Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

Hekate- Vocals

Mike Uuereb- Guitar

Chris Johnson- Bass

Craig Fredrickson- Drums

Where are you from? We are from Olympia, Washington USA

What year did the band form? We started the band back in March/April 2017

What's your style of genre? We like to say that we are heavy rock/metal in the style of the NWOBHM with some punk influences thrown in. Dio-era Black Sabbath had a big impact on us, as well as Iron Maiden, Alice in Chains, and Motorhead.

What inspires you? Everything! We that that our singular drive that really motivates us is just playing loud, heavy music the way we want to play it. But, as far as the lyrics go, motivation-wise, they are inspired by all sorts of different things... life in general. It is like that old saying, Art imitates life, and life is art.

How have you developed since you started with the music? We hope that we are writing better songs!  LOL  We think that we are really starting to fall into the groove of what we want to write and play more so now. 

Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? We have a couple of great booking agents locally we work with, but a lot of the bookings we take care of ourselves. We like to spread ourselves out to a lot of different venues and not just play the same places that a booking agent may only deal with exclusively.

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? Yes and no. We would like the situation to be right for us. We have an EP out that we did last summer that we distribute ourselves, but if a label did want to talk, we would surely listen!

What made you decide to make this music? This is the music that we all love. Pretty simple answer, yes, but we enjoy this music and this is what we want to play.

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? We all bring something to the table with the music. Mike usually comes up with a riff and some arrangements, and then we all get together and work it out. Hekate usually writes the majority of the lyrics, but Mike has written some lyrics in the past too.

Do you start with the music or the lyrics? Usually the music. The music usually inspires Hekate to what kind of lyrical subject she wants to write about.

Do you compose in a certain environment? Anywhere and everywhere! When inspiration hits, you have just got to go with it!

Have you done any covers live? No. We are not really into doing covers. We focus on just our music. We would rather fail doing our own stuff than succeed doing someone else's songs.

What language do you sing in? English, but Hekate has done some lyrics in German on our song "Mirror Image".

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We usually have the same songs that we play all the time, but we do try to vary the set list from time to time as to not to get the set too stale. 

Do you have a regular place you play live often? Anywhere!  LOL  We have loved every place we have played at so far too. No bad experiences so far! 

What was your first gig like? Too much fun! We were nervous, yes, but once we got into the set and the great reaction from the crowd, we settled down and had some fun! We were very surprised that we has such a great response from the crowd. It was on a Tuesday night and we thought that there would not be that many people out. It was a very cool experience for us. 

Where have you played live this year? All over the Western Washington area, but mainly in Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia. 

Where do you plan to gig the comming year? Anywhere that will have us!  LOL  We want to focus on our home area this year a lot and really develop a good relationship with our hometown peeps. But, touring outside of our region is not out of the question either.

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? We have CDs, T-shits, stickers... You can get them from us direct at the shows or you can get our music at Amazon, Spotify, iTunes, ReverbNation.

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? We really like that you can get music from anyone from anywhere in the world at the click of a button. We think that is cool that someone, for example, in Sweden can check us out and buy our music at any given time. Plus, it is so much easier to download music on a device and take it with you than haul around CDs everywhere!  LOL

How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? Of course. We think that the music industry has to market and promote much differently than 20 years ago. It is always changing now.

What do you think of my work? We think Robex is AWESOME! We love you and your work!

Do you have any role models or idols? Everyone that has come before us. They set the standard and laid out the blueprint to all of us to follow. 

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? For us, the older bands. They have been doing it for a very long time! They have seen it all and done it all. Plus, there music started what most of us are doing now. Much love and respect to them!

What advice would you give other bands or artists? Choose a path and stick with it. Understand what you want to do music for. Is it a means, or a means to and end? If it is a Means, then write and play the music you love. As long as you love and enjoy it, it doesn't matter what others think. If it is a Means To and End, i.e. make money, fame, etc., then be prepared to change an adapt to what the mass market wants. It not about what you want, it is about what everyone else wants. For us, it is definitely a Means. We do our thing and while we truly love that others love it too, we do it for ourselves first.

How do you get psyched for a gig? Beer! LOL  No, just playing live and LOUD gets us pumped up every time! We love the energy from playing live... it is like a drug to us.

Do you have any new material? Yes. We are actually working on new material right now. We hope to have 3-4 new songs ready to go in the next month or so. 

What are your web sites? www.deadbeatblackout.com  We are also on Facebook, ReverbNation, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube

How can people reach? Best way is through Facebook and Instagram. Message us! We will respond! We love chatting with everyone!

What are your plans for the future? Keep doing what we are doing! Write new music and play! Have fun, make new friends, and PLAY LOUD! 

Do you have something to add? Thank you so much for reaching out to us from Sweden! We think that is a very cool thing to be able to connect with people all over the world that likes what we do and we appreciate it very much! We hope to come see you and everyone else soon!