The Mayfair Mall Zine

MM - Please introduce the band. Who are the members of M.ill.ion, when was the band first formed and how has it evolved to it’s current membership?
I started this band 1989. From 1991 to ´til 1998 we did 3 records (‘No.1’, ‘We Ourselves & Us’ and ‘Electric’) with the original singer and also had two guitarists in the early days. Since 1999 we’ve had the line up we have now except for Johan the keyboard player who joined 2002. Our fourth album was ‘Detonator’, then we did an EP called ‘2004’. Our latest and 5th full album is 'Kingsize'. All records, including the old ones re-mastered and with bonus material, are available through www.majesticrock.com.

The band is: Ulrich Carlsson Lead vocals, Jonas Hermansson, Guitar, Johan Bergquist Keyboards, Per Westergren on Drums and me B.J Laneby on Bass. I’m really proud of this gang, I think we rock!

MM - Over the years the band have been through some rough patches, was there ever a time when you seriously thought about quitting the music business altogether, or did what had happened to you just make you stronger and more determined to carry on?
Of course there are times when you wonder what the hell is going on. Labels going bust when you’re about to release an album, or tours cancelled just days before take off, is pure hell… This business is a cruel one and we have had our fair share of that. There are a lot of incompetent people and sharks out there, not always doing what they are supposed to.

But I’m a fighter, we always have had great response from the fans through the years and our albums have all received fantastic reviews worldwide. That has helped keeping the fire burning through the dark times. These days we have a good label and management behind us. And we feel wanted.

Touring in England and going to Japan has been some of the highlights lately. So the good things overshadow the bad and we have so much fun doing what we do. But a lot of hard work and determination is required, believe me …

MM - Generally, are you a pessimist or an optimist by nature? Is your glass half empty or half full?
It always seem to be totally empty because I’m a thirsty bastard … I’m an optimistic though and hope for a refill … hahaha.

MM - How would you describe your style of music to someone who isn’t familiar with the band and who do you see your target audience as being?
We stand on the fundaments of the classic bands from the 70´s and 80´s and try to do an updated version of all that good stuff. Add a bit attitude, showmanship and energy to it and there you go … Hard rock for the 21st century someone said. Quite like that description. We rock hard but we always try to come up with strong melodies and hooks and we give the audience what they have paid for to see: A good show.

We are lucky to see Motörhead and Maiden fans as well as melodic rock fans in the audience. Bikers, pretty girls and pure rockers in a good mix. People that like to have good time, hear some decent songs played by a real band. If you fancy a rock n’ roll party together with a bunch of crazy Vikings, you’re invited!

MM - What bands/artists have influenced you the most over the years?
For me personally, I'd say KISS, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, etc ...

MM - If you could ask one of your heroes/someone who's inspired you a question, who would it be and what would you ask them?
Well, I have the privilege of having met many of my heroes. Some of them are friends these days. But, I have to pick Pete Way (UFO/Waysted etc). He is one of the reasons I started to play bass in the first place and he’s signed to the same record label as us. He’s one of the nicest and funniest guys on earth, so I’ll probably just pour him some more white wine and let him tell some more outrageous tour stories. I laughed my ass off last time and there’s more where that came from, I could tell you … He’s done it all and what can I say … Mr Rock n’ Roll – No doubt!

MM - Where does the name ‘M.ill.ion’ originate from and what does it represent? Can you remember any of the other names that were toyed with at the time?
We wanted a name that reflects our sound and approach. We like big stages and big sound. The logo is written M.ILL.ION because in Sweden you write a million 1.000.000, we transferred that from numbers to letters. I came up with the name, but can’t actually recall other potential band names toyed around with. Sack Blabbath, SSIK or Rainbath, maybe? Hahaha, maybe not.

I actually do remember us in the early days discussing having a fun cover band side project that thankfully never happened. ‘Betty Ford’ and ‘Jack & Coke’ were two names that were competing. See some kind of theme here? :-)

MM - The band are currently signed to Majestic Rock records for the release of this latest album. How well do you think you fit in with the label and its fellow bands? What was it about Majestic Rock that made their offer the most attractive deal on the table?
Well they have bands like Waysted, Y&T and Magnum (for Japan) and they’ve also signed some new bands so I think we fit in really well. They are ran by nice people really into music and have worked with the big guys, they really got off on our music and approach, promised us priority on the label and out of many record companies they offered us the best conditions and freedom so …

MM - How does the song writing process work within M.ill.ion? Is it mainly one or two individuals, or more of a team effort?
Everybody in this band writes more or less, which is a strength. We normally put a lot of ideas into the computer. The best stuff is then rehearsed with full band and the very best end up on the records.

MM - The new album ‘Kingsize’ is getting rave reviews from the music media around the globe at the minute. What feedback have you had from the fans so far?
Yeah, the reactions are really great. The reviews are over the top, visit our homepage and see for yourself. We haven’t sold a million yet, but we’re working on it ... :-)

It’ s a nice feeling having fans all over the world and the internet is a great way to keep in touch with people from everywhere. We hope to tour more in the future so we can meet all the great people face to face. Seeing those hands in the air and hearing them singing our lyrics is the ultimate high! We’ll be back in the UK in September so see all British fans then!!!

MM - Can you tell us a little bit about each of the songs on the new album and how would you compare it to your earlier releases?
In general: An album reflects where a band is at a specific time. ‘Kingsize’ is where we are right now. I think we've made strong albums before - the songs have mostly had a certain standard through the times, I think. And many people worldwide agree, we have often received great reviews for instance. A great deal of people like the debut album ‘No.1’ (1991) very much. It’s a bit too AOR-ish for me these days and it’s a beginners album, but includes plenty of melodies and charm.

I personally like half of the second one ‘We Ourselves & Us’ (1994) very much – heavier and more mature sounding, ‘Electric’ (1998) is pure rough rock which is cool, and ‘Detonator’ (2001) is a very strong melodic heavy rock album if you ask me. But we are improving all the time, getting better and better - not interested in stagnation! And the line up we have now is the strongest in our history so it feels good. ‘Detonator’ and our new baby ‘Kingsize’ are definitely my favourites – the last one also includes our best sound ever.

Kingsize track by track:

1. EYES OF A KING – M.ILL.ION goes a bit power metal … A fast track with history lyrics and some great playing from Jonas & Johan (guitar/keyboards). Opens our shows at the moment.

2. BACKDOOR QUEEN – A straight ahead melodic rock n’ roll song with a big hook. The lyrics are just pure fun comparing a concert to a very special type of sexual act ... Hahaha. Looks like this will be the single to be released in September. There’s a video recorded for it as well. Look out for it!

3. ROOM NO.3 – Heavy & melodic at the same time. A true horror story happening on the south leg of the UK tour in 2002. Some weird shit went on …

4. ROCK´ N ROLL NATION – A bit of an anthem we’re told, works very well live! Includes a 10 year old riff I had that finally got recorded …

5. ON AND ON – Fast and melodic. Great track.

6. FORBIDDEN FRUIT – The ballad. A bit different and very personal to me – it’s about a very special girl I know. Includes a violin played by a guy from the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and nice piano and arrangements from Johan.

7. ZOMBIES – One of my favourites. A heavy and dramatic track, great singing from Ulrich and including violins again.

8. FIGHT YOU FOREVER – Melodic stuff, with anti racism lyrics. It’s not Adolf you hear making that bullshit speech in the midsection though, do you know who it is?

9. KILLING THE MESSENGER – Hard rocker about searching but not finding any nuclear weapons in Iraq …

10. PRISON OF POWER – Another one that works good live. Groovy classic hard rock with lyrics about a so called big man’s secret habits … He ain’t that big all the time.

11. THOSE EYES – An energetic shuffle, with a great hook and fantastic Hammond playing. Our drummer Per is working his ass off here as well. I have a private video of when he recorded the drums on this song. Let’s say he’s sweating …

There you go. That was the long one. The short description is: It rocks! FYI: We did record three more tracks: ‘What I Want’ (ended up on the EP ‘2004’), ‘The Blues’ (Japanese bonus) and a song called ‘Evil Inside’ which will probably be used in some way soon …

MM - How long did it take for this new album to be crated from the initial conception to the finished product?
Six months of song writing, the actual recording and mix took about two months.

MM -The band recently performed live at the prestigious Firefest festival in England. What was it like to take part in this festival?

We always seem to have a great time in England and this our 3rd visit was certainly no exception. Festivals are special: You get to hang out with a lot of other musicians and more biz people and media are there. The fans travel from everywhere so both new and familiar faces were seen - we had loads of fun! Salute to the organisers, Kieran & Bruce & Co. It takes a lot of balls and fire to put an event like this together. They did a good and important job for the hard rock scene! Glad we were invited with all those cool bands, that being sad I think we belonged on the bill.

Of the other bands I saw (not all) I enjoyed TNT very much. Great singer, great band & and overall cool guys. Our gig went alright - we enjoy big stages very much! Even though there was no sound check and we played earlier and shorter than we’re used to we seemed to go down really well. The crowd sang along loud, a lot of smiles were seen and my hand still hurts from all the autographs signed afterwards … Bradford seems to like us. The Rio show we did on the Michael Schenker tour in November last year was also a good one.

MM - I believe the band ran into a little bit of trouble the night before the festival and the police were called, what happened?
Don’t believe everything you hear…!!! ;-)

There are apparently stories around telling that the Police stormed our hotel at 4 in the morning and crushed some doors because we were partying a bit. Fire distinguishers were said to be involved and some people were thrown out of the hotel … Surely can’t be true? Accusing a very calm and anti rock n’ roll type of band such things, shame on you! :-)

I have other stories I could tell you though, but they are bad for real … hahaha :-)

MM - Which songs do the fans enjoy the most being played live, what are your own particular favourites and why those particular songs?
Many of the songs are written with the stage situation in mind, so our material tends to work well live. People like to sing and shout so 'Rock n' Roll Nation' (from 'Kingsize') seems to go down really well night after night. We normally play 'Candyman' ('Electric') as our last song and people go crazy then as well. So do we ... In general, when the audience is happy then we're happy.

The track 'I'm your Blood' ('Detonator') is very special for me though. It was written after my dear father passed away. Although a heavy track it's basically a song about pride and love.

MM - What do you prefer out of the two, being holed up in the studio recording new material, or getting out on the road and playing them live in front of a live audience?
Personally I've always been deeply involved in the productions of the albums and that is a very creative and inspiring process. Especially if you work with good engineers and good equipment. I'm not technical myself, more like the vision and decision man and making an album is very interesting work. But ... nothing beats meeting the audience on stage. The energy we create together with the fans is the ultimate high. We give everything we have and on those special nights when everything is right it's magic - you can't buy feelings like that for money!

Come to think of it, those two things are done in the wrong order ... you see the birth of your child first (the record) and having good sex second (play the shows) Strange, uh? :-)

MM - What are you listening to these days yourself? Old classics or modern bands? Do you ever listen to music that is very different from what you do, if so what?
I'm a hard rocker at heart and have a decent record collection. But, I listen to a lot of non hard stuff as well. You have to if you want to keep perspective. Everything from Springsteen and Bowie to pop, AOR, rock n' roll, blues and soul.

Personally I have a hard time with some of the extreme genres like freedom jazz and death metal etc but other than that I keep my ears open for all kinds of sincere music. New and old. I prefer real songs played and sung by real artists ... People who write and perform because their heart and mind tells them. not because a certain trend is in at the moment ....

MM - With all the changes that music has gone through over the years, what do you think of the current music scene in general?
Too much short term thinking and recycling going on ... You know the-here-today-gone-tomorrow-stuff or let's make a cover - this song has worked before ...

The major record companies are too often ran by economy people and marketing people nowadays, not by music people ... Therefore pretty faces, covers and constructed "Artists" rule this world, not new bands ... It's really sad times ... More and more young people turn up at real rock concerts again though, wanting something else, so there IS hope ...

MM - What's the 'grand plan' for your band? Are you aiming for anything like fame, fortune, artistic acceptance etc?
If you add seeing the world having fun I couldn't have said it better ... (-:

MM - OK, a two part fun question now. (A) If you could have anyone locked in a room so that you could torture them for a day, whom would you choose, and how would you torture them?
Not very fond of violence ... But ok, let's have Adolf Hitler in my room and play him 'Fight you Forever' on 10 all day. I think he'd die again ...

(B) Now turn the tables. Who would you most like to be locked in a room with for a day and how would you like them to torture you?

I'd have Sandra Bullock as a bartender serving me perfectly mixed Jack & Cokes all day. Now that would be torture, wouldn't it ... ;-)

MM - Tell us one thing about yourself that not many people know.
I'm a very nice and intelligent man ... J

MM - Finally, is there anything you would like to say to all our readers out there?
Keep those emails coming, we try and answer each and every one! Email address is: band@million.o.se , our website is www.million.o.se . Why not drop us a line in the guestbook?!

Keep rocking, keep the faith and stand up & shout! See you out there, it's gonna be fun!