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MM - Would you like to start by introducing the band
members to us.
The members are:
Stig Gunnarson Lead vocals
Olle Zimmerman Guitar and back up vocals
Peter Otterborg Bass and back up vocals
Perry Karlsson Drums.
MM - When was the band formed and how
did you all meet?
Well, Perry and I have played together since we were twelve. The rest of
the band was formed somewhere in 1998.
We have played together several years before that under the name Life
Line.
MM - Where in the world do you call home?
It depends on what you mean. On the one hand, "wherever I lay my hat is my
home", on the other, and I guess that's what you mean, is Örebro (Sweden).
Peter, though, was born I Stockholm originally but I think he feels at
home in Örebro as well.
MM - How would you best describe your music
and who do you think it would most appeal to?
Positive, hard rock with singable melodies. "Somewhere between Bon Jovi
and Dokken."
I think it was Mark (the president of Z records) who said it first and I
think it's the closest to the truth you can get when you want to describe
our music.
MM - The band have just returned from
appearing at the Z Festival (part 1) 2001. How did that go?
It was great. We are very happy with the gig and are looking forward to
coming back as soon as possible.
The audience was excellent (we love you guys) and all the bands were
brilliant.
MM - What has been your fans reaction
to your latest album 'Kingdom Come'? How does this second album differ
from your earlier album 'Bad Attitude'?
Let me just correct you a little bit there. 'Kingdom Come' was the first
and our latest is 'Bad Attitude'. "Kingdom" has sold very good and the
album is "broad" in a sense because there's a song for everyone on it.
This new album is maybe a little bit heavier but still in the same melodic
fashion as "Kingdom".
MM - Where should people go if they wanted to
obtain a copy of these two albums?
In any regular record store, I guess. Or they can also get it on the net (Ginza).
Or they could go to Z records homepage.
MM - What does the band have planned next?
We will start working on our third album and we will be playing in Mannheim
(Germany) I think it's on the 8th of September. And, of course, we will be
back next year at the Ritz.
MM - Do you have any plans to return to the UK
and tour over here in the near future?
Well, the gig next year is
what is planned but maybe we will do a short tour in the UK before that.
It depends on how the album is doing. Watch Z's homepage for the latest
news.
MM - When can we expect to see your website up
and running so that people can keep up to date with what's going on with
the band?
Our homepage will be up and running this month, hopefully.
MM - Which Dreamhunter song is your personal
favourite and why?
On "Bad Attitude" it's " The heart is a lonely hunter". I like all the
songs but that's my favourite. I've had the title in my head for quite
some time and last summer everything just "fell into place" so to speak.
The music and the lyric just came to me. The lyric expresses a lot of
what's what I feel is true in our hectic world. But I don't wanna' say too
much about it. It would spoil much of the listeners direct experience of
the lyric, so I'll leave it at that.
On Kingdom Come it's the title track "Kingdom Come" that I like the best.
I'm very happy the way it turned out. Again the lyric is (many of my
lyrics are) straight from the heart.
Besides that we, as a band and me as a songwriter, are very fortunate to
be blessed with such a great singer such as Stig.
MM - What goes through your mind when you are
playing live onstage? Are you aware of the fans or are you in a little
bubble oblivious to what's going on around you?
Interesting question. A little bit of both actually. I love what I do, so
when I'm on stage I love every minute of it, so I'm totally aware. If I
weren't I would not do it because that's what it's all about.
At the same time the situation when you're on stage is, sort of, unreal
so…
MM - Had you performed with any of the other
bands on the Z Festival before?
No we haven't. But we have performed with other Z bands on a Z festival,
Great King Rat, Damned Nation, and so on …
MM - How do you find your fans in the UK as opposed to those back home?
Pretty similar actually. We're all Europeans aren't we (ha, ha!!)
MM - Is there any particular albums you
have heard lately and have really liked?
I don't wanna' shock you but lately I've listened a lot to Emmy Lou
Harris' "Wrecking Ball", Ricky Martin, and, of course, Bon Jovi's "Crush".
I don't know about the other guys.
MM - What bands/artists have influenced you
the most over the years?
When I grew up I listened a lot to Blue Öyster Cult, Journey, Alice
Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Neon Rose (a Swedish band), Nazareth,
Van Halen, Whitesnake, and, of course, Queen. However, since the 80:s I'm
a sucker for Bon Jovi and Desmond Child. But I still listen to some of the
bands I used to listen to.
Bon Jovi (Jon) is probably the best songwriter I've ever heard. His
feeling for melodies is outstanding and his lyrics hit me right in the
heart. So he's a big influence.
I know Stig has listened a lot to Bryan Adams. Perry loves the older abums
of Van Halen and many years ago he listened to The Clash and Billy Idol.
(He's gonna' kill me for saying that.)
Peter is somewhat different in his taste of music. You see he loves Red
Hot Chilli Peppers. On the other hand he's not that different. He likes
Iron Maiden.
MM - If you could meet any one person, alive
or dead, who would you choose and why?
Jesus, without a doubt. I would like to know all the secrets of life and
death. You know, why are we here, where do we go when we die, how am I
supposed to live to be a descent human being (what I mean is how do I
interpret all the things he said in the bible? Not the things we want to
see out of self-interest. The true meaning.), are we divine? And so on … No
one else could beat that, for sure!
MM - Who writes the songs that you perform, is
it a joint effort or more of a solo thing?
It is more of a solo thing during the writing process, but when we arrange
the songs we try to let everyone have their say.
MM - What's the most memorable thing that's
happened to the band so far?
There are so many memorable things, so I can't decide which one is the
most memorable.
MM - How do the band like to chill out when
not out on the road or recording?
We spend time with our families, work out, to stay in shape, you know, and
that sort of thing. I also meditate every day. (That's something I
recommend, strongly)
MM - Have any of the band members appeared in
any other bands prior to Dreamhunter?
None that you've heard of, probably. Just local bands.
MM - What was the first record you ever
bought?
I think it was "Loud 'n Proud" (Nazareth). Excellent record, by the way.
MM - What instruments/equipment do you use?
I use one Fender Stratocaster and one Gibson Les Paul. For amplification I
use a Vox AC30 and some pedals and a 4X12 Marshall cabinet.
Perry uses Sonor drums, Peter uses Fender but on the last album he used a
new model of Ibanez, and Stig…who knows?
MM - Tell us one thing about yourself that not
many people know.
That is and will always be a well-kept secret (ha, ha!)
MM - Lastly, is there anything you would like
to say to all your fans out there?
There are so many things, but if I am to limit myself to two things: One,
"Thanx for appreciating our music. We look forward to seeing you "Dreamhunters"
on the road".
And two, "Practice spirituality and Awareness, awareness, awareness!" |
