You might well be forgiven for discounting this band as a bunch of loudmouthed schoolkids, writes Krissy Stixx… until you realize that two years after their first rehearsal, these fresh-faced German boys won the German School Jam and went on to play at Rock Am Ring!
I like the new album from Georg, Tobay, Daniel and Dom, with it’s raw edge and quality songwriting… I know younger girls than I will be screaming for them! So it seemed like a good time to find out a bit more about whether Shenaniganz are a school project or an honest rock ‘n’ roll band. I suspect they are the kind of guys I might want to have a beer with! Email was quicker than a flight…
Hiya!
Hi Krissy! Here's Georg (Share'o'Ryan). [OK, I’m already confused.. Aha, they have stage names! Go look on MySpace!]
How long have you been a band together, and what made you start?
 G: We had our first Gig during the October of 2003 and we really didn't practice very much - just jumped in at the deep end! We started Shenaniganz just for fun. Just to get a hobby. We all couldn't really play our instruments very well. We have videos of that...oh my god! :-D
How do you see the future of Rock music progressing in Northern Europe?
The scene really goes to a mixture of rock and electronica. Basically it's the same thing that happened in the 70s. First there was pure Rock then came all kinds of sythesizers and stuff. That era made Pink Floyd! But instead of that, we're all digging the simple kind of Rock.
What has been the most difficult part of becoming a professional recording band?
Nothing… we still play gigs for 10 people and then gigs for 2000 on another day. Of course it's exciting to record at a real studio but that did not change the band at all. We're the same bunch of assholes as we were at the start!
Do you feel the future of music is less about recorded CD's and more about the live performance? Please explain what you think is most important and why.
The internet will sooner or later make people forget that there ever has been anything like a CD. Like the CD did with vinyls. But that's in my opinion really awful. For example: If you like Highway to Hell you simply download it but you still never heard anything of the other great songs on this record. People attend more [gigs] because they like songs...not bands. But AC/DC is more than one song. SO the only way to show the audience your stuff is to play it live. You can't buy the spirit of a concert. That's the place where music goes straight from the artist to the audience. That is what music should be anyway.
What is the best part of your live performance and why do you think it will bring you many fans?
We're very comedian-like on stage. Not taking ourselves too seriously. The audience want to have fun...and this is what they get. Also we're often jamming around and sometimes we change the songs so they are a bit different to how they appear on the records. A little alteration here and there! Another thing is that the band happens to be very energetic and powerful. We're always jumping around, dancing and yelling. And, of course, we're all sexy as hell... :-D
What did you most enjoy about recording your CD? What was the most difficult part?
We all enjoy the fact that you are able to spend two weeks with nothing but your music the most. That's really intense. Playing, recording, mixing. It's the point when you stand still and think: Yeah, that's exactly what i wanna do with my live song! The most difficult part is to get the fun you have playing your stuff onstage expressed on the CD. Or the ambience of a song. That worked pretty well on Nowadays [final track on Open Your Eyes or Cover Your Head]. But we needed a lot of takes for that!
Do you write songs together, or work separately then meet to compare work?
Daniel and I [brothers] always have some ideas in our heads. Then we show them to each other, maybe change it, finish it...and then we show the song ideas to the other guys. When you play a song live or during the rehearsal, you always have new ideas rushing through your head. That's a really important part. We don't record songs too soon because we would listen to the CD and always think..."Oh, we should have added this, Oh we didn't do that...Why is there a cymbal"...and so on. Also songs like We Are The Underground have been made in jam sessions involving the whole band.
Do you get along together really well, or did you argue during recording?
It's not easy to hang out with four ambitious musicians. Especially if there are brothers in the band. But that's normal and no one got hurt! ...So far... :-D
Music always used to be the "soundtrack" to our lives, like a movie. Do you think that has changed now young people are as happy to play a computer game as listen to the radio?
Music, nowadays, is more consumed than listened to. Like a cigarette. You dig a song...then 10 minutes later you've forgotten the band’s name. I remember when I found my brother’s vinyl of For Those About To Rock, you take it and unfold it to find the huge live picture with the cannons and stuff...a magic moment. And it takes time to get the vinyl in the player...put the needle on it...ROCK N ROLL!!! Things like that don't happen anymore.
What do Shenaniganz plan to do to keep fans coming back for more over the next couple of years?
We're trying to always make music that our fans will love. Not the mainstream kind of songs but songs from our hearts. Play many concerts and give people a great time when they visit us!!!
Thank you very much!
You're welcome! :-D
SHENANIGANZ' album is out now on SPV.
Trackback(0)
|
Twitter
MySpace
Facebook
RSS
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
