The Madcap Interview

INTERVIEW WITH THE MADCAP
Date: March 7, 2016
Interviewer: Olivier

THE COUNTRY OF TURKEY MAY BE A VIRTUAL UNKNOWN WHEN IT COMES TO HARD ROCK AND METAL BANDS BUT ONE BAND THAT IS POISED AND HAS ALREADY STARTED A ROCK N’ ROLL REVOLUTION IS THE MADCAP. PAYING HOMAGE TO THEIR EIGHTIES ERA HEROES, THE MADCAP HAVE JUST RELEASED A FANTASTIC FIRST SINGLE — THE APTLY NAMED “ROCK N’ ROLL REVOLUTION” — AND SHOW TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL. SLEAZE ROXX CAUGHT UP WITH THE MADCAP BAND MEMBERS (SINGER IZGI, GUITARISTS DENIZ AND EMRE, DRUMMER FARUZ AND BASSIST ERMAN) TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THEM AND THEIR PLANS TO BREAK THROUGH TO THE MASSES.

Sleaze Roxx: Congratulations on The Madcap’s first single and video “Rock N’ Roll Revolution.” I got to say that I really like the song. Why did you decide to only release one new original song at this time?

Izgi: Thank you! There are few reasons for this. First of all, we’ve been playing covers until now. We wanted people to recognize us as an original band. We want to play in rock/metal festivals this summer, at least the ones in Turkey. So until then, we need a few singles and music videos. An album, on the other hand, is a harder and a longer process so going that way would mean skipping big opportunities this year. Also, we want our followers to really understand what we tell with each song. And we think releasing one by one is a better way to achieve this because people have more concentration on one song at a time instead of the whole record.

The Madcap – Rock N’ Roll Revolution (available on iTunes & Spotify)

➡️➡️ Follow us on Spotify : http://bit.ly/themadcap➡️➡️ Instagram : http://bit.ly/themadcapigLyrics:We got the mark of the wild in our blood, running through…

Sleaze Roxx: “Rock N’ Roll Revolution” has a real ’80s feel to it without feeling dated in any way. Do you agree or disagree, and why?

Deniz: We agree, and that is what we want to achieve with our music. We grew up listening to ’80’s hair bands and also are affected by modern glam bands. This song has AC/DC, Airbourne and Steel Panther vibes, combined together our way and including our contributions. So I think a combination of different era bands having effects on us is the main reason of the ‘80s feel with the modern sound.

Sleaze Roxx: It appears that many people have warned The Madcap to play more popular music than the ’80s era music that  the band is playing. Can you please provide more details in that regard and the message that you have with your song “Rock N’ Roll Revolution?”

Deniz: “Rock N’ Roll Revolution” is our answer to those people, especially managers in Turkey. Most managers here lead bands to play and write Turkish songs, and play all classic songs that every band plays which you can’t really call rock songs, because those are what the general audience want to hear. Most bands follow them. Those people in the industry look at the bands like products they can sell. Most of the music produced in Turkey is slow, depressed and sounds the same. And even pop musicians call themselves rockers. So we think it is a good time to stand up and shut their mouths up with real rock n’ roll.

Sleaze Roxx: What was the idea behind the video for “Rock N’ Roll Revolution?”

Izgi: First, we thought about a video with a story. But when we talked with our director Ahmet, he told us the song and the band had a very high energy and it would be a waste to shoot a story. Also none of us are actors, and we didn’t want anyone else to play in our music video, so we agreed on shooting a performance video. Ahmet wanted a big place so we could run all over the place and bang our heads. We found a dancing studio in Ankara [Turkey]. The place had everything that we could ask for. A higher stage in the room that we could set the drums on, a music system that let us listen to the song at a high volume so we could hear it while Faruk hitting the drums with all his might. And, last but not least, there were blacklights in the place letting us to spice things up.

Sleaze Roxx: The Madcap appears to have started less than a year ago in June 2015. How and why did the band start?

Deniz: When we wanted to go out and listen a rock band, there were no bands. Of course, there are some concerts and local bands gigging sometimes but it is once in a few months. So we decided we should do something, especially for ourselves. We started as a YouTube cover project, metalizing pop songs, guitar covers, gear reviews, etc. So when we decided to release our originals, there would be people following us and ready to hear our music. Also, we thought maybe this way we could pull Turkish audiences to rock gigs and while playing those covers, we could make them learn rock classics and love them more. When we got together and talked about what else we wanted to play, there were Skid Row, Mr.Big, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Whitesnake and modern bands like Santa Cruz, Reckless Love, Airbourne on the agenda.

Our first gig was 50% our YouTube pop music metalized covers, 50% ’80s and modern glam/hard rock covers. It was a great gig for us because the audience were banging their heads on the real rock songs. They enjoyed them much more. We learned that there were people like us, who missed the ’80s music and were hungry for real music. So we removed most of the YouTube covers and added even more ’80s classics.

Sleaze Roxx: Cover bands seem to be getting more and more popular these days. Was it always The Madcap’s intention to play original music down the road?

Izgi: It is really hard to make people listen to originals if they never heard the band before because music TV channels and most radios in Turkey don’t play rock. So we are on our own, trying to exist and survive in the industry. Playing cover songs lets people recognize you and attend your gigs. So this way, you can finance recording your originals and shoot a music video while maintaining a loyal listener base. Writing originals was our intention in the beginning but we don’t want our originals to fade with thousands of new singles released everyday.

Sleaze Roxx: When we can we expect an album or least an EP from The Madcap?

Deniz: We have plans to release two more music videos/singles this year and one more in January 2017. Those songs will be included on our first album, which we plan to release in April 2017.

Sleaze Roxx: What is the hard rock/metal scene like in Turkey?

Izgi: It’s been dead for a long time. We know the audience exists, because all rock/metal festivals are sold out. There are world-wide bands making stadium concerts. But there were very few sincere local bands. If you don’t create original music in your country, you can’t expect attention either. But lately a few more bands like us have been formed. All of us are chasing our dreams and we feel the excitement around us. The bands are supporting each other, the audience is happy to hear some sincere, original and different tunes. So we think the hard rock/metal scene here will raise from the dead and live its golden days very soon.

Sleaze Roxx: What are The Madcap’s other future plans for 2016 and beyond?

Deniz: 2016 is our preparation year. We started making a name for us, attended Rising Star on TV8 — not to compete but to play some hard rock tunes on the TV channel with the highest rating and letting people recognize us. We released our first single video. Now we attend all radio/TV shows we can. We aim to be on the stage in metal fests in Turkey this year. If we can’t, it’s also ok for us. It is still too early and things are going faster than we thought. We will release two more music videos this year and one more in January 2017. When we release our album hopefully in April 2017, we expect to have a much bigger follower base in Turkey and start to tour the country. We will release our album independently or from a well-known record label in Europe. Also, we are aiming for the bigger metal festivals in Europe and touring with a bigger band in Europe.

Sleaze Roxx: For each of you, what are your three all-time favourite albums and why?

Deniz: First is Steel Panther’s ‘Feel The Steel’ album which is the first modern glam record I listened to and that made me decide I wanted to play that music. Second is Airbourne’ ‘Runnin’ Wild’ which is like a newer and faster AC/DC for me. Third is Demons & Wizards’ self-titled album which I think has a very unique sound and it is better than both Blind Guardian and Iced Earth combined.

Izgi: My number one album is Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Appetite For Destruction.’ I’ve been listening to this record since the day it was released and there is no average song in it. Second is Bon Jovi’s ‘Slippery When Wet’ which is the first rock record I bought. Third is Deep Purple’s ‘Purpendicular which is  the first Deep Purple record with Steve Morse and I adore the new, developed Deep Purple sound.

Emre: First is Whitesnake’s 1987 which is the best hard rock album for me. Second is Metallica’s ‘Master Of Puppets’ which is their best and a great trash album. Third is Symphony X’s ‘Odyssey’ which is probably the record I most listened to.

Faruk: I’ll start with Iron Maiden’s ‘X Factor’ which made me a Maiden fan. Next is Dream Theater’s ‘Falling Into Infinity’ — the perfect album both in technique and emotion. Last is Manowar’s ‘Louder Than Hell’ which is the greatest album for motivation.

Erman: First is Muazzez Ersoy’s ‘Nostalji 1.’ Second is Muazzez Ersoy’s ‘Nostalji 2.’ Third is Muazzer Ersoy’s ‘Nostalji 3.’ Each song is unique and even better than the other.