Strawberry Fields are a new band featuring Satellite drummer Wojtek Szadkowski and singer / songwriter Marta Kniewska, who sings under the name Robin. They are back up by Sarhan Kubeisi and Jarek Michalski from Satellite.

Silhobbit caught up with Wojtek and Robin by email.

Silhobbit: Wojtek, I'm sure all our readers know about your past, but just in case, can you tell us about your previous and current bands.

Wojtek: My first band was Collage. We released a few albums including Moonshine in the mid 90's.. Then In 2000 I created Satellite. We released 4 albums and one DVD. Three years ago I created another band called Peter Pan (CD Days) and now Strawberry Fields. All those bands except Collage, will be releasing more albums in years to come.

SH: Robin, Is this your first attempt at being a singer / songwriter? Any previous experiences? What made you want to be a songwriter?

Robin: This is my first album as a singer and lyrics writer but I have sung before and written some lyrics. When I was a teenager I used to sing in a rock band for a few years and was writing lyrics for our songs in Polish. I also attended some poetry singing classes. As to songwriting, for me it’s important that I sing my own words. I can be more convincing in that way, as the words come straight from my heart. Also in that way I can participate in the process of creation which gives you a lot of satisfaction and relief. I totally adore lyrics written by Wojtek for Satellite and Peter Pan and was afraid that my lyrics wouldn’t be as good as his but at some point I realised that I didn’t have to compare my writing to Wojtek’s, as more important for me was expressing my own feelings.

SH: Obvious question - How did the two of you meet?

Robin: On the bus ;) Joking. We met through Wojtek’s mate from Peter Pan band,Radek Chwieralski, but at that time we weren’t aware we would be working together. We just liked talking to each other and spending time with our friends. The decision for me to join the band came about a year and half later.

Wojtek: I was looking for a male vocal for my new project. I could not find any. We were sitting together with Robin and I just told her that she would be my new vocalist. At that time I had no Idea If she could sing at all.

SH: What was it like working together?

Robin: Inspiring. Wojtek knew exactly what effect he wanted to achieve and was very demanding but at the same time he expected that I’d be myself in all I do and creative in my own way. Wojtek is very devoted to what’s he’s doing and so do I, so, we understood each other very well. He is also not afraid of taking a risk. I cannot think of a better cooperation.

SH: Strawberries are one of my favourite fruits, and strawberries and cream is A classic English treat, usually associated with the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Are there any plans to take Strawberry Fields on tour?

Robin: That’s what we plan. We are getting ready for it.

SH: What are the meanings and inspirations behind the songs?

Robin: In general I’m mostly inspired by Wojtek’s music. Listening to it brings me thoughts and images. Sometimes when I hear his music straight away I have the subject of the song in my mind and I try to stick to that through the song looking for the right words but sometimes I let my mind drift not knowing what the result will be. That’s very refreshing. There’s a lot of introspective in my lyrics. I write about passing away, sense of human existence and human relations. A few years ago I lost my beloved mother and it had a big influence on my way of perceiving the world, others and myself, and also on the lyrics.

SH: What bands to you listen to?

Robin: I listen to Within Temptation, Evanescence, HIM, Clannad, Bryan Adams, Sheryl Crow, Madonna, Casey Stratton, The Corrs, The Cranberries, etc., and film music.

Wojtek: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Fall Out Boy, Simply Red, King Crimson, Robbie Williams, Queen, Bee Gees, Mika, Kings Of Leon, Genesis, many smooth jazz and soul.

SH: What are the future plans for Strawberry Fields?

Robin: We’re working on the next album and getting ready for the concerts. We’re just enjoying our time and music. We don’t know what the future will hold for us but we don’t think about it but certainly we’ll stick together.

SH: Who would you like to work with in the future?

Robin: Oh, there are so many artists I wouldn’t even dream of working with but I would certainly love to work with Bryan Adams who was my teenage inspiration. I think our voices could go together pretty well. For example, there’s that beautiful song he sang with Sarah McLachlan “Don’t Let Go”. I’d love to record something like that with him.

Wojtek: It depends upon the music I will compose, but certainly with exceptional people.

SH: Social networking sites such as MySpace & Facebook have emerged in the last couple of years and are a good way of promoting music. Just recently, the Twitter network has seen several prog musicians using it to keep in touch with their fans in a more personal way. Do you have any plans to use this?

Robin: At the moment we use MySpace as our only way of promoting our music and getting in touch with our listeners. I think it’s a great place. You can meet so many people and artists there. It’s possible that we will also use other channels you mention but so far we’re pretty happy with what MySpace offers. By the way, we don’t consider Strawberry Fields as a prog band ;)

Wojtek: We got a record deal with Metal Mind so we cannot go the way Marillion did. But I have to look more closely for other internet opportunities.

Thanks for answering these questions, and I hope to see you live soon

Robin: Thanks :) I hope to see you too :)

Strawberry Fields debut album Rivers Gone Dry is out now on Metal Mind. You can read our review here.

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