INTERVIEW: THE SOUNDS

Following Swedish Indie Rock Band “The Sounds” concert at House of Blues in San Diego with new Album “The Weekend”, SACC San Diego got the opportunity to speak with guitarist Jesper Anderberg. It turned into a pleasant little conversation about passion, therapy & friendship.

How would you describe The Sounds?

We are a band that has been in the business for a long time. We are outmost a live band that does not abide to what you should do and should not do in the music business. We have gone independent for most parts of our career and prefer to go our own way in creating our indie rock music.

Where are you most popular in the world?

We have a big fan base so we have plenty of fans all over the world. I would say that we are especially big in Mexico, Finland and in California. We have been on about 20 tours in the U.S and about the same amount in Europe and in Australia.

How come that you are bigger abroad than back home in Sweden?

We are popular in Sweden too, but we have not spent that much time there. The Swedish market is pretty small compared to the international scene, and we like to go on tours. As I said, we are first and foremost a live band and we can attract a bigger audience worldwide. I think measuring a bands greatness has changed compared to what it used to be. It used to be about selling records, nowadays it is more about selling out concerts and being able to go on tours.

How do you think bands greatness should be measured?

That is a tough question. Music is about believing in yourself, creating something for yourself and for others. For me music is therapy. As long as you are happy with your music you should keep doing your thing and not care so much about what anyone else thinks. We are lucky to have a dedicated fan base.

The Sounds has been a band since 1999 – what makes you stick together as a band?

Most of us have known each other since school and we are both business associates and friends. That can be tough some times, but it also makes it more fun in the long run. Fredrik and I for example live only 50 meters from each other at home. Because of our friendship maybe we have not been as effective as we would have been otherwise, but in the long run it has given us inspiration to keep going and keep creating new music.

You are currently out on tour with your new album “The Weekend”.How would you describe your new record in comparison with your previous records?

Our last record was more electronic. This record is more band oriented and more similar to our second and third record. It is a summary of our career until this point. We like to keep coming up with new sounds and try new things even though it might not always be appreciated by our fans, it is essential for our future to keep being creative and explore new things.

What bands or artist do you take influences from?

It varies. Mostly we get inspiration from a lot of older music, but also new bands that we encounter on our tours. Some of the supporting acts we have had during the years have been really good influences for example.

Maja Ivarsson, your lead singer, is the focus of attention for the band. How is standing in the background of her?

It is only natural for us at this point. She is in focus on stage whereas the rest of us are more in focus in the studio and when it comes to doing interviews for example. It is nothing that we think about really, it is natural in this type of business.

How long will the Sounds keep on playing?

There is no end in sight. As long as we feel inspired we will keep on playing. Music is our passion and something that we would like to keep doing forever.