MINI ALBUM AND RELATED THOUGHTS FROM MR. RICE-OXLEY

From Echo weekly by Shain Shapiro. To read the full interview click here.

Some interesting quotes from the interview:

This mini–album is not just a stopgap solution in between albums, stressed Rice–Oxley. Instead, it’s a completely new work in its own right, and one in which the band is excited to see unleashed as another addition to their catalogue. “Most of it is recorded and mixed already, as we’ve worked really hard on it while we’ve been traveling, going into studios all over the world and working on the tour bus all night,” adds Rice–Oxley.

“There’ll be a bunch of new songs, all the old favourites, maybe a cover and maybe a few songs played acoustically,” continues Rice–Oxley.

and this is the part that makes me love him more:

"To me, we really have just begun” concludes Rice–Oxley. “You always have to write as the person you really are, and not believe the hype about being a rock star or whatever, as that doesn’t mean anything. When I listen to music I want to hear about things I can relate to, and I want to know that the writer is giving me access to their most personal and honest thoughts and ideas. It's not always easy to do that when you live in the bubble that comes with being in a band, but that's what I hope we will always do.”

TIM INTERVIEW BY 3VOOR12

How could I have missed it?! Anyways, I decided to publish it for the ones who didn't read it :D This is the first time Tim confirms about the mini-album. Remenber Tom talked about it in a past interview.

3VOOR12 DEN HAAG Susanne Kooijman Monday 24th August (more here)

That the British Topband Keane will perform at the Beatstad Festival has not escaped many people. The inner city of The Hague is covered with posters of the three men. 3VOOR12 the Hague had an exclusive interview with Tim Rice-Oxley, songwriter and keyboardist of Keane.

Saturday, 29th of August, time for a new edition of Beatstad. The Festival at the Hague's Malieveld has managed to book Keane as the festival closer. The band itself look very much forward to the gig. “We like to play in the Netherlands. To play for a large audience in the finale of Beatstad Festival, we think is ace. It moves us and we therefore consider it a great honour. The Dutch public was one of the first that really appreciated our music outside England. Our first show in the Netherlands we played in the Melkweg, in 2003 I believe. The Netherlands has always welcomed us with open arms, and the public always reacts to us with much enthusiasm and the music.”

Keane is Ambassador of War Child. Part of the proceeds from ticket sales from Beatstad goes to a good purpose. “War Child was one of the first to link good music to a charity. That appealed to us. But the most important thing is, of course, that I think it is unfair that children are victims of war. Children are always innocent in my view.”

The band frequently plays in sold out stadiums to often wild fans. They are not however burdened by nerves. "There's always a little bit of nerves, but doing a festival we feel it more. There the visitors don't know you that well. That keeps it exciting for us.”

On the latest album, ‘Perfect Symmetry ’, the band took a new path. "The album is very philosophical. And more positive than the last two albums, I am pretty proud of that. The texts for this album came very naturally. We just looked around us, at people and to the world. It is also an album about the love that we have for humanity. This is the vision we have on the world at this point in time.”

Tim is the main writer of the band and has therefore already considerable hits in his pocket. "My favorite song in terms of text? [long silence] That is a difficult question. I think Spiralling. On the surface, it is a very danceable and poppy song, but the text is pretty deep, if that doesn't somewhat sound arrogant of me. I have taken a long time on this text, it is a pretty complex text.”

In the back of his mind, Tim is occupied with the following album. “I am trying to write, but we are still too busy touring. It would be nice if we could record the next album again in different countries. I found Berlin to be a very inspiring city, and I would like to go back there. It is important for us to sometimes have a change of environment. You meet new people and you can see new places. Before you know it you find yourself in a strange situation, like some weird pub at 4 o'clock in the morning. That inspires us.”

Despite the fact that there won't be a new Keane album for a while, the band will however release a mini album at the beginning of next year. “It will be an album with 6 or 7 songs. Somewhat larger than an EP, so we called it a mini album. There will be new songs on it, remixes and collaberations with other artists. We will be doing some promotion for that album in the spring next year. If it is picked up in the Netherlands, then we will probably come to the Netherlands as well for some promotion."

Life is treating Tim well at the moment. His role in the band suits him just fine. “I feel very happy when I see a sea of people that enjoys our music. Smiling and crying people, and that you yourself are in the moment, then we really have the time of our lives. I love that feeling. It does give you a useful feeling, that we have a sense of purpose in life. We know what the difficulties are to see a band live. The costs and travel and, therefore, we appreciate the fact that people pay to see us. It continues to surprise me always.”

The band still has a couple of weeks of touring to do, with shows in Switzerland, Russia, America and Canada. Then there will be some peace and quiet for the band members. “ We will however go back into the studio and the mini album is also coming up. But it is good to go back to the real world, to reality. I love being with my family and friends. Nice to play some guitar. Perhaps I am shortly going to live in America for a couple of months. But I often have other mad plans, which does not mean that they will all come true!"

Keane will close the Beatstad Festival . The band's gig will start at 10 p.m.

MICHAEL JACKSON, MINI ALBUM AND MORE...

From The National by Charlie Hamilton taken from here (Thanks Jill for the news!!)

DUBAI // The British chart-topping band Keane today spoke of their sorrow at learning of the death of Michael Jackson, the day after a lavish memorial service was held for the pop icon in Los Angeles.

The award-winning trio, who play their debut gig in the UAE tonight, told of how Jackson had been a powerful musical influence and how they were still mourning his loss.

“We are still pretty upset about [the death],” said the band’s songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley at a press conference ahead of the sell-out gig at the Madinat Arena.

“Growing up in the 1980s, he was a real influence. He was probably one of the reasons we got into pop music in the first place.”

The lead singer Tom Chaplin added: “He’s one of the few people who is going to be influencing music for about as long as pop music exists".

“Some one with that kind of talent and influence; it’s such a sad thing that a human life should end like that.

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be Michael Jackson. I used to practise the dances in front of the mirror.”

Rice-Oxley said the band, who are currently on a world tour promoting their third studio album, Perfect Symmetry, said they were told of the musician’s death while in Sweden about to perform a concert.

Chaplin said they were currently recording tracks during free time between concert dates and hoped to release a “mini-album” later in the year.

This is the group’s first visit to the Middle East and earlier this week Keane played a gig in Beirut.

They earned their reputation on the back of soft rock piano-led ballads such as ‘Everybody’s Changing’, ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ and ‘Is It Any Wonder’.

The band, which also features Richard Hughes on drums, won international acclaim for their first album Hopes and Fears in 2004, and their second, darker album Under the Iron Sea.