ROCKNATION ISSUE 24 Cover Issue 24 | Page 48

VITNE PAGE 48 ROCKNATION ISSUE 24 Hello Joseph with VITNE and welcome to Rocknation. Congrats to your release of your album “Jupiter” on June 20th. What are the fans going to see compared to your previous releases? Hello Rocknation! Thank you and thank you for having me. Compared to my previous albums, I would say “Jupiter” is heavier, and has more substance/depth. This album isn’t about girls, drinking and cruisin’ down the highway. It’s more thought-provoking and introspective. The songs flow, it is melodic, heavy, atmospheric, and there is even a good bit more flute. Maybe that sounds strange, but I love the feeling it adds to the music. The first single is “Make Believe”, how did you pick that track? This album has actually technically had a few “first singles” because I released “Masquerade” and “Lion” in 2016, followed by “Make Believe” in early 2017. I was experimenting with my sound and writing a bit during that time and didn’t want to put together an album until I felt it was time. I didn’t even have plans to release an album at that point. The album version of “Masquerade” is a complete remix from the 2016 version and there is also a music video for it. “Make Believe” though has recently really been catching some momentum on Spotify as well as other services. It’s always so interesting to see which songs really connect with fans. Please name some of the tracks and the story behind them. The title track “Jupiter” is about feeling detached from the world, like you are watching the world go by through a window or a looking glass. Sometimes you just feel like a bystander, and I wanted to capture that feeling in a song of my own. I know people can relate. “Masquerade” also touches somewhat on this subject, but “Masquerade” is more about questioning the motives behind people and the reality of everything around you. “Make Believe” is about recognizing your demons and taking a step to rise above them. “Under the Moonlight” is a song about losing the most precious person in your life. “Say Goodbye” is about confronting everyone and everything that is holding you back, saying goodbye and moving away from those that do nothing positive for you. If you had to tell someone what your music sounded like, what bands would you mention? This is such a hard question for artists because we are so close to the songs! I will say though that if you like Winger, Gackt, Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Warrant, etc. then you may enjoy my stuff. That kind of vibe, the darker melodic stuff. Where has the band has played concerts and other bands have you appeared with. Currently I haven’t performed any concerts due to time constraints, but I’m hoping that will shift in the future. You also act, please tell us about your appearances in Dear John - Hollywood Feature Film (2009) and Hotel Cæsar - 3 Episodes - Norwegian TV series. I’ve done a number of small things, but one of the most fun was when I was an extra in the 2009 movie Dear John during the filming in Charleston, South Carolina. The beach/surfing scene was being filmed down the street from where I grew up, so it was really cool. If you watch closely, during the bonfire scene, you can see something yellow go in front of the camera. That’s me! I wore a yellow “Gölden Palace” t-shirt (my band from back home in the US) intentionally every day of the shoot so I could potentially be seen better. I’ve also been on the Norwegian TV Show “Hotel Cæsar” a few times for both extra and speaking roles. A funny story about one of those shoots was when I had to audition. In order to get the part, I had to meet with the producer. I was working an overnight shift the night before and the meeting was in the middle of the day, so after my shift I slept in my car for a few hours outside the film studio so I wasn’t completely exhausted during the audition. All in all, it is a lot of fun being on a movie or tv set, completely different from being in the recording studio. What plans do you have for 2017? Getting “Jupiter” out to the world, writing new music, and we will see! Thank you for taking time for this interview any last words to the fans? Thank you for having me Rocknation! To everyone who enjoys my music, you are amazing. I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to reach out and say hey, and share share share the music to anyone you think might like it. Thank you for your support and you ROCK!