Ray Alder interview by Source (09/02/2016)

Original link – http://www.sourcewebzine.com.br/fates-warning/
By Falber

SOURCE – Where do you think Theories Of Flight stands in terms of your past releases?

Ray Alder (Vocals) – I think it’s a bit more straight forward than some of our other albums. Of course it has a couple of 10 minute songs, which is very like us but it also some very melodic and memorable choruses… A lot of people say it reminds them of “Parallels” because of the way the songs are structured. But I’m very happy with the way that it came out.

SOURCE – How has the response been on Theories Of Flight and what kind of expectations do you have for it?

Ray Alder (Vocals) – The response has been amazing. We did not expect the reviews and reaction form fans and critics to be so positive. We are very excited about it all. As far as expectations, we just wanted to put out a good record, one that we could be proud of. We worked very hard on this album, not that we didn’t work hard on other albums, but for this Jim and I worked practically everyday for over a year trying to get the songs perfect.

SOURCE – What are some of the goals you set for yourselves with this album?

Ray Alder (Vocals) – One main goal was to produce a product that we could tour with for a very long time. To have songs that would hold up live as well as have the listener keep coming back to the music. Something memorable…

SOURCE – What would you like Fates Warning’s legacy to be in rock history?

Ray Alder (Vocals) – Hmm, I’m not sure about this question… I guess to have people know that what we did was a little different than what others may have done. That we try and do what makes us happy not what others expect to hear… I know that hasn’t always been the most popular thing for us but that’s who and what we are…

SOURCE – Over the course of the 34-year history of the band, has your musical perspective changed in terms of where you are going?

Ray Alder (Vocals) – I think our perspective and style has always been changing. We always try to never repeat ourselves, to reach further than we have before. We of course have to keep it interesting for us as well as the listener otherwise we would eventually get bored, and I’m sure that everyone else would as well… It’s funny, I used to really dislike writing, but now I really enjoy it. I love what happens when it all comes together in the end.. It’s like raising a child, you never really know what it’s going to be like until it’s time to leave the house and go out into the world on it’s own.. You know?

SOURCE – How do you conform your personal lives to the rigors of a heavy touring schedule?

Ray Alder (Vocals) – Well, we haven’t toured in a while now since we’ve been writing and recording but I think we have that itch again to get back on the road. I love touring, it’s my favorite thing. I love traveling to different places and meeting new friends…

SOURCE – Is your audience the same generation that came to your concerts when you started out, or are younger people turning out too?

Ray Alder (Vocals) – Mostly yes, we have a lot of very loyal fans. A lot of them we’ve seen over the years that have basically grown up with us. But lately since the release of “Darkness” we have seen a lot of younger fans coming to the shows. It’s always nice to know that we can still reach some new fans…

SOURCE – What are your thoughts about social media and how it’s affecting the music business?

Ray Alder (Vocals) – I think for the most part it’s a good thing. You can reach a lot of people now with social media. On the other hand people can now get anything for free and that’s really bad news for bands. Some people complain that we don’t make any money except for touring and that’s not true. We also make some money from publishing, for songwriting and sales. It isn’t that much but it’s still money. Over the years we’ve noticed a significant change in what comes in due to the fact that most people don’t buy cd’sanymore… But I also would like to thank our fans for being so great, because a lot of them refused to download or listen to the leaked songs before the album came out. I think that is so special and I thank them for their honesty and sheer respect for the music and bands.

SOURCE – Do you think the tendency of consumers to download single songs more than albums will mean that the idea of a concept album will fade?

Ray Alder (Vocals) – Ha! I never really thought about that… Hopefully not. Maybe one day we will write another full length album, I’m not saying we are planning that I’m just saying that if we did I think they may have a problem downloading one song if it’s an entire album… Let’s see how that one plays out..

SOURCE – In Brazil there’s much fans listening your kind of music. Whatdo you know about the Brazil?

Ray Alder (Vocals) – I don’t know very much about Brazil. We have been there twice now and we had a great time! The fans are amazing and they really appreciated us being there. I hope that we can make it back soon to tour for “Theories”. Thanks for support Falber!