TRICK OR TREAT INTERVIEW

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Here is the interview with two members of Michael Kiske's new collaboration: TREAT OR TREAT talking about the new album "Tin Soldiers": Luca Cabri (guitarist) and Alessandro Conti (vocalist).

TRICK OR TREAT was formed by Alessandro Conti (Vocals), Luca Cabri (Guitar), Guido Benedetti (Guitar), Leone Villani Conti (Bass) and Mirko Virdis (Drums).

The band began making live performances in Italy, playing classic songs from Helloween ("Keeper" era). After two years, they decided to record a 4 song demo "Like Donald Duck" which got a good reaction from the audience. After that, the band got signed by Valery Records and on 2006 they released their first album "Evil Needs Candy Too" (Buy it!) which was presented live on more than 60 shows around Italy.

Fanclub: How did you come to form a Helloween tribute band?

Luca Cabri: We formed the band in 2002, but really it was already two years that I was thinking to form an Helloween Tribute band... I always listened the two "Keepers" from morning to evening at that time. I think those two albums have something magic; they have marked my youth at a musical level. When I listened to them I really felt that was the kind of music that completed myself. I think it’s the musical genre that represents my personality at 100%...

The project became concrete when I met Alle (Alessandro), a super-fan of Helloween like me, who, and this was the more important thing, had a perfect voice hehe!

Concerning the other members of the band, we already knew each other and had played together in other bands, so it was not difficult to meet all together in the “Trick Or Treat”.

Fanclub: Years later you began to write new songs, why? For a tribute band that could sometimes be a big risk. Most of the people who go to these shows want to hear covers not new songs.

Cabri: You’re right, it can be a double-edged weapon, but it wasn’t something planned. It was something spontaneous: songs came out and we recorded them. I think this is the best way to compose music. There must be the right harmony and the right equilibrium in the band... I think that people can feel all of this when we have a live performance; usually they want to listen to our songs and do not complain if we play fewer Helloween covers, so we are very proud of this. Moreover, I think that music means having fun, isn’t it? So it’s right not to put limits to the amusement... the game is better when it lasts!!! Of course!!

I would like to specify one thing: in the first album “Evil Needs Candy Too” it’s written that I have composed all the pieces, but this is not absolutely true. It’s so written because of some reasons concerning the royalties, but really we have composed the pieces all together. On our official website you can find all the informations about it, right? ;)

Fanclub: Who are the main composers? What is the process to compose?

Cabri: Me and Guido write most of the pieces, than each member of the band gives his own contribution with the arrangements... together we change what’s wrong. For example, I can create a piece, but it’s Alle who adapt the vocal parts (this is his job and certainly he knows it better than me), Leo who arranges the bass parts and Mirko the percussions. Than I exchange with Guido some ideas about the guitar arrangements...

Moreover, we are lucky because Guido has got a beautiful studio in his house, and there it’s easier to find the right ideas... The only problem is that he lives far from us: it takes an hour to go there!!! Damn!!!

Fanclub: Luca, when you decided to write new songs, did you want to break with the Helloween sound or to make a kind of "Keeper Part 3"?

Cabri: Having played Helloween covers for a couple of years and having listened to their songs during all our lifetime, naturally our songs were influenced by the Helloween style, as it can be noticed in “Evil Needs Candy Too”. However, our intention is that of writing always what cross our minds without strictly following the power metal clichè. I think that, in the musical field in general, a band should not linger on a particular genre, but it should always experience different kind of music and extend its horizons.

Shortly it is going to be published our new album “Tin Soldiers”, that I consider more mature and personal than the first one. I hope that people will have the same opinion about it when it will come out... Personally I think that only in this way we will be able to say we have reached another purpose.

Fanclub: Alessandro, You designed the band site. Did you make the CD artwork? Are you a professional designer?

Alessandro: Yes, this is my “day-time” job haha! I’m the responsible for a graphic studio... I have studied to become an advertising typographer and then I graduated in “surgical drawing” at the Faculty of Medicine in Bologna (yes, I know...It’s a strange thing!).

I’ve dealed with the graphic of “Evil Needs Candy Too” and with that of the new album “Tin Soldiers”. The work for this last one was very demanding, but I’m very satisfied with the result... as with the parts that I’ve sung! Haha!!

Fanclub: Journey's new singer, Arnel Pineda, was in a Journey tribute band The Zoo and finally became the singer of the original band. Would you like that to happen to you? Would you like to record an album with Helloween?

Alessandro: Haha! I don’t think they need me!! Journey “engaged” Pineda, who is an excellent singer and has a vocal timber that is very similar to that of Steve Perry. On the contrary, Helloween maked an opposed choice taking a singer with a completely different style. Andi Deris is part of their actual style. But I confess that I would like to deal with the graphic part of one of their next albums... is the same thing?? ;)

Fanclub: What are your favorite Helloween tunes to play on stage?

Cabri: Mmm... one of my favourite song is “I’m Alive”, followed close behind by “Future World”: I think that the central harmonic solo is something beautiful!! At the end of a respectable concert the best song to play is “How Many Tears”... we always play it for the encore!! Hehe!

Fanclub: What Helloween song is the most difficult to sing live for you?

Alessandro: I think it’s “We Got The Right”... it needs the vocal range of a piano! Haha!

Fanclub: What do you think about the actual Helloween?

Cabri: If I can tell you the truth, I’ve seen them in a live performance with Gamma Ray and I prefered Gamma Ray. They attract more people and involve much more the audience. However, seeing Grosskopf live is always spectacular! He still represents the “old” Helloween!

Fanclub: How did you record the vocal parts of the album?

Alessandro: Fortunately we live near Michele Luppi, so I could spend one day in his studio improving with him the arrangements of his vocal parts. Obviously, with Kiske was different. He sended us his vocal parts by internet, but anyway it was a perfect interaction.

Fanclub: In the shows that you're making, are you playing songs from the new album? Can you tell us a usual set list for TRICK OR TREAT?

Cabri: Recently we are playing a song taken from “Tin Soldiers” and 6 or 7 from “Evil Needs Candy Too”... then obviously the cover of “Robin Hood” of Cristina D’Avena. The other 10 songs are all Helloween covers.

When “Tin Soldiers” will come out we will decide what to do also according to the response of the audience, because it’s true that we have to enjoy ourselves, but the audience too, has to have a good time!

Fanclub: Is the Tin Soldiers CD going to have an extra track, I mean a Bonus Track?

Alessandro: No, at the moment it will not... we will add bonus material only in case of a distribution in the east... but I think the album sounds good as it is! ;)

Fanclub: Who had the first idea to try to get Kiske on your album?

Alessandro: Personally I think that having Michael in our album is a goal that goes beyond the commercial aspect of the cooperation.

I can tell you that I began my singing studies immediately after the listening of the "Keepers"... It was more than 10 years ago, but maybe if I hadn’t listened to his voice, I would have never started to sing!! (I wonder where I would be now!... Maybe I would be rich! Haha!).

So it was a dream that we had been carring on since we composed the band. We suggested the idea to our record company (Valery Records) that found it good and contacted the guys of Frontiers Records.

Fanclub: Was it difficult to get his collaboration?

Alessandro: Honestly no, it wasn’t so. Frontiers is our distributing agent for Italy and we are on very good terms with its guys... both them and Michael were always disposed to cooperate with us...

Cabri: Yes, it’s true. I thought Frontiers would not consider us... but it was not so!... Maybe sometimes I should be more optimist!!

Fanclub: We knew by your Myspace that there's another collaboration, Michelle Luppi, are there any more surprises? And for the future, what guest would you like to play with?

Alessandro: Concerning this album we are already satisfied with these collaborations... Me too, should sing some songs... don’t you think? Haha! Joking apart, I confess that we would like to record a piece with Cristina D’Avena! We recorded our version of “Robin Hood”, so we liked to have her as a guest, but we couldn’t... we hope this could happen in the future! ;)

Fanclub: Was it difficult to combine Alessandro's voice with the guests vocalists?

Cabri: Absolutely not, it wasn’t. All three have a similar voice, so they perfectly fit together!! It would be different if we had have a guest singer with a voice and a timbre very dissimilar to those of Alle... but you never can tell this could happen in the future!

Fanclub: Any plans to go out on tour outside of Italy?

Cabri: No, at the moment we aren’t, but we hope to receive valid proposals... If some offerer is reading now, please contact us! Hehe!

Fanclub: What would you like to tell Kiske about his collaboration?

Alessandro: Mm...Certainly I want to thank him for his great performance and for the good words he put in for us on his web-site... we are so pleased with this!... We hope to see him soon in a live performance in Italy. In this case we will have a great lunch with spaghetti all together! Ok?? ;)

Cabri: I only want to tell him that I’ve listened to his vocal tracks without the backing track 200 times!! And that personally having him in my album, in a Trickies album, is a GREAT satisfaction!! I thank him very much!! :)

Interview by © Michael Kiske Official Fanclub.