SASTIEN

-Nice to meet you, Sastien. Please use three words to introduce yourself.
-Sastien: My first boss nicknamed me: hunger, tiredness and stress. I don’t have a boss anymore, it’s useless.

-What brought you to become an active musician?
-Sastien: Phil Collins. I was a fan of his career as a drummer and wanted to become one. I always think there is magic in the air when he seats behind a kit.

-You were drummer of the Tertius, a band that seemed to love to jam. Can you tell us more about that experience?
-Sastien: When we started, we were suffering from a big lack of technique. So we jammed a lot because it was the only thing we were able to do. As time passes by, we improved a lot and finally began to write structured pieces.

-Among your work, what is the piece that you think represents you the most, and why?
-Sastien: One of our last tunes was named “La tête du batteur”. Very fast and groovy, very complicated, with a lot of changes. I guess we were a progressive band who ignored it. I was the only one in the band who liked progressive music, I kinda liked the idea that we were making that kind of stuff.

-Any song you’re ashamed of, and why?
-Sastien: No, I am not ashamed of anything we played during almost 15 years. Even of the song “Sexy woman”. I have written the lyrics and was the one who sang it. It was a crying shame but it was a lot of fun to sing (while drumming).

-If you had a magic wand, in what band would you play right now?
-Sastien: Hard to tell. I mean, when I really like a drummer, I don’t see why I should replace him! Maybe Awaken, this band really needs a drummer…

-What would you say to Awa-news readers who might not know you, to convince them to listen to your albums?
-Sastien: I am proud of that music, but unfortunately we never got the chance to record an album properly. We were a live band, and now we have split. It’s a shame.
 
-In the 70’s, drummers like Ian Paice, Carmine Appice, John Bonham, Bill Ward or Peter Criss, who had the ‘hard-rock’ label sticked on their forehead, were usually influenced by jazz and classical music, which made their style so rich and tasty. Nowadays hard-rock drummers seem to be influenced by those hard-rock musicians only. Therefore, do you feel that their style lack of something?
-Sastien: Sometimes, the groove is missing. They also sometimes beat their drums to strong (even if like that very much!), forgetting that a drum kit is also a musical instrument. You have forgotten Vinnie Appice in your list, the guy has a great sense of musicality, like his brother.

-Last but not least, would you openly admit that you are an Awaken fan?
-Sastien: Of course, I even thought of playing the drums with that band!

(interview from Awa-news, 2009 or 2010)