PensEyeView.com interview

You want something to talk about – something worth remembering? Enter Cinema Bizarre – members Strify, Yu, Kiro, Shin, Romeo. The flag hanging on their studio wall says it all: “STYLE IS WAR.” Witness this 5-piece rollercoaster ride and it becomes clear – their visual presence is just as imperative as their sonic existence – a combination of inspired Visual Kei with “Glamorous Pop,” mixing synthpop, new wave, electro, rock and pop. Make no mistake – while the look is vital – it’s the sound that most directly represents the style of Cinema Bizarre.

The band comes out of Germany, where they have been recently honored with the “European Border Breaker Award” for best selling debut album of a German band in Europe. With those credentials already in hand, they have already released a two song EP here in the states and are preparing Europe for their second full-length album.

While we’ll be waiting for more from Cinema Bizarre here in the states, you can catch them playing their record material live in a huge show – opening for Lady Gaga on tour. As you must have figured out, the live show is the true way to catch the Bizarre – matching their melodic hooks with their unreal visual presentation. Lead singer Strify talks about the connection: “I think there are a lot of bands out there who try to have some kind of an understatement image or no image at all which turns out to be their image. We always cared about image. We want to deliver a full package of images and music. We all love fashion and its part of our personalities. I want the people to feel our music and I want to send pictures to their heads they will be mad about. Unsophistication is overrated.” There’s more to learn below about the tour, the show and the music, so dive into the XXQ’s right now.

XXQs: Cinema Bizarre - Answered by lead singer Strify

PensEyeView.com (PEV): Tell us how Cinema Bizarre first came together. Was it an instant connection the first day you practiced together?

Strify: The start of the band was in 2005. Kiro, Yu and I met on one of Germany's biggest conventions about manga, anime, visual kei and Japanese culture. We always wanted to do music and immediately had a huge connection.

PEV: Hailing from Berlin, what kind of music were you listening to growing up? Do all the members tend to like the same kind of music?

Strify: All of us moved to Berlin like 2 years ago. We were born and raised in different cities spread all over Germany but had similar experiences because we didn't live in big cities and were always extraordinary. We started as musicians on the same level with different tastes in music. That's what helped us to create our own sound with many faces. I'm the biggest fan of pop music with an edge, killer hooks, 80s and electronic stuff. I grew up listening to David Bowie, Queen and Depeche Mode for example. Yu listens to a lot of rock music and is influenced by Japanese music called JRock.

PEV: Starting in Berlin, and then making your way over to the states, were you nervous about how the US fans would react to your music and live shows? As well, what do you find to be the biggest difference in audiences?

Strify: It's a big deal for us but nothing that we are afraid of. Having the chance to start as an opening act for Lady GaGa is a great opportunity to get known to the American audience and check them out. People are always very interested when we enter the stage and they seem to be pretty curious because they don't know anything about us. It's a nice way to introduce Cinema Bizarre.

PEV: What was it like for the band when you were first breaking into the music business? Before you were getting press, and regular gigs?

Strify: I've always been traveling a lot in Germany or London. I was also clubbing a lot with friends and trying to figure out what I wanted to do. But I never found something that made me feel the way singing and performing does. When I'm on stage I feel complete. I tried out school bands or choirs but it never worked for me. I was always too different for them - until I found the other guys. We've never been like the band next door rehearsing in the garage. We always wanted to enter the big stage and create our own universe.

PEV: What can fans expect from a live Cinema Bizarre show?

Strify: It really depends. We played a lot of club gigs and want to come up next with something more conceptual. I think about something maybe a bit Cabaret or The Rocky Horror Picture show inspired. But I don't want to promise anything yet because we are going to work on that when we go back to Germany.

PEV: How have your shows evolved from when you first started out?

Strify: We're still very young musicians and it's a learning by doing process. We always want to get better and better. And that's also what the shows are about. Our first gig was in Vienna, Austria and I think since that point we fell a lot to find out what's right and what's wrong. And that's the only thing to get better.

PEV: Now setting out on a tour with Lady Gaga, how did this tour all begin and what can fans anticipate from this tour?

Strify: I like to call this whole tour "The Fame Experience" because we are doing so many things for the first time - playing in America, playing as an opener. It's really fun and a great way to get started over here. I really love being here. It was really spontaneous. We met GaGa after her concert in Berlin and two days later she invited us to come on tour with her. But "The Fame Ball" already started in one week. Now we're here and I don't want to leave.

PEV: As well, is there an up and coming artist right now that you think we should all be looking out for?

Strify: Two months ago I would have said Lady GaGa. Right now I'm lookin' forward to the new Depeche Mode album.

PEV: Tell us, what can fans expect from your upcoming EP and soon to be released album?

Strify: The EP is available exclusively at Hot Topic and features two songs – “Lovesongs (They Kill Me)” and a Remix of “Escape to the Stars” which was made by the keyboard player of Within Temptation, a symphonic metal band from the Netherlands. We have the privilege that we are going to release our second album in Germany. So the first album in the States will be a mixture of both of these albums.

PEV: How is this work different from other music out today?

Strify: I think there are a lot of bands out there who try to have some kind of an understatement image or no image at all which turns out to be their image. We always cared about image. We want to deliver a full package of images and music. We all love fashion and its part of our personalities. I want the people to feel our music and I want to send pictures to their heads they will be mad about. Unsophistication is overrated.

PEV: When you sit down to write an album what kind of environment do you surround yourselves in?

Strify: Inspiration is everywhere. I'm basically always working on ideas for lyrics. When something comes to my mind I'm going to write that down so that I won't forget it. If I remember the idea a few days after I know that it's good and I keep on working on that- Some lyrics are finished in an hour, some take many weeks. I need a lot of light to be creative. Daylight flooded rooms are the best. Or cozy nights with city lights and candles.

PEV: If it wasn’t for music, what would each of you most likely be doing for career?

Strify: Sometimes I think that I'm not living in any real world. So it's hard to think of a life without music. If I wouldn't be on stage I still would try to be around music. I have a lot of creative energy I need to use. I also love to create video, clothing or other visual ideas and concepts.

PEV: What’s one thing we’d be surprised to hear about the members of Cinema Bizarre?

Strify: Three of us are real disco 'queens' and two are couch potatoes.

PEV: How have your friends and family reacted to all your success? What is it like to go home and play in front of your home town?

Strify: When I was younger my father didn't like the way I started to dress. He hated that I was a boy wearing make up and being feminine. And he always used to tell me that I should get a real job. Nowadays he is proud of what I'm doing and totally cool with everything. But we had some hard years of struggle.

PEV: If we were to walk into your practice studio right now, what’s one thing we’d most likely find?

Strify: A lot of drum sticks, picks and bottles of water. Nothing spectacular except a big flag on the wall which says "STYLE IS WAR".

PEV: How is life on the road for you? Good parts? Bad parts?

Strify: I love being on the road. I love traveling, seeing the world, making new experiences. On stage I feel complete. So I take all the bad parts without any comment.

PEV: In your opinion, is there a certain city (US or International) that you find to be the best city for music?

Strify: I think we'll figure that out. Haven't seen enough of the US yet.
PEV: As well, where’s one place you haven’t played, you would like to? Why?

Strify: We'll be in New York soon. We'll be doing our own headlining show on April 24th. I was always pretty excited about going there. We'd also love to go to Tokyo and play there.

PEV: You were honored with the “European Border Breaker Award” for best selling debut album of a German band in Europe. This must have been a great achievement and confidence boost for the band. How did this award affect the band’s reputation and establishment on the global music scene?

Strify: It was a great honor to get an award from that position and I was very happy about that. There aren't many people out there who know that award but I guess a lot of people in the music industry were interested in reading that news. There were a lot of people who always expected us to disappear very soon. They said there's just hype and nothing more about us. But we're here to stay.

PEV: So, what’s next for Cinema Bizarre?

Strify: Turning the world into one bizarre place!

Mañana cuando vuelva de la escuela si puedo la traduzco :D

Fuente: http://www.myspace.com/cbamericansupport