interview with Despite

What´s the name of your band? Despite
How was the band formed? Back in 1998 by Timmy Leng and Fredrik Meister.
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? 4 of out 5 in Despite are from the west coast of Sweden, Peter is from Stockholm on the esat coast. Peter Tuthill is the singer/growler, Mathias Dagerhed is the Bass player, Andrè Gonzales and Timmy Leng plays guitar and Oscar Nilsson plays drums.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? Just too have fun. Of course we wanted to aim towards the serious side as well, but back then it was more or less just for the heck of it. Now it`s way more serious but still very fun.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? Energetic,honest,emotional,raw. Our songs can be mellow and ambient, while in the next moment the listener can be totally run over by its force.
Where was your first gig? I cant really remember that one,we have done too many in the past. Its all a blur now.
Where was the latest gig? At Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg.
Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? Andrè,Timmy and Peter writes the music and Peter does all the lyrics and artwork for the band.
Who has the best since of humor in the band? If you ask me i wont hesitate to say that i am/should be the soul heir to the throne of bad jokes. I think that all of us in the band more or less have the same sense of humor but with the aim towards "Bad jokes".
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? What`s good about this band? Well, we work really well as a unit and when we aim to do something we more or less always end up being really proud of our work. We are a band with 5 minds that think alike but still differs from one and another to still keep things interesting.
And what`s bad about us in the band? Well, we tend to drag things out a bit sometimes. Not that we are lazy but sometimes we all need an "Ass kicking" to get things done.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? Our style is something that i think flows naturally within us all in the band. I really think it shows in our songs. I have always been really open towards music and i cant just play/listen to one genre of music. I think Despite needs to have a huge variety of genres in the bands catalouge or else we wouldn`t even be close to tap this bands potential and thus just be another band. Despite is all about the natural feeling. Whether it`s about pure aggression or a calm serene emotion. We cant just stay at one spot. The songs are all about personal experiences wheter its about personal issues or global issues. The lyrics is one of the main weapons in our songs, and Peter really brings a lot of great ideas to the table with his writing.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We only write/play our own songs. It may happen that we might play a cover live just for the fun of it.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? We have 2 full lenght albums out and just recently we released our higly praised EP "EPic".
Do you have any clips on YouTube? Yes, we released a selfmade Video to the opening track on "EPic" called "As you bleed". Make sure to check it out.
How old are you?/What got you started in music? Im 34 and music has been around me since way back in my life.I started to play because music is something that never felt like a struggle or chore. It came naturally to all of us i think. And honestly i never dreamed of the rockstar life and i still dont. Of course i want to make this a living but still....
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? I can only speak for myself but i stood on the stage for the first time when i was 5 i think it was. It was me and 8-10 girls the same age as me doing Ballet. Yeah,Metal huh?! Haha. But musically? I guess i was 13 the first time i played live.
Best/worst gig you've played? Best gig is all of them where nothing goes wrong. The worst which i can recall right now is when we played back in 1998-1999 
infront of kids in the ages from 5-9. We were jumping around on stage and screaming and these poor kids are looking at us like we 
were gonna eat them or something. Some of them cried.
What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? Right now we are in talks with some people about that and as soon as we are good to go we will announce it on our Twitter,Facebook,Homepage.
Witch band is the best you´ve seen?
I can only speak for myself since its just me here now. But my top 4 shows (which i can remember now) are the following: 
Machine Head at Trägår`n in Gothenburg.
Tegan and Sara at Konserthuset.
Sepultura at roskilde festival 1996.
30 seconds to mars at Pier Pressure.
Is it always the same songs live? No we try to keep it in a balance and vary the setlist.
How do you get psyched up for a gig? I tend to be outgoing and relaxed and i never get nervous which is great. But of course i get that exited feeling which i use as a boost before show.
What are your goals with your music? Too spread our music and share our thoughts and to have fun.
When did you decide to go all in for the music? Around 2007, it felt like we where ready.
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Both are equally good sources of inspiration.
What are your sources of inspiration? For me its life.
What's the first step when making a new song? The rythm. The beat.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? I support that completely. Today there are so many bands that would still be in the garage hammering away covers if they didnt get that kind of exposure. I believe that if you are a fan of a band or a movie you still gonna buy the product too support the cause in the end.
What would be your dreams for the band? To make a good living on our music and to be able to put full focus on the songs and everything around the band.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? I listen to alot of Ambient,Indie,pop,Movie music. I love Tegan and Sara and i think that "The Con" is one of the best albums ever made.
What would be your greatest fears for the future? Too lose the passion for what we do.
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? Well the classical stuff like that the technical side would F*ck up.That the power would go out or something like that.
Have you been part of any other projects/other bands? Yes, but nothing serious. Despite is my main priority.
What would you do if there was no music? Work as a clown.
How important are your fans? They are everything. Its all about them and everything we do is for them. Of course we play music to please our senses but the fans are everything.
What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? Alot of funny things has happened  but right now i can only think of this one guy (which none of us knew) walked up to us when we where outside the venue and said "Hey look at this" and then he ran towards and jumped into some bushes. It was so random that it became an instant classic.
How often do you rehearse? Not often enough.
Where do you rehearse? In our Studio.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? I cant do that. All our songs are made with a purpose.
What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? Unfortunately i never got to see them back in the days but Meshuggah and Slipknot had som sick energy on stage 10-15 years ago.
But as far as the visual goes there is too many bands that are good live to mention.
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? Too have fun. Nothing more nothing less.
Do you have any webpages?
http://www.despiteofficial.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DespiteOfficial
https://twitter.com/DespiteOfficial
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Have fun and easy on the macho thing.
Describe your show, visually and musically Energetic with a lot tight heavy grooves and a lot of sweat and body ache.
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? Too really make things happen. Many dont realize that sometimes going from point A to point B can be easier than they think. I think many give up too quick. Stay persistent!
What is best/worst with playing the clubs? I can only come up with positive feedback for playing at clubs. It`s more intimate and "Real". The response and feel is awesome.
How would you describe your sound in one sentence Universal
What is your favorite crappy instrument? This one is a "Crappy but fun" memory. A few years back we were gonna play in Finland and we were seconds from missing the boat.
We almost jumped on board with our mini-van. Like in some kinda movie. Almost comical.
What was one of the most quarrelsome times for you in the band? Well going though lineup changes is never fun. Sometimes they are smooth and sometimes not.
Whats your Pre-show ritual? Stretching and finding that inner agression.
Do you have anything to add?Check out our sites on the net and stay tuned for more info. Feel free to click like on Facebook and Youtube. 

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