High Roller Records did a little interview with me for a bio they working on. I thought I might post it here for those interested. Matthias Mader asked the questions. There probably is some typos in there. This was not going to be in any magazine so, well you get the idea.
Since when do you actively play music?
-As soon as I picked up the guitar around 87-88 I started playing in bands and we immediately tried to write our own songs. Of course we we’re just beginners and I had lots of bands those first years. But then we recorded the first album around 94 if I remember correctly.
You were active as guitarist & vocalist in Death Breath and also a former member of Dundertåget and Thunder Express. You were/are also involved with Slingblade, right? How broad is your musical spectrum?
-I’ve played live with Slingblade so far. I’m also in Dagger and Imperial State Electric. I started out only playing thrash and then death metal. When I got out of my worst death metal period I finally got to play regular rock, powerpop & hard rock etc. I have a pretty broad musical spectrum. I like guitar driven music a lot. I’ve been in a lot of different bands but they have all been guitar driven. I’ve put out albums with black & death metal, hard rock & heavy metal but mostly good ol rock’n’roll.
Here is some sort of history of the bands I’ve been in that has been important and led to where I am today: Masticator, Runemagick, Deathwitch, Tomahawk, The Preachermen, Wrecks, Thunder Express, Death Breath, Dundertåget, Imperial State Electric, Necronaut, Slingblade, Dagger, Robert Pehrsson’s Humbucker!
Would there be any other way than to classify ”Robert Pehrsson’s Humbucker” as your solo project?
-No I guess not. I did of course get a lot of help from other friends recording the album. They all contributed greatly to it.
It’s not a touring band, right? Just a one-off studio record or the beginning of something more …
-From the very beginning I did not even have a plan to record an album. I thought I might do a 7” with these two new songs I had recorded. But HRR thought otherwise. So when they offered me a contract for a full album I thought, maybe it is time for me to do this now. I did tell HRR that I don’t have a band, this will be a solo effort with me getting help from my friends on drums, bass, backing vox and so on. I then have been recording on and of. I’ve been on tours, done other recordings, joined other bands etc… I also separated from a long relationship and my mother passed away from cancer. So what normally would have taken two weeks to record took almost a year. During this time a lot of people have been telling me I have to play live with this. So I’m thinking about that. I don’t know, but it might happen. Maybe I get a band together and go on tour with Imperial State Electric opening up for them in Germany. That would be great!
Have you already appeared live with Humbucker?
-Nope!
How many songs have you written with Humbucker? Are the 9 songs off the album the best songs you selected, do you have lots more material at the ready?
-I have a bunch of songs. For this I tried to select a good mix and songs that would suit what I want R.P.S Humbucker to sound like. For the reasons I mentioned above I had to stop at 9 songs. That was what I was able to finish this time. But I definitely have more ideas and songs.
Well, I think the term ”Classic Rock” describes the album very well. I usually hate the term but in your case it fits well … it is probably not heavy enough to call it Hard Rock per se, is it?
-I think it’s an ok description. I love all the old acts that these days go under the ”classic rock” moniker. I guess it’s a mix of rock, hard rock & pop. I did not want to make a hard rock or heavy metal album, that was for sure. Usually when I write songs they turn out this way. I also write some acoustic stuff. But that would not have been suited for this album.
All the song material is really high class, ”Haunt my Mind” has a superb melodic guitar lick …
-Thanks a lot. It’s a fairly short album and I tried to not have any filler songs on there.
”Can’t change” is probably one of the softest songs on the album, isn’t it?
-Yes, it’s the softest one. I wanted to do a minor blues song. But it ended up being a little more atmospheric then a regular blues. I’m really happy with that one.
”Who else is on your Mind” sounds a bit UFO-ish. Do you like classic Schenker?
-I wanted to have a song with the drive & beat of ”Lights Out” by UFO or ”Achilles Last Stand” by Zeppelin. That driving drum beat you know. I really like UFO and think highly of Schenker as a guitarist, especially in that band. I like all the old guitar heroes basically. They don’t make ‘em like that anymore, what a shame!
Have you heard the Dead Lord album on High Roller. It’s pretty much like Lizzy …
-Yes. I know them well. Great guys and great band.
There’s a ton of guest musicians on the album … are those all friends of yours? Is there a special cameradie within the Swedish Rock/Metal scene?
-They are all close friends. I probably played with all of them in other bands & projects. In the rock & metal scene you pretty much get to know everyone if you are a touring band.
Times have obviously changed, in the 1980s or 1990s it would not have been possible for a Death Metal or even Black Metal musician to appear on a classic rock album. Today, there do not seem to be such boundaries of style any more …
-No, and most of them, including me, would not be able to play the music anyways during those years. I don’t really care much for boundaries. I love rock, blues, country, pop, hard rock, heavy metal & death metal. I do whatever I feel like!
