© Dean G
For some bands it’s only a matter of time before they get their breakthrough. One of these promising groups is certainly the Hessian modern metal band April Art. With very catchy melodies, strong hooklines and the charming and perky front singer Lisa-Marie, they have already gained a small but loyal fanbase. Last year in Metz, France, we got a first impression of this band as the opening act for Dark Tranquility and Ensiferum. We now drove to Saarbrücken, Germany, to experience them as headliners. After a strong live performance, we spoke to singer Lisa-Marie Watz and bassist Julian Schuetze.
Dean : Damn, that was quite a performance! 19 songs, well performed and to my surprise you swapped your instruments for two cover songs of Metallica and Guns n' Roses, a brave idea!
Julian Schuetze: Yeah, we also asked ourselves whether that was a good idea!
It was well done, James Hetfield and Axl Rose would these days probably be jealous of your energy on stage!
JS: (laughter) Thank you, thank you!
Where do you get this energy from? Even during the last song you were still jumping around like crazy! Lisa-Marie, I think you do mountain biking.
Lisa-Marie Watz: Indeed, but I don't ride enough at the moment. But I go running three to four times a week. We're all pretty sporty and during the concert I often sneak into the back where I can take a quick breather, we've built that in.
What exactly are you doing backstage?
LMW: In the best case scenario, I just sit there, drink water and dry myself briefly.
You toured with two bands that I really like: Dark Tranquility and Hiraes. They both play melodic death metal, something completely different to your genre. Where did this combination come from?
LMW: Hiraes was just by chance and the stage sharing with DT came through our common booking agency.
How difficult was it for you to win over an audience that actually came because of the Melodic Death Metal main act?
LMW: We had a bit of prejudice at the beginning, like: let's see if it works! But actually after the first concerts it was crystal clear that we were really getting the audience! You always think that metalheads only want the hard shit, but that's not true at all! We also like to shoot, although we are very hooky and melodic, but that doesn't bother anyone. We're partying on stage!
JS: Exactly! Even if we don't completely match their music taste, we try to entertain the audience.
Britta (singer of the band Hiraes, ed.) told me something similar; she thought that a band like The Prodigy had so much energy that they would even be appreciated if the music was completely different.
LMW: Yeah exactly, I think it's just the energy that is conveyed and then it almost doesn't matter what genre it is.
JS: We also had this in the opposite direction when we were on the road with John Diva and the Rockets of Love. We were a little too hard for the target group, but we still got great reviews.
Do you think that this good reception is more due to your catchy hooklines or to the positive energy you radiate?
LMW: I think it's the whole package. What we often hear is that we have so much fun on stage that it spills over into the audience.
On your current tour you only play during the weekends and I can imagine the reason. What regular jobs do you do?
JS: I'm a chemical laboratory technician and work eighty percent, I'm free on Friday so I can be on tour at the weekend. Lisa and Ben (Ben Juelg, drums, ed.) are full-time musicians.
LMW: Yes, almost. I still go to work one day a week.
So what are you doing?
LMW: I work in a company that produces control cabinets for the printing industry. I used to be a kind of girl who does everything and now I only do office work, i.e. accounting. The rest of the week I work for the band. Chris is a programmer and also works eighty percent of the time.
How difficult is this double burden for you two?
JS: Yes, there are phases like now on tour where everything is packed. But it's better than last year when we worked full time, so we had to work overtime or take vacation days to play concerts on Fridays. You quickly get exhausted - but that's what’s called passion!
LMW: The goal is definitely for everyone to be able to make a living from the band, that's what we set ourselves as a goal at some point. You can do the double burden for a few years, but at some point, it gets intense! Writing songs, producing content for social media... you constantly have to do something and no longer have phases where you can take breaks.
Is there still time for other hobbies?
JS: I'm a passionate climber, I do bouldering.
LMW: I like to do anything that has to do with creativity - I like to sew and paint and write the band's lyrics.
Lisa, you are the only remaining founding member, was the band name your own idea?
LMW: Not really, we founded the band in April and with the word “Art” we wanted to express that we wanted to make real art!
I think you disappointed a lot of male fans because everyone was happy to see you as the Bachelorette and this was just an April (Art) joke!
JS: (loud laughter) Oh damn, I thought: what comes next!?
LMW: It was very funny, that's true! It was a spontaneous idea. We wanted to do some kind of joke and someone suggested that we say that Lisa is leaving the band. But the others didn't think that was funny or good, nobody would believe it anyway. There just happened to be a new season of The Bachelorette and so I edited the poster! When the press noticed this, they asked RTL whether it was true. They said “no comment” and played into our hands! That worked great, it was really cool! We then gave an interview to the local press, which was published. The next day when we cleared everything up they were a bit angry!
A work colleague wanted to know if you also wore red underwear?
LMW: (Laughter) That's a good question! Actually not today.
JS: I often wear red boxer shorts and red socks.
Where does this affinity for the red appearance on stage actually come from? Does this show your revolutionary spirit?
LMW: The look was created during the Corona period. During the second lockdown there was the “Red Alert” initiative and shortly beforehand we were in the studio where we recorded the song “Break the Silence”. We then asked this initiative if they would like to cooperate with us. They were enthusiastic about the song and so we shot a video with them and went to the Lanxess Arena. Then we had the idea that we would wear red clothes. We thought it was cool and got so much feedback on these clothes that we decided to keep wearing it! So it wasn't a marketing idea and we've been “the Reds” ever since.
You are now on the “Change” tour. If you could change something in the music world and something within yourself, what would it be?
JS: That's a difficult question!
LMW: Streaming and social media is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it's really cool that everyone can hear you anytime, anywhere. On the other hand, we can only make money when we play gigs. Of course, we get a little streaming income, but it's not in a healthy ratio. As a musician you have to write good songs, you have to be a marketer, you have to know all the social media platforms, understand how everything works and you have to run something like a small company. That's why it's difficult and I wish everything was easier! It's a difficult way. And for myself, I would like the day to have 48 hours! (Laughter)
Next year you will celebrate your tenth anniversary. Do you have something special planned?
LMW: No, it doesn't really feel like such an anniversary because I was the only one who was there from the beginning. There have been so many developments, especially in the last few years. In my opinion, the band only really found itself during the Corona period and Julian only joined us at that moment. That's why it doesn't feel like ten years yet.
Thank you for the pleasant interview!
LMW: You're welcome, it was fun!