CORONER interview

CORONER members speak about their introduction to music, their gears, but as well about their plans for 2015, when a new album and documentary to be released.
Tommy T. Baron provides us as well with some information about his studio called New Studio Sound.

Hi ! How was your show?

It was hot and to be honest the sound was very bad but I think that the crow liked the show.

Let’s speak a little bit about guitar. What was difficult to play when you came back into Coroner ?

Tommy T. Baron : Yes to be honest our songs are not easy to play, it’s like sport. You have to practice a lot. But to answer your question I’ve played as well before with KREATOR and with Stephan Eicher but here this is a different story. Well again this is training, like sport, but this is a good experience. And nevertheless you know your muscles remember how to play. I never thought it will be so easy to come back on stage.

Could you please share some stories about your tour with Stephan Eicher and the two album of Kreator ?

Tommy T. Baron : As you know the style of Stephan Eicher music is different, special I’ll say, but nevertheless, this is music at the end. Ok some of his songs have sometimes only few chords, like 3 or 4, but it work well. I’ll like to add that this are not just some very simple songs, they are very artistic.

You know, touring with him was very interesting because he wanted something different for every show, every night. He was a little bit like Miles Davis, meaning during our shows on the stage he came to me and say “and now play a solo !” Well I was a little bit embarrassed because I never played any solo ! Stephan is a very nice guy, he has a lot of power on the stage and touring with him was a very good experience, you go every time into some nice hotel, you meet some nice girls and so on.

Could you please share some words about how did you start to play music?

Tommy T. Baron : I’ve start with a violin, it was really hard, I’ve play for around three years. I guess it was very hard and painful for my neighbor to hear me training. Then I saw Jimi Hendrix on the TV and I thought it could help me to play violin but at the end I replace the violin with the guitar. I started to play guitar and I’ve never regretted it ! For me guitar is the best instrument to show my feelings.

Ron Royce : It was my uncle who inspired me as he played guitar in rock band in the 70’s, so I wanted to become a musician like him. Then I played soccer, I was a goalkeeper, but as I didn’t grow up a lot so then when I was 17 years old I wanted to become a musician. Maybe it was too late so I’ve started with bass, I thought that it will be easier to play on four strings! I was maybe a little bit lazy, but I really wanted to become a good musician.

Is it hard to play and to sing in the same time?

Ron Royce : Yes, this is hard, but this is cause of Geddy Lee, bass player and singer in Rush. I tried to do like him, and it worked.

Ron Royce : Sometime there are some very hard things to do, I mean, like to sing at the same time as you play some hard tabs for bass.

Tommy T. Baron to Ron : I told you, play like that, because I didn’t think you would be able to do it, but as the end, when I listen to the song, I think that I was an asshole to think that you would not be able to do it ! It works but he did a fucking good work !

Ron Royce : They pushed me in order to progress, this is why we are here, we are better than before.

Diego Rapacchietti : What I would like to add about the instrument is that this is not easy to play an instrument. But what is even more difficult is to have the discipline to work each day on your instrument. There is no secret, no miracle, talent is 1%, all the rest, the 99%, is the work.

Tommy T. Baron : When I was young I practiced really a lot, meaning sometimes I played about 10h per day ! It was a sort of therapy. I wanted to become the best guitar player all over the world. I didn’t reach the goal but I’m happy with it.

Could you please share some words about your gears ? From the beginning until now ?

Tommy T. Baron : At the beginning I had just a 100w Marshall amp with a disto, then, in the 80’s and 90’s I had a big rack, I had a lot of equipment. Then I really liked the Bogner Fish pre amp for his sound, and then I had a Bogner Ectasy, it was the best one for me. I used this equipment when I played with KREATOR, like 15 years ago, and I still play with this configuration. I have no effects, just a pedal volume, a wah, the amp and the guitar, nothing more.

Is it the same for you Ron ?

Ron Royce : I’ve started with a Peavey amp because I didn’t had a lot of money, but this first amp was ok for me, I played on it for years. My first bass was a Sohn, I sold it because the bass was not so nice, then a friend of mine visited me and said me that he would like to build a bass for me. This is the one I’m using now. However, I played with a bass call “Ash” in the meantime. Maybe I’ll change to a new bass from Warwick as they have some very good bass.

Tommy, you are the owner of the New Sound Studio. Is it hard to be musician and to be behind the mixing table ?

Tommy T. Baron : No, not at all. I have always been interested into recording music and production, and just to play guitar when you are making an album is boring, meaning the music is one concept, many things, not just to play guitar. For me it is really natural, when I’m producing I play all the instruments in my head. In my head I’m a very good drums player but in real I can play some basic drums parts by example. I know as well what I can do in order to train the people into the studio in order to get the best from themselves.

Is it easy to work with some bands when you are the producer ?

Tommy T. Baron : Sometimes this is very difficult as we work, each of us work into deep details, but I think that the bands are satisfied at the end. I really want to do the best as we can and it’s hard !

Which words would you choose in order to describe CORONER albums? R.I.P ?

Premature ejaculation. These are two words but they work together !

For “Punishment for Decadence” ?

Short fuck. Good songs with a bad production

Maybe because the sound is “old”. What do you think about remastering or remix ?

Remixing is difficult because it has been recorded on some cassettes. I’ve tried to work on some old records and it was really difficult.

Maybe some new recording, meaning re recording ?

No, I don’t think so. It was good for that time but now this is different, there are different possibilities,

We can see this as a kind of picture of a past moment. Do you have a word for “No more color” ?

Success.

Mental Vortex ?

Right sex !

On tour ??

Tommy T. Baron : No, but this music.. you have to think further. The first album was a little bit different during the show, meaning when I said “right sex” this is just a picture.

Was “Grin” a success, just like in France ?. You did some good promo, right ?

Yes, it was a good success. In one word : maturity

Thank for your words ! What is the future of CORONER ? Maybe a new album or some tours ?

Yes, a new album will come. We will also go on tour on South America, in Mexico and Brazil, in April/May. We will play 12 shows on three weeks.

Oh yeah, Brazil, they have a very good public.

Yes, I played in Brazil with KREATOR. We plan to record a DVD and a documentary. The doc goes until Marquis leave the band. There will be a lot of things inside, like live footage but as well the first songs we played live on 85. It’s special, it’s something for the fan.

Maybe with Tom Warrior ?

Exactly ! We have about 40 different footage scenes when you see him in the studio. Sometimes the quality is bad because this is very old, like it has been recorded 30 years ago.

Oh great ! We are now reaching the end of this interview. Do you have some final words for the French fans ?

French fans are my favorite, they are nice every time , it’s always a pleasure to play in France. I love French food, I really love French wine, but the fans are the best.

Ron Royce : Thank you again for you great support in France, we will come back definitely.

Diego Rapacchietti : You know I live in France, my wife is French so it means something , I love France. I love the food (joke from Ron “ He eats frogs as well as snails !”). I think as well that the next album will be a big success if the French fans like it because, in my opinion, the French audience is much more difficult to seduce that the fans from the other countries. So be patient, and you will take something in your face !

Thank you again for you time !

Thanks to Geoffroy Lagrange to have interviewed CORONER on 18/10/2014 at the Rock Your Brain Fest, Sélestat/France.