We connected with Paul Kaiser, the founder and lead vocalist of Australian hard rock band Kaiser and the Machines of Creation, for an exclusive interview to discuss the new music video for their single “Flowers and Lies”. During our conversation with Paul, we discussed several topics, including the music video’s treatment, what he enjoys most about playing live for a crowd, the status of hard rock/metal in Australia in 2020, and much more.

After reading our Q&A with Paul, be sure to connect with Kaiser and the Machines of Creation on their website and social media, stream “Flowers and Lies” on Spotify, and check out a lot more of the band’s music!

Congratulations on the release of the music video for your single “Flowers and Lies”, which you co-directed. Tell us how you and the other director came up with the video’s treatment.

Jason, the videographer from JLM Studios in Adelaide, was very natural in moving with developing shots I had preconceived and discussed with him prior to the shoot. I had sent him drawings, photos and all sorts to enlighten him to my vision and he was all over it in a good way.

Being a totally independent video, we needed to fund the entire budget ourselves as well as produce every aspect of it. This came down to getting all the suits, instruments and set up to create the feel we wanted for the interior filming, as well as scouting the locations and getting in touch with the respective parties in charge of both places.

The factory component was the most difficult as, when we saw it we knew this had to be the location for the exterior shots but it took a long time to track down a contact for the premises. We had to literally scale a few fences prior to making the initial contact :) and were so close to filming those shots guerrilla style (!), when finally we had a call back and were approved to film on the site. But we think the hard work really paid off and are very happy with how it turned out.

There have been several iterations of the band since you started it in the early 2000s. What makes the current lineup special to you?

Personally, I am much more focused on the commercial distinctiveness with as little compromise as possible, in terms of Hard Rock becoming too soft. Also, the band members are very cool guys and everyone has the same goal and directional focus.

Steve Anderson my bassist and myself have put a lot of invaluable hours into promo work. All that makes for a good team.

What would you say is the state of hard rock/metal music in 2020, especially in Australia?

I am very sorry to say, it is not very good. There are always great bands and artists out there wanting to do it, but they do soon find that the band has to move overseas in order to succeed.

The whole rock scene... is mostly an underground scene. When overseas acts turn up, it can bring on a little hype. Unfortunately, they don't all come over here! We are too far away... costs and time. But we have always known that and worked it the best we can. Aussie are pretty creative and industrious and there is always a way!

What is your creative process when it comes to the development of new music? Do you create the prospective song’s melody first before writing lyrics?

Many ways... it can be from a guitar riff, or any instrument that is doing something, or a sound not necessarily musical. Sometimes a lyric might prompt an under lying riff or rhythm... then things generally work out in relative arrangement models depending on the feel.

I have always tried not to be pretentious in my writing, however this can sometimes, not be avoided and just might be best for the song. I always, ensure a song is relative to itself as many songs do not need writing per say, they kind of write themselves.

What do you enjoy most about performing live for an audience? Do you have a go to song in the band’s catalog that always gets the crowd riled up?

There is nothing that really compares to playing your own music live and being appreciated. That buzz is Eeeeenormous! Watching people sing your lyrics is always amazing.

There are a few songs our audiences get off on - 'Being You' and 'Possession' are really popular with the heavier crowd... they make more noise! Haha Repertoire construction is an important deal.

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