A Neverending John’s Dream  - Dreams come true!

A NEVERENDING JOHN’S DREAM, a new AOR project from Spain unleashes a classic but exciting album with melodies, emotions and hopes these days. Mastermind Joan “John“ M. Heredia (v/d ) and Paul E. Schuster (b), who has got German roots, take some time to speak to us about their stunning debut, rock music in Spain in general and a possible next record, respectively the future of their project. The two musicians love music and are grounded people who do not take everything for granted.

John and Paul, the two of you go way back playing music together, don’t you?
John: Yes, played in various bands over the years and even today, we are involved in another band which is rather a power metal outfit. But it has always been a big dream for me to release my own music and, of course, in this very style. AOR and melodic rock has always been a major influence for me. That’s were our name comes from actually. We know that the name is pretty unusual but if you look closely, it makes sense. It’s a band name that means something. The songs were written and recorded in early and mid 2022 and the studio did not have time to record all the material that I wanted to record. So there is a little bit left. Maybe we use it next time.
Paul: We used to play cover songs but with this record it is that we start to put out original music for the first time.
John: We have quite a diverse musical background, though. We already played styles like classic hard rock, alternative rock and metal as well as progressive metal with complex nine or ten minute songs. But, like I said, our hearts are with eighties and early nineties rock like you can obviously hear on this record. The two of us and David, the guitar player, too, have played together very often. So, we know each other pretty well.

At this point of time, is A Neverending John’s Dream a project or rather a band?
Paul: This time it started more or less as a project with John writing all the stuff but we are already working on a second album where we others are way more involved in songwriting and stuff. So the next record is going to be more of a typical band effort.

Is there a keysong on the album?
John: I think “Coming Back To Paradise“ is the keysong and very radio-friendly, too. It is a very positive song that makes you feel good. Therefore, we did a video for this song. Different songs probably appeal to different people.
Paul: Yes, I would agree. It’s a song that we all fully agree on. But also “If We Stand United“, which is a bit more metal, is an important one.

There is a lot of eighties influence on the record but songs like “In Our Hands“ also showcase certain seventies roots mainly because of the Hammond sounds. Would You agree on that?
John: Yes, absolutely! Although I played and play in metal bands, the love for AOR has been there all the time. So it is only natural to write songs in the vein of this very style. But the eighties followed the seventies…

Also, the ballad “Alone With My Shadow“ in a better world would get lots of airplay…
John: We had bands like Vixen or Dokken in mind, bands from the golden era that have many songs in that vein. I felt there was one track like this missing on the album. It’s a classic ballad.

John, what do you see yourself foremost? Singer, drummer, songwriter or producer?
John: Well, being a songwriter is probably most important and although I started as a drummer, when we start playing live someone else will play drums because playing and singing would be rather difficult, I guess. It’s important to keep the same level of quality throughout the whole concert. I always sang under the shower…ha ha ha. I took lessons and attended music school before we recorded the album. I am very proud of this debut album. A big dream come true!
Paul: You are a drummer…ha ha ha. No, just kidding. John really did a great job getting this record together. It’s a lot of work, especially when you do multiple jobs and are responsible for everything.

What can you tell me about the rock scene in Spain in general or more specifically, in Barcelona where you come from?
John: We have lots of rock and metal bands and also some smaller and bigger festivals. We are from the area around Barcelona. Spain has got lots of metal bands and not so many melodic outfits but we hopefully catch up a little bit with the rest of the rocking countries.
Paul: There are some clubs, places and festivals where we could play but at the moment it would be more suitable to support a band that is a little bigger than us. We are currently looking into the possibilities of bringing the songs on stage for sure. We are looking for a booking agency at the moment.
John: I would love to play as support band for bands like Hardline for example. That would be just another dream come true and the logical next step.

John and Paul, is there anything you would like to add? Anything to address to our readers?
John: Well, we really appreciate the opportunity that Pride & Joy is giving us to spread our music and the time everybody is willing to spend to listen to our album.
Paul: Thank you very much! Let’s keep in touch!

Martin Stark