Scala and Kolacny Brothers Thank David Fincher -- Top 100 Acts at SXSW 2011
Courtesy Scala and Kolacny
Scala and Kolacny Brothers are gearing up for a big spring. After a stop at SXSW, the ensemble will release its US debut, and on April 7, it will launch a North American tour that includes a slot at Coachella. Spinner spoke with conductor Stijin Kolacny about working with his brother, what song he really wants to cover next and what he thinks of 'Glee.'
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How did the group get together?
My brother Steven and I were trained as classical musicians and are pianists. Before we played shows with Scala, we played piano duets professionally. Scala was our pet project on the weekends. It was fun, because we sang in different choirs as children. We've always worked with choirs, but it was always for fun. It all changed in 2001, when Steven got the idea to write arrangements of contemporary rock and pop songs -- the Stones and the Beatles and some really hot stuff -- for Scala.
How did you react to Steven's idea of switching from traditional and classical choral music to contemporary pop-rock music?
To be honest, I wasn't really a fan of his idea. The first time he tried it was in Canada, when we were in the final round of the competition of a choir festival. He said, "Hey, let's try this arrangement." I thought, "Oh God, what's this?" It was 'Paranoid' by Garbage, and the judges were really shocked and we didn't win. But the impact on the audience was incredible.
What challenges did you come across adapting popular songs for a large choir?
In the beginning, it wasn't easy, because the arrangements were nothing like the arrangements now. I wasn't used to working with Scala as a traditional choir, and my brother's arrangements were the opposite of a classical choir sound. I had to adjust to it, but we played more and more and then we realized that this was a brilliant idea. Thanks to Steve, we're still playing Scala and have more fun onstage. We communicate better with the audience, have a light show and video projections and electronic sampling. We learned how to play a modern rock show, which was new for a choir and us in general.
Since you work with your brother, do you tend to agree or disagree on which new song to work on?
Of course we argue, but nowadays, we argue a bit less. We used to have crazy fights about almost everything. Now we sort of know what our gifts and talents are. We try to let the other one do what he's good at. I'm the conductor of Scala and work more with voices in general. We have over 200 singers, and I know pretty much all the girls' voices. David is the arranger and composer and the more creative brother, and the one who makes it work.
Who are your musical influences?
There's a difference between my musical tastes and influences and Steve's. I'm still more classical-oriented. I always try to mix a contemporary repertoire with some classical stuff and influences. I also like cinema music. Steve is always listening to rock music and indie. He's a big Radiohead fan and also Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode. He also really likes electronica, and I do, too. I also like minimal music. I'm not really a hip-hop fan, but Steve is well-aware of every hip-hop artist. So we have our differences in influence and taste.
Many people discovered who Scala and Kolacny Brothers were after hearing your version of Radiohead's 'Creep' on the first trailer for 'The Social Network.' How do you feel about all of this?
The fact that David Fincher chose our version of 'Creep' for the trailer of 'The Social Network' was really amazing. It made people all around world, not only the United States, become aware of Scala. Although we've released CDs and played shows in European countries like Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium, this kind of exposure was really a global thing for us. And even now, we can still feel it. The younger people who were interested in the movie became interested in Scala. So for us, it was a boost.
We've talked a lot about the covers you do, but Scala also performs original music written by Steven. Can you tell us more about that?
It's really important for us not only deliver covers. If we just do covers, it would get boring, so we have been trying to be as diverse as we can by mixing our cover repertoire with our classical stuff and original stuff for the past four years. It's really important, and 30 percent of our show is original music. In some way we are freer to do whatever we want because it's our music. It gives us creative oxygen.
What's one song that you want to do with Scala that they haven't performed yet?
There's so, so many. We have been working on U2, on that famous song 'One.' We've tried to make a recording of it, but it's not that easy. We are trying to make covers of some really, really American songs. I don't know if we're going to succeed. Another song that would be good to try is that song by the White Stripes, 'Seven Nation Army.' We've already tried it before, but maybe we should do it again. We want to do huge hits, but we're never sure if we're going to succeed.
Have you ever seen 'Glee?' If so, what do you think?
I watch it, and I think it's incredibly well done and really funny. I actually didn't know what a glee club was and had to look it up. But anyway, it's American and really, really nice. The way they cover songs on a production level is really amazing.
Catch Scala and Kolacny Brothers' SXSW Set on Friday, March 18 at Stubb's (801 Red River St.) 11:45PM.
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