the rights on characters and the names used belong to J K Rowling.
Hello everyone! Here I am again to give you another great interview! This time, I had the pleasure to talk with the girls of FIENDFYRE, one of the most important progressive rock bands of the new generation! During the last week of their world tour, I could talk to each member and I've found out some great stuff like how the band started, how is their process of composing, how it is to be one of the rare rock bands formed only by women, personal influences, life on the road, future projects, and a lot more! Hope you guys enjoy it! This is the first part of the interview! Rock on!
FIENDFYRE
Hermione Granger – Bass Guitar; Lead Vocals
Ginny Weasley – Lead Guitars
Cho Chang – Keyboards and synthesizers; backing vocals
Luna Lovegood – Drums and Percussion
1st day.
They enter the room one by one, first Cho, then Ginny, Hermione and finally Luna. Luna looks like she is the quiet one. The other three girls are laughing and talking out loud. Luna is different, a bit shy, but also focused. The others are not strangers to her, they actually get on with her like a sister, I can see that, but I believe it's me and my crew's presence. She just stares at us without say a word. Hermione, on the other hand, is surely the leader. We can say that by her attitude – putting everybody in line to say hello to us. It's not the general type, but firm, like some kind of new fashioned mother. Cho and Ginny are nailed to each other like sisters.
Me – So, who wants to go first?
Ginny, Cho and even Luna point their fingers to Hermione, without a single blink.
Hermione – Hey! Why me?!
Cho – 'Cause you started all this.
Ginny – Yeah, go on!
Hermione – Huh... Ok, then, I... Luna, why don't you...
Luna – I'm fine right here, thanks. You go.
They laugh. To my surprise, Luna has a very accurate sense of humour.
Hermione – All right... Let's go, then.
Me – Ok. Can I call you the leader?
Hermione – Well... I don't feel like that. The four of us work together and we build all this as a team, so I don't think it's fair to call me that. Actually, there's no point calling me leader at all.
Luna – Yeah, she's the leader.
Everybody laugh (including Luna, much more comfortable now).
Cho – She started it all, you know, the band and everything...
Hermione – You guys know how I feel about it, ok? All this 'being the leader thing' it's not for me, honestly. Don't pay attention to them, all right? We've being working together as a team since the beginning, just like I was telling you.
Cho – We love you too!
More laughs.
Me – When did you had the idea?
Hermione – I was on my sixth year at school and I just decided out of the blue to join the music club. You know, they've got this little group of musicians at Hogwarts, a very small group of students crazy for music, and they officially call it "music club". I always enjoyed singing and playing piano, so I thought 'Why not? Maybe it's a good idea develop this side of me', you know, the musical side. And what was just an ordinary activity, became my passion and here I am.
Me – But you play bass...
Hermione – Yeah! And that's really funny, ´cause I used to love piano! But then I've watched this video from this great guy, John Myung, he's Dream Theater's bass player.
Me – Dream Theater?
Hermione – It's a muggle band and they're one of the best. And one day my dad told me he was really happy for me and told he was a musician too, that used to play bass... 'What?!' I said. I told him how I wanted to play bass and he was even happier, so happy that he could fly. So, I had this big source of inspiration and influences on one hand and a real bass bought by my father next day we talk on the other. Put it all together on the table and the result is right here. Then I started practicing. I used to play and sing for about three or four hours a day...
Cho – No, no, no, no. I heard from Ginny you spend six hours playing.
Ginny – At least.
Hermione – Ok... I gave my roommates some rough time. But I can't speak just for myself 'cause they too were obsessed with practicing.
She says pointing at the others. The trio agreed.
Hermione – It was I who convinced them to join the music club, it was I who convinced them to join me and form a band. That's the only reason they call me leader, and they usually make fun of me when I say I don't like to be named, but that's ok. We're usually mocking each other most part of time. First I asked Ginny to join.
Ginny – Yeah...
Hermione – But I think she can say it better than me.
Ginny – All right. I was... Can I talk?
Me – Of course!
Ginny – So, I was one year behind her at school and I was doing fine in quidditch. But account all my constant visits to the hospital wing, 'cause I had this weird ability to get hurt, Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, kept telling me to change my mind about being a player, considering my bad luck with bludgers to be more specific, or I would have a very short career.
Luna – And life, actually.
Laughs.
Ginny – Madam Pomfrey's exactly words by the way.
Ginny is very bright and funny. They all are, but, besides the good vibrations, there's some kind of obscured and melancholic secret about the four of them, like some secret pact that makes the girls keep from us. They agreed to maybe talk about it later. We'll see.
Ginny – So, after two months Hermione joined the club – probably two months – she invited me and I said yes. I used to play guitar all my life. My older brother, Charlie, had one and he taught me to play when I was about six. And when I made eleven he gave me his own guitar.
Me – And did you practice a lot?
Ginny – Same as Hermione, five, six hours a day. If you add to this a handful of schoolwork, the music club and the trouble period during the war, you can deduce that we didn't have much time for boys...
Hermione – Certainly...
As usual, they laugh.
Me – Now, Cho.
Cho – Hi!
Me – You were invited after Ginny, right?
Cho – That's correct. Ginny and Hermione came along and asked me. It was quite weird 'cause me and Ginny, you know, we didn't have a relationship of any kind 'cause we had a crush on the same boy at school and was a little bit complicated to us, that period...
Me – Really?
Cho – Yeah, let's just... Forget about it, ok?
Ginny – The truth is I was always mad at her, you know? It's about all we can say on this subject. But I mean, look at her. She's beautiful and I'm younger, how could I compete?
Cho – Oh, no... You're beautiful too...
Ginny – I know I am, but c'mon...
Hermione – Hey, Ginny! Why don't you marry her?
Laughs
Ginny – 'Cause I'm gonna marry you!
These girls are really funny!
Cho – I was always by myself at school. I think we all were... And I used to play keyboards at home. My mom pushed me for it. She loves songs of the 80's, full with synthesizers, you know, like pop, rock, electronics, world music and all. I used to listen this all the time since I was a baby, so wasn't difficult to become a keyboard player. Anyway. It was Ginny's idea to talk to me, which is even more surprising, and they didn't have the slightest idea of the style they wanted for the band. Ginny told Hermione she saw me playing one day and told I was the first person to pop when they talked about a band. It was so sweet. This kind of attitude, specially coming from Ginny who I until then had some strange rivalry half opened to the world, it's so touching, you know? They didn't know what to do, they didn't know me well, we had this trouble period in our lives, but they called me anyway.
Me – About this troubled time with Ginny...
Cho – I prefer not to talk about it.
Me – Sorry. If I offended you, I'm...
Cho – Oh, no! Not at all! It's just this period of my life wasn't easy for me. It's this specific period that makes me feel uncomfortable. It's personal, you know, me with myself. And it's something I'm not proud of. Now I'm ok. I ran over it.
Me – Ok.
Cho – So, when they called me I was surprised, really, but so happy. I couldn't even imagine that we would go so far, and honestly, I didn't care. I was having so much fun with them! Those were the best days of my life! Still are, of course! But at that time, I was finally able to say "I have real friends"! It was quite a deal for me to say that!
The other three let out a huge "ow" and embrace Cho, making fun of course. But I can see Cho really moved by that.
Hermione – We went to The Three Broomsticks, in Hogsmaede, to have some butterbeer and firewhiskey and talk about our influences, ideas and all. We were very different, but that was what bonded us.
Ginny – We had a few things in common, like some bands and some ideas for lyrics.
Cho – We got some specific elements from each other and added to ourselves, for example, Hermione reads a lot. She loves books. I started to read more 'cause this was important to all of us.
Ginny – I started reading more too. First, I wanted to put some of my ideas on paper, but I always had a rough time doing it. So I asked Mione to help me with this. Cho had this incredible ability to create thousands of melodies, but had some difficult to create solos. She helped me and I helped her. It's been like this until now. And Luna is a poet, so there's no need to say she created wonderful songs too.
Cho – That's the thing. We were so in to it that it was no work at all. We were having fun.
Me – And it was that day you decided to play progressive rock?
Hermione – Yes.
Me – And you, Luna?
Luna – I play drums.
And that was it. Everybody laughed.
Hermione – That's our Luna.
Me – Do you feel comfortable to talk about yourself?
Luna – I'm ok... Do you want me to talk?
Me – Yes, if it's ok...
Luna – I don't think I'm the best person to talk about myself like that... What can I say? I play drums, I think I'm quite good at it and I never had friends at Hogwarts so I spent most part of my life alone. It's been like this since my mom died in a weird accident. I'm alone since then. Of course my father is wonderful and all, but he's usually busy writing about wrackspurts.
Me – Sorry, about what?!
All four answer at the same time.
"It's a little creature that floats through your ears and makes your brain go fuzzy."
Me – Oh...
Luna – And one day they saw me practicing in schools drum kit. My dad used to play folk music and had a kit at home...
Cho – Well...
Hermione and Ginny – Practicing?!
Cho – I was saying that. Practicing is not exactly what she was doing.
Ginny – She was destroying it!
Hermione – Really amazing!
Cho – Pure rock and roll, I mean, she was so good we just stayed there for about ten minutes and I don't remember blinking! What I remember was Ginny saying out loud "MERLIN'S BEARD!"
Ginny – It was beyond words, you know, what she was doing.
Hermione – It was like she had about eight arms or so!
Luna – It was nothing like that. I was just getting warm, that's all.
Ginny – Yeah, sure... "Getting warm"...
Hermione – Did you see her solo yesterday?
Me – Yes.
Hermione – That's her idea of getting warm.
.
Discography:
-"FIENDFYRE"
1. Chamber of Secrets (H Granger, G Weasley)
2. In My Pensive (L Lovegood)
3. I Need a Horntail (L Lovegood)
4. Letters From No One (C Chang, G Weasley)
5. The Dream's on Fiendfyre (H Granger, C Chang, G Weasley, L Lovegood)
6. Priori Incantatem (H Granger)
7. Hog's Head (H Granger, G Weasley, C Chang)
8. The Diagon Alley at Weekends (L Lovegood)
...
-"IN TO RIDDLES"
1. Scars (G Weasley)
2. Forbidden Forest (G Weasley)
3. House of Gaunt (L Lovegood)
4. Mudbloods (H Granger)
5. Frost (C Chang)
6. Dark Lord's Request (H Granger, G Weasley, C Chang)
7. Facing The Man With Two Faces (H Granger, L Lovegood)
8. The White Tomb (C Chang)
9. In To Riddles (L Lovegood, H Granger, G Weasley, C Chang)
I-Little Hangleton
II-Godric's Hollow
III-Graveyard
...
-"TEMPLE OF THE THREE DARK STARS"
1. In the Veil (L Lovegood)
2. An Unbreakable Vow for Me and You (L Lovegood, H Granger, C Chang, G Weasley)
3. Butterbeer Cork Necklace (L Lovegood)
4. Horcruxes (L Lovegood)
I-Open the Diary
II-Gaunt's Ring
III-Locked in Locket
IV-Badger's Golden Cup
V-Helena
VI-Serpensortia
VII-The Boy Who Lives
...
-"BARD'S SONGS"
1. The Wizard and the Hopping Pot (G Weasley, H Granger)
2. The Fountain of Fair Fortune (G Weasley, C Chang)
3. Warlock's Hairy Heart (G Weasley, H Granger, C Chang)
4. Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump (G Weasley, L Lovegood, H Granger)
5. The Tale of the Three Brothers (L Lovegood, G Weasley, C Chang)
I-Meet Mrs Death
II-Elder Wand
III-The Woman He Loved
IV-Youngest Old Brother and His Invisibility Cloak
...
-"ON SECRET SOCIETY'S PASSAGEWAY"
1. The Warning (C Chang, H Granger)
2. Shriecking Shack (C Chang, H Granger)
3. The Mirror of Erised (G Weasley, H Granger)
4. Grimmauld (G Weasley, L Lovegood)
5. Phoenix Lament (G Weasley, C Chang)
6. A Hagrid's Tale (G Weasley, H Granger, L Lovegood, C Chang)
7. Fountain of Magical Brethren (G Weasley, L Lovegood, H Granger, C Chang)
...
-"2X COVERING"
CD 1: The Wizards
1. Talking Heads – Stan Shunpike
2. Far Away – Merlin
3. Hypnos – Veela's Sons
4. Can't Help Myself – Imperius
5. Quidditch – Quibblers
6. Ancient War – Warlock
7. Wha 'cho Doing – Stan Shunpike
8. I'm in Love – Veela's Sons
9. Spells – Levioso
10. Flames – Flamel
11. Grey Hill – Merlin
CD 2: The Muggles
1. Witch Hunt – Rush
2. Can-Utility and the Coastliners – Genesis
3. Starship Trooper – Yes
4. Have a Cigar – Pink Floyd
5. 2112: I-Overture II-The Temples of Syrinx – Rush
6. Script For a Jester's Tear – Marillion
7. Court of the Crimson King – King Crimson
8. Calling All Stations – Genesis
9. A Change of Seasons: I-The Crimson Sunrise II-Innocence – Dream Theater
10. The Lord of the Rings – Blind Guardian
11. Hey You – Pink Floyd
...
-"A.U.R.O.R."
1. Azkaban (C Chang, L Lovegood)
I-No Need For Walls
II-Dementing Minds
III-A Goodbye to Joy
IV-Kiss in the Heart
2. Under Pressure (C Chang)
3. Rumours (G Weasley, H Granger)
4. On the Great Escape (H Granger)
5. Running (G Weasley)