Leaves Eyes made their Hollywood debut at the Avalon in direct support of Blind Guardian, stunning the sold out house with a set that included songs such as Elegy and Legend Land. After interviewing lead vocalist Liv Kristine several times via Trans-Atlantic phone calls, it was a pleasure to meet the former Theatre Of Tragedy singer in person. Liv, husband Alexander Krull (also in Leaves Eyes and Atrocity), and young son Leon had just finished touring Beverly Hills and were back a few hours before show time. Here is the conversation that we had on their tour bus…

It’s good to finally meet you in person. I don’t know if you remember, but the first time I interviewed you was with Theatre Of Tragedy. I asked you about that one song where you sing, “I wanna be with that French girl” and you were like, “Oh, no, I’m not a lesbian.”
(Laughs) Oh that’s the one! Yeah! Actually, I listened to that song last week in my car. To be honest, I haven’t listened to the Theatre albums for a long while. And then I thought, okay, just get over with it. Just have a listen – it’s okay. And it was okay – I felt okay, so yeah, the French girl was there last week.

How has the tour been going with Blind Guardian and how have the crowds been so far?
Fantastic! It’s our fourth show tonight, and the crowds have been amazing. It’s more than what we’ve expected. We thought well okay, we’ll have to build up a fan base here, but people are already there and they know our music. It was just a matter of time when we actually came here to play – many people know our music, which I think is very, very nice. I’m very grateful for that.

Is this your first time here?
No, we actually did a festival tour here last year, but that was a catastrophe. It was a festival tour with six or seven bands and at the end of the tour, it was just Leaves Eyes, Atrocity, and a Belgium band going on. Everybody else had left the tour, so it says a lot about the conditions we had.

Compare the conditions this time to how they were last time. You have a nice tour bus here…
Yeah, yeah it’s very nice. It’s nice enough to have kids on the bus too. We’ll be on the road for five weeks, and that’s too long to be without my son.

How is Leon enjoying the trip?
He’s enjoying it. It’s a big time for him. He’s got all these uncles around him – he calls everyone in the band uncles.

How old is he now?
He’s two and a half and will turn three in December. So he’s enjoying it. My only problem is I always feel bad because we live in the forest in the countryside actually in a nature safety area – so he’s outside all of the time playing. That’s impossible here in the big cities, so I’m always trying to find something for him so that he can move a little bit and play. But that’s my inner struggle at the moment. So we went by a limousine today and there was space enough for him to walk around – he likes cars so that was nice.

What do you think of Hollywood, now that you’ve been here for the first time?
Where we actually parked right now – I was a little bit disappointed when I went for a run this morning – as I do every morning. I just went down the street and I thought, “Where is Hollywood?” Well, I know we’re in the middle of it, but it’s not what I had expected. So I just went straight ahead down the street, which was completely wrong – and I went into a bad neighborhood actually. I would have had to turn right and I would have been there, so it’s not that far away. It’s nice – very interesting. I’ve been searching all day for the star of Madonna, but I haven’t found it yet.

How do you feel about being over here in the middle of our elections?
(Laughter) Well, I’m glad there is another election now. I think most people are thinking positive about that.

Do you have any ideas for a new full length CD?
Yes, I do. I was actually thinking about that on the plane to here. I had 11 hours of time to think about a new concept and everything. Yes, I have a lot of new ideas. But as we are on tour right now, and there will be a huge European tour coming up next year – so we’ll probably have to postpone the album to middle or late 2007. We’ll see, but we’re working on it as much as we can. We have our equipment with us on tour so we can record ideas. There will be a DVD out, actually a Leaves Eyes movie.

What’s going to be on it?
We have collected takes from everywhere for the last 14 months and we are still collecting private stuff. I think the audience will like it.

You’ve done a few videos now. Have you ever thought about an acting career, like Madonna?
I like acting – I like it a lot, but I just don’t have time for it. I’m a mother. The most important thing in my life is being a mother and then music comes. So those two things really fulfill every dream I’ve had so far. I have enough.

Have you heard the new Theatre Of Tragedy album and what do you think of it?
Sure. The magic is gone. I like their new singer also, as a person – she’s a very nice woman. She’s a mother too, so when we meet, we have a lot to talk about. But concerning the band itself and the music and the progress – first of all, I don’t see any progression. Secondly, the magic is gone. Two weeks ago I called the (male) singer of Theatre Of Tragedy. We haven’t spoken since they threw me out of the band – since I was kicked out. And I thought it was time to talk about things. I called him and I said, “I don’t think the album is all that great. Actually, I think it sucks.” And he said he’s fine with that and he understands that. He even told me himself that it will never be the same.

It’s a blessing you aren’t with them anymore.
So there is Leaves Eyes. Sometimes bad luck brings you incredible luck.

Do you have any messages for your fans here in the Los Angeles area?
I just wanted to say thank you so much for the support you give us. I do get a lot of messages – people leaving notes in our guestbook – I read every single note and I’m really, really grateful that there are people here who already know our music, although we haven’t played here before. And I think the show tonight is going to be a really good one.

The Legend Land EP by Leaves Eyes is now available from Napalm Records!

Below is an interview we did with Liv Kristine in mid-2006...

by Kenneth Morton

In anticipation of their forthcoming US tour with Blind Guardian, Leaves Eyes has released an all-new EP of magical tunes entitled Legend Land. Further adventures ensue throughout these five tracks of sheer majesty, courtesy of vocalist Liv Kristine, with the assistance of her husband Alexander Krull and other members of the mighty Atrocity. Here is a conversation we had on a transatlantic phone call while Ms. Kristine and her band were in the midst of a European acoustic tour.

First of all, how did your tour of the States go, and what were some of the highlights for you?
It was a very surprising tour. We thought we had planned everything very well. We thought we had chosen the right partners. We thought everything was well organized, but it wasn’t – and we actually ran into some kind of hell. A huge trap, but that’s just one side of the story, because actually the audience and the people – everybody was so nice to us. It was a great pleasure to finally meet our audience in the States. We were so overwhelmed that when we came home after our US tour, we continued writing another five songs. And these five songs are what you will hear on our next EP Legend Land.

Tell me about the song Legend Land, and where you got the idea for the lyrics.
We had actually planned to release a second single for The Vinland Saga, but as we weren’t able to choose which track should be the single – and due to the fact that we already had five new tracks written during Christmas and January – we thought let’s finish the production of these five tracks and make an EP out of it. It’s a continuation of The Vinland Saga. It goes into more detail concerning Leif Erikson and his crusades in North America. And also their leaving America and going back to Norway again.

How did you wind up booking this tour with Blind Guardian, and are you fans of the band?
I know the band very well – not personally, but I know their music of course. They’ve been around for a very long time, just like we have been too. So it’s a great honor and pleasure to able to tour with them. We just applied like everybody does if there’s a tour you would like to join. We were very happy that they had chosen us to go with them on tour. We’re really looking forward to be on tour again in the US. And I know that everything will work out much better than last year.

Plus you’ll get to come to Los Angeles this time!
Oh yes! We are really looking forward to that.

What was it like signing 5,000 copies of your EP and whose idea was that?
I guess it was the idea of my husband Alex. He’s always the one coming up with ideas like this. He’s also the man who hardly sleeps. He’s like Madonna – I read that Madonna sleeps 4-5 hours a night. My husband is just the same – he’s always planning and thinking how we can do things better and how we could change things. He’s the best in everything he does. Sometimes he’s quite demanding, but he’s the perfect producer and perfect manager – and also the perfect husband – what more can I say? So it was his idea to apply for a record in the Guinness Book Of Records. We actually had them sent to us by post, and we thought we were never going to finish – it’s going to take ages! But we organized everything and just put the booklets into heaps and counted everything carefully. We also took our kids with us, so you can keep yourself awake and alive – although your head and back are tired. So we needed about half a day – and the next day, of course my head and back were hurting. But it went off without any problem.

I know Madonna is one of your inspirations and I was wondering if you’ve ever thought about having an acting career like she has?
So far, it’s enough for me to do the videos. My acting in the videos is enough. Well, you never know. I would surely like it – it’s a nice challenger – but right now there is no time for it.

About your husband’s band, will there be a new Atrocity CD out soon, and how does he feel about Leaves Eyes taking off as big as it has?
Well, my husband’s always happy with whatever’s happening. He’s also a member of Leaves Eyes, and he’s so happy that everything is going well. He’s happy for me having a new start after being kicked out the way it happened by Theatre Of Tragedy a couple of years ago. We’re a family – all the members of Atrocity and Leaves Eyes are like a big family, and we take our kids on tour and we help each other. We’re the Mastersound Studio family. It’s great and I feel safe and in good hands. I experienced different things with my former band Theatre Of Tragedy – we never felt like a family and we really missed that. I’m so happy with the way things are, and Alexander is happy too. The guys, not being on the acoustic tour right now, are working on their Werk 8 Part 2 album. And if I’ve been a nice girl, they’ll probably ask me to do the backing vocals this time too (laughter).

Is your solo album going to be released here in the States through Roadrunner?
I really hope so. I visited the Roadrunner office in New York when we were there last year on tour – and that’s at least what they hoped to do – to release my album in the US and Canada and also South America. It would be great and I would be very happy. But it seems like they want to wait and see what’s going on in the European market first – and okay, I have to respect that.

For those who have not heard it, how does your solo album differ from your work in Leaves Eyes?
It’s softer and it’s highly influenced by music from different cultures. We have about 15 instruments on the album, and most of them are string instruments. You might call it pop or rock music, but it’s spicy. Although it’s popular music, it has so much more to it than just a straightforward pop or rock album. It’s very personal – it’s like an invitation to my own personal world. The album is a book about my life.

Have you or your sister from Midnattsol ever thought about collaborating on a project together?
We actually talked about it last weekend. A lot of people have asked us already why don’t you do anything together? Carmen did some backing vocals for me on the Into Your Light single, but we never did a duet together. I just asked her, wouldn’t that be nice? And she said yeah, we should have done it a long time ago. I’m sure we will do it. We’re thinking about taking Midnattsol with us as soon as they have finished their studies. They are young still, and most of the members are still studying – so it’s impossible for them to tour for a very long period of time. So we will probably do some shows together in Spain later this summer and I’m thinking about taking Carmen with me.

Have you heard the new Theatre Of Tragedy album and what is your opinion on it? And what do you think of their new lead singer?
I have heard the album, yeah. And I thought, what the band said it was “Back to the roots! It’s back to the roots!” And when I heard it, it’s not like it used to be. Their new singer Nell has a very good voice and she’s also a very nice person. I played a couple of shows in Norway last year, and I invited the guys and the girl in Theatre Of Tragedy to come and visit me and come to the show. And the only person turning up was their new singer. And I think that was very nice. We had a long talk and I told her a lot of things. I also told her she had to be more careful than I was, and to be really honest and tell her opinion – to don’t be shy, because it’s much better to be straightforward so there will be no discussions. And nobody will exploit you. We had a long chat and she’s very nice. But I feel on the album, with her voice, there is so much more you could do with it, because she’s an excellent singer. On the album, she’s not taking a step forward and is one level all of the time. One level, and that’s sad, because she has a great voice. It’s definitely not a back to the roots album. I think Theatre Of Tragedy – they are just late, because what they are doing right now is what many bands have been doing for years already. They’re a little bit late, sorry. But of course, if they would have great success now, that would help me too. I just want to wish them good luck, but it seems like they’re past their period in which Theatre Of Tragedy could really break through.

Were you ever approached to be the new singer for Nightwish?
I had just arrived from the US/Canada tour last year, and I had a look on our homepage of Leaves Eyes, and it was in flames! It was extremely well visited with people saying, “Just tell us right now! Are you the singer of Nightwish?” They had already started a discussion if they should accept me as the new singer of Nightwish or not. In Finland, all the Finnish/Nightwish fans discussing on the Leaves Eyes homepage, “Well, is the blonde girl okay for Nightwish?” And I thought, “Well, what’s going on?” My husband Alexander called me at home from the studio and said, okay, this is what’s happening right now. The press in Finland – I don’t know where they got this idea from – but it was a rumor. And they put me on the cover of every newspaper – “Liv Kristine is the new singer of Nightwish.” And suddenly the Finnish press called me and told me, “We need you for an interview, so could you please confirm that you’re the lead singer of Nightwish?” And it was just too much! I know Tuomas and Marco from Nightwish very well, and I’m sure that if they had seriously thought about this, they would have called me. I’m sure it was just a rumor. It was very interesting to me – I got a huge surprise as I came back from the US/Canada tour. I really felt that I missed a big part of it all. Tarja also called me – her husband called me and said, “Good luck. If you want to join Nightwish, that’s fine with us. We’re never going to be against you and wish you good luck with everything.” Then I really felt oh – and then I got goose bumps. Maybe it’s not a rumor and it’s just something I missed because I was on tour. I know now that it was a rumor.

Do you have any messages for Leaves Eyes fans here in the Los Angeles area?
I just want to say thank you so much to those people who came from Los Angeles to see us on our last tour in the US and Canada. Some people really traveled many, many miles to come and see us. This year, you won’t have to travel that far. And I will be really, really happy to meet you all again. I’m just grateful that you’re all there for us, and that we get the chance to go back to the States again.

Leaves Eyes Links

Leaves Eyes: Their Official Home Page!
Napalm Records: The Record Label for Leaves Eyes!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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