Dear Joop thanks for your
kindness to answer our questions
on behalf of Knight Area.
You're very welcome!
"Under A New Sign"
is out in the stores. Can you tell
us a few things about your new album?
Oh, you mean besides that you should
ALL BUY IT?? No, seriously, it has
been a real team effort. The music
represents what we love in music.
Some of us are into the 'old'
sympho bands like Yes, Genesis,
Arena, etc. Others, like myself,
have a thing going for progressive
rock and hard rock like Dream Theater,
Metallica, Iron Maiden. We try to
combine those influences into our
songs. So, for instance you can
have a song like "Mastermind"
which has a harder type of sound,
and, on the other hand, you have
"Under A New Sign",
which is very melodic and has a
great jazzy solo section.
What are the differences
in the sound of Knight Area between
"Under A New Sign" and
your previous album "The Sun
Also Rises"?
A big difference is that the first
album is composed and arranged by
one person (Gerben, our main composer),
and then several guest musicians
have contributed. So, it was a project.
The new album is a band album. Gerben
still writes the songs, but then
we work it out as a band. That changes
the sound a lot. Another difference
is that there are other musicians
involved on the new album. Finally,
Gerben has really evolved in his
recording and mixing abilities.
Are you satisfied with
the feedback that you gather from
the press and the audience?
Oh, yeah! We've had some great
reviews. OK, you can't please them
all, but most of the feedback we
got from the press was really, really
good. For instance, we've been nominated
for
Italian Prog Awards – Best
Foreign Record. Also at our
live shows, the feedback is very
good.

In general when do you
think that it's safe enough
to assess a record? Because sometimes
you need years to understand it,
while other it just gets you instantly.
I don't think there's
a magic formula. We like to do it
our way. That is, Gerben composes
a song, we let it evolve during
rehearsals and we all participate
in the arrangement. Preferably,
we like to try some of songs live
and see how the audience responds.
Most of the songs on "Under
a New Sign" are conceived that
way. In the end, if we are happy
about the songs, we put it on the
record.
Do you think that "Under
A New Sign" is an easy to
get album?
That depends. Some of my colleagues
at work like it a lot (who are into
prog), others don't see it
as their "cup of tea".
I think the songs are good and catchy,
but then again, I'm used to
listening to this stuff...
Is it true that the band
has another mentality nowadays?
In particular do you feel and act
as a regular band instead of being
Gerben Klazinga's project?
Yeah. I didn't work on the
first album so I can't relate
to that, but I feel we're
a real band. Especially when we're
on stage. These guys have been around
and know their stuff. I mean, we're
no pros, but we all have a professional
attitude about performing and taking
part in a band.
What about your lyrics?
What issues and themes do you employ
in "Under A New Sign"?
The lyrics have been written by
Mark Smit, our vocalist, Joop Klazinga
(brother of Gerben and flautist),
and Jankees Braam (our sound engineer).
Some of the songs are inspired by
certain events in their lives that
have had a great impact. Other songs
are about what we see around us.
Do lyrics they play an
important role in your music?
Yeah, sure. Although we start off
with the music, we pay close attention
to the lyrics.
You have played numerous
lives, so I would like to ask you
which one do you remember and why?
I remember them all, but most I
remember our experience at Nearfest
2005. At the time, we just started
as a band and only did a couple
of gigs. So it was a huge honor
for us to be invited at this renowned
festival. The organization and the
crew were really professionals,
and made sure we only had to worry
about performing. The experience
itself was great. There were about
1200 people, and, although we opened
at 11.00 am, we really got them
awake!!! The response we got was
great. I can't explain why it was
so memorable, but if you would like
to get an impression, you can order
a DVD of that edition of the festival
at www.nearfest.com
(and no, I don't get paid for this
promotion ;) ).

What's your opinion
for the progressive rock/metal festivals
that take place all around the globe?
Do you believe that this is a good
way to promote your music, though
the audience is pretty much aware?
It's great to see that there
a lot of interest in this music,
although it's not mainstream.
If you're only tuned in to
MTV etcetera, you might come to
think that there's only R&B.
Think again!! It's a good
way to promote this kind of music
and give all these artists a chance
to perform.
Do you believe that playing
in such festivals is a test, since
the audience is prog-rock literate
and may assess you strictly?
No, I don't think so. There
will always be people who are better
guitar players, or drummers, or
singers. But then again, why aren't
they performing on stage? It's
easy to criticize, but I think most
of the audience will value the music
you bring as a band.
Although it's quite
early, how do you envision your
new album? More specific where do
you think that you have to improve?
Considering our busy schedules
at work and at home, I think we
have done a good job. We're
all perfectionists, so sure, it
can always be improved. But for
now, I like to enjoy what we have
created. We WILL improve ourselves
on the next album, though, but I
don't know what we will improve...
Mattias Noren is again
behind the artistic aspect of your
releases? Did you gave him any specific
instructions for the cover or you
just let him design according to
his view of the record?
The man is such a great artist,
and can translate our music to a
drawing like no other can. Actually,
we gave him a hard time, 'cause
we turned down some of his drawings
(which were great, but to us didn't
fully capture the music).
Before we close our interview
can you tell us the story of naming
the band Knight Area?
Well, that quite simple. Gerben
Klazinga lives in a small town in
The Netherlands and the street name
is called "Ridderbuurt",
which translates into Knight Area...
Dear Joop, thank you for
talking to our webzine. I wish you
all the best.
Giannis, thanks for our talk and
the opportunity to reach some of
our fans. We hope to see some of
you (actually all of you) at one
of our gigs!!