Great Hare Q&A

Your name:

Anders Holmström.

Where are you from?

Gothenburg, Sweden.

Name of band:

We're called Great Hare, after lots of nocturnal chance encounters with wild bunnies outside the studio.

Who else is in your band?

The four of us are singer and guitarist Kalle Mogren, bass player Berne Randulv, drummer Lars Olausson and guitarist Anders Holmström.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

We formed a few years ago after a long hiatus from music to have a refuge from everyday life. So we built a primitive recording studio in a small attic. We turn up and turn on the lights at night looking for melodies that want to be turned into songs. Places that exist for a few minutes, with clouds, storms and pockets of calm. The good ones arrive like waves hitting a beach or echoes of something submerged under the surface.

Who are your main influences musically?

All of us share a love of indie rock, dreamy psychedelic sounds and 80s/90s alternative music. We filter that through influences like Big Star, Brian Eno, Neil Young, The Cure, Neu and Television. Discovering new bands through underground radio and blogs is always fun too.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

Our aim is to keep chasing songs in the studio and put out singles and EPs on labels we look up to. And getting out and playing in front of people more often, we really miss that!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Probably hearing ourselves on BBC for the first time. But the other day we realized that we've reached 50,000 plays on SoundCloud which is equally mind-boggling to us. Knowing that someone in South America or Japan listens and likes what they hear makes our day.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

We still mourn a few tracks we've lost because of our ancient computer.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Call Me Stupid from our latest EP. It's a pop song inside a torrent of sounds.

We made it up on the spot after pressing record, and those are usually the best.

Where can we listen to it?

Go here: https://m.soundcloud.com/greathare/call-me-stupid

Where can we find out more about your music? 

SoundCloud - http://soundcloud.com/greathare

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3YssHTMmi7MZy7WKCReF0u

Bandcamp - https://greathare.bandcamp.com

Apple Music - https://itun.es/se/u0bPO

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggwp6IgPgxk

Facebook - http://facebook.com/greathare

Tumblr - http://www.tumblr.com/blog/greathare

Twitter - http://twitter.com/great_hare

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

Music is modern day magic.

Roenik Q&A

Your name:

Niels Nankler (lead singer).

Where are you from?

Gothenburg, Sweden.

Name of band:

Roenik.

Who else is in your band?

Jonas Wållberg (keys and programming), John London (bass, engineering), Patrik Herrström (drums) and Polen Kurzawa (guitar).

How would you describe yourselves?

A group of school friends who shared the interests of making weird ideas come real, partying and - of course - music. 

Four years ago we were one of those bands that were bound to happen. With a management in London and New York, who shovelled money on us, we spent a year (2008-09) to and from London, playing showcase gigs, meeting labels and we recorded an album with demon producer Yoad Nevo (Air, Sugababes, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Gahan, Moby, Sophie Ellis Bextor among others). When the record was finished and it was nearing a release, the management two main characters could no longer cooperate and suddenly it was like the air castle under our feet disappeared.

Rationally, it was no difficulty seeing what needed to be done, but with so radically-altered conditions and plummeting spirits within the group, it became too heavy and the escape was close at hand. Especially as people began to leave and when Me And My Army (with several members the same as in Roenik) was born at the release party for Someone's Love Is Going To Die - the first single on what would have been our full-length debut - any other band would have gone to the grave.

But not us.

We still believe that what has happened can be turned into something to write on.

We have made this entire album ourselves, the whole procedure through, from recording, mixing to cover art etc. We feel incredibly invigorated by the process - this album is us. No selling compromises!

The feeling of gratitude to the people who always have been there and requested a continuation is extremely precious to us. Thank you!

Who are your main influences musically?

My very first musical love affair was with the Beatles and I guess it never really ended, it just evolved to include many others, like Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Flaming Lips, Spiritualized, Depeche Mode, and many more.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

See above.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

See above.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

See above.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

I think I'm Still Here best represents our union between the organic and electronic. Or as put in other words below: "It's where the old clashes with the new that Roenik's music holds its ground. Never before has a pop and rock song had both feet in a so very modern four on the floor electronic foundation, yet held its head high in the melancholy and nostalgia of the Seventies and Eighties. With such elegance and total absence of friction that you don't know whether you're drumming the beat of the new or humming the tune of the old."

Where can we listen to it?

http://youtu.be/NM9cZhOJpcc

http://open.spotify.com/track/5axlkUBnJnXEMRmTvpLYOx

Where can we find out more about your music?

http://roenik.com

http://facebook.com/roenikband

http://soundcloud.com/roenik

http://myspace.com/roenik

http://youtube.com/roenikband

http://reverbnation.com/roenik

http://open.spotify.com/album/5z4WdtRlenHJNNbvAMtwOX

http://purevolume.com/roenik

https://itunes..apple.com/artist/roenik/id336839390

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/roenik

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

Roenik is still the platform for various ideas to take shape such as: beer breewing, underground clubs and recording as well as producing others in our studio "Lyckholmia".

Vogon Poetry Q&A

Your name:

Roger Tell.

Where are you from?

Gothenburg, Sweden.

Name of band:

Vogon Poetry.

Who else is in your band?

Daniel Önnerby and John Andersson.

How would you describe yourselves?

We play synthpop/electronic pop the way it's supposed to sound, according to Vogon Poetry :). Catchy melodies combined with rather dark gloomy lyrics. Everything attached in the eighties (of course :) ).

Who are your main influences musically?

Classic eighties-bands like Yazoo, Ultravox, Visage and Depeche Mode of course, but also swedish bands we have grown up with, such as Page, S.P.O.C.K, State Machine, Covenant and Elegant Machinery...

What do you hope to achieve in music?

World dominance! We should have chosen another genre...Oh well, since it's too late for that I guess we will settle with the joy of actually being able to create what we want and delivering it both live and on record.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

The highlight has to be that we just have finished our first full album and that we actually (a little bit surprised there) are very satisfied with it.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Let's hope there never will be such a moment. We do everything just for the fun of it and even awkward moments can be worth remembering :)

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

That's extremely hard...can I pleeease take two that differs quite from each other? The newest songs are not published yet though...if I may I'd take A Fine Day and In Darkness Lost Again. They are quite the opposites. 

Where can we listen to it? 

A Fine Day: https://soundcloud.com/vogonpoetrymusic/vogon-poetry-a-fine-day
In darkness lost again: https://soundcloud.com/vogonpoetrymusic/vogon-poetry-in-darkness-lost

Where can we find out more about your music?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vogonpoetrymusic
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/vogonpoetrymusic
Twitter: @vogonpoetryband
Spotify: Vogon Poetry
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/se/artist/vogon-poetry/id581369559
Bandcamp: https://vogonpoetrymusic.bandcamp.com/
Contact: vogonpoetrymusic@gmail.com

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

Our upcoming album "Don't Panic" can be pre-ordered now through Bandcamp. It comes as CD+Digital download or only Download (69/49 SEK). During Pre-order (until 30th of April) you get 20 SEK discount and three immediate downloadable tracks. :)

Marty Moretimer Q&A

Your name:

Marty Moretimer.

Where are you from?

Gothenburg, Sweden.

How would you describe yourselves?

Freelance musician (pedal-steel, dobro, lap-steel).

Who are your main influences musically?

Lloyd Green, Weldon Myrick, John Hughey, Jay Dee Maness.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Keep continuing what I’m doing now, studio work!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Touring in Europe with Kentucky artist Mike Bella!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Highlights and mistakes are all part of my career and I don’t want to forget about any of them!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Impossible since playing so many styles!

Where can we find out more about your music?

http://about.me/martymoretimer & later this fall at : http://www.martymoretimer.com