[INTERVIEW] Rock band "Mate"

Male band Mate [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

From left, male band Mate members Jung Jun-il, Lee Hyun-jae and Lim Heon-il pose during an interview with 10Asia.

Vocalist and guitarist Lim Heon-il [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

My name is Lim Heon-il.

I was born on November 13, 1983.

My brother studies music in Sydney of Australia. We fight a lot but he's also probably the best mate I have in life.

The most difficult book I read recently was Dostoevskii's "The Brothers Karamazov." It wasn't the story that was the problem but I just couldn't memorize the name of the characters. They seem like the same name to me but one would be the younger brother while the other is the father.

I named our band Mate. It's significant in that it refers to my friends I met at a time period I didn't know whether I should pursue music or not. But my largest goal was to not have people ask twice about the name of our group and I think we've succeeded at that.

The first track in our album titled "It's all about love" had originally sounded like a song anyone could come up with so we ended up recording it all over again. We had the guitar play more powerfully and added in more beats. It was the most distinctive work we did for the album.

I don't like guitarists who are technists. I've seen so many cases where the guitarists messes up the music while trying to show off his technique. I used to gape at guitarists like Gary Moore when I was young but I actually don't like him now.

I was really shocked after watching Coldplay's concert on DVD. They are really cool performers. The guitarist played on a single string but he still managed to make the music sound so abundant. I like guitarists who go for the sound rather than technique.

Being part of the session of pop artists including Kim Dong-ryul was an experience which helped me rise to a great position easier than I thought I would have been able to. Since I was able to work with the musicians I like at a comparatively young age. But everything went wrong the moment I decided to do my own music. That's when I met the members of Mate.

Vocalist and keyboard player Jung Jun-il [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

My name is Jung Jun-il.

I was born on August 16, 1983.

I would call Mr. Yoo Hee-yeol's the soulmate of my life. Before, I used to just listen to music and think it's good but it was after I started listening to his music that I decided to pursue it myself because I thought I would be happy writing and singing the sort of music he does. My favorite album of his is his fourth album titled "Night in Seoul." It still feels like I've run into my first love whenever I meet him for radio shows.

I can be quite devilish and go the opposite way with things. I'll put in extra effort to do things I've been told not to do and it's exactly like that with music too. Everyone tried to stop me from doing music because I'd never done it before -- not even been a member of a band -- but that's exactly why I wanted to do it even more.

Nobody has singer Yoon Sang's LP titled "Insensible" anymore because it's out of print but I have it. I'm going to sell it later when it becomes more expensive.

I like looking at fashion magazines. They're fun. I don't think 'Oh, I'll look much more cool in this sort of clothing' but it's interesting because the process of making clothes is similar to making music. And people in the music industry are quite naturally interested in donning themselves. They have to do that at least to make themselves look better.

I actually wrote the title song for "With Mate" a long time ago but it became an even greater piece with Hun-il and Hyun-jae's help.

I currently make regular appearances on radio shows by Girls' Generation member Taeyeon or anchorwoman Moon Ji-ae. I'm not a great speaker but I think radio fits me well.

When I'm at home I spend it like I'm a senior citizen. Both of my parents go to work so I'll roam around the house, reading a book, listening to music and eating ramen. I eat whatever's bad for my health.

I'm Hyun-jae's love counselor. Since he's young and lacks experience. It's so easy to tell how long a relationship will last being the advisor that I am. Whenever he comes up to me and says he's seeing someone, I can tell right away how many months it'll last.

Drummer Lee Hyun-jae [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

My name is Lee Hyun-jae.

I was born on April 12, 1988.

The only mate in my life is my mother. She's been through a lot because of me but she is someone who is always trust me.

My first experience with music was in church. I listened to and played a lot of Christian music. And then I became obsessed with jazz after meeting a certain teacher. The music I listened to the most was by drummers like John Scofield.

I didn't listen to rock or heavy metal but I did listen to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers from time to time. I've never tried imitating them before but they have a great drummer who also has great groove. These days I've been listening to Coldplay and Sigur Ros after Hyun-il.

The most fun piece to play from our album is "Go." I'm someone who used to play the drum for jazz music but playing with all my might is tough but fun at the same time. I sweat a lot too. But "Better" and "After a Long Time" are easy for listening. I'm always concentrating on what the drum sounds like in songs so I feel more comfortable listening to music without drums.

I was in the school band during high school but we performed just twice over a three-year period.

I like riding around in my bike. I live in Ilsan which is a great place to ride bikes. More so since we have a lake. It's quite far to our rehearsing studio but I go there on my bike. I'll also go out for a ride on it when I can't fall asleep.

I'm a gourmet who goes looking for good restaurants. I know all the great restaurants in Ilsan too.

My hands will stiffen up if I don't practice even a day.So no matter how busy I am, I will always try to loosen up my hands by practicing at least 30 minutes to an hour a day.

Source: Asiae
 Credits: The KSource
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