Inga Scharf - Van Canto
Interview By Robyn Stryker
RAKKATAKKA DAN DAN. Behold, the sound of the world’s only a cappella metal band, Van Canto, creating the rhythm guitar and bass lines using only their voices! With two lead singers (clean male and soprano female vocals), three vocalists providing the vocal-guitars, and a ferocious drummer, this six-member German band sings power metal like you’ve never heard it before. Femme Metal chatted with female vocalist, Inga Scharf, to learn more about Van Canto, their new album “Tribe of Force” and how they manage to pull off such realistic guitar solos.
Welcome, Inga, and congratulations on Van Canto’s “Best Newcomer” award at Metal Female Voices Fest 7! I was so pleased to have had the chance to catch your performance. Please tell us about Van Canto’s new album, “Tribe of Force” (Napalm Records 2010).
It’s our third album and we are very proud of it. We recorded it in Blind Guardian’s Twilight Hall Studios, like the second album "Hero". This time we focused more on own songs again, the album consists of 13 songs, of which two are covers. We called it "Tribe of Force" because we wanted to celebrate our fans who grow more and more.
Among other guest appearances, Chris Boltendahl (Grave Digger) is the guest vocalist on the cover of Grave Digger’s classic, "Rebellion". How did this collaboration come about?
Of course, it’s a great pleasure and the best case to cover a song and get the original singer to participate. We had this chance because we are on the same label. He quickly agreed to participate and did a great job.
Apparently Chris and the rest of Grave Digger must have loved the "Rebellion" cover, since Van Canto has been invited to perform during their 30th Anniversary show at Wacken Open Air 2010. Are you excited?
We are so happy and proud, that we performed "Rebellion" in a way Grave Digger likes. It’s always difficult to cover such a great song, because of course you can’t do it better. So we did our best to do a special interpretation and now we have the privilege to be part of the Grave Digger Show. And yes, I am really excited. But I’m also looking forward to it and I hope the fans will like it.
Would you introduce the other five members of Van Canto, and give us an idea of what their personalities are like?
Stef is the Van Canto Mastermind, a jack of all trades. Van Canto is his creation and he writes most of the songs. But he delegates to us from behind, and rarely stands in the focus of attention.
Sly is the performer of Van Canto. He’s got so much power and emotions in his voice and his stage performance, so he animates all of us.
Ross is Scottish. More to say? ;-) He’s a very kind and lovely person. He builds the "guitar"-back of our songs together with Stef and is always game for everything.
Ike is the deep and calm Van Canto member. He closes the gap between drums and singers. I admire him for always being in a good temper.
Bastian stands for rhythm and real metal. On stage he gives us the essential impulse and backstage he’s an active listener to all sorts of problems.
It seems like many of the band members knew or worked with each other before joining Van Canto. For example, you and Stef worked together on Fading Starlight’s album, "Lost". Can you briefly trace out who knew whom before Van Canto?
Yes, Stef was the male guest singer on an album of my former band. That was the way we met the first time. Bastian and Ike are old schoolfellows of Stef and members of his former bands. So I knew them as friends and bandmembers of Stef also for a long time. Ross and Sly played in other bands we played several gigs with.
The first question that popped into my mind was, “How does someone decide to start a metal a cappella band?!? Metal = Guitars.” Was forming an a cappella band the plan from the beginning, or did it evolve from a different starting point?
No, it was the plan from the beginning. After played in other "normal" bands, Stef had the idea of doing something vocal-oriented and with that concept in mind, he asked the rest of us to join this musical adventure.
Has Van Canto ever experimented with using human voices for the percussions, instead of drums?
In the beginning of Van Canto, we experimented with several alternatives but we soon were certain that no one can sing the drums with the same power. And I’m sure singing double bass would probably kill too many singers during one live set ;-)
Is the songwriting process different for an a cappella band, than for a metal band that uses instruments?
No, I think we write new songs in the same way. Stef creates the first parts and melodies on piano or guitar and then it goes the normal way. When the song structure is finished, we put it together and every band member gives his personal touch. But of course jamming together is impossible in an a cappella band, the songs have to be prepared before we bring them into the rehearsal room.
With more than 60 performances and two full-length albums under your belts before recording "Tribe of Force", what lessons did Van Canto carry over to the new album?
I think the biggest difference is between our first and second albums, when we started playing live and get a lot of experience on stage. In this learning process we found out what works in a live set and what is just possible in the studio. So on "Tribe of Force" we just advanced the current process. Like in every other band, the songs that are up to date always represent the actual progression.
What was your favourite part of recording "Tribe of Force"?
I’m a huge Sonata Arctica fan and to sing "Hearted" knowing Toni Kakko will join it, was very cool. And then hearing his parts together with mine. But to be honest, I have a different fave song every day, haha.
Which song from any of Van Canto’s three albums is the most challenging for you to sing live?
In most of the songs are difficult parts to sing but to sing "Wishmaster" in front of Nightwish fans is always a challenge. Especially if Nightwish or ex-Nightwish members are near. ;-)
In addition to the Grave Digger cover, "Tribe of Force" includes a cover of Metallica’s "Master of Puppets". Van Canto previously recorded covers of iconic songs like Iron Maiden’s "Fear of the Dark", Nightwish’s "Wishmaster" and Manowar’s "Kings of Metal". Why record covers? How has the response been?
Covers work very well live, because they show, that metal a cappella works. If the audience don’t know Van Canto, they are able to sing along anyway. So the response is always positive, even when we played "Kings of Metal" at the Manowar Festival. We don’t see ourselves as a cover band but they surely help. Metal fans are more open minded than one would think.
Stef's human-guitar solos are incredibly realistically, especially the duelling guitar solos with Victor Smolski (Rage) on "One to Ten". How does Stef do it? Can a human-guitar solo be performed live at concerts?
Of course. All he does is plug his microphone into a guitar amp and then sing the solo. We do this live the same way. Since he is also a regular guitar player, he knows what a guitar player would do.
Van Canto toured South America in 2008, mostly in Brazil. Did you notice a difference in South American fans compared to European fans, or are metal lovers basically the same worldwide? Did you have any free time during the tour for Ingo (Ike) to show off his homeland of Brazil?
I think metal fans are the same worldwide. The Brazilians were so cute, open minded and a little bit crazy. But of course we acted different because meeting Van Canto fans so far away from home was really surreal. Yes, we had the chance to visit Ingo’s family and he showed us his former hometown.
Which countries is Van Canto currently scheduled to play in this year? Where should fans go for updated tour information?
We’ll start with a Headliner club tour in Germany, followed by festivals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We will try to play some gigs in other countries in the second half of 2010 but nothing is fixed yet. You can check for updates on the Official MySpace and site. (Links below)
What is the one indulgence you can't live without while on tour?
On tour? A bed just for me? ;-) No, just kidding. From time to time I need a little rest for myself to read a book or just enjoy a men-free moment.
Now that Van Canto has achieved its dream of performing at Wacken Open Air, does the band have a new dream?
Playing the Wacken Main Stage, Saturday 10.00pm .
Thank you so much for talking with us, Inga. Do you have any last words for your fans at Femme Metal?
Thanks for your interest in Van Canto. We hope to see you all someday, somewhere out there. Rakka-takka
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