Interview mit Frida Eurenius von Spiral Skies

Hi and thanks a lot for taking time for this interview! How are you doing? 
Thanks a lot for giving us the opportunity to speak with you! We feel great!

I suppose that most of our readers haven’t heard that much about SPIRAL SKIES so far, so please introduce yourself.
We are a quintet from Stockholm, Sweden – and play what we call ”On other planets kinda Rock”. A symbiosis of rock, doom and folk- with female vocals. We have just released our debut album ”Blues for A Dying Planet”, and we released our first EP four years ago, recorded live in our rehearsal room.

Your debut album „Blues For A Dying World“ is now released. How do you feel about this?
We are eager to show the listeners out there what we have been up to. We are very satisfied with the outcome of the album, and it’s shows the spectra of our music.

Did you get any feedback on the record yet and are you satisfied with it?
The feedback so far has been quite overwhelming – we are actually waiting for some bad words about it, otherwise we will grow narcissistic (laughs).

The title of the album is quite pessimistic. What is the meaning or intention behind it?
We thought that the title of the album sum up the lyrics in total. And not to dig to deep – just look around you, and see how the planet reacts to humankind.

To me you sound like a mixture of Bands like Jefferson Airplane, Blondie and Witchfinder General. Are Bands like these your influences? What other influences do you have?
Thank you, those are great acts! All the band members have very different musical backgrounds and influences, so we find inspiration in different kind of things. Of course there are some bands we all like, – like Jefferson Airplane, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, to name a few – but our musical range is much wider than that. In the beginning – We all united in that we wanted to play 70’s inspired rock, but with a unique touch.

Something about the songwriting; is any member involved or only one or two of you?
The songwriting process is something that involves all the musicians of the band. We most often write all the music together in our rehearsal room. We have so far not recorded a song that is entirely written by a specific member. Everyone adds their touch to the music. Sometimes I record at home, easier to play around with different melodies, choirs and harmonies, but that’s it. Otherwise we do everything together.

Are there any special reasons for the choice of the cover, perhaps in view on the lyrics, and who is responsible for the artwork?
Artwork and layout is very important to all of us, such as all the graphics – like band pictures, music video and so on. We all have visions about all these stuff, so back in the days it took a while to agree on these stuff, but on the other hand, we´re very satisfied with the result. Vadim Karasiyov, an artist from Ukraine which we found on the net – did the amazing picture. Our friend Andreas (Atmanoid) then did magic with the whole cover design.

You released your debut album on AOP Records. Why did you decide for this record company?
We had a few labels in mind and AOP Records was the one we was hoping for. Sven is a very hard working man and he has treated us very good. A serious, honest and trustworthy label, with the benefits of a small one. You work hard together, and share the same passion and vision about the music.

How do you evaluate the active band scene as newcomers, if you compare what you were told and how you now experience it yourself as a band?
As you mention, we are newcomers regarding the album, but we have played together for four years, and released a EP and a single. We have played quite frequently in especially Stockholm, so back home we are no newcomers. But I guess it is always like that (laughs)! Well, you have to put a lot of effort to spread the music, and with a label behind you things are getting easer. You don’t have to do all the promotion yourself, for example.

What was your most memorable live moment so far?
We have enjoyed all our live shows. For me I would say it was quite a funny gig at Pub Anchor, Stockholm – cause I was very energized (as usual) – leading to that I somehow smashed the microphone right onto my face, and started to bleed. But we are looking forward to our release gig, and the biggest one so far – on Sweden Rock festival. Our first gig at Halloween, at Rågsveds krog will always be memorable. The masks on the guys stays since that evening…

Are there already plans for a tour, possibly also to Germany?
We have no tour planned for the moment, but we really want to make one as soon as it can be arranged. Of course we wish to go to Germany, to visit Sven and his fellowmen. We’ll wait for the future.

Thank you for the interview! Please let us do a short brainstorming in the end of this interview. What comes in your mind first reading the following terms:
70ies: Great bands, great furnitures, great clothes. I am a bit of a retro lover when it comes to interior and clothing (laughs).
Germany: For me, a beautiful country, since I have been in Germany on vacations for more or less my entire life. Don’t know what the guys would say. Probably music and beer…
Occultism: A quite wide word, but I think of it in a more historical perspective – adding meaning and also mystery to the world we live in. Occultism for me is a calming word.
Beer: Is something I can’t live without and has a steady first place along with black-as-hell-coffee.

Once again thanks for your time. The last words are yours – is there anything left you want to tell our readers?
Thank you! We really hope you will enjoy our first album, and that our music adds something new to your ears. And – if you have a chance to see us live – take it. A Spiral Skies show is intense!