The members of the Croatian band "Sane", who triumphed at the Cetinje Royal Music Fest in 2013 after a four-day break, have announced a reunion. The result of this, as they called it, geriatric gathering will be tonight's concert in Zagreb, but there is little chance that Nikola Marjanović (vocals and guitar), Stjepan Krznarić (drums) and Sebastijan Jurić (bassist) will continue their collaboration after November 3rd.
“Very difficult, in fact I think that story is almost impossible. Sane did his job and we are like a reunion of a failed marriage. Every marriage fails when things no longer work, so one gig is quite enough", believes Nikola Marjanović, and Krznarić is of the same opinion.
"If people will call us again, there is a chance that we will repeat the concert, of course", says Krznarić, and about whether he will promote the last album "About Time" at that performance, which was released in September 2014, after which they put an end to the collaboration , Krznarić reveals: "'About Time' has taken its toll and I wouldn't promote it anymore. We did one promotional gig and that was it," says the drummer.
The band was known for original songs, as well as great covers by Dino Dvornik and foreign artists. In 2013, they released the cover album "Do Not Cover".
"We made some new covers during these rehearsals, but actually it was important for us to repeat the things we played back then, which none of us play in new projects, not even Nikola when he performs with his band", Krznarić explains.
Bass player Sebastijan Jurić is most in the mood for the continuation of the story called "Sane".
"All three of us are visibly looking forward to playing together after a long break. We've made a few new covers, and with them we'll mostly be playing old dancy-rocky-headbangy covers that were always on the wall in Sax, along with some original songs. We'll have a few guests performing with us, and whatever happens, it's going to be a good party. And for later, honestly, we didn't open that topic at all. One by one. Or just one. We will see," says Jurić.
Before the performance, they had daily rehearsals, and Marjanović describes the atmosphere during them: "Rehearsals go slowly, because when we get together there is total retardation. What normal people do is averagely fast, with us it is very slow, but it is fun for us to play again those songs that we used to perform at gigs", claims Marjanović.
"While some initial arrangements were being made, I was in a lukewarm to warm mood, in a 'let's go, we're not long, so what's going to happen' phase. But right at the first rehearsal, an old realization struck me, how nice it is to play with those two dear mamlaz. We're still a little shaky, after all, it's been a few years, but we understand and follow each other musically just like back then, and with each rehearsal we're clicking better and better," Jurić recounts the current atmosphere.
The fact that they haven't played together for a long time, the audience won't be able to notice.
"We sound absolutely identical, we're just a little wobbly. But really not much has changed", Krznarić claims.
According to Krznarić, the chemistry they had on stage is a rare thing in bands.
"I think all three of us know and feel that even now when we sit down to play together. If we are going to do something original in the future, I think that we will have a much more relaxed approach and that it will mostly be about some kind of projects. Again, I don't know. Maybe not," says Krznarić, who continued his solo career after the band Sane under the pseudonym Drito Konj. Marjanović was a finalist in the second series of the X-factor show, and he also participated in the Eurovision Song Contest as a backing vocalist for the Montenegrin representatives from 2016, the "Highway" trio. He also released several singles.
And Jurić was also musically active these four years.
"I am lucky to work in several ensembles where we understand each other well and create music that we like. Well, let's start concretely: the world music band 'Kazan', which is promoting its first album two weeks after Sane's concert, the familiar acapella group 'Gospodnetić singers', whose repertoire we briefly describe as 'From the Renaissance to the Beatles', then the choir that performs with Zabočka artist JR August, we perform his songs, which are kind of a hot, but drinkable mix of gospel, blues, storytelling and theater. And finally the grunge cover band Singles in which Nikola is on the microphone. I also work full-time as a sound designer and composer at 'Nanobit', a company that makes games for mobile phones, and I'm honestly not imaginative enough to imagine a better job than that. Sometimes people ask me how I manage to do it all. I am also among those people", concludes Jurić.
Jurić: Nikola and Stjepan are fantastic authors
After the breakup of the band "Sane", Nikola and Stjepan continued their solo careers, while Sebastijan followed what was happening in them.
"I always take my hat off to those two when it comes to writing a song and expressing it musically. Both are fantastic authors. Stjepan periodically sends me his work recordings and mixes, now he is finishing his album and it sounds really cool. These are mostly old songs that he finally recorded in good studio conditions, and from them radiates an interesting combination of the creative person he was then, and the one he is now. I come across Nikola's new songs on Youtube from time to time and the chorus regularly sticks in my ear. Nikola was and remains a catchy author," says Sebastian, while Nikola hears about the careers of the other members of Sane from others.
"We live in a small community, so if I don't hear from one of them and they tell me what they are working on, then somehow I find out from others. Otherwise, I play with Sebastian, so we see each other more often," admits Marjanović.
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