Hello Ana! At the beginning of our chat please tell us about your first contact with folk music and folk culture.
Hi there! Well, I guess I was in contact with some sort of folklore since I was born. Since my mother is from Dalmatia region, I remember her and her sisters and friends always singing some traditional songs for fun, and I also remeber that these melodies would be stuck in my mind for days. When I grew older I realized that I am having a special response on folklore tunes and voices, feeling bunch of shivers through my spine and having deep emotional experience.
A few years you were a singer in folk/blackmetal band called „Stribog”. Please tell us about the songs from these days, Did the lyrics or melodies of these songs were taken from traditional culture or these songs just only based on folk sounds?
Stribog was my "first love", the first band in which I released all of my current creativity. Stribog songs are all authored, original songs. Most of them were written by ex keyboardist Mario Bošnir, then ex guitar player/vocal Borna Žeželj, another ex keyboardist (who is now member of Oganj) Robert Perica and myself. With Stribog (while we were still members) we wanted to achieve that deepnes and etherical subsound that folklore music has and merge it with equally atmospheric black metal riffs, so I hope people can hear it on our final work, the album – "U okovima Vječnosti".
Recently you founded new folkmetal group, called Oganj. We can appear in the first tracks... Please tell about the name of your new band, about this project and inspirations.
I believe Oganj was the next logical step after a realy ugly and negative departure from Stribog. Oganj was supposed to be Borna's, Robert's and mine continuation of Stribog, in other words, what would Stribog be like if we have stayed. But that soon changed with recruting of the new members and Oganj began to form it's own identity. Soon after formation of the band my dear friend Borna left and dedicated himslef to his art academy and Robert and I had the privilage to withness Oganj becoming a full, independent band thanks to all the members that are currently active. Name 'Oganj' was my original idea, but we had long discussions if that is a suitable name for our band or not. 'Oganj' on Croatian language means 'a man made flame' symbolizing a vivid energy, natural light and warmth, so in my mind it perfectly suited band's energy and soundscape. Drawing inspiration from history, fantasy and ethnology (rooted in balkan folklore) and blending it with personal experiences, emotions, thoughts and ideas gave Oganj an unique sound that can hardly be described as one genre only. The goal of Oganj's music is to create an atmospheric image, a sound sphere within which every listener can incorporate his/her own personal feel or inanother words, to create shivers in people's spines, heh...
You’re singing as a guest, with czech folkmetal band Cruadalach. Let us know more information about this fact.
Cruadalach is a band in which my boyfriend Jan Vrobel is a frontman. But no, that's not the reason why I am their guest singer, heh! This idea came to Jan's mind even before he ever met me. He listened to Stribog's 'U Okovima Vječnosti' because Cruuadalach played on last year's Beltinefests with Stribog, and since he didn't know that I was no longer in the band, he wrote me a message on MySpace telling me how he loved my vocals and how he looks forward to meet me and hear me singing live. I had to dissapoint him by telling him that we are not going to meet because I am no longer in Stribog. He just couldn't except that fact so he called me to their gig in Budapest 2011 as a guest singer on the song 'Confession'. We had a really good time, continued our communication, I helped him with his singing (music classes over skype, hi, hi) and lyrics and I guess the rest of the Cruadalach liked my work so they called me to record some vocals on their album 'Lead-not follow' and to help them out on their Polish tour 2011, because Petra Jadrna wasn't able to come, so I had around 5 days to think of some vocal parts which would be a substitution for wind instruments, heh.
Cruadalach played some gigs in Poland, on tour with Percival Schuttenbach. You were in Poland on one of Cruadalach’s gig. What ware you feel in Poland, what about atmosphere this gigs, about Polish supporters?
As I mentioned above, I was in Poland with Cruadalach on all of the gigs, 3 of them. Since I travelled 8 hours from Zagreb to Budapest, spent 6 hours in Budapest (including attending Paganfest), then on the same night travelled 7 more hours to Prague and from there 10 more hours to Poland, all in one piece and at the end sang a gig, I have to say that it was pretty crazy and great, ha! I really enjoyed gigs in Poland, especially the last one. People from PS are simply awesome and I am still in contact with them. Atmosphere was warm, supporters were great, they danced and screamed out for more...and I had a first beer with syrup juice, hi, hi... I really hope to play in Poland with Cruadalach again and I especially hope to play with Oganj there. I am really curiouse how would Polish people accept Oganj.
Do you know any Polish folk and folkmetal bands beyond Percival Schuttenbach? And what are you private music fascinations?
Except Percival Schuttenbach and their projects I unfortuantely know only Vader and Behemoth. All the great bands. And I promise I will educate myself more on this matter, heh.
My private musical fascinations...well, there are a lot of them. When it comes to singing I have to mention the amazing singer Azam Ali and all of her projects (Vas is my favorite among them), Loreena Mckennit, Lisa Gerrard, Irfan, Enya, Hagalaz Runedance, Secret Garden, Valravn and many others. When it comes to metal (or metal related) I really love Tool, Alcest (and their amazing new album "Les Voyages De L'Âme"), Les Discrets, Enslaved, old Tristania, Amorphis, Primordial, old Sirenia... and of course some legends such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, old Metallica, Led Zeppelin (I simply adore "No Quarter" song)...
Let’s back to Oganj. What are the band plans for the nearest future?
Since we had our first share of live performances, I believe we will now focus on finishing songs for a full lenght album. Of course, in the time between, we would love to play as many gigs as possible. My biggest wish is to make a really good video and I already have some plans in my mind, heh... It was a bit hard to work on such distance (I am living in Prague from February and I'm returning at the end of May to Zagreb), but I believe we will use the best of the upcoming summer to make Oganj burn even brighter, hi, hi...
How is the diffrent, in your opinion between Oganj, Stribog and Cruadalach look for folk and Folklore?
Uf, a tough one, ha, ha.. Well, it is obvious that Cruadalach is the one with the biggest number of folklore instruments, but that still doesn't mean that they are 'the most folk band' of these three. I somehow think that it is more about the perception of 'folklore' for a particular band. The best would be to describe it like this: there is an inverted situation - Cruadalach uses physically a lot of folklore (by this I mean instruments the most) while their lyrics and the whole atmosphere is the most modern from these three bands (and that is what I love about Cruadalach, that is what makes them special), while on the other hand with Stribog (while I was still a member) and Oganj now is exactly the opposite – our atmosphere and lyrics is what makes it 'folk' most of all, little more etheric, not so 'in your face' like Cruadalach, but more 'a soundscape' with using of lots of keyboards (because Robert simply has to become a soundtrack composer, since he is so talented in creating miracles from sounds) and just a particular folk instrument (in Stribog flute and whistle, in Oganj kaval and violin). Also, in Oganj we don't use violin and kaval in every song and always together, actually most of our songs have isolated violine or kaval parts, more like solos, and rarely they play together through the whole song.
Could you tell Polish etno/folk music supporters about the majority Croatian folk and folklore band and artist? In your opinion of course...
If I understood correctly, I should name some Croatian folklore band or artist: there are Putokazi – a nice fusion of jazz and ethno, there is Kries, band called Afion, Tamara Obrovac – also jazz and ethno fusion, Nina Romić – new folklore artist. If You really want to hear something unique I would suggest male "klape" from Dalmatia, there are several of them which are really good (Cambi for exaple).
I remember that you wrote on your facebook profile some time ago about your exams, we keeped our finger cross. What was the results?
Thank You, hi, hi.. Yes, they were. But now come the big ending ones, both in music school and on university, so please, keep your fingers crossed a while more, heh!
Let us know about your eduction... And about you.
I was attending acting school for seven years and took parts in some local video clips tv shows and commercials. During my 'day life', heh, after graduating from cultural and touristic management, I am now a student of anthropology and ethnology, and also a student of classical singing. My musical education contains of 12 years of choir singing and 2 years of singing in private classes, and at the moment I'm attending music school "Vatroslav Lisinski" for solo singing for four years so far. I also love belly dancing. In my free time I do some writing (such as lyrics,short stories...). I'm interested in many things considering all sorts of art,and I'm also very curious, heh, fascinated with people who let themselves be fascinated by life itself. Simply adore spending time with animals and in the nature. I am a full time geek, adore Star Trek and SF cinematography, gaming (my new passion) and documentaries about the Universe. In the next life I would like to be captain Picard and travel across the Universe "to explore strange new worlds... To seek out new life, and new civilizations... To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before", ha,ha. But, really. Can be bribed with "Kinder chocolate", "Grana Padano" cheese and berry wine ( good to know, heh).
What about Terra Balkanica?
Terra Balkanica is a project of my dear friend and amazing musician Atanas Gendov and his friend Martin Biolchev. So far I recorded two songs for this project: "Nox Noctis" (Croatian and English version) and "Tears Of The Warrior". None of them is published fully yet, but you can find a teaser on youtube. It is an ambient/ethno/pop project which I enjoy very much. Atanas is a perfectionist when it comes to recording, so although it is very exhausting to record in that way, it is my favorite way of working. I am also starting an ambient ethno project named K'erd, so wish me luck with that, hi, hi!
Of course, heh! And at the end of this intie, we are all living in internet era, in wwworld... Where we can catch you with your music in the net beyond Facebook?
There is always my profile on FB: Ana Ćapalija - www.facebook.com/anacapalija (I changed my surname from "Bačkonja" to my mom’s one - Ćapalija recently) and MySpace: www.myspace.com/anaphantomyca, there is also Oganj's official FB: www.facebook.com/oganjband and MySpace: www.myspace.com/oganj
So... and little bonus - some words just from you - just for our readers.
Believe it or not, this is my first personal interview and I really hope You will like it, hi, hi... I wish to thank You for this opportunity to get in touch with Polish folk community. I also hope to visit Poland again soon, this time with Oganj, to experience again this amazing atmosphere and hang out with amazing people, ha,ha, while drinking syrup juice beer, hi, hi...
Thanks a lot for intie !!!
My pleasure, thank you!
