:: navigation
» main artist page
» music
» widgets and banners
» comments
» fans and user stations » license music » contact this artist
» add to 'favorite artists'
» music
» widgets and banners
» comments
» fans and user stations » license music » contact this artist
» add to 'favorite artists'
:: artist infos
» member profile:
sandcastle
- keyboards and vocals
sandcastle
- keyboards and vocals
» location:
» label: unsigned
» for fans of: ARCANA, early MORTIIS, early LYCIA, J. M. JARRE, SAMAEL, AYREON
» latest album:
"Per Aspera Ad Astra"
12 tracks
running time 40
$10
12 tracks
running time 40
$10
Advertisement
Elena Sands
NEWS
11.10.04
Have just got a long and detailed review of "Per Aspera Ad Astra" from Mick Mercer. Follow this link if you want to have a look at it:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/mickmercer/280936.html?mode=reply
Have just got a long and detailed review of "Per Aspera Ad Astra" from Mick Mercer. Follow this link if you want to have a look at it:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/mickmercer/280936.html?mode=reply
Advertisement
» go to the music page for more
SANDCASTLE is a one-person band founded by Elena Sands as a side project of her first neoclassical/darkwave music experiment called GOTHIC LETHARGY. The music style of SANDCASTLE can be defined within several styles from neoclassical and etherial to gothic and darkwave. The latest instrumental record with SANDCASTLE "Per Aspera Ad Astra" is atmospheric, melodious and expressive.
Why this name?
Elena Sands is my artist name and SANDCASTLE is the main project I'm having at the moment. The name of the project is borrowed from the title of Iris Murdoch's novel "The Sandcastle". A dream made of sand, beautiful and fragile at the same time, easily destroyed by wind, water and people.
Do you play live?
The new SANDCASTLE has never played live for a large public. Just a number of small live performances for friends. In order to play live I would need at least two additional session musicians.
How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
It goes without saying that the Internet has made music more available. Sometimes you can make several discoveries per day - it has never been so easy before. On the other hand there are always people who abuse this remarkable way of getting music.
Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
Why not?!
Band History:
The very idea of SANDCASTLE appeared in March, 1999, with the new material that sounded more progressive and melodic than old GOTHIC LETHARGY works. This new stuff couldn't be recorded properly in a very small and poorly equipped home studio. For almost 4 years the only member of SANDCASTLE, born and raised in a provincial Russian town, had to deal with extremely bad social and technical opportunities for realizing her ideas. Inspite of this fact she continued to record the new music from time to time and stored it on tapes that are a bit more reliable than memory. Some of these interesting, but almost destroyed recordings were used on SANDCASTLE's first instrumental album "Per Aspera Ad Astra" that was recorded between years 2003-2004 in Sweden. Here belong a new version of "Breathless" (1998) and "Rope-dancer" (2001).
Your influences?
LYCIA, COCTEAU TWINS, LIZA GERRARD, ARCANA, THIS EMPTY FLOW, THE CURE, SAMAEL, NIGHTINGALE, AYREON
Favorite spot?
I have several, but I'm not sure anyone else would find them attractive. It's not the places that matter - the feelings connected with them are much more important.
Equipment used:
A big secret about the small home studio! Though there is no secret about the studio's name - Fiery Lake Home Studio.
Anything else...?
New music from SANDCASTLE is going to contain vocals. If you are curious about what kind of vocals - listen to an mp3 fragment from "Destiny In Black" that you will find among the song fragments published here. I have also thought about introducing male vocals into some of the songs in future - there is already a pair of singing beer-drinking vikings who are willing to do this special job.