Thanks so much to Patrik, Johan, Carl-Johan and Benno for the interview! I wrote about Drums in Minor on the blog some time ago and it was great news that the band got in touch with me! This of course gave me the big opportunity to do this interview and find out more about this obscure -but superb sounding- Gothenburg band! Enjoy!
++ Hi Patrik, Johan, Carl-Johan and Benno! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? How have you been handling this pandemic? Tired of it as everyone I suppose?
Patrik: First of all we would like to thank you for writing about Drum In Minor and we are almost in chock that you found us! We would like to know how you found the song?
This situation that we are in is super boring and it feels like my whole world just stopped. No rehearsals, no touring, no gigs, no concerts, no pub visits and no friends for visit. For me, I have worked on new material for my band “Dun Ringill” so I am occupied.
++ It was really cool to get in touch, really liked what I heard from Drums in Minor. So let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen to at home while growing up?
Patrik: Growing up in the 70s listening to Elvis and then Sweet, Slade and Kiss gave me the wish to be able to make music and to maybe make a living out of it.
But the 2 artists that made me choose the bass was Lemmy, Motörhead (Coolest guy ever) and Geezer Butler, Black Sabbath (He showed me Penta scale and how to be swinging as a bass player).
Later Stuart Morrow of New Model Army formed and influenced my bass playing massively.
Benno: My first idols when I was around 13-14 were Sweet, Status Quo, Alice Cooper etc. A lot of glam-rock…and then came Thin Lizzy into my life. My first drum was a snare drum when I was around 13. I hit it hard in our storage room in the stairwell. I locked the door so no one could enter. The neighbors were not happy.
My mother showed an ad in the paper for a drum school at the local music store. I started there but was no fun cause only those who could already play a little got priority in the class. I stopped going there wasn’t fun anymore. I more or less quit drumming at that point.
Then punk music came along…everyone could and should play. My mother got me a drumkit when I was around 17. The music store was far away and my mother and me had to carry the whole kit on the bus home…we had to take two trips.
Carl-Johann: For me it started with learning to play the piano. But after discovering Kiss it was impossible not to play the guitar…because of Ace Frehely in Kiss. Best guitarist in the world ☺ But before Kiss it was as for many kids growing up in the seventies ABBA, Sweet, Slade, Kiss…but also lots of classical music and later hard progressive music King Crimson, Genesis, Yes and so on.
Johan: I come from a sort of ”music family” on my fathers side. My grandfather was a multi instrumentalist in Jazz music and his father was a priest and ”local herbalist” who had a local ”Big band” in Dalarna, Sweden during the end of the 1800’s.
I have some really nice photos from this era up until the 60’s with them playing all kinds of instruments.
Myself, I started with piano and slowly moved towards guitar in my early teens.
I learned the basics of music theory and simple scales very early on.
It all started when got a small cassette recorder from my grandfather. He had just been to Germany to buy new jazz records and new music gear, so he brought this Cassette Recorder with him, along with some tapes he did not like too much, so he showed me how to make my own recordings ”re-using” these cassettes.
Among these tapes were fantastic 60’s pop bands and a strange ”Liberty Label cassette” titled Deutsche Progressive Rock. This was probably where it all started for me. This is early 70’s.
++ Had you been in other bands before Drums in Minor? If so, how did all of these bands sound? Are there any recordings?
Patrik: I played in some bands before but nothing to talk about and I am so happy that there is no recordings from that era. D.I.M was my first major try to make a living out of music (I still don´t make money out of music after 40 years and 12 albums).
Benno: My first band was called Antabuz. We had our rehearsal room in a shelter. This band only excisted for a couple of years with only a few gigs. After that it was a band called Interrail. We had an awesome guitarist. His way of playing made me change my way of drumming into a more heavy and dynamic way.
After Interrail I was in a band called Bellair. We won a rock band competition and got the opportunity to record a demo in a professional studio, Bohus Studio were many famous bands like Status Quo have recorded.
After Bellair there was a band called Curtain Call. We got a lot of credit cause our live performances. Some famous faces in that band with members from both Stonefunkers and Union Carbide. We also made a demo with 13 songs…think I still have it.
There have been many different styles of music over the years. That made it easy for me to play most things in music. Drums In Minor later Simpkins was my last band that I played music with my own material. After that it’s been mostly cover bands at weddings and parties.
Carl-Johan: I played in some bands before D. I. M. Great variety of styles. Lots of progressive music with long songs and strange beats. But the band right before Drums In Minor was a AC/DC cover band called Chain Gang.
++ Where were you from originally?
Patrik: I am from a small village called Larv, with a population of maybe 500 persons, so imagine me walking around there 16 years old looking like Robert Smith, ha ha….
It was then a natural step for me to move to Gothenburg -88, the music scene there was superb at that time.
Benno: Born in Gothenburg 1963
Carl-Johan: I’m from Gothenburg but actually born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia but that is another story ☺
Johan: I was born in Gothenburg
++ How was Gothenburg at the time of Drums in Minor? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?
Patrik: Yes, Whipped Cream, friends of ours, was a great band and an inspiration. Jörgen Cremonese, gutar and vovals, produced the first album with Simpkins (The name of the band after D.I.M). Blue for two, Cortex, Sonic Walters, Easy, Sator…. Just to name a few of all the good bands from Gothenburg at that time.
The best record store was in my opinion Pet Sounds! Specialised in Alternative music and where you could find albums with bands like Neon Judgement, New Model Army etc.
Another great record store was Skivhugget, where Johan used to work, a bigger and nice environment to find new music at.
Carl-Johan: We were all well around in different constellations in Gothenburg’s music world. And there were some that you looked up to…who had succeeded. But as always when you do something…in the end you get to know most of them and even play with many of them.
Sator, Stonefunkers, Union Carbide and Whipped Cream just to mention a few…those guys had at least a record deal. And think we got to be know and play with some of them.
Three record stores that mattered…where the cool kids bought their records Bengans, Skivhugget and Pet Sounds as I remember.
It was actually hard to get gigs at that time. For unknown bands at least. We often ended up in obscure clubs that may have only existed for a short time. But we got a few gigs at established venues and drew a lot of audiences. So the rumor went well that we were worth checking out.
++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process?
Johan: I pinned a ”looking for musicians for a new band” at the local Music store in december 1986. I did have synth-band projects earlier during highschool (”Hybrizine”, ”Statement”), but I was interested in trying out more guitar based rock/pop-oriented music, and also to meet new musicians who actually could play. I received a few answers and Patrik (who turned out to be great bass player and a friend of my elder brother) plus a singer/keyboardist named Jerker met up with Benno and me for our first jam in february 1987. I had never rehearsed with a good drummer before this occasion, so I thought straight away this may become something solid to build on.
We auditioned 3 guitarists during the first spring months and made some simple recordings, but it did not sound quite right and Jerker left after a few rehearsals. Patrik, Benno and I took the decision to skip keyboards completely and instead find a good guitarist or guitarist/singer and focus on a 4 piece band with 2 guitars.
I called my childhood friend Carleboo from ”The Chain Gang”, and it turned out their band had just quit.
With Carleboo we started to sound ok straight away. The only problem now was we did not have a good singer, so me and Benno started to share this task, and with Carl-Johan being a great guitarist, I could focus more and more on the vocal part.
Carl-Johan: Speaking for myself I had just quit the AC/DC cover band and didn’t play with anyone. I worked with Johan’s big brother and ask him if he knew what Johan was up to. We know each other from school and I knew Johan was a talented musician. So heard a rumor he was up to something interesting.
So Johan was kind enough to introduce me to Patrik and Benno and another. We jammed together and for me…and I loved it. Think we clicked right away.
++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?
Johan: On some few occasions a song was presented with chords and melodies, but usually someone had an idea we started jamming on. The songwriting-process often happened during rehearsals and on many occasions lyrics was not written down. This meant we often had to come up with words just before recording.
Carl-Johan: Was a really nice process when we created music, I think. Often someone had an idea, a riff or a melody loop…so we jammed up something fun from that. Although Johan had many good songs in his head.
In the beginning we rehearsed in a shelter were Benno lived. Was built to protect the residents of that residential area if there was a war and bombs would fall.
It smelled like mould and the air ran out pretty quickly. Then you had to go and crank on a large crank so that some new air could come in. But we could play as loud as we wanted…no one would hear us scream ☺ So if we die soon…it’s because of all the time we spent in that mold infested shelter ☺
++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?
Johan: I don’t remember really. I think we thought it sounded good and one of the musical visions from the beginning was to make it all sound ”organic” at least in contrast to the electronic music I had done before.
I remember also being quite fond of weird names of some 60’s psych bands.
Carl-Johan: To be honest…I don’t know ☺
++ Who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?
Johan: So many! At the time it was The Chameleons, The Sound, Wire, Echo & the Bunnymen, Killing Joke, XTC & Dukes, Psychedelic Furs, House of love, Stranglers and so on.. When I was younger also Krautrock bands like Neu! & Can influenced my musical thinking early on.
Carl-Johan: We are four very different people when you think about it. Therefore, the influences varied very much. That’s probably why it was so much fun, I think. But of course we had common music we liked…we simply liked good music. Didn’t really matter what music it was.
++ One thing I am always impressed by is the amount of quality Swedish indiepop bands through the years. Why do you think your country is always producing so many good bands? And if you were to name a few favourites, who would they be?
Johan: Some Gothenburg favorites were: ViVA!, Twice A Man, Kai Martin & Stick & Camouflage. Also Thirteen Moons from Stockholm and Garbochock from Malmö were great bands. These were not Indiepop bands though.
I do not think there were any(?) when we started. Patrik probably knows..
Carl-Johan: Speaking for myself I’d say the classic answer, the municipal music schools all over our country. But I wasn’t that hard into indiepop myself. But lots of great bands in Gothenburg.
++ As far as I know you only released one 7″ record. It came out on Reazone to Release Records. I had never heard of this label before and was wondering if you could tell me any details about it? And of course, how did you end up signing with them?
Johan: One of my earlier bandmates (Mats Blysing) was into sort of ”MUTE type” – Synth Music. He was signed to Reazone in 1987 when this label started.
Reazone was a Gothenburg based record store with a focus on alternative, electronic and industrial genres of music plus anarchist literature.
In 1987-88 they asked us if we wanted to press any vinyl, since they had good deals with a European vinyl pressing plant.
We thought this could be fun and gave them the pressing cost money for a single and a full length LP.
It turned out Reazone had fallen behind in rents and bills, so our single was not pressed until over 2 years later and the full-length was never released as Reazone went bankrupt in 1990.
Carl-Johan: I think Johan has the best answer for that ☺
++ This 7″ was recorded at RRL Studios. Was this your first time in a professional studio? And how was that experience? How long did it take to record the songs?
Johan: RRL studios started as a collective of musicians from my childhood area
who had equipment like multitrack Reel to Reel Machines, mixing consoles, Tape echoes, mics etc. We started borrowing stuff from each other when we were to make recordings. This was during high school and up until 1987-88.
It turned out Benno also had equipment, so I contacted my old friends and in combination with Benno’s equipment we managed to arrange a pretty good recording situation.
The Single was mixed by the band on Bennos mixing console and the unreleased full length LP was later mixed in Urania. This was a reputable studio in down town Gothenburg where Twice a Man had made recordings and later Easy were to make their studio recording debut. This was actually the first time for me working in a fully equipped studio.
Carl-Johan: For me it was not the first time. Done some recording in professional studios before that. Can’t remember the amount of time we put in on that LP.
++ Tell me about the photo on the cover of the record, I see some grapes and a stone I think? What was it about? And who took the picture?
Carl-Johan: Benno took the picture…just think he thought it was a nice picture. Not sure ☺
++ I read that an album worth of songs were recorded later on but this album never got released. What happened?
Johan: The unreleased album was recorded throughout summer 1988, and as mentioned earlier. Reazone went bankrupt.
Carl-Johan: I guess money issues as usual. Think the record company went broke before the released.
++ How many songs had been recorded for the album? Did the album had a name already?
Johan: We had recorded 12 songs. I believe 10 were to be included on the album.
Carl-Johan: I remember a name but not sure I’m right; Great Scenery?
As I look back on it, it was kind of egoistic and short sighted, at least from my point.
The underlying cause was probably the expectations we had when we made the last album. We had a publisher who loved it and tried to shop it to the U.K, but never succeeded. We had great hopes, but hey.. There were a lot of great bands in the U.K. in those days. Tough competition!
We never had any real disagreements or fights, so there wasn’t really any definite reason for us to quit. It just sort of happened.
Probably as many as 10-20 songs. Some were never mixed and some of them might be included as bonus tracks on coming re-releases. We’ll see..
++ I think my favourite song of yours might as well be “You Would be Sorry”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?
Johan: It was the first pop-style song idea I had. I was into Killing Joke at the time and had just discovered that The Smiths were actually great. This was during my school days around 1984-85. The guitar-picking style was originally meant to sound a bit like Geordies guitars and the vocals in line with Morrissey or Lloyd Cole. Since I was neither a singer at that time nor a good guitarist, I was never able to make any decent presentation of it.
When Patrik, Carleboo and Benno heard it, the whole song was rearranged and realized. The first recording of it is the one on the vinyl single.
We made more recordings of it, with different sound and lyrics, and I think all should be released in one way or another
Carl-Johan: It’s a very catchy tune but don’t know the story behind it. Think Johan can explain better.
++ If you were to choose your favorite Drums in Minor song, which one would that be and why?
Johan: Maybe ”Drowning in the Pool of life”. It was originally a song idea from Patrik in 1988, and I remember us really enjoying the parts where major chords tangle up with the minor scale bass lines.
I remember being into Echo and the Bunnymen at the time. It brings up great memories.
It was also a great moment when it was played on the radio show ”Bommen” in 1989.
Carl-Johan: As for Drums In Minor I’d say “You would be sorry” But then for Simpkins…loads of great songs ☺
++ What about gigs? Did you play many?
Patrik: If we include Simpkins we maybe did about 100 gigs and a small tour in the northern parts of Sweden.
Think we did about a hundred gigs in all. Not sure but we played a lot in times. Some timeas as opening act and sometimes by ourselves. Think there was a tour in north Sweden and lots of gigs in Stockholm.
++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?
Carl-Johan: In the beginning we got some offers to play “at the door” at some bigger clubs. They would only pay if there were people coming. First time at a club called “Magasinet” we filled the place. They wasn’t so happy having to pay us big that night. That happened a few times until they realized it wasn’t a good deal to do with our band ☺
As many bands we’ve had our share of “Spinal Tap moments” Benno and Johan getting stuck with all our gear in an old elevator just before a gig. Some strange bookings…we showed up for a TV talent show for example. In the makeup room they were wondering why we were there…cause there was a big article in the paper about us the same day.
But we took every chance to play and it made that you could end up in very strange situations sometimes.
++ And were there any bad ones?
Patrik: The worst must have been in a town called Sundsvall, the promoter had forgotten to promote the gig so 0 people turned up… But we played in front of the Promoter and some staff. Ha ha Crazy memory.
Some gigs were alcohol was involved…they are usually bad…but funny sometimes ☺ We usually manage to do a good performance. But there’s a rumor about a recording from a small town in Sweden where we played…very intoxicated. Johan usually said something between songs. But this time no one understood a word he said ☺
++ When and why did Drums in Minor stop making music? You mainly changed names to Simpkins, right? Is that what happened?
Johan: The reason was probably we felt we had made lots of strange gigs under that name and the unreleased album felt outdated. I remember us sitting in a tour-van 1989 discussing how to proceed. We wanted to take our music into a more rock-oriented territory and the band name did not really fit into this new concept. Carleboo had a copy of Canterbury Tales and simply put his finger into it; It landed on ”mr Simpkin”…
The name switch happened later while we were in Musicamatic studios Christmas 1990 until the first week of January 1991. We had hired Jörgen Cremonese from Whipped Cream and other Delights as a producer and had some more riff-based rock songs. ”The Miss Thingamagic – Coming Down For Me Sessions” This was the time of the switch towards a new direction.
Thus a new name. The 2” tapes and track-sheets were still marked as ”Drums in Minor” though.
Carl-Johan: True I think it was a way to get a new start. Same band but different name. Not sure it was a smart idea but we thought so at the time.
++ And in general, had all of you been in other bands afterwards? Which bands?
Johan: I started a short lived project together with Jonas Sonesson from Whipped Cream. We recorded some songs. Otherwise I mainly became a producer and studio musician. My wife and I started the band Tapefly in 1999 where also Carleboo joined for some recording sessions.
Carl-Johan: I’ve done some musical projects with friends. Mostly recordings but there has been band constellations and cover bands and all kind of things. But nothing as serious as Simpkins for me. Even some fun stuff with Johan.
++ Has there been any Drums in Minor reunions?
Patrik: We did a reunion as Simpkins a couple of years ago but we realized that we didn´t have the time to do it justice so we left it there.
Carl-Johan: We had a reunion to celebrate 25 years since first Simpkins album. But at that time we couldn’t get it to work cause of different things. But was great fun to play with the guys I say. It was as time had stood still.
++ Was there any interest from radio?
Patrik: There was a great Program called Bommen that played D.I.M and the host really loved us.
Carl-Johan: Yeah we had a big fan in a radio host who always played our songs. Think the name of the show was “Bommen”. We also went on some radio playlists when we released our first Simpkins album with the song Miss-Thing-a-Magic. And interviews and stuff.
++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?
Johan: Not very much. It was then as it is now. Especially if you don’t play for the big labels or if you don’t sound like any Swedish hyped big label bands.
You had to get a ”green pass” from the tastemakers, even if these tastemakers were way out of date musically.
I remember us sitting in Urania Studios when Jörgen Sangsta, the studio owner told us a big label was very interested in signing us. For real!
Short after, we received some calls. (EMI ?)They wanted us to start singing in Swedish. It would probably have been a clever move and given us the much needed press. We never did however. All our references were in English, so the conversion felt very awkward.
Carl-Johan: They did…later on. Both in morning and evening papers and event magazines and things.
++ What about from fanzines?
Johan: Yes there were some fanzines, weren’t there? ”Arrg!” and some other local fanzines. Ultrahusets (?). I remember us getting good reviews in ”Nöjesguiden”and on the Radioshow ”Bommen”. The reviews in the bigger papers were always kind of lukewarm.
Carl-Johan: Not that I know of ☺
++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?
Johan: The last gig 1995. A fully packed classic place that burnt to the ground a few years later. Don’t remember the name now..
Carl-Johan: I think it was when we released our second album. Even though it was tough and we didn’t always get along. The quality of our work was good and we inspired the younger generation to do what would later be the famous “Gothenburg Sound”.
++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?
Johan: Gardening, plants, nature, birds and butterflies. I think butterflies are perhaps the most psychedelic living things in all creation. Some even have supernatural compounds in their chemistry. Research Telepathine….
I don’t eat them though. Only photography ☺
Carl-Johan: I’m a sport guy so a lot of that for me. Sailing, golf and tennis all the posh sports ☺
++ Been once to Gothenburg but would love to hear from a local. What are the sights one shouldn’t miss? Are there any food or drinks one should also try?
Carl-Johan: If you have the opportunity you should go out and visit the archipelago during summer. That’s just magical. And you should eat something Patrik cook. He’s now one of the best chef’s we have in this town.
++ Anything else you’d like to add?
Always fun with interviews and talk about old memories ☺
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Listen
Drums in Minor – You Would Be Sorry
