Milan
Polak has just released the super new album 'Straight'.
His name may not be familiar to many outside the rock guitar
virtuoso crowd yet his new debut vocal album is a highly enjoyable
slice of hard rock with elements of blues, funk and jazz scattered
throughout. We caught up with Milan again to discuss
the new album 'Straight', the making of the album, plus much
more including the state of the music business and where Milan
stands on the downloading debate.
Hi
Milan,
good to interview you again.
Hi Andy, the
pleasure is all mine. Thanks for your interest.
After 2 guitar instrumental albums (Dreamscapes and Guitar
Odyssey) you have come back with a fresh sound complete with vocals in
‘Straight’. What led to the transition to a more traditional format?
I kind of felt
like moving on, playing instrumental music only offers you a limited option in
terms of reaching people and expressing yourself. I just did not want to be
labelled to just being another guitar hero. There is just so much more to
my music and I have so much more to say.
"Straight"
possesses a stripped back live sound (i.e. not a great deal of overdubs), was it
in your mind to have an emphasis of getting this music to sound live?
Oh yeah,
definitely. The world does not need another over-produced, Pro-Tool-ed CD. A lot
of the bands of today sound awful live. It has become so easy to hard
disc-record and edit but when they go out on stage it is either playback or
doesn’t sound at all like on the record.
When you listen to
‘Straight’ you know exactly what the songs will sound like live. Just like the
image on the cover betrays already, everything is totally stripped down, naked
and straight to the point.
I think this album might surprise a lot of people that are
familiar with your previous 2 solo works due to the nature of guitar tones and
artistic direction. When it comes to song writing in a vocal format where do
you look for inspiration?
Life, I never
sit down and force myself to write a song. The songs always force me to write
them. All my lyrics are based on true stories – things that have happened to me,
things I’ve experienced, things I absorb.
What was your aim with the vocal approach and what tracks
do you feel particularly represent you as a singer/songwriter?
The aim was to
be able to fully express myself. When you play an expressive instrument like the
guitar that’s great, But singing offers you another level. I feel like now I
have the best of both worlds. I’d say all the 13 songs represent me equally.
They all have something to say or offer.
I thought there was a nice balance on the album between heavy rock, melodic
rock, almost punk type aggression in places. Was this diversity in material a
predetermined decision or is it just the way the music ended up?
Well thank you.
You got that totally right. Each of the tracks expresses a different mood or
reflects upon a different experience. People who know me from my instrumental
albums know that I am always good for a surprise. I just dislike performing the
same song 13 times on a CD. So, I guess with me it’s just natural that the music
ends up like this.
Talk us through how a track from "Straight" was
constructed from writing to recording to production.
Well, I do not
really construct songs. My songs rather flow out of me. One day I wake up with a
song, another time I am struck by an idea. I can tell/hear when a song is
constructed and it usually doesn’t touch me. This is definitely not the approach
I have with song writing. There might be exceptions to the rule (“Favorite
Vice” took longer to write) but usually the writing and recording process of the
songs on ‘Straight’ was a quick one. I had a rule for ‘Straight’: No more than 3
takes. And I think the vibe of the CD reflects that.
How did you hook up with John Macaluso and Randy Coven and
why did you choose this rhythm section for ‘Straight’?
John had
contacted me many years ago before he joined Malmsteen’s band. So we knew each
other before. Bass-wise I was in touch with Billy Sheehan first who originally
agreed to play on a few songs but ended up not playing because of schedule
problems. So, I decided to let John choose a bassist and he offered Randy Coven
who I was more than happy with. We recorded all the basic tracks in NY. These
two are awesome, definitely one of the best rhythm sections in the world for
this kind of music.
For 6 songs I had
Fabio Trentini play bass.
Fabio is not
only a good friend but also one of the best musicians I have met in my life. He
is not only a bassist, he also sings, he is a very successful producer and plays
guitar in a way that could put a lot of guitarists to shame. We totally think
alike. It is always a great pleasure to work with him.
I believe you did some lives shows playing some of the material a little why
back? Did those help shape the music from your initial vision?
Well, I tried some of the songs at a local club some while ago. But it did not
contribute to the shaping of the songs. I pretty much already knew what I wanted
before that.
But it was nice to try
out the songs and see how they worked and how people liked them. That
definitely encouraged me to take the step in this new direction.
Any plans for live shows in support of “Straight”?
I truly hope to
do some. Touring is always a question of money (the travels, the musicians,
hotels, catering, etc.). Having already paid the whole production of ‘Straight’
out of my own pocket, I am looking for someone to support me now. It would be
cool to get an opening slot for a bigger act and I hope that the record company
will be supportive in one way or another.
Your guitar tone is more organic on this album, I believe
you have a new signature guitar and amplifier available, tell us more about
these and what they have done for you tonally and as a player.
On ‘Straight’ I
solely used vintage gear. My main amps where the Peavey Classic 30 and the
DeltaBlues; which I endorse. Also their new Penta is awesome. Guitar-wise I
mainly used Teles & Strats and a Les Paul once in a while.
Both my signature
guitar and amp are
prototypes and we are looking at a very early stage in their development. I have
to see how those co-operations develop and then I might be able to use them on
my next album…
How do you like to record your guitar?
Dry and through a mic.
How did you enjoy doing the vocals on a solo album for the
first time?
Oh, it’s been
great. Especially, if there is so much encouraging feedback. I recorded all the
vocals (incl. backing vocals) in 12, 13 days in my studio - that makes 1
song/day basically.
Different to recording
guitars, you are more dependent upon your current physical & emotional state.
For example, if I am tired I can still pull off a punchy riff or a fast lick but
your voice seems to have a character of its own. Also, you can play an
instrument for hours but your voice gets tired after 4 - 5 hours.
What do you hope ‘Straight’ will do for Milan Polak and will future releases
be vocal efforts?
Well, I hope
that ‘Straight’ will expose me & my music to a wider audience and make people
see me as not just another guy who can play up & down the fretboard incredibly
fast. In fact, ‘Straight’ was written rather for music lovers than die-hard
musicians. This will definitely be the direction I will take for future
efforts. Never say never but I am not planning on releasing any instrumental
music in the near future…
What do you think of the general state of the music business?
I think it’s sad that we live in a time where media feeds people with fast food.
TV is flooded with reality and casting shows, making the viewers believe that
everybody can sing and be a star today.
You don’t need to
learn an instrument, love & understand music – if you don’t want to work a 9 – 5
day job just become part of a TV show and get your 15 minutes of fame. It has
become so annoying that I actually wrote a song about it called “Superstar
Mania”. People do not appreciate real music anymore and the whole music
business is going down.
Where does Milan Polak stand on the downloading front?
Well, see that’s the problem. If people do not appreciate or recognize quality
music anymore then they also won’t be willing to pay for it. This whole illegal
download issue has become a major problem for musicians & record companies. And
the worst thing I have recently experienced: Some idiots who claim
to be music critics for a magazine receive
FREE
promo CD’s for reviews and put them on the internet before the actual release of
the CD. How stupid is that?
paid a lot of
money to produce ‘Straight’. Now if some moron who receives my CD for free makes
it available for illegal download, I will not have any financial return and
therefore won’t be able to record a next album. If I can’t record an album, I
don’t have anything to offer to a record company to sign. If the record company
doesn’t have anymore CD’s to release then this guy will not receive any more
CD’s to review and his job becomes obsolete…
As far as the legal
downloads thing goes, I’d say it’s a good thing. It enables people to only pay
for the songs they actually like instead of the whole CD. That should encourage
musicians to write more good songs and not just put one or two on a CD and make
the rest fillers.
Milan, anything else you would like to add for the readers
of Virtuosity One.
Yes, thank you
for buying my CD. I hope you like it and to see you on the road soon. Keep
it straight, Milan
Milan
Polak Links
