Интервью взятые, в разное время у музыкантов группы Citizen Cain

Interviews Here are some recent interviews we have done with various radio shows and magazines/fanzines.

1."Scream" Magazine
2."Nobody's Land" Fanzine
3."La Llave Occulta" Radio Show
4."Renald Mienhert" Freelance, Empire Magazine Etc.
5. "Harmonie" Magazine
Interview with Bjorn Norsterud of "Scream" magazine in Norway. (Jan. '98)

Russian, Жми сюда, чтобы почитать на русском
1. I understand that the band consists of just you and Xyrus, could youtell me who plays what, and who writes the music and the lyrics?

Stewart: Xyrus plays bass and flute and does the vocals, I play keyboards and for this album, "Raising The Stones", also took on drums and guitar. I also throw in the odd sound effect or manic laugh! The music is initially written on computer and then Xyrus writes bass and vocals and puts his input to that. A few of the songs originate from bass riffs which again were programmed into the computer and worked around. We've found it the best way to work as you can change things around and try different things without too much hassle or the headache of a rehearsal room.
2. How long has the band existed, and how did it all start?

Xyrus: Stewart and I have been together for 7 years working closely on all three CDs. After the break up of the original Citizen Cain I had hoped to give up music but after a couple of years inactivity I recinded my promise to my wife to settle down. I met up with the guitarist from my first band, Dark Void, who got a hold of Stewart and Dave Elam. Stewart was a drummer at the time but moved onto keys and Chris Colvin was brought in on drums. Between Stewart, Frank Kennedy (guitar) and myself we wrote "Serpents In Camouflage" and signed to SI MUSIC. Stewart and myself have continued to evolve and expand our musical directions ever since.
3. Did you release the two first albums on your own? And how did you end up on Cyclops?

Stewart: Our first two albums, "Serpents In Camouflage" and "Somewhere But Yesterday" were released by the now defunct SI MUSIC in Rotterdam. Our second album was re-released by CYCLOPS at the beggining of '97 and our first album is to be re-released in March this year by the same label. We've also had material from the band's early days as a three-piece released by MELLOW RECORDS in Italy, although the less said about that "deal" the better. Let's just say we were somewhat misled by a certain individual and have yet to retrieve Xyrus' artwork, let alone a contract or statement of any kind. Did I say too much!
4. You are being compared to early Genesis, do you think that's fair?

Xyrus; Yes, that's fair. It was a natural reference point for us, like choosing a particular playing field, a place to relate, a direction. It would give the audience an idea of where we were coming from, an extremely clear idea as it turned out, and of course like many other Genesis-related bands, it's fun to write in the same vein as a band you admire. For us it was only a starting point from where we could move on to clearer ground and evolve beyond that Genesis sound. 5. Where do you get your inspirations from? What kind of bands do you listen to? Stewart; I have very little time to listen to music, although Dream Theatre's 'Images and Words' is being favoured by my car stereo at the moment. I have to admit to having most of Marillion's and Genesis' albums as well as various titles by Yes, PFM, Rush, Brand X, even Queen, Van Halen, U2 to name but a few. I have a wide range of musical interest with a very limited range of listening time. My early inspiration as far as writing Xitizen Cain material was Marillion (although it was the likes of Howard Jones and Jean-Michel Jarre that got me onto keyboards as a kid, and I was brought up on a mix of Queen, Madness and John Denver!!). I never actually owned a Genesis album until after our first recording, which probably influenced the second. I feel we're getting away from those earlier influences with "Raising The Stones".
6. Would you consider "Raising The Stones" as a concept album?

Xyrus: "Raising The Stones" has a definite quality of a concept album, at least lyrically. Each of our CDs carries more or less the same message (heads down!) and seem to inter-relate to each other. What I am trying to say is at times obscure but nonetheless decipherable. The next album,"Playing Dead", will, I'm sure, get that message home. The message?; 2012 or 2015 seem appropriate at this time in our evolution! EHSTA HUSHASHTA.! A clock no-one can stop, tick tock tick tock........
7. Being just two persons, I guess you haven't played too many concerts, or am I wrong?

Stewart: We played a handful of gigs during the "Serpents..." period but have never kept the same line-up long enough to gig properly. The original Citizen Cain gigged extensively in London during the '80s and we plan to gig again once we aquire a capable guitarist and drummer.
8. Are the two first albums in the same musical vein as the new one?

Xyrus: Not a chance, "Serpents.." and "Somewhere.." were much the same, one more complex than the other but not that different. The musicians on the first album were not very competent, we had better musicians on "Somewhere...", but still it wasn't what we wanted, and on both those albums I felt that we could not go in the direction that we would like. I was only the vocalist on both those CDs, my choice at the time. I had for years played bass and vocals and wanted to relax that pressure by doing purely vocals. To go on from "Serpents.." and "Somewhere.." we had to change our approach, so I went back onto bass and vocals.
9. What are your future plans?

Xyrus: Stewart and myself are currently writing the new album "Playing Dead".This will take us up to the end of '98 and then we plan to gig, the problem at the moment is finding good musicians who are committed. Not an easy task, but we hope to gather musicians from wherever we can and should be gigging in 1999 - 2x9=18; 10-9=1 - '99 should be a good year for XC! Musicianship in Scotland is more or less dead, but regardless we will be gigging in '99......

Interview with Antonio De Sarno of "Nobody's Land" in Italy (Jan.'98)

1. Could you briefly outline the ideas behind each of your three albums so far and is there a unifying theme linking all three?

Xyrus: I don't believe I would be able to do that, simply because there never was and never is any real idea. I start with an idea of a concept then something gets lost in the mood and time it takes to write the lyrics. In the end I'm left with symbols and images expressed in words. The word foreboding springs to mind, there is always a darkness permeating the lyrics and I feel all three albums express a deep concern for man's arrogant self-importance and his tyrannical wanton acts of destruction with no concern for what he will leave his children, his evolution. And of course religion, the need for blood sacrifice in order to change, and not forgetting prophecies. There is a definite link between the three albums which grows in intensity and could express one man's journey or equally, mankind's journey.
2. Where does your interest in religion/mythology come from?

Xyrus: Eh.... that's a hard one.......religion and mythology!\par I have a consumi ng passion for ancient history and the search for hidden knowledge. I'm not prepared to accept that a God controls the destiny of mankind, or that there is a Satan. It's all a bit primitive to me. There is a vast treasure house of knowledge available to us if only we would drop our ideas of God. Modern religion is the corrupter, mythology may hold the answer, it is now coming to light!
3. Could you explain the recurring figures and characters on the covers of your albums?

Xyrus: Self-destruction. If there ever was a Jesus Christ nailed to a cross (the sun) then he has left us his legacy of self-inflicted pain. Mankind inflicts severe pain on himself, his children and all the earth and her children. He can't wait to nail himself up on the cross - an impaling fetish!?
4. Whose idea was it to include the speech at the end of Somewhere But Yesterday, A Word In Your Ear?

Xyrus: A Word In Your Ear was a collaboration between myself and Andy Gilmour and is the only instance in which another member of the band has had any input with the lyrics. Andy was a great guy, a gentle man, and his idea was very good.
5. Could you talk about the lyrics not used for songs at the beginning of the last two albums?

Xyrus: "Heretic"; Maybe we are only clusters of feelings, pools of energy. Maybe we dream we are real. In the real world we are real, and in dreams we are real. Maybe we aren't as real as we think we are, maybe the angels cast out were us, maybe we are the prisoners, maybe we imprison ourselves.\par "Janus"; Janus has two faces and is the door-keeper. Cain is the savage side of man, earthly man, man of soil, fire and water. Janus is our other self, our higher self that hides inside Cain. Janus then is our angel side. Between Cain and Janus there is always war, yet in the fifth world of peace Cain will die and Janus will be victorious?
6. Have you begun writing the next album? What's it like?

Stewart: We have begun writing the next album which will be entitled "Playing Dead". We hope to have it completed and released at the end of this year, no more 3 year gaps between albums! Although "Raising .." is more in the direction we wish to go musically, I feel the addition of a guitarist and drummer to the line-up will take it one step further, and also save me a lot of time doing drum and guitar parts! I consider "Raising.." to be the first real Xitizen Cain album with our own style and originality coming out in the music, a lot of which has to do with Xyrus' larger input to the writing. Although "Somewhere.." was an excellent album, I still consider it a pleasure to listen to, it wasn't too far from the Genesis/ Marillion sound and we didn't want to be classed as clones forever. The new album will be as complex as "Raising.." while maintaining the melodic side we have always had, and will hopefully be played by a full band.
7. How do you actually go about writing?

Stewart: The songs are initially written on computer using samples and then Xyrus puts his bass and vocals to that and obviously his input. Changes are made constantly, usually right up to the last minute. A few of the songs originate from bass riffs and with the last album some guitar riffs, but these are also put into the computer and structured etc. Finally the samples are substituted in the studio, although this technology is useful for tidying things up where needed. We've found it the best way to work as you can easily try things out before they actually become part of the finished product. "Serpents .." was the only album not written this way and was a total headache to complete.
8. What sort of audience do you try to appeal to and how have sales been on your albums?

Xyrus: We have never consciously targeted a particular audience, we do what we do and put it out and see who it hits, who likes it and who does not. Up until "Raising The Stones" we were playing in a well-known field of previously trodden ground. "Raising.." changed all that so we'll have to wait and see. As for album sales, SI Music went bust after a couple of years. Sales were ok, we saw a good return from them. Cyclops have done well with the re-release of "Somewhere.." and will be re-releasing "Serpents In Camouflage". Of course it is too early to talk about "Raising..". We've been happy with both SI and Cyclops. We did lose one album, "Ghost Dance" released by Mellow Records. That particular album we felt was not good enough quality to be released as a CD. We gave "Ghost Dance" to Melodie & Dissonanze to be given free on the front of the magazine, but they sold it on to Mellow who told us more or less to go and fuck ourselves. They took that poorly recorded CD and sold it at normal CD prices, thereby conning us and the people that would subsequently buy it. We live in hope that one day a comet will drop on their heads from a great height and also that Moron(i) will feel guilty enough to return our artwork!! Maybe he thinks two months of painting is not worth the effort. As you sow, so you reap!!
9. Which other progressive bands do you listen to, if any? What do you listen to in general?

Stewart: I have very little time to listen to music, although Dream Theatre's "Images And Words" is being favoured by my car stereo at the moment, good driving music! I must admit to having most of Marillion's and Genesis' albums, although I never owned a Genesis album until after the recording of our first album,(honestly!) as well as various titles by Yes, PFM, Brand X, Rush to name but a few on the progressive end of the scale, and Van Halen, Queen, U2 plus many others not considered prog. I was brought up on a mixture of Madness, Queen, John Denver, Howard Jones and Jean-Michel Jarre which may leave you wondering why I play what I do now (escape!!).
10. What do you do if you're not full time musicians?

Stewart: Stay in bed mostly! Not really, I can't afford to be that committed to being a musician! I'm lucky enough to have a brother-in-law who works for a large German company who sell midi-files, and receive a lot of programming work through him which, while tedious, doesn't take me too far from what I love doing, The advantage being that if I have a good idea for a Xitizen Cain song I can easily write it in to the computer while I am working. I'm sure many classic song ideas have been lost on the journey home from work!
11. How do you view the future of Scotland and what's your relationship with your country?\

Xyrus: There are men who would die for their country, who love it with a passion, true patriots. Personally I don't see what all the fuss is about, one place is as good as another. I prefer Australia Bruce, it's warmer! As for the future of Scotland, cold as always, I guess!
12. What are our chances of seeing you live in the future? What do you remember of the Serpents tour and where did you play?
Xyrus: I remember playing a few gigs with the Serpents line-up, bad boy for bringing it up, I've tried to forget it! That line-up consisted of one excellent keyboard player, one retarded but friendly guitarist, one emotionally self repressed premadonna and one competent but mentally depressed drummer! Yes I remember the Serpents tour, if you could call it that. After four or five gigs I had to get out of there!

Interview with Jorge W. Lopez of "La Llave Oculta" in Argentina. (Feb '98)

1. Tell us about Raising The Stones?

Xyrus: During the recording of "Somewhere.." we were fed up with the limitations of our musicians. We had more complex stuff that we wanted to put on "Somewhere.." but it was impossible to do so. So we decided then that I would go on to bass for the next album and do vocals and Stewart would then concentrate on keyboards and drums. Really this is our best product to date, "Raising.." is certainly a very personal album from our point of view and we hope that everybody likes it.
2. "Raising.." has been compared to "Serpents.." and "Somewhere..", according to you what are the differences?

Xyrus: I think the differences speak for themselves. "Serpents.." and "Somewhere.." were very much Genesis based albums. They fell in the same playing field as Genesis. It was ideal at the time, we were dealing with five musicians and you get trapped in your favourite bands, and Genesis were one of them, but after "Somewhere.." we had to progress and I really don't see that "Raising The Stones" is anything like "Somewhere.." or "Serpents..", in fact it's completely different, at least we hope so.
3. How are the songs composed?

Stewart: With "Raising The Stones" the songs were written on the computer initially using samples, then Xyrus wrote his bass and vocals to that. Changes are made along the way and obviously Xyrus' input is added. Finally in the studio we substitute the samples with the real instruments. "Somewhere.." was written in much the same way but obviously there was input from the other musicians who played on that album. We've found it the best way to work as you get a good idea of how the finished song is going to sound without the headache of a rehearsal room.
4. Do you often play live?

Xyrus: No!
5. Viewed retrospectively what do you think of each Xitizen cain release?

Stewart; "Serpents.." although a good album could have done with real drums on it. I admit it sounds like Marillion or early Genesis but personally it's the first album I had written and those were my obvious influences at the time. Some of the tracks were written as far back as 1988 when the original Citizen Cain were just splitting up and I had never actually met Xyrus or any of the band at that point. I was just a kid, a teenager with a portable keyboard and an old drumkit! "Somewhere..", a bit more satisfactory although a lot of the music on that came from bits and pieces left over from "Serpents..". "Raising..", Xyrus and myself we wrote the whole thing from nothing so we avoided a lot of that early influence from my younger days. I can still listen to all three albums and enjoy them although "Raising.." is the favourite at the moment, of course.
6. If you had to choose between the best and worst of Xitizen Cain's songs?

Stewart: Worst song would have to be "Fairy Castles" which was only ever played live and was never actually recorded, luckily! Best song, either "Corcyra" or "Silently Seeking Euridice" from the new album "Raising.." or the title track from "Somewhere..", personal favourites.
7. Can you tell us the main idea of this album?

Xyrus: Like all Xitizen Cain songs there is a dark underflow. To me it is the age old battle between black and white, good and evil, not that there is such a thing, life is only experience. This album really is about the destruction of the planet, the destruction of ourselves. Why we seek to look at the dinosaurs, them being extinct, maybe we're following the same road. Also other things like Myan prophecies, the 2012 thing. Is the world actually coming to an end and is mankind's consciousness changing. Of course this reverts right back to the days of Adam and Cain, the first murderer. Are we really the seeds of Cain, I kind of think so.
8. What are your best memories?

Stewart: The recording of "Raising.." and "Somewhere..", there's always a great atmosphere in the studio, plenty of laughs. The engineer Niel is an endless source of technical information, most of it useless but nevertheless very interesting! Actually the instrumental section at the very end of "Raising.." was inspired by Niel, although it should have been named, " The Illimitable Continuation Of An Ongoing Infinite Recording Session"!!
9. Is Xitizen Cain a studio or live band?

Stewart: So far we've spent most of our time in the studio! We've only had the chance to play a handful of gigs due to the band's line-up never staying the same, it's never complete. At the moment it's only Xyrus and myself and we are seeking a drummer and guitarist for live work. Our hands are full with the writing of the next album as well, which incidentally is entitled "Playing Dead".
10. We've been waiting for this album for a long time, why?

Stewart: Basically because Xyrus can't get out of bed in the morning!
Xyrus: That was a bad slur against my character but I'll let that one go! The reason why this album took so long is one, we were auditioning guitarists and drummers for a long time and really we just went through a whole lot of rubbish. Secondly we wrote the music and initially had Alistair MacGregor on guitar ("Somewhere.."),when he decided that Australia was his thing we had to then go back and start re-writing again. Of course I had been off bass for six years and on "Serpents.." and "Somewhere.." only done the vocals so it took me sometime to get back into bass again, and some of the things on "Raising.." are extremely complex bass-wise, it took me that amount of time to get sorted. All in all between auditioning people and then myself working on my bass, and going into the studio. The studio took an awful long time. That's why it took three years.
11. Which kind of stories do the lyrics tell?

Xyrus: The lyrics of the album basically tell the story of, again, black and white, good and evil. Is church and religion good for us or do they limit our horizons, somehow I think they do. Also the fact that religion has been responsible for so much destruction in the world. All of our albums contain that question. And mankind's sojourn on this world, is he in charge and does he have dominion, should he do what he does to the world, again no he shouldn't. The worst part of it is that he is destroying himself and really that is what "Raising.." is all about, self-destruction.
12. How did you learn your instruments?

Stewart: Basically I was self-taught. I started with an old piano when I was about twelve, thirteen years old and never looked back. I moved on to drums for a while but I found it difficult to compose songs with a pair of sticks so I stuck with the keyboards.
13. Is there anything more you would like to tell us?

Xyrus: I think only that now that we're by ourselves and we can basically compose how we want without any limitations whatsoever, we will be progressing from one album to the next. Hopefully we will be inspired and change and progress as we go along, progression is the thing that we are after, trying to break down whatever boundaries we can. The next album will be called "Playing Dead", and again it will have that Xitizen Cain feel, which is somewhat dark..........

Interview with Renald Meinert who reviews for the likes of "Empire" magazine in Germany.(Feb '98)

1. What does the name of the band mean? I think there was a so-called Orson Welles movie?

Xyrus: The name refers to Cain, brother of Abel, son of Adam and Eve. It was Cain who took Abel for his last walk upon the Earth, to the fields he had worked, the air he had breathed, and there spilt his blood upon the ground. The first murderer, citizen Cain.
2. What about your earlier releases? What about the label, the success?

Stewart: We've had four releases so far. Our first was "Serpents In Camouflage" which was released in '93 by the now defunct SI Music in Rotterdam. They also released "Somewhere But Yesterday", our second album, in '94 but went "bankrupt" about a year later. We had no further releases until early '96 when "Ghost Dance" was brought out on Mellow Records. Originally we had given these tracks, which were recorded in the mid '80s when XC were a three-piece, to Melodie & Dissonanze to give away on the front cover of the magazine, but they decided to sell it onto Mellow who released it without our consent. We are still awaiting the return of our artwork etc., but the less said about that "deal" the better, although we like people to know what sort of companies they are dealing with. On the other end of the scale are Cyclops, a pleasure to do business with, who re-released our second album in early '97 and of course the new album "Raising The Stones" which they released in Nov. '97. They also plan to reissue "Serpents.." in March of this year with possibly a track or two from our original demo on there as well.
3. What about the influence of other artists to you?

Stewart: There was an obvious Marillion influence on the first album mainly because many of the tracks were written years before I was even in a band, and and at the time I was a teenager who had Marillion constantly on the Cd player. I never expected any of that material to ever be released on CD. I bought my first Genesis album after the recording of "Serpents.." which probably influenced our second release, although a lot of the material on that one was leftovers from "Serpents..". By the time we came to writing "Raising.." we were starting afresh with none of the old ideas lying around, and with the added influence of Xyrus on bass I feel we have left the 'Generillion' era behind. Although I still love the music of these bands we must find our own originality and space in order to continue.
4. How are the reactions of the people in your neighbourhood to your music?

Stewart: The most common reaction is for them to bang on the ceiling and shout "turn it down!!"! Seriously the Scots totally lack the ability to comprehend progressive music. We have played with the likes of Pendragon and The Enid locally and had at most 30-40 people there. When auditioning for musicians we had people phoning up asking if U2 were progressive rock! The cold must have an effect on the people up here. Apologies to the few Scottish prog fans there are.
5. Tell me something about the lyrical concept of the new album?

Xyrus: The concept is very simple. It is man's dance with the inconceivable, with the other. To know without knowing, a silent knowledge of ages, of prophecies, coming to realisation of man's subconscious. Of how he diligently works towards the fulfilment of such prophecies. Knowing without knowing yet following the flow of a larger cosmic consciousness working towards the fulfilment of his own desires. Self-inflicted pain and blood sacrifice, the true children of Cain. "Euridice" is nothing more than a fond farewell, a thank you, but no thank you.
6. You are now a two man band so who plays what? What about drums and bass? Sometimes I think you are using computers?

Stewart: The lack of any decent musicians in our locality meant we had to complete this album ourselves. Xyrus had already went back on to bass and I handled the drum and guitar parts. There is one lead in the first song which is credited to Andy Heatlie, the studios resident guitarist/lodger! As for computers, of course we use them. Why have this technology and not take advantage of it. Although all the parts are played live it is a hell of a lot quicker to tidy things up and get rid of the occasional(?!) duff note. Besides, I have not played drums for many years so needed all the help I could get. With the likes of digital recording etc the editing capabilities are endless, and we're not ashamed to say we use it to cover up what would otherwise go unheard if it were being played live, in a gig situation for instance. Xyrus: The use of computers and sampling technology is of course nothing new. There is no band or studio I know who does not make use of such an advantageous tool. However I feel the question you really want to ask is; can you play this material live? Answer; note for note!!!
7. I think you can sing what you want it will always sound like early Genesis?

Xyrus: A great deal has been said about the Gabriel sound within the vocals. We felt that on our first two CDs there was a definite Genesis sound, it was therefore necessary to move ground, which has always been our goal, although it was a good starting point which gave the audience an idea of our playing field. The point in question now is to advance, to evolve beyond our present point of origin ( like mankind really). "Raising.." is the turn of that evolution. However some people are for one reason or another unable to see beyond the vocals.
8. Sometime I wonder why Genesis don't ask you to do the job of Mr Collins?

Xyrus: Genesis have had their day!!
9. Will you present the new material during live? I think it must be hard for only two people?

Stewart: Very hard, in fact virtually impossible, or is it! If we can find competent, committed musicians who can play this material live then we will definitely do so. We have already been looking for musicians for nearly 2 years and somehow think that we will find nothing locally and will end up with someone from further afield. Failing that we may have to go out as a two-piece, in which case computers would be very much in use!
10. How would you like to develop in the future? Do you think about changing your style?

Xyrus: We would want to mature as much as possible therefore material would constantly change, yet we would always keep that Xitizen Cain feel. Stewart: Although our music is becoming more complex we still retain the melodic side we have always had and wouldn't want to become a band that only other musicians would appreciate. Like you say, we will always have the Genesis feel to our music due to the vocals, and also partly because of the music, but we will be venturing into a few areas that Genesis never went into, as we have already done with "Raising...".
11. What is the best thing in the music business? And - on the other side- what is the worst?

Xyrus: The best thing , the only thing good about the music scene is an audience to listen. There are too many hands in the kitchen. Critics, most of whom can't play an instrument yet are always experts! Record companies and promoters shamelessly exploiting artists and their work, who make vast profits at the expense of the artist. Stewart: Saying that, we have had no problems with Cyclops, our current label, although I wish I could say the same of Mellow Records!
12. Is there a most important event in the history of the band?

Stewart: Yes, the day I, for some strange reason, went on a hillwalk with my brother and overheard some fellow walkers discuss their need for a drummer to complete their band. Although only two members from that band went on to the first reincarnation of Citizen Cain, and Xyrus never came on the scene until several months later, it is still the event that got the ball rolling. If I hadn't been bored that summer's day and took up my brother's offer to go on that hillwalk there would most definitely be no Xitizen Cain now. Letters of appreciation should be addressed to Alan Bell, for without him I would never have run up that hill to my destiny!!
13. What about your success in the different countries?

Stewart: No-one told me about any success! As you know there is a big interest in prog-rock in the likes of Italy, Netherlands, Canada, S America and various other select countries, although our home ,Scotland, has no interest whatsoever. We have done many interviews since the new release and had a great response from all over the world. We have found that some have needed a few listens to get into thenew album and others have had their heads blown off by the first listen! I will say that it is an album that takes a bit getting into, there's a lot going on and 72 minutes of it, but once it all fits into place it is, if I may say so, a masterpiece of intricacy, melody and complexity with an overall abstract beauty that will give months,even years of listening pleasure, and if you ever get your head around the lyrical content you are in for a huge enlightenment. Hopefully everyone will take my word for it and go out and buy it, now!!
Interview with Jean-Luc Putaux for Harmonie Magazine, France.

1. To start with, let's go some 15 years back in time, when the now mythical "Fire in Harmony" compilation album was released. That might be the first time we heard about Citizen Cain. What was the status of the band at the time ? How was it formed ?

Xyrus: Status; poor! Gordon Feenie and I met in London in 1982, we had played together in Edinburgh in a band called Not Quite Red Fox and after we both had auditioned for numerous bands in London we met up (coincidence?) and decided to work together on our own band. We spent 18 months writing and rehearsing in a squat in Shepherd's Bush. Shortly after we were gigging and a year later Peter Hinton (Elusive Records) offered us a track on Fire In Harmony. We got two days in a nice studio to do the track Unspoken Words but took advantage of those two days and recorded six tracks which now form most of Ghost Dance.
2. Were you conscious to be part of the so-called "British prog rock revival", alongside Marillion, iQ, 12th Night or Pendragon (to name the most famous) and Liaison, Tamarisk, Haze, Lahost or Quasar (for the lesser known acts) ? Did you have any contact with some younger progressive rock bands ? Did you like some of them ?

Xyrus: We were really to busy to feel part of anything although we did have contact with most of those bands. We were friendly with The Cardiacs and we bought there old P.A. We were treated well as a support band to them and also IQ, nice guys, but for all of us it was a struggle to maintain a foothold. Prog had fallen from grace and it was those few bands that kept it alive, just!
3. What about the stage ? Did you do a lot of concerts ? Have you shared the bill with other prog bands, especially Pallas or Abel Ganz from Scotland ? What type of people come to your gigs ? Do you have any anecdote from that time ?

Xyrus: We gigged a lot and supported many bands. I think Pallas had Not Quite Red Fox support them at an Edinburgh gig in '78 and we supported Enid three times, played The Marquee 3 times supporting IQ once and Cardiacs twice. Do I have any anecdote from that time - not my style!
4. At the time, playing the Marquee or being reviewed in Kerrang or Sounds was considered to be quite an achievement for a young prog band. Did you have any of those chances ?

Xyrus: We had a modicum of success.
5. We have not seen any picture of Citizen Cain of that time. Considering the type of lyrics you had, I'd like to know if you used theatrics, like Euan lowson, Peter Nicholls, Geoof Mann and Fish ? If yes, what was your purpose?

Xyrus: We did have a theatrical style. As a three-piece we needed something else, or so we thought. Very definitely a Greek theme, 500 BC, very manic. The drummer Gordon Feenie wore make-up creating a mask, he was in fact very helpful on the visual front.
6. As we can judge from "Fire in Harmony", each of those young bands had its own attitude and its own style when playing prog. One of Citizen Cain's specificities seems to make very little use of keyboards and sound more like a drum/bass/guitar band, which is not so common. Was it a deliberate choice ?

Xyrus: We were a bass/drums/guitar band and although we looked for a keyboard player for about a year we found most played with one finger! We had to make use of what we had.
7. Citizen Cain is one of the seminal neo-prog bands of the early 80's but contrary to Marillion, iQ or Pendragon who enjoyed success in their own ways (even if some of them had to wait several years), your band remained rather anonymous during several years. Why ? The "Ghost Dance" rarity album recently released by Mellow gathers a few songs recorded between 84 and 87. Did you release more songs on EP or demo tapes ?

Xyrus: We split up in '87 or '88 and after we disbanded we heard that EMI had intended to look at us but who knows, the guy that told me was an arsehole! We were quite complex compared to some of the bands of that time and weren't quite as accessible as other bands. The Ghost Dance album contains most of the songs we had recorded and was only released as an recently.
8. On which occasion did the band reappear in the early 90's ? As Cyrus was the only remaining member, why was the name Citizen cain kept ? Was it not a new band ?

Xyrus: The meeting with Frank Kennedy, the guitarist in the first band I ever played in and subsequently worked together in three other bands with, was the starting point for the new Citizen Cain. He had already recruited Stewart and Dave Elam and up to that point they had no name so we decided to use my band's name, because it was a good name!!
9. Stewart, how and when did you join the band ? Had you heard about them beforehand ?

Stewart: I was in a band with Frank Kennedy, the guitarist on "Serpents..", when Cyrus got in touch with him around 1990. Cyrus had been back in Scotland for several months after the break up of the original Citizen Cain when he decided to catch up with Frank and at that point we had a few songs put together along with David Elam, who played bass on the first album. Originally I was on drums and Cyrus on bass but I moved onto keys and Elam was brought in. I never knew Citizen Cain existed before this, I was still in Marillion 'nappies' as far as prog was concerned at this point, I missed out on that great musical era unfortunately.
10. One common characteristic between the various incarnations of Citizen cain seems to be the genesis influence. It has been said several times that the voice and singing style of Cyrus was the main reason for that. But in "Serpents..." and "Somewhere...", it is clear that you borrowed a certain sound from the famous English band. So let's get rid of this subject for good: what was / is your "relationship" with Genesis ? What's your opinion on so-called "influences" ?

Stewart: As I have said in previous interviews I never owned a Genesis CD until after the recording of the first album but was heavily influenced by Marillion, who in turn were influenced by Genesis I suppose. So from a second hand influence on "Serpents.." I progressed to a full blown Banks clone on "Somewhere..", or at least that's what the critics said! I guess it was a natural progression from Marillion to the far superior Genesis and this is reflected in our music, myself being the main writer it obviously rubbed off on the rest of the boys, except of course Cyrus who has been stuck with his Gabriel type voice for life. We tried to get away from that with "Raising..", which I think we did ,musically at least, but it seems some others aren't convinced yet.
Xyrus: Genesis? Who?! I've never heard of the band! What are they like?! Homosapiens are prone to influence, it's in our nature to choose this or that influence in our lives depending on our mood!
11. Why did you record "Raising..." as a duo ? Was it a difficult choice to make ? What are the advantages and drawbacks of this situation ? Do you want to continue as a duo or will you search for additional musicians ?

Stewart: The lack of any good musicians in our locality meant we had no choice but to tackle this as a two-piece. As you may know the bass player from "Somewhere.." was sacrificed (not literally!) for Xyrus to return to bass and the drummer never took to kindly to this move. Although he may have chose to stay he was unfortunately involved in a car accident before he had the chance to make up his mind, which left him unable to continue as our drummer. As for the guitarist he went to live in Australia and we were reduced to two. So it wasn't so much a choice for us but a necessity in order to complete the album. The obvious drawbacks are of course the fact that I am neither a drummer or a guitarist, hence a lot of work was involved in getting these parts recorded. We are still seeking musicians but have been doing so for over two years. We have a couple of offers of guitarists who would like play on the next album but there is a problem of distance with them, although maybe not such a big problem in this technological age. If all else fails we will have guitar at least.
13. "Somewhere..." is probably your best achievement in term of sound and production. "Raising..." certainly has stronger compositions but the album suffers a bit from the self-production syndrome. Why ? In particular, the drums seem to have been done by a computer.

Stewart: Unfortunately I am not the best of drummers and needed all the help I could get. All parts were played in live though to try and maintain the 'real' feel. As for guitar, acoustics were no problem, but we ended up substituting most of the parts that were intended for lead, hence the "how many hands does Stewart have?" question may arise. Again all parts were played in live just not all at the same time. The same can be said of the classical string section, to get the sound of an orchestra the parts were layered, otherwise I really would have needed about six hands! I feel that as long as the majority of an album is 'live' there is nothing wrong with experimenting with pieces like this.
14. In which way was "Raising..." composed differently ? How did it influence the end product ? The role of the keyboards is especially stronger than ever. The album sounds as if it has been more carefully written. Was it because the interaction with other musicians was more limited ? You also seem to work more on the atmospheres and textures.

Stewart: "Raising .." was composed in the same way as the previous album but as you say a lot more responsibility was in my hands to create a full sound, compared to the natural fullness of a five-piece band. All the songs are composed on computer initially and they progress from there. The difference with this album is that after it was written we had to go back and re-arrange it when we realized we would not have a gutarist or drummer, and with this came an opportunity to add to what was there, which explains some of the more complex parts, they may not have been this way had we not had that second chance to go over all the material again. As for the atmospheres etc. I have more equipment now, as does the studio we use, that obviously allows more experimentation with sounds, although a few of the old favourites have remained.
15. "Raising..." contains rather intricate sections generally built on nice counterpoints. Are you influenced by traditional or early classical music ? By the way, what is your musical training and background ? Off record: I think "The Stalker Dance" is my all-time favourite Citizen Cain song !!

Stewart: I have no real influence, background or training in music, I just play things that sound pleasing to my ear. In a way I feel I am not confined by any rules or habits that can be picked up from studying music in depth, and I know some classically trained musicians who find it very difficult to get out of the rut they have learned to play in, although this obviously is not always the case. As for "The Stalker's Dance" this is one of the sections that was enhanced the second time around, so may have been quite different had we found musicians.
16. A common denominator between all of your albums is the extensive use of the "epic style" and mythological / biblical references. Where do you take your lyrical inspiration from ?

Xyrus; I love, with a passion, ancient history, a most amazing subject. What else can I say, I was inspired by it!
17. How do you work on the longer / multisection songs ? Do you start from the story / lyrics and illustrate it with the music or are the various sections composed beforehand ?

Stewart: All the music writing is done first and the only changes made for vocals are in structure or length of sections with the odd incidental piece working along with the vocal once it is finalized. I would find it difficult to write to a certain theme I think, I would feel restricted and this would probably lead to less intricate songs, although maybe not.
18. Xyrus, you did all the cover paintings. Is it a hobby or are you a dedicated painter. Are the painting meant to illustrate some particular songs ?

Xyrus: I just like to mess around with a brush and I'm not too sure what most of my messing around means!
Stewart: A warped mind I think!!
19. As you can expect, we'd all like to know the reason why you change your name to Xitizen Cain (and Xyrus) and why the CD sleeve partially uses the old name.
Xyrus: I was C sick so I changed one of them into an X. The other is being watched very carefully!!?
20. What are your current projects ? Is the next album already planned ?

Xyrus: The new album "Playing Dead" and the artwork, lyrics etc. is the current project. We're working on the first few tracks of it which are developing very well. Once again we have had to put gigging aside due to a lack of musicians but it will mean a shorter wait until the new album. Playing Dead, I'm sure, will be another step towards...... whatever!

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