by Marija Brettle
– Columnist —
Her creativity has inspired others to feel free to express their feelings and individuality. Canadian, Karen Stever is a Metal, Progressive Rock, Alternative Rock singer and songwriter that has been creating music in a genre all on her own. In a world where being conventional and part of a mainstream record labels is the norm, Stever stands apart from the rest.
In 2008, with the help of producer Frank Gryner, multi-talented Stever released her first album Playground Isolator, which has been considered as a true inspiration for many of her ever growing fans.
This year, following the release of her new record Idiot Savant (October 31st), Hardrock Haven caught up with the Los Angeles-based Stever, to talk about her genuine love for music. We also talked about her music heroes, her personal journey with her first and second album and more …
Hardrock Haven: Hi Karen! I gather it’s been a very exciting and busy time for you lately, with the release of your new record and two brand new videos. So tell me more about the process of making of your new album Idiot Savant?
Karen Stever: Oh yes, it has been a whirlwind autumn! (Laughs) I really wanted a record where I was story-telling as opposed to just making it about my anguish. My goal was to tell a story which would inspire others to get back to the playground. As it turned out, I fell in love with writing again. For me, writing it in poetry-format first and having it work on paper was the most important part. Then things like piano, guitar, bass, strings etc were added.
HRH: How long did it take you to finish the whole album and what made you settle on the title Idiot Savant?
Karen Stever: I spent more time immersing myself in the history of the 30s era and finding how messed up it was. Then once I got the concept in my head, each song was half written on paper one day and finished the next. Then, putting basic chord progressions were 12 sessions with my co-producer Frank Gryner and we had acoustic songs on a small recorder. The album itself didn’t take so long. Life getting in the way forcing me to back-burner it sucked up the time.
As for the title, I go into more detail in my About section on my site. Essentially, I set it in the ’30s because I love that era but believe it set some very bad patterns that are still present today. This makes the title of the record actually timely, not archaic or politically incorrect.
HRH: How did you come up with all those great ideas in the videos ‘Green’ and ‘Juggernaut’? I read that you did all the staging, choreography etc.
Karen Stever: My whole idea of stage is in lyric writing. The videos basically just represent weird things in the lyrics. I always keep the process very shoe-string budget, so I visit a lot of garage sales and warehouses to finds that are not only cheap, but unique.
HRH: Do you have any favorite songs in particular, that you want to tell us more about?
Karen Stever: Because it is a concept record, they all belong into the puzzle. I can’t imagine any of them missing. It’s one large song, really. I love the intensity of ‘Virtuoso’, but I love singing the title track, ‘Idiot Savant’ because it just feels good to hit the long “sooooo” in the chorus. (Laughs)
HRH: On both of your records you have been working continuously with two exceptionally talented guys; the LA producer Frank Gryner (that has worked with the likes of Rob Zombie, The Crystal Method) and Mark Miller. How did you end up working together?
Karen Stever: Frank Gryner is a genius and he is so humble. He’ll hate me for saying it. (Laughs) I am lucky that he just “gets it.” Frank and I have co-produced many records together, but I started off doing digital editing for some of his work like when we worked on the ‘Methods of Mayhem’ record together. We had a website where musicians could submit their parts to records like Tommy Lee’s. Frank thinks a lot like I do. We have our own gauge of what is cool … and we go by that. Basically, if it’s cool, we keep it. If it isn’t, we ditch it.
Mark Miller can not only play drums really hard, but he has built the majority of props you see in the videos. The three of us are making this all come to life now … and having a lot of fun doing it.
HRH: When I listened to your first record Playground Isolator, it seemed like you poured a lot of your emotion into it. It also seemed like you drew most of it from your childhood; songs like ‘Sicko,’ ‘Funeral Mute,’ ‘Skin’ or ‘Get Outa My Head’ … Would you say that your second record is just a continuation of that ‘life journey,’ which digs deeper into your early childhood memories?
Karen Stever: The first record, Playground Isolator was very direct. I was suffering with depression and didn’t care who heard it. Music was my therapy, my healer my go-to Doctor. Playground Isolator is really cryptic, but boy did I have some anger. (Laughs) Between a string of bad relationships and my plunge into depression, it just hurt all over. The second record Idiot Savant is the reunion with the child that was stolen from me and the child I squashed myself. Idiot Savant was about getting back in touch with my inner child and the spirit of play. My hope is that it will inspire others. It isn’t about my life directly so much as illustrating what has happened to us to get us off the playground and what we need to do to get back there!
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