MOUTHY MAGAZINE 2003
By Ian C Stewart

FROZEN RAIN

Who does what in the band? Full names, roles and instruments played please.

First of all I have to tell you that Frozen Rain isn’t really a band. At this moment it’s more or less a studio project. I’ve written a whole collection of songs which I’m recording now with the help of many musical friends. Each one of them also has his own projects and bands. If the album is successful it’s possible I will think about a live band but right now I have my hands full with the recording of the album. Here’s a list of musicians involved in my project: Tommy Denander (guitar), Luc Van Thuyne (guitar), Sven Bauwens (guitar), Dirk Cauwels (guitar & vocals), Dan Palladino (guitar), Frank Deroubaix (guitar), Ward Snauwaert (guitar), Bart Vandenbroucke (bass), Guido De Steur (bass), Gino Vyncke (vocals), Peter De Zutter (vocals), Jo De Boeck (vocals), Marc Janseghers (vocals), Philippe Beauprez (vocals), Jessica Lippens (vocals) and myself, Kurt Vereecke (keyboards, drums, guitars, bass, vocals)

Where and where did the band form?

In fact Frozen Rain is a studio project which I’m doing with a lot of talented musicians. It’s very nice to work with all those people. I started with the preparations for this album in 2002 but the recordings started in January 2003.

Where did the band's name come from?

Frozen Rain is a name which I used for one of my bands in the eighties. When I needed a name for this project I remembered this name. People always liked that name and many friends advised me to use this name again for the new project, so that’s what I did.

Are you active in your local music scene?

I’ve been active in the local music scene for many years. The last few years I've only done studio work. I’ve recorded 3 double cd’s with songs for children and I’ve written 3 music books which are used in the schools here in Belgium. At the moment I’m concentrating on my first album.

How do your songs come to be?

For me the melody of a song is very important. That’s the base of a good song so I pay a lot of attention to that. All songs on my upcoming album will be very melodic. If you love nice tunes with powerful guitars and bright keyboards then you will like this. The album will be filled with nothing else than pure AOR…

Who are your five biggest musical influences and why?

I love so many bands and artists in different kinds of genres but if you ask me about my musical influences I have to give you names like Journey, Signal, Toto, Giant and of course my buddy Tommy Denander. Why? Simply because they all know how to write catchy & well crafted tunes.

What's the biggest show you've played so far?

The biggest show I’ve played was a show on “Affligem Rock”, one of the biggest festivals here in Belgium. We shared the stage with Golden Earring, Mud & Clarence Clemons (Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band).

Any amusing band-related anecdotes you'd like to share with the world? True stories only please.

We once had a big concert in Gent. Three days before the concert our guitar player told us he had injured his back. He wasn’t able to do the show. The rest of the band didn’t want to cancel the concert because it was one of the biggest we’ve ever done. I asked my friend Luc Van Thuyne if he could replace our guitar player for that concert. You must know that Luc never heard our songs before until that moment. So what happened? The day just before the concert we rehearsed with Luc from morning until the evening and the next day we played that important concert with Luc. He played all rhythm & sologuitars just like he'd already been playing for years with the band…

What's next for the band?

Because of the fact that there are so many people involved in this project I think I will need the rest of the year to complete everything. I’ve written all of the tunes myself but I also play all keyboards & drums on the album, I’m also the engineer & producer so… I know what to do for the moment. I’m looking forward so much to have this album out finally. It’s what I’ve always wanted!!

What's the URL for the band website?

You can find all info & latest news about Frozen Rain at http://www.frozenrain.be/. The site also contains lots of interesting links for rock fans and musicians.