Tales of Evening
Interview conducted on Nov. 20, 2020
by Dan Locke
Hungary’s best-known female-fronted symphonic metal band has produced 3 full-length albums so far, and quickly became a constant performer on all Hungarian rock/metal music festivals and clubs, leaving their mark on the local scene with ever-increasing international attention coming from all around the world. The album “A New Dawn Awaits” came out early November last year with 14 tracks re-recorded and re-arranged with English lyrics, each selected from their previously released 3 Hungarian language albums. The album was mastered by Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann (Orden Ogan) and the music was transformed into an image on the cover art and the layout design by Alex Mihályfi-Tóth (Redart Illustrations).
Band Members (on the band picture from the left to right)
– Krisztián Varga (guitar)
– Róbert Pálosi (drum)
– Ivett Dudás (vocals)
– Attila Ádám (keyboard)
– Dávid Szegedi bass)
– Tamás Ribarics (guitar)
What is your upbringing?
IVETT: I feel happy and also grateful to have grown up in a large family because I gained a lot of experience that made me who I am today.
ATTILA: I had about as happy a childhood as anyone could ask for. Beautiful sister, nice and caring parents, not rich but also far from poor. My parents definitely gave me all the support I need, without them I would not be there, where I am now.
How did you discover music?
IVETT: Already as a little girl I fell in love with music. I also loved singing so much, that I became with time to a singer in front of the mirror with a hairbrush in the hand. Interestingly at first, I liked pop music, because I grew up in the Pop-world, but soon I got acquainted with metal. Since then I have been more of a metal lover, but I have also non-metal days.
ATTILA: The first metal band I have heard was Nightwish, still one of my favorites. It is interesting that there are some traits in our music that are absolutely not conscious. This has already been detecting by others, but I like, when people say that our music sounds a bit like Nightwish. Anyway, personally, I like music they are melodic, monumental atmospheric, enriched with classical inserts, but you will get the perfect recipe if you add Metal to these.
How did you start to write music?
ATTILA: My own melodies were born in my head. I eventually recorded these and worked on them. At first, I wrote instrumental film music, but I am a metal lover so I looked for other people, who also love this kind of music.
How did your band formed?
IVETT: The band was formed in early 2011. Attila and our drummer Robert performed with a band right where I did. We supposedly spoke for a few words, but to this day I don’t remember anything like that!! 😀 After some weeks I got a message with 2 demo files. After listening it was not a question anymore who the singer will be!!!😊
ATTILA: Right, that was the case. 😊 I remember that Ivett met Tamás (guitar player) for the first time on our first rehearsal. At this time, we already had maybe 4-5 completed songs, that is why it’s interesting. Krisztián joined us last summer to reinforce the guitar section. At the bass-player position we had several changes but from August 2020 we have David on board.
Descript your music?
ATTILA: very easily: melodic female-fronted symphonic metal. 😊
How did you get your name Tales of Evening?
IVETT: The name comes from the fact that the slightly abstract and sometimes fabulous lyrics can mean something different to everyone, yet everyone can find themselves in them, just like in a fairy tale.
What was your first performance like?
IVETT: The first performance with the band was in a rural town in our home country. It is interesting that we did not fit into the show that night in terms of genre, but we really wanted to show ourselves live, and for luck, the feedback was completely positive after the gig. Then we successfully won a vote, which took us to the capital city in Hungary. These 2 gigs were very important stations in the life form our band.
What makes a good songwriter?
ATTILA: I think that a good composer should be open to everything and flexible. It is important to listen to different styles and follow actual trends. It is also very important, that we always train ourselves.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
ATTILA: It may not be the first, but I am sure it was among the first songs. It was called “Dance of the Moon”. The specialty is, that the reshaped song was released in 2017, then we shot a music video in 2018. “Flower of Frost” is the one of the most popular Tales of Evening songs since then.
How was the making of your first video “Lázadás” (“Rebellious Soul”) different from you latest video “csak én Látom” / “Leap of Faith”?
ATTILA: Almost all of the music videos were shot with Balázs Gerócs. We love with work with him, and the shootings were always funny. The latest music video is the forerunner of the new album, where we also introduced our new bassist.
Was the video done during or after the lockdown?
IVETT: The video was shot maybe on the hottest day in summer. The shooting was exciting but also tiring as always. We get up early because we had just 1 day to record all the scenes and had a lot of things to do. Luckily, we were able to spend a whole weekend together. It made us very happy because it was the first time, we could spend time together for a long after the first wave.
Which is the best video you have made in your collection?
ATTILA: Flower of Frost”. On the one hand, it is one of our most atmospheric videos and on the other hand, I love winter! It’s one of the most beautiful seasons.
What is your favorite track on the album “New Dawn Awaits”?)
IVETT: My favourite is Delusion, because it evokes my sweetest feelings in me. 😊
ATTILA: “Flower of Frost”, because this is the one of the lyrics I wrote, which came from the deepest.
How do you stay healthy while touring?
IVETT: The last time we had the chance to play as guests on Rhapsody of Fire’s “The Eighth Mountains Tour” In Europe. Here we are talking about a last-minute tour, so we did not really have time to prepare for it. We had maybe 3 days for the preparation while working alongside it. We played at 6 stations instead of the planned 8, because COVID-19 interrupted the tour.
Going back to the original question, we couldn’t really rest properly because we were very excited and had so many good experiences that we were almost fed on these. We paid attention to ourselves, as we could. Obviously preparing for a tour would normally look different, I hope in 2021 we can report on that too 😊
ATTILA: …aaaaaaand the most important is to drink a lot of beer *joking*
What are your feelings about streaming music?
IVETT: I think it’s brilliant to have access to your favorites anytime, anywhere. In addition, it is also a good opportunity for our music to reach more people.
ATTILA: I mean, I personally love it because I am addicted to music and streaming makes it much easier to reach all the music anytime. But on the other hand, the deal streaming platforms have with musicians or the publishing companies that represent artists is just horrible. It honestly doesn’t pay artists enough for all the work they do. We work months for free to create music and when we finish it, almost no-one wants to pay for it.
How can people forget about the origin hashtag # Sharp in a musical score?
IVETT: I think it’s a bit embarrassing because this should anyone know, we are talking about basic knowledge here.
Digital vs. vinyl?
ATTILA: I personally love digital because I can take it with me everywhere these days and the sound isn’t bad either.
You last show you played was on March 11, 2020 at Zagreb in Croatia. The first case of the virus in Croatia was confirmed on Feb. 25th, with 26-year-old male testing positive. Would you be thinking at the time that the virus was going to affect your ability of playing live?
IVETT: Yes, because as mentioned earlier, the virus interrupted the tour. It was not an easy decision to join, as we knew that the virus had already appeared in more and more European countries and the number of infected people were also growing. Luckily, no one had troubles during the tour and everyone was able to return home healthy. In hindsight, I think it would have been a mistake not to take the last-minute opportunity, even if it was risky. That was the one of the most important stations in our lives.
With the virus starting to get a second wave, do you think kids should go back to school?
ATTILA: Yes, the second wave is already there we are increasingly seeing the return of online education.
Studies are showing that because of COVID-19 many students who were ready for college have decided to hold off because many schools is doing virtual school and changing the same amount for school as they would for on-campus classes. Do you think colleges should give some type of discount for these students?
ATTILA: Some kind of discount should be given to the students because there are those who do not have the right tools, and here we did not even talk about living conditions, which can also affect many things.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
ATTILA: Time one” from Wintersun, as I get a good, elevated mood.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
IVETT: Everybody is suffering, that is a fact. Some survive somehow, some lose their jobs. I hope that everybody can get out the best from this situation and can stand up or do further their jobs. Well, touring will be difficult maybe for years to come. Live streaming will become more common, but I don’t think it can replace touring. It is not the same experience.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
IVETT: luckily, I didn’t lose my job and was able to work from home as well. In addition, my dance and singing lessons were still held online. I was very happy about these because I really enjoy both. We also did a lot of video chatting with family and friends. I also trained and practiced yoga regularly during this period. I was also more open to a healthy lifestyle and tried out more recipes.
ATTILA: During this period, I had more time to play and make music and train myself.
I was also able to devote more time to sports. I think it is important to do some sport regularly.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
IVETT: I did not discover new, just old hobbies, like drawing or reading for example.
ATTILA: I actually did not discover anything new, but really, as I said, I have had more time for my beloved hobbies.
95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. This includes people who don’t have television and using their computers to do streaming of programs and movies. Which is your favorite streaming channel?
IVETT: I do not often watch TV, but If I do it, I watch series/films on HBO Go.
ATTILA: The same here, if there is nothing to do I watch Netflix, but this is often not the case 😊
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will includes [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook? In addition. From October 24 onwards, you can no longer simply paste your links in WordPress to make your Facebook and Instagram content appear on your site. Will this affect how bands use Facebook?
ATTILA: The fact is that we have not yet fully exploited the opportunities we have taken advantage of on the platforms. Honestly, our work has not been affected by this kind of regulation so far. We were confident that we could take the stage at least once more in the fall, but unfortunately, this was not allowed by the 2nd wave, so now we are thinking about other options as well. On the other hand, we are trying to use this concert- and tour-free period to prepare us for the year 2021 because the band will celebrate its 10th anniversary so we will want to come up with a lot of surprises. We are also constantly working on the new album in the background.
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merch to them at the show?
ATTILA: We try keeping in touch via the different social platforms, share somedays our feelings or what we do, how we survive our all days. 😊 As mentioned, we are working on the new songs and share a bit of it for sure this year. Our website will be also updated soon, but besides that, we have some other ideas too…. 😉
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
IVETT: this is amazing but also weird for me. For sure, I am interested in it and would try for once, but that’s it.
ATTILA: I definitely think it’s bizarre, but it is also true, that I would try it for sure!
If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?
IVETT: There is no option! 😊
ATTILA: I agree, I couldn’t imagine my life without music!
Anything you would like to say in closing.
IVETT & ATTILA: We’d like to thank you so much for this interview and for sharing our music. Thanks for taking the time, we really appreciate it! 😊 We wish you all the best, stay safe, stay healthy, and keep on metal!
