Interview by Ekin Sanaç

This is the original English version of the interview with John Robb on the Membranes published in Bant’s 57th issue.

Which bands were the biggest deal for you when you were growing up? Who did you see on stage perform and wanted to make music of your own and perform it?

I grew up with glam rock in the early seventies. It was time of insane musical possibilities in the middle of grey times in the UK. Whilst the country seemed to be falling apart eh music just went crazy! The soundtrack was Bowie, Trex, Mott The Hoople, Slade and even bands like Mud and the Sweet who get sneered at by critics but had some great moments…add to this the hangover of the Beatles and the Stones and you’ve got some great music to grow up with. I grew up in Blackpool which is a seaside resort in the north of Blackpool 60 miles from Manchester and we felt very cut off from the music scene- music for us seemed to be made by aliens from another planet.
What really made a difference for me was when punk rock burst into our lives- the idea that you could make your own music was revolutionary and it was at that point that my generation rallied and made its own music/art/media- it was the beginning of everything that we know now. Someone at school ha d a copy of the Buzzcocks Spiral Scratch EP which looked home made and that was truly inspirational- we made our own record a year later- the idea that you could make your own record was so thrilling…
Punk changed everything- it changed our music, our politics, and our trousers!
DIY is the key to punk rock and the most revolutionary thing that came out of the movement- the idea that you could create your own art and not to be a passive consumer wa avery powerful stamenet and one that so many people from my generation were inspired by…

Reading about the Membranes, it looks like you started out pure D.I.Y. in terms of instruments as well, with building your own bass guitar and so on. Was it also the first time you started playing the bass as the Membranes?

I had never played an instrument in my life- like most of my generation we were never encouraged to play instruments and the idea of making music was really alien to us- but DIY and punk empowered us and that a powerful feeling- I wanted a violin bass because they look amazing- such a bizarre shape for a bass guitar but there was no way you could buy one on Blackpool so I bought a chunk of wood and spent the summer carving it with a pen knife whilst sat on the street in Blackpool- I had never made anything before but the great thing about punk DIY was that you believed that anything was possible- there no such thing as no- if you wanted to be in a band then you formed a band- if you wanted to have a magazine you made one (we made our own fanzine called Rox) and if you wanted a violin bass you got a piece of wood and made one- somehow the bass sounded amazing- a stupidly heavy bass sound…!

You were the punk rock band who did not sound like a punk rock band. And it still sounds true. Did you have control over how you wanted to sound like when you first started out, like consciously? Or was it an unconscious consequence of your wide range of influences?

We were influenced by so much music- we loved the psychedelic punk of the Stranglers and tat opened a lot of possibilities we loved the clash the pistols and the Buzzcocks the dammed and also post punk as it started to emerge with subway sect, the fall, the Manchester bands, killing joke, public image- we also loved blues, free jazz and so called world music- John peel was important his radio show played such an eclectic amount of music that it turned you onto whole areas of music- we also knew lots of older hippies- in smaller towns all the youth cults were closer than in the cities- so we heard a lot of their music…nights spent on magic mushrooms wallowing in the genius of Can and Hawkwind were important!
We thought we were apunk band but for us the idea of punk rock was to make your own music and even I w eloved a lot of the bands who just copied the punk bands we didn’t want to do that. We wanted to go our own way but still be a punk band, a punk band as we understood it was to be something really original and I think we achieved that!

During the years you were together, looks like you have toured quite all around. What were some of the peaks of the Membranes being on the road? Did the Membranes toured together with some other bands as well?

Touring was very important and we would be the first Death To Trad Rock band to go to many of the towns in the U/Europe and America- people didn’t always understand the music that we were trying to make and the levels of intensity that we would play it at- we were quite far out on a limb but we nearly broke through in the UK- we were mainstream TV programmed the Tube and had several national music paper covers etc- we preceded the American post hardcore scene of Sonic Youth, Big Black etc by a couple of years- we mainly headlined gigs- there were not many other bigger bands that we could play with and we were evry much involved in the underground- we would take out all the new bands from the Death To trad Rock scene with us on tour (all these bands are written about in my Death To trad Rock book)

I have come across to so many interviews with different bands/musicians who mentions the Membranes as a huge influence… It’s always the music + the attitude. What could you say attitude wise the Membranes had different that most other punk rock bands lacked?

That’s nice of those bands to acknowledge us! I guess at one time we were the noisiest and most extreme band of our time and we played music with a level of insanity that was unusual in the UK- our attitude was what we believed punk rock was- we would employ all the punk rock ethics - the idea that the band and the audience were the same community- looking back now I guess we were pretty original and that can inspire people! We also had a lot of energy- an energy that would transfer to people and we would encourage people to make their own music and their own art- we did our fanzine, ‘Rox’ which featured many of the bands as they started- quite often their first piece pf press- the fanzine was quite over the top- a spew of ideas, writing and stupid jokes…(I could send you a jpeg of it if you want) we wanted to turn the music scene over and were quite ambitious even though we had no money. I guess we were a catalyst band- one of those bands that inspired people…

What was recording for “Kiss Ass Godhead” with Steve Albini like? How did you meet him? Was he a fan of your music when you met him? It was his early career. Did you see that coming that he was gonna get this big as he is now?

Steve was already a fan of the membranes he told us that in 1985 he made a trip to the UK and tried to get in touch with a handful of bands and one of them was the membranes but he couldn’t find our number which tells you a lot about life in the pre internet times! We met him in 1987 when Big Black did their first UK tour. I loved the sound of their early records and figured he could do a great job for the membranes- we had made some great sounding records and some that sounded just OK. This was before he was known as a producer…by the time we got in the studio with him to record Kiss Ass Godhead he had worked on a couple of other records like Slint and the Pixies.
It was great working with him- we shared a lot of very similar ideas about music. The first thing we did was four tracks at Steve’s house in the suburbs of Chicago. Our drummer couldn’t make it because he was knocked back by the visa people! So we had to use the Big Black drum machine which was a huge wooden box- I’ve never seen a drum machine like it! the tracks sound great you can hear the door creaking in the room!
We then finshed the album off in Leeds and Steve ame out to do it there- we all splet in this damp cold room in Leeds and went into the studio to to the album by day…he did agreat job even if the studio was falling apart!

Kiss Ass Godhead was when we got the sound perfect and songs of love and fury was pretty good as well— songs of love and fury got the best reviews- even rolling stone made it one of their top ten albums of the year- when I look back at the press we got I cant believe that we didn’t end up being massive but I don’t think our record labels were big enough to make that push and that’s what music is always about…

In all these years, up until the ATP Festival, has there been any times where you wanted to get together and start performing again as the Membranes?

I am so busy that I never thought about it! When we got asked to play ATP it was like a bolt from the blue and I agreed straight away to do the gig and when we started rehearsing it sounded great…I like doing things on the spur of the moment and the membranes paying ATP felt right and it was great to play that kind of music again!

How have your recent gigs been? Both, the ATP, and the Manchester gig you played… How does the crowd react? Do you have old Membranes followers or is it more a mixture of young kids who are into you now?

The crowd was a real mixture..At ATP there were youth there who had never thought of the Membranes and thought we were an amazing new band…there were also lots of old membranes fans there and it got quite emotional! The Manchester warm up gig was great- we only mentioned it on facebook and people came from all over the country to check it out- someone even flew in from Moscow to see it!

Interview by: J. Hakan Dedeoğlu

Before their mind-blowing show in Kadıköy arkaoda on 18 October, Batoh and Espvall answering our questions:

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The inevitable question. How did your roads cross each other, how did you team up?

H: We met at Terrastock6 in Providence, USA. We saw each other’s shows and enjoyed it. Batoh gave me an Unari Yumi (hand-made bamboo instrument), I gave Batoh my solo CD, we stayed in touch and decided to record an album during my Tokyo visit in 2007.

What are your similar tastes in music? Which musicians do you both enjoy?

B: Both of us love old rock from ’60s and ‘early ’70s. And also classic, medieval, tribal, ethnic and, etc.

“Overloaded Ark”seems to have more energy and more diversity in sound compared to the debut album. How did “Overloaded Ark” shape, what were the initail ideas behind it?

B: There were diversity of methods in the beginning. We could easily play Swedish trad arr again or gentle folk tunes of course. But I had concrete idea to construct quite different commotion in spirits beforehand. Anti-war has been my consistent attitude in any notion of me. War-such a futile hell had been supported by ordinary citizens for sometimes like US/ Afghanistan war. Simply I wanted to write a song to make people notice how tragic it is for all over the world. “Ark” is just only a thought provoking ornament. Such a symbol of Christianity won’t move our minds easily by itself. But who knows that anecdote can expose how much we fell through again and again. “Ark” was made in our minds.

These kind of collaborations tend be one-record-only, but it seems like, with the second album, you will carry on doing this, and it’s not just a side project.

B: Yes we’re a team! Will do more works.

What kind of musical void does this collaboration fill for you? What does the “Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh” have that your other bands don’t have?

H: I’m usually mostly playing the cello, for me it’s exciting to get a chance to sing and play guitar too. and also this is the only collaboration where I get to play early music, which I love. And Batoh is a very unique musician, he’s a joy to work with.

B: Classic musical aspects are what we wanted to do. We are mixture of the pure essential of phsychedelic music and classic / medieval.

So what is happening with your other bands? Any new albums of Ghost and Espers ahead?

H: Espers will release a new album on drag city later this fall.

B: Ghost is playing in Berlin soon just before Istanbul show of Helena and Batoh. Ghost is on production for new album next year hopefully.

There are 5 covers on the new album. Covers of old and anonymous tunes. How do you decide and pick the tunes and how does interpretation process follow?

H: I went to a music school in Sweden where music from all over the world was being taught, songs from Balkan, Haiti, Brazil, France and so on, and other songs I learned while traveling. Some of them stayed in my mind and I suggested to Batoh that they could be used for our duo project. Since we live continents apart, we send each other demos with different arrangements and interpretations that we try out when we get together. Some things are carefully planned out beforehand, other arrangements are happening more spontaneously in the studio. I was very hesitant to use any Swedish folk songs for the second album. But when I heard Ogino’s lovely recorder ensemble as accompaniment for Vem Kan Segla, I was convinced!

Listening yo your music I feel a huge longing to the past, ancient times, an infelicity to today’s world… Would you say that your music carries this thoughts and emotions, or do you really feel this way?

B: Thank you for your deep imagination. I really appreciate it. My belief on music is that takes listeners to far away beyond secularism. Each listener should have each own impression and trip in their minds. It’s quite natural phenomenon. But recently people seem forgetting it. Music becomes realistic material.

H: Being a woman, I prefer to live in today’s world and not in the past. But I’m deeply unhappy with many aspects of modern life: car culture, ugliness, rampant capitalism, soulless materialism, destruction of old beautiful buildings and thus minimizing possibilities for artists and others to choose simple and inexpensive housing, etc. These feelings are probably reflected in the way I live and in how I play music too.

Which music makes you wanna dance?

H: Afro beat and samba.

B: Bon odori-Japanese traditional ceremony music.

What are you listening to now-a-days?

H: Turid (swedish folk singer), Guty Cardenas (mexican singer from the 1920s and 30s),

Jordi Savall (viola da gamba player), Eric Dolphy, some Brazilian music like Novos Baianos, Joyce, Milton Nascimento, Elis Regina and more.

B: Sorry I don’t listen to music completely.

What was the best gig you’ve seen recently?

H: A silent movie by Eisenstein with live piano accompaniment by Matti Bye a couple of days ago. Brilliant and beautiful.

B: Umm….. Roy Harper in 1989?

What are you reading now-a-days?

B: Henri Michaux , Osamu Dazai

H: Ruth L. Ozeki, and “teachings of silver birch”.

What bothers you and what makes you happy now-a-days?

B: Sad: Terrible situation in Tibet caused by China. Happy: New president of US.

What is your recent favorite item?

B: Counselling therapy.

What is your favorite city in the world?

B: Maybe Marrakesh in Morocco or… Sevilla in Spain.

So, Batoh, you have been here before, what are your memories from you recent visit and what are your expectations for this one? The second question goes for you too Helena…

B: Istanbul was very strange beauty to me. It was a most wild precious stone in the middle of east and west. People were so nice in the city even in the club. So naturally they yelled and crapped with our music. We were completely fascinated by them. I wonna visit small islands if it’s possible.

H: Never been to Turkey. Very curious to see Istanbul, I’ve heard it’s enchanting…

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Mudhoney were to headline the Wake Up Now Festival supposely taking place in Antalya this past summer. We were too excited that couldn’t belive it was actually happening. It didn’t anyway. The festival was cancelled and we were left with the interview we realized with legendary Mark Arm.

Interview by Ekin Sanaç

Have you ever been offered to play Turkey before? Not for a festival in the south coast city Antalya, but probably Istanbul?

No we haven’t. We met a Turkish fan living in Germany in the early 90s who stressed that we should go, but this is the first time we’ve had the oportunity.

Do you like living in Seattle?

Yes. I’ve lived here for a long time and many of my close friends live here, but I’m not too attached to Seattle. I wouldn’t mind living where the water is warmer and the surfing is friendly.

How does hanging around and making music in Seattle feel different over years?

That’s kind of hard thing to answer. Things change over time and everything feels different, yet eerily similar.

What kind of a change has it gone through?

There hasn’t been a big change in how I make music, but my influences have broadened over time.

What’s your favorite thing to do in where you are living? Here in Istanbul, it’s safe to say that taking the boat to the other side is the cheapest and best thing to do!

I like to hang out with my friends and sometimes go skateboarding with those who skate.

I also enjoy hanging out at home with my family and doing nothing in particular.

How often does Mudhoney get together to rehearse and to play music?

We try to get together once a week, but that doesn’t always happen. It’s been much harder to practice since Steve moved to Portland over a year ago.

Other than playing music together, do you still hang out together as a band?

We don’t hang out as a band, but we do hang out as friends. I usually see Dan & Guy at social gatherings and I try to skateboard with Steve when he is in town and has some extra time.

In Everett True’s book “Nirvana: The Biography” I remember reading this piece where Jack Endino explains how Mudhoney was professional, how you were always rehearsed and how you always knew how to play the songs once you were there. How would you describe the balance between spontaneity and constraint or consciousness and unconsciousness when Mudhoney is writing songs and recording a new album?

I don’t know what kind of recording sessions Jack is used to doing with other bands, but we usually have a limited amount of time in the studio and it makes sense to have a pretty good idea how your songs go before you enter the studio, otherwise you risk wasting a lot of time and money.

Steve’s lead guitar playing is usually pretty spontaneous, and we are open to changing arrangements and trying things out in the studio. Also, we are usually conscious when we play and record.

You have recorded “The Lucky Ones” in a three and a half days time and that sounds like a conscious decision of what you want the record to be like. What were you aiming with this record and what have been your motivations about it?

We recorded 4-track cassette demos of all of the songs before we went into the studio so we had sketches of those songs. We were playing 5 of them on a European tour. The rest

We had to review the demos. The version of “I’m Now” on the album, was the first take of a song we didn’t know very well. We are very lucky that we ended that song all at the same time.

We didn’t expect the album to be recorded so quickly. We had another long weekend booked a month later because we figured that we might get 6 or 7 songs down and write a couple more before the next session. When we finished everything so quickly we took it as a sign from god that these 11 songs should be the album. Instead of recording more a month later, we mixed the album.

How did your not playing the guitar on “The Lucky Ones” effect the songwriting process of the album?

It allowed me to concentrate on the vocals during the songwriting process. Usually I concentrate on guitar and then I have to figure out how to fit in the vocals.

As a band who has been together for 20 years, what could you say is that keeps you together? Do you ever feel like retiring from touring and playing music?

We are semi-retired. We don’t do long tours. Mudhoney is kind of like a glorified hobby. We don’t rely on the band for our income (yes we have jobs) so we can make the kind of music we want to hear without any pressure to be commercial or “relevant”. We enjoy playing together and creating new music. We even get new opportunities at this late stage, like the chance to go to Turkey for the first time. Being in this band is very rewarding and we are lucky that we get to do things on our own terms.

Are you doing anything else than touring and making music as Mudhoney currently?

Yes, I’m living my life.

You’ve recently played as Green River for the Melvins 25th anniversary after the previous reunion shows in 2008 but it’s quite clear that Green River is only going to be playing shows and not go in the studio to record new stuff, right?

There is nothing that is clear about Green River. We have talked about doing more, and writing new songs, but it can be difficult to get all 6 of us together at the same time.

Is it too early to talk about a possible new Mudhoney album?

It’s a little early. We’ve been talking about it and have tossed some new riffs around at practice, but that is about it so far.

How do you cope with your former fans disliking what you are doing now?

We have former fans?

What’s the first ever real grunge record in your opinion?

I don’t have that opinion.

King Buzzo was quoted recently saying that if bands like Nirvana and Alice in Chains hadn’t had attractive frontmen, their bands wouldn’t have had much mainstream success. Do you agree with that?

You might want to ask TAD that question. I’ve been told (by my wife) that I’m an attractive frontman, where’s my success?

Do you wear ear plugs on stage?

No, but I do when we practice. I started doing that after I learned that I’m missing a big chunck of my hearing, the frequencies that help one distinguish consonants. But its too difficult to perform live with earplugs because all I hear is my big dumb voice.

Are there any new bands you are really into and would recommend?

Pissed Jeans, The Intelligence, The King Kahn & BBQ Show, Toe Tag (the one from Seattle).

This interview was published in Bant Magazine’s July-August 2009 issue.

*This is the original English version of the interview published in Bant Magazine’s issue #53.

Interview by Ekin Sanaç

Do you travel a lot? Have you ever lived anywhere else than Stockholm?
I dont travel as much as i would like to, I have lived more than half of my life on the westcoast of sweden.

How does your art feed from where you live?
I get much inspiration from the scandinavian landscape and the mood. The city of Stockholm is beutiful but itdoes not really inpirate me that much.

What do you find exciting about art in Stockholm today? How is the scene? Is it a small scene and where everyone knows each other?
I dont know so much about this, i do what I like and aint so involved in the art scene. But sometimes you see interesting stuff.

You have collaborative works with Ragnar Persson as well. Your styles are somehow similar too. How have you gotten to know each other? And are you planning any other collaborative projects in near future?
We have known each other since we went to preparing artschool ten years ago, we planning on a small publication   togheter. But you will know more when you see us in istanbul.

Who else’s works are you into around your neighborhood?
I think there are may good artists in stockholm, in just my area i dont know but in stockholm i can mention Tilda Lovell.

What kinds of things inspire the darkness of nature in your drawings and your lonely figures?
Maybe my misantropic persona? Joke aside, Dark feelings and lonleiness is always there and i am influenceed by them in my art. But would not say im a sad or lonley person.

Has your style always been like this or how did it evolve?
Of course it does evolve, but i think others maybe see the progress clearer than i.

Can you share the most exciting moment of your career upto now? Like some specific offer, or anything?
Maybe when i had my exhibition in stockholm last year, but i think that showing my works in Istanbul will also be one of the highlights so far.

What are you working on currently and what’s coming next for Johan Björkegren?
Im just working on new drawings and next upcoming project is a record cover for Makajodama, instrumental rockband.

In your opinion, What’s the music that accompanies your drawings?
Majakodama had written one of their songs by inspiration from one of my works, it sounds a bit like Godspeed you black emperor with desert guitars and thats what i would say that my drawings sounds like.

What kind of places/spaces and in what kind of projects do you like to present your work best?
Anything thats good.

Well… You’ll be here soon. Is there anything you especially want to do or curious about in Istanbul?
I just read today about a place called Yerebatan Saray, an ancient undeground watercisctern, seems like a magic place. Othervise im just curious to se Turkey and Istanbul, as i never been there. Everyone says its a great city.

*This is the original English version of the interview with Blood Music (Karl Jonas Winqvist) published in Bant Magazine’s issue #53.

Interview by Ekin Sanaç & J.Hakan Dedeoğlu

You were asking for local choirs and local musicians to play with you for your Istanbul gig… Do you always play with local musicians when you go abroad?
No, not always. Sometimes I play completely by myself too. But it’s an exciting and inspiring thing to get to know other people and musicians in different places on this earth.

What was the first ever band you were playing like?
I haven’t played in many bands. When I was twelve I dreamed about starting a band with some friends of mine. But we lived out in the country and it felt like an impossible step to take..but we named our band “Ulla” which is a swedish female name. We talked about how we wanted the music to be “punk with a lot of screaming” but we only had one rehearsal and no one of us knew how to play and everyone wanted to be the drummer…Then I gave up on the dreams of playing music. Played some piano at home, that was all.
But I consumed music by listening to music 24 hours a day instead…

What could you say about the spontaneity in your music? Why do you think spontaneity is important/inspiring in music?
I guess spontaneity is important sometimes to make the music exciting and to make it unpredictable. To see a band live should be a special thing for that specific night, if a band gives a concert and sound exactly like their studio-recordings on cd it’s not that exciting, I think.

What do you like about being a one man band? And what do you like about having a lot of people contributing in your band?
It was the easiest way to get this thing called Blood Music started. To just say “go” to a lot of decisions and not having to discuss all the “why’s” and “how’s” with other band members. I am a part of another swedish band called first floor power. That band is extremely democratic. All of us have to agree on things to get things moving. So, at a time when I had a lot of free time from that band, I was laying in hospital beds for a long time since an aneurysm was discovered in my brain, then I started planning a solo-project where I just do whatever I feel like. And to have different line ups and friends helping you out rom night to night keeps you away from getting blasé or too safe. And also, there is so many great and talented people everwhere that I just love to have involved in some way or another. And to get them to try my crazy ideas is such a joyous luxury.

Daniel Johnston is an obvious influence. Can you name some non-obvious influences to your music?
World Party. Do you know them? It’s actually also an one-man band. From England. They released some really good pop albums in the 90’s. Extremely inspired by te beatles, rolling stones and dylan. I guess that does not sound very exciting or unique and I don’t think a lot of my friends understand what it is about world party that I liked so much…
But their album “goodbye jumbo” came out at a time when I needed something like that soo much. Really clever lyrics with beautiful arrangements. I think that is not a very obvious influence…Also the US trio of three sister called The Roches. Their debutalbum is angelic and beautiful. And then I have been really into african bands like Star Band de Dakar, Muluken Mellesse and Ifang Bondi and I don’t think you can really hear me being influenced by them. Not ‘yet anyway…

Have you seen the movie The Devil and Daniel Johnston? Did you like it? Were you moved by it? Were you at that Stockholm gig mentioned in the movie?
I liked it very much. I was a bit skeptical before I saw it. Because a lot of music documetaries are basically just other musicians being interviewed and saying how great this band or artist is. But “the devil and daniel johnston” were not just focusing on how great daniel johnston is. It showed both sides of the coin. And more. I was moved by the film. His music touches me deeply and his persona is one of a kind although it’s tragic to see how ill he is.
In fact, you can spot me for a quick second or two in the film actually. In the Stockholm scenes.
My other band First Floor Power were opening for him. We were honoured, nervous and very thrilled.
It was the first time ever he was in Sweden. It was impossible to have some real contact with him, but his music went straight to heart.

“Don Quite” and “Sing a Song Fighter” are good examples for word games… Do you really enjoy word games or do these names have nothing to do with it?
I like words. Playing with them can be fun. But these titles also have a deeper meaning to them. But I will not go into that at this time, it would take up too much of this interview as I have a problem with making a long story short in this case…But “don quite” is the don that never quite made it. Don Quijote’s unknown brother perhaps…”Sing a song fighter” is a music genre that an old man next to me in a hospital bed came up with. He listened to some of my music and when it was time for him to leave that place he said to me: “remember you’re not a singer/songwriter, you’re a sing a song fighter!” Those words stuck to me.

What would the dream side project/collaboration for you be like?
I’d love to make music for the screen and for theatre. And also I would love to collaborate with a female choir. Perhaps a turkish one?  I have just started a side project which is also a dream coming true…it’s an instrumental orchestra where we play a lot of unusual instruments..I come up with a small idea and then the orchestra tries to make something out of it. I feel like a happy child when I think about that orchestra. I guess the music was inspired by moondog, penguin café orchestra at first, but now it sounds like nothing else. The name of the orchestra? The Second Hand Orchestra.

What’s the best album you’ve heard so far this year?
Bill Callahan (formerly known as Smog) have just put out a new album called “sometimes I wish we were an eagle”. It is a good album. Not everything on it is brilliant, but some songs really are fantastic. The best one is “eid ma clack shaw”. Maybe the song of the year…Also, my dearest friend Jenny Wilson released a new album called “hardships”. it is a classic album. Every song is amazing.
Also another swedish band called Wildbirds & Peacedrums have put out a new album that is super great.

Is your name related to the science fiction novel “Blood Music” by Greg Bear?
No. I did not know of that novel when I decided to call my musical project Blood Music. But I discovered about the book when I googled around on the internet, of course. Have not read it ‘yet.

What do you do mostly when not doing music? What atractes you most besides music itself?
I work extra sometimes at a cinema. I recently became a father for the first time so that takes all my time at the moment.  Otherwise I get a kick of travelling places.

How has reaction been to your music outside of Scandinavia?
Really good. I’ve played in Serbia, England, Scotland and in the US and it has always been very fun and appreciated.

Eventhough your music isnt that known here in Turkey, how does it feel to perform in such a place?
It feels exciting, exotic, mysterious…I don’t know what to expect really and I love that.

This is the original English version of the interview with Marnie Stern for Bant Magazine’s May-June 2009 issue.

Interview by Alex Mazonowicz

Where are you, what are doing after this interview and how are the gigs going?
I am in Los Angeles and the tour starts tomorrow. We are heading to Memphis Tennessee for our first date on the U.S. leg of the tour.

Does the reception you get in Europe differ from that in the US?
I’ve only toured the UK and the reception was good. I toured for my last record and not many people had heard of me, but all in all the audiences were great.

I have a hard time describing what you’re all about to people. For instance I could describe your guitar playing, but people come away with the idea you’re some Eddie Van Halen wannabe. How do you describe what you do?
I like Van Halen and I am familiar with a few of their most popular songs, but other than that, I’ve never really listened to Eddie Van Halen. I got the idea for finger tapping from Ian Williams from the band Don Caballero and the band Hella. They are some of my main influences, but I’ve tried my best to come up with my own ideas and sound as original as possible.

You’ve previously denied being a shredder, or even a great guitarist. So how do you feel about getting name checked in many classic guitar magazines and such?
It’s very flattering but I still stick to that original statement. I think I am a pretty good guitar player but there are thousands better than me. What’s important to me is how I use the guitar parts to greater effect and how they can make the song interesting.

How many guitars do you own? Which is your favourite and are you a guitar geek?
I’m not a guitar geek at all. I own a fender jazzmaster, a japanese reissue dan electro, and I also use a Scott French custom guitar and a few Flaxwood guitars.

What about equipment like amps and effects, are you really picky?
No. I’ve stuck with the same sansamp pre-amp pedal for ten years. Ive tried a couple of distortion pedals, but there are none that I can find that I like. I use an ampeg combo amplifier and a fender reverb deluxe from the 80’s. Again, I have used those for a decade and have never really experimented with any others. I really like peavey amps, but I don’t own one.

Have you been approached about a signature guitar yet?
As I said, I have been using Flaxwood guitars and a Scott French guitar that I really like. No one else has approached me about amps or any other equipment.

Do you ever feel like doing a Pete Townsend and smashing your gear up at the end of a gig?
Sure but I am too broke to be able to afford that luxury.

How did the great reception that “In advance…” got affect the recording of “this is it”?
I did feel a lot of pressure. When I wrote In Advance I didn’t think anyone would ever hear it, so there is a kind of freedom there to take risks and not worry about the reception. But since I work steadily everyday on material, the pressures at times would subside and I would come up with songs that I was proud of. I was really focused on the songs themselves for This Is It, as opposed to specific guitar parts. I only wanted to use songs where the final product felt seemless and cohesive.

What about a third album? When can we expect that?
I have almost all of the songs demo-ed. I plan on recording sometime in the late summer or early fall. A release will probably happen sometime in early 2010

You’ve had the chance to work with some blinding musicians, who would you still like to work with?
There are many. Nick from Tera Melos, Mick Barr. I would love to work with David Byrne or the women from the band Heart.

You’ve mentioned that you used to write acoustic-y pop songs, are we likely to see an unplugged album?
No, not at all. I wrote that way when I was still exploring and trying to find myself. I’m not particularly proud of that work.

What other musical directions do you see yourself gravitating towards in the future?Everyday it’s different. I seem to change direction with the kind of mood I’m in. Sometimes I gravitate towards sparse, and sometimes I like grand sweeping songs. In the end though, the work tends to be pretty cohesive and somiliar to my style. I am trying to break those patterns though in order to explore different possibilities and grow as an artist.

Do you have a permanent band that you write with now, or is your composition process still very much just you at home still?
It’s still very much me at home composing. That is where I feel most comfortale and can take the time to come up with each part. I’d love to feel comfortable eough to be able to work in a live environment with Zach. We’ve been talking about it.

Do you find it difficult translating your songs, which are extremely layered, onto the stage?
Yes. It is more difficult to translate all of the vocal lines that are happening at once. Right now I have the bassist Malia James as a band member and she helps a lot with the singing. I’ve been using a loop pedal to have 2 guitar parts playing at once, but there are usually 4 or 5 happening at any given time on the records and I’d love to have the resources to hire enough players to excecute the songs properly in a live forum.

Over the past decade and a half, say, females in rock have really started to come to the forefront of alternative music, people such as yourself, Sleater Kinney, OOIOO for instance, but are there still some barriers, as a women, in the business?
I think there are benefits and barriers. I think I do get given a lot of attention for being a female playing the guitar the way I do, that a man might not necessarily recieve. On the other hand, there are definitely preconcieved notions about how a woman is expected to play and sound which is why it is great that the bands which you mentioned exist. The most important thing as far as I’m concerned, is to express individuality regardless of gender. I am never listening to anything thinking about gender. I’m just listening to see if it’s good or interesting. Take the band Ponytail. The singer Molly Siegel is fantastic and I never thought about her being a front women. I just knew the band was good.

We loved you Aristocrats joke on Pitchfork TV, do you have any cleaner jokes you can tell us?
Hmm. All the jokes I know are pretty dirty. I guess I have to work on some cleaner pg rated jokes. Ha ha!

This is the original English version of the interview with Danielle De Picciotto and Alexander Hacke for Bant Magazine’s March-April 2009 issue

 

Before performing their medium blending one of a kind project Ship Of Fools in Istanbul as the guests of Bant Presents: City Star Nights by Converse series, we asked Berlin based Alexander Hacke and Danielle De Picciotto a few questions… 

 

Interview by Ekin Sanaç

 

Danielle De Picciotto answers:

When and how did you discover the novel by Sebastian Brant, which named and inspired The Ship Of Fools project?

I discovered the Book “The Ship Of Fools” when I was on tour in 2004 and visiting London. I had bought the book “Madness and Civilisation” by Michel Foucault which is a great book about the history of madness and describes how its perception has changed through the centuries. Foucault kept on mentioning “The Ship Of Fools” a book by Sebastian Brant and so I bought it later on and was fascinated immediately – it was so contemporary even though it was written in 1456. It was the first bestseller in europe!

 

In which aspects do you find the text written six centuries ago by Brant timeless and still valid? Don’t you find this depressing too in some way?

Brants book describes 112 fools –character traits of people -  and many of them remind me of people I know today -  including myself. Lust, greed, laziness, foolhardiness and intolerance can still be seen everywhere . The fact that people have changed so little in their emotions inspite of technology developing so quickly is strange. It made me wonder why we are still so addicted to and fascinated by our vices and decided to delve into the book to understand the subject matter a little better.

 

Have you made any trips during the production period or was the whole “Ship Of Fools” project produced in Canada?

Alexander Hacke and I worked on preparing the show in Canada, USA, Greece, Venice, Berlin and Italy. We were lucky to be touring a lot during the time and had the possibility of recording a lot of visual and accoustic material in different cultures – making it possible to give an international aspect to the fools. Then we spent two months in Canada on a residency and finished composing the whole show – writing the music, editing the film and drawing the pictures.It was very nice to be able to work in a different country for such a long time –it helps the concentration to be in another city and it gives the whole project a special atmosphere to work in a different place than at home.

 

Who are the dancers you have filmed for the hypnotic “Of Dancing” part?

The dancers I filmed are women from very different cultures – one is japanese, one is american and one is portugese. I did not tell them to dance a certain choreography but asked them to express their personal feelings to the music Alexander had written. It is interesting that the japanese dancer danced a turkish belly dance, the portugese dancer decided to wear a veil and the american dancer used classic dance steps – showing that emotions do not depend on the culture one comes from but can be expressed very differently than expected. I like breaking boundries and I thought this was a beautiful way of doing it.

 

The lyrics you have written for the songs in a way personalizes the whole story in a very effective way. What has been your approach in adding content and text to the original piece in order to adapt it to today, as it  sounds amazingly fresh?

 

While working on the themes I always tried to look at them universally and personally at the same time. This is not easy. With the song “Hey God”  which belongs to the theme “Who judges Others” I immediately thought of war. War comes about by people that think they can judge others –even kill them if they are not doing what they consider right – a crazy concept in my eyes.  But it usually comes about because of great pain – if one is hurt long enough pain becomes so great that one decides to put an end to it and kill the other. The problem is that by killing the pain does not disappear –instead it just moves on to the next person causing just as much pain who then in return wants to cause pain – and in this way it manifests itself even more. I have experienced moments of great pain in which I dreamt of killing God – that is what the song is about.

 

While performing the Ship Of Fools, what is your favorite part of the whole performance?

When we chose the chapters from the book we chose our favorite fools so I like all of the chapters – depending on my mood or the city we are performing in they are always different – also if we have guest musicians participating many unexpected things can happen so I never know which part will be my favorite until the show is over. One that is always a lot of fun is “Sloth” the lazy fool.

 

One of the peaks of the performance is the “Of Sensual Pleasure” part. You have filmed a burlesque dancer for that part, who is way far from being confused or ashamed which feels strongly intended. If someone else had the same theme, they could have filmed a woman who looks like a victim and who is disadvantaged (we get this theme a lot in Turkish art). Actually women figures are constantly present in your paintings and drawings, and you like to present them as riots and strong characters rather than injured or confused, which is very impressive. Can you talk about the women figures in your work and how they exist?

Women have been a theme in my art for a long time.The first solo exhibition I did years ago was based on the theme “My heroines from the past,present and future” –I decided to do that after I realized how little I knew about female artists in general. Up to today the art world is male dominated and it is still more difficult to become successful as a female artist than as a man. I think one of the reasons is because women are still used to standing back – they still accept being second place –even though there is no reason they should.

I have worked together with a lot of femal artists since then and I noticed that the ones that stay persistent and proud no matter what happens , no matter how difficult it is – those are the ones that inspire me and that make a difference in the world.

Having depth because of hardships  but not going under is for me the most fascinating

characteristic and one I always try to achieve.

 

With your drawings and paintings, what materials do you find to work best with, in order to present your artistic vision feeding from madness, darkness and showiness?

I enjoy working with pen most – I like the exact perfection one can achieve with pure black and white – but I also love colors –their warmth and brilliance. The content is not dependant on the technique – sometimes I express madness better with very soft colors and sadness with a very harsch black –and sometimes the other way around …

Thats what I love about art –no rules.

 

 

I guess you are currently directing a new short movie at the moment. Can you tell a bit about the project? What is the movie about?

I have been asked to do a short art movie by the German Foreign Ministry.They will be celebrating 20 years since the fall of the Berlin wall and asked me to direct of movie that expresses the interaction amongst EU countries since then – especially amongst the youth. İ will be working together with many dancers, animation artists,musicans and spoken word performers to portray how colorful and inspiring interaction amongst cultures can be.

 

What other actuality is in your agenda at the moment?

At the moment I am finsihed a book about my twenty years in Berlin and how art, music and culture have delevoped there since 1985 and a lot of personal memoires. I am also planning to finally finsh my solo album this year  and develope a new multi media show.

 

 

Alexander Hacke answers:

I have read that you have finished the Ship Of Fools project in Canada and in about a two months time, which seems like a lot of work in short time! What have been your motivations for creating such a great and whole piece in such a short time? How does being a married couple contribute to that? Can you please tell a bit about the process of producing and creating the project?

We wanted to create something that is a performance featuring audio- and visual components in a truly equal way. One doesn’t work without the other. Also the idea was to provide us with a project wich enables us to showcase our respective talents and abilities and the great variety thereof. That is why we present so many different styles of music and visuals. We love every single one of those genres and techniques and the framework of  “The Ship Of Fools” lets us put them all to use.

That we produced the whole show in just 2 month was only possible in a remote yet inspiring location as the “Funny Farm” in Canada, because Berlin or any other thriving city holds too many distractions in order to get anything done effectively. Out there we had the peace plus access to great archives of rare vinyl and a treasure of weird and beautyful objects and materials. So now we have a product that represents our work as individuals but foremost as a unit. We can travel the world and entertain and collaborate with people everywhere together. Nowadays in order to work as an equal couple and to overcome the stereotypes and restrictions we are forced to create our own enviroment and occupation.

 

What is that instrument/electronic equipment with the screen you are using on stage as The Ship Of Fools? Is it like a sampler where different parts are being recorded and administered? Or is it an instrument where you create the music?

I am using a device called the “Lemur” invented by the French company Jazzmutant. It is merrily a controller to operate computer software. The point about it though is that it’s a multi- touchscreen unit with a flexible layout and structure. This means that I can create various objects like, say balls and connect them to important parameters of a music program, in order to control things like pitch, speed or envelope of a sound. The positon of the objects on the screen refer to those settings and I can move them about with all my 10 fingers at the same time. It is a great way to bring electronic music back into the realm of the physical. Not only for me the performer but also for the audience. It is like playing an instrument again without staring at a laptop and moving a mouse around which basically is the same movement as if I was checking my emails.

 

The music of The Ship Of Fools project is a perfect whole, which is made up of parts so intensely varying from each other. How do you explain this variation fits to the content of the story?

Humans are driven by very different instincts, emotions, needs, urges and so on. I don’t believe in just one form of creation. The world is made of so many very diverse places and there is more than one ultimate truth. The same applies in my opinion to music. I am totally opposed to any form of “ghettoisation” of genres and particularly in working with the theme of those different fools, I couldn’t think of any just one kind of music which would represent them all.

 

Have you completed the writing, arranging and recording the songs for The Ship Of Fools in Canada? What was the recording period like?

Danielle and I worked very close together on all aspects of the pieces. Everything corresponds to one another. An idea for a visual concept would trigger a musical development and vice versa. It was pretty intense but ultimately a lot of fun.

 

While performing the Ship Of Fools, what is your favorite part of the whole performance? Which part to you is the most fun for you on stage?

That is hard to say. As long as everything stays fresh and there is adventure and excitement in every aspect of the performance, I am enjoying all of it equally. And the way things have turned out in the past I am not expecting to touch upon routine and boredom with this project any time soon.

 

In your Istanbul performance, 2 musicians from Baba Zula will be accompanying you on stage. Do you usually have local musicians participate while touring with the Ship Of Fools project?

We try to involve local artists everywhere we can. This way the show develops further and in different ways where ever we go with it and also, I believe, by linking it to the given culture or language it becomes more apparent to the audience. I hate to be an alien or a pirate in this line of business. I prefer to create an atmosphere with the people instead of for or even against them. This kind of provocation is rather outdated in my point of view and has been overrated from the start.

 

Besides the guest musicians, do you always have the same set-up and instruments on stage for The Ship Of Fools performance in terms of how you perform the songs live?

Yes, most of the time. We are obviously limited by what airlines will or will not transport at a given budget and with those absurd security regulations these days.

 

It seems that you have been busy with filmscores lately. Do you find it equally freeing and equally satisfying to write music for a film, as to write music for your own album?

Well, that is commissioned work and especially with movies there is a great deal of marketing involved, meaning it is not only about the music but explaining and thereby “selling” it to the production. Even that can be fun though, kind of practicing the fine art of diplomacy, but mostly I prefer creating music rather than talking about it.

 

What are you working on currently besides the Ship Of Fools touring schedule?

More filmscores I guess.

 

Are you planning a solo record in 2009?

I am superstitious about dropping names at this stage, but I’m looking into collaborating with some new acquaintances and old friends in the field of extreme music, you’ll see or rather hear when we get there.

 

Do you have any actuality after the 2008 tour as Einstürzende Neubauten?

Einstürzende Neubauten? Isn’t that the beast at bottom of the great black abyss, which is not dead but dreaming?

 

Ship Of Fools is going to be performed in Babylon, İstanbul on the 15th of April.

 

Interview by Ekin Sanaç

This is the original English version of the interview with Kría Brekkan for Bant Magazine’s March-April 2009 issue.

 

Once the voice of the charismatic Icelandic band Múm, one of the twin sisters on the cover of Belle & Sebastian’s “Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant”, the princess of the magical lands: Kría Brekkan. After Brekkan left Múm, she started her solo career as the founder of sounds as innocent as lullabies sung for grown-ups. She tells us about her approach to music and to life in general before her first Istanbul appearance in arkaoda on the 15th of March as the guest of Kulaktan Kulağa -the concert series Bant has been organizing with arkaoda. Here’s the interview we did with her through e-mail:

 

*As a multi-instrumentalist, what instruments do you play and use in your music? And which one is your most beloved one?

The piano is special to me. I did not touch it for the first few years when I started creating music. Probably cause I had some classical training on it. I returned to it 5 years ago, and it is definetly the instrument I can express myself most intricatly on,  beside my voice. I used to play the accordion a whole lot. I want to get back into it. Else I´ll make music with whatever I find that makes inspiring sound.

 

*Besides the last year’s “Wildering” EP, you also have a self-release called “Apotropaíosong Armor”. Most people are not interested in self-releasing their stuff anymore, which is quite sad. What are your motivations in self-releasing your music?

It is all part of a process. I had a record deal with a label before I had even dreamt of it, when

I was 18, with my band at the time, múm. When I left the band I wanted to have more intimate time with music with out any structures that would relate it to music buisness, or the outside world in general.  Wildering was a litle bottle message from that dive. And it was made in collaboration with Afterhours in Japan. So it got released there by a label. Apotropaiosong Armor was born by pretty intense survival urge,on many different levels of existence. Glueing the copies became a repetitional meditative act. I thought everywhere around me, giant transformation was taking place. Myself I was suspended in the void of the unknown at the time, a scary yet interesting place. I wrote on the copies TO DIE TO! and took them to Other music record store in Manhatta. I felt the music had to get to the hands of certain people immedietly. That this would be good music for certain people right now. I didnt even see it as completed, and it is not. But i thought there was an agony that wanted to relate.  And certain beautiful abstractness that one arrives at when approching situation with no plan, model or pre-conceived idea about what to do, that i hoped would inspire. I take the copies I make to Other Music in Manhattan or sell them at my shows. I like this rather intimate exchange of them.

 

*Although your releases have been in limited editions and therefore kind of hard to get hold of, you are playing a show in Istanbul soon! How does it make you feel?

Oh, Im really excited about coming to Istanbul. I might even be too excited…

 

*Do your solo performances vary according to where you are playing? Do you always perform with the same equipment? What will accompany you on stage in Istanbul? What will be the setup like?

Yes it does vary.  My friend put up two shows for me in Berlin. He did not exactly know what I was doing, but the two very different venues where both perfect for what I do. A white gallery space with a piano, that I played and sang without a pause one night. And then a black cellar where I performed with electronics spider woman show, on my birthday.

 

*Do you always perform your own songs at your live shows? Or do you play stuff from “Pullhair Rubeye” or your other collaborations too? Do you do any covers?

I´ve done few covers. But really no more than one at a time. I never play anything from “Pullhair Rubeye”.  I made that with Avey Tare and we have not played music together for a while, though we´ve worked together in other ways.

 

*What makes your singing so appealing and special is that it remains somysterious and it is in a way hard to get. It’s like one gets carried away unconsciously and without even knowing what’s really going on. What do you most like to sing about? Do you usually write your lyrics while improvising with the music or do you write them seperately?

Mmm… I am not awfully in control of the lyrics. They sometimes come out simultaneously as a song comes to creation, and insist on beeing certain way eventhough I’d like to change a sentence. I hardly ever write lyrics down without music, I think my choice of words is very affected by the sounds they make and the feeling they give when joined with the harmonics in the tune. But they always have a deep meaning to me. Often times it is a very obvious litle story, especially with the piano songs.

 

*Who are your favorite female voices? Whose voice do you get carried away with?

I like voices that have something completely personal to them.  I don’t care if the voice is a “good singer”. I get turned off when I sense too much amount of influences in the way people express themselves. You know when you can pick out the influence and the expressions in the voice, it does not sound authentic. I get carried away with the atonality of a baby kid singing.

 

*You had a collaboration with Antony for Revered Green’s “Be Good To Earth This Season” Christmas single. How did the collaboration come about?

It was not really a collaboration with Antony. We never even met in the making of this litle record. The collaboration was mainly between me and Reverend Green, whose true name is Brad Truax, a good friend and tour manager for Animal Collective. The two of us made the song and recorded, and it was done really fast, and then Antony sung to it afterwards. The song was recorded for an annual cdr that Brad makes with his roomate and gives to his friends and family for Christmas. Josh Dipp from Animal Collective wanted to make it a 7″ release on their label.

 

*You also played on the Storsveit Nix Noltes record. Which play Greek, Balkan and Turkish folk tunes. Are you familiar with these countries’ folk tunes? Do you follow or practice a lot of world music?

Oh we mostly play Bulgarian music. We´ve played something Greek, but never anything Turkish. Good idea. We want to start playing more as we are putting out a record this spring.  Maybe I should research into Turkish folk music while I’m there. I play accordion in that band.  I don’t practise much anything. But I do love and listen to a whole bunch of music from all over the world. Most of the music I´m into and inspired by is either being made by my friends, or someone who lives on the other side of the equinox, on the otherside of the oceans. In a different world than what´s around me, that often times performs music as ritual, and that appeals to me.

 

*Was Rings’ “Black Habit” your first producing besides your own music? Was it enjoyable for you? What was the recording process like technically?

I was in a band that opperated very much as a recording process. Through that I learn much about how to engineer, the production part I pay no attention to as I do things methodlessly so they will always have certain amount of creativity to how it is done. You know my workmanship I guess. I entered the Rings project as a friend who came along to Kentucky to Paul Oldham´s house. I was brought along without any official task for me beside helping out.  But as soon as I was there, I worked with every bit of energy I had within me straight for 9 days because this needed to be created fast, and there was not much time for sleep and I was in charge of recording them. I had really never done that before unless for myself. We recorded in a bedroom style studio, without the bed in it. Around us were cornfields and it was early spring time and we all had a blast. It was really fun time, the girls were a little bit clueless about how they wanted to do things which made the process very spontanious.

 

*It feels like “Pullhair Rubeye” got really good attention and reactions. How does it feel to make music as a husband and wife duo?

Really? Uh, I must get to Turkey if that is the case! “Pullhair Rubeye” got terrible reaction everywhere i´ve so far been!  It did for sure get attention.  Much more then I realized.  Im very socially aware person, but I live an introverted life. I had no idea that people had such expectations for this record.  It was created in such personal space it didn’t even occur to me that it ever would be reviewed by someone. Me and Dave have not played music together really since recording these songs.

 

*At what points your inspirations seperate from each other with Avey Tare and at what points do they merge? What are the different flavors you think you add to the music seperately?

I´m not sure I understand clearly the question. I know I´ve been a huge insperation to him, in what way I do not know, but I think it has to do with me as a person, rather then a musician. Though maybe there might be no divisions there between. At the same time I think he has influenced me the same way. Sometimes it is hard knowing what is reality. Anyway, I made a song the other day that might sound inpired by old Animal Collective tunes, but really, it’s just because I made it on the instruments around me that happen to be his. They made these kind of sounds. The guitar had this kind of tuning. However we lived together for a while, and listen to a lot of the same music. And a lot of it comes from another continent. And between us there flows something that I can not ascribe to the senses. But the song is for a compilation given for free download for childrens to go to bed to. My song is called “Uterus Water”. If you have children, you should maybe seek it out. If not, try “the spirit cries” field recordings… From another continent…

 

*What are the plans for 2009? Touring as Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan? Are you planning to release anything as solo? Any new collaborations?

Hihi, Avey Tare and Kria Brekkan never tour together. I hardly tour myself. I do shows here and there all the time, mostly in New York. I do hope I´ll have releases this year. I have created so much the last 4 years and I’d like to soon make things more available.

 

*When did you move to New York and do you miss living in Iceland? Or does New York feel satisfactory enough to miss your hometown?

I haven’t been so much on the road since moving here really, in 2006.  I get very interested in things here often. It puts me in a studious mode. Then I go regularly to Iceland. Breathe the air. Swim and stay in water in the light nights of the summer. Those times put flowers into my dreams. Then I´ll sleep in an transitiorial appartment in Chinatown in the rust of the fire of the summer when you should be looking around you, getting rid of what you don’t need, make plans for the winter preperation, but you don’t know what to do, then the flowers in your dreams become a good refugee that wraps around you like a motherly blanket so that you may sleep well, and know that life loves you. Nature has great healing powers. I believe especially the nature around where you are from. Maybe that is somehow elemental. Vibratory. I´ve been in New York all winter. And I am excited to go back to Iceland in March.

  

*What are your favorite tunes nowadays?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfLAv3JHRwY

 

*Anything you want to say to the Istanbul audience?

I will when I get there.