| Swedish rockers BLUES PILLS recently announced their third studio albumHoly Moly! out Aug. 21 via Nuclear Blast, |
Blues Pill-
Biography The history of BLUES PILLS can seem simple. The rock quartet formed in the Midwest in late 2011 by the bands songwriters Zack Anderson and Elin Larsson went straight from playing at dirty, crowded bars to play at some of the biggest festivals such as Download, Rock am Ring and Wacken Open Air.
Interview conducted on July 24, 2020
By Dan Locke
The band explains: “We wrote ‘Low Road’ about being your own worst enemy. About running from your own demons only to realize that you can’t, because the problem is inside of yourself. ‘Low Road’ is maybe one of the heaviest songs we’ve ever written, filled with the brutalness of the human mind, that can be both vicious and lost. Everybody has probably found themselves fumbling in the dark at some point in life. And with ‘Low Road’ there is no way out. We love playing this song live, because it’s just raw, balls to the wall rock power. Hopefully this can be a relief for a moment in this wicked world.
Band Members: Elin Larsson – Vocals
Zack Anderson – Guitar
André Kvarnström – Drums
Kristoffer Schander – Bass
What is your upbringing?
Zach: I was born and raised in Story City, Iowa.
How did you discover music?
Zach: I discovered music through my parents. They introduced me to a lot of classics from the 60’s 70’s like The Doors, Beatles, Pink Floyd, etc. Those are my earliest memories of music. Then as a young teenager, I discovered music through videos on MTV and VH1; those types of channels.
Did you ever play the sax?
Elin: No, that’s another Elin Larsson. She is a famous jazz musician! I played with her once in Stockholm 🙂
How did you start to write music?
Zach: I got the desire to be in a band around the time when The White Stripes got big; I think I was 14. I loved their music and I learned to play “Seven Nation Army”, and I got hooked because it was this amazing riff that I could actually play because it’s so simple but still so good. After that, I was totally into making music and forming a band.
How did the band come together?
Zach: I was living in California in 2011, and Elin was going there on vacation. We had talked through Facebook before and so we met up while she was there. We started writing songs together and right from the beginning it was obvious that our musical styles fit together quite effortlessly, and it was easy to make songs together. I was already playing in a band with my stepbrother Cory on the drums. He joined us and on the first recordings we played all the instruments. Eventually, we moved to Sweden. Finally, we asked Dorian to come and join on the guitar after seeing him play in a tiny club with his band. That was how the first constellation of Blues Pills came together.
In the video “Low Road” were you going for a 60’s feel?
Zach: Yeah, we got inspired to make a video that was like a band playing on a TV show in the ’60s. It was just a fun idea that we went with… In the past, we’ve hated making music videos but now we just try to do something that’s a bit funny and not take it too seriously. Then it’s a lot easier.
I love your version of Jefferson Airplanes’ “Someone to Love”. Has anyone in either the Jefferson Airplane or Starship heard it?
Zach: Not that I know of!
How did the band get its name?
Zach: We kind of “stole” it from a friend, Jens Heide. He puts on a festival called Freak Valley in Germany. He had a blog and shared obscure old music, and his name was bluespilz. We liked it so we “borrowed” it. haha
How do you stay healthy while touring?
Zach: Well, we are probably the least rock n’ roll band out there. We don’t party much at all – anymore at least. Feels like those days are over. The excitement for us is all in the shows that we do. The biggest thing for me is trying to get as much sleep as possible. When you travel so much it can be a nightmare when you’re going days in a row with bad nights of sleep. You start to go crazy.
Tell me about the New CD? The title sounds like something from the 60s?
Zach: The album was recorded and produced by the band in our own studio. We basically set out to make an album totally on our own, just to see if we could. In the end, I think it was the right choice because we learned so much from that. We gained a lot of confidence going into the future, knowing what we want, how we want to sound, and being forced to make decisions. This album has a much more stripped-down feel to it, and it’s pretty heavy in comparison the previous album.
What is your favorite track on the album?
Zach: Personally, it’s probably “Song From a Mourning Dove”. It just feels like a classic Blues Pills song to me. The arrangement takes you on a journey and it has everything that I think we aim to do with our music. A heavy riff, with a great melancholic melody, and some psychedelic guitar solos.
What are your feelings about streaming music?
Zach: I’ve come to embrace it and accept it. I mean it’s the world we live in and it’s not going anywhere. I think it can be a good thing, you may reach a lot of people that would never hear you otherwise, and grow your fan base online, and later they will come to shows (after Coronageddon is over).
Digital vs. vinyl?
Zach: Of course, it’s more fun to listen to vinyl. I mean the physical action of putting on a record and holding the cover, etc, it’s a whole experience versus just clicking it on your phone.
Any plans to tour?
Zach: No… nothing set in stone anyway. But as soon as it’s possible again.
At the end of 2018, you did Ladies Got The Blues. Tell me about it, and why did you pick the songs you performed?
Elin: It was a fun weekend in Stockholm. It was cool to meet so many known musicians and celebrate women in music. I did perform “High Class Woman” and Tina Turner’s song “Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter”. I love Tina and she has been a huge inspiration for me. This is such an awesome song and it was written by her sister.
What is you’re feeling about the Me2 Movement?
Elin: It was about damn time!!
Were you ready to go to Russia and Greece before the Covid-19 virus hit?
Zach: Yes, we had shows booked there. We had our plane tickets booked as well. Then corona came and all of our hopes and dreams came crashing down.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
Zach: It’s hard for me to say. I don’t think anyone really knows. It obviously affects live music the most so I think there are a lot of crew members etc, that make their living strictly from touring who will have trouble bouncing back… Also, a lot of smaller up and coming bands, the ones just getting by on their music, which won’t make it through such a long break in live shows. My hope is that when shows resume again, there will be more people than ever coming out to shows though.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
Zach: I spend most of my time playing guitar and trying to write songs. Getting prepared so we have another album ready to go, sooner.
Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Are you planning to do something like that?
Zach: We plan to do a live stream and play all the new songs from Holy Moly! around the time when it is released.
There was an article in the New York Times this week talking about concerts may not start again until Fall of 2021. Do you think it could happen?
Elin: It’s possible for sure…
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
Elin: Stadiums, red carpets, and talk shows… the usual.
Anything you would like to say in closing?
Elin: Wear a mask!
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