Dear readers, we have the opportunity to interview an Anglo-Dutch project with a Pop Prog sound whose new album “Glimmer” was released on May 19, 2023. Please welcome the Dave Foster Band.
Hi, how are you?
Dinet: I am very well, thank you
Dave: All good here thank you, mad busy but it’s always good.
You are a project that combines Progressive Rock with Pop sounds, where did your passion for this sound come from?
Dinet: Ha, good question. For me, I was listening to Prog and Pop/Rock growing up- from Pink Floyd/Marillion to Bryan Adam/A-ha/Rick Astley/Madonna and all that lies between. I guess my 80’s teenage roots might have something to do with it..
Dave: I had an unusual musical upbringing in that there wasn’t a lot of music in our house when I was younger. I kind of had to find music. My first encounter with progressive rock was GTR after seeing the video for When the Heart Rules the Mind. I bought that and in the sleeve there was a progressive rock family tree. I followed the family tree, listening to every band on there Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Frank Zappa etc.
Since 2011 you have released 3 albums, how has your sound evolved over time?
Dinet: I think we’ve stepped out into broader music and we try not to think about any genres. We’re very open minded like that, in our way of writing music. And I believe that we’ve evolved even more in that.
Dave: I’ve never been interested in genres, just good music. We write whatever feels good.
We announced on our webzine the release of your new full-length “Glimmer” on May 19, 2023, what can you tell us about this new work?
Dinet: Well; for me it’s my most personal album ever – hence why I am so very proud of it. It’s an honest album about loss and grief; but at the same time sees sparkles, hope and glimmer in dark hours. For instance, for ‘… Or you steal some’ the melody and lyrics were written under an hour. I remember Dave sending me this beautiful piece of music and I sat with it on a Saturday afternoon in my daughters’ room. At the end of the afternoon I already sent Dave the song; and that was basically it.
Dave: When I write the demos for the songs, I have no real idea of how they are going to evolve and I love that process. Dinet is SO good at writing good melodies that I know they will always work but often in a way I didn’t expect. The very first song we wrote together is Paradox from my first solo album Gravity, it just worked from the first demo Dinet sent back, ever since then I have total trust in Dinet with these songs. We had no design on what Glimmer should sound like though we do both love a good hook and a good chorus so that’s always going to be there. I also didn’t want it to become musically dense like a lot of progressive music can be if you don’t take care with it, the more you put in there, the less you hear.
Your music combines the elaborate traits of Prog and the accessibility of Pop, how would you describe the sound of your new album?
Dinet: haha! I suppose as the best-of-both-worlds? All joking aside, like I said before, to me -a nd I know Dave feels the same way – it’s not about trying to write in a certain genre. It’s what happens when we write. Especially, if I may add, the odd occasion that we are physically together working on a song, something happens that is not to be expressed in words, only music.
Dave: What I love about progressive music is that you can do anything you want with it, look at Radiohead, Everything Everything or Black Midi, they are more progressive than a lot of bands. I always translated progressive music as music that pushes out musical walls. The moment that it’s cliche I lose interest.
Both the instrumental and vocal parts are sophisticated and engaging, what themes do the lyrics of the album deal with?
Dinet: Thank you. Like I said earlier – and which is no secret since I’ve talked about it before – I was not in a very good place when we were writing ‘Glimmer’. My marriage for almost 20 years was falling apart and I felt really lost. But, the album is also about finding that sheer ‘Glimmer’ that is there, to let some of that in your life. I think, looking back, the writing helped in finding myself again and was also great (and cheap) therapy. I’d like to add to that now, three years later, my personal life has taken a wonderful turn – I certainly do not feel my age.
Dave: It’s wonderful to see how this album has helped Dinet with what was an incredibly difficult time for her. I consider Dinet like a family member and the fact that there’s an element of catharsis here is lovely. The album’s direction was taken in the way Dinet wanted to take it and I followed her.
Elaborate and very intense songs, how does the composition of your music take place?
Dinet: Well basically, Dave comes up with all these pieces of music, then he sends them to me and I’ve got the freedom to sit with it and see what happens. On rare occasions ‘it’ does not happen, I don’t connect to the song (for instance, when it’s too guitar solo oriented 🙂 Only joking, I found that when that happens, it usually means it’s not a good fit for our band, which is fine. What do you think Dave?
Dave: I have a rule with writing music, if I forget something I did the day before then it wasn’t worth remembering. If I remember the day later or a few days later then I’ll record a voice note on my phone. I generally write on the guitar or keyboard and whatever I’m listening to at that time will influence my musical choices. For instance while writing the demos for Glimmer I was listening to A Perfect Circle, The Who, Lanterns on the Lake, Sleep Token, so it’s a mixed bag.
You have released a couple of singles from the album, are there any other extracts planned from the new work?
Dinet: The whole album is on the streaming platforms, so you can all listen to all the songs! Let us know what you think of it – and if you have any favorite song?
Dave: As Dinet has said, it’s now available everywhere.
Many of our readers and your fans wonder if there will be a chance to hear your music live, do you have any plans in this regard?
Dinet: Yes! Plans are being made to let ‘Gimmer’ shine live…
Dave: Absolutely, we would love to take this album on the road. Covid stopped us from doing more with ‘Nocebo’, which was such a shame. Hopefully something later this year,
Music and Prog in particular are constantly evolving, how do you see the future of your genre?
Dinet: I would really like to see less in ‘boxes’ like genres, but more in ‘music’ and whether or not something speaks to you. Music is about what it does with you, the effect it has on you, it can be so powerful. So, I am not really thinking about it in genre. TBH.
Dave: Music is becoming less and less compartmentalised. If you look at the likes of Sleep Token or even Muse, they take a heavier genre and add all the more wider appeal stuff but very naturally. I do however worry about music and arts given the rise of AI but that’s another topic.
What advice would you give to young artists entering the music scene with a more elaborate genre like yours?
Dinet: Go for it! Chase your dreams, don’t let anyone tell you you might not be good enough or something like that. Do what you love is the most important thing in this -short- life. For instance, my 17 year old daughter would really like to pursue a career as a musician; how cool is that?
Dave: Do what you want to do musically, don’t let anyone force you into playing music that you don’t like, otherwise you’ll fall out of love with it. I have been lucky and just played the way I want to play, even when I was working with Pete Waterman I was still just being me but in a pop environment. For me, music is the best thing us humans can offer and there’s always ways to make it interesting.
Do you have any other projects or artistic passions outside of music?
Dinet: Does part of your day-job count as well…? I am a Neuropsychologist and I love to read about the latest developments in that area. Other than that, my life is pretty busy with being a mum to a 19- and 17 year old, my job at Uni, and my new beau..
Dave: I am surrounded by music and it gives me so little time to pursue another passion. I have an amazing wife, Clare, who is also my best friend and we try to spend as much time with each other as possible,
The last question, as usual, I leave you free to address any topic not mentioned in the previous questions.
Dinet: Now I know Dave always mentions he and I met at a Marillion weekend at PZ (which is true:) What is debatable is that we both were drunk (he really was).
Dave: Did I tell you how I met Dinet?…….:)
I would like to thank the Dave Foster Band for the pleasant interview, and on behalf of the Progressive Rock Journal I wish them all the best for the release of their new album and the continuation of their artistic career.
Dinet: Thank you so much, it was a real pleasure, we’d love to play in your country!
Dave: Thank you for such an interesting set of questions. As Dinet said, we’d love to play there one day.
Purchase the album on Burning Shed: https://burningshed.com/store/english-electric-recordings
The Bandwagon USA: https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/dave-foster-band
