I’m CP, singer in A Permanent Shadow. I’m of Austrian origin but have lived in Spain for the last 25 years. I started APS some 5 years ago, and we have two full albums and an EP under our belt.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM
We have a new album out called “No Leaf Clover”. Most of our albums are somewhat conceptual, and this one is no exception. It’s basically about toxic relationships on different levels: father-son, idol-fan, brother-sister and so on. Happy-go-lucky it isn’t.
WHICH SONG WOULD YOU SAY SUMS UP YOUR SOUND THE BEST?
Of the new bunch, I’d say the song “Little Ones”. It sums up perfectly what we want to be. It’s danceable, hummable yet with a lyrical content which may make you a tad uncomfortable.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO MUSIC?
It’s all David Bowie’s fault. When I heard the album “Let’s Dance” for the first time I knew I wanted to be a musician. Looking back now, it’s not Bowie’s best work, but it ignited my passion for Rock and Roll.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL WRITING AND RECORDING DAY LOOK LIKE?
We usually work office-hours, Spanish office-hours that is. Ten-to-seven with a long lunch break. Our records are pretty layered, so after laying down the instruments separately, the major chunk of work is the post-production which involves forever listening to the same loops over and over again until we all want to kill each other.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR BAND NAME/ STAGE NAME?
I always thought that A Permanent Shadow sounded really cool. When I looked up what it actually meant, I thought it was even cooler as it can mean a variety of things, from a skin condition to dark spots on the moon and after-effects of nuclear war.
WHAT HAS BEEN THAT HARDEST THING ABOUT YOUR MUSIC JOURNEY SO FAR?
Getting recognized is the hardest and to me also the most annoying part. When you are recording you are in this kind of isolated state where you and some other people brew up something new and exciting almost in secret. But there comes a point when recording is finished and you need to sell your work to the world, and that’s where the fun stops, as far as I’m concerned.
WHAT'S BEEN THE EASIEST?
I think the creative process is really easy once you get rid of your ego. It has an almost healing or at least calming effect on you. Maybe I’m lucky enough to be working with like-minded people, but creatively it really has been an easy ride so far.
WHAT WOULD YOU DOING IF YOU WEREN'T MAKING MUSIC?
I’m a trained grief counsellor, so I’d probably be helping people getting through hard times, which is not the worst job in the world either.
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN?
Get a lawyer and lower your expectations.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The new album will require some promotion and hopefully open enough doors to enable us to play live, and then it’s back to the studio for a covers EP and album number four.