more easy it is to co-ordinate, to synchronize the work, to come to a decision in the matters of dispute. But we also need collaborators, thus making our music more colorful.
HH: The music of Cawatana is a mixture of electronics and acoustic elements. Some acoustic purists have pointed out that in their opinion the electronic symphonic should be replaced by acoustic instrumentation. How does the band feel about using both electronic and acoustic elements?
KB: It would be certainly different if everything would be played by acoustic instruments, but you have to take in consideration, that we are not a pure folk band. In this scene it is quite a common thing to use keyboards, samplers, sequencers, etc. And in my opinion, this is the thing that makes us different from many neofolk bands, the relatively rich instrumentation, even if it’s played by keyboards. But in the future we would like to use more “real” instruments, as far as we have the opportunity.
HH: How is the music of Cawatana interpreted on stage as opposed to your recorded work? Do you invite many guest musicians for live performances? How much of the performance is prerecorded or sampled?
KB: Unfortunately we have no possibility to invite too many guest musicians for our live performances. Until now, we mainly invited drummers to the stage, this is the most important for the powerful sound, but once we already had an accordion-player on stage and sometimes guest vocalists. Part of the music is played by keyboards, we use MIDI. I consider it better than playing the background from CD or DAT, because we are always able to change them, even during a concert. For the future we plan to invite more guest musicians both in the studio and on stage.
HH: Can you discuss the title of the album “Struggle for Wisdom” and what it means for the band?
KB: Wisdom is an aptitude that has the possibility in almost everybody. Still very few can grab this opportunity. Yet, it is worth even fighting for wisdom, the acquired knowledge that can make us sage, compensates those things we accidentally lose during the struggle for it.
HH: Many bands in the neoclassical and neofolk scene prescribe to different degrees to Nordic mythology and spiritual practices that often include the runes. There is little evidence in Cawatana’s music of any affiliation with any particular spiritual or cultural clan? Does the band draw inspiration from their national, racial, or spiritual identities?
KB: We do not belong to any clan, just trying to walk our own ways. Of course it doesn’t mean that we haven’t got any “backgrounds,” it just doesn’t have a connection to anything or anybody. We, in the first place, gain inspiration from our personal identity, but cannot exclude the impact that our environment emanates towards us.
HH: The music of Cawatana is particularly symphonic and orchestral. At the same time the music embodies a martial feel expressed with snare drums and percussion. What drew Cawatana to explore the martial and the majestic together?
KB: And there is also another part, which is based on tranquil acoustic/classical guitars. We did not plan this, it just came this way. We like these things and we do what we like. And to me this diversity is a good thing. If we only played one kind of music, then we would be very restricted. Space without limits is needed for self-expression.
HH: The music of Cawatana often inspires feeling of courage, strength against strife and even the will to live and survive against all odds. Are these themes the band intended to communicate? And are these themes based on external events or personal experience?
KB: To tell the truth, we haven’t thought about that so concretely, but maybe all these themes you mentioned are discoverable in our music. But I think the external, personal experiences are the most relevant inspirations.
HH: The music of Cawatana also posses a sympathetic heroic quality. Though the music communicates strength and resistance through spiritual and physical struggle it also embodies a deep emotional quality. Is this balance of strength and sensitivity intentional?
KB: Yes, you are absolutely right. Usually we say that so, that beauty and strength are the most essential in our music. Maybe it’s not totally intentional, but we don’t want to play only tranquil, or only martial music, we like both, and we like alternating these elements, or sometimes mixing them.
HH: Many bands in the neofolk scene such as Blood Axis, Death In June and Kirlian Camera have faced strong resistance from extreme leftists who strive to define these artists music as Nazi or Fascist. These accusations often arise from martial elements of the artist’s music. Has Cawatana ever experienced such accusations and if so how do you deal with these accusers and their accusations?
KB: It can’t really happen to us, I don’t think there is a person of sound mind who can accuse us of this. To be more exact, once there was an ignorant person, who tried it, but it was only because we are on the label Eis & Licht, and they was accused of being rightist (but it’s a big silliness, of course). We are not yet known enough to these groups, we are a small, unknown band with no importance (as Herr T.S. has declared it on a forum, responding to the accusations mentioned above). And I don’t think our music or lyrics would contain any controversial things, we do not deal with politics, we do not have ideologies one could misinterpret/misunderstand. By the way, these accusations are typical mainly to Germany, some people there has a very strange way of thinking. It seems to me that here, in Hungary, we regard freedom of speech more seriously, and you have the right to express your opinions until you don’t set someone against somebody directly. So in Hungary it is quite unlikely that a concert is banned in advance. Of course, if something unlawful is mentioned at a gig, you have to take the responsibility for it. But there is no prejudicing. People know what freedom of speech means, what artistic freedom is.
HH: The band chose to record songs both in English and your native Hungarian language. What was the thinking around making the album bilingual? And do you think it accomplished your desired results?
KB: The bilingualism was not willful. In the beginning we’ve written mainly English lyrics, they fitted to the music better. You can sing the English lyrics easier, in Hungarian it’s a little bit more difficult, and the construction of the language is different. In Hungarian the “utterance” is better. In the future the use of both languages is possible, and indeed we can’t exclude the appearance of other languages on some „special” releases.
HH: The lyrical content of Cawatana is very open to interpretation while the music seems very emotionally direct. Can you discuss the lyrical style and what the author strives to reveal or conceal when writing Cawatana’s lyrics?
KB: I’m afraid I’m not too good in talking about my songs and lyrics. But I need to mention, that during the writing of the lyrics I don’t have a prefigured conception, I rather write instinctly that comes to my mind. When I hear or read something that touches and inspires me, then it can be a possible basis for the lyrics.
HH: Can you share some of the thoughts, feelings, or events that inspired the musical style of Cawatana?
KB: I can only tell the same as by the lyrics before; a great variety of things can be a source of inspiration, things I see, hear, or read, various feelings (joy, sorrow, anger) and a lot more other things I may not be aware of.
HH: The CD booklet and packaging that accompanies “Struggle for Wisdom” is quite beautiful. The CD’s lyric booklet and the front covers feature stunning photography that seems to effortlessly complement the music. How involved is the band in the packaging and art work? How do you see the CD’s presentation as tying in with the music?
KB: I regard it important what kind of outlay a release comes with, a promoted thing should be aesthetic. But of course it is not the most important, we’re not “exclusive design-fetishists,” it’s not our goal to make the exterior of the release the more unique, we’re trying to keep these things within reasonable limits and thus provide the best we can. We’re lucky with the photos, because our bass player is dealing with photo making on a fairly high level, and I think he’s really talented in it, so we can use his pictures for our releases.
HH: Cawatana has appeared fairly regularly on the neofolk concert circuit across Europe. Has the band found it easy to find venues and audiences for live performances?
KB: We don’t have too many concerts, only 3 or 4 in a year. Nowadays it’s not too easy to organize a concert anywhere. Mainly financially. This scene is not too big, and it isn’t “concentrated,” the potential listeners live dispersedly, so you can’t plan with a big audience, if you organize a concert in your town/country. Up to now we had the luck to be invited to good places by good, enthusiastic people, but I’m afraid, in the future we’ll have fewer concerts.
HH: Who are some other bands that you have played with in the past that you particularly enjoyed appearing live with?
KB: I think we enjoyed appearing live with almost everyone we played with, especially with Allerseelen, both personally and musically. But it was also good to play with Lux Interna, Scivias, Kinovia, Sturmpercht, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Fire+Ice, In Gowan Ring, and the others; we appreciate all these bands very much.
HH: Are their any artists in the neofolk scene that Cawatana would like to work with?
KB: There is a great deal of artists whom we would gladly work with. It’s no use mentioning everyone, but we would collaborate with anyone, from the “biggest names” to the less known but also very talented bands, without any restrictions in music.
HH: What does the vision of the future hold for Cawatana? When can fans expect a follow up album
to the debut release?
KB: I’m afraid you have to wait some time until our next album. We work quite slowly, the first album has been made through more than a three year period, and I suppose the next one won’t be finished sooner. But we don’t rest until then, we’re going to release some songs on different compilations, and besides we’re planning to make some (shorter) releases on vinyl (7”, 10” or 12”), split releases, etc. There are some concrete plans, but we have to wait some time for their completion. In fact we have plenty of time, nothing urges us.
HH: Is there any thing you would like to share with Heathen Harvest readers in parting?
KB: Thank you very much for this interview, and the inquiry towards the band. If anyone would like to know more about us, can find more information on our homepage, or has any kind of question or request, feel free to write an e-mail to us, we gladly answer if we are able to.
