Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

Have you played in other bands? Yes. I've played in several bands for the past fifteen years or so. None of them nameworthy, though.

What are your names? / Who plays what? I am the Clayshaper and I play everything.

Have you had other previous members? No. I invite the occasional collaborator. But that's that.

Where are you from? Northern parts of Sweden, from the settlement between the mountains.

What year did the band form? Late summer of 2018. But I've written music for a long time and so I occasionally unearth gems from my past to give them a chance in the light.

What's your style of genre? Some would say that my vocal style comes from Black Metal. And I think that music should be both interesting and melodic in some sense. Therefore there's certainly elements of progressiveness and melodic death metal in CLAYSHAPER.

What inspires you? Great musicianship regardless of genre gives me a lot of joy and can spark my imagination. It widens the field of view of what can be done, and in that context, what I could do. Adventurous, horrific or enigmatic stories inspire me a lot too.

Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? 

No. But if I would tour it would certainly help. A band can, and a lot of them do, most of the tasks themselves. I am alone and do everything concerning CLAYSHAPER. The art, music, lyrics, recording, mixing, mastering, merchandise, social media, press ... you name it. I do enjoy all of these things, but they all reduce time for music, which is the whole point of having a band.

A helping hand, if there's no drawbacks, is of course a good thing.

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? Not really. But the reach of a good label would benefit me. With that said, I like doing things in my own pace and there's not a meaningful amount of money involved in CLAYSHAPER for any label to be interested. Making CLAYSHAPER profitable would be hard and would not be done without some creative sacrifices. But as I said before, a helping hand is of course a good thing when it comes to labels too. Removing headaches as distribution, printing and some PR would not hurt.

What are your songs about? Magic, mysteries and mythologies.

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? I do.

Do you compose in a certain environment? I write and record all of my music in the Shaper's Workshop. It's a cozy studio room filled with personal artifacts I've collected over the years, various instruments, and of course, my recording equipment.

Have you done any covers live? No. CLAYSHAPER is a visual and musical studio project at the moment.

What ages are most of your concert attendants? I can't answer that, but the majority of my listeners are in their late twenties or thirties. So the crowd in a live situation would probably consist of the same type of people who enjoy my music digitally.

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? 

About one year ago. I provide some shirts, posters and flags for followers who'd like to own something in the physical realm. I would like to do physical releases of my music, but making physical albums is a gamble that's not financially sound for me. Maybe in the future if I know there's a demand.

I also give away my embroidered shaper seals on Instagram occasionally. They can't be bought, so if you own one, you're either a very close friend of mine or very lucky.

Where can people buy your merchandise? I don't like keeping stock or handling shipping. So Teespring help me print on demand. https://teespring.com/stores/clayshaper

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? A lot of rituals connected to buying physical albums are gone. But the love for music is not. The bar for enjoying amazing music has never been lower, and that's why digital music is great. With that said, it's a shame musicians have more fans than ever, yet have to struggle harder to make a living. Famous and poor is the worst combination.

How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? People like me can thrive in this environment—I pave the way for my own success. CLAYSHAPER could never have existed in this form in the past. My style of completing albums releasing one song at a time, the visual aspect, direct relationship to followers and the lack of monetary gain would deter any serious labels back in the day. I see the lower bar of entry as a good thing. But as I said before, it's very hard making a living in music in general and metal in particular. I certainly don't.

What do you think of my work? I know you've been active for many years now. I don't read a lot about other bands or musicians, but I think it's great that you provide a space for them.

How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? I enjoy answering questions about CLAYSHAPER. I rarely get the chance to do that. If someone finds the interview interesting and delve into my work, it's a bonus.

Do you have any role models or idols?

Jari Lindholm, particulary his work in Enshine, opened up new musical avenues in my mind. It's really inspiring.

Ihsahn is another musical genious that I look up to.

When it comes to interesting visuals, the artist Olivier de Sagazan is in a league of his own. Very weird and wonderful.

I also agree with the philosophies about writing music held by Tobias Forge in Ghost.

In an interview with STIM he said the following: “If you can’t compose a great melody, then you might as well forget about it. That’s my credo. Where I’m from, writing catchy songs were often seen as fake and too commercial. But it’s like, why write jokes if they’re not funny? What’s the purpose of making music if the listeners doesn’t enjoy it? I have always written music to entertain the listener. Even on our most dark album with Repugnant, I tried my absolute best to write catchy songs!”

Why do you think that they exist? Big question. I don't know.

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? I used to frown upon older music as I couldn't get past the, in my opinion, lacking production. I really like new music, and some bands still break new musical ground. Just look at Igorrr or Wilderun. Some bands like Tribulation, and in some sense Ghost, break new old ground if that makes sense. That new retro sound can get really interesting. It was bands like that which opened the door to older music for me. Now I can enjoy that too.

What have been your biggest obstacles? I've always been dependent on others to help me climb towards my dreams. Two years ago I decided that I will no longer wait around for other people to be available for me to fulfill my musical passion. I will not wait for studio time, I'll build my own. I'll not ask someone to sing my lines, I'll learn to scream myself. I still, and will always, keep learning to record myself proficiently. The other constant obstacle, for everyone, is the lack of time. It's running out my friends, better do what you want to do right now instead of later.

What advice would you give other bands or artists? Don't stay in a stale environment. It's not worth trying to change things that just are. Move on when you're not fulfilled—the same goes for any relationship. Try to fix what you have, but move on if the problem won't budge. Find other people to collaborate with or do what you want yourself. Don't be afraid to learn skills that you've defined is not in your territory. That's old thinking. A guitarist can write great drums. A bassist can be a filmmaker. A singer can carry amps too.

Do you have any new material? I'm constantly releasing new songs. My latest single for the growing song collection “Waves of Ophir” was released on Friday, May 22.

What are your web sites?

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmfrMS_EoCT2WnBWLqtzfA?sub_confirmation=1

Music: https://clayshaper.bandcamp.com/

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1w7qEfqXcpSArcFXb3P8Kn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClayshaperOfficial

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Clay_shaper

Tumblr: https://clayshaper.tumblr.com/

Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/clayshaper