When
my good pal – Timon Menge – advised me to check out a cool
Stoner/Rock and Roll band by the name of Plainride I checked them out
as Timon knows his stuff as he also runs Sludge Worm Magazine. So
he's the premier authority along with his partner in crime - Andy on German Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal music.
I
was blown away by what I had heard. As Plainride are not your average
Stoner Rock/Metal band. They inject a huge stream of Desert Rock,
Fuzz Rock, Southern Rock and good old fashioned Rock and Roll. Now
these Stoner Rock Outlaws are about to release their superb debut
album – Return Of The Jackalope – And believe me when I tell you
it's 71 mins of fuel injected Stoner Rock goddness.
Return
Of The Jackalope is going to be released very soon along with my
review. Before then I was given the chance to interview Max Rebel
(Vox/Guitar) and Fabe van Fuzz (Guitar) from the band. And this is
what they had to say.
1
– Hi guys. How's it going. Thanks for doing this interview. Much
appreciated as we're huge fans of you guys.
Max:
It’s an honor. Thanks for having us!
Photo Credit - Philipp Buron
2
– Can you tell our readers of how the band came about and where it
is today.
Max:
When I moved to Cologne back in 2012 I was looking for a new project
and started digging through the local musicians groups online where
eventually Fabe stumbled upon one of my posts. I guess the first time
we met had a general awkwardness to it - till we discovered that we
are both huge Eagles Of Death Metal fans. Ever since then our mission
was clear. We later got Andrew (The Beermachine) involved on drums
after a shady dude at a party gave us his contact info and then even
later Leo on bass, whom we just discovered passed out in our
rehearsal room one day.
After
recording the album in 2014, Andrew went forth to pursue his career
as undoubtedly the best drummer in Colognian carnival rock music.
Luckily we managed to get Damian (The Brute) on board after him
rescuing us from a possessed Yeti on our annual camping trip.
So
now we’re here, waiting for the release of our first record, stoked
as a goat and with absolutely no idea what awaits us on the other
side.
3
– We are here to talk about your new album – Return Of The
Jackalope. Now I've heard it a few times and it's a kick-ass album.
But in your own words what can people expect from it.
Max:
Thanks. I’d say people can expect an epic adventure straight from
the desert, featuring some really catchy tunes, a phat vintage vibe
and a shit-ton of booze.
4
– What inspired you or influenced you when recording the album.
Fabe:
All. The. Beer.
Max:
Not to mention the Polish cuisine, gallons of coffee and some quality
Herbes de Provence.
5
– It's an epic album. 71 mins in length. Was it your intention to
record something as epic as that for your debut record. Or did you
just have to many great songs not to leave out.
Fabe:
We just didn’t want to stop playing. But seriously though, I think
a debut should contain all the band’s ideas and that’s exactly
what we did.
Max:
It really bothers me that a lot of bands make their first
“professional” appearance with an EP. To me that’s like
applying with only half a résumé. Obviously you gotta put some
demos out there and any handcrafted mini-release is totally cool, but
if you really wanna put yourself out there, you better make goddamn
sure to do it with a bang!
6
– The album feels like a soundtrack to a long lost Desert Rock Road
Movie as it has that kind of vibe especially with the soundbytes at
the start of the album. Or am I just looking to much into this.
Fabe:
Well we had this rough idea to arrange the track list in the same way
as with a concept album. I mean it sure isn’t a concept album, but
as you said it got that vibe.
Max:
First of all I appreciate you saying this as I feel kind of the same
way. And to all you Desert Rock Road Movie makers out there: you
heard the man, go hire us! Alright now lemme go full
singer-songwriter on you here: To me, the album also has this weird
soundtrack-ish appeal even though the songs aren’t referencing each
other or anything. However, Iyric- as well as sound-wise I feel like
there’s this array of different universes and timelines we are
covering that are partly separate but still connected. Return Of The
Jackalope and Salt River for example to me both belong in this same
sinister 1800’s Wild West tale, whereas Devil At Your Heels and
Warpdrive are definitely pointing towards some Space Age thriller.
Actually, thinking about this, I guess there’s a recurring motive
of freedom and independence that’s inherent to every song on the
album. Holy shit, we’re deep.
7
– Your album is already generating a lot of BUZZ within the Stoner
Rock community. Did you expect that to happen. Did you know you have
a great album on your hands.
Max:
I was aware of people enjoying our music and I know we made a killer
album, but whatever evil witchcraft the shit is that’s going down
as of right now is totally beyond me.
Fabe:
Return Of The Jackalope isn’t your typical Stoner Rock album that’s
for sure. As I like to say: we just play Rock ’n’ Roll from the
desert. I really love the album and we hope the community will dig it
too!
8
– What is the song writing dynamic in the band. Is it a group
process or is it down to one individual.
Fabe:
Usually Max or myself come up with a riff and then stuff happens,
haha. The whole band works on it until it’s a real song. It’s
really important to us that everybody in the band likes it and is
satisfied with whatever result we end up with.
9
– How would you describe the bands sound. As I feel it's best
coming from the bands themselves.
Fabe:
Rock ’n’ Roll from the desert!
Max:
Kickass Stoner Rock ’n’ Roll with Jackalopes!
10
– We have to talk about the awesome album cover. Who designed this
and how much input did you have into the final design.
Fabe:
My buddy and best friend Artur Bäcker designed it. He’s immensely
talented and I knew he was the right guy for the job. He just gave us
two sketches with different styles to choose from in the beginning
and then worked his magic. I think the result is fucking epic!
11
- Your new album is being released
by a new label called Beerfuzz Records. How did you hook up with
them. Did you have any other offers from other labels. (Sorry Timon –
I had to ask dude. If you don't know folks Beerfuzz is a new label
created by a good pal of mine – Timon Menge – who also co-runs
the fantastic website – Sludge Worm Magazine).
Max:
Haha, Timon you sneaky ol’ bastard. Full disclosure: we met Timon
quite a while ago at one of our shows after I had done an interview
for Sludge Worm. That must’ve been the night he started putting
stuff in our drinks. A year or so later the dosage had probably
reached critical mass and now we’re all just a bunch of mindless
zombies doing whatever he says. No, but seriously: Timon is a great
guy / evil mastermind, who knows just what to do most of the time and
we’d all be lost without him. I don’t recall any other labels
asking us, which is probably gonna go down in Rock history as the
single worst collective decision of the music industry in a few
years.
12
– Which bands and artists got you involved with music. Was it a
particular band or album that made you decide to become a musician.
Fabe:
Mississippi Queen by Mountain. Leslie West is the fucking man!
Max:
Probably the first time I saw EODM perform live. I was 15 and they
didn’t have a press section in front of the stage yet. By the end
of the show the crowd stormed the stage and I played air guitar back
to back with Jesse Hughes. That’s when I lost my soul to Rock ’n’
Roll.
13
– You’re from Germany which has a great Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal
Scene. What is the scene actually like in Germany. Is it thriving or
does it still remain in the underground.
Max:
There’s definitely a thriving scene in Germany and we hope to be
able to actively push that development forward - not only in regard
for Stoner but live music in general. Sometimes it’s still tough to
find your niche between bullshit pop and old father Metal that seems
to be clutching Germany like a monarch overstaying his welcome, but
it’s getting easier and I’m confident that music with a lot of
groove to it is always gonna make its way - even in the cold north.
14
– Do you play a lot of gigs in your hometown or do you have to
travel further afield to perform regular. And how would you best
describe the Plainride live experience.
Max:
It’s been quite a while now since we last played Cologne. Luckily
there’s a lot of go-to places with great venues nearby - like
Vortex in Siegen and Waldmeister in Solingen. We’re super excited
for all the upcoming shows in strange new places also though. The
Plainride live experience I’d say is of pretty fast pace, includes
a lot of humor, a lot of headbanging and obviously loads and loads
and LOADS of beer.
15
– Are there plans for you to tour overseas in the near future or
so. Or is still to early to do at this point in your career.
Max:
Lemme just check my bucket list. Says right here:
-
play at The Viper Room
-
record album at The Machine Shop
Well.
Guess we’re gonna have to head over there someday.
16
– Well guys thanks for doing this interview. Before we go, do you
have anything to say to your fans.
Max:
Thanks a ton for having us! Fans out there, you guys are the best, we
love you, stay in school, listen to your moms and don’t drink
shitty beer! Cheers!
All
the best with your new album as it's a fantastic record. My review
will be coming soon.
I
want to thank Timon Menge for arranging this interview. Return Of The
Jackalope will be released via BeerFuzz Records on CD/DD from July
24th 2015.
Words
by Steve Howe, Max Rebel and Fabe van Fuzz
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