New album with a new bassist and vocalist for Kamchatka, the well-known Per Wiberg. The vocalist, guitarist & songwriter Thomas Juneor Andersson talked to Grande Rock about the band’s new era, the new album and their further plans. Do read below from more…
Hi Thomas. 3 years after your previous album you’re back with “The Search Goes On”. How do you feel about the new album?
T: Feel great about this album and I think that it came out brilliant...
“The Search Goes On” marks Per Wiberg’s coming as well. He is a longtime friend of yours but had you ever thought of his being a part of your band?
T: As we have worked together more and more over the years, it fees natural to have Per onboard as full member of Kamchatka.
You did change his role. I mean we all remember Per as a keyboardist and now he’s a bassist.
T: It doesn’t matter which instrument Per plays, you can always hear his wonderful character on both bass and organ.
Why did Roger leave the band? What happened? I guess your old-time fans would like to know the reasons you parted ways.
T: Roger is a guitar player and he wanted to go back to playing guitar and so he did.
Do you believe that Roger’s leaving along with Per’s coming have affected the band’s music style or general music feeling?
T: Before Per joined the band, he was the producer of “The Search Goes On” and he wanted to focus more on the rock side of the band so you could say that we have taken a step towards the rockier side of it all.
Hence what does the title declare? Is it that you keep going on rockin’ no matter what?
T: “The Search Goes On” all the time, for music, friendship, inner peace etc.
Do tell us a few things about each track…
T: “Somedays”: Wanted to make a song that felt like a cover of some old classic blues tune, so I first wrote an old style blues song and then we did a “cover” of that to get that feeling.
“Tango Decadence”: This one was the last song we added to the album, when we listened to all the other songs we felt we needed one more up tempo song to the mix…
“Coast to Coast” is about the wonderful world of music and about traveling coast to coast with our instruments, it’s also about that Wiberg lives on the East coast of Sweden and me and Toby on the Westside…
“Son of the Sea”: A celebration to the ocean that for me takes a central part in my life…
“Broken Man”: Having so much wonderful things going on in life, but not being able to feel it when the blues comes knockin’…
“Pressure”: Handles the subject of pressure from myself and from others…
“Cross the Distance”: Sometimes we lose control over our life and this song is about that…
“Thank You for Your Time”: A blues style shuffle that talks about wanting to turn pages and move on…
“Dragons”: Wrote this for my 2 children whom I love the most. It’s a kind of lullaby…
“The Search Goes On”: Keep on pushing forward and be proud of one self…
It was clear that you wanted Per to produce your album from the beginning. Of course, Johan Ornborg mixed it and Jens Bogren did the mastering. I guess you’re more than pleased about the final outcome huh? Can you say that this is the best sound you have delivered?
T: Definitely!
You have already released a video for “Tango Decadence”? How did you come up with this song for a video? Are you gonna shoot any other video anytime soon?
T: Well, we have talked about doing more videos, guess we will work on something when we get back home.
You have scheduled some live shows for the last 10 days of February and the first day of March. Are there any other days as well? Any summer festivals?
T: Yes we will play many festivals this summer and there is a lot of work going on for other shows as well.
How do you see all this “retro rock”, rock & roll, classic rock, blues-rock trend of the last years? People are into it right now but eventually they will give it up. Is making trends like that the labels’ fault? Is it for the love of it or just for the money? Aren’t the fans responsible for that as well?
T: Well, we just play and sound the way we do regardless of trends…
The Internet can help a band become more known and gain new fans but on the other hand it can “destroy” a band due to illegal downloading. So what’s there in the end? Is it a great promotion tool for any band or a curse which will lead nowhere eventually?
T: We can’t alter the way technical evolution goes…
OK, time for our weird questions!!! Who’s the musician you would like to work with but he’s not in life anymore?
T: Jan Johansson…
What are those things that you do not like in the music industry nowadays?
T: It is what it is, you have got to keep on believing in what you do, always…
Which are the top 3 rock albums of all time?
T: Jimi Hendrix – “Axis: Bold as Love”…
Johnny Winter – “Second Winter”…
AC DC – “Back in Black”…
Which is that band/musician that has influenced most of the bands & musicians since rock music began…?
T: Chuck Berry…
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
T: “The Search Goes On” by Kamchatka…
What is missing from today’s music industry? What are albums missing? Is it that quality they used to have back in the 70s and 80s?
T: Nothing is missing, it’s too much confusion…
Who is the most overrated artist/band today?
T: Don’t know any…
If you could take any album of the past, delete the band’s name and put on your band’s logo to make it your own – which album would it be and by whom?
T: Can’t think in those terms…
If Kamchatka’s career was a movie… which movie would it be and why?
T: “Deep Throat”, because the search goes on…
Imagine that your wife/girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
T: My wife means more to me than albums since I make my own music…
That’s all for now dude. Thx for the music! The last words belong to you… Take care!
T: Thank you and Rock On!!!!!
T: We can’t alter the way technical evolution goes…
OK, time for our weird questions!!! Who’s the musician you would like to work with but he’s not in life anymore?
T: Jan Johansson…
What are those things that you do not like in the music industry nowadays?
T: It is what it is, you have got to keep on believing in what you do, always…
Which are the top 3 rock albums of all time?
T: Jimi Hendrix – “Axis: Bold as Love”…
Johnny Winter – “Second Winter”…
AC DC – “Back in Black”…
Which is that band/musician that has influenced most of the bands & musicians since rock music began…?
T: Chuck Berry…
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
T: “The Search Goes On” by Kamchatka…
What is missing from today’s music industry? What are albums missing? Is it that quality they used to have back in the 70s and 80s?
T: Nothing is missing, it’s too much confusion…
Who is the most overrated artist/band today?
T: Don’t know any…
If you could take any album of the past, delete the band’s name and put on your band’s logo to make it your own – which album would it be and by whom?
T: Can’t think in those terms…
If Kamchatka’s career was a movie… which movie would it be and why?
T: “Deep Throat”, because the search goes on…
Imagine that your wife/girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
T: My wife means more to me than albums since I make my own music…
That’s all for now dude. Thx for the music! The last words belong to you… Take care!
T: Thank you and Rock On!!!!!