What was the beginning point for your music career? How did it all start?
Misfits finding each other in a rural area outside of Oslo in Norway. We were tired of getting the shit beat out of us, and beating the shit out of the locals in the smalltown where we lived, so we started a band…much more healthy.
Were there any bumps on the road? What kind of challenges did you have to deal with?
Yeah, lots of bumps…for a while we had a black cloud following us everywhere. We had it all; deaths, insanity, personal issues piled up, members disappearing, members quitting, members with nothing but drugs and alcohol on the menu, dropped by label, lying and narcissistic people working for us, total lack of recognition in our home country (Norway)and not allowed into the inner circle…the list goes on and on and on
What was the most fulfilling and satisfying moment so far?
Entering the charts with our first release “Natalie Somewhere EP”, getting lots airplay, getting good reviews, being played on MTV, playing on Norway’s (then) biggest festival the “Quart Festival”…felt really good. Felt like a giant middle finger to all the people that never believed in us…
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
We are a bit of everything…Might be a part of the new wave of “ new melodic rock” movement or whatever the fuck they call it that is on the rise now. There are chunks of hard rock, emo, pop, classic rock, grunge, folk, electronica…Our music is reflected by what we like; Queen, Porcupine Tree, Beatles, Radiohead, REM, The Cure, Basement Jaxx, The Prodigy, Bob Dylan, The Clash, ELO, Thin Lizzy, Woven Hand, Bernard Butler, Suede, The Smiths, Van Halen…We are basically fans of music, and that shines through in what we do. And with our take on music through rock history we end up with our own thing; Peel is Peel.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
Wouldn’t it be great to get the record shops back? Blow the streaming services to pieces, and get CDs, vinyl, cassettes back…A bit sentimental and nostalgic, but it would be nice to get better paid from Spotify & Co for the streams.
If you were asked to give a piece of advice to upcoming bands, what would that be?
Never quit! NEVER! Don’t let the fuckers (whoever they might be) get to you! Create with your heart! Speak your mind with music. Don’t create music for fame, don’t create for fortune…
What has been the best performance of your career so far?
We recently did a festival deep in the Norwegian forest…In absolutely breathtaking surroundings and to a quite small audience we played well and connected with the trees, the animals and the people…haha… Seriously; it was great. We have done lots of cool gigs.
If you didn’t become a musician, what would you be doing now?
Probably be a trio of raging, hardcore alcoholics killing ourselves slowly down at the local pub…hehe.
What is new with the band at the moment? What are you currently working on and would like to share with the world?
We have released a single “Love Phobia” which we are promoting hard. Check it out on Spotify or other streaming services! We will probably release two more singles before christmas. And if all goes well we’ll release an album early 2025. We really hope to get out on the road next year.
