USA TODAY Chat with Fates Warning (04/13/2001)

//USA TODAY Chat with Fates Warning (04/13/2001)

USA TODAY Chat with Fates Warning (04/13/2001)

USA TODAY Chat with Fates Warning – Friday, April 13, 6 p.m. ET


Talk to edgy prog-rockers Fates Warning about their newest release, Disconnected; their tour with Savatage; the addition of Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Engine) and keyboardist/guitarist Shaun Michaud (Event) to the lineup; and anything else that strikes your fancy (or theirs).

Concord, CA: Ray, you have a tremendous voice. Would you ever consider being in my book about How to Sing Heavy Metal?
Fates Warning: Absolutely, sure! Send my some information. Thanks!

Staten Island , NY: How come I dont here Mark Zonder’s name when people compile a list of great rock drummers, are you kiddin me?!?!
Fates Warning: Hahahaha! Maybe we’re just not big enough for anyone to recognize who Mark is.

Richfield, Utah: I know Jim does most of the songwriting, where does he get his inspiration? Your music never fails to be new and exciting, definitley pushing the envelope! P.S…..any plans to play in Utah this tour?
Fates Warning: Thank you. Utah — not yet. Maybe in the summertime. Jim’s inspiration obviously comes from real-life experiences. I think that everyone realizes that pain is art. Lyrics come from within.

Austin, TX: My question is for Ray. Did you play in any bands in the San Antonio area before joining Fates Warning?
Fates Warning: I played in three bands: Baad Newz (I was 16); the Roulette; and Syrus.

Salida, CA: Jim, Ray, Mark, et al….you guys are the most AWESOME band. Thank you for putting out such fantastic music — hope you do so for decades! My question: will your current tour stop in northern California? (please say yes!)
Fates Warning: Thank you. I’m sad to say no, not on this leg. The furthest west we’ll be is Texas. Very sorry. Hopefully we’ll get there this summer.

Modesto, Calif.: when will you release the next studio album? Also, do you think your music label should be doing more to publicize FW and make your music known to the world? (I think so!)
Fates Warning: Hahahahaha! I cannot and will not criticize our label at this point in time. But a little publicity would be nice. The new record is currently being written. As soon as the tour is over, we’ll jump headfirst into finishing the record and record in the late summer.

Turlock, CA: in your current tour, are you playing APSOG in its entirety?
Fates Warning: No, unfortunately. When we finished the last APSOG tour, we told ourselves we would not play the record unless it was played in its entirety. But that might change.

Los Banos, CA: You guys have a great talent for long songs (ivory gates…apsog)….will you continue more of that in future albums?
Fates Warning: As long as life continues to happen around us, we’ll continue to write about what affects us in our everyday existence. Thank you.

San Jose Ca: Does Jim Matheos still meditate after gigs? I love FW…david voci
Fates Warning: Hahahahaha! Jim meditates?

Normal, IL: Can you tell us about any upcoming projects in the works for FW, and also when you’ll release any videos, live or rare (unreleased) tracks?
Fates Warning: Actually right now we’re working on a home video. We had a film crew with us a lot of the time during the recording of “Disconnected”, and we have tons of footage from over the years, as well as last year’s brief outing. It will probably be a DVD.

Athens/Greece: I’m very happy you guys are alive and kicking. Saw you live in Athens on October 1990 and last year. When are you coming back at our neighborhood?
Fates Warning: Hahahaha! Hopefully soon. Those were two of the most amazing shows of our entire career.

Jeff, Santa Clara, CA: Do you guys still get compared to Queensryche?
Fates Warning: Who?

Monterrey, MX: How do you see the current state of prog hard rock?
Fates Warning: I think that it’s slowly gaining an audience and earning a bit more respect.

Monterrey, Mexico: Hi guys, when are you coming to Mexico?
Fates Warning: Again, maybe early this summer if we do a west coast leg.

St. Joseph, Michigan: I’ve been listening to you guys since the early Jon Arch days, and you just get better and better. Disconnected is great. Will you be doing any shows in Chicago or Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo Michigan by chance?
Fates Warning: Yes. We’ll be playing the House of Blues in Chicago in about 3 weeks, and doing a show in Michigan as well although I’m not exactly sure where at this point.

San Jose, CA: Did you know that you guys have a pretty big following in California? When do you think you’ll make it?
Fates Warning: Again, hopefully early summer.

San Jose, CA: Where are you guys from and how long have you been a band?
Fates Warning: Originally Connecticut, the Hartford area. The band formed around 1983.

Monterrey, MX: What are your top three favorite progressive albums?
Fates Warning: Dream Theater “When Dream and Day Unite”, Rush “Moving Pictures”, Rush “2112”.

Monterrey, MX: Hey guys, any plans of doing an album of covers?
Fates Warning: Actually, we did talk about it, but we haven’t discussed it in a while. We’ve been too busy writing a new record. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen. By the way, we might make it to Mexico this summer as well.

Monterrey, MX: Hey guys, are there any chances of Savatage and FW doing a song together on this tour?
Fates Warning: I’m sure there’s a chance, but we haven’t even talked to each other yet. We haven’t seen each other in about 10 years or so.

Comment from Fates Warning: Thanks everybody for joining us here today. Have a “Good Friday”. Hopefully we’ll see you on tour. Thanks very much!

By | 2016-12-02T14:01:16-07:00 April 13th, 2001|Interview|0 Comments

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