PyraKite emerges after two years of sadness and misery, joy and laughter

I’m looking forward to look back at this year as being the best first year for this new band. I want to be very proud at what we’ve achieved during this time. Hopefully this will take us to a new level and then we’ll record more music to enlighten the world with the unique sounds from PyraKite.

Interview by Jacqueline Jax
host of A.V.A Live Radio

Band Name: PyraKite

Person Interviewing: Henning Winnberg

PyraKite will release their debut album ’7 steps’ on the 23rd of September 2018.

The band consisits of:
Henning Iljero-Winnberg- songwriter, lead vocals, keys, guitar, drum programming, mixing, artwork and producer.
Robert Säll – guitars
Christopher Anderzon – bass
Henrik Ståhlberg – drums and percussion.

PyraKite emerged after two years of sadness and misery, joy and laughter.
The debut album ’7 Steps’ is a journey. After experiencing some sudden deaths, of friends and relatives, Henning decided to compose songs to deal with the inner and outer loss of close ones.

’7 Steps’ is a concept album with multi-layered meanings embedded within the songs and throughout the album. Inter-connected lyrics and music all enclosed within the finished music experience. Everything from the album cover to the last note played on the last song.

It has a happy melodramatic vibe to it and has been compared to the sound of Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Steely Dan mixed with a bit of Grunge with a poetic and thoughtful sense to it.

It’s up to the listener to find their own personal meaning and way through the journey. It’s our hope that others may find something they need in the music.

Song name: Beauty Queen

Music Genre:: indie pop, indie rock

This song is about falling in love. Letting go of everything and just go head over heals into that very special someone’s own universe. It’s also about bringing that feminine energy in, to let your mind transform and to be able to see things differently. New ideas and perspectives.

My dad has been very influential to me during my childhood. I started playing the piano at 6-7 composing my first songs from that age. We used to jam together. He played the guitar and I played the piano or the drums.

Another big influence is his record collection. I used to record mix-tapes with my favorite song from the collection. There were music that ranged from the Beatles, The Kinks, The Band, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder to Steely Dan, Little Feat or Mozart. A lot of my later influences where Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson and some Swedish pop-artists. I also was very influenced by the grunge-era with Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Alice in Chains. I listened to everything. Paul Simon, Björk, Fina Apple, Tori Amos and later on a lot of jazz-artists like Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett.

I think I’m mostly attracted to the unique sound of every new artist and their energy. That’s the best way to describe it. The energy of the music. It doesn’t matter what the band calls itself or genre as long as it’s got the right energy or melody/harmony/rhythm.

Most of the times I compose by the piano. Sometimes the guitar. I start off with a the lyrics or a melody. Something that I’d like to be said or a melody that stuck in me. It could also just start with a chord-progression. The most important part is that the rhythm is right. Rhythm of the melody or the lyrics.

I have to be able to define a certain mood. What kind of story do I want to tell. Whats the scenery, the storyline. I then build it like a movie in my head. From start to the ending. I don’t care what I call the different parts as long as the rhythm and the inner story I want to tell comes through in the music.

All is mind. Mind is all.

This past month has been all about trying to reach out to new listeners. Wherever they might be. Being active on social-media and learning the more of about the game that is played within these areas.

3 things I’ve learned this past year:

I’ve learned to cope with losses due to death and that life balances itself. Maybe not short-term but long term.
I’ve learned to be patient
I’ve learned how to balance a lot of external pressures and still be standing.