Today's
guest is part of one of Sweden's best known Hard Rock/Blues
Rock/Stoner Rock Power Trio's – KAMCHATKA – who have been playing
a hell of a racket since 2001.
Over
the course of their 13 year career they have released 5 acclaimed
albums with the latest being their newest album – The Search Goes
On.
Sludgelord
resident Swedish Team Member – Hakan – recently reviewed about
this album and raved on about it saying: “I'm getting so many
flashbacks listening to 'The Search Goes On' because this is the
stuff I grew up on but with a modern twist, and I mean that in the
best possible way. Having been raised on Thin Lizzy, UFO, Deep
Purple, Ten Years After as well as blues aficionados like Lightnin'
Hopkins, Kamchatka comes across like a breath of fresh air.
If
I close my eyes I'm transported back to my childhood room where
countless hours were spent listening and dissecting the albums I
loved growing up. Most of which I still love. So to discover a band
like Kamchatka who takes the old with the new, blends them together
and like a alchemist make gold, is a revelation. More of this
please...it's fantastic!”
It's
my honour to be talking to Thomas Andersson. Lead vox and guitarist
of KAMCHATKA.
Q1
– Hi Thomas. Thanks for doing this. How are things with you today.
Thomas
- Hi Steve, things are great over here, just finished a 5 days
rehearsal with the band before heading to Germany for some festival
dates.
Q2
– Can you tell our readers a brief history on how the band started
and where it is today.
Thomas
– Ok, here we go ;) We started in 2000 by doing a Jimi Hendrix
tribute show to celebrate the legendary Jimi in our home town
Varberg/Sweden, then in 2001 we did that show on the same date again
September 18 (Jimi’s tragic day of passing away). The first show
was with a bass player named Lars Glendell and the second show with
bass player Roger Öjersson who became a member of what would become
Kamchatka. After that second Hendrix tribute show, myself, Toby and
Roger decided to go all in with our own music and after playing lots
of shows in Sweden 2001- 2005, we released our debut album
"Kamchatka" on Grooveyard Records (New York) and by then
the game was full on and we started to get noticed in the blues rock
circuit.
In
2007, we released "Kamchatka vol 2", also on Grooveyard,
did more and more shows and we got to play 3 concerts in Sweden
supporting Clutch from US, also we got great reviews of the 2nd album
and then in 2008, we where invited by Clutch to support them on 23
shows in US, that tour was a blast, we got many great live reviews
and sold 700 albums (Thank you CLUTCH !!). 2009 and time for a new
album, this time "Kamchatka vol 3" on Swedish label,
Superpuma Records.
As
we moved along we did more and more shows, great reviews where ever
we went and the 3rd album got noticed in Rolling Stone and if I
remember right we made it to #53 in a poll at the magazine for best
cover version of "Whipping Post” by Allman Brothers (Sean Paul
Gaster from Clutch on 2nd drums on our studio version).We did a long
European tour with Clutch and Kylesa plus started to get more and
more headline shows outside Sweden as well :).
Moving
forward to 2011 and our 4th album "Bury Your Roots"
released on GMR Records in Sweden. This 4th album became a door
opener towards a more wider press and audience we toured more with
Clutch and by 2012 we played bigger festivals in Europe (Download
UK,Burg Herzberg DE and many smaller festivals in Netherlands Germany
and more), and started working with Jazzhaus booking in Germany.
By
this time Roger wanted out of the band to pursue his own career as
the fine guitar player he is, so we worked with different bass
players during 2012 until we landed smoothly with our present bass
player and full-time member Per Wiberg (ex Opeth, Spiritual Beggars,
Candlemass and more) which leads us to 2014 and our 5th album "The
Search Goes On" released on Despotz Records in Sweden. Here we
are now, full with self confidence, good friends and we are looking
forward to what the future has to offer for the band. I would like to
thank everyone who have supported us and believed in us over the
years and i hope that you will continue to do so :)
Q3
– How would you describe your sound as you pack a lot of different
noises into the mix.
Thomas
- We have always been curious with what we do and we really like to
explore what we can find outside the framework and I guess that
reflects on our albums.
Q4
– How did you become involved with music.
Thomas
- Well I come from a music family and I did my first "real"
show at the age of 9, started to play the guitar at the age of 7.
Q5
– Where did the name KAMCHATKA come from. And why that particular
name.
Thomas
- Before KAMCHATKA we were called "SHRIMP MONKEY" but our
label at the time (2005 Grooveyard Records) didn't like that name ;)
So we had some brain storming and came to the idea that if our music
was a place on earth what would that place look like, so we came
across the Russian peninsula KAMCHATKA with it's crazy nature
features, hot and cold, volcanoes, sulfur lakes, vast forests, wild
and calm at the same time like our music, so since 2005 we are
KAMCHATKA
Q6
– Your new album has been released for a few months now. Have you
been surprised by the reviews it has received so far. Got some
fantastic reviews already.
Thomas
- Correct Steve, the new album "The Search Goes On" has
been out for about 3 months. We knew that we had a really good album
but we never take anything for granted but of course we are super
happy and proud of the fine words and positive development as we
speak.
Q7
– Was it a hard or easy album to write and record for.
Thomas
- When Roger left the band, I got very weary considering that me and
Roger had shared the load writing music on 4 albums but after some
time I just said to myself that I have to try my best before throwing
in the towel so to speak and as the music evolved in my head during
2013 myself confidence grew and with Per Wiberg as the producer of
the album and Toby behind the drums it worked out great and now I
know that I can do it :) (together with the boys, of course).
Q8
– Which bands and artists influenced you as musicians. Any
particular band or album that stand out.
Thomas
- Wow, there are so many sources of inspiration but for me as a blues
guitar player, I would say BB King, Albert King, Freddie King, Johnny
Winter, Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Stevie and Jimmie
Vaughan, Gregg Allman, Billy Gibbons, Tim Sult, and for the band we
listen to a lot of diverse music such as jazz, early funk, metal,
hard rock, rap, electronic, reggae, punk, rock'n roll, hardcore
metal, etc etc etc ...
Q9
– Love the album cover. Who designed the cover and how much input
did you have with overall design.
Thomas
- All artwork since day 1 is made by the wonderful Mr. Per Wiberg
(bass, backing vocals, artwork). It's 100% his ideas that you see on
our covers and merchandise.
Q10
– What is the song-writing process in the band. Is it down to one
individual or is it a group collective.
Thomas
- Roger and I shared the load of writing the music for our first 4
albums and I wrote all of the material on "The Search Goes On"
Q11
– How big of a help has the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal community been
in promoting your music.
Thomas
- It's been extremely important to us that the word's been spreading
through these networks such as Sludgelord for example over the years,
we salute you !!
Q12
– You have been doing KAMCHATKA for 13 years now. Did you think it
would last this long.
Thomas
- I have never thought about considering Kamchatka in those terms.
Music has been my life since I was 7 years old and my dream has
always been to be part of a band that dared to go over the cliff so
to speak both musically and personally and I found that in Kamchatka
and we keep getting stronger and stronger as the years go by :) And I
can say that we have a lot more to take care of before we die ;)
Q13
– What have been your fondest and happiest memories with the band.
Thomas
- In no particular order: the first Kamchatka album, the first big
tour with Clutch in the US, Per Wiberg joining the band, "The
Search Goes On" album, Download festival and the music we have
written over the years.
Q14
– What is your musical set-up when playing live or recording your
music. Any hints and tips would you like to give to the budding
musicians out there.
Thomas
- We are quite basic, the most important thing you need you find in
your heart and soul, if you have that you can play on a rock or
record on a donkey’s ass.
Q15
– We are massive Vinyl Heads here at Sludgelord. Are you vinyl fans
yourselves.
Thomas
- Big Time !! And the nerdiest of the vinyl nerds in the Kamchatka
camp is Wiberg :)
Q16
– Sweden has such a brilliant reputation for providing so many
great bands across different genres. What is your country's great
secret and how is the Blues Rock/Stoner Rock scene perceived in
Sweden. Do you play a lot of gigs in your own country.
Thomas
- We get that question a lot and I don't have a clue but we have a
history of many successful bands and that always inspire more and
more bands to push their music and careers. The funny thing is that
Swedish bands including us, we play much, much more in other
countries than our own but we are no more 9 million Swedes over here
so I guess that that's the reason, I don't know really
Q17
– What is your verdict on the whole crowd-funding scene. Where
bands ask fans to fund their next album. Are you a fan of that
platform. Would yourselves ever go down this route.
Thomas
- I'm not a fan of that idea really, endorsement deals are one thing
for a band but begging' isn't my cup of tea. I get the idea but for
me business is business and private is private.
Q18
– If you could choose an album from your band's catalogue. What
would it be and why. Or is this too hard of a question to answer.
Thomas
- Hard question yes, but I would say our latest because it is such a
victory for myself that I manage to go through all my inner conflicts
and lacking self confidence since Roger left and come out on the
other side together with Per and Toby and "The Search Goes On"
album, puh !
Q18
– If you could give any advice to someone wanting to start a band.
What would it be.
Thomas
- If you feel that you HAVE TO do it, do it and do it hard and never
turn back. If you feel that you don't HAVE TO do it, then don't.
Q19
– The last thing before you go, Do you have anything else to say to
your fans.
Thomas
- Yes ! Hello guys ! We are super glad to have you with us, without
you, problem, with you, no problem ;) ROCK ON AND HOPE WE MEET SOONER
THAN LATER !
Well
Thomas, Thanks to talking to us here at Sludgelord HQ. All the best
with the album release.
Thomas
- Thank you Sludgelord, rock on !! Best regards, Thomas ‘Juneor’
Andersson and KAMCHATKA
I
want to thank Thomas for talking to us here at Sludgelord HQ. And
Brian at Fresno Media for arranging this interview.
Check
The Band From Links Below
Written by Steve Howe
