Time to talk: The Rural Alberta Advantage

photo by saddle creek

The Rural Alberta Advantage is a three-piece-band from Toronto, Canada, consisting of the members Paul Banwatt, Amy Cole and Nils Edenloff.
Since i know this band i love their music - starting with the debut album Hometowns in 2008 and followed by the second album Departing (2011) both released on Saddle Creek Records. Their dynamic & fresh sound, the awesome drums and the impressive folk-rock songs caught me easily - as a lot of people i fell in love with their hit "Stamp" that also has a nice music video you gotta see.
In September 2014 their third album called Mended With Gold came out. So they are touring right now and will play a show in Berlin on 3rd december at Lido.

Your new record is out for some weeks now. how is the feedback so far?

Paul: The feedback is great! We have people telling us it's their favourite record of ours at every show, and that feels amazing.

You needed 3 years from "hometowns" to "departing" and now it took 3 years again. so the next album comes 2017?

Paul: I want to say it will be sooner... But I can't promise anything. We take our time. When we rush, we are never happy about the results. Having said that, our co-producer Matt Lederman helped us be more productive than ever towards the end of our writing process, so I think there's hope for something even earlier.

What kind of shows do you like more - small clubs or the big town halls?

Paul: There's something special about each. We just played to 1900 people in Calgary and it felt really incredible. Unreal energy. At the same time, people were held back from the stage by barriers and security, and that creates a distance between performer and audience that takes some getting used to. I love smaller shows where it feels like we're all in it together.

How does it feel to play in europe? is the fancrowd different here?

Amy: Touring Europe feels different than North America in a lot of ways, but once we get on stage it feels the same as when we play at home. The fans in Europe and especially Germany have always been amazing to us, and we're very excited to be coming back.

I saw you playing in berlin some years ago and it was awesome! for me it was a big pleasure to see your energy and passion live on stage. and besides that, i think you are really cute together! whats your secret? 

Amy: Thank you! We all just really love playing live and the way we perform comes naturally to us. We like sharing our music with people, and when we can feel the energy of the crowd coming back to us it makes everything even better. The three of us have known each other for ten years now and are very familiar with how our individual minds work and how we like to express ourselves in the music. Plus we still genuinely like each other after all this time, which makes it easy for us to have fun with each other on stage.

What do you think about berlin?

Amy: We love Berlin!  I'm excited to spend more time here. Nils has actually vacationed in Berlin before, so he's going to be our tour guide and show us some of the sights while we're in town.

You are from Toronto. For me it always feels like Toronto gives birth to a lot of great bands. Can you describe the music scene in toronto? is it any special compared to other places that you know?

Nils: I’ve always found the Toronto scene to be very supportive and competitive in a very positive sort of way.

I think there are several factors that make Toronto's music scene what it is. First of all there so many incredibly talented bands and musicians in the city that it forces you to keep pushing yourself to operate at the top of your game. It's really inspiring seeing some amazing bands from Toronto getting recognition on the international stage and if anything it just makes you work harder to make the best music you possibly can. Secondly the audiences are very supportive for bands that are starting out.  The community is great and it gives bands a chance to build up and audience as they are still learning their craft.I also feel like the fact that there isn't a definitive Toronto sound is also a plus. There are so many different types of bands in Toronto right now (Alvvays, Bry Webb, Metz, PS I Love You) that the sound of Toronto is constantly evolving.

Could you describe the new record Mended With Gold?

Nils: Mit Gold Empfohlen... I don't know if that is even the proper translation, I really just threw that into google translate.
To be honest, we just tried to make a record that we were all proud of and tried to capture more of the energy of the live show than our previous albums. 

Which bands are you listening to these days? What are your favorite records this year?

Nils: I've been listening to the new Caribou and Iceage records recently. I also like listening to more ambient type stuff (William Basinski, Max Richter) when I'm trying to read or relax on the road. Some of my favorite records of the year I've been listening to are:

Alvvays - Alvvays

Black Polygons - Silence

Bry Webb - Free Will

Deru - 1979

Frog Eyes - Carey's Cold Spring

PS I Love You - For Those Who Stay (PS I Love You will be opening up this upcoming European tour for us)

Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams

Woods - With Light & With Love

Thanks so much for the interview and have fun on tour! See you in Berlin!

THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE

support: PS I LOVE YOU

3 december at 9 pm

@ Lido Berlin, Cuvrystraße 7

Get tickets at Karrera Club

Time to talk: Kathy Foster of THE THERMALS

Kathy Foster is the bassist of the post-pop-punk trio The Thermals (also singer and guitarist Hutch Harris and Westin Glass on drums) from Portland, Oregon. The band was founded in 2002 - 11 years and countless gigs later The Thermals are back in Europe again! This year The Thermals signed to Saddle Creek and released their sixth record, Desperate Ground. Next saturday (19th october) they gonna play a show in berlin. I talked with Kathy about the current tour, the new album and future plans. Here we go!

Europe had become something like a second home for you as a band. How often have you been here?  
i've lost count, but i think its more like our 20th trip!

You've seen so many places and great cities. Is there a country/place/city which you liked the most? 

there is something good about every place we've been. on this tour, we went to rome for the first time and we had a little bit of time off there, so we walked around and saw lots of ancient sites. that was amazing! and of course, we ate lots of really good pizza and pasta in italy. we've probably played germany the most. the people are great there and we feel really taken care of there. the shows are run well, the food is great, and we get some really enthusiastic crowds. i love amsterdam. we've had the most time off there because we usually fly in and out of there. i love to walk around the city. its so beautiful. the people in the UK are great. the food in france is great. yeah, there is something great about every place. 

If you`d have the opportunity, where would you like to play in the world where you haven't been before? 
we'd love to go to japan, australia, south america, mexico. there are so many places we haven't been! 

You are now touring germany for a few shows. Berlin has a great music scene and pretty nice venues. Do you see similarities between the music scene in your hometown and berlin? 
we've had great shows in berlin and sometimes we have a day off there and get to see some of the city. but unfortunately, we've never been there long enough to really check out the music scene, so i can't say how it compares to the portland music scene. for a while, i kept hearing about musicians and artists moving there (i'm sure this is still the case!) because it was cheap to live there and because there are such vibrant art and music communities. this is definitely similar to portland. so many artists and musicians have moved to portland over the past twenty years and are still moving there. its an affordable place to live and its so nice to live with so many creative people. although, now its starting to get pretty expensive! noooo! it was so much cheaper when hutch and i moved there in 1998.

photo by the thermals

Your gig is on saturday. According to your tour schedule you got a day off after that. Will you spend the day in berlin? How do you use your quality time while touring? 
yes, we will have the day off in berlin. we try to schedule our days off in the cities we want to explore. we all love to walk around and get lost, go shopping, see sights, go to museums, eat. or sometimes if we are really tired and need to catch up on sleep, we spend the day off in bed. 

Much has been said about your new record „desperate ground“. I really love it. I know there is this theme going through the album about killing and fighting. However, the songs give me a pretty good feeling. They make me happy! Were you three all participating in the songwriting? Had there been any fights about the lyrics or did everyone agree with them? 
thanks! yes, i think you described the way we've made every album - heavy themed songs that make you feel good! we all think about these heavy themes but we still love to enjoy life and make exciting music. i think its good to confront these dark feelings and embrace them. we all collaborate on writing the music for the songs. hutch writes all the lyrics, but he always shares what he's working on and asks us our opinions, and we give him feedback. i've always loved hutch's writing and i like to help him. we've never argued about the lyrics. 

Seeing the songs from your new album as a connected tale, it seems to me like a huge movie with warriors fighting, inner conflicts and at least fate. What are your favorite movie genres? 
you got it exactly right! we were thinking about it in the same way. we felt like we were writing an action movie soundtrack. the more songs we wrote, the more we envisioned the "movie". the three of us love all kinds of movies, but while working on "desperate ground", we were definitely watching and thinking about action movies of all kinds - die hard, excalibur, full metal jacket, apocalypse now, army of darkness, lord of the rings, drag me to hell. 

I've read that you don't have a tour manager. Isn't it a lot of work doing it all by yourselves? 
sometimes we have a tour manager, sometimes we don't. on this tour, we kind of have a tour manager. but we do a lot ourselves as well. it can be a lot of work, but we started out in a very DIY scene where people set up their own shows and booked their own tours. so we started out doing everything ourselves, and then as we became a bigger band, we got a tour manager. its definitely awesome to have a tour manager, but sometimes it can be more work to try and find the right person! we've had good tour managers, but then sometimes they can't come on tour because they are busy with another tour, and then we either find someone else or decide to do it ourselves. we've never had a band manager. we like to be in control! 

photo by lifewithoutandy.com

Which bands are you listening to while being on tour? what are your favorite records right now? 
we've been loving "henge beat" by total control. also: the KVB, "crimes of passion" by crocodiles, "the new life" by girls names, the woolen men (one of our favorite portland bands), "dare" by the human league.

At the end of the year you will be back in the US. Will you spend the holidays at home? Is it important to you, celebrating with your family, presents and all this stuff?

i think we all usually alternate staying in portland and going back home for the holidays every year or so. hutch and i have family in california, and westin has family in new mexico. i think we'll all be in portland for thanksgiving and then probably go home for christmas. its important to see family but its also super fun to spend holidays with friends in portland. my family isn't big on christmas. we like to hang out but we don't make a big deal about it. 

What will The Thermals do next year? Are there any plans, maybe side projects? Are you gonna record some new songs? 
we'll definitely be working on some side projects AND some new thermals songs. hutch and i both have solo songs we're working on. i'm putting a band together called "love always". westin and i have another band called "hurry up" and we're currently working on getting our record done. i play drums and he plays guitar, and our friend maggie vail plays bass. the record will be out on "army of bad luck" records sometime soon. 

Thanks Kathy for the interview! And all the best for your future!

Desperate Ground, 2013, Saddle Creek, buy here
1. Born To Kill
2. You Will Be Free
3. The Sunset
4. I Go Alone
5. The Sword By My Side
6. You Will Find Me
7. Faces Stay With Me
8. The Howl Of The Winds
9. Where I Stand
10. Our Love Survives

european tour dates:
10.18 Frankfurt, DE Zoom
10.19 Berlin, DE Bi Nuu
10.21 Hamburg, DE Knust
10.22 Bochum, DE Bahnhof Langendreer
10.23 Cologne, DE Gebaude 9
10.25 Amsterdam, NL Paradiso


www.thethermals.com

Time to talk: Sebastian Arnström from the swedish band Aerial

Sebastian Arnström is singer and guitarist of the swedish band AERIAL. They finished their last european tour with a show in Magdeburg at Riff - and hell: it was great! I did a small interview with him where he talks about new recordings, growing up in sweden and his musical side project Simian Ghost. Let's go...

Your last album was released in 2009. Are there any plans for a new one? Are you currently recording songs?

Since "Put it this way in headlines", we haven't really been doing much songwriting, but more improvised material and noise. This is kind of what we came from in the first place so it feels like a kind of natural progression I think.
When we play live nowadays we leave a lot of space for improvisation and jamming too. It makes it more interesting both for the audience and for us as a band, or at least so I hope.
We're kind of planning a new record in the vein of "Black rain from the bombing" and "Put it this way in headlines", but I'm not really sure when we're going to record it.
You've played several times in germany... Whats the city you like most? And how do you think is the german music/concert scene different to the swedish one?
I really love the alternative music scene in Germany and in Central Europe in general. It has a much more free spirited atmosphere than we have here in scandinavia. The audience is more open to sonic experimentation too, people setting up shows are more driven etc etc. As to which city I like the most I can't really tell. My memories from these trips are kind of hazy. I like them all.
Aerial is known as a band from Sandviken. I read it has about 22.000 inhabitants. I also grew up in a small town like that. Do you think it's different as a musician to grow up in a bigger city? Or: do you feel your home town offered you enough opportunities to do what you want?
The only opportunity you really need to do what we do is a guitar, some drums and a place to rehearse. We're playing music. That can be done everywhere and by everyone. If you're lucky like me, you have a supportive family and good friends who back you up. Otherwise, you can always rebel, find some cans or whatever to bang on. Music is communication basically. One of the oldest forms of communication, and I think we all have it in us, no matter where you live or what your do. You just have to let it out.
I like living in a small town. I like coming home from a tour, putting on some comfortable pants and ordering some sushi to go from the local fast food place. It's very soothing. I don't think that's the opinion of everyone in the band though. Some of us has recently moved to bigger cities, which is also a reason for the kind of slow pace we have now making records, as compared to our earlier works.

You have this side project called Simian Ghost. It really is kind of another musical genre right? Why did you want to do this new project? And does it change something for Aerial?
The material put out under the moniker Simian Ghost is all me so far.
I do it partly because I want to explore new directions musically, paths that Aerial as a band would have a hard time taking. I'm very interested in rythm and form and like to allow myself to work within the framework of traditional pop music. For me that's very challenging. And funny. Right now I'm very in to early Ghana High Life and Nigerian 70's Afro funk. I am a total workaholic and I constantly try to find ways of developing my musical expression, trying not to be tied down by "what is cool" for the moment.
What's your favorite record/band at the moment?
A band I really love right now is Mount Kimbie, a minimalist techno/dubstep act from London. And I've been listening a lot to the Avi Buffalo debut album recently. And Gastr del Sol. And of course Broadcast, an all time favorite, who's lead singer Trish Keenan just passed away. Very tragic. May she rest in peace.
I guess Aerials genre description changes from post-rock to indie to noise to shoegaze and so on... You want to give it a name? Or just let people interpretate your music style?
I'd like to call it weird pop. That kind of covers it i think.

Well, thanks for taking time and the nice interview, Sebastian! Just keep up the good work!



Links you have to click (!):
http://www.myspace.com/aerialmusic
http://listn.to/SimianGhost
http://www.simianghost.com/
http://www.simianghost.bandcamp.com/

PS: Thanks to Andre for the header photo!

Time to talk: Mike Law from New Idea Society

Mike Law is songwriter and singer/guitarist of the Brooklyn based band NEW IDEA SOCIETY. The band recently released the newest record Somehow Disappearing including 12 of finest indie pop songs full of emotion, spirit and desire. For me a proper reason to ask the bands mastermind Mike Law about current issues, past lifes and thoughts about future. Here you go...

Your third album is out. What are you feeling about it? How is the feedback so far?
It is by far the best feedback we have received about an album.
How and when did you start with the band? I often read that you are the head of the band. Do your members constellation often change?
It is true that I am the only one who has always been in the band.  I don't think that it necessarily makes me the head of the band however. I can't play piano the way that Chris can so I can't be the head of the piano department. I don't have the same interest in learning computer programs like Marshall so I can't be the head of the art department. But I guess unlike the others I have a general take on everything that happens in the band. But creatively I rarely try to enforce my will. I respect the others in the band.  If I REALLY don't like what they are playing or they REALLY don't like what I want them to play we probably won't end up playing that particular song. So yes, there are some ways in which things center around me, but not always. I do not want to be the dictator in any band but I am also aware that I think about the band the most.
What are your musical roots? Which bands had and have still influence on you?
I will always love Fugazi, Woody Guthrie, Robert Smith and PJ Harvey. They all have indelible links in my mind. I also remember specific songs from growing up that would come on the radio and really catch my imagination. "My Best Friends Girlfriend" by the Cars, "Playing with the Queen Of Hearts" by Juice Newton, "Nobody's Gonna Break My Stride". I remember those on the radio. I even remember being really interested in Neil Diamond, he was so dramatic, "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS, but the first song that really, really, really made my mind explode was "Ana Ng" by They Might Be Giants. I saw that video on at 2am and it looked and sounded as though it was made by aliens. I loved it. I held my breath. I also had a similar reaction to "Wild, Wild, Life" by Talking Heads.
You had this band called EULCID. I saw some videos and I really like it. What do you think about it when you look back at the time?
I think that it was a very special time for me. I was touring America relentlessly for the first few times. We played shows with bands I love like Cave In, Isis, Sinaloa, Orchid, Ire, At the Drive In, and seemingly every band you can think of from that era. We even had our last shows with Fugazi! Being in that van ALL the time and touring was something that made me feel free like I could do whatever I wanted to do. If I felt like booking an entire U.S. tour I would just start picking up the phone and calling people, then I would say... "Hey, I know you are in Chicago, but do you know anyone in Milwaukee". That is how things went and I still keep that with me. I feel as though if I want to do something then I will begin the process myself. I am also very lucky that The Wind Blew All the Fires Out has endured so well as an album. People still note it as a favorite after all this time.

You already toured germany with NIS. What do you think about the german music scene?
I don't feel as though I have really got to know the German music scene the way I would like too. Maybe on this tour it will finally happen. I think we are more linked to Berlin this time than before. We also did play some smaller towns on the last tour. I really enjoyed that. Playing smaller towns is my favorite.
Do you like a special german band?
Neu! speaks to me.
Somehow Disappearing is one of my fav records at the moment. What if I say, compare your new album with the ones before. What changed?
This is a studio album in the sense that we recorded it track by track, instrument by instrument. We made it with someone who is a real producer. Andy LeMaster was on our wave length from the beginning. From the second I met him I felt like we were very close. We wanted to create sonic space and have the instruments create a song by their combination. The World Is Bright and Lonely was a collection of songs. Andrew Schneider is an equally amazing producer, but it was a different kind of album. He didn't have a chance to be as much of a producer in the same way because of the process we used. We recorded it in a very arrogant way. All the instruments live as well as the singing, everyone in one room. In fact some of the band had never met each other before the first day of recording. I had never met the drummer. We were done tracking in four days. It was a very arrogant way to make an album. I wish that we had made it fewer songs... it was too long. To arrogant... ha.
But pretty awesome though! My favorite song on the album is Thorns… Do you have one?
Usually Halluminations or Disappearing. Halluminations is as close to sounding in the recording how it sounded in my head as anything I have ever made. It also has that beautiful harpsichord part on the bridge that Chris wrote the day before he recorded it or something. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I think the song is very original sounding. I like Disappearing because the piano and guitar seem to blend into one which was a goal. I guess Autumn You, and Szep Sziv mean a lot to me.... it changes by the sentence. It wouldn't have been put on the album if it didn't mean something. We cut 8 songs from the album. It is a very sad album to me actually, though it has a deeply romantic theme in it and those two things combined are always hopeful.

You’re gonna come to Europe and Germany soon! What are your expectations?
I think it will be too cold. By the last count I think it was 16 countries! I hope that it is a fun tour and that people are excited to hear the new album. We are putting more effort into this tour than anything we have EVER done. I hope that everyone tells their friends about the album and tour. Word of mouth is still the best part of DIY. 
What is the weirdest thing that ever happened to you on tour?
Does breaking a lot of bones on the Autobahn count? I almost drowned in Montana swimming in an underground cave...  
Sounds like you would die for music. What is your inspiration for making music? Do you have another passion?
I do not mean this to sound sarcastic, but I don't really have any other interests. I have always just wanted to sing songs. It is the only thing I have ever been interested in.
Could you imagine to play in any other band?
No. 
You are part of Translator Audio Studio. When did this studio start and what does it mean to you to produce other bands? (the list of clients is pretty impressive)
Thanks, I helped build the studio over the last 6 years. I had my own studios before that and my friend Steve and I bought some gear to record You Are Awake Or Asleep. I only produce bands that I really like. I cannot do it for the money, otherwise I would end up hating the band and everything about it. I do not have patience to work on music for money. I would rather work at a grocery store or painting a house for money than work on music I don't really like.
What are your plans with NIS?
We are leaving to tour with Minus the Bear and Tim Kasher in a few days. When we get home we will try and finish a few new songs to play on the European tour... and a special surprise or two! Then after Europe I think it will be time for a new recording before we go to Japan for tour.
Which record do you listen to at the moment?
I spent all day today and yesterday listening to Prince. 

Thanks pretty much for the interview Mike and have fun on the tour!

Germany Tour Dates:

24.01.11 DE tba
25.01.11 DE tba
26.01.11 Leipzig (DE), Conne Island
27.01.11 Berlin (DE), Schokoladen
28.01.11 Dresden (DE), AZ Conni
19.02.11 Offenbach (DE), Hafen 2 Festival
20.02.11 Würzburg (DE), (option)*
21.02.11 Hamburg (DE), Astra Stube


http://www.newideasociety.com/music

Tracklist Somehow Disappearing (stream and buy!)

1. All Alone 
2. Thorns
3. Autumn You
4. Strange Language
5. Halluminations
6. Disappearing
7. Summer Lion
8. Sing It Right
9. Desolation Tongues
10. If You Slip Under
11. Szép Szív
12. Come Outside 

Time to talk: Peter Löwe von Mikrokosmos23 im Gespräch

Peter Löwe (20) ist Sänger und Gitarrist bei Mikrokosmos23 und hat liebenswerterweise für meinen kleinen Blog hier ein paar Fragen beantwortet. Danke schon mal an dieser Stelle. Los geht's...

Hallo Peter. Danke vorab, dass du dir Zeit für ein Interview genommen hast! Prima Sache. Du bist mit deiner Band Mikrokosmos23 zurzeit viel am touren und Konzerte spielen. Wie kriegt ihr das alles auf die Reihe?

Wir touren ja momentan leider nich durchgängig. Wir arbeiten/studieren ja alle. Deswegen klappt das nich direkt zum Album ne Tour zu spielen. Das sind viele viele Wochenenden momentan. Das is einerseits schön weil wir einfach so viel wie möglich spielen wollen. Andererseits ist es scheisse immer nach zwei Tagen wieder in den normalen Alltag einzusteigen. Das is schwierig, aber geht halt nich anders. Wir fiebern auf jeden Fall der Tour im November entgegen. Mehrere Konzerte AM STÜCK. Das macht am meisten Spaß einfach. Und dann noch mit Adolar. Das wird super.

Ihr tourt auch in Österreich und Tschechien. Was habt ihr für Erwartungen an Gigs im Ausland?

Sehr gute Frage. Das wird cool aber man weiß da überhaupt nich was einen erwartet. Wir haben ja schon in Österreich gespielt. Das war auf jeden Fall cool. Sehr kleine Clubs aber tolle Leute, die sich auch voll drüber gefreut haben, dass wir mal dahin kommen. Das is für die Leute im Ausland wahrscheinlich eher was besonderes, weil die nich nach Deutschland kommen werden, um uns zu sehen. Die freuen sich, dass wir kommen, und genießen das wahrscheinlich auf ne andere Art. Auch wenn natürlich weniger Leute dahin kommen...aber das is verständlich und voll ok.

Ihr tourt mit der Band Adolar durch die Lande. Was habt ihr für ein Verhältnis zu den Jungs? Sind es auch irgendwie "Vorbilder"?

Unser Verhältnis is schon was besonderes. Gerade Tom von Adolar is für mich einer meiner besten Freunde geworden und ein sehr wichtiger Mensch. Ich hab schon verdammt viele Menschen über die Band kennengelernt aber Adolar sind speziell. Vorbilder würd ich nich sagen. Unsere Band gibts schon sehr viel länger als Adolar, deshalb geht das mit Vorbild sein schon mal gar nicht. Auch musikalisch sind wir, wenn man alles ganz genau betrachtet, total verschieden. Was voll ok ist. Das wird niemanden im Publikum stören und uns sowieso nich. Einfach weils tolle Leute sind, mit denen man gern Zeit verbringt und Abenteuer erlebt.

Ihr kommt ursprünglich aus Meißen und wohnt jetzt in größeren Städten. Findest du es wichtig als Musiker in einem entsprechenden Umfeld zu leben? Oder hattet ihr einfach nur die Kleinstadt-Tristesse satt?

Natürlich hatten wir die Kleinstadt-Tristesse satt. Wir sind junge Leute. Aber wichtig in einem entsprechenden Umfeld zu leben, halt ich für Quatsch. Man sollte nich aus Hamburg oder Berlin kommen müssen, um "cool" oder "erfolgreich" zu sein. Das nervt doch.

Wie oft probt ihr und wie entsteht ein Song bei euch?

Wir haben leider nich so viel Zeit zum Proben, is klar. Aber wenns mal zu einer Zeit kommt, in der wir Bock und Spaß dran haben neue Sachen zu machen, dann fädeln wir das schon so ein, dass wir halt öfter mal alle 4 in Dresden sind. Und dann wird halt durchgezogen. Die Songs entstehen eigentlich über einen längeren Zeitraum immer erst zu Viert im Proberaum.

In vielen Reviews werden immer wieder Vergleiche mit Bands wie Captain Planet, Turbostaat, Adolar usw gezogen. Wo liegen eure musikalischen Wurzeln? Und welche Platte läuft bei dir grad im Player?

Unsere Wurzeln liegen schon bei vielen der unterm durchschnitt-Bands. Jet Black, Katzenstreik, Captain Planet usw... einfach Musik, die wir zu der jeweiligen Zeit gehört haben. Logisch. Da war dieses Label, auf dem unser neues Album ja jetz auch veröffentlicht wurde, schon sehr prägend. Momentan hör ich - also wirklich einfach das was am meisten läuft, ohne jetz grundsätzliche Lieblingsbands zu beachten - (ich hol jetz mein mp3 Player und check das): Balmorhea (für mich Neuentdeckung und einfach schöne Musik), EA 80 (das Album "Grüner Apfel" wiederentdeckt), Future Islands (grandioses Konzert letztens gesehen), Interpol ("Antics" wiederentdeckt) und Petula (tolles neues tape).

Ihr habt ein Musikvideo abgedreht, das optisch sehr ansprechend ist. Euer Platten-Cover ist von einer indonesischen Künstlerin. Wie wichtig ist euch Artwork bei euren Veröffentlichungen?

Um Artwork kümmert sich meist Tom. Das is gut so. Mir gefällt das selbst alles sehr gut. Ich freu mich, wenns gut aussieht. Das Musikvideo wurde auch von Tom "erdacht", gefällt mir auch sehr gut. Musikvideos sind so Sachen, mit denen man irgendwann seine Enkel zu Tode langweilen kann, aber man selbst freut sich drüber.

Apropos Video: Hab gehört euer Video zu "Knightrider Generation" soll auf MTV laufen? Stimmt das? 

Ich empfange kein MTV, muss das auch nich unbedingt da sehn, um mich mit dem Video gut zu fühlen. Aber ich glaub Toni, unser Bassist, erzählte mal, dass er es gesehen hätte. Kein Plan. Aber wenn das so ist, wär doch cool... 
Eure neue Platte "Memorandum" ist beim Label unterm durchschnitt erschienen. Was bedeutet euch das? Und wie geht ihr mit der aktuellen Präsenz in den Musikmedien um?
Unterm durchschnitt ist eine Spitzensache! Auf jeden Fall. Sind ja selbst Fans, schon immer gewesen und werdens auch immer sein. Sehr wichtiges Label für wichtige Musik in diesem Land. Für uns bedeutet das, dass wir uns freuen da Teil von zu sein. Und auf nem anderen Label wär das auch alles nich so schön geworden. Musikmedien sind was seltsames. Aber natürlich auch interessant. Klar, jeder liest und hört sowas. Manchmal ist das interessant, was so in Sachen rein interpretiert wird, aber im Endeffekt bringt das einfach nur Aufmerksamkeit, die hoffentlich dazu führt, dass viele nette Leute zu den Konzerten kommen und wir ne schöne Zeit zusammen haben.

Produziert wurde das Album von Kurt Ebelhäuser. Wie war die Zusammenarbeit?

Kurt Ebelhäuser ist ein Spitzentyp. Blackmail und Scumbucket sind super Bands. Und mit dem zu arbeiten, war auch son bisschen eine Ehre. Sehr angenehm, sehr lehrreich und auch ergiebig.

Welche Weiterentwicklung siehst du zur Vorgängerplatte?

Hat sich ja einiges verändert, im Songwriting, in den Texten und natürlich auch für jeden persönlich. Letzteres wirkt dabei stark auf alles andere ein. Das ist logisch und fühlt sich auch gut und richtig an.
Was euern Musikstil angeht, so liest man immer wieder die Genres Emo, Punk, Indie, Hardcore, Screamo, Postrock usw. Wo seht ihr euch da? Schublade auf zu?
Schublade eher mal vergessen... bringt doch auch niemandem was. Ich bin großer Fan von Genre-Beschreibungen und Namedropping aber man muss das Medium auch beachten. Für Bands wie uns gibts in den großen Medien immer Standardvergleiche. Das nervt und gibt mir das Gefühl, dass sich der Autor vor nem Review oder sonst was, gar nich mit der Musik auseinander gesetzt hat. Ich find nich, dass wir wie Turbostaat oder Escapado klingen. Obwohl das natürlich tolle Bands sind. Da gibts doch auch Sachen hinter dem Horizont.

Was sind eure musikalischen Ziele? Gibts nen Masterplan? Oder komme was wolle?

Komme was wolle!!!! Da is in letzter Zeit schon soviel passiert mit dem niemand gerechnet hätte. Lass es bitte einfach passieren. Bleibt spannend und macht Spaß!

Danke für das Interview, und weiterhin noch viel Erfolg! 

Mikrokosmos23 sind:

Peter Löwe (Gitarre&Gesang)

Mathias Starke (Gitarre)

Toni Petraschk (Bass)

Tom Pätschke (Schlagzeug)

http://www.myspace.com/mikrokosmos
http://www.unterm.org/