Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

What´s the name of your band? DW: The Neologist

How was the band formed? DW: James and I played in the band SeVeR together for several years.  The time came when we had to move on with our lives and end the SeVeR chapter.  James and I both still enjoyed writing and playing music and we wanted to continue.  At the time James was living in Pittsburgh and I was in Washington, DC, so we decided to just keep making music and send the files back and forth on the computer.  This is essentially how we still do it.  Everything is done over the computer with the exception of about once a year where we get together and make stupid music videos.

Can you tell about your band? JL: Basically just the two of us doing whatever comes to mind. It’s a pretty ideal way to have in a band in all honesty, minus not having the live aspect. But we have tons of material to choose from, and if one of us wants to do a random cover or video, or anything really, we make it happen. We play the music that we love, as the bio states, and don’t intend or attempt to be the next big thing. Just give people who like this style of music another outlet.

Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? JL: I’m from Pittsburgh and have been from this general area since the start of the band. Devin’s a rover, wanderer, nomad, and a vagabond, but I think he lives in California now. In terms of instruments, I play guitars and vocals and do the drum programming. Devin slaps the bass and writes the lyrics.

What was the ambitions of the band when you started? DW: Our ambitions with The Neologist are the exact same now as when we started - to simply make music that we enjoy.  Bottom line, this is something we do for fun and for ourselves. This is also why we release all of our music for free.  We both live normal lives with full time jobs, so this is more of a fun outlet. To be honest, if Metal Blade or someone came to us tomorrow and wanted to sign us, we'd probably say no. Then again, there is only 2 of us, so doing the live touring thing would be a bit difficult.

Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? JL: That’d be pretty easy really. Like I mentioned, we aren’t in this to create a new sub genre and be something never heard before. We’re fans of melodic death metal, and so we play melodic death metal. I think any fan of that genre can appreciate to some degree what we bring to the table. We do get some comparisons to In Flames, and while I’m honored, I think that’s a blurry comparison. If anything we’re a mix match of Swedish melodic death metal bands with some American variety thrown in for good measure.

Where was your first gig? JL: Being that there’s only two of us, we have yet to do a live show.

Where was the latest gig? JL: Nowhere unfortunately.

Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? DW: James writes basically all of the music with the exception of a note or two I might add.  He's the brains and talent behind the operation.  I typically write most of the lyrics and James will edit them to fit his vocal melodies and structure.

Who has the best since of humor in the band? JL: I think we both have a good sense of humor, which is a big part of why this band is fun. If you look closely  enough at our videos and lyrics, you’ll see we don’t take ourselves too seriously. When it comes to crazy ideas though, Devin’s usually the culprit. So I think the wild imagination point goes to Devin.

What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? JL: All is good with the band, with the exception of not having a live aspect. When it comes to the dynamics in the band it’s pretty much a whatever goes environment. Any idea that current fans might enjoy or find hilarious, or possibly bring in new fans is out on the table. As for the genre I’d label us as melodic death metal. I know genres are subjective, but traditionally I think we fall in that category.

Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? JL: This is the music that we love, so that is the music that we play. Devin being the primary lyricist really drives what the songs are about. I know he writes about anything and everything, whether it be something comical and ambiguous or something personal and everything in between. Inspiration can be pulled from anywhere.

Do you write your own material or mainly covers? DW: It's certainly a mix of both.  We have basically 5 albums worth of songs just waiting to be recorded.  We also decided to put out an In Flames cover album, Soilwork cover album, and an album of random covers.  We use the cover songs to test new tones and recording techniques.  We obviously are fans of the bands we cover too, so it's fun.

Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? DW: So far we've released 5 albums.  Our first was "The 26 Letters of Your Universe".  We then put out an In Flames cover album titled "In Flames We Trust: Volume 1" (yes, there are more volumes to come).  We continued on the cover route and put out the Soilwork cover album "Working the Soil".  Then we released our second original album, "The Promise of Eternal Separation".  After that we had some random covers lying around, so we decided to make a cover album of different bands that we titled "The Greatest Heavy Metal Cover Album in the Galactic History of the Planetary Solar System".  Right now we are recording our third original album "Coming Full Circle".  We're real excited about the new album since we'll be having some guest singers (Bjorn Strid from Soilwork, Jon Howard from Threat Signal, and Chris Clancy from Mutiny Within).

Do you have any clips on YouTube? JL: We have a bunch of material on youtube, most notably all of our songs. Since we're all about spreading the word over the internet, youtube is possibly the best tool we've found with the exception of possibly Facebook. So everything we do is posted on our youtube channel for current fans but also in an attempt to bring new fans in.

How old are you?/What got you started in music? JL: Devin and I are both 29. For me, the existence of music pretty much began when I was in 7th grade. I remember sitting on my brothers computer playing Doom II while he was in his bed reading. In the background he had Metallica's Load album playing. I'm sure I had heard Metallica before, but it, along with all music, was basically white noise to me. It was just...music, but it had no emotional connection to me at all. But then the song Until It Sleeps came on, and I instantly stopped ripping through imps with my double barrel shotgun and turned to him and said "Who is this???" From that moment on I just became a diehard Metallica fan, soaking up everything I could find. Shortly after I would sneak into my oldest brothers room to play his acoustic when he was at work. Of course I didn't know how to play then...but I knew I needed to learn. And it all stemmed from there.

At what age did you start playing? JL: My first attempts at playing guitar was when I was in 7th grade, so 13 I guess. I didn't fully understand how to play or even have my own guitar to play on until the following year. I didn't start singing until my high school band Harsh Reality when I was 16, and I'd hardly call that singing. I had zero confidence and negative ability, but apparently was tone deaf or just had some youthful ignorance, because I still got on stage as the frontman for that band at a number of shows. It wasn't until hearing myself after or on recordings that I realized I had a lot of work to do on that end.

How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? DW: My first stage experience was playing at a local show where we certainly did not belong. I think I was 13 years old, and we had no idea what to expect or what we were doing. My recollection was that the show was awesome, but in reality, I think we sucked.  But it was fun.

What year was the band started? JL: We formed immediately following our college band SeVeR's demise in 2009.

Best/worst gig you've played? JL: Since we still haven’t played live with the Neologist, I’ll flash back to when Devin and I were in SeVeR. I’d say our best show was opening for Soilwork in Cleveland and worst show was probably the battle of the bands in Allentown PA. Ironically our last show.

Witch band is the best you´ve seen? DW: Easily MetallicA.  However, some notable shows that I remember quite well are Soulfly, Papa Roach, and Nonpoint.

Is it always the same songs live? JL: When we were playing live in SeVeR we had our typical catalog but would throw new songs in as we got them down. I’d like to think that’s a pretty common formula.

How big crowds do you usually play for? JL:Very small.

What are the plans for the rest of the year? JL: Right now our main focus is our 3rd studio album, Coming Full Circle. The groundwork for the album is already there and now it's just coming down to recording everything and getting it all together. If all goes well, we'd hope for a late 2014 release.

Where do you usually play? JL: My basement. 

How do you get psyched up for a gig? JL: I think getting ready to jump on stage is inherently a rush. I never needed anything else to get me psyched up beyond just knowing I was about to perform. A couple beers never hurt to loosen up though.

What are your goals with your music? JL: On a personal level I just always hope to have fun doing this. The day writing or recording or whatever it is we do doesn't become fun is the day I'll probably stop doing it. For the music and the band itself I'd like to reach as many people as possible. It's rewarding to our ego's when we get more fans, so even one extra view on our youtube or facebook channel is always reason for celebration.

When did you decide to go all in for the music? JL: We have yet to make this plunge. In fact the creation of the Neologist was actually a way for us to not go all in, but still do what we love.

Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? DW: To me, there is really no difference of preference.  Good music is good music; whether it's new or old.

What are your sources of inspiration? DW: Lyrically, my inspiration comes from all over the place.  From the typical personal experiences, to things I read, to even trying to inject myself into other people's shoes and write a song from their perspective.  A good example of that one is the song "Subterranean Creatures".

What's the first step when making a new song? JL: The first step is always motivation. If the motivation isn't there then I'm wasting my time. Once I sit down to write a song and I'm really feeling it, then all it takes is one cool riff, or catchy lead, or something to put a part of the song in perspective. For me, writing a song is really about writing THAT riff or lead or rhythm, or whatever it may be. Once that part is written, the rest of the song will typically fall into place. Taking it to the next part, or even the previous part is all about feeling out the song and really listening to what you'd expect to come next. It's almost like if I came up to you and said, "I'm thirsty, can I have a...". In your head you're already filling in the gap where I paused. Water, beer, soda...whatever it may be; you know a few ways to take it from where I left off that would make sense and could work. Well that's always how its been writing a song. If I can get that first part of the song down, the next part almost writes itself.

How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? DW: I get both sides to the story.  I've also participated in both sides - buying and downloading.  It's a hard question because the whole music industry has changed and whether you like it or not, downloading will always be there.  I can say there are so many bands I would never had been into if it weren't for downloading.  That's how I got my start in melodic death metal.  I remember in like 1998 or something when Napster first came out, I would just search "metal" and find all these different bands.  That's how I first met Children of Bodom, In Flames, and Soilwork.  Since then, I have bought their albums, but that's what got me started.

What would be your dreams for the band? JL: To get more and more people to hear us and know us. We obviously aren’t looking to be chart toppers, but to have our name and music known would be eggsailent. In fact if I were to jump on youtube some day and see someone take our song and cover it or remix or modify it would be a huge honor to us. The little victories like that are really what we can hope for.

Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? DW: 90% of what I listen to is some form of metal.  I still like other things that got me started in music like classic rock and even blues; but on any given day, you're bound to find metal in my iPod.

What do you hold most dear? JL: My studio setup. It’s not much, but it’s everything.

What would be your greatest fears for the future? JL: Losing a finger/hand. If I couldn’t play guitar I wouldn’t have much else.

When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? DW: Although we don't play live, back when we did, my biggest fear would be not playing well and making the whole band sound bad.

Have you been part of any other projects? JL: I was the lead singer for the up and coming band This Cold Life. I teamed up with Da Schehf from youtube who was well known for his In Flames covers and helped kick start the band. I’ve also done some special tracks with RED+TEST to combine dark electro with metal.

Have you been in any other bands? JL: Devin and I were both in SeVeR, as mentioned, prior to The Neologist. And then I fronted the band This Cold Life for two years.

What do you work with outside of the band and the music? DW: My normal 9-5 job is outside sales in corporate America.  Fun fun.  Aside from that, I do a lot of work with other business projects ranging from music publicity, to MMA, to business consulting.  I've also got 3 dogs and a son, so they keep me quite busy.

What would you do if there was no music? DW: Hopefully I'd be the first person to invent music.

How important are your fans? DW: Although we do this solely to please ourselves, having fans and people appreciate what you do is such a huge motivation.  I just hope someone can enjoy our music as much as we enjoy the music of others.

What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? JL: We once had a guy crush his nuts into a pole. I wouldn’t say he did it for us but it was while he was moshing, so in a strange indirect way it was for us.

How often do you rehearse? JL: I do something with music every day. Sometimes write, sometimes play, sometimes mix, sing, master, listen…etc. Always something.

Where do you rehearse? JL: My basement.

Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? JL: My two favorite songs right now are Chasing the Sun and New Earth. They are both on our upcoming album so it’s probably that they are new. It’s always changing though.

What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? JL: I’d have to say In Flames put on the best live show I’ve seen. Their show at Sounds of the Underground in Jersey back in 2007 or so was the best show I’d ever seen.

What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? DW: Maybe we are an anomaly because we don't make a living or much money at all with our music.  In the end, it's all about the music and the enjoyment.  If money comes with it, then great.  If not, then great.

Do you have any webpages? JL: Absolutely. We check and follow our Facebook page and youtube page the closest, but we do have our band page at www.theneologist.net. We admit that we are lazy and don’t update that as much as we should. If we expanded our fan base we’d surely start focusing more on the page, or at least that’s what I’ll tell myself.

Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? JL: What I’ve learned from my tiny involvement in the music industry is that it’s not what it seems, or at least not what it used to be. Getting from the bottom as nobodies to a known band as somebodies is a grueling and lengthy process that takes tons of time, tons of money, tons of whoring (the music that is), and tons of networking. So be prepared to go all in if it’s worth it to you.

Would you like to add anything else? JL: I think we’ve wrapped us up pretty good.

Describe your show, visually and musically: JL: Until we get up on stage as The Neologist, couldn’t say.

How do you view the musicindurty of today? JL: I feel the music industry today is a completely different monster from what it was when I was younger and getting into music. At least it’s different from what I thought it was. With the digital era dominating distribution, it’s a lot easier for bands like us to get our music out there. At the same time, for bands trying to make it, the battle is only that much harder. The days of relying on hard copy sales are over. So it’s an ever changing industry that is changing for better and for worse at the same time.

What advice would you like to give other bands? JL: Basically as I said before with be prepared to go all in if you’re looking to make something of yourselves.

What are the biggest obstacles for a band? JL: Getting known. When you’re a nobody band you need something to stand out from the masses. But even if you have that something, it’s still difficult to break past the barriers that people naturally put up regarding something they don’t know. As  the saying goes, people stick with what they know.

What is best/worst with playing the clubs? JL: For the negative side of club playing, this goes with what I just said in that it’s difficult for people to care about what you’re trying to sell. So a lot of times you’re just background noise or something to fill the time while people get hammered. The nice thing about club playing is that people don’t necessarily care about you. So you really have nothing to lose, but a lot to gain.

Tell us about upcomming gigs and why we should be at them? JL: None on the schedule for now.

How would you describe your sound in one sentence JL: Metal infused with melody.

What is your favorite crappy instrument? JL: Not sure what you mean but the Digiridoo is a stick, basically, but how do you not love it. It has been featured on one of our tracks, so there’s a little easter egg for you.

What was one of the most quarrelsome times for you in the band? JL: We haven’t had any to date that I can think of. That’s the beauty of what we’re doing. Everything goes.

Whats your Pre-show ritual? JL: Drink.