Interview with Daniel Petersson

Sounds Like Violence. Interview by Hendrik Jansen . 8/3/2008 . Dortmund/ Germany . venue: FZW

Sounds Like Violence - You Give Me Heartattacks

Punk76: How are you and what is your impression of Germany? Have you ever been here before?
Daniel: Oh well, we have been to Germany several times. We really enjoy Germany very much. People are coming out and listen to live music. It is different in Sweden. Here you can play nearly every Day of the week and people come out to see live music. Everything is well organized in Germany. To campare it: We played at the Download-Festival and there was a complete chaos. We did not even know where to sleep. And after that we came to Germany and played the “Omas Teich”-Festival and everything was just fantastic. Everyone just told us ‘Take it easy’. The perfect example of what Germany was like for us. Also on a personal basis. Andreas, the singer and me went out in Berlin and really enjoyed it there.

Punk76: Did you had time to see the city?
Daniel: We were just carried through it and were a bit surprised. Because we tought this is a very industrial area, but Dortmund sees to be a green town. But we have not really seen much. Maybe we get the chance tomorrow.

Punk76: I have prepared a few questions that you should answer with one or two words: First CD you had:
Daniel: (laughs) It was Pet Shop Boys with a song that had the lines “all day, all day, watch the moon go down...” in 1986 or something like that.

Punk76: First concert you have been?
Daniel: Well in 3rd grade there was a school project where a group of some kids sang. I was about 8 years old. (laughs) But my first real concert was Stone Temple Pilots in the time where they released their second album.

Punk76: Musician you would like to play a live show with?
Daniel: Greg Dulli from Afghan Wings, for sure!

Punk76: First song you could play on your instrument?
Daniel: Hm, I think it was something lame, like “74, 75” by The Connells. My Father was a drummer so probably I played something with him, when I was very young but I cannot remember.

Punk76: Last Album you have listend to?
Daniel: Hm, I think that was Against Me! – Searching for a Former Clarity.

Punk76: What was the last ordinary job that you did?
Daniel: Oh I actually have a job. I am a Teacher for Swedish, Englisch and Swedish as a second language. Before that I was a personal assistant that helpes people that are disabled.We can not live of making music yet. I was fortune enough to be able to finsh my studies while we were playing music an stuff. And my boss is fantastically nice to let me go on tour whenever I want to.

Punk76: Let’s talk about the music. I saw your Single ‘Glad I'm losing you’ together with the video on your myspace-page. Tell us what the song is about and how the video was made?
Daniel: Well most of the songs on the new Album are connected to things that happend to people around us. We are taking a sense of what is going on and I think when Andreas wrote ‘Glad I’m losing you’ he has different stuff that he has been trough. About losing a loved one about coming out with it. Not only in the sense of love but also in the sense of friendship and family. And he took that in a twist, because ‘Glad I’m losing you’ does not make sense, it sounds odd to say Well, I am glad that I’m losing you. It can be contrasted as a really tragic song. And also the past times for Andreas, where he had a really tough time and also the people around us. It might actually be good to leave someone and be glad that this is over and you are able to move on. There is not just one meaning for him or the band in that song. In general it is a good feeling of moving on to something new and leave the old stuff behind, no matter if it is good or bad. For the video we worked together with a guy that did a video for Andreas’ other band. We told him that ‘Glad I’m losing you’ is going to be the single of our new album. He saw completely different things in the song than we did, which was interesting. He saw some Death theme in there. And we said go for it. That is how the video was done.

Punk76: You became so much good reviews for your Debut Album 'With Blood on my Hands'. For example the 5 Ks in the Britsh Kerrang magazine. What do you think when you read such things about your own band.
Daniel: We are always really happy, when we read such things. It always feels great to read good reviews. Whatever you acomplished on the record makes an impact on people and speaks to them. It is always hard to go into the studio and recording stuff that we have rehearsed because it sometimes feels so much differently. A live show has always a really bigger impact on people, it goes straight into your face. And that’s what we tried to do on the record. But it is so easy to lose that in the studio, because there is small space, you have much controlling equipment. So it is hard to catch the feeling that we have when we play live. It is always a bit of a worry, but It feels very good to read good reviews and see that we have an impact on people also on the record.

Punk76: When reading those reviews in the magazines, do you sometimes think: ‘Yes, that’s exactly what we meant?’ or maybe the other way ‘No, that’s exactly not what we meant?’
Daniel: It is both of them. Sometimes I think: Thats exactly what we wanted to acomplish. In other terms and that is really satisfing as well, people interpret things in their own way and made a connection with it and even see a concept album in 'With Blood on my Hands'. We never intended to do a concept album. But obviously the way we put the songs together and what the songs are about I can understand it. We did not think about that but it is true. So sometimes it is definitely what we wanted and sometimes I am just surprised what people see in our songs and album.

Punk76: When you compare the first EP 'The Pistol' with your new Album. What is the most important thing that changed?
Daniel: We had more time in general and more time to put more tought behind the album. Three songs on the EP where recorded way back. They were from a Demo. It was done very quickly. The other three songs where done in two days, then all were mixed in a few days and put together. It was very raw music. With the album we wanted to move to another level, having a good plan, space, the right equipment. We thought things trough, we rehearsed a lot. We went out to a place, far away from everything and recorded in a great studio. So we had more control with the LP and where able to think it trough, the way we wanted to do it. The EP was really quick but at the same time a fantastic experiment.

Punk76: After the EP was out there was a longer time since the Album came out. Can you tell us, what takes the most time in the process of doing an album?
Daniel: There was much paperwork and labelwork to do, which took much time. We toured the EP for about 1 ½ years. After that we were trying to do deals with other labels, like Deep Elm. And when the time came to write the album we thought: This time we have the opportunity to do it our way. The part of wrting the songs took really long time for the LP, about 6 or 7 month. Then preprocuction, sending the songs out to the labels took another 3- 5 month. So nearly a year to write the songs and then we went to the studio.It took much time because we had the opportunity to do it the way we wanted it to do.

Punk76: Was it also that you wanted to do it really perfect?
Daniel: No, I do not think so, if we wanted to do it really perfect it will probably never be done (laughs). But it differs in the band. Some people would probably love to do it perfectly. I like it the way: planing it, rehearsing it and then you have 10 days to do it, because then you solve problems. When you have two month, you might think: Lets sit in the sofa today and think it trough... But in general it is hard to decide what is perfect.

Punk76: Your Music a kind of unconventional and really not ordinary. Do you think you have to create a special and own sound to be heard/noticed under hundreds of bands? and to become successful?
Daniel: Hm, tough question. I think some bands are so successful in doing that. There are good examples of bands that are playing crazy music. We never thought of what music we were doing.We start playing and see what is coming out and thats the way it has been, for that many years. A good thing is that we are able what is good and what is bad. When we feel a song is going nowhere, we do not gon on with it. We try another one and this might sound good, we go on with this on. In the past we did songsthat sounded like 60s, 70s, classic rock mixed with grundge and hardcore. There was just too much in one song. That was fun for us, but you cannot listen to that music, you might become schizophrenic or whatever. So we decided what is going to work and created the songs in the way they sound today. We never thought about doing crazy music. We think if it sounds good, go with it.

Punk76: In the beginning you mentioned the band Against Me! and I think you can hear some parralles on your album to that band. What other bands influenced the process of writing the music to 'With Blood on my Hands'?
Daniel:It have always been the same bands for us. It has been Afghan Wings for example. Andreas is listening to more softer music, instrumetalistic music. I listen to more rock and harder kind of music, like Pantera or Deftones. We have many different influnces of music that creat our sound. It is hard to point out one band.

Punk76: You come from the swedish town in Ängelholm. When I heard that I got reminded to a film called 'Populärmusik från Vittula'. Do you see different problems that you might have as a band that comes from a samller town compared to a band that comes from a big city? The chance to get noticed is much lower, right?
Daniel:Yes, you can compare it to starting a band in Stockholm. It is a lot easier than doing it in Ängerholm. We even started in a smaller town. Ängerholm has about 20.000 people. You have more opportunitys in the big cities. But you also have a hundered bands that play music. When you come from Ängerholm you are one band out of 10 maybe. And we have some bands that we played with in Ängerholm and we are still good friends with those people. We have done much things together. I think i sweden it is really hard to make people able to find your music. It is getting easier, through the internet and things like myspace. But swedish, radio und media in gerneral decide what the people are listening to. In Ängerholm we had a small place that took in a lot of good bands. We played there as we were a little group and helped other bands. So to come back to the question: Yes it is harder for bands from smaller towns to become successful, but on the other hand you also have that strong sense of unity.

Punk76: So what would be your advise to young bands?
Daniel: No matter how hard it is go for it! It you look for success, you can give it up. If you do it for fun, go on and never give up.

Check out our reviews of Sounds Like Violence records

Write something about Sounds Like Violence on the board

Buy this CD at: