Interviews |
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Johannes Gammelby picks his five faves. Heavy, strange and melodic.
Johannes Gammelby a.k.a. I Am Bones is the first to pick five favourites here at Supertanker, because he just released his debut album "Wrong Numbers Are Never Busy". The job is simple: pick five of your all time favourites or the five that really gets you going right now – and if possible please include a Danish release among the five. And so he did. A few years back Johannes was mostly known as the slightly mental all-over-the-place guitarist of noiserock band Strumm. He then started doing little cd-r's of his own tunes done in the bedroom. Many people liked what they heard. Well, it was damn catchy, charming and rocking little lo-fi diddys of different kinds - drawing on Pavement, Beck and lots of americano indie underbelly stuff. He then left Strumm and devoted his time to his own project which he named I Am Bones. He did four D.I.Y. EPs - one of them only available online as mp3 - all done in his flat by himself. A live band was assembled to share the great tunes with the public and in 2005 he went a bit out of his usual element...in the studio! Before we'll allow him to lay down his five faves there's a few questions. So how's the new and more professional surroundings been treatin' ya? Well, we spent around three days laying down the basic tracks via a very simple set-up of just one bass, one guitar and one drum-kit. Things went surprisingly smooth although I'd never set foot in a recording studio before. Piet [Breinholm Bendtsen of 18th Dye/Test/Rhonda Harris] was very pro and his aura was just like, "right, let's focus, get this thing down while we’ve got the vibe". Of course he's been through it all many times before, which was good, actually, since I started panicking at the rehearsals prior to the recordings because things weren't exactly how I wanted them to be, but both he and Gaute [Niemann of Spleen United] just told me to relax and that everything would be fine once we actually got started and got focused. And they were. So, if you by professional mean, do I like the fact that things get done properly and they sound fuller and crispier, hell yeah, it's all good! I might go for simpler mic-settings on the drums next time, though. However, it must be noted, we recorded the vast majority of overdubs ourselves - Torsten [Larsen of Larsen And Furious Jane] and I - at the Under Byen/Larsen And Furious Jane rehearsal space here in Aarhus with a microphone and a computer, pretty simple, really. Can you say a few words about the album? Uhm, what's to say? CD, 12 songs, 33 minutes, stereo. It’s dirt, blood, death, love, wood, wine and more dirt. It consists of old and new songs. I think around 8 are relatively new, at least to the roaring, anticipating, anxious public. The rest are re-recordings of some old favourites. The finale of the closing song is amazing. All must bow to the result, as we are – as humans - humbled. It took on a life of it's own and it has become our master. So you got help from others in the recording proces this time? Did you just invite them to join the fun? Torsten invited me. He brought up producing a record himself. I invited Gaute and Piet on board and I sent them some cds with old songs and we picked the best ones out and rehearsed only to or three times before recording – fact I find rather remarkable, seeing as how we sound like a band who's been together for years! Additionally, Thomas Qvist engineered the record and Kenneth N mixed it. Nils [Gröndahl] from Under Byen played the violin, Mikkel [Ibsen] from Larsen And Furious Jane did some lap-steel and so forth, Torsten did some piano and guitar parts. So, no, I did not do it all myself this time. Those days are pretty much over. It's just more fun when you get to hang out and play and drink and chitchat also. I still like to demo on my own but... Solitude ain't fortitude. Please tell us a bit about the five favourites before we really dig in. I don't listen to music much, anymore. I just can't get a clear view of what is good. There is just too much of it. I like it heavy though, be it on the soul or on the ears. So, I have to give records a couple of years in order for them to settle down; they have to prove they are good. Furthermore, some might expect an 'artiste' to have some very avantgarde references, but I'm a simpleton at heart and I like my whisky straight, my honey drippin' and my shoes tied, if y'all know what ah mean. Or, you as you might say, I don't get out much. Now, this is pretty much what I am able to put into words. I have many other favourites, but I think these cover the ground: I like it done properly, I like it heavy, I like it strange, but overall I love melody more than anything, and these albums represent and include just those preferences, I think. So, if I may proceed, these are all records that I consider having laid down some stepping-stones that I use when writing music. I give you my spine.
Nick Cave – The Boatman’s Call (and his entire catalogue) These are some of the most beautiful songs ever written. I recall my friend and I, drenched in whiskey, sobbing from broken hearts, listening to this record for hours and hours. Despite its method of constant downer, it lifts you up and empowers even the most pathetic, mortal soul. It has a Paul Auster way of destroying everything you've ever believed in – only to rebuild your spine by way of the gut-wrenching melodies. Simplistic and amazing!
Nirvana – In Utero (and their entire catalogue) More guts... this record is the visceral sound of diseased guts, scrapping against each other in the belly of a huge, maimed beast. Gotta love it. Highpoints include Scentless Apprentice, Radio Friendly Unit Shifter and Milk It. It was the soundtrack to my thoughts of beginning playing music myself. I used to play the air-drums to this for hours on end, learning every beat, and eventually getting up to go play some real instruments.
Pavement – Wowee Zowee (and their entire catalogue) This is the record that said, hey, fuck it, u got melody, u got rhythm, u got music! An utterly incoherent, yet coherent, bunch of songs that just can't be bothered. To me, this is selfless music, loaded with pure, original and uncorrupted melodies. A bottomless pit from which to steal little bits and pieces for my own songs. Besides, the humour combined with the naive sincerity and the sheer fortitude of the song-writing makes everyone else look stupid, and I like that. I remember picking this up at the local library because I liked the cover and I remember instantly falling in love with AT&T, Grave Architecture, Fight This Generation and the style of the drums on this album. It's so drunken and bluesy.
Faith No More – Angel Dust This is a god damn stunning collection of songs. It was also one of the first records I ever bought. Well, I didn't buy it, I got it for my 13th birthday, and, oh, funny story: it had the right cover. And the print on the CD correctly stated that it indeed was Faith No More's Angel Dust. I was set for alternative rock. But once in my CD-player it had some damn opera-shit on it! Imagine that, I'm a teething rock'n'roller and I just thought: hey, this might be the 'alternative' and 'semi-avantgarde' I'd been reading about, cuz, how would I know? I mean, these people could do anything as far as I was concerned. Perhaps they were so alternative, they'd fuck the buying public over and put opera on their CDs. However, my brother persuaded me to go the record store to get it checked out. And of course, something had happened at the pressing plant. Jeebus, that CD might have fetched a fair buck on Ebay today, huh? Nevermind. This is a unique blend of pop, synthetic psychedelia, rock, a teenage wet dream of the perfect drug-induced nightmare (hence the title). Some might say 'aw, dis is dat awful funkmetal', and they might be right, but they are all wrong. See, this is pure, inspired vision. Check out tracks like Caffeine, Midlife Crisis, Malpratice. It's just timeless! I am not able to attach that many words to this, but... I just love it and hold it dear to my ever-fading passionate heart.
Rhonda Harris – Rhonda Harris The editor of this site insisted that I include a Danish album and I was torn between this one and Silo's Alloy. The reason I choose this one is that upon hearing my audible output, I can hear just how many little hooks and ideas I've stolen from this record. Piet, who played the drums on it, noticed it as well when we began recording. Torsten introduced me to this record years ago, in fact he lent it to me, and I’ve never returned it. Like the Nick Cave records, this record is a permanent source of comfort whenever I find myself in the foetal position, sucking my thumb, apologising for premature ejaculation. Gotta love it. Thank you for readin'. Up yours and godspeed! Johannes
Lars Kjær Dideriksen Originally published at Supertanker, October 5, 2005 copyright |
