Hard Rock Café Music Insiders

WHERE NOW Atlanta
Music Insiders
Q&As with two (very different) musicians—a hipster indie-electro DJ and the
esteemed conductor of the Boston Pops
was the first Le Castle
Vania remix.
LE CASTLE VANIA
Spin Doctor
Known for starting the
indie-electro dance
party in Atlanta, DJ Le
Castle Vania is now
sought out worldwide
for his hypnotic, ravelike shows (http://
lecastlevania.com).
How did Le Castle
Vania begin? I started
DJing when I was 16.
KEITH LOCKHART
TOP TO BOTTOM: COURTESY LE CASTLE VANIA; ©HARD ROCK CAFE; ©STU ROSNER
Conductor
He's the Conductor of
the Boston Pops and
performs all over the
world (2,000 concerts
over 20 years!). And
this year, Keith Lockhart makes his Atlanta
Opera debut during
Gershwin's "Porgy &
Bess" March 1, 4&6
(see page 37).
You’ve conducted
concerts all over the
world—what stands
out? I've been so lucky
as a performer: I've
made music in Abu
Dhabi, Singapore, Australia, Japan and many
less exotic locales.
With the [Boston] Pops,
I've performed in 35
of our 50 states, and in
venues from the Super
Bowl to Carnegie Hall.
What stands out is the
true universality of musical expression. It's an
I was into electronic
music then and dance
rock for a while. I went
out to L.A. and heard
the very beginnings
of indie electro music,
how they fused dance
music and rock music.
My friend Jordan from
Snowden was just
wrapping up their
album and asked me
to do a remix. That
old cliché that music is
a universal language
but ... it is!
Is there anything left
to conquer? Someone
asked a wise old maestro what his favorite
musical challenge
was, and he answered
"Whatever I'm working on this week." The
great thing about
my profession is that
there are always new
challenges ... new
works to learn, works
that one knows well
but can approach
with the benefit of
new experiences, new
orchestras, musicians
and audiences to
connect with.
How many days were
you on the road last
year? What’s the first
thing you do when
you get to a new city?
Where does the
name Le Castle
Vania come from?
My friends and I were
talking about the video game CastleVania
and thought it would
be funny to have a
band named after it.
When I did the remix
I didn’t really have a
name and thought it
would be fun to use.
What are you
working on now?
I just completed two
remixes, but my main
focus is on my album
and doing my
original work.
What effect has your
Last year, I was lucky
enough to schedule
some down time so
that I could witness
the birth ... of my wife's
and my new son. At
one point, I was away
from my Boston home
35 weeks out of the
year. That's a lot, and I
have learned to bring
that number down
somewhat. When I
first get to a town, I
make sure I'm comfortably situated and that
I know how to get
to the rehearsal site!
Sounds boring, but the
job comes first ....
Any places
you want to
check out
while you’re
in Atlanta? The
Aquarium (my wife's
a big fan) and some
of Atlanta's great
restaurants.
show ["F#%k- Yesss"]
had on Atlanta’s
willingness to accept
electro music? Oh, I
think it’s been incredible. It definitely
started a wave. I think
it opened a lot of
peoples’ minds and
showed people there
is cool electronic music.
What is your favorite
Atlanta venue? I’ve
always loved MJQ.
I loved having our
event there, but it
just got to the point
where we didn’t fit.
I’ve always loved the
Masquerade. I like
places that have a rock
concert vibe, so I can
put on more of a show.
—RH
What can Atlanta
audiences expect at
“Porgy & Bess?”
An amazing cast,
young and enthusiastic, with the voices
and acting ability
to give full voice to
Gershwin's vision. And
a brand new gorgeous
production, using
the latest in digital
projection, that is
simply stunning.
Caption 7 pt, Myr
Hard Rock Café
Odds are you’re familiar with
Hard Rock Café. After all, the
company boasts a total of 169
venues in 41 countries. But perhaps you didn’t know that Hard
Rock celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Or that Hard Rock
Atlanta, open 18 years, houses
a unique collection of Southern rock memorabilia including
treasures from the Black Crows,
the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd
Skynyrd. Or that the new Hard
Rock signature series T-shirt hits
shelves mid-March. Or that new
Chef Anna Firmani's menu offers
more healthy options (don‘t
worry, the 10-oz. Legendary
Burger topped with bacon,
fried egg, cheese and Frank’s
Hot Sauce is still on the menu).
Now you know. 215 Peachtree
St. NE, 404-688-7625, www.
hardrock.com/atlanta —HSP
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