Dead Man interview with Peter Lindström & Kristoffer Sjödahl

Interview:

Thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview! You started playing around 2003 as Dead Man. I would like to know what are some of your influences?

All of the members listen to all kinds of music. I’m not sure if we have any influences that we consciously think about when we make music. Obviously we like a lot of 60’s and 70’s bands…

Tell us about the beginning of the band?

The band was formed around 2002.  A few friends got together to play music. Kristoffer and Joakim were not in a group at the time but had jammed together earlier. Markus and Johan played in a band that they liked, and a decision was made to get together to create a sound of their own.

I know you guys were in bands before forming Dead Man. Can you tell me more about this?

Kristoffer was the drummer in a group called Norrsken, the singer and the bassplayer from that band is now in Graveyard and the guitarplayer went on to from Witchcraft. Joakim, the former bassplayer, and, Markus, our first drummer, was in a group called The Roadrunners. Jonas our second drummer was also in The Roadrunners for a while. We’ve all been in all kinds of bands, most of them didn’t survive that long. As for myself I have a band called distant treelines where Kristoffer is the drummer.

Why the name Dead Man?

Why not? The inspiration came from the Texan hard rock outfit Josefus and their first album which was called Dead Man.

You released the Ship Ahoy! / Thousand Mile Stare single in 2004. What can you tell me about this release?

It was recorded in one day in a basement in the small rural Swedish town Kumla. Kristoffer was sick at the time, and threw up between takes. He’d been eating bananas and yoghurt and the other guys complained that the place smelled like a kindergarten.

In 2005 you released your first album called Dead Man. I would like to know how it was recorded and how do you like it? The cover art is very nice. Would you mind telling me more about it?

It was recorded in one week at Svenska Grammofon studio in Gothenburg, owned by the bassplayer from The soundtrack of our lives. Kristoffer says there’s some good songs there, but the versions of the songs are a bit sloppy at times. Other people seem to like it though, so that’s ok. The photograph on the cover is of our former drummer Markus Allard, taken in a field beside a house where he used to live.

In 2008 you released Euphoria. You went towards jazz as well as folk music in tunes sparkled with psychedelic sounds and atmospheres. Can you tell me more about how the album was produced and how do you like it?

It was recorded at Daniels Rud’s studio in the same house as our rehearsal space. It was recorded on and off for about a 10 months. Kristoffer says that he’s more happy with this recording than the previous. There’s a nice mix between doomy tracks and more upbeat songs.

 

Are you currently doing any concerts? Touring? I hope you come to Slovenia (It would be very groovy to see you in a venue for alternative culture called Metelkova in Ljubljana)?

At the moment we are focusing on writing new material, but there will probably be a tour of central Europe in the fall. We’d love to come to Ljubljana, we’ll see where we end up…

What are some future plans for the band? New album?

Right now our plan is to release something smaller just to show people that the band is still around, something like a 7 inch single probably.. We are writing new material for an album though..

Share an interesting experience you had from concerts...

Concerts are always an interesting experience. Once a PA system was set on fire at a show in Örebro, Sweden, flames and everything in one of the speakers. The death metal band that went on afterwards had to play with just one PA speaker and were pretty pissed.

What is your opinion about psychedelic/hard rock scene these days?

Is there one? There are some good bands out there, as well as a lot of average bands.. There will always be good bands around, and if you look for them you will find them.

 

Thank you very much for your time and effort. Do you have anything else to say about the band or yourself, that I didn't ask?

Thanks yourself! Dead Man has changed a bit in the last couple of years, there are three new guys in the band so naturally the experience is a little different now. It’s still the same kind of vibe though and we still play the old songs which haven’t changed really. The new members have all contributed their own individual styles to the songs. So far we have been getting nothing but positive feedback from people that has seen us live, and we’re anxious to continue the story, and see what we can do and where we’ll end up.

Interview made by Klemen Breznikar / 2011

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/ 2011

Jack Dupon interview

 

 

Live interview with Jack Dupon at Menza pri Koritu, Ljubljana.

Interview made by Klemen Breznikar / 2011
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/ 2011

Rancho Relaxo interview with Inge Kjetil Sandvik

Interview:

Thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview! Would you guys mind introducing yourselves?

Hey thanks for contacting us. We are Rancho Relaxo, from the west coast of middle Norway.

We are exotic...we have the golf stream. We are true artists, we embrace all things radical and turn it into art.,sounds, movements and we take that and create the Rancho Relaxo cosmos.

 

So, how did you guys get together to create Rancho Relaxo?

I had an idea for a long time about creating a musical art scene in our area but that was harder then i thought.

I filled my head and set out for a musical journey picking up Martin, our bassist. We moved through all kinds of collages of sound, recorded everything and made gonzo music aka landscapes, created from soundwaves. From there our drummer, Khalil, joined. And Martins brother, Ole, became the second guitarist.

What are some of your influences?

Difficult question, I don't think we collect our influences like a stamp collection or like trophy's. But I think, at least for my part, that we wear them closer to our soul, more like a extension of our sensory system. But in a popular cultural view our influences are dead, in the sense that they are more alive than any mainstream medium can imagine or even tolerate. Its tricky but its right.

Why the name Rancho Relaxo?

I lived on a ranch at the time and we played in the barn, and coming out of that barn after 17 hours, we were kind of forced to relax, its all chemistry.... but we didn't. Ha.

Your first released is called Look At The Wall. Then you released EP called Harmony & Rockets. What can you tell me about this two releases. How did you record it?

We recorded in a chaotic way on purpose,Ii didn't have any knowledge about recording so the recordings reflected that, I wanted the songs to sound as clean as they could be, because I consider «easy» straight forward recording a more challenge. We recorded much stuff on a 4 track cassette player and mixed it on an old PC running windows 98, thats the physical fact about it but its not about that. I'm self taught and I don't like to see the end or any final result of the process, you know like a final goal, that just wrecks the art aspect of it, its all an experiment, we aim for the great unknown.

You new release is called New Kind of Orchide. Can you present the album?

I have been recording continuously from the first album so its just the songs that came out at the time, people say its more concise sounding, I guess it is but its not any purpose we had. I wanted the songs a bit more epic in sound, melody and lyrics. They are basically love songs. And in between the traditional songs i put experimental sounds, like more visual shaping things, ragas, and hypnotic stuff to create breaks. I think the album is darker and more tragic, a dark blue/red feeling and a bit more open. Its just a journey.

 

How is touring going for you? Are you satisfied with it? Share an interesting experience you had from concerts...

Touring in Norway for a band like us is difficult, we played a few underground parties which were great, but not that many places to play. We hope to travel to Europe to play some good places there, there are interesting things going on in England, France, Germany , theres a vibe from those places radiating all the way up here, kind of like a hunger, a longing, we feel the same, and thats cool. We don't have any fan base here in Norway, just our closest friends.

How about some future plans for the band? By that I mean do you have an idea for new album in the future? Where will you go touring?

We are working on a new album right now, its going to be 15-17 songs or something. Im interested in the third sound and heartbeat tempo rhythms...so its going to be groovy.

 

Thank you very much for your time and effort. Do you have anything else to say about the band or yourself, that I didn't ask?

I have nothing to say, like all of us...

Interview made by Klemen Breznikar / 2011

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/ 2011

Cosmic Trip Machine interview with Majnun and Will Z.

Interview:

Thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview! How did you guys get together to create Cosmic Trip Machine? Why the name Cosmic Trip Machine, I just love the name!

Majnun: After divergence with a musician from our previous band, we decided to do something positive that day. We found the name during a brainstorming, while searching in some of our favorite records. So we've got a new thing goin' on.

Will Z.: We decided to carry on alone because the studio was already booked with this previous band. It was frightened but really exciting.

What are some of your influences? Since you play psychedelic music, you must love many psychedelic bands from the late 60's.

Majnun: Too many names to mention, but here's a few : Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Ramases,  Led Zeppelin, Pentangle, Love, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cream, etc...

Your first release is called Lord Space Devil. It was released in 2008. It's a psychedelic concept album and I would like to know what can you tell me about your first release?

Majnun: So, we had this recording session planned with our previous band, but split a few weeks earlier and we decided to create a record filled with things we love, that won't work in the previous context. The result was a mix of melodic songs and instrumental pieces, the whole stuff wrapped in psychedelic haze.

Will Z.: The whole concept came after. I had these songs written under the name “Lord Space Devil” and Majnun had these conceptual pieces. Our first idea was to record two different albums but the songs sound great melted.

Then in March 2009 you released second album called Vampyros Roussos. The album is about 70’s psychedelic erotic horror soundtrack and rock opera inspired by Vampyros Lesbos, Psych-Out, Beyond the Valley of Dolls, Suspiria, Carnival of Souls, The Holy Mountain and many more. I was absolutely amazed, when I heard this, cos I'm a huge fan of psych soundtracks from late 60's/ early 70's. How did you got the idea to record this kind of stuff?

Majnun: Well, we are huge B-movies fans, and our tastes are from Giallo to hippie exploitation, including Price films or hammer productions. The first album had already a cinematographic feeling, but, with the second, we realize an idea we had and loved for years, with a large scope of influences, from psychedelia to jazz, heavy-rock, and blues.

Will Z.: We wanted to create an album with songs in each style we love, so we had the idea to record an imaginary soundtrack. In 2003, Majnun wrote the story of Jimmy, Myrtakia, Fuzzy and the Count Demos Vrakapegios and we composed demos for a complete album. A lot were instrumentals, so, in 2009, when we worked on it, my job was to write lyrics inspired by the original script.

In 2010, you released your third album called The Curse of Lord Space Devil. It's a double album with four different suites. I would like to know the concept behind the album and also how did you recorded. I heard that you had some problems...

Majnun: It was a strange time, we had to deal with line-up problems, a very tight timing, but there were some really cool, great musical moments. When the record was finally over, I was proud: there's a lot of good performances in it, surely some of our best.

Will Z.: It’s a weird record. First, I was disappointed by the result because we had to shelve our greatest and ambitious pieces. We erased a complete tape of songs. It was really hard for us. We were left exhausted by the sessions, so we asked to our friend Og to finish the work. Og is a very talented musician: he’s the creator of two excellent albums and he has the same musical influences than us, so we knew his job will be great. We gave him a really rough version of our tracks and he created “The Curse of Lord Space Devil” as you can hear it now. It’s strange that the result of a so tortured and nervous recording process was a so peaceful and relaxing album.

 

How is touring going for you? Are you satisfied with it? Share an interesting experience you had from concerts...

Will Z.: I’m not a huge fan of making concerts, but it’s a part of the job. In fact, I like to play live, to interact with audience, but I don’t like all the shit around, the stress on road, the sound on stage often bad, the seedy motels... I prefer studio work.

Majnun: I really dig studio work, but when you're stage, sometimes you just hit the note. When you hit it deeply,  it's quite something, near to meditation or trance.

 

How about some future plans for the band? By that I mean do you have an idea for new album in the future? Where will you go touring? I hope you come to Slovenia ( It would be very groovy to see you on avenue for alternative culture called Metelkova in Ljubljana)?

Will Z.: It's hard to predict what the future will be made of. In fact, we’ll see but be sure you’ll be informed. All we know actually is we have a half-finished album called Kosmische Kraut Maschine, dedicated to the krautrock scene, gigs planned for the end of the year and, there’s no doubt, a Cosmic Trip Machine album release for 2012.

 

What is your opinion about psychedelic scene these days?

Majnun: A lot of people use this word without knowledge of what it is, a word as empty as cult, overemployed. I don't know if there's really a psychedelic scene those days. But for sure there are some really great bands with a psychedelic side, in the jam bands or stoner bands, for example.

Will Z.: Psychedelic scene is alive. You’ve got great labels like Nasoni and Clearspot (no, it's not the strictly commercial part of this interview, I swear!) with a lot of great psychedelic releases like... hum... "The Curse of Lord Space Devil" (that's the strictly commercial part !) by two unknown fellows extremely nice and clean (well, maybe...). By the way, my favorite bands of the moment are Sky Picnic and The Black Angels.

Thank you very much for your time and effort. Do you have anything else to say about the band or yourself,  that I didn't ask?

Majnun: Thanks for your interest and surrender yourself to the third eye connection!  

Interview made by Klemen Breznikar / 2011

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/ 2011

Purling Hiss interview Michael Polizze

Interview:

Thank you very much for agreeing to this interview. I would like to know how and when did you guys get together and started Purling Hiss?

Thanks for interviewing me Klemen! Purling Hiss started out a few years ago of me recording by myself. I've only had a band for almost a year. All the records so far, are just me playing everything. Then the opportunity to tour came, and i formed a band last August.

Why the name Purling Hiss?

When i was making the first recording that eventually came out of Permanent records, i was just messing around with my 4-track, and experimenting with sound levels, recording techniques, and song structures. I also was experimenting with how distorted i wanted the levels to be. I was reading about white noise and implementing it into my music. I thought of some words that were synonymous with white noise, eventually i came up with Purling Hiss. It sort of just rolled off the tongue, so it stuck.

Were you in any other bands before forming? I know you were in Birds of Maya and I would love if you can share a few words about it...

Yes, i still am in Birds of Maya. Much of the inspiration from Purling Hiss came from Birds of Maya. That has been my main band for the past 7 years. We are just best friends hanging out and making music, whenever we can. We don't really tour much, but do release music when we can. I have been in bands since i was a teenager, but not any notable ones that anyone would know about besides Birds of Maya.

In 2009 you released your first album called Purling Hiss. I just love the funky bass riffs, explosive, noisy guitar over-currents and thundering drums. I would like to know if you can share a few words about this releases?

Like i was saying earlier, this was me experimenting on the 4-track with some new ideas i had at the time. I had been recording music on my 4-track for the last 12 or so years, so this was just another project for me. At the time, there was no motives except to document some ideas i had. Once i had it recorded i made a cdr and hand assembled a package for it, and put the songs on Myspace. Shortly after Permanent records got in touch and asked to do the record.

 

In 2010 you released Hissteria and Public Service Announcement. How did you record and produce this amazing albums?

Hissteria was the next recording i did on the 4-track after the 2009 release on Permanent. A funny fact about Public Service Announcement is that its the oldest recording i've released so far. Even though it came out earlier this year, i had actually recorded it in 2007 and 2008. I hadn't listened to it in a while, and when i heard it again last year, i decided to send it to some people to hear.

 

You also did a split with Puffy Areolas. What can you tell me about this?

Yes! I love it. They are great. I  first met them a couple of years ago when Birds of Maya played a show with them. We have played together a few times now. Purling Hiss actually has not played with them yet. Permanent records got in touch again and asked if we wanted to do a split with them for Record Store Day, and so i recorded a song just for that.

How is touring going for you? Are you satisfied with it? Share an interesting experience you had from concerts...

We haven't toured in a few months, but we are getting ready to again this summer, and hope to be pretty busy. When we first toured Kurt Vile invited us to open. It was a 5 week tour with them and The Soft Pack. It was a great time, and it was the first time i got to travel around the whole country. An interesting fact about the tour, to me, was that our first show as a band was the first night of our 5 week tour. We had never performed live before that.

 

How about some future plans for the band?

We will be doing some small tours in June and July. In June we will Play with Wilco at their own curated Solid Sound Festival, and we will be playing Bitchfork in Chicago in July.. not to be confused with Pitchfork!! We're also releasing an EP on Mexican Summer in June.

I hope you come to Slovenia  (It would be very groovy to see you on avenue for alternative culture called Metelkova in Ljubljana)!

I would love to! I am hoping to come to Europe this year for sure. We are planning on it!

What is your opinion about psychedelic scene these days?

It's hard to say. Locally, in Philadelphia i don't sense a strong scene for psych music, though some bands do exist. There is definitely a mixed bag of music going on in our city.  A lot of our friends bands definitely have an expanded pallet for musical styles. A favorite Philly band i can think of with this question is Bardo Pond. There is definitely lots of bands doing good psych stuff you just have to find it.

 

Thank you very much for your time and effort. Do you have anything else to say about the band or yourself, that I didn't ask?

Thank you so much again for interviewing me, i sure hope we can make it Slovenia some time soon!

Interview made by Klemen Breznikar / 2011

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/ 2011