The Magic Bus: 'Our own Castle is childhood!'

The Greek band, after the presentation of their debut album titled 'Το Κάστρο', talk to us in an exclusive interview with Fuzzy Hound. Hop on board and come meet them…

We welcome The Magic Bus to Fuzzy Hound! You just released your first record, titled 'Το Κάστρο'. What are your current feelings about the album? Your thoughts? Are you happy with this release? Did it achieve its purpose?

'Glad to be here, and thanks for having us! It's not easy to put into words the joy we feel having reached the release of the record. For us, the record is the imprint of the musical and lyrical ideas and every kind of inspiration that, with love and effort, we managed to fit into these tracks! We're definitely happy with the final result, and as for the purpose… that will be fulfilled once the record manages to be loved, to travel far and wide!'

Tell us a bit about this work and what prompted it. When did you compose the tracks and by what criteria did you choose them for the album?

‘«Το Κάστρο» consists of 11 tracks and is the band's first recorded work, with music by Ερμής and lyrics by Βαλάντης. It was recorded at Locomotive Sound studio Locomotive Sound studio in Lamia by Έκτορας Σώχος, who also handled the production. It's already out digitally on most well-known platforms and will soon be released in physical form too (digipak cd). That way you'll be able to enjoy the wonderful artwork crafted by Ντίνος Αδαμόπουλος, the impressive layout by Σωτήρης Κοτσώνης, read the lyrics at your leisure, and match musicians to faces in the band photo by Τάσος Παλαμίδας!’

'We've been playing together since 2017 as a vehicle for covers from the Greek rock scene. Rehearsal after rehearsal, gig after gig… it didn't take long for the idea of creating something of our own to settle into our minds, since we'd already become good friends and our chemistry was strong. Everything pointed to composing being just a matter of time, or rather of some occasion, and that occasion finally arrived during… lockdown!

We worked on this record from three different cities – Livadeia, Atalanti, Katerini – and essentially "stitched" it together during the recordings, which led to an even fresher result, with a strong live feel!'

'The only criterion for choosing tracks is that we like them first!'

'We could never release something we're not first convinced ourselves is what we want. We'll always be our own harshest critics. Obviously that doesn't mean everyone will like it. That would be utopian! It simply means each listener will come into contact with a musical piece of ourselves, delivered exactly the way we chose. If these two disparate worlds – band and listener – connect through it… then we'll have achieved our goal!'

What is your own 'Castle'? How did you choose this particular title?

'Our own Castle that will remain forever impregnable, and which became the title track of our record, is our childhood. So, then, "Το Κάστρο" is a track about transition and coming of age. Childhood is symbolized by a treehouse which, as the protagonist grows up, begins to decay. But when he finally returns with his own child, it returns to its original state, reflecting the captive nature of time as well as the eternity of childhood within the continuum of life. A sensitive, allegorical track that, besides giving the record its title, also became our first video clip. The filming and production of which was done by the amazing Αθηνά Παπαγιάννη.’

You represent the Greek-language rock scene. Tell us more about that. What is the significance of Greek lyrics for you?

‘Lyrics, whether English or Greek, are just another means of communication, and that's exactly how we treat them. Not, that is, as two… rival camps, but as two different ways of approaching and expressing things. In fact, we believe it's very reasonable for English lyrics to be widely used, since nowadays every band addresses a global audience and not just a Greek one. Our Magic Bus was "born" a Greek-language rock band, so for 'Το Κάστρο', the choice of lyrical language was never really up for debate, and we're very happy with that choice! Because of it, we got the chance to explore our own linguistic boundaries. We wanted to redefine the mechanisms of our mother tongue through a different lens, and to combine musical and linguistic patterns in an alternative way, away from our comfort zone and habits!'

Were you influenced by the broader music scene in Greece? What is your view more broadly on the contemporary music scene in Greece? Do any artists there stand out for you?

'For years now, both with The Magic Bus and our other projects (Redeye Caravan, peculiar three, Beyond this Earth, Nox Die), we create, we play shows, and we come into direct contact with the country's music scene as a whole. So of course we've been shaped by it too! The Greek rock and metal scene (we won't stray into… foreign fields that don't concern us, haha!), whether Greek-language or not, has always been present and full of interest from the start. That's why it has a past, a present, and a future too!

Especially in recent years, old bands keep going or become active again, new ones are born all the time, and quite a few even manage to do brilliantly beyond our borders. And all this regardless of the lack of support from mainstream media, so it's nothing but positive! Some certainly already stand out, like for example VIC and we're sure many more will soon stand out too, since there's a potential artistic ferment that seems unstoppable!'

Tell me a bit about your influences. Which artists or bands do you think your path owes something to?

'As musicians, and as people too, we always keep our horizons open when it comes to styles and currents of all kinds. Naturally our preferences converge on the broader rock field, drawing on classic rock and prog from the '70s as well as more recent/modern offshoots. You'll also spot traces of our influences within the tracks from 'Το Κάστρο'. All of it carefully filtered through our own lens so that the band's character stays intact.

Of course, when it comes to Greek-language rock, there have been and still are so many worthwhile bands, so many inspirations for us, that it's a bit hard to single out specific ones! As an indication, though, we could mention Magic de Spell, Ενδελέχεια, Τα Κίτρινα Ποδήλατα – bands with whom we had the joy and honor of sharing the stage – and certainly Τρύπες and Ξύλινα Σπαθιά.’

In terms of subject matter, have you chosen specific stories for your tracks? What are the deeper meanings of the record?

'Lyrically there's a wide range of subject matter. Everyone will discover within the lyrics influences and inspirations from literature, poetry, personal experiences, and fiction. Their purpose is to take the listener on a journey, to spark their interest in seeking out the references, but also for them to identify with situations and feelings. We consciously distance ourselves from politics and social events in our lyrics. We feel the need to escape everyday life through art, and we believe we share this need with many others!'

Do you follow any particular method when composing? Is there some tried-and-true path to writing the perfect track?

'The "tried-and-true path to the perfect track" is a chimera no one will ever manage to catch. And thankfully so, since one key element of enjoying music is… subjectivity, haha! We usually work like this: Ερμής, who's the band's composer, will send a "demo," as he calls each pre-recording, for us to listen to and discuss. Once the music is finished, it will then "guide" Βαλάντης, who's the band's lyricist, toward the theme and eventually toward writing the lyrics, thus giving the composition its final shape and character. It might not be some "golden recipe," but this way has worked flawlessly for us so far, so we'll keep it going for the future too!'

The pandemic situation affected many artists. How did you handle the situation?

'We write and play music for the uplift of our spirit, the allure of experiences, and our need for artistic creation! Making a living from music isn't an end in itself, nor a goal, so that whole big issue of the scene doesn't weigh on our shoulders, and so we get to treat it purely as art. We may have missed live shows and direct contact and communication with people a great deal, but we didn't let the time go by without making creative use of it, since we composed and finished our debut record!'

The situation has clearly improved now. Is there a live performance on the schedule? Also, do you have a follow-up to the record in the works? What are your plans for the future?

'If we set aside a few big festivals, most stages, venues and clubs that could host a show with a full band are unfortunately quite hesitant about it – and that's understandable, since things are still fluid and situations (and guidelines) keep changing… We really can't complain though, since under these circumstances we managed to play two wonderful shows recently, and we can't wait to put together a full presentation of the album too! Let's hope we soon get past this rough patch we've been living through these years, so we can get back to what we love and meet people from the stage in every corner of the country that would have us!

As for the follow-up… it's maybe a bit early to talk about that – although in our minds it's a given that there will be one, since the first musical and lyrical ideas have already started being born, haha!!!'

Guys, thank you so much for being here, and we wish you every success in whatever you do! Feel free to close out our chat however you like!

'We'd like, in turn, to thank you again for having us and for the nice chat! You're always welcome on our Facebook page, on our YouTube channel, on Bandcamp, Soundcloud as well as the rest of the usual music platforms, so we can keep in touch online until we meet in person at one of our shows! Stay strong, everyone, and… support your local scene! It has a lot to say and definitely a lot to give, as long as it's given the necessary time and attention!!!'