New Buck Dharma Interview (Argentina)

Here is a new Buck Dharma interview with Gala Claro from Buenos Aires, Argentina! It is in Spanish, but I took the time to translate it. If the translation is off, please let me know and I'll fix it.

Under the condition of talking about the new Blue Öyster Cult material, which will be released on October 9, Buck Dharma describes how new technologies helped make The Symbol Remains possible in times of pandemic.

Together with Eric Bloom they have led BÖC since 1972 and although they never stopped playing, it was almost 20 years since they released new material, the latest was Curse Of The Hidden Mirror (2001). Their years of career well carried out, far from rejecting the present, they embrace it: They are seen to be active on social networks and they advanced on YouTube two songs from the new album "That Was Me" and "Box In My Head".

As for the sound of the new songs ¨That Was Me "and" Box In My Head "both retain the identity of the band, although they sound current, they could be part of albums like Cultösaurus Erectus or Specter for example. Do you agree with this idea?

You are not the first person to describe the new songs that way. We try to be true to our history and maybe there would be no way around it. However, the sound of Blue Öyster Cult in 2020 is largely the result of who we are today. Most of the songs on the new album were written recently, only three of mine were composed at various times during the long hiatus between BÖC recordings.



How did BÖC come to The Symbol Remains, to compose it and finally record it?

The band that BÖC forms in 2020 is too good and vital not to record new material. We also credit the Frontiers label for the attractive offer of making a new album, as well as releasing previous live videos and reissues. We all wrote songs, then we had extensive rehearsals during the summer of 2019 to record the album.

The lyrics to That Was Me have the necessary evil for the times. Are we going to find an album that clearly maintains the dark essence of BÖC in the lyrics?

The lyrics are printed on the CD booklet, so the listener can read them and get their idea. There are dark themes in some of the songs, but I think you would agree that the emotions and motivations expressed are clearly human.

Taking into account the situation of the global pandemic by Covid 19, did you consider the idea of postponing the launch of the disc?

Maybe the label would have liked the album sooner, but it took us a long time to finish. We lost time with the virus pandemic. We were locked up and had to remotely record from home between us. The album was mixed and mastered in a similar way.

I saw that the band did a rehearsal via streaming. How do you get along with social networks and all the new technology to communicate?

Video conferencing made recording finishing possible, as well as remote software designed for audio production. We are lucky that the tools were available when we needed them. More music will be made this way in the future, no doubt.

As for the cover, it is the symbol of the band, falling from the sky like a spaceship breaking what looks like a temple. Can we anticipate that as the overall concept of the album?

The cover exudes what many fans and people already think is BÖC's image, I would say. Once people listen to the album, they can fit their perception on the cover.

The album will be released in all formats: vinyl, CD and I suppose it will also be available on Spotify. What is your opinion about the new platforms for listening to music?

I mainly consume music on streaming services at the moment. But I understand whoever wants the physical and vinyl product for sound reasons, of course we will have copies in all formats and we are happy to offer listeners all recording options.