Interview With Goodbye Meteor Guitarist Ced
"Ecology And Animal Rights Are Fundamental To Us"
Goodbye Meteor call their music "immersive and solar post-rock, coming out of chaos heading towards resilience". They also claim to be a "green post-rock project" – wanting to unveil the way to harmony between humanity and nature. I talked to guitarist Ced – who also happens be vegan for the animals – about their new EP "Metanoia", which is now available on Bandcamp.
Anne: Hi! Thanks for taking the time for this interview. How are you doing? I am sure you are pretty happy with your new record – it is incredible!
Ced: Hi! I'm fine! I'm thrilled to participate in your interview! I really like your work. Yes, we are delighted to finally release this new EP. We changed a lot since our first EP, "North Tape", so we didn't want to wait any longer to present it.
Anne: What does "Metanoia" mean?
Ced: The word "Metanoia" has imposed itself on us. We think it evokes change – the mutation towards a new self, a new way of perceiving life. We have changed our line-up, our keyboardist tom left us, and we took a more complex direction with our sound. The record is also like a warning message, saying, "Self we change our behaviour towards the planet self we run to our demise." Of course, there is some hope left, but it is undoubtedly too late even with a collective awareness, but don't look up!
Anne: What inspired you to record "Metanoia"?
"We want to be spontaneous"
Ced: When we compose, we try to connect to the present moment. We want to empty ourselves. We don't plan anything. It's then that we think about giving it meaning. What matters most to the four of us is to stay honest. "Metanoia" reflects what we are and feel when we write about it.
Anne: "Metanoia" is your second three-piece recording, and you also did a remix project. Are you also planning to produce a full-length album at some point?
Ced: Yes, we are planning to record an album. We want to work with other artists. We would love to have each of the official releases remixed by artists within the ambient scene. And we are also working on our next EP, which will be longer. We plan to release it by the end of this year and the album in 2023.
Anne: The record is out on Bandcamp. Will there also be a version on other platforms or even a haptic version? Like on vinyl or cassette?
Ced: Yes, "Metanoia" will soon be released on Spotify, Deezer and other music platforms. The record is already available for sale and free download on Bandcamp. Maybe there will also be a vinyl later on.
Anne: I read this on your social pages, and it seems to be the perfect fit with my website, which claims to be a "vegan post-music blog". You name yourselves a "green post-rock band" – What exactly do you mean by that?
"Greta Thunberg has our respect"
Ced: Ecology and animal rights are fundamental to us. We talked about "green post-rock" for fun one day, and it stayed.
Anne: The first song on the record, "Play Or Die", starts with Greta Thunberg's voice. Did you meet her? I am sure she loves the track!
Ced: We haven't had the chance to meet her, and I think she has better things to do with her time. I don't know if she listened to it, but if so, I hope she likes it. She has all our love and respect. We wanted to make her voice and message resonate with "Play Or Die". We also admire and support other personalities, such as Aurelien Barrau, Matthieu Ricard, and Paul Watson.
Anne: Are you also part of Fridays For Future?
Ced: Yes, of course, and "Youth For Climate", and we invite everyone to do the same, Climate Strike on 03/25!
Vegan for the animals
Anne: You told me that you are also a vegan (and the rest of the band vegetarians). Since when and what convinced you to go vegan?
Ced: I am vegan for animals. I first became vegetarian ten years ago. I always had this strange feeling about meat. Nowadays I would say I felt guilty. For me, veganism also includes ecology and the human condition. But it's more than a diet or politics. It's a way of life, which was obvious to me.
Anne: I talked to several vegan musicians like Belinda and Justin from Crippled Black Phoenix, who told me, they sometimes use their music as their form of vegan activism. Is this also one of your goals?
We want to raise our voices without words
Ced: Yes, but with our instrumental music we've chosen a different way to pass the message. When we are on stage, we sometimes accompany our music with films. The images combined with the music are an excellent way to communicate without words. That's what we try to do the best we can with Goodbye Meteor. Of course, very subtle – because politics has nothing to do with our music for us.
Anne: Why is it that people in the music business often seem more interested in veganism than others? Does it have something to do with tour catering?
Ced: I don't remember who said that "art is used to ask questions", and I think that many artists ask themselves questions about the world around them, so it makes sense. I am very sure it isn't about the food on tours (laughs).
Anne: Why are vegans often called "extremists" while we only want no animals to be killed?
"To judge others is easier than to question yourself"
Ced: It's always easier to judge others than to question yourself. I think it's crazy that advocating non-violence is seen as extreme.
Anne: Enough about animal rights and food choices. Let's get back to your music. Are you planning any gigs this year?
Ced: Yes, we want to play shows this year. After the COVID break, we are happy to present "Metanoia" on stage. We try to play as much as possible, we had the chance to play in Paris with Endless Dive, and there is also a gig coming up soon with When Qaves Collide – in another venue in Paris. We also hope to play some festival gigs this summer!
Anne: You are from the beautiful region Hauts de France close to the Canal coast and the Belgique border. Would you say that this part of France has a flourishing music scene?
Ced: No. But I would say that the French post-rock scene is exciting and promising, with great bands like Bruit, who will be attending the Post In Paris Festival on June 4th and 5th, by the way.
An introverted call to humanity
Anne: Many artists told me they were expressing different genres over the years and didn't stop until they figured out they felt so at home in post-rock. Is it the same with you, or did you always want to make post-rock?
Ced: We have different influences, and none of them has anything to do with post-rock. I think it is hard to define since it is pretty multifaceted. It also integrates a way of seeing the world, and we feel close to that.
Anne: Besides touring, playing shows and your two upcoming records you told me about: What's up next for Goodbye Meteor?
Ced: Our song "Metanoia" was selected for a school project with cinema students. Bastien Pradeau directed the video for Desdo Film. It will be released very soon.
"Metanoia" is immersive and moving. It is an introverted call to humanity to start and change things for the sake of this planet. And isn't there a saying with the words "And as they say, when the introverts hit the streets to show their protest, it's time to do something"? With their instrumental tracks, Goodbye Meteor lead you the way through dark galaxies and light and luminous worlds. With three tracks, the EP allows you to leave reality behind and look behind the wall of fear and hatred for 20 minutes of peace and sound.
Goodbye Meteor are Maxime Picquart (guitar), Cedric Pecourt (guitar), Laurent Boile (drums), and Julien Bloquel (bass).