I interviewed the OLAM EIN SOF friends.

I interviewed Marcelo Miranda from OLAM EIN SOF regarding their tour happened in Portugal, their new album and much more.

01. Hello Marcelo Miranda (alias « Cramfer » in our forum). Lately, OLAM EIN SOF has toured in Portugal, what have been your first impressions once reached your destination ?
Hello Krissy. We had great times in Portugal and loved the country. It is a country very different from the place where we live, well our city São Paulo has much more people than the whole Portugal, so things should be very different. Of course some of architecture that we saw we remember some parts from our buildings, because of colonization, but was a bit different specially on the conservation and how they take care about their monuments and history. And we can´t forget the good food and drinks that we got there. 


02. Have you got good responses from the people over there ?
We were well received and got many contacts. We met lot of good people who have done things for us that we didn´t believe that they should do, because they didn´t know us and it was like that we were friends from a long time. It was a totally independent tour that our first aim was to know how things works there, do contacts and it was good because we start to plan to come back next year, with better structure, stay more time and do more concerts. 


03. Did you sell good and covered the costs from the tour ?
No, to cover the cost we should have a different kind of tour and have other support, it was  independent as I told before. So I think that the reception that we received from the people, the contacts that we have done and the things that we have learnt were better than just cover the cost.  I use to think that as an independent artist we need first to believe and invest ourselves, on the other side it´s difficult to find people to do it for a first or second time, maybe if we had some commercial music, and this is not our proposal.


04. You have visited Portugal a little. What are your favorite places ? Why ?
Yes we visited lots of different and beautiful places. Choose just one is really difficult. But there were two special places that I can say: The Castle of Santa Maria da Feira because we never have been inside a castle and we also played our music inside so it was really special and unique for us. And the second place was Citania Briteiros,  an archaeological site of Castro culture in the north-western Iberian Peninsula, we also played there for the ancestors, seated on the house ruins, the winds were blowing, it was really magical.  


05. Medieval, Renaissance, Folk, Mythologies and Cosmos are in OLAM EIN SOF. Do you have one favorite theme above all ? Why this one ?
To be honest I have no favorite theme, all of them I have interest to study, to learn and about the music, each one has own feeling and I think that this is great to inspire when I do a composition for OLAM EIN SOF. But if I have to choose one: Cosmos is the favorite because it involves all the other themes.


06. And musically, what is your favorite Folk style ?
About folk style I really like to search for more ethnic ones like Indian, Andean, middle East, and also  the neofolk scene including the dark and pagan ones.  


07. Earlier in our forum, you said to be also influenced by Metal music for the OLAM EIN SOF one. Can you explain us the mixture ?
Of course on first audition OLAM EIN SOF has nothing that remember metal, it's totally acoustic band; but talking about influences I really have many influences from Metal, because I always played Metal, it´s in my vein, so when I do some songs I try to bring that feeling that I have with Metal and put it on my music even it's in a subtile way. And there are some songs that if I change the instruments for electric guitar, bass, it can be a metal song. I have these examples, parts that I got from Arum and put on OLAM EIN SOF and vice versa.


08. How came this passion for the past ?
Since I was a kid, when I watched movies about castle, warriors, forest, ancient civilizations, listen to the music and also when I’ve read or studied about it, I got fascinated. Something always connected me with those stuffs. And later when I started to play and had chance to learn some songs, the passion got more intense.  


09. What are the things from Brazil that you like the most ? ...Traditions, Capoeira, what ?
Talking about Brazil is really complex; a country that has the dimensions of a continent and my city has more people than many countries almost 12 millions. So if you are in the north is a totally different country from south in all aspects. Of course there are some symbols that represent Brazil for worldwide, but none of those are really the exact representation of the whole country. Like Capoeira is martial art brought by the Africans and is more common in the northeast, but it´s a good tradition that is also practiced on other parts of the country. So I think that if I have to mention something that maybe is common on whole country will be soccer that is not in a good moment now, :) but I still love it anyway. I need to mention the variety of musical rhythms and dances that we have here, it´s really great and each one represents some part of the country, I can say that the music variety that we have and the facility to mix our swing with any other music style it´s really cool. Also the nature, there is really many kinds of animals, forest, trees, fruits, climate, geography, beach, flowers... We are blessed about it. And of course the happiness of people, although we have many politics and economics problems, people really love life, use to be receptive and has a special way to dribble the problems, like our old soccer. 


10. How have you started Music ? 
I started in school playing recorder and later I started to study electric guitar. Since the beginning I was dedicated and chosen this for life, even I need to get other work before living just as musician. Later I studied violin and went to university to do Composition. In the end of 1989 I started my first metal band and later played on a lot of bands and also on other music styles. And always continued creating my own projects and continues to play with other musicians projects too.


11. Can you list here all your instruments, within your favorite tuning aside? :D
:) here they are:

Acoustic guitar – EADGBE / EADF#GBE / DADGAD /CGDGCEb (reino de cramfer song tunning) 
Eletric guitar – EADGBE / DGCFAD
Bass guitar - EADG
Mandolin – GDAE
Charango – GCEAE
Cistre – DADG
Viola Caipira – BEG#BE
Cuatro Venezoelano - A4 D5 F#5 B4
Sitar – CCGCGCF
Pipa – didn´t explore it too much yet
Wind instruments: recorders, dizzy, tin whistle, others


12. What is your favorite instrument above all that you play, and why ?
Each instrument is special but the favorite for me still be the acoustic guitar. Is the one that is more complete for me, could explore lots of kinds of composition, can be played alone, and have lots of music from different period that can be played on this instrument. Well if I was a disciplined person I think that I would be a solo classical guitarist hehehe….but I am glad that I am not so I play on my way and love to play with my wife and other mates.


13. Now that your new album, “Reino de Cramfer”, is released for some times, have you sold many copies worldwide ?
We didn´t do many gigs since we released, but we already sold some copies on our gigs and others by mail service. It´s an independent release, with independent distribution, but we are working to get more concerts and more distribution.


14. Can you explain us the artwork ?
The artwork was done by Cristhian Corvalan, a friend from Chile who received us in his house in 2012, and he understand what OLAM EIN SOF means for me and Fernanda and also about our relation with the universe. So the cover artwork is a place in the infinite world where the” Reino de Cramfer” (Kingdom of Cramfer) can also be located. And we told him about the ideas for the album that was also inspired on the felids, beings from the 6th dimension,
that’s why you can see a representation of them as a cat.  


15. What is the message told in “Reino de Cramfer” album ?
Our synopsis from this album is: “OLAM EIN SOF  is opening a portal to present their new Cd “Reino de Cramfer”; a cosmic and deep place with endless possibilities. Their songs show beings from other galaxies, dimensions, myths and ancient stories”.   I don’t think that we wanted to bring a message, I love the oriental vision about feel first than ask why or what I am going to feel. Each album that we have done were felt like we got more connections with nature, cosmos, other dimensions, and most part of the time like it was always inside us.  So I think that the message is to find your own realm inside your own universe. 


16. Where the people can purchase a copy of the new album ?
The album can be purchased by contacting us. You can write to our email and I will send paypal account and other info.


17. Are you searching for a label ?
I would like to find a label with interest for re-release or just distribution. Nowadays is easy to do everything by yourself you could be a band and your own label, but I preferred if I have the possibility just to use my time to think about do music and concerts. 


18. Will you update your official website soon ? :)
Hehe yes we need to update it. I am always telling to the friend who has done it that we need to update it, he needs to teach me how to do so it will be updated more quickly. Also send him this question. :)


19. What are your next plans for OLAM EIN SOF ? 
We are looking for concerts here in Brazil and next year we will come back to Portugal and also to Chile. I would like to tour other countries so I hope to get more contacts for it. Of course, going to France is still on my plans, every year I tell to my friends from Mephisto from the South of France that I would like to go there and now I also have another friend called Krissy :). Maybe it will work soon.
We will record some songs that we like to play like “Douce Dame Jolie, Ecco La Primavera, Mia Irmana Fremosa” and other medieval stuffs that we like a lot to play. Also I started to make new songs, it is always in the beginning, but already started.


He he :)
20. Do you have some words to share with your fans reading this page ?
Hope that someday we play at your place, met ourselves and I am sure that it will be full of magic. Get in touch for more info or if you are interested on our stuff or concerts. And thanks a lot Krissy and Sword Chant for all the support that you have done for us. Everyone is welcome in our world of infinite and at our Reign of Cramfer.


Thank you for this interview, Marcelo!

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