Rain Fell Within Interview

Rain Fell Within

When I got Rain Fell Within's debut album "Believe" (Dark Symphonies 1999) I was pretty much blown away by it. I don't want to call them a female fronted My Dying Bride but that was the band that first came to mind. I know that they often get compared to Nightwish but that is nowhere close to the truth. Where Nightwish have more of a power metal feel to their music Rain Fell Within operate within totally different parameters. What got me into My Dying Bride in the first place was their sad emotional music. I felt the same when I heard "Believe". There's an underlying melancholy to the songs Rain Fell Within write without it turning into a sob story for teen kids with broken hearts. New album "Refuge" (Dark Symphonies 2002) continues in that tradition the first album established. There's nothing as therapeutically in curing sad emotions as sad music. The sadder the better. Having said that, "Refuge" also works wonders if you're in a happy mood.
I've been thinking about doing an interview with the band for a long time but due to different (and boring) reasons it never happened… until now. I got Charles (bass) and Dawn (vocals) to answer my questions.

-Anders Ekdahl

What kind of musical vision did you have when you started RFW and how does the initial vision match where the band is today?
Charles -I would say we have stuck fairly close to our original vision. We have wanted to create atmospheric music, that is heavy and melodic and not limit ourselves to a specific style. All of our releases have been different and it will continue that way because we don’t want to start rehashing the same material.
Dawn -When we started the band, the only underground metal band I had heard was My Dying Bride - still one of my favourites. I wanted to do something along those lines, but using my voice. I am very happy that we have developed our own original sound, but still with the intentions in mind.

When you write music and lyrics have you ever found yourself thinking that: “This is too introvert and private” that you put in a drawer and forget about it?
Charles -Dawn treats her lyric writing as symbolic concepts. Some of the concepts relate specifically to her and some are stories she creates. If something was too personal I am sure she would not offer explanations as to the direct meaning.
Dawn -There are songs on this album that I do think the lyrics are really too personal to me, but I couldn't change them. Once I have lyrics in mind, it is very hard for me to turn around and change them.

Is there such a thing as too personal and private? I mean, no matter if you write love songs or political songs you have to draw it from yourself.
Charles -That is correct, but everything is subjective also. Since lyrics are very similar to poetry and real life, interpretations can vary, I am sure there are things Dawn would never write about.
Dawn -Something being too personal and private I'm sure varies from person to person. I can write a song about something, and people will get the general idea of what it's about, but hey as long as they don't have any names to go with the stories, then I guess it doesn't matter. They won't know exactly whom it's about.

Being a smaller band do you think that it harms you more than it benefits that years has passed since the “Believe” album?
Charles -Honestly, I don’t care. We will do our best to create the best music possible under the circumstances available to us. Good music is good music no matter when it is released. If we put deadlines on everything before we felt satisfied I don’t think we could release the album. Bu then again, we always over-analyse everything.
Dawn -I think every band's goal is to release an album at least once a year but sometimes things get in the way of that. The music scene is constantly changing. So far I haven't seen any changes that have negatively effected us.

When you pick a title for your album do you go through a specific process where the word has to sum up all the emotions encapsulated on the album?
Charles -We think in a broad range of concepts. “Refuge” is a term that can have so many interpretations to each person, and I think it has many interpretations by each member. As a band, the title offers a representation of what or music means to us. We use it to vent against, retaliate against, or as protection against outside pressures. I think there is also a solemn and comforting feel for the listener also.
Dawn -Not really. It just has to be something that means something to all of us. Although, "Refuge" does seem to sum up a lot of the songs on the album.

In a live environment, how different is the music and vision of RFW, is there a different way of approaching the material?
Charles -We generally approach the material the same. Laurie is our live back-up vocalist and we also have a new live keyboardist John (leaving Kevin - guitar, Jason - guitar and Tim - drums to be presented). He is a musical genius. I have heard we are much heavier in the live setting than most people expect.
Dawn -We have yet to achieve a sound quality that we are happy with on the albums, so I think you can get a lot more from our live show because you can hear more of what's going on (providing the sound guy is good). It is also great to be able to connect with the audience.

From what I understand you come from a smaller town. Do you feel that coming from such a place has had a bigger impact on the way RFW has turned out than actual outside musical influences?
Charles - I don’t know where that came from. The majority of us live about 10 minutes outside of our nations capital, Washington DC. We live in a very conservative area, lots of money, greed, and heavy traffic. I am sure this has an effect on us musically and emotionally. Whenever we have practice we all come in complaining about how hectic our area is.
Dawn -Actually, we are about 5 minutes outside of Washington DC and my car just got broken into and everything stolen out of it while parked in my own complex, so I would say this anything but a small town.

How in control are you of the esoteric aspect of RFW? What I mean is if you sit and plan everything down to the tiniest detail or just let it all happen more by coincidence and chance?
Charles - Some things we plan, the majority we just let happen I would say. Most of our musical parts are improvised until we decide on directions we like. We want the music to take a life of its own and let it guide us.
Dawn -We don't plan a thing. Anything that happens just comes together the way it is naturally going to.

I guess you get compared to some bands. Are there any you’re sick of getting compared to and what has been the most out-there comparison?
Charles -I think many people want us to be something we are not. They want us to play like Nightwish or someone like that. We don’t want to be them and will never be them. We have received an excellent response from our releases though. It is hilarious. It is obvious that a lot of these people that write reviews don’t do their research, or even read the credits in the CD. I saw a review that called us “Black metal”. We are not even gothic metal but many think we are for convenient labelling.
Dawn -I think all metal bands with female vocals gets compared, and I think there is no reason for it. None of these bands sound alike. Do you compare Iron Maiden and Opeth just because a guy is singing?

When a potential fans sees you band name in the CD-bin what emotions do you want he or she to feel?
Charles -I obviously want to spark interest in them. I like abstract artwork like “Refuge’. Mike Riddick did an excellent job on the cover and the mood is set good for the disc. We are looking for tasteful artwork, not cartoon-like, that reflects a dark, yet passionate imagery. It doesn’t have to describe the lyrical concepts exactly, but must set a visual mood.
Dawn -I just want them to look at it and know that feeling and emotion went into the music.


	..........

		Rain Fell Within When I got Rain Fell Within's debut album "Believe" (Dark Symphonies 1999) I was pretty much blown away by it. I don't want to call them a female fronted My Dying Bride but that was the band that first came to mind. I know that they often get compared to Nightwish but that is nowhere close to the truth. Where Nightwish have more of a power metal feel to their music Rain Fell Within operate within totally different parameters. What got me into My Dying Bride in the first place was their sad emotional music. I felt the same when I heard "Believe". There's an underlying melancholy to the songs Rain Fell Within write without it turning into a sob story for teen kids with broken hearts. New album "Refuge" (Dark Symphonies 2002) continues in that tradition the first album established. There's nothing as therapeutically in curing sad emotions as sad music. The sadder the better. Having said that, "Refuge" also works wonders if you're in a happy mood. I've been thinking about doing an interview with the band for a long time but due to different (and boring) reasons it never happened… until now. I got Charles (bass) and Dawn (vocals) to answer my questions. -Anders Ekdahl What kind of musical vision did you have when you started RFW and how does the initial vision match where the band is today? Charles -I would say we have stuck fairly close to our original vision. We have wanted to create atmospheric music, that is heavy and melodic and not limit ourselves to a specific style. All of our releases have been different and it will continue that way because we don’t want to start rehashing the same material. Dawn -When we started the band, the only underground metal band I had heard was My Dying Bride - still one of my favourites. I wanted to do something along those lines, but using my voice. I am very happy that we have developed our own original sound, but still with the intentions in mind. When you write music and lyrics have you ever found yourself thinking that: “This is too introvert and private” that you put in a drawer and forget about it? Charles -Dawn treats her lyric writing as symbolic concepts. Some of the concepts relate specifically to her and some are stories she creates. If something was too personal I am sure she would not offer explanations as to the direct meaning. Dawn -There are songs on this album that I do think the lyrics are really too personal to me, but I couldn't change them. Once I have lyrics in mind, it is very hard for me to turn around and change them. Is there such a thing as too personal and private? I mean, no matter if you write love songs or political songs you have to draw it from yourself. Charles -That is correct, but everything is subjective also. Since lyrics are very similar to poetry and real life, interpretations can vary, I am sure there are things Dawn would never write about. Dawn -Something being too personal and private I'm sure varies from person to person. I can write a song about something, and people will get the general idea of what it's about, but hey as long as they don't have any names to go with the stories, then I guess it doesn't matter. They won't know exactly whom it's about. Being a smaller band do you think that it harms you more than it benefits that years has passed since the “Believe” album? Charles -Honestly, I don’t care. We will do our best to create the best music possible under the circumstances available to us. Good music is good music no matter when it is released. If we put deadlines on everything before we felt satisfied I don’t think we could release the album. Bu then again, we always over-analyse everything. Dawn -I think every band's goal is to release an album at least once a year but sometimes things get in the way of that. The music scene is constantly changing. So far I haven't seen any changes that have negatively effected us. When you pick a title for your album do you go through a specific process where the word has to sum up all the emotions encapsulated on the album? Charles -We think in a broad range of concepts. “Refuge” is a term that can have so many interpretations to each person, and I think it has many interpretations by each member. As a band, the title offers a representation of what or music means to us. We use it to vent against, retaliate against, or as protection against outside pressures. I think there is also a solemn and comforting feel for the listener also. Dawn -Not really. It just has to be something that means something to all of us. Although, "Refuge" does seem to sum up a lot of the songs on the album. In a live environment, how different is the music and vision of RFW, is there a different way of approaching the material? Charles -We generally approach the material the same. Laurie is our live back-up vocalist and we also have a new live keyboardist John (leaving Kevin - guitar, Jason - guitar and Tim - drums to be presented). He is a musical genius. I have heard we are much heavier in the live setting than most people expect. Dawn -We have yet to achieve a sound quality that we are happy with on the albums, so I think you can get a lot more from our live show because you can hear more of what's going on (providing the sound guy is good). It is also great to be able to connect with the audience. From what I understand you come from a smaller town. Do you feel that coming from such a place has had a bigger impact on the way RFW has turned out than actual outside musical influences? Charles - I don’t know where that came from. The majority of us live about 10 minutes outside of our nations capital, Washington DC. We live in a very conservative area, lots of money, greed, and heavy traffic. I am sure this has an effect on us musically and emotionally. Whenever we have practice we all come in complaining about how hectic our area is. Dawn -Actually, we are about 5 minutes outside of Washington DC and my car just got broken into and everything stolen out of it while parked in my own complex, so I would say this anything but a small town. How in control are you of the esoteric aspect of RFW? What I mean is if you sit and plan everything down to the tiniest detail or just let it all happen more by coincidence and chance? Charles - Some things we plan, the majority we just let happen I would say. Most of our musical parts are improvised until we decide on directions we like. We want the music to take a life of its own and let it guide us. Dawn -We don't plan a thing. Anything that happens just comes together the way it is naturally going to. I guess you get compared to some bands. Are there any you’re sick of getting compared to and what has been the most out-there comparison? Charles -I think many people want us to be something we are not. They want us to play like Nightwish or someone like that. We don’t want to be them and will never be them. We have received an excellent response from our releases though. It is hilarious. It is obvious that a lot of these people that write reviews don’t do their research, or even read the credits in the CD. I saw a review that called us “Black metal”. We are not even gothic metal but many think we are for convenient labelling. Dawn -I think all metal bands with female vocals gets compared, and I think there is no reason for it. None of these bands sound alike. Do you compare Iron Maiden and Opeth just because a guy is singing? When a potential fans sees you band name in the CD-bin what emotions do you want he or she to feel? Charles -I obviously want to spark interest in them. I like abstract artwork like “Refuge’. Mike Riddick did an excellent job on the cover and the mood is set good for the disc. We are looking for tasteful artwork, not cartoon-like, that reflects a dark, yet passionate imagery. It doesn’t have to describe the lyrical concepts exactly, but must set a visual mood. Dawn -I just want them to look at it and know that feeling and emotion went into the music.