1. How did you get started in the music business?

I started with music school when I was 12 years old and learned to play classical guitar. But... I wanted to play rock music. I guess I was about 16 years old when I bought my first real electric guitar. I’ve started my musical career as a singer and guitar player in bands that mostly played covers. Later I switched to keys. In 1988 I’ve put together a real AOR band called ‘Rhyana’. That was the best band I’ve ever played with and we had a great line-up with the Swedish vocalist Timo Hara. Our single ‘I have a dream’ got much airplay on the national radio stations but the beginning of the nineties were hard times for AOR. That was the main reason the band finally decided to stop.

2. Why the music business?

I guess I have been born with music in me. I remember that when I was only six years old I was already playing on a ‘toy guitar’ together with my uncle who was a guitar player and played in a band. Sadly enough my uncle died in a car accident when he was only 26 years old but I always wanted to follow his example.

3. Who, or what, has been the biggest influence on you as a musician?

Bands like Journey, Toto and Loverboy are some of my most favourite bands. I mostly like their older work. The first Toto album was the first LP I ever bought and I remember I was totally blown away by the song “Hold the line”. I knew right away that I wanted to play that kind of music. I’ve always liked catchy melodies with awesome guitars & some very nice keys. That’s also what I’ve tried to put on the Frozen Rain album..

4. You've just released your CD. Tell us about it.

Making this album is something I’ve always dreamed about.. A big part of the album has been recorded in my own home studio where I can work without any ‘time’ pressure. I had the chance to work with some very talented musicians and some of my personal idols like Tommy Denander & Steve Newman. It feels really great to have them on my album and they did a fantastic job as you can expect from them. During all the years playing as a musician I met some very talented musicians who became good friends. Working on a project like Frozen Rain gave me the ideal opportunity to work together with all of them which wouldn’t have been possible when I played in a band. The making of this album has been a fantastic experience for me. I’m really happy with the way the album turned out and my friend Eddy Meuwese has made some exellent artwork for the album. So... I’m a happy guy.

5. Pick your three favourite songs from it and tell us why they are your favourites?

All songs on the album have a special meaning for me but if i have to choose 3 of them I think I would choose “Waiting for you” in the first place. This is the eldest song on the album but I always loved it. It’s great to see it finally released. Another song I love a lot is “Little Angel” in which Johan Waem & Tommy Denander deliver some great work. The song has a chorus that you can sing along right away and lots of people seem to like that song. On the third place I would pick “Music keeps me alive” cause that songs perfectly tells what it’s all about.

6. This is a project that seems to have been in the making for ages. How long has it been?

Well, first of all you must realize that i'm not a full time musician. I have a busy daytime job & family life that take most of my time. This means I can only work on my music in my free moments and during my vacation periods. That in combination with the fact that the first Frozen Rain CD had a lot of guests involved made that there was a lot that had to be planned and organized. All those things took a lot of time... In 2001 I started to write new songs with the Swedish lyricist Andy Flash. The year thereafter I recorded the first demo versions in my home studio that I was just building up and that was far from complete. When I finally was able to buy myself better recording equipment the real recordings began. The very first versions of the songs had programmed drums cause I wasn’t able to record good live drums then. I recorded all the keyboard parts, a temporary bass line and a vocal track sung by myself. When I had finished these basic tracks the other musicians recorded their parts one after another. One of the very first that added his guitar parts was no one else than Tommy Denander. Most part of the album has been recorded in my home studio but other parts have been recorded in the U.K., the U.S.A. and Sweden. About two years ago I was contacted by Daniel Flores who offered me to play the drums on the album. His offer came on the perfect time cause I was already thinking to have all the programmed drums replaced by real drums. There’s nothing better than live drums and Daniel did a terrific job. The past year I’ve been busy with the mixing of the album. Because of my work and family situation it wasn’t always easy to find the necessary time to mix. That’s why I’m glad I had some help from Steve Newman (Newman) and Jim Santos (Norway) for a few tracks.

7. What bands did you grow up with and how did they help in creating the style of music that can be found on your cd?

Like I’ve already told before I have listened a lot to Loverboy, Journey & Toto. In my younger days I’ve also been a big fan of “The Electric Light Orchestra” with songwriter Jeff Lynne. He always came up with those fantastic melodies. It’s normal all of these influences shine through in my music.

8. Give us 3 reasons why the readers of AOR Underground/Powerplay Magazine should buy your cd.

- The Frozen Rain album is an album for people who love nice melodies and some ‘lighter’ aor in a style similar to Boulevard. If you like keys in your music then you will find plenty of them on this album. All together in a perfect balance with the guitars & vocals.

- Many people tell me that listening to my music gives them a very good feeling. So if you’re looking for music that makes you happy, check out the Frozen Rain cd.

- If you’re a fan of Steve Newman (Newman), Jim Santos (Norway), Daniel Flores (Mind’s Eye) or Tommy Denander (Radioactive) give this album a listen. Tommy tells that the Frozen Rain cd contains some of his very best solos ever.

9. Do you play live? If so do you include any covers in your set?

I've played live for more than 15 years but at the moment there are no plans to play live again. I would have to put together a live band first and rehearse. Touring costs a lot of money and time which isn’t easy for a new project like Frozen Rain and a new starting record label. Touring is also a bit difficult because of my daytime job & family situation. So right now I prefer to use my free moments for writing and recording. But who knows what the future will bring...?

10. How did you get your record deal?

Well, many years ago Robert Pancur of Target Records already heard some of my music. I stayed in touch with Robert and kept him informed about my plans to make the Frozen Rain album. When I started looking for a label Robert told me his friend Gregor Klee wanted to start a brand new AOR label. I sent the Frozen Rain songs to Gregor who seemed to like them and I was offered a deal. With Avenue Of Allies Music I have found the perfect home for my music. Gregor and Robert are very nice people to work with. We share the same musical vision and listen to the same bands...

11. Have you had any major record label interest?

I wanted to finish the record first before presenting it to a label so I haven't been seeking intensely. Still I did sent a few demo songs to a well known melodic rock label that showed a lot of interest but is out of business meanwhile. With Avenue Of Allies Music however I’m very happy to have found the perfect label for my music.

12. If you had to pick one song that defined Rock n roll to you what would it be ?

Then I choose “Whole lotta Rosie” from AC/DC. If that isn’t rock ‘n’ roll....?!

13. What type of coverage has your cd had so far?

The cd has just been released in Germany and Scandinavia only so far but I hope it will be released in some more countries as well. The CD is also available in online CD shops like Target Records, AOR Heaven & CD Baby. There seems to be great interest from Japan as well. Several CD shops over there have ordered a lot of copies. It’s great to receive reactions from people all over the world who seem to like the Frozen Rain album. Some nice reviews have also been published about the album. You can check these out in the ‘reviews’ section at the Frozen Rain site.

14. Whats next, and what does the future hold for you?

Now that the album is completed I have my hands full with answering mails form people interested in Frozen Rain and doing interviews like this. I’m really looking forward to simply enjoy playing music again and not having to spend all my time with ’mixing’. I want to start writing new song material this summer and work out some fresh ideas. For the songwriting I will work together with keyboard player Jurgen Vitrier who was involved in the first album. But I also expect a lot from my cooperation with Rik Priem, a very talented guitar player with a great sound I recently met. If there comes a second album Rik will probably play most of the guitars on it.

15. What have been the high points, and low points of your career so far?

Let me start with some ‘low points”. Back in 1990 my band Rhyana was very close to a big record deal. The label made us lots of promises but didn’t keep its word and the negotiations with the record company broke down at last. This disillusion made the original line-up fall apart. In 1994 I recorded some demo songs and was offered a record deal by Long Island Records. Sadly enough I didn’t have the chance to release an album then . Long Island Records had to deal with lots of problems and finally broke up.

Some high points in the past have been the release of a single called “I have a dream” that was played on all national radio stations in Belgium and the release of 3 double cd’s with songs for children. Nowadays a lot of the Belgian primary schools work with my songs. I’ve also written three music books for teachers. But the most important highlight in my musical career is of course the release of this first Frozen Rain album. Now that I have found a good label I hope many more Frozen Rain cd’s will follow..

16. What five albums would you take with you on a desert island?

Signal: Loud & clear
Giant: Last of the runaways
Journey: Escape
The Storm: The Storm
Strangeways: Walk in the fire

17. Download, or buy the real thing..and why?

You can buy the Frozen Rain album as a download on melodicdownloads.com and on several other places as well but then you’ll miss the beautiful artwork and booklet made by photographer Eddy Meuwese. We’ve spent a lot of time in the making of the booklet and I think it works very nicely with the music. Personally I never download an album from the net cause I prefer the ‘real’ thing.

Sadly enough there’s also a lot of illegal downloading and file sharing these days. Most of the people don’t realize at all how much time and money it takes to make a decent album. I did a lot of investments to be able to record this album myself. When everybody's downloading and copying illegal it's impossible for new young artists to keep on making music and many give it up. While well known and big acts still receive a budget for making an album many young and new bands have to pay for their recordings themselves.

18. Anything you would like to add or say to the readers of AOR Underground/Powerplay Magazine?

You can easily say that the Frozen Rain album is my ‘life work’ so seeing this album finally released gives me a good feeling. What makes me even more happy are the positive reactions I am receiving from all over the world. I want to end with saying thanks to everyone who has supported me the last few years and to all of you for checking out Frozen Rain. The making of the Frozen Rain cd took me a lot of work but if my music can brighten up your days then I’m happy too.