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Online Interview: Andy Kuntz – the voice of Vanden Plas

By Rita Bayer

Vanden Plas are back with their highly anticipated new album CHRIST 0, which is scheduled for release on March 31st (EU) via InsideOut Music. Reasons enough for sending a bunch of questions to Andy Kuntz, the voice of Vanden Plas, who just has had his premier with his rock opera ABYDOS in Kaiserslautern /Germany.

Many, many thanks to ANDY KUNTZ for taking the time answering to all my questions. I have had the opportunity to see Vanden Plas LIVE (for the very first time) on March 18th in Cologne,where I have taken all pics (except the DT/ Andy pic, of course) you’ll come to see within the interview. I can tell you, Vanden Plas LIVE is an extraordinary experience. Just GREAT!!! Don’t miss it.

Rita: Could you please introduce yourself?

Andy: My name is Andy Kuntz and I’m the singer of Vanden Plas.

I’m influenced by many different artists. For example: Peter Frampton, Kansas, Styx,10cc,Pink Floyd, Genesis,Magnum, Gino Vannelli, Sting etc.I started singing 30 years ago because I was not able to play guitar like a rock star because of my crooked fingers. No I never took lessons but had the luck to work during my theatre career over many years with many well known and great artists. So I had the chance to learn different techniques while playing from them.

R: When you’re in the studio, do you sing differently from the way you do on stage?

Andy: Yes in the studio you can sing with much more dynamic. Live you have to find a middle way between breathing calm passages and screaming.

R: What part of your range is the most troublesome for you?

Andy: My range is very large so some times when I sing for a long time through the high passages it is not so easy to go suddenly back to very deep and calm performances without loosing some intensity.

R: How do you warm up before a performance?

Andy: Stretching and humming the whole day the body neck muscles and making “ffft “and “ssst” breathing exercises for closing the voice strings. Then I need half an hour before the show to concentrate and warming up with higher tension.

R: Do you practice differently when you’re at home?

Andy: No ! But mostly I play so often and rehearsing so much for shows that I´m just calming down at home.

R: What are you doing to keep your voice in a good shape? (Do you avoid anything? No smoking, diet, tons of sleep, tons of water like James LaBrie? )

Andy: Water is very good . More sleep only when I’m a bit sick otherwise I find this could be also a bit risky. It takes me sometimes a long time to wake up because I’ve a low blood pressure. There’s nothing worse than not being really awake on stage. No smoke, much sports, swimming is great cause you can do like a meditation and also breathing inside of the water. When you swim like one hour that’s also good for the neck muscles and you would never do such an intensive breath training at home.

R: Have you ever damaged your voice?

Andy: Yes because of diesel exhaust in a bus during a French tour 97.

R: How important is breath support? When you’re singing, do you consciously think of breath support?

Andy:
It is the most important. But when I’m singing I try not to think. It’s in the body.

R: For you, what is the key to singing long phrases?

Andy: Breath support

R: When you go into the high range do you tend to sing louder?

Andy: No never.

R: What about your range? Has it always been what it is now, or has it improved over the years?

Andy: It has improved over the years but was still very large. I find the biggest difference is that everything works out easier and the voice sounds rounder and fuller.

R: Do you have any advice to singers on how to improve their range?

Andy: No I’ve got to much respect and don’t give advises because I don’t want to ruin anybody else’s voice. No voice is and behaves like another.

R: How do you improvise on a bad singing day? Do you have bad singing days?

Andy: Yes everybody has bad singing days. on these days I try not to force it and accept it.

My technique allows me most of the times that it’s only me recognizing my weak moments.

YOUR SOLO PROJECT ABYDOS:

R: Please, sum the story of ABYDOS up.

Andy: It’s about 3 friends (Fly, Llit and Strida) in childhood days . One Christmas they get a mysterious packet containing a small ancient and bewitched pyramid. After playing with the relic Fly´s father dies. This event broke their friendship.

30years later a certain hazard is putting them together again. They see that everybody of each has a very special and unique connection to a mystery game. Llit turned out to be a well-known game designer and is creating a cyber game you can play only with your braincurrent. The game is called Abydos. Strida is a great actress working at the moment on a 5000 years old mystery play named Abydos. And Fly is an unsuccessful comic book author still writing on a script called Abydos.

They find out that the old Egypt demon called green tries to come over the trio to get the world dominion.

R: Where did you get your inspiration for this project?

Andy: 4 years ago my father died during the same period of time 4 other beloved persons died too. So I was inspired to write a little fairytale with many autobiographic moments hidden in a big metaphor to come over the loss.

R: Do you focus on both working fields (theatre & Vanden Plas) equally?

Andy: Yes at the moment. But my goal is for the future to push VP a bit more.

R: How long did the making of take from the beginning to the end? (Idea was born to the premier of Abydos)

Andy:

At last 4 years!

R: What kind of visual, musical performance can people expect when they buy a ticket for this special event?

Andy: I find Abydos is a big colorful oscillating love letter to those watching us from above.

The singers,the dancers and all the other people who are involved, in the end more than 80, doing an unbelievable job to translate this story to the audience.

R: Was it hard to find a suitable location, director for ABYDOS?

Andy: No, I gave the script only to 3 persons. One day Johannes Reitmeier ,intendant of the theatre in Kaiserslautern called me back telling that he wants to produce Abydos.

R: Your rock musical is highly acclaimed by German press & audience,17, 20 min. standing ovation is just overwhelming…… Did you expect this positive feedback especially from the “typical” opera audience?

Andy:
To be honest, never!!

R: What does it mean to you to see YOUR project performed on stage? Do you feel like a dream has been coming true?

Andy: Absolutely.

R: Are there any plans to perform it elsewhere (of course, a couple of shows in a row at the same theatre) or to record a DVD?

Andy: Yes, we gonna produce a DVD out of this show in May and indeed there are many interested locations contacting us.

VANDEN PLAS’ LATEST ALBUM CHRIST 0

R: 4 years since « Beyond Daylight »……additionally the release date has been postponed…
What are the reasons for both, the quite long period between the releases and the postponed release date of CHRIST 0?

Andy: We simply wanted to take our time for creating a great new opus.. During the last 4 years there were many things to learn. For example how to arrange a big orchestra, how to involve a classic choir inside our music. Things we never did in former releases. So it was necessary to take the long way. Playing in musicals like Nostradamus and working with great conductors together helps us to realize Christ-0.

R: Why did you decide to make an album like CHRIST 0, to take “The Count of Monte Christo” as a basis for “Christ 0”? To me it seems like your different working fields edge fusion …

Andy: This idea was born also more than 4 years ago. But I finally found the key during the last year telling this big and touching story in a brand new way without loosing the main essence. Of course this story is made for the theatre market and combining it with our way of songwriting could maybe in the end be a interesting fusion.

R: How is the feedback on CHRIST 0 so far and would you call “Christ 0” a milestone within the course of Vanden Plas’ career? If so, why?

Andy: The reactions of the press in Europe is great. We have no reactions so far from the States and Japan. I hope they are also good. But I´m still too close at the moment to really give an assess about “a milestone “or not because I don´t want to end in polemics. What I can say that we are all very satisfied with the result and proud of it.

R: The album ends with “Gethsemane” from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber inimitably interpreted by you. No doubt, it’s perfectly fitting ...Why did you decide to add this song?

Andy: I find to that it’s fitting very well. After a story about Christ – Zero (Christ less) the aria of Jesus with all his doubts to die at least is like written for the end of this story.

We played the musical 3 times and we knew that we have a good interpretation of this song.

R: Was it planned right from the beginning? I mean, I noticed that the style changed after two thirds of the album, so the idea came up that you did it knowingly.

Andy: The music takes it’s dramaturgy and orientation also outside of the lyrics. This classic of Dumas is a drama and the climax of a drama is after 2 thirds. So you are absolutely right when you mention that. But Gethsemane was not part of our composing strategic. It’s more the matter of taste what you decide to make a bonus track.

R: Press and fans like to compare Vanden Plas’ technical skills and music with Dream Theater.
Your thoughts, please.

Andy: DT are musically unreached that’s a fact. So it’s an honor being compared with the guys. But I think the way of composing of these two bands is a different one. Sometimes this confrontation for me is not exact enough in any case.

R: Would you like to tour with DT again?

Andy:
Yes

VANDEN PLAS TOUR DATES

R: There have been only a few dates announced so far, usually bands try to tour as much as possible to promote their recent release… Why?

Andy: Our booker is still working on the dates. The most contracts are confirmed.

But we confirm the dates to our fans as soon as we have the contracts signed.

R: Which band were your first choice for a co-headline tour?

Andy:
Porcupine Tree or Savatage

R: Are there any other projects you’re recently involved in or lie ahead?

Andy:
Yes I’m working with a band from Israel on the performance of the holy book

R: Do you have a musical long time wish you couldn’t fulfill to date?

Andy:
Jeckyll and Hyde

R: Anything you would like to add, finally?

Andy: No Rita, I think you asked really everything ….hahaha…..Pfffffhhhh…..

Hope to see you again on another concert. Maybe in Sweden…

Note: I set Andy's "font size" exactly like he did in his e-mail.

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