ScholzBand – Exclusive insights into the album ‘Immer Weiter’
Questions about the album and its genesis:
What was the main inspiration behind your new album “Immer Weiter”? What topics are in focus?
We wanted to create music again and I wanted to write songs again that tell stories. The last album was rather cryptic, now we had something to tell again and we wanted to compose an album of high quality. When I write lyrics, a movie is always playing in my head, that’s why I always compare it to writing an album, it’s like making a movie or writing a book.
We develop the music together, usually I already have the melody in my head while writing, then I present it to the musicians and we develop the music.
A song lyric must always sound musical to me when I write it… I think that’s important.
The album title “Immer Weiter” (Always Onwards) sounds like progress and change. What personal or musical development is reflected in it?
Always onwards – maybe it’s about breaking out of the daily grind, maybe it’s about change, having the courage to break out when everything is somehow moving in a hamster wheel, not to escape the whole normal madness, but to change what is good for you and makes you happy. Change is important and necessary.
Are there certain songs on the album that are particularly close to your hearts? What makes these pieces so special?
The song November, a song that actually brought us to tears, a goosebump moment, the song wasn’t even planned for the album, but it had to be on it and fit the dramaturgy of the entire album “Immer Weiter” (Always On). The violin is played by a musician from Ukraine, which also makes the song very special.
“Wie man es dreht und wendet” is the first single. Why did you choose this song in particular for the advance release?
During the mastering, we had the feeling that this is the song that has to be out there and be heard. And we asked friends and acquaintances which song they liked best on the record… the song was pretty much at the top.
The song perhaps reflects social life, not taking yourself too seriously and not discussing everything to death. Like the clever sentence.
God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change,
the courage to change things I can change,
and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.
Questions about the band dynamic and the creative process:
How does the creative process work in your band? Is there someone who plays a special role in developing songs?
I write the lyrics and dictate them into my phone, which can be even small posts, and a song is created from many small sentences.
But that doesn’t happen on the sofa, you have to sit down and write intensively. Often, something is also included, which then ends up in the trash. Writing is very demanding, often it only depends on one word that changes the whole sentence and the meaning. I like to address things directly, to write them out and not in a complicated way and shot through the leg. I try to express feelings concretely and to get to the point, maybe a pragmatic writing?
When we are recording, it is important to us that the moment of the song is captured.
The ScholzBand has been around since 2002. How have you developed as a band over the years?
This is now the 5th album, I think the quality of the music plays a big role.
When you listen to the 1st album, it is very naive and produced with simple means. You should always stay naive, especially keep the child in you, it helps a lot with writing and the means to produce an album like we do have improved significantly. Every new album starts with a blank sheet of paper.
We play rock pop but we also like blues and soul as well as house and folk-country influences, these can be heard very clearly on the album. Above all, we don’t work with calculation, we don’t worry about who might like the album, either you meet the audience that likes the songs or not… We put our hearts into it and first and foremost we have to like the music. And sometimes you’re lucky that the people out there like it too.
What role do Lucjan and Michael play in the band’s musical direction? How do they enrich the band dynamic?
I usually come up with the song ideas, but then the real musical and creative process happens here, and I consider Luc and Michael to be the deciding factor. I couldn’t write such great music without them. Both bring so much experience and attention to detail to the music. And I believe that you can only grow with good musicians; you are always developing and the quality of the music is incredibly important and we set the bar high for ourselves.
Of course it’s not always peace and love in the studio, sometimes you have to suffer, but you get the best out of the song and then there are still details that need to be changed.
Personal insights and backgrounds:
Harald, you started your musical journey in the Cologne Cathedral Choir. To what extent does this classical training influence your music today?
I still like classical music, it has shaped me.
I learned to control my voice and that was a hard school, but it really helped me. A great time. I’m not the best singer, but at least I’m not making any weird sounds… that’s something .-)
What role do autobiographical experiences play in your songs? Are there specific examples on the new album
That’s more of an interpretive thing. Different emotions develop in everyone who listens to the album, so it’s difficult for me to describe. I opened my soul on the album, so what people feel or hear in it is no longer in my hands. Maybe the listeners will make their own story out of it, that would be something pretty big.
The last song on the album “Is this what I want” is autobiographical.
How do you deal with challenges in the music industry and what motivates you to keep going?
When I turn on the radio, there are only a few songs that I like.
Everything is the same here, when dynamics are not quiet passages, not intense, but rather trivial. I think it’s good that so many niche radio stations, such as rock or jazz, have been added via DAB.
The music industry is a tough one, many years ago it was about the music, today it is more about the packaging and this needs to be marketed. But the music industry provides a lot of jobs and that’s why it’s incredibly important. I know that you need YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, but I don’t need any artificial effervescence. I want to make music with a clear conscience and I want to keep my good gut feeling. I would always make music and keep going because it can also be soul therapy.
Looking to the future:
What can your fans expect from the ScholzBand in the future? Are there already plans for new projects or tours?
We want to keep writing music and creating good songs, we want to play a few concerts in an intimate setting in 2025. It’s in the planning stage.
If you had to summarize the album in one sentence, what would it be?
Autobiographical, fictional, sometimes very personal but always to the point that it goes on and on!
