|| DAN BIBBY AND THE AESTHETIC KNOBS ||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
The freedom of it all was always very appealing. To start with nothing and end up with a complete song without any creative boundaries is a very liberating feeling – so I guess I made the right choice by choosing to pursue music.
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
To paraphrase Councilman Jamm from Parks & Rec – “It’s just general rock, man!” We’ve tried and failed a few times to nail down our sound beyond that, but we dabble with so many different sub-genres that it feels limiting to pigeonhole ourselves. Let’s just say alternative rock.
3) Has your style evolved since the beginning of your career? Or did you always follow that stream?
Listening back to our earlier material, I think the energy in our song writing has become much more noticeable. It’s frantic, and drags you along for the ride. I love that, and I think it reflects the fact that the longer we stay together, the more fun we have.
4) Do you create music for yourself or for fans’ taste? Nowadays it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
Music is too subjective to please everyone. Even pop music, which is designed to attempt that very feat, pisses a lot of people off in the process. We just write what we want to write, and then all the reactions, good and bad, are at least sincere.
5) Does your outfit have anything to do with the music you listen to or play?
Not really. I mean, skinny jeans and studded belts are very 00’s, right? Maybe that’s as far as it goes.
6) What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
Because of the stage we find ourselves at in our career, finding the time and money to get done what we need to do gets very difficult at times. Nothing about being in a band is cheap, and it all takes time, so you need to make sacrifices in all areas of your life. That gets quite tough at times, but personally, I think it’s all worth it.
7)Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with and why?
It’s tough to say. Part of me wants to say someone completely different to us, because that would lead to some very interesting results. At the same time, a kindred band or artist would also be super fun to work with. Maybe one day we’ll try both.
8) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
Probably Enema of the State by Blink-182. It’s packed full of fun and chaos, but it knows when to have its serious moments – no matter how fleeting.
9) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what listening to?
At the moment, I can’t get enough of Hot Milk. Incredibly gifted song writers, and they’re otherworldly live. If you’ve not listened to them, get your ears around them – you won’t regret it.
|| RADIOACTIVE PINEAPPLE ||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
I played the guitar on and off when I was a kid but never had huge ambitions back then. I had already quit but then I saw Green Day in 2010 which made me pick up my guitar once more. Jamming their songs made me realize that great music doesn’t need to be that complex which got me interested in making some by myself. In 2011 I started taking guitar lessons from the former Smack-guitarist Rane whose practical methods (no music sheets, just play to learn) made me believe in my skills and created a desire to be in a band. -Jake
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I would describe my songs as manic-depressive, children’s lullabies on roids or as genocide in bubblegum pink. Often I compose my songs in major, but then I’ll add dark and grim lyrics. Otherwise the songs are pretty standard pop/skate punk. -Ozzie
3) Did your style evolved since the beginning of your career? Or did you always followed that stream?
Earlier I was more into scene-like punk but when I started listening to blink-182 I became a dull sell-out. After my first band Too Hot for Radio broke up in 2017, we founded Stunted City with Thoubi and Johnsson and tried to incorporate some metal elements to our sound which was pretty cool. However after I (and later Johnsson) joined Pineapple, I think I’ve come back closer to my pop punk -roots when it comes to songwriting. -Jake
4) Do you create music for yourself or for fans’ taste? Nowadays it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
I think there’s this little Pineapple-twist on everything we do that attracts some people to our music. However it’s impossible to please everyone so it’s rather important to be honest to yourself and to what you do. -Jake
5) Does your outfit have anything to do with the music you listen to or play?
My outfit is not that special since it mostly includes converse-shoes, black jeans, black long-sleeve shirt with colored sleeves and truckloads of hair gel. However it may hint to some people that I’m into rock-music, but I’m not sure. -Jake
Vans shoes are a must-have! Instant skate punk vibes. -Ozzie
6) What is the biggest problem you have encontoured in the journey of music?
The supply is far greater than demand. And don’t get me wrong, it is a good thing people are interested in making music but the con side is that it is really difficult to reach your potential listeners since there are so many small bands. The current era probably amplifies the phenomenon because streaming platforms are overflowed with music people are recording at their home studios. The huge supply of music also attracts all kinds of conmen who are trying to use you promising fame and taking your money for nothing. -Jake
7) Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with and why?
To be an actually credible pop punk -band definitely requires Mark Hoppus to be featured on one of your albums (unless you’re Green Day or something) -Jake
8) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
I would be the album Aquarium by Aqua, I refuse to elaborate. -Ozzie
9) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what listening to?
Try Atomirotta, a Finnish band combining hiphop-elements to old-school American rock (their lineup also includes my former teacher Rane, who was mentioned earlier, on guitar). Or you could try the Chats, this new Aussie punk rock band (they are probably younger than us, lol). I like their sound since it’s kind of modern but at the same time kind of raw and garage-like. Their songs are simple and therefore usually pretty catchy. -Jake
|| ELOAH||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
As long as I can remember, I have been a musician, meaning that I have always enjoyed making music, which is why I took piano lessons from early childhood on. So my love for music has made it very clear to me that music would always be an important part of my life.
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
When I write a piece, it is always an expression of an emotion. The music is like pouring this emotion into a form, providing it with a vessel to make it accessible to others so that they can – if they like – relive or transcend the emotion, which is what I do while creating it. So any music I create is some kind of katharsis and/or spiritual birth for me, a creative process that converts a part of my invisible (and inaudible) inner world into something concrete – a song.
3) Did your style evolved since the beginning of your career? Or did you always followed that stream?
Oh yes, it evolved, and it still does. Whereas you can certainly hear influences from various artists in my music, I never followed any stream. More over, due to the many great musicians I play with and with every new song, my style evolves and develops further. It started from simple guitar & vocals and has now grown into to rock, metal, pop, new age and jazz like arrangements.
4) Do you create music for yourself or for fans’ taste? Nowadays it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
No, I would not know how to do that, actually. That does not mean that I create the music purely for myself, though. In my opinion, loving the music you create yourself is a conditio sine qua non, and starting from that, for every piece of music coming from the heart there will be others who love it as well.
5) Does your outfit have anything to do with the music you listen to or play?
To some part optics, be it the cover art of an album or the way you dress on an PR photograph, can be connected to the music you create, and an outfit can (but does not have to) be chosen consciously as an expression of ones style.
6) What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
Since the rise of MP3 and music streaming on the internet, music is vastly underpaid, and it is very difficult for independent artists to live from their art alone.
7) Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with and why?
The ideal artists to collaborate with are Orion Roos on guitars, Peter Douwenga on bass guitar, Johan van der Meer on drums and percussion, Dominik Mittergradnegger on saxophone and violin, and Lila Herderberg on vocals, because together we have created, are creating and will be creating great music,
like our latest album “Proud to Love You.”
8) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
If I were a CD, I would like to be our latest album “Proud to Love You.”, because I would know that I was created from and with a lot of love and dedication, and my reason for being were the different aspects of romantic love, and that whenever I was played I would (try to) kindle romantic feelings in my listeners
– what more could you want from your existence?
9) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what listening to?
I have never met a musical person who was undecided about what to listen to. Anybody who likes music does that because (s)he knows what (s)he likes. I did meet people, though, who were not that into music in general – in that case I would suggest to try out different general styles (classic, pop, rock, jazz), and then narrow it down from there. And, naturally, I would ask them to try out our latest album, “Proud to Love You”.
|| BLOTTER ||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
We all grew up in music loving families, so becoming musicians stemmed from us wanting to emulate our favorite artists and bands growing up.
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
It can vary. We write songs about our life experiences which can be very diverse. Sometimes it’s a straight up old school rock and roll song. Sometimes it can be a more ballad type song. It all depends on what we’re feeling at the time we write it.
3) Did your style evolved since the beginning of your carrer? Or did you always followed that stream?
Absolutely! Learning more about your instrument and craft will always cause you to evolve. Evolving just means you’ve grown as a musician. In the beginning we wrote very basic songs without many
intricate components. As our band members have become more proficient we’ve learned how to incorporate things like vocal harmonies, break downs, and dual guitar solos.
4) Do you create music for yourself or for fans’ taste? Nowadays it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
Honestly, it’s a little bit of both. We definitely want our fans to enjoy our music, but we also want to love
the music we’re playing. At the end of the day we’re not just musicians, but fans as well. If it’s not something that we would enjoy hearing live then we’re less likely to really put time into working on it.
5) Does your outfit have anything to do with the music you listen to or play?
We’ve never been a group that dresses up to perform. Some bands like to put on make-up or wear some sort of uniform. Aside from looking like a rock band with some band t-shirts and some Chuck Taylors we don’t really see a need yet to get theatric with our outfits.
6) What is the biggest problem you have encontoured in the journey of music?
For us personally it has really been getting everyone on the same page, and working towards the same goals together. We all have different personalities, so it can be hard to do. We’ve lost members, and gained members for that reason. It took us years to finally whip ourselves into shape, and work together as one unit. We’re really proud of getting to that
point!
7) Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with and why?
Depends on the collaboration. If it’s to collaborate on a single song what would kick more ass than to have someone like Rob Halford or Ace Frehley to join in on the track?! Besides them being legends and us being star struck, the things they could show us to kick the song up a notch and take it to the next level
would be invaluable. However, if we’re talking a tour or a single show then collaborating with a band like
Alice Cooper or Ghost would be amazing!
8) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
Shewww, that list could be a mile long! If we have to choose then collectively we would say Alive! by KISS. Aside from being one of our favorite albums of all-time, the raw energy of that album is enough to show everyone that you mean business! That album really showcases what it’s supposed to be like when you go to see a live band. They’re giving you 100%, and that’s exactly what we try to emulate.
9) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what listening to?
Theres no way we could choose just one! For us in general we love bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, KISS, Alice Cooper, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Led Zeppelin, Ghost, Dio, The Black Keys, Judas Priest, Twelve Foot Ninja, Tesla, Metallica, the list goes on and on! Any of these bands are worth diving into!
|| FAREWELL FORTUNE ||
1) What made you want to become a musician?
Listening to all the great bands of yesteryear, I loved the stories they would tell through their songs. I was always interested in writing lyrics, and in 2014 I finally took the step to chasing that dream of creating songs.
2) How would you describe the music that you typically create?
The music is a mixture of many genres. I would say rock is the main ingredient, but the seasoning consists of blues, EDM, and industrial.
3) Has your style evolved since the beginning of your career, or did you always follow that stream?
I think every artist’s style evolves over the years. If you don’t take some risks and push yourself musically, you will quickly get bored with the same material.
4) Do you create music for yourself or for fans’ taste? Nowadays it is always hard to satisfy listeners.
I always write to my experiences. I only want the fans to be able to relate to the lyrical message I am conveying. Really shouldn’t write music to satisfy listeners. Music is an outlet and an art form.
5) Does your outfit have anything to do with the music you listen to or play?
No.
6) What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
The biggest problem I believe is the lack of fair pay for many artists. Streaming services and record labels are taking the majority of income from these mainstream artists and it needs to be somehow changed to benefit the artist in a more equitable structure for both entities.
7) Who’s your ideal artist to collaborate with and why?
I utilize many different artists in my albums across different genres. It is specific to the music that needs
recorded. There is so much talent out there, I am just in awe of my fellow musicians. I have recently heard some bands like Konjur, AGBAT, SoleilnoiR, Death Pigeon, and Anger Overdose. All of those bands are definitely influencing how my music evolves.
8) If you were a CD/album, what would you be and why?
That’s a wild question haha. Hmm. I would say I would be Metallica “Master of Puppets”. I just love to rock nonstop.
9) What artist would you recommend to a person who is undecided about what to listen to?
Mammoth WVH has an awesome album out. Alter Bridge has also been a favorite of mine for awhile now.
[In collaboration with ROGUE PR]
ROKKERSPRESS 