ORKUS MAGAZINE
 

1. What does the name Blind Faith And Envy mean?
Charlene: Blind Faith and Envy is the chorus lyric to an old song we wrote. I liked the line so much that it stuck with us. No hidden meaning behind it or anything.

2. What does each of you do exactly in Blind Faith And Envy?
Charlene: I am the primary lyricist and vocalist, Daniel contributes some backing vocals on “The Charming Factor.” Daniel writes, produces, mixes and masters all the music. He is also a great web designer (self-taught I might add) he created a killer BF/E site.

3. Could you tell our readers when and how you have met for the first time (in your biography it is merely said that it was a chance encounter, could you maybe tell a bit more about it)?
Charlene: I say “chance encounter” because we happened to be at the same bar at the same time when we both dislike the “bar scene.” My friends had dragged me to the bar and his friends dragged him there too. It was total luck or fate that we got together. This was about 5 years ago.

4. What was the first impression you had of each other?
Charlene: I thought he was really cool! I could tell he was a musician from the way he looked. We started talking about music and I was excited to find out we liked the same few bands.
 

Daniel: It was really amazing to hear that someone other than myself had the same goals and passion for music, we loved and hated all the same things, my first impression of Charlene was so remarkable, so you could say I met the person that would change my life forever.

5. Charlene, you had asked Daniel to let you sing some of his tracks and then there is this nice quote from you saying "He did and I sucked…" So, was your singing really that bad in the beginning?
Charlene: Keep in mind that I had never tried to write lyrics and melody lines to music before. It was like the first time I put on a pair of ice skates and fell on my face, I really needed practice. I wasn’t projecting my voice enough, it didn’t match the music that well. I started as a very shy quiet singer, so I kept practicing and now I am able to be confident in the voice I have grown into.

6. Did you have any singing experience at all?
Charlene: None, except for singing along to my favorite songs, which I still love to do!

7. What have you both done before Blind Faith And Envy?
Charlene: Daniel was in a couple of bands (none worth mentioning) he played guitar mostly. BF/E is my first band.

8. In the bio it is also said that you have maintained your day jobs. Do they have something to do with music as well or is it something completely different?
Charlene: We are both weaning ourselves from our day jobs. Our day jobs are not music related at this time, however we are growing increasingly confident that we can succeed musically if we invest 100% of ourselves and 100% of our time to the music business.

9. Daniel, you started with metal music and now you are doing Electronic Pop, a development one wouldn't necessarily expect. Which kind of metal did you do then?
Daniel: A lot of it was Black/Death Metal, which you would never expect; I was always into all kinds of extreme music and still am, I learned a lot writing songs for these bands, for instance: song structure, how to incorporate different instruments, and how to get along with your band mates. It was a true learning experience.

10. Was there anything that kind of caused this quite big change in your taste (like, for example, hearing a certain band, or anything that happened in your life)?
Daniel: My taste never changed, I was just never introduced to other genres of music, The day came when I heard Nine Inch Nails and Front 242, I was amazed at the technology behind it, and the intense sounds used. It was the dark sound that I was looking for, at that time as a teen I felt what they had to say pertained to myself.

11. And do you still like metal music (which bands in particular)?
Daniel: I still do, except it doesn’t take part in my life like it used to, I listen to these bands to learn and to help myself create better music. Although our music does not reflect these bands, they still do help in the creation of structure and originality of BF/E music. Some great bands that I still listen to once in a while are: CYNIC, COVENANT, (with a “C”) NILE, and TARTAROS. All great bands that incorporate electronics to achieve a great sound.

12. Could you imagine doing metal stuff again one day, or is now electro-based music your "drug of choice"?
Daniel: Digitally recorded music is our passion, we will always incorporate electronics in every way, technology is so advanced, and to me it is fun to keep learning. Not everything we do is electro-based; we still do use some real drums and real guitar, it is just recorded digitally so the end product is in perfect time.
I have no plan on recording metal music, to me it has already been done and it would probably be a huge waste of time.

13. Daniel, it is also said that although your taste in music has changed very much, still you were interested in dark music. What is it that fascinates you about dark music (and maybe also other dark aspects of life)?
Daniel: Dark music has a lot of authority, the energy that a song has really brings the listener to a whole new emotional dimension, aspects of life can have the ability to draw you in just like a song, and what lures you in is something that is powerful or great. (Whether it be dark or not)

14. Charlene, do you share this fascination for the dark side of life?
Charlene: I have a degree in Criminology so I love the dark side of life. I love to try to understand the criminal mind. I am very “human behavior” focused, I am always questioning everything- I think people can be so strange!

15. It is said that you have an overwhelming passion for writing and producing electro-based music. Where does this passion come from and what does music in general mean to you?
Charlene: Music is my salvation, I would live and die for music. A song reflects the deepest part of someone’s soul, it’s so mysterious and beautiful. I have fallen for several rock stars in my day!

Daniel: When you write this type of music, it can bring out much more emotionally, and that is something you cannot get out of a typical guitar band, music has taken over my life in every aspect, and it has always been there for me.

16. In the biography your hard work and determination is mentioned quite a few times. What does this hard work look like and what are you determined to?
Charlene: Hard work looks like 40 plus hours a week working on music and band development while trying to maintain a day job. Hard work is learning to build websites, write and produce music, and learn sophisticated music programs all with absolutely no help. Tiring! We are determined to make a living making music, that’s our goal and we are getting very close to achieving it!

17. Now talking about your debut album "The Charming Factor" – does this title have special meaning?
Charlene: I view the album as a charming collection of songs. For example “Slightest Wave” is very charming lyrically. I also think “Golden Glass” is very charming as my lyrics are about appreciating the hard work that someone does and paying them what they are worth. Essentially I am advocating on behalf of the working class and the working musician.

18. Could you outline the "birth" of a new Blind Faith And Envy song (from the first idea to the complete song)?
Daniel: It can be worked out several ways; it all depends on my feeling of writing at the time. Usually I will start out with a drum beat which will then inspire a bass line, I will try to write around it, if that doesn’t work I do the opposite, I start with a melody either on a keyboard or guitar and see what comes out of that. When I have some melodies thought out I will start to record, I do not record the way most artist record, when I am recording a song I am also mixing and mastering at the same time, I never wait till the end to mix and master, I feel if you wait till the end you might not end up with what you expected, this way you know the sounds you utilize in your song will sound great.

19. Where does your main inspiration come from?
Daniel: Everyday life brings you different affecting moments, inspiration for me comes from the past, present and future of my life, it is whatever I am feeling or thinking about at the moment. A lot of BF/E music is also inspired by great lyrics. In a new song we are writing, all it took was Charlene to sing just one line of a chorus, and that created a complete song.

Charlene: I am mostly inspired by the music for vocal style, i.e., upbeat song deserves more powerful vocals, piano ballad usually warrants a smoother quieter performance. A lot of my lyrical ideas come from current events or from my past experiences.

20. Charlene, your lyrics very often seem to deal with relationships but not in this candy covered "boy meets girl with happy end" way. Am I right here? So, what kind of stories do you tell and where do you get the basic ideas for your lyrics from?
Charlene: My entire life history is relevant to lyric writing. The way I view the world, societal, economic and environmental factors help to shape my lyrics. We all perceive things differently, the key is to write lyrics people can relate to.

21. You want your debut to be an escape from reality for the listeners – why? And how should this work?
Charlene: I want people to have fun listening to the album. Take a break from your busy life and escape into well-crafted electronic music. We tend to take life so seriously- we all need to loosen up a bit!

22. Listeners also shouldn't be afraid to feel – do you think this is a problem of modern society that people kind of keep their feelings too much under control?
Charlene: I can go on for hours about this question. Some people bottle their emotions and other people let their emotions fly, both have devastating consequences. I think we as a society need to learn how to be communicate and relate to one another more effectively. For example; when I love a movie, I love it because it made me laugh and cry, a good album should stir up a good mix of emotions. If you listen to an album and feel nothing, then you don’t like it because you aren’t able to relate to anything about it, and that’s that.

23. Did you work on this album with any producers or were you doing all by yourself?
Charlene: Daniel did it all himself! He’s awesome, and he keeps getting better everyday- especially in the world of vocal production.

24. There are three remixes on your debut. Whose idea was it and how did you get in contact with these bands?
Charlene: It was Nilaihah Records owner Kristy Venrick who wanted some remixes on the album, so she made it all happen! We just had to put the remix packs together and send off the files.

25. You have chosen "Shout" from Depeche Mode for a cover version. Are there any special reasons why you have chosen exactly this song?
Charlene: I love Shout, it’s such a great song written by Vince Clarke, but it needed to be modernized. Lyrically it’s awesome, totally sweet and honest.

26. Depeche Mode in general seem to be a big influence for you and your music. Since when do you like DM, what do they mean for you and which of their albums do you like more – the old or the new ones?
Charlene: Daniel and I really realized DM back in about 1990. When we met 5 years ago we started collecting a ton of DM singles and albums. We like everything they have put out- honestly though “Exciter” took some time to grow on us.

27. The other important band you mention is Nine Inch Nails. What is it that you consider to be special about them?
Charlene: Trent Reznor is a great songwriter, he’s so creative and innovative. Somehow he was able to make-shift a genre by combining pop hooks with heavy distorted guitar riffs and electronics, it’s brilliant!

28. Another nice quote from you says that neither Depeche Mode nor NIN can do wrong in any way. Is this statement only valid for their music or also for their characters and behaviour? What do you think about their sometimes quite excessive lifestyle (e.g. taking drugs etc.)?
Charlene: Daniel and I are not here to judge what people do behind closed doors. We judge on song-writing and performance. We all make mistakes and shouldn’t have to be defined solely for the mistake(s) we have made. Anyway, what counts is who we are today, not who we were yesterday!

29. There is this wish that people should buy the album because it has "only been years in the making". Could you tell us a bit about the whole process of making this album and how long it took you to entirely complete it?
Charlene: It took us about 18 months to write, record and produce all 11 songs on “The Charming Factor”. However, it had taken us 3.5 years to feel that our skills were honed enough to start writing new songs for an album release.

30. Does this message maybe also hint to the problem of illegal downloading music from the internet?
Charlene: Downloading is lame! How about anything you put tons of time and effort into I come and steal from you. You would get pissed off. So why shouldn’t a band get upset about it!?

31. What is your personal opinion about the internet and the possibility of downloading music?
Charlene: We are supportive of itunes (and the like) as there is a charge per download.

32. What can you tell us about the American Electro scene – is it quite big with a lot of clubs and promising new acts?
Charlene: The electro scene is huge here, electronics are used in many genres of American music. The “electronic pop” scene here in the U.S. is very “sugar coated.” I am talking about the mainstream electronic pop acts, there are very few (mainstream) electronic pop acts with edge, and even fewer that are female driven.

33. Have you already been to Europe, and especially Germany? If so, could you compare the American and the European Electro scene? What are the biggest differences in your opinion?
Charlene: We have never been to Germany. We would love to play some shows there and take in the German landscape and culture!

34. Finally (just out of curiosity J): Daniel, your last name sounds as if you have maybe German ancestors. Is this right? And if so, do you know where exactly they came from?
Daniel: I have never found out the honest answer to that, I know some of my family long ago came from Germany and the name Americanised from Günther to Guenther.

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