Creative reader

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"In the Spotlight" with Stepfather Fred

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Av Creative reader - Torsdag 31 juli 09:39

They have a sound that Rocks both on and off stage.

They are "Stepfather Fred"!

Thank you so much for having a chat with us today.

Who is "Stepfather Fred"?

- We’re a four man band from southern Germany (Bavaria). Sebastian - vocals, Simon - guitar, Matthias - bass guitar, Julius - drums.

There has to be a story about the name. How did you come up with "Stepfather Fred"?

- There is a story that is told by Sebastian and our old guitarist, they were the founding members.

In the early days of the band when they had band practice, they used to take a lunch break and read the newspaper.

In it was an article about a pirate called Stepfather Fred.

They needed a band name at the time and just picked this.
The newer members have a different theory.

Since the founding members were teens in Bavaria and english wasn’t really their strong suit, we believe they read the article about that pirate and just translated the word "Seefahrer“ (pirate or mariner) to "stepfather“.

So basically we believe it’s a translation error and if they payed a little more attention in their english class the band would be called mariner Fred or Seefarer Fred but not Stepfather Fred. But it’s a fun debate inside of the band.

From your Youtube page it is plain to see that you are comfortable both on and off stage.

What is the best thing with being on stage and what is the best thing with making music videos?

- The best thing with being on stage is obviously just playing.

That’s why we are putting all this effort in the band - we want to be on stage.

It’s kind of hard to explain, it just gives you a certain satisfaction that nothing else can.

The best thing with making music videos is honestly when the cameras turn off and it’s time to go home :D (That’s just my perspective, I'm the drummer).

Of course it’s fun too because we really like the guys we do the videos with and it’s fun to hang around, but we tend to shoot our videos in the middle of winter (mostly because we don’t plan enough and procrastinate, we could also do videos in the summer), and usually it’s just 10-12 hours of being miserably cold in some old warehouse or abandoned hotel.

The music video for "I am the Sea“ was shot on december 23d, at -9 degrees in the water.

Sebastian nearly blacked out because the water was so cold on his head.

But as usual, the most interesting and fun memories aren’t that funny and easy when they are happening. :D

The videos to "I Am The Sea" and "I Have To End" are connected, "I Have To End" starts with the ending from "I Am The Sea" what was the inspiration behind that?

- When we shot "I have to end“ we didn’t plan for it to become a "series“ of videos. It was a fun idea at the time and when we had to come up with new ideas for the new album, someone said hey, let’s do a prequel to "I have to end“.

Where do you usually find your inspiration?

- I think everyone in the band has their own influences.

It may be movies, books, other music and bands, sometimes personal things, emotions, but in the end we all sit down in our band room and start playing - you can never really tell what comes out in the end.

What comes easiest? The lyrics or the music?

- Nothing really comes easy, of course the music is a more natural progress, because we play so much together live and now each other pretty well, we kind of know where a jam session is going and have a pretty good work flow.

Lyrics are a little more difficult, if you want to tell a good story you have to dig deep in your emotions and your heart, that usually takes quite a lot of time.

What are you currently working on?

- We are currently working on our new album, writing songs, pre-producing them and getting ready to record.

What are your plans for the future?

- Never change a running system.

We play as many shows as we can, write songs when we can and just keep on going.

Our new tourbus is something that we are looking forward to - even if it means we have to say goodbye to our current tourbus. It’s a bittersweet situation.

What is the one thing you would like your fans to know?

- That we are really greatful for their support.

Everywhere we play, we start to recognize the same faces, people that saw us years before and now are coming to our shows, some even driving crazy distances to come and see us.

It’s very special and we don’t take it for granted!

What is the one thing you would like the music industry to know?

- I think it’s a bit late now to warn the industry not to underestimate the digital transformation, the internet, and streaming services.

But I wish more thought had been given early on to how to adapt to these changes in a way that protects artists from being exploited.

There’s still a lot of work to be done — but hey, better late than never.

And that was my chat with "Stepfather Fred".

It is truly an honor for me to chat with all these people and share their stories with you.

And YOU can find more from Stepfather Fred here

https://linktr.ee/sffhome

And You can find more from me here

https://linktr.ee/creativereader

Don't forget to Comment, Like and Share with your friends

Take care hope to cya next time

#interview #bandinterview #music

In the Spotlight

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"In the Spotlight" with Ally Walker

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Av Creative reader - Torsdag 24 juli 07:05

Hi and Welcome to another "In the Spotlight"

Some might remember her from "Universal Soldier" playing alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. Others might remember her as June Stahl in "Sons of Anarchy"

To me she will Always be Dr. Samantha Waters in "Profiler" one of my favorite Tv shows of all time.

She has been in front and behind the camera, but today she has joined us to talk about her book "The Light Runner"

I am beyond proud to introduce you to Ally Walker!

Thank you soo much Ally for taking time from your busy schedule to have a chat with us.

You have been both in front and behind the camera and now you are a writer.

In a way it is all about creativity and expressing yourself, is that something that you have with you from your childhood or has that grown over time?

- I was definitely a creative, kooky kid. I wrote books and short stories; dressed up and did plays.

I even dawned my grandmother’s wig and clothes and pretended I was a long lost, great aunt to fool my younger
cousins which actually worked until they turned ten!!

So, expressing my creativity was something I was very willing to do - God bless my mother!

I also liked to paint and dance which I continue to do to this day.

Both in front of the camera and behind, it is much about the visual and the sound.

Just from how a character turns her head or how the music is playing you can tell what is going on, how did you find it was to translate that into writing?

- With writing for a novel, I was able to describe things more intimately for readers.

I loved being able to capture gestures that I normally wouldn’t put into a screenplay.

It’s probably because I acted for so long, but I sort of saw what the character was doing in my head and heard how they were saying things and described it as best I could.

That first urge to pick up the pen and start writing " The Light Runner "

where did it come from? What sparked the idea, what is it about?

- I started writing the project in 2015 as a pilot for television.

I had a couple of scripts by 2016 which I sent to platforms ala Apple, HBO, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon but no one was interested in doing it.

I pitched it in London in May of 2017 and they seemed more interested but still, nobites!

So I began finishing it as a series and then in 2020 I started turning it into a book and had a ball!
Where did my urge to write it come from?

I’m not sure. I think I began writing it because I noticed a lot more narcissism and sociopathy in the world and the lack of empathy was very disturbing to me.

I wanted to do a story where mankind sort of rose up and claimed back its humanity - one brick at a time.( It is a series after all! )
I loved doing PROFILER so I decided to combine a murder mystery with metaphysical overtones because it is something I would like to read.

In the book it is the mentally ill or disabled people who know how reality really works and they are the super heroes.

Their supposed disabilities are their super powers.

My aunt was bi-polar and lived a hard life. My uncle was deemed mentally retarded and institutionalized.

I’d always wondered what they had experienced and felt.

This book is dedicated to all who have felt less than, or not normal. Everyone is not normal really!

What are you currently working on?

- I am currently working on a romantic comedy and the second book in the Realities series.

What is the one thing you would like to tell your fans?

- I would like to thank my fans for always being there for me.

They have no idea what it has meant to me to have their support.

At times it has really helped me get through tough periods and I will never forget that.

I also wanna tell people to trust their gut.

So many of us get spun around - especially if you are sensitive and empathetic.

But you know what you know.

When you’re lonely and feel unsure just listen to yourself, your gut and things will work out.

What is the one thing you would like the publishing industry to know?

- What do I want the publishing industry to know?

I think I would just like to thank them.

Reading was my passion growing up.

It still is although I read a little slower now!

Books, stories teach us how to step into another person’s shoes and see things from their point of view which is
wonderful.

It teaches compassion.

And lets face it you can meet different people in different places and time travel when you read and that in one helluva good time.

And that was my chat with the multi talented Ally Walker.

And if you haven't already you should get your hands on her book "The Light Runner"

It is one interesting read and I can't wait for the next one!

and YOU can find more from Ally Walker here

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ally-Walker/author/B0F6NQRFTD?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

https://linktr.ee/allywalker1

and YOU can find more from me here

https://linktr.ee/creativereader

Don't forget to Comment, Like and Share with your friends

Take care hope to cya next time!

In the Spotlight

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Hi

I'm Creative Reader
A Creative spirit from the north of Sweden
Here you will find my
Interviews
Music
Poems
and
short stories
feel free to leave a comment/kommentar

Enjoy!

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