Mustasch - The Making of "Above All"
Mustasch was formed in 1998 and in August the same year they recorded their first demo at "The Mustasch Farm" on Orust (which is an island north of Gothenburg for those who don’t know Swedish geography). Several of these songs ended up on compilations, all small labels and limited editions...
All the members in Mustasch are born in 60’s and they have all played in lots of different bands and musical styles over the years. Hannes and Mats (Dojan) was a part of the Gothenburg punkscene in the 80’s, Ralf have played piano and accordion since he was a kid, and Mats (Stam) have played the bass in lots of different constellations.
It wasn’t until 1995 these guys started playing together in a band called Grindstone, and they kept playing together for a couple of years. Then Ralf took over the microphone in B-Thong after Tony Jelencovic. After Ralf’s short stint with B-Thong the boys got back together... and Mustasch was born.
In the fall of 2000 Mustasch signed with Majesty/EMI and their first release "The True Sound Of The New West" hit the stores in Scandinavia in January of 2001. After a whole bunch of gigs and festivals they entered the studio again...
I spent a hectic day with guys in Mustasch both in the studio and at a local festival gig. As always it’s very interesting to see a band at work in the studio and to have a chance to listen to a few of the tunes in their embryonic stage (before they get mixed and mastered), but instead of me rambling on about this I think it’s time for some photos from the studio (and a bunch of previously unpublished livephotos), and the main attraction of this feature... the interview...
Mustasch
in the "Oral Majority Studio" - Gothenburg
August 6, 2001
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Hogfeldt: First off I just gotta say that you guys have had two great releases since you signed with Majesty/EMI... and the live performances just keeps getting better and better...
Stam: Thanks! We were really pretty much beginners when we started out both when it comes to the studio and the stage... even though we had played together in different constellations since we were kids.
Hannes: Thanks! Hell if a little routine wouldn’t help a bit...
Hogfeldt: In spite of the relatively short period of time between the recording of "The True Sound Of The New West" and "Above All" I’ve noticed a lot of differences between both these releases, both in the song material and the production... any thoughts about that?
Stam: About "The True Sound...", a few of those songs have been around since the beginning of Mustasch, the opposite can be said about "Above All", most of those tunes are new ones... except for "Muddy Waters" from the Daredevil vinyl split. The riffs for "Ocean Song" are also from the early days of Mustasch. Songs like "Down In Black", "I Hunt Alone" and "The Dagger" have all been written during the "The True Sound..." tour.
Hannes: I would call it natural progression, there might be a few more 80’s influences on this album, but this wasn’t something we set out to do... it was all subconsious. But as you know, a lot of the material have been around for a long time. But this being a fullength release came up kinda sudden since it was planned to be another mini-CD from the beginning. So it was touring, rehearsing, songwriting, recording all at the same time. It got to be a little to much at times, everything else in life came in second place... more or less social suicide. Lets just hope it won’t happen like this again! At the same time I gotta say that Ralf pulled the heaviest load during this process, and he pulled it off real well... but he was the one who took the biggest "blow".
Mustasch
Live at Sticky Fingers Gothenburg
August 23, 2000
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Hogfeldt: Roberto Laghi have produced both "The True Sound..." and "Above All", any thoughts on him as a producer? Will you work with him on the next album as well?
Stam: Letting a "5th" member into the production can probably never be done without some friction. The emotions turns towards the dark side at times, but that is something you just gotta take for what it is. The problem with this recording wasn’t Robban, but that we were touring during the recording... a mistake that won’t be repeated. And shure we wouldn’t mind working with Robban and Hasse (Hans Estberg, sound engineer, musician, bass-technician and so on) again. But we’ll leave it at that until we know what form the next album will take.
Hannes: Great! He’s cool, knows his stuff. We had a good thing going and have found our common ground. I hope we’ll get another chance to work with him again, there’s a great vibe in the "Oral Majority Studio".
Hogfeldt: Are you pleased with everything about the finished "Above All" album? If you could change anything, what would it be?
Stam: Of course we’re pleased with the album... if the outcome was something we weren’t pleased with we wouldn’t release it. Of course there’s always a few things that’s a little so so. I wish that we had a little more time for experimenting in the studio, but then again we would’ve ended up with an album that would have been two times as expensive as it was now, if not more.
Hannes: We ended up with a helluva great album! But giving birth to it wasn’t without pain, in some areas we weren’t prepared at all. Lotsa in and out of the studio and packing or setting up the gear. But since this process was a little time-consuming it meant that the album had a chance to mature at it’s own pace. The only thing I’d like to change next time around is to have a little more time before the recording of the album, maybe record it during the winter and tour it during the summer.
Mustasch
Live at Pusterviksbaren, Gothenburg
February 10, 2001
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Hogfeldt: Any difference with how the songs took shape on "Above All" vs. "The True Sound Of The New West"?
Stam: "The True Sound..." was really a copy of an earlier demo, everything was already finished. The songs had been around and been polished on for two years, we just had to record `em again. The songs from "Above All" are in part made up of old riffs that we put together to songs and of a bunch of newly written tunes that were finished some time before we entered the studio. From the beginning it was planned to be another EP, but when it was decided to release a fullength instead we just had to spit out as many songs as possible.
Hannes: The older material had been through the rehearsal room grinder a lot of times, which wasn’t the case with the newer material. But I hope we get back to the old way of doing things now that Mustasch is more of a full time gig.
Hogfeldt: Any favorite tune on the album (which one and why)? Which song are you most pleased with your own playing on?
Stam: I gotta mention "Into The Arena" just for the suggestive groove. And "White Magic" for the groove and the 70’s vibe. "Ocean Song" is another favorite, with it’s mellow and laidback playing. There’s a small bass "doodle" I’m especially pleased with on "Into The Arena" but on the whole it’s "White Magic".
Hannes: "Ocean Song" and "I Hunt Alone". Not shure about my own contribution.
Mustasch
Live at Sticky Fingers, Gothenburg
May 18, 2001
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Hogfeldt: There’s a bunch of great songs from both demos that yet have to seen an official release, some of `em have been played live a lot others not... I’m thinking of songs like "Tellus", "Tundra Skier" and "Log", any chance of getting `em on any future releases?
Stam: These tunes are still very much alive... "Log" has been played live often, but for some reason it didn’t really work in the studio, that’s why it isn’t included on the "Above All" album. "Tellus" on a label as commercial as EMI? It will not be easy, but maybe as a B-side on a single or on the next album...
Hannes: I hope all of `em will get released in the future. And I think they will... one way or another.
Hogfeldt: Mustasch must be one of the most active livebands in Sweden at the moment, and at the same time there’s a few of you who have families... not the best combination at times, or?
Stam: No family... so no comment!
Hannes: It’s been tough, but I hope it’ll turn for the better now that this is a fulltime gig and I don’t have to have another job as well. But my amazing girlfriend have handled it great when dad has been out on the road.
Mustasch
Live at Heden, Gothenburg
August 6, 2001
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Hogfeldt: Which one of all the gigs you guys have played over the last couple of years are you most pleased with? I’ve seen you guys something like 10 times, but I still think the gig you did with Elicxsir at Sticky Fingers (Gothenburg, Sweden) is the best I’ve seen you...
Stam: "Malmöfestivalen" just before The Haunted... a crowd of 1000 with sing-a-long and lighters in the air on "The Dagger". Just as good was the gig at "The Shrine" (Kollingsborg - Stockholm, Sweden), before Entombed... the sweat was flowing and the gig was real wild...
Hannes: The Shrine in Stockholm with Entombed among others.
Hogfeldt: What’s your musical influences, both ‘classics’ and from the scene of today?
Stam: As a band, all sorts of hard rock and metal from the 70´s and the 80´s. My own influences are a lot of rock `n´ roll a´la Bowie and Stones... and even some Jazz. From the scene of today, Monster Magnet and Fu Manchu... you can’t get a sound much meaner than Fu...
Hannes: Sabbath of course! Lotsa 70’s stuff, Montrose, Uriah Heep, Alice Cooper. Not so much modern metal really, Suicide Tendencies were great a couple of years ago, Iron Maiden and maybe Accept as well. But there’s lotsa other stuff as well, Cockney Rebel, Pink Floyd and so on...
Hogfeldt: What’s the latest album, or albums, you’ve bought?
Stam: Fu Manchu - California Crossing
Hannes: Kiss - Destroyer... on CD.
Hogfeldt: What do you think about the Swedish (and Scandinavian) scene, since you’ve been out and played with so many bands... is there any good up `n´ comers out in the dark woods of Sweden?
Stam: I just gotta mention El Caco, they’re 300% better live than on their album... I hope their next studio album will show just how good they are. Elecxsir and Commander, both from Gothenburg, have a cool 80´s groove. Firestone - a stoner band from Örebro, they don’t have any contract yet, but they show much promise... as our booking agent said: Give `em the experience of another 50 gigs and a record deal... and you guys got some stiff competition.
Hannes: El Caco are great! The rock `n´ roll climate is good in Sweden at the moment. Lotus! Can’t think of any more bands at the moment, but there’s to many to mention `em all. Come and check it out yourself... I’ll show you...
Mustasch
Live at Trädgår`n, Gothenburg
December 28, 2001
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Hogfeldt: There’s lots of folks, both fans and bands, that aren’t to happy about the ‘stonerrock’ tag. When I saw Roadsaw and Orange Goblin in Stockholm a while back you could hear stuff like "fuck stonerrock!" and "stonerrock is gay!" from the stage... I wouldn’t had mind if someone had come up with a better name for the genre from the start, but now we’re stuck with stonerrock... and it could’ve been worse! So call it stonerrock, hard rock, cosmic doom, retro rock or whatever, the main thing must be that it has that killer groove, or(?)... so what’s your take on being called a stonerrock band?
Stam: To a lot of people stonerrock is smoking pot and play repetitive 70’s hard rock in the style of Black Sabbath with few and low vocals. To me it means the riff-metal of the 70’s with a few goldnuggets added to it, but far from all of it is any good. I mean look at Orange Goblin, they’re latest album is called stonerrock by everyone and it really pisses `em off... but if you use Scott Reader (of Kyuss fame) as a producer you only got yourself to blame. A fan came up to me the other day, he told me he was disapointed with our latest album "it’s not stoner!". But we play the music we like, our musical progress is OUR musical progress, get on the train or be left at the station... What’s really good about stonerrock is the worldwide community around this scene, it’s easy for every band that has at least some good qualities to spread their music...
Hannes: It can get a little tired with all those genre names. Hard Rock and/or Metal is nothing but just that. But if I should describe our own sound... 70’s inspired hard rock/metal with a modern sound.
Hogfeldt: "Above All" and "The True Sound Of The New West" have yet to see a release outside Scandinavia (at least from what I know), are there plans to release the albums in the rest of Europe... and maybe even U.S.A. and Japan as well?
Stam: There’s plans for a release in other European countries, I can’t tell you more at the moment (the album has been released in Norway).
Hannes: We’re in negotiations so things can start happening this fall...
Mustasch
"Above All" Releaseparty at Hising Island MC, Gothenburg
February 22, 2001
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Hogfeldt: I’ve heard rumors about a "folkpark"-tour with Entombed this coming summer, any truth to it?
Stam: Yes! We will do a tour with Entombed. Everything about the tour, booking and such, isn’t finished yet, but it looks like it’ll all start at Skansen in Stockholm and then it’ll be "folkparks" all around Sweden. This tour will be sponsored by LO (Swedish labor union), and something like 10 gigs is being planned.
Hannes: Yes! It’ll be an helluva fun experience. Think about it. "Moonshine" in the parkinglot, passing out in the bushes... And we already have the clogs!
Hogfeldt: So this interview has come to an end, anything you wanna say to the readers here at StonerRock.com?
Stam: Keep up the community-work! That´s what keeps minority music alive.
Hannes: Getting into U.S.A. can get tough. "Raffe" didn’t get thru the metaldetector at Landvetter (the big airport in the Gothenburg area) last summer... because of the studs on his clogs. But you can be shure, we’re coming... so ROCK ON!
