Grande Fox: ‘We draw inspiration according to our feelings.’

Grande Fox talk exclusively to Fuzzy Hound, about their latest record titled ‘Empty Nest’ and their inspirations.

The Grande Fox in an exclusive interview with Fuzzy Hound! The band from Thessaloniki, on the occasion of the release of their latest album titled 'Empty Nest' (which we shared our impressions of in this article of ours), talk to us in an all-encompassing interview.

Guys, thank you for being here on Fuzzy Hound. First, tell us a bit about the vision and journey of Grande Fox, from the very beginning up to now. How do you yourselves judge this journey so far?

Good evening and thank you in turn for the invitation and the company, with the aim of talking about the band and more broadly about the wide spectrum of music.

The band started as an idea that was cultivated within us, and the will to bring it to life is what got us to today. In the middle of the summer of 2014, Ζάο (guitar) and Μπέρζα (vocals) shook hands with a common vision and common effort, so that a new musical band could take flesh and bone. From the start, the goal was original music and the “surreal” character of the band. Over time we managed to bring our ideas to life and showcase them audiovisually. Just before we hit 8 years of existence, you'll find in our resume quite a few completed projects — live shows – photo shootings – video clips – official video – lyrics video – promo video – banners – posters – graphics – merch (cd jewel box – t-shirts – stickers – hats etc.), which of course you can see and get from our official pages. [ www.grandefox.gr

https://grandefox.bandcamp.com/merch ]

This journey is grueling and we've definitely been through, and still go through, tough moments in order to stay alive in this scene. It takes a lot of sacrifices and dedication, but above all the right collaborators and members for everything that needs to be done by the band to move forward. Step by step, day by day, year by year, you build, you mature, and you deal with the situations that come up along the path you're following.

Your most recent release is the album Empty Nest. What has the response to this work been so far? Are you satisfied with what's happened?

We're going through the sixth month since the release of ‘‘Empty Nest’’ and beyond the events happening on a global scale with the virus, we're quite satisfied with people's response and the emotional support they give us every day, and we thank them for it. We miss playing live and we're hopeful that soon we'll have good news on that front too.

Some time has passed since the album's release. Would you change anything now if you could, or does the result remain exactly what you wanted from the start?

There will always be something you'd want to reshape. You can't have it all, and for that reason you have to accept it and put a period on it. The goal is to move forward, and with each next thing, to operate having learned from your mistakes so as not to repeat them. The result we have in our hands could certainly have been better, like anything else when you aim high, but given the conditions and difficulties prevailing at the time, we came out winners, and we're satisfied with the fact that we're now talking to you about this record with our heads held high!

Where do you feel Empty Nest differs from your previous work? What's its most distinctive feature?

Each of our projects is different, with a different tone color, and this is due to the differences in our personalities, as well as in our everyday lives. When the chemistry unfolds between us, in a magical way, we find each brushstroke and note to bring our emotions to life and share them with you. Each era has something to tell us, whether good or bad. We move forward, we get inspired, and we create according to our emotions and our imagination.

As for the new album you're about to hear, once again, you'll get a variety of sounds with more targeted songwriting. Rage dominates and it's obvious, whichever way you look at this project!

You're a band quite sensitive to sociopolitical issues. What do the lyrics of Empty Nest deal with? And what's the broader statement you want to make through them?

We don't want to say much on this topic. Our music and lyrics answer these questions clearly. By actively listening to our music and reading the lyrics, take some time to dig in and interpret the messages. Let's all reflect on this together. Awakening of consciousness is the most accurate way to put it, if we're to answer in two words what the lyrics deal with and our stance in general.

We live in a completely dystopian era now. For quite some time the country, and indeed the whole world, has been plagued by the pandemic and natural disasters. What do you think music and musicians "owe" in the face of this situation?

What else can us poor folks do but support our fellow humans with pure intentions? We give our soul and deprive ourselves of everything just to have 2-3 happy moments a year, even as individuals. It grieves us and weighs on us unbearably that all of humanity is being struck, along with nature and all the innocent lives lost unjustly for the interests and human greed of the few!!! Even so, we haven't lost our humanity, and we help in every way we can and stand in solidarity, staying active. Music unites and eases all our pain. We must not stop expressing ourselves through music and sharing it across every corner of the earth, casting a little light into today's thick darkness.

But let's get back to the musical vehicle that is Grande Fox. You're a band that marries various expressions of what we call Heavy//Psychedelic sound. What are your broader influences? Which bands are a musical role model for you, and also a way of life?

Big topic, we'd have to go many years back to put it all in order.

As a band and as people, we share some listening tastes and differ on others. We definitely learn from each other, and the mixing of sounds and music keeps deepening, which pushes us forward and it's beautiful when it happens! Of course the result of our music is influenced by countless genres and artists. We try to have our own character as a band and create something original, where the listener can easily pick out our tone. We managed to put ourselves on the map of underground bands, and just for that we feel grateful! We have no ceiling on our influences and listening habits. We listen to chill out - jazz - blues - psychedelic - instrumental - soul funk and much more, beyond rock and metal music. Music can't be boxed into little squares. Regardless of the fact that it's written with mathematical precision. That, after all, is its magic!

Now on the subject of bands, they definitely can't fit on one page. There are countless ones, but we'll mention a few.

Rory Gallagher – ZZ Top – Stevie Ray Vaughan – ACDC – Guns n Roses – Pink Floyd – Deep Purple – Black Sabbath – Aerosmith – Iron Maiden – Judas Priest – Socrates – Linkin Park – System of a Down – RATM – Red Hot Chili Peppers – BB King – Eric Clapton – Slipknot – Korn – Richie Kotzen – Offspring – Metallica – Rotting Christ – Elvis Presley – Ray Charles – My Sleeping Karma – Nightwish – Janis Joplin – Nirvana – The Doors – Emerald Sun – Godsmack ………     

We've gone through and keep going through different phases of listening habits from a young age until today. That will never stop. Every day we learn something new.

Live shows have completely frozen up, and of course the situation heading into autumn and winter remains uncertain once again. Would you play somewhere if health protocols were applied, or would you rather wait for things to go back to what we knew?

All of us artists are living through hard times. Our lives have changed for good when it comes to live performances, and unfortunately no one knows if things will ever go back to how we knew them. We wish and hope that one day we'll see the light again and share big emotions together on stages.

We're among the lucky ones who played live on August 27th, at Undercurrent Multiverse Festival in Drama. We got back on stage after quite a while. We want to thank Μάρκο Φαϊτά for the trust and the chance he gave us to leave our mark on the festival he organized!

What other plans do Grande Fox have from here on out? What should we expect in the near future, but also long-term?

They say when you make plans, God laughs..

As a band, we do our duty. We put out a new album and quite a few visual videos to promote the record and our products. We'll keep doing that with new videos every so often, as well as new products.

Stay tuned to our pages to keep up with the band, and don't hesitate to reach out to us for a chat. It's a joy for us to connect with people. That's something that's been lost these days…

Guys, thank you so much for the chat. The last words are yours, in whatever way you like…

Take care and thank you for the lovely afternoon you gave us.

Beyond the sadness we've been living through daily for quite some time now, whether from the virus or from the wildfires, all we can say is stay strong everyone, don't let it get you down!