The
People
The People come from Sweden
a country that either produces ordinary copy cats or gives birth to really
talented and innovative acts. The People belong to the second category
having in their sound influences and tinges from punk, rock and metal music.
I'm sure that the openminded fans will find their music extremely interesting
and catchy! Trust me!!!
1.HELLO (THE ) PEOPLE FROM SWEDEN :). FIRST
OF ALL YOUR MUSIC KICKS ASS... ENOUGH THOUGH WITH THE
COMPLIMENTS. SINCE YOU ARE A NEW BAND I WOULD
LIKE YOU TO GIVE ME A SHORT BIO AND PRESENT THE CURRENT LINE - UP...
Thank you! We appreciate the compliments very
much! We’ve been playing together as a group since the summer of 2004.
We recorded our first demo in the autumn the same year and then began playing
the rocknroll clubs around Stockholm, recorded our second demo in March
2005, and continued gigging. We, The People, are:
Ron Aiden – vocals, cowbell
Dexter Trigonometric – Bass, vibraslap, growl,
nice backing vocals
Judas Retro – Guitars, harp, backing vocals
Jimmy Humanity – Drums, backing vocals
2."VOL.2" IS YOUR SECOND DEMO. CAN YOU TELL ME
WHICH ARE THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES WITH YOUR PREVIOUS ONE? WHERE
HAVE YOU RECORDED THEM, CAUSE BOTH HAVE A VERY PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION...
Dexter: Both demos are real budget recordings.
Luckily we have this friend, Mr. JJ Fett, who has his own studio, "studio
124", so he gave us a real nice price on the first demo, and did a great
job too. On Vol 2 we wanted to try something else, so we went with "Real
Music Studio", an all-analog blues studio in Stockholm run by selfproclaimed
"blues-police" Per ?ngman. We liked what he did too. Friends of ours, hippie-scheisse
rockers Siena Root, gave us the tip on that one. Both demos we’re recorded
and mixed in 3 days.
Judas: I think the first demo has a somewhat
dry sound but I really dig it more and more as time goes by. The songs
have more variation than Vol 2, which is always fun. I like Vol 2 a lot
though. We could probably play better, but it was really good for that
time and money.
3.YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC AS BLUES MEETS PUNK
ROCK!!! WELL, WHEN I READ THESE WORDS I THOUGHT THAT THESE TWO MUSICAL
GENRES ARE NOT COMPATIBLE, BUT SOMEHOW YOU ACHIEVED TO COMBINE THEM. I
WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU DID IT (HOPING THAT IT ISN'T A BAND'S TOP SECRET :))?
Judas: The four of us has a lot in common
musically but different musical backgrounds. When we agree of how a song
should be, then that’s the sound! We’re also in our 20’s, with one foot
in teenage angst and the other in the old folks home. That I think is the
top secret. Not a secret anymore though...
Dexter: We all have a very broad musical taste.
We've always tried to avoid setting up any rules on how we want our music
to sound like, any idea or riff that sounds good we keep. Wheter it's country,
blues, heavy metal or whatever.
4.NOW AS A METALHEAD THAT I AM, IN YOUR MUSIC
I ALSO FOUND MANY HARD ROCK/METAL ELEMENTS. FOR EXAMPLE YOU BROUGHT TO
MY MIND BANDS LIKE BLACK SABBATH, DANZING, LYNRYD SKYNRYD, MOLLY HATCHET
AND ZAK WYLDE'S PRIDE AND GLORY. DO YOU AGREE? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT
THE
ABOVE MENTIONED BANDS?
Judas: Sabbath is a foundation, Misfits with
Danzig is great inspiration, Skynyrd are great musicians, likewise with
Zakk W. Molly Hatchet I am still to find out about, I ashamedly must admit...
We also like the Beatles a lot.
Dexter: Never heard Molly Hatchet. The others
are good, especially Sabbath.
Ron: Danzig has definitely been the most important
influence for me. I’ve always wanted to be able to howl like Evil Elvis.
“…And we’re all dead” is a tribute to Glenn and The Misfits.
Jimmy Humanity: I love Sabbath. The other bands
you mentioned I haven’t listen to so much.
5.OK, SINCE WE TALK ABOUT INFLUENCES, I WOULD
LIKE TO KNOW WHICH OTHER ARTISTS AND BANDS HAVE INFLUENCED YOU. ALSO, NAME
5 OF ALL YOUR TIME FAVORITE ALBUMS...
Judas: CCR, Beatles, Kiss, Mot?rhead, the
Band, Lonnie Mack, Link Wray, Misfits, Sex Pistols, Hendrix, Asta Kask,
Sonics etc. I don't think the list ever stops really... Albums: Toughest
question so far, kompis! It differs from time to time, depending on what
mood your in and everything. Ebba Gr?n - We're only in it for the drugs,
The Beatles - Rubber Soul, Nirvana - Nevermind, Creedence - Green River,
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath.
Dexter: For me its always been Neil Young,
Bob Dylan, The Band, Tom Waits, Howling Wolf, The Beatles along with heavier
groups such as Guns 'n' Roses, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Entombed, At the Gates.
Albums: "Sleeps with Angels" - Neil Young, "Live 1966" - Dylan with the
Band, "Strange Days" - The Doors, "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles, "Clandestine"
- Entombed.
Ron: I’m very much into the “lonely guy with
a piano/guitar”-thing, Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Johnny Cash. PJ Harvey
is also a big influence. My top five albums in no particular order: “To
Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the truth” – Entombed, Danzig (first three
albums, count as one), “To bring you my love” – PJ Harvey, “No more shall
we part” – Nick Cave, “Live at San Quentin” – Johnny Cash.
Humanity: Kiss, Band, Nirvana, Sabbath, Dylan,
Grandfunk Railroad, Jimi Hendrix, Soundgarden, Beatles, John Coltrane,
Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Alice In Chains, Van Morrison, Leadbelly,
Staple Singers, Sly and the Family Stone, Misfits, Sonic Youth. I
had to name six albums because I don’t know which one of this records I
would leave out; Rolling Stones – Exile on main street, Kiss – Kiss, Beatles
–Beatles, John Coltrane – A love Supreme, Jimi Hendrix – Axis: Bold as
Love, Band - Band.
6.IN THE PAST THERE WAS "HATRED" BETWEEN THE PUNK
ROCKERS AND METALLERS, SOMETHING THAT I FOUND EXTREMELY STRANGE CAUSE THOSE
TWO GENRES ARE VERY CLOSE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT? DO YOU BELIEVE THAT
THIS "HATRED" STILL EXISTS OR NOW THINGS ARE MORE PEACEFUL?
Ron: Never felt that vibe.
Judas: I have no experience of that. Up here
they have always got along. We've got other beefs. So called nu-metal we
don't like. Synthezizers and hardrockers didn't get along back in the 80's
but no one really cares these days, people just want to look pretty in
front of cameras. Pretty pathetic, that is...
Dexter: Yeah, in Sweden we had this "synth
versus heavy metal"-thing. But that was before my time...
Jimmy Humanity: The music is more important
than the specific style. People that are too involved in how they look,
I think, should concentrate more on the music instead.
7.SO LONG WE ONLY TALKED ABOUT THE MUSIC. LET'S
SAY FEW THINGS ABOUT THE LYRICS. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM AND WHAT KIND
OF LYRICS DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE?
Dexter: We all write them, whoever gets an
idea write it. Personally I have to struggle with them, it's hard to express
yourself in a foreign language. I'm trying to avoid being too serious,
I wish I could write like Dylan or Waits does, but I can't, it would just
get pretentios and pathetic. So I think I'll stick with simple.
Judas: As for me, I'd really like to make a
point sometime but it usually goes out the window somewhere along the way.
Fuckin' words... I'm gonna try to be more poetic in the future. Or let
the others handle the lyricpart. I haven't decided yet.
Ron: I have written very few lyrics with The
People, but generally I think good lyrics should be credible. The worst
thing you can do as a singer is having to tell a story which you can’t
relate to. It would be strange for me to get up on a stage and sing about
dragons, so I’m glad I didn’t join a power-metal band!
Jimmy Humanity: For me the music always comes
first then I just sing something when I’m trying to figure out a melody.
After that, when I got a melody, the hardest part comes, when I’m trying
to make some sense with the lyrics, sometimes It works.
8.AS I SAID BEFORE YOUR MUSIC IS GREAT AND I AM
SURPRISED HOW COME A LABEL DIDN'T SIGN YOU FROM YOUR FIRST DEMO... WILL
YOU SEND YOUR NEW DEMO TO LABELS? WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT A LABEL TO OFFER
YOU IN ORDER TO SIGN A DEAL?
Judas: We need independency of course but
there's a lot of work in putting out your own shit. And I gotta work fulltime
too to feed my five kids y'know. But I'm not willing to compromise anyway.
A good label I guess could take a great load off our backs, especially
when it comes to financing recordings. And promotion as we like it. Then
maybe somebody could help out with booking gigs and stuff like that. As
long as they don't interfere with the creative parts, we could always have
dinner on their tab or whatever... Yeah, we'll send out a few demos I suppose.
9.HAVE YOU DONE ANY LIVE SHOWS? WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER
FROM THE FIRST TIMEYOU 'VE PLAYED LIVE ON STAGE?
Ron: 10-15 shows so far, we try to play as
much as possible. Our first gig was in a suburban schoolyard in broad daylight
on a Sunday. The audience consisted of one (1) person. I must say
we have done better shows since.
Judas: On our first gig I tried the old "switch-guitars-every-song-to-look-professional"-trick
but it sounded like crap. Since then, as a weird punishment, I always break
strings if I only bring one guitar. I'm fucking cursed! Don't try it kids.
Sure, you'll look good, but there's more to life than that...
10.HOW ARE THINGS IN SWEDEN? DO PEOPLE SUPPORT
THE BANDS THERE OR IS IT LIKE HERE IN GREECE THAT YOU FIRST HAVE TO SUCCEED
ABROAD AND THEN THE PEOPLE OF YOUR COUNTRY WILL SUPPORT YOU?
Ron: I don’t believe you need to succeed abroad
before feeling the support of your “own” people, however, in Stockholm,
it’s very difficult to get people to come see the shows, this is probably
‘cause there is an incredible amount of bands in Stockholm and therefore
the audience has grown a bit tired of it all. If a band plays Friday night
there’ll probably be another 100 playing somewhere else, so the audience
gets spread out, leaving us with the crumbs.
Judas: It depends on current trends I suppose.
To make it big that is. But if you continue your struggle regardless, you're
bound to come across enough freaks around the country to keep up the illusion...
God bless them! At least that is what has happened to friends of ours.
It's always a plus to have a crowd abroad though, Sweden is no exception.
11.LET'S SUPPOSE THAT YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO INVITE
A FAMOUS MUSICIAN TO PARTICIPATE IN ONE OF YOUR SONGS. WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE
AND WHY?
Judas: Guitarhero Link Wray. I heard he doesn't
live too far away from here. He's a great inspiration. Or Paul McCartney.
I think that guy can do just about anything.
Dexter: Neil Young, I've always dreamed of
jamming with him.
Ron: Johnny Cash would be great! But I’m afraid
that’ll have to wait.
Humanity: Ace Frehley: Kiss was the first band
I listened to. I was six years old and I've blasted the volume up to classic
Kiss records in my boyroom. And even though I’m a drummer Ace has always
been my favorite Kiss member. His guitar solos are so good.
12.YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO DO A VIDEO-CLIP FOR
ONE OF THE SONGS THAT YOU HAVE COMPOSED. WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO
VISUALISE AND WHY? HOW DO YOU IMAGINE THE VIDOECLIP TO BE?
Judas: Sweet Emelie, from the "GMF"-demo (the
first demo). Two dogs sniffing each others arses throughout the whole video.
At the end they part ways.
Ron: I’d like to do “100 Days”, I have this
vision of me holding a very big gun, shooting a toy-rabbit! Muahahaha!
Humanity: I like Judas' idea.
13.IMAGINE THAT YOU LEAVE IN A WORLD WITHOUT A
MUSIC, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Judas: Masturbate a lot more.
Dexter: Be a proffesional soccer player.
Ron: I’d probably be dead.
Humanity: Invent music.
14.BY THE WAY, HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THIS STRANGE
BAND NAME? VERY UNUSAL INDEED? SO, DO YOU WANT TO TELL US HOW YOU SELECTED
IT AND WHY?
Judas: I wanted us to be called "Four more
years", but the guys we're sceptical about that for some reason (I'll have
to start another band!). Then I saw the book by Chomsky, "Profit over People".
"The profit" sounded too awful and since we have both workers and students
in the band, "The People" seemed to fit. Strangely enough the others agreed.
Dexter: We went through a lot of suggestions,
this was the least strange one!
15.THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INTERVIEW! I WISH
YOU GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR MUSIC AND I AM SURE THAT YOU 'LL FIND VERY SOON
A GOOD CONTRACT. THE LAST LINES BELONG TO YOU... ALSO LEAVE A MESSAGE TO
THE READERS OF BEHIND THE VEIL WEBZINE...
Dexter: Thank you, I hope we'll see you in
Greece sometime!
Humanity: Yeah,, nice that you like our music.
It would be really fun to come to Greece and play.
Ron: Thanx!
Judas: Thank you Nikos! It was our pleasure.
And to the readers: Since you're already in front of a computer, check
out www.thepeople.se!
Take care of each other in love and solidarity. So long.
Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis
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