interview with Riot Horse
What is the name of your band? Our name is Riot Horse
What does the name Riot Horse stand for? Nothing really. I just thought it sounded cool and matched our music pretty well.
How was the band formed? I had a vision, to form a classic rock band. I've always been into that kind of music but never really have had the opportunity to start something up. I played in a heavy rock band called Sons Of Tomorrow for 8 years. For the last couple of years in the band I felt that something was missing. It was then I got the idea to start a new band. The problem was just that I didn't had the time for two bands, so when Sons Of Tomorrow did break up I saw my opportunity.
Can you briefly introduce your band and who you are? Jonas Langebro on drums, Joacim Sandin on bass, Andreas Sydow on vocals and me Nille Schuttman on guitar.
Where are all band members from? Andreas and Joacim is from Helsingborg. Jonas comes from Malmö and I'm originally from Stockholm but lives in Löddeköpinge.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? The ambition was to play the music we all love. Write music that makes us feel happy and free.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? It is very dynamic and blues inspired with stomping grooves. Some would call it retro rock or classic rock. I don't really know myself. It's always hard to categorise music.
Where was your first gig? It was an wednesday evening at The Tivoli in Helsingborg, three years ago.
Who writes your songs and lyrics? Mostly it's me that writes the music. Sometimes we arrange the songs together. Andreas has written all the lyrics exept for a couple.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? Yes, we have released an ep with 4 songs. You can find it on Spotify and through our facebook page. Right now we're working on our debut full length. It should be out sometime in the new year.
Do you have any clips on youtube? Yes, there are some clips out there. Check our youtube channel www.youtube.com/user/RiotHorse
What year was the band started? I started the band for like 6 years ago or something but we have played together with this line up for about three years.
How old were you the first time you saw a liveband play? I was 11 years old and went to an Iron Maiden concert with a friend. Remember it like it was yesterday.
At what age did you start playing? I got my first guitar when I was 14 years old. A cheap acoustic one, and I played it every day. Then I got my first electric guitar when I was 15. It was then I started my first band.
What places will you be playing in the future? Hopefully we will play a lot in the future. Small or big venues doesn't matter. We're trying to play as much live gigs as possible because it's on stage we feel most comfortable. We are definitely a live band.
Where have you played from then till now? We have played a lot in the region of Skåne but have also played in Stockholm, Copenhagen and London. Both smaller venues and larger places like KB in Malmö.
Is it always the same set's live? We're trying to change the sets as much as we can but it's hard because we're a pretty new band and don't have that much material to choose from yet. But we're trying to do something fresh for every gig.
What has been the best/most promising gig so far? That's a tough one! We did a great gig with Bonafide at KB in Malmö earlier this year and we always gets great response when we playing at The Tivoli in Helsingborg.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? We're just about to finish the recordings for our full length debut right now. Hopefully it will be released in the beginning of 2014.
What are your goals with you music? Our biggest goal is to make people feel something. Music should be about feelings, it doesn't really matter what kind of feelings it brings as long as you can make people emotional. The greatest response we got after a show was a man that told us that he hadn't been that happy in a long time, after seeing our show. That made ME very happy and proud to know that we as a band could make people emotional from our music.
What's the first step when making a new song? Usually a riff or a melody pops up in my head. Then I recording the ideas in my home studio.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? I love soul, like Bill Withers and Van Morrison and old blues greats like Freddie King and Muddy Waters. When it comes to rock I listening alot to bands like Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Black Sabbath and Blind Faith etc. But there are so many great bands from that era, it makes it almost impossible to just choose a few.
When you are on stage, what do you fear most? A broken guitar string. It really sucks when that happens!
Have you been in any other bands? Yes, I've been playing with a band called Sons Of Tomorrow, Andreas Sydow used to be lead singer in a band called Darkane. Jonas and Joacim played in the band Bai Bang for many years.
What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? Oh, thats a tough one! Rival Sons is a fantastic live band and The Black Crowes always delivers a great show!
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? I think it's the passion and the belief in what they're doing that makes them keep going. You must be willing to sacrife a lot on behalf of the music, and that can be very tough. But if you got enough love for the music it's definitely worth it!
Do you have any webpages?
Describe your show, visually and musically Throw dynamic, swing and groove into a huge bowl. Add a lot of energy and feelings then stir it around. Last but not least, you have to add all the love you can find in there. There you go, the recipe of a Riot Horse show!
Would you like to add anything else? Remember to love and forget to hate!!
