Thundermother: Four Girls From Sweden

Thundermother:  The band speaks up.

Interview Conducted on March 28, 2018

By Daniel Locke

These hard rock chicks will blow your head off!
The quintet have toured throughout Europe, gaining fanssuch as In Flames, Zakk Wylde, Danko Jones, Opeth, Motörhead, Airbourne and many more.

They have conquered the whole of Sweden with their AC/DC influenced sound. Next step – THE WORLD!

Previous gigs include Close-Up Boat, Metaltown, Sweden Rock Festival, support act for Danko Jones and Michael Monroe to name but a few.
See you soon in a town close to you!
Crashing in at No 2 in the hard rock charts
these girls are set for No 1 soon!

Prepare to be amazed!

Thundermother

Guernica Mancini – Lead Vocals
Filippa Nässil – Guitars
Sara Pettersson – Bass
Emlee Johansson – Drums

 

Unratedmagazine: Tell me about your background?

Filippa Nässil: I’m educated in Music production I the university in växjö but born and raised in the south of Sweden in a place called TOMELILLA. I moved at an early age of 16 and started a school called Rytmus in Stockholm. I was the only girl guitar player in my grade of 90 musicians.

So Filippa what was your goal in starting the band?

Filippa: I wanted to tour big venues. I had send airborne a couple of times and I was inspired of them. I wanted to play music that I loved, and that people could party to.

How did you start the band? And what cause the break up?

Filippa: I had many constellations before we recorded the first album. I toured all over Sweden and Italy with my first lineup and we got our first record deal when we already had a big fan base with long ques outside every venue.
The brake up with the last lineup were caused of different goals in the band and different energy in the band. We didn’t work well together in the end and I wasn’t all happy. Now I am happy again when we are all on the same page.

Let focus on the future. How did you find your new members?

Filippa: I had played at the same venue as Guernica and we became friends instantly. We had kept contact and we both had problems with our separate bands when we started talking to each other about playing together. Finally, we do. And Sara and I have another band together too. I got a tip about Emlee from a girl a met at a party, so I called her up.

Are you going to add stings to your music?

Guernica Mancini: You never know, next ballad just might have some haha we did consider it for fire in the rain.

Any education in music? I see that Guernica was part of the UCLA Extension program. Was that in music business? And has that helped you?

Guernica: Yes, that is right, I did study music business. It has help in all my musical projects as well as in Thundermother. Filippa and I have taken on the “manager” roll since we chose to not have one any more. And so far, so good.

And Sara Studied Ljusdesign at School of Engineering at Jönköping University I am sure this

helped you with your CD?

Guernica: Everyone in this band has education that is very helpful in all kinds of different situations both behind the scenes as well as on stage.

Filippa: We all are good in what we do. We have many producers in the band haha. Sara’s specialty is light 💡 mine is producing rock.

What is KMH – Kungliga musikhögskolan

Guernica: It’s the royal collage of musik. Emelie studies music production and drums there.
Filippa:

How did you get your name THUNDERMOTHER? There was a band back in 1971 with the name Thundermother. Any problems from this band in using the same name for your band?
http://heavy70s.blogspot.com/2016/05/thundermother-no-red-rowan-1971.htm

Guernica: I don’t think that’s going or has ever been a problem. We own the name.
Filippa: I google the name before I took it. They split up in the 70’s so I think they won’t be a problem. I came up with it after a couple of beers when I started the band with my first bass player in 2009 just after I wrote the song “shoot to kill”.

You are from Sweden’. Is there a big market for Metal bands in Sweden?

Guernica: Yes, definitely.

Filippa: We have free rehearsal rooms and help from the Swedish government. Everyone can play here. But I think we play more outside the country than in it.

I have interview a few bands from Sweden. And yes, Sweden is more than Abba?

Guernica: Sweden is everything from great bands to songwriters and produces. ABBA is just one of the greats and a great example of all those Things i mentioned.

Filippa: I hope so haha. We have a lot of music. Check out Björn Skifs!

Some of the bands that I have interviewed have been, Snowapple, OFFENSIVE GROUND and Baronen & Satan. Your sound a bit like Girlschool/ACDC with a mix of Judas Priest?

Guernica: You could say that.

Filippa: We are inspired of many things but these are a few yes.

How was it to perform at the Wcken? Tell me about the feel you had when you hit the stage and the crowd cheer for you?

Guernica: It was so far the best show I’ve played with Tm. It was epic!

Filippa: It was magical, 10 000 people in the sunlight. It was over to quickly though. It felt like we played 1 song.

You have a lot of music on this new CD. It is great.

Guernica: It is great. Yes, we think it’s great. And wanted to give our fans a well-rounded album that really tells the story of where we’ve been and how we as a band have evolved musically.

Filippa: Thanks. I had a lot of time to work on songs since the last album.

How did you pick Thomas Plec Johansson as your producer?

Filippa: We worked together on “we fight for rock n roll”. He wanted to work with us and we tried him out. We were amazing, and we cannot live without him now!

Did you learn anything from him?

Guernica: The importance of a positive mind set. At all times 👌Thomas is also a writer and arranger.

Did he help you to fine tune anything on your new CD?

Guernica: He help us find the sound we had in mind. But we had a good idea of everything when we got in the studio.

Filippa: He helped on we fight for rock n roll. We wrote it together via sms conversation with his song writers he works with. He has a big business and many employees. He is huge! We have a similar taste in sound. He is a great producer and we soak up his knowledge of big studio productions for sure. We are nerds haha.

 

Who influences you and why?

Guernica: I’m a big Prince fan but I’m shaped by all kinds of music. So, I could mention artist from several genres.

Tell me about the making of the video We Fight For Rock N Roll and Whatever?

Guernica: Thomas produced we fight for rock n roll, which we were very happy with. And when it was time to record the album he was just the natural choice. He is easy to work with and extremely talented.

Filippa: Great videos of Owe Lingvall, he is also huge in this. Thomas Embladh produced them, he is a crazy genius with many ideas. We cannot wait for the next video to come out. We already filmed it. Thomas knows everything from pyro technique to painting on bodies and uv lights haha. check out his own band Fatal Smile! He did the videos himself. They have meat on a vinyl recorder.

What type of clubs/places do you like to play in (size)?

Filippa: All venues are good because it is fun to do different shows. It inspires us. If it is 50 people but all fans it could be as amazing as Wacken with 10000 people.

Any plans to tour the United States?

Guernica: I hope we get there this year. It would be amazing.

What music fests would you like to play in?

Guernica: All kinds, any one that would have us!

Would you like to play Rock on the Range?

Guernica: Sure

I see you played Wacken Open Air. Why not Chicago Open Air?

Guernica: We would definitely play there if possible

Any endorsements?

Filippa: Gibson, Pearl, Marshall. It’s a huge honor.

If someone was listening to you for the first time, what 3 videos or songs would you tell them to look/listen to and why?

Guernica: I would tell them to check out the two latest videos and to listen to the new album. That way they’d get the latest version of the band and the presents sound.

Favorite Quotes?

Guernica: fake it to you make it

Favorite Reading?

Guernica: diner ready much.

Any Hobbies?

Guernica: I’m very much in to anything spiritual/ new age haha love learning about anything alternative. Astrology taro etc.

Favorite Drink?

Guernica: Skinny bitch or just red wine, a ipa or a good weize beer.

Favorite thing you like to cook/eat?

Guernica: I love Italian food and tapas. I’m a foodie! I make a mean roasted chicken 😎 honestly, I think everything I make is awesome haha

Who is your favorite female singer and why?

Guernica: Hard to pick one, so I’ll mention two. Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse because they meant what they sang and sang from the heart. Both had a soulfulness that i love and wish I could bring to the table like they did. Great singers and great performers. True stars!

Any guilty pleasures your fans would be surprise you listen to?

Guernica: I did love despasito last year haha and enjoy real pop music. Usually I share stuff like that on my Instagram because I find it hilarious

What is on your bucket list?

Guernica: many things, I’d like to hike and see Machu Picchu and the Inca ruins in Mexico.
Go on a real ayahuasca retreat. Haha

What is on your phone for music now?

Guernica: My Spotify has everything haha I was just listening to A Low-end theory by a tribe called quest. And before that Otis Redding – soul manifesto. And the latest rock album I listened to be our own haha

Anything in closing you would like to say?

Guernica: I would just like to tell our fans that they are great, and we appreciate them and love them all!
And I hope you guys will love the new album as much as we do!

Website | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter |