RAGE - Peter "Peavy" Wagner

Given the chance by their release “Strings To A Web” Metalzone.gr had the chance to interview with Peter "Peavy" Wagner of RAGE. Peavy talks about their latest release, how it feels to complete 25 years as a band and what has changed in their course so far as well as the regrets he has for the band’s past.
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\r\nDownload and listen to the interview at this location.
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\r\nMetalzone: Welcome in Metalzone Peavy.
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Thank you very much, hello everybody…
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: It’s 25 years now! How does it feel?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Feels good that we’re still there. We still have a lot of fun in doing this, and we’re hoping that there’s much more years to continue with this.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr : Tell me a few things about Strings To A Web. It’s out on February 5th(Europe) we listened to it – and congratulations on it it’s a wonderful album
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Thank you very much we’re also very satisfied with the new one. Just finished with the bonus DVD, that will come out with the album. We’re pretty proud about it. Compared to our previous on this album has a lot more variation. It reflects very well all the different developments that this band has made the last 25 years. The sounds on the album that can make you understand our work from the late 80s to refreshing fresh stuff. Songs that are a bit more progressive, one long song with full orchestration which sounds pretty good... This album shows the variation the music span of this band. It has really good songs, really good melodies and riffs…
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Tell me about the bonus DVD we can find in the limited edition.
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: There’s going to be a bonus DVD included which is the official live full length from the festival. The main part will be from the Wacken festival which also had friends from other bands as guests, like Hansi from Blind Guardian, Schmier from Destruction, there’s also going to be some other stuff from other festivals, like the festival we played in Czech Republic, Masters Of Rock, stuff we recorded in Bulgaria, all kinds of different live footage.  
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: I want to ask about a particular song in the album, Empty Hollow that is one songs divided in 5 tracks but in total it’s 17 minutes long.
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: It’s the song that I mentioned early that has full orchestration. We played it along with the Orchestra from Minsk in Russia. It has all kinds of different elements. Really good melodies and riffs. It has a sentimental part that you can compare to the track Unity there are also some orchestral parts with Victor playing cello. He is a studied cellist he studies cello since he was five. This song has some deep and emotional moments. The lyrics are also very interesting about someone who is falling in a deep hole in his life; he is falling into this empty hollow like the title says, through the music he is finding out his little story, so I think it’s the most interesting track in the album.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Are you going to tour in support of the album?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: We are planning some dates for March, for the first part of our tour and right now we are booking more stuff. We want to come everywhere.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Is Greece included in your plans?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: I hope so! The agency is working with the dates and of course we’ll try to do something in Greece.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: It’s 25 years now and I’d like to ask you – looking back do you have any regrets?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: There are two mistakes I did over the years. In a retrospective I regret them. One thing is in the very beginning, when we signed our first record deal, it was definitely the wrong company. It was called Wishbone Records and it was very small label and they weren’t really able to distribute our album properly, I think we should have signed to a bigger label. There were also Noise Records or SPV who were interested at this time but we picked the wrong label for the first album which gave us a bad start basically. And the other thing was to add this guitar player to the band who joined the band in 1994 or so I know your readers- listeners might not want to hear this because this guy was Spyros Efthimiadis, Greek guy, but he was definitely the wrong guy for the band. He was actually trying to destroy the band in 1999 he and the other guy tried to start a pop band, which is ridicules enough and he tried to destroy RAGE at this time. So I shouldn’t have put this guy in the band a different guitar player would have been better. Especially as I had the chance to get Victor in the band that year in 1994. He tried out but I just picked the wrong guy. That’s a long story and it’s so long ago.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: But everything turned out ok in the end.
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Yes but this year 1999 it was really hard for me to rebuild the band. It’s very disappointing when you see the people that are supposed to be your best friends turn around and stab a knife in your back. It’s very disappointing but I got over it!
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. So we talked about regrets what about dreams that haven’t yet come true?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Hmm… To be honest I don’t dream that much. I see this all pretty realistically. The main reason why I started doing this band and why I still do it is the music. In this direction I did everything and a lot more I really didn’t think I could do. The band is still around and still successful, we play in every country and we still sell our records so it’s more than I could expect. If you dream about becoming a huge superstar like METALLICA of course this never happened but to be honest I never really was dreaming of this. I don’t know if I would like to have this. If I would be in a position like James Hetfield I don’t think I could live that easily like I do right now. The public eye focus and paparazzi everywhere. People watching you all the time I don’t think I would like to have this.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: You like your privacy…
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Yeah I like my privacy very much and I mean my income is really good. I don’t need to be a millionaire to be happy. Buy what you need, I don’t need a million dollar something…  
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: What are the differences you see in your fans now than when you first started the band?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: I don’t think there’s a difference. It’s still the same people. Well not the “same” people (laughs)
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: 25 years older (laughs)
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: It’s the same type of people that come. I don’t see that much of a difference. The metal scene is a very active and a very true scene. I think metal fans are the best fans compared to other music directions.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: What about the music itself. Do you hear changes in it?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Minor changes very small. In general, everything is coming back in ways. The scene is bigger than it was 25 years ago, but in general I don’t think that things have changed too drastically.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Do you listen to any new bands?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Sure, here and there. When I find out something that interests me. I like good songs. I don’t really care that much what kind of style it is.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: What makes a good song for you?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: It has to have interesting chords, interesting chord progressions, very nice melody lines; I like interesting arrangements, in the last years I listen to a lot more progressive bands.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Complex music…
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Yeah I like it more complex because I am a musician. Musicians always listen to this kind of stuff…
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: I always thought music being a way of communicating and expressing feelings. I take myself for example who is not a musician and when I listen to something really complex and I can’t really get it, it’s not easy for me to like. Don’t you think music should balance that in a way?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Depends on who you want to reach with the music. I agree that for a non musician it’s kind of hard to follow when you freak out extensively on an instrument but I like a good mix of this. If it’s too complicated then you’re into Jazz. This is often too much. I try not to listen to this. It’s more like an interesting mathematic work. But if you mix some interesting playing with some good and catchy music, that’s a good mix.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Actually this is why I like RAGE. It can be complex but I can still get it.
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Well that’s actually what we are trying to do. Make interesting arrangements but not too much. We don’t want to sound like DREAM THEATRE.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Are we going to be seeing you in any summer festivals?
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: Nothing I can remember right now. In England the Bloodstock festival and besides this nothing really big at the moment confirmed. We will play WACKEN this year, so we will be there, and I am sure some festivals will be coming up in the way. They do every year.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: I’d like to thank you for this interview last words are to you.
\r\nPeter "Peavy" Wagner: When you listen to the album be aware that me and the rest of the band are really grateful to you fans, who have bought the album and support the band, it’s been a long time and without you we wouldn’t be here, thanks to everybody…
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