Their music lies somewhere between Electronica & Post Rock and is influenced greatly by their different musical backgrounds.
Feed Me released their debut album “Marching Stickmen” in June 2009, Ahmed Abdel Aziz talks about the album and the story behind it. Up next!
Marching Stickmen’ is the band’s first album, what’s the story behind it?
Ahmed: We were basically jamming when we first started the band, and through recording our jamming sessions we got many ideas that were developed into songs. A couple of months later the album was there.
Hany: Why choose uploading the album instead of releasing a CD, in Egypt or abroad?
Ahmed: Currently we’re seeking more exposure. So we were just being realistic about it really. We decided to put it for free download instead of selling it.
Are you guys thinking of making the second CD into a legal release?
Ahmed: We’ll think about that when we’re done with the material itself.
Are you guys thinking of signing with a label soon?
Ahmed: We got a couple of offers through Myspace but they were not what we were looking for at the moment.
Are there any projects in the future to add vocals to your work?
Ahmed: Not in our upcoming albums. But, we’re thinking of featuring some musicians from the local scene for alternate versions of our songs with vocals.
In fact the album art work is really amazing. Who is behind that?
Ahmed: British graphics artist Oliver Cartwright designed and constructed all the artwork. You can check his portfolio on his website
Rock music has many fans here, like electronic music. Aren’t you guys afraid to lose fans by using electronic music? How did you get this idea?
Ahmed: Well, it’s been done before; rock bands have been incorporating electronic elements in their music for a long time now. Besides, a good song is a good song regardless of the genre it falls under.
What are the band influences?
Ahmed: Mainly post rock and electronic music bands like Mogwai, God is an Astronaut, Aphex Twin, Air, and Steven Wilson.
Tell me about your current and former members?
Ahmed: We don’t have former members, this is our original lineup.
How did the band start, when, and where?
Ahmed: We’ve been friends since high school and we started playing music at about the same time. We got separated for a couple of years and started playing together again in September 2008 and Feed Me! was born. Feed Me! is our first serious project together, then comes Headcase of course.
What is your opinion about the scene right now and the accusations towards it?
Ahmed: The music scene in Egypt is very underdeveloped, it lacks creativity and revolves around playing covers; just look at the number of tribute concerts that have been held in the last few months.
What are your favorite bands in Egypt and why?
Ahmed: Kravin, and The Room, mainly because they play their original music like it should be played. Also, they pay a lot of attention to their output sound which is something most of the Egyptian bands don’t put into priority.
Do you guys only play originals, and if there are covers, can you give me some titles?
Ahmed: No, we strictly play our original music.
Is there any merchandise for the band?
Ahmed: It’s a work in progress.
With your genre do you think the western world will be hit by you?
Ahmed: We’ve been getting very positive feedback on Myspace and post rock blogs. In fact we have more fans abroad than in Egypt.
When are your next concerts, tours and album release dates?
Ahmed: No show dates any time soon. But, we hope to release our second album by early 2010.
Why choosing the name Feed Me! Does it reflect anything?
Ahmed: We were quite hungry at the time, that’s all =P
Are there any plans for future official videos?
Ahmed: Not strictly videos, but we’re working on visuals to accompany our live performances. So don’t expect to see us on Melody Hits any time soon.
How many concerts and tours did you guys perform in and what are the highlights of these concerts?
Ahmed: Only one concert in Sakia last May. It was a good step at the time because we wanted to get live feedback on our music, and learn what our technical difficulties might be during live performances.
Can you tell me names of bands you guys played with?
Ahmed: Just Feed Me! Headcase and Vent.
Give me names of the bands you guys wish to share the stage with in Egypt or abroad.
Ahmed: Locally no one in particular, we will go with the flow, and we’ll take it one concert at a time. Internationally, we’d like to share the stage with more accomplished bands like Mogwai or 65daysofstatic.
Have you guys had any local or international interviews?
Ahmed: Yes, we’ve had a couple of interviews in Brazil and Canada. And this is our first local interview.
What do you think of Rock Era Magazine?
Ahmed: We think it’s a different approach to cover the rock music scene in Egypt and we support that.
Did you get any good feedback after releasing Marching Stickmen?
Ahmed: Yes. We’re quite pleased with the feedback we’re getting so far, in Egypt and abroad.
What would you like to say to your fans out there?
Ahmed: We just want to thank everyone who’s been supportive so far.
