By Mark Kadzielawa

Marillion is a band of thousand faces, much like one of its songs of similar title. There is definitley a lot to this band, and what’s more? It doesn’t seem like the band is showing any sings of slowing down on their musical journey.

Much can be said regarding Marillion’s great past, or the two distinctive frontmen. All of this, however, is documented well elsewehere, and there is no need to re-live the past.

The current incarantion of Marillion is old enough to drink, not to say they weren’t already drinking if you must ask. The band continuosly is trying to push its own boundries, and not follow any trends or expectations. The band takes chances, and does not look back.

Less is More is the latest album from Marillion. It’s an acoustic album with a twist. The material is not new, but it is certainly arranged differently, making the new record a very attractive and stimulating release.

Guitar player, Steve Rothery, explains why you get more when you do less.

Where did the concept of Less Is More come from?
Steve Rothery: We'd talked about doing an acoustic album for a few years and this seemed like the right time to do it. We wanted to create something quite minimalistic that wasn't just the straight-forward MTV unplugged type approach.
Were you able to get anything new out of this material in such stripped down form?
I think some songs really came alive in this form. You finish up stripping the song back to its core and it gives you the freedom to try any kind of approach.
In your opinion, were there songs that surpassed your expectations in acoustic form?
I prefer the Less is More versions of Interior Lulu and Memory of Water to the original versions.
The album appears to be very one-dimensional, but at the same time perfect for a very slow day. Was that the main idea behind it?
I think the low-key approach works very well. It seems to cross over to a lot of people who've never listened to the band before.
Marillion are no strangers to playing acoustically, but why did it take so long to materialize into an album like this one?
We've been too busy writing and touring the electric albums I suppose. Although the few acoustic shows we've played as a trio have shown us the potential of this kind of approach.

This incarnation of Marillion is around for 21 or so years. Musically, the band was all over the place during that time. You had very commercial sounding records, and some with very dark overtones, and few which were in between. The last two studio records appear to be the most consistent, and one can sense a natural progress. Does it mean this incarantion had finally found its style?
I think there's still a lot of great music to come from the band and it's pretty much impossible to guess the direction and style it might take.
What do you think drives the band when it comes to redefining itself?
I think it’s the urge never to repeat itself and to try and grow creatively. We are very lucky that we can make music without any commercial pressures, which gives us an incredible amount of freedom.
Marillion’s presence in the United States is very inconsistent as of late, are there any plans to change that?
I hope we can come over and tour the next album. The States is one of my favourite places to play. However, it is very expensive for us to come over and changes to the visa situation have made it even more difficult.
How do you plan to follow Less Is More, or what will the next turn look like?
I'd like to come up with a great selection of songs but with a bit more guitar than the last two records.
Recently you have released a Wishing Tree record, how different is it from your work in Marillion?
It's more personal. It takes a lot of work, but very satisfying creatively. Hannah and I are great friends so when we work together it's a lot of fun.
What does Wishing Tree allow you to do musically?
The Wishing Tree has more in common with earlier Marillion songs where I wrote the largest portion of the music. It's good to work with a female vocalist as your writing will naturally take a slightly different direction.
Apart from the change in the vocal department, the band stayed in tact during all those years. What is the sercret of such longevity?
We still enjoy working together and there is a great musical chemistry between us.

Link:
http://www.marillion.com