Interview Amaral (english)

Shortly after reviewing the new AMARAL Longplayer "Nocturnal" we got the chance to ask the duo consisting of Eva Amaral (vocals) and Juan Aguirre (guitars) some questions. And so we did, because I was really fond of the band and very impressed by the sound and the songwriting of the whole album.

Rockingboy: Thank you very much for the opportunity to ask you some questions. I was really impressed by your latest album "Nocturnal", which was my first "contact" with Amaral. You are really successful in Spain (#3 Charts), but common unknown here in Germany. Do you think that it is more difficult for spanish spoken music to have success in other countries? Or did you ever think of writing songs with english lyrics?


Eva and Juan: We feel that Germany is pretty open minded when it comes to listening music in a different language. In our first gigs there, we found ourselves playing in front of a audience getting the energy and the sound of the band, passing above the words.
We don´t refuse adapting some songs to the english. It could be a exciting challenge. The main thing doing that it should be preserve the whole meaning of the lyrics, the whole Amaral spirit and philosophy.


Rockingboy: Because I don't speak spanish at all, can you tell me about the intention behind the lyrics of the whole album "Nocturnal"? Is there a concept behind or does every song stand for its own?


Eva & Juan: We couldn´t speak about a closed concept in the album but we could say it's all about connection between people in our cities when the daylight is falling and the night comes. It's a time when people connects with more intensity. In our country there are many people living by night. Maybe more than in the north of Europe.

Rockingboy: Can you tell us something about the beginning of Amaral back in 1998? How did you met each other? And when did you decide to make music together? 


Eva & Juan: We were teenagers, playing badly, learning so fast and getting big doses of fun every time we played. It wasn't a real decisión. It was more like getting an unknown way. Our philosophy about expression, preserving and transmiting energy was born in those days. It came before the sound.

Rockingboy: Obvious there will be more than one highlight in your long career till now.  Can you tell me some of them?


Eva & Juan: We began in the underground scene of Zaragoza, our hometown. With the third album our lives changed completely because the band grew incredibly. In spite of that we kept our ideas about what Amaral is and we fought hard for keeping safe and sound our identity. Success is great but if you keep your rules.
One of the highlights of Amaral was the first time we played in Berlin, Hamburg or Amsterdam. We love to play and record music but we love to travel all around the world too.

Rockingboy: You made a second album with acoustic versions of the songs as a special bonus for the worldwide release. Who had this idea? 

Eva & Juan: We made the second album revisiting 'Nocturnal' like a bonus as you say. It was born trying little arrangements in our studio or in the soundchecks during the Nocturnal Tour. The process for getting the songs nude provide us lots of fun.

Rockingboy: You are now starting a small tour through Europe (UK, The Netherlands, Germany). What can the fans there expect? Any special show or pure fascinating music?


Eva & Juan: We will be doing our best every night, trying to do the best possible show and make everyone enjoy ourselves as much as possible

This should be reason enough to make a stop at the shows and is the end of our short interview. Here are the live dates for you:

05.02.2017 - London, UK - Shepherd's Bush Empire
06.02.2017 - Bristol, UK - Thekla
07.02.2017 - Nottingham, UK - Rescue Rooms
12.02.2017 - Berlin, Germany - Lido
13.02.2017 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
14.02.2017 - Freiburg, Germany - Jazzhaus
15.02.2017 - Cologne, Germany - MTC


And here are the latest AMARAL musicvideos: