Fresh Acts: Maplerun <br>Fresh Act April 2013 - STALKER MAGAZINE inside out of rock´n´roll

Maplerun
Fresh Act April 2013

Sometimes it goes like this – Maplerun, the Proggressive Rock / Metal band from Greece was looking to promote their latest album “Restless” and contacted us. We checked out their music, liked it and decided they were an interesting candidate for this months´ Fresh Act. They have been around as a band since 2007, but are yet unsigned. Still, they say they will make music no matter what. So far hey have successfully toured Europe twice, appeared on two big national TV shows, and their song “For You” is featured on the video game ”RockBand 3”. Guitarist and singer Nick took the time to answer STALKER´s questions and to introduce the band.

Who are you - can you introduce yourself and all of the band members?
My name is Nick and I am the guitarist and singer of the Greek rock/metal band Maplerun. The rest of the band members are Chris (drummer), Orestis (guitar) and The Moor (bass/backing vocals).

How did you meet each other?
Me and Chris used to play in a rock band together between 2002-2003 called Sullen Riots, playing school gigs and stuff. Then the band broke up and me and Chris decided to make our own music. In 2003 we met Orestis – our guitarist - and after several changes of different bass players we met The Moor in 2007. Me and Chris met each other through the band Sullen Riots. In 2003 I met Orestis in a random bar while being totaly drunk! And last but not least – we met The Moor through myspace in 2007 when we invited him over for rehearsal and we´ ve been together ever since.

When and why did you form this band?
We formed this band in 2003 (back then we were named Headtrip after our instrumental track included on our debut album House on Fire). We started out in order to have some fun through jamming and create our own music influenced by our favorite bands. We just wanted to let all our feelings out through our music. We never had any plan to record an album or to take this further than jamming sessions.

How would you describe your musical style, and how did this style develop? What are your musical roots and influences?
As you will know by now having heard our record, there are various influences in our music even between songs of the same album. That is because each one of us listens to different types of music and when we combine them and filter them we create Maplerun´s sound. Our major influences are: Metallica, System of a Down, Godsmack, Tool, Porcupine Tree, Katatonia and loads of other bands that would take me days to write. That is the reason why I cannot describe our music apart from being rock/metal. Each one can describe it as they feel like when listening to us.

In which bands have you played before?
None besides the aforementioned Sullen Riots.

How do you write your music and lyrics, is it teamwork?
Yes it is. Each member brings an idea and through jamming and conversation we try to develop it as we would like it to sound. We have our own recording studio, which has proved to be very helpful over the years in terms of working on new material.

Is there a particular philosophy behind your works, or where do you get your inspiration from?
Not at all. Our inspiration is abstract, we can be inspired by anything, everyday conversation, looking out the window, watching the news, anything can give us an idea to start working.

How did you come up with the band name – is there a story behind it?
Our first name was Headtrip, but due to the fact that it was already taken we decided to call the band Maplerun. This name is taken by John Grisham´s book called ”The Summons” were it was the house were the protagonist grew up. A story well told, worth reading.

What are your goals, dreams, what do you want to achieve with your music?
We want to play all over the world and keep on recording new albums until we drop dead! It would be great to start making a living out of it as well, but these are tricky times for the music industry. We have found what we really love doing and we never want to stop doing it.

Are you looking for a record company or would you prefer to stay in the DoItYourself mode?
Yes – it would be great to have a label that would be interested in us and that is willing to invest in us in order to take Maplerun a step further. Until then we will keep on doing things on our own.

What should an ideal record company for you be like, and do for you?
An ideal record company would be interested in our music and willing to invest in us. Investing for media exposure and touring opportunities as well as production – it would be great to work with a producer that we truly admire in a recording studio that has all the up to date equipment.

What are your live shows like? What´s the perfect venue/show for you?
Our live shows can be described as pretty intense (check out our photos and videos on www.maplerun1.com). Party atmosphere throughout the show and people getting drunk, banging their heads and having a good time. There is no perfect venue or show – each one is unique and special in its own way. We try to give our best self in each concert.

Do you have a weird /absurd story to tell, e.g. about mishaps at a gig/tour?
What happens on tour stays on tour

If you could freely choose a band to tour with, who would it be, and why?
If I was to chose this it would be Metallica because they are my favorite band.

What are your plans in the (near) future?
In April 20th we will be supporting Dave Lombardo´s (Slayer) personal group named Philm, here is Athens/Greece. In May we will be playing in Hard Rock Hell Ibiza Roadtrip festival in Spain along with a great line up of bands. Also, in September we will play the Rock & Metal Circus festival in the UK, which we are really looking forward to.

Thank you for the interview.
Thank you very much for your interest and for a great interview and album review.

www.maplerun1.com

Author: Stefanie Oepen, photos: Irini Michopoulou
Date: 2013-04-01

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