Interview with G.A.I.N

'A - Part Two of H.A.T.E'
'A - Part Two of H.A.T.E'
'A - Part Two of H.A.T.E'

I met up with G.A.I.N who have recorded the second part of the H.A.T.E saga, ‘A – Part Two of H.A.T.E’. Here’s their thoughts about the project.

Hi G.A.I.N! You guys are doing “A – part two of H.A.T.E” how is the EP coming along?

It’s coming along very well. It’s all done and waiting to be released. Niklas Stålvind of Wolf produced and mixed. Mike Wead of King Diamond and bibelblack mastered. From the final result we can definitely say that it sounds kick-ass! We’re very proud of what we’ve done and we can’t wait until we can share the result with the world!



Great! Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?

We’re just a couple of metalheads doing what we love. We all come from different places but our love for Metal brought us together. We all live in Stockholm and we like to go out and have a good old dirty time. It happens a little too often but that’s Metal for you!  We live by the motto, Sex, Booze and Tattoos! 



What did you think of the original songs when you first heard them and did you think it was hard to interpret them into your own style or did you get ideas straight away?

When we first heard the songs we wondered what the hell we’d gotten or self’s in to. It was a little hard to “connect” with the songs at first but after a few listening’s they grew on us and now we like them. 
We decided early not to listen to the originals that much too ensure that our versions came more from us, so that they would sound like G.A.I.N. 
Some songs we had ideas for right after the first listen but some came harder. The song that came easiest was probably “King of the Willow Tree” and one that we had to work a bit on was “Glow”.  



Which of the songs are you most pleased with and why?

Our favorites are probably King of the Willow Tree and The War. We really like the raw drive of the riffs in both songs. They are really in our own style and don’t sound like covers at all. Your way of writing really fitted well into our kind of music. They came out just like our own songs.



What’s your favorite gig memory?

Three of us remember on gig in particular. Mr Bandiit was a little too excited and played a bit fast. This resulted in that Gus had to prioritize ether singing or breathing in the last song. He chose to sing… 
He gave his last bit of energy in that song and as a result of that he ended up taking an ambulance ride to the hospital. 



Can you tell us a little bit about the recording sessions and what was most fun with being a part of this project?

We recorded everything in Viper Studios. From this experience we learned that we will never record four songs in two days again. It’s borderline impossible and we don’t recommend it. We finished all the rhythm guitars and the drums in one day and thought we were doing very well. Only lead guitar, bass and vocals left right? The lead guitar and the bass were done at about 8 o’clock the next night. The vocals took another 7-8 hours and would have taken longer if it weren’t for the excellent vocal coaching Niklas Stålvind of Wolf provided. We’re forever grateful for that.
 But on the whole it has been a lot of fun to be part of this project. We’ve learned a lot and would like to thank you for this opurtunity.



What’s next on the agenda for G.A.I.N this fall?

Get out and play. The big damn show! This fall we will focus on getting out and bring our music to the masses. We haven’t played all summer so we’re really excited about getting out there again! We’ll just have to make sure that Gus gets to breath. Do you know where we can get a portable oxygen tank?



Thanks for hanging out! We look forward to hearing the songs.

Listen and pre-order ‘A – Part Two of H.A.T.E’ here!

V – Update #4

Janne Manninen producer of 'V - Part Three of L.O.V.E'
Janne Manninen producer of 'V - Part Three of L.O.V.E'
Janne Manninen producer of 'V - Part Three of L.O.V.E'

For the third part or the L.O.V.E saga I had my bass player Janne Manninen lay his electric fingers on my songs. It’s now just a few weeks left before it’s released and we need your support to make it through the final stages of production. Thank you so much for pre-ordering the EP HERE! For this update we caught a few words with Janne in the studio!

Hi Janne! You’re the producer of ‘V – part three of L.O.V.E’. Please tell us a bit about the sound of the new EP!
My idea was Sofia Talvik but with an electro touch. More synth bass and more retro drums. But in a new modern style. Not as stripped down as her music usually is and with that extra electro vibe. And I also wanted to introduce the electric guitar that I know Sofia has in her closet …

What’s your main inspiration for the production of this EP?
All the good music I listen to… its a secret! And also a bunch of friends who I’ve met in my life that have inspired me with their musicality and their great ideas!

You’re usually the bass player in Sofia’s backing band. How do you feel that this experience has been different from when you usually play with Sofia?
Finally I get to decide which instrument should be the loudest one in the mix! Otherwise its not much difference, music is always music to me whether you are the bass player or the producer.

What have you been up to this summer?
Mostly hanging out with my son and my girlfriend. My son is almost a year old and he is a great inspiration by just being himself. And I have been touring in Norway with the Swedish singer Melissa Horn and that has been a good tour but also a hard tour due to the terror attack that happened in Oslo in the end of July! The Norwegians are great people, but it’s expensive in Norway.

What’s your favorite memory from touring with Sofia?
The US tour in 2010. Three weeks of tennis in Hawaii,  a lot of time in Rafe Dogs car, riding the mechanical bull in Austin and meeting friendly and funny people. Discussing taxes with Americans is always an adventure 🙂 And the motel in Van Horn – the place to be if you wish to see a guy that looks like the psycho from the movie ‘No country for old men’ … uuuuuuu

 

On tour with Sofia Talvik
Check out the guy on the phone in the background

You chose ‘Jonestown’ to do a ‘re-make’ of, which version do you like the best, yours or the original one?
The Original! Im so tired of producing and mixing my version! But if the original had some pedal steel that would be even better… 🙂

Tell us three things we can expect from ‘V – part three of L.O.V.E’?
Synth bass, drum machines and pedal steel guitar!

And finally, is your favorite color purple?
If you want to know the answer of that you’ll have to ask the clerk in the souvenir shop on USS Midway in San Diego. According to Rafe Dog the entrance fee is only 5 bucks but I would be prepared to pay a liiiiitle bit more. than that …

A – Part Two of H.A.T.E coming soon!!!

G.A.I.N

You haven’t forgotten about the mirror project of L.O.V.E have you? The second EP in the H.A.T.E series is soon being released and it’s the ultra cool rock band G.A.I.N from Sweden who has recorded this awesome version of ‘O – Part Two of L.O.V.E’. Be prepared for heavy riffs, spot on vocals and drums that will make your world shake!

G.A.I.N
G.A.I.N is recording 'A - Part Two of H.A.T.E'

Here’s a some videos from one of the recording sessions.

G.A.I.N is: Gus Savage – Guitar and Vocals, Johnnie Bane – Bass and Vocals, Rob Thorn – Lead Guitar, Rob Bandiit – Drums

V – Update #3

Monkey in a cage
Monkey in a cage
Monkey in a cage

The new EP is coming along nicely! My producer Janne Manninen has just started mixing the songs and I’m happy to give you not one, but TWO previews of the new songs. Here’s also some crazy pics from our studio!


Jonestown:

Each producer got to choose one of my old songs to make a re-make of. Janne chose ‘Jonestown’ from my third album and made it into an electronica version. We’ve also changed the lyrics on the chorus to my original lyrics that didn’t make the final cut on the first version.

[audio:http://www.sofiatalvik.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/jonstownsnutt.mp3]

Circle of Friends:

This song was originally recorded fro the benefit of Acoustic for Autism which helps raise money for awareness of autistic children.

[audio:http://www.sofiatalvik.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/circlesnutt.mp3]

Please help us out by pledging here

Getting all the cables right
Getting all the cables right


Children’s Hospital

children's hospital

I just found out that my song ‘Something Good’ was played in an episode of the satirical comedy show Children’s Hospital.

The song was played in the end credits of episode ‘Father’s Day’ and is from my third album ‘Jonestown’ which you can find here! The Swedish actress Malin Åkerman is starring in the show so thumbs up for us blonde Swedish girls!

Check out this little clip from the episode!