Reach is a brand new band from Sweden which has recently taken its first steps into the hard rock scene. Grande Rock talked with the band’s guitarist and songwriter Ludvig Turner so as to find out more about this budding hard rock band…
Hey Ludvig… welcome to Grande Rock. Your debut album is a splendid piece of melodic hard rock! Kudos!
L: Hello! Thank you very much! After such a long time it’s great to finally have it released.
First of all, do give us a brief bio of Reach. How and when did the band take shape?
L: Well… It all started around 2012 when I was in a band called Critikkal Solution. We were looking for a drummer at that moment and I scanned all over Stockholm on the internet to find the right guy for the job. After maybe 2 months of searching this guy called Marcus rights to me and want to jam. I remember him entering our rehearsal studio with this kickass jacket and big curly hair (I had the same curly hair back then). I knew after 2 beats that he was the guy we’ve been looking for. Unfortunately things didn’t work out in this band so we split but Marcus and I thought to start our own band.
Marcus got in touch with a songwriter, called Thomas Widmark, who I started to write songs with (“Reach Out” from the album is one of them). We spend some time in a studio producing and creating in such speed that we now had to find a singer and a bass-player.
We must have had over 30 singers mailing us and maybe 10-15 auditions. Many good singers among them but we were looking for something else. Then from nowhere this guy, who said he wanted to do an audition, shows up, 2 hours late. He’s name was Alex. We brought him to the studio and let him sing some tunes and we saw potential.
Last but not least the bass player joined the brotherhood. David was a common friend of me and Marcus since before. An authentic Rockstar he is. We knew since before he could play and since he was a good friend of ours and he liked what we were doing he joined us.
The cover of Avicii’s super hit “Wake me up” in 2013 was a fine way to introduce the band to rock audiences worldwide. How did you come up with that idea?
L: I’ll tell you! So at this time all was sorted with the band we started to rehears the songs we wrote. To get some attention we thought to do a rock cover. This could not be of a rock song and it was of great importance that we made someone else’s track sorta sound like it was “ours”. The song “Wake Me Up” by Avicii was the song we choose. It had been on the radio non-stop since a couple of months before so we thought that was the perfect song to transform in to hard rock. It was done in 24h and uploaded on YouTube at noon. I remember waking up and going to work. I logged on to my work computer and saw that we had 10.000 views over just some hours. Insane! Now it’s over 1.2 million and still counting. Not to be cocky but I still today think that was a great move and I guess a little thanks to Avicii would be not more than right…
How did your participation in the Swedish Idol help you and your band in general? Was it worth your time and devotion in the end?
L: Well, Reach as a band was already working on the debut album and we were already planning the UK-tour so that was not thanks to Idol. I don’t regret doing it because I wanted to sorta help to bring back rock n roll by singing rock songs throughout the contest. Songs that were way too difficult for me haha! After all I’m a guitarist first… Many of my followers after the show obviously found reach so that was good but overall Idol just gave me many Instagram followers and made it easier to get more gigs as “Ludvig Turner”. It was definitely worth it and not to forget I would have met me lovely lady if it wasn’t for Idol.
And how did you come up with the band’s name Reach?
L: Reach out to Rock! That’s what we wanted do to so Reach seemed as a good name for us. And “Reach out to Rock” as a debut album name took about 5 minutes to decide.
The message is clear judging by the album’s title “Reach Out to Rock”. Is it what you had in mind in the first place?
L: As I said, it’s the whole idea behind this band.
Do tell us a few things about each track…
L: “You Called My Name”: One of the last songs we wrote to the album but it had a cool riff and a nice melody to it. We wanted to make sure that people wouldn’t call us an AOR band from the beginning so to put this song as the single from the album was a move we made to show the listeners that we are a hard rock band. Nothing more, nothing less!
“Fortune & Fame”: Ahh, this one has some background to it. It’s about the struggle everyone has at some point in their life. People telling you you’re not good enough etc. It’s about the underdog. About how you do anything to get to where you wanna be. That’s what I felt when I started playing guitar and its the idea behind Reach. “Get me out of the gutter, away from the rain. I’ll do anything for fortune and fame”. You can say that I’m doing anything for fortune and fame was being in Idol or you can say that the 8 hours a day I spent with my guitar since I was 15 hoping to be the next Slash is doing anything for fortune and fame.
“Tell Me”: “Tell Me” is a classic love song, the one you have to have on a rock album if you’re not Airborn our AC/DC! All the songs were written in our rehearsal studio and I think this is the first one me and Marcus wrote that we decided to put on the album.
“We Are”: This is our anthem! “We are the ones to make it”. Many of the songs are in the spirit of a Rising Force (I know exactly what I wrote, I love Yngwie). We’re underdogs who want to show what we’re made of.
“Someone Like You”: This was the last song to be recorded. I was at Marcus place the night before we were supposed to record the last drum parts. We were having a glass of wine and jamming and wrote “Someone Like You”. We wanted it to be on the album as well so I took my guitar to the studio the day after and we recorded it. It was a big surprise for Alec and David when they stepped in to the studio recording a song they never heard before!
“The Beast”: This is probably my favorite song on the album. I love that riff and I love the solos and the vocal melody on the verse just… Mmm!! It’s a song I really wanted to have on the album to express what we felt about the co-operation with the guys before Sunhill Production came into the picture.
“Make Me Believe”: This is not exactly single material of the modern formula, so to speak but this together with “The Beast” is what I’m most proud of on the album and it shows a bit of what Alex is capable of as a singer. He wasn’t perfect when we found him and neither is he today, none of us is, but he grows as a singer for each rehearsal and I’ve never seen a musician evolve from any other singer to a performer after one tour. I’m very proud of him and this song is, as I said, just a fraction of what I think we’re gonna hear from in a couple of years.
“Reach Out”: “Reach Out” is a song I wrote with Thomas Widmark maybe 2 years ago. I was listening a lot to Gary Moore at that time (bless his soul) so I was inspired by him writing “Reach Out”.
“Looking For Love”: Love this one as well, I think listeners of “Reach Out to Rock” should give this sometime because it grows, still for me as well. The solo in this tune is my tribute to Gary Moore. He is my biggest influence and I really wanted to piece of him into it.
“Coming Home”: Classic story behind this song. Laying in my bed, suffering from insomnia, picking up my guitar and started riffin’. I love “Coming Home” because it really doesn’t belong on this album but yet it a perfect ending to it. On other sorta “heading for the stars”-ish tune on the album. I also love the fact that some people hate it and some love it. That’s just what I like. At least it’s a fuckin’ reaction!
How did the cooperation with Pontus Norgren (Hammerfall,Poodles) and producers Erik Modin & Johannes Hennoks come about? Are you satisfied with the album’s final outcome?
L: It was good! “Reach Out to Rock” was the first full album Erik & Johannes recorded for a band so of course the ran in to some obstacles but it’s fully understandable and in the end we created a good album. I’m very happy Pontus could help us with the mix and master of the album. To this day he is the one who has delivered the best live guitar sound for me so it felt awesome to have him on our side.
Had you been longing to release your album through a label or you were also prepared to do it yourselves if you didn’t find an interesting offer?
L: We did it all by ourselves. We paid every recording and video you can find with us! There was never a question about doing it but some financial support would have been nice. Still I think doing it “indie” was the way to go here. Maybe we’ll look into a label to help us with the next album. Sun Hill is our management and booker and I don’t wanna leave it unsaid that this would have been done as fast and good without their help. I’m very happy that they wanted to pick us up and help us.
When did the offer from Sun Hill Production come and what was the major point that made you say ‘yes’ in the end?
L: We were offered a contract with Sun Hill after releasing “Wake Me Up” and “Black Lady”. I first met Karl Silfversparre after playing on his birthday party with Marcus, Soufian & Hank Erix (both Houston). Both Karl and Christer love has more passion for the music than any label people I’ve come across, even in Idol. So that together with good ideas for Reach just made it for us.
More and more young bands prefer to do things on their own. What do you think are the pros and cons on such a thing?
L: Well… I’m not an expert but from my point of view I say, do as much as you can by yourself. With equipment for a 1 000€ you can easily record songs that are nice to listen to. Booking and management is what you need before you start playing very big venues. It’s a lot of work but I think it’s worth it in the end. Also, nothing feels as good as releasing an album were it says that you and your band mates are the songwriters and not someone else!
What’s that “extra” thing that you have as a band which makes you separate yourselves from the other young bands of your time?
L: We’re still searching for our sound but I think that the progress we’ve made is because of the work and time we put into it. We don’t act like old time Rockstars, drinking and taking drugs non-stop because there are so many good bands out there (especially from Sweden) so doing that is just ruining yourself in my opinion. That comes later!
How would you describe your band’s music style? And which are your major influences (musicians & bands)…?
L: I would describe Reach as a relatively modern Hard Rock band. There are many influences. As I said my hero is Gary Moore, I know Marcus loves him as well. I must tell you! He must be one of the few drummers in the world who can sing along to every Gary solo, it’s amazing! David loves the blues and I know Alex is a fan of Adam Lambert. I listen a lot to Muse and 30 Seconds To Mars but also Omar and Dángelo. I’ve actually stolen some riffs from Dángelo to the album. Of course we all love the old greats such as Whitesnake, Sabbath, Purple, Zeppelin etc. We have Pretty Maids as well. Our Swedish brothers in HEAT and Eclipse have also played an important role in creating music. So many influences...
Even though you have major 80s hard rock influences, there’s a contemporary sound on your album and thankfully you do not sound “retro” as many bands try to do these days. Was it something that you did on purpose or it just came out naturally along the way?
L: Since we listen to music from ages ago we tend to take their path but since we try to come up with something of our own that’s what makes it all a bit modern and sorta fresh. I don’t see anything wrong in the retro style, for instance I love Rival Sons or the new Europe album “War of Kings”. But that’s their thing and we’re just trying to do ours.
L: Hello! Thank you very much! After such a long time it’s great to finally have it released.
First of all, do give us a brief bio of Reach. How and when did the band take shape?
L: Well… It all started around 2012 when I was in a band called Critikkal Solution. We were looking for a drummer at that moment and I scanned all over Stockholm on the internet to find the right guy for the job. After maybe 2 months of searching this guy called Marcus rights to me and want to jam. I remember him entering our rehearsal studio with this kickass jacket and big curly hair (I had the same curly hair back then). I knew after 2 beats that he was the guy we’ve been looking for. Unfortunately things didn’t work out in this band so we split but Marcus and I thought to start our own band.
Marcus got in touch with a songwriter, called Thomas Widmark, who I started to write songs with (“Reach Out” from the album is one of them). We spend some time in a studio producing and creating in such speed that we now had to find a singer and a bass-player.
We must have had over 30 singers mailing us and maybe 10-15 auditions. Many good singers among them but we were looking for something else. Then from nowhere this guy, who said he wanted to do an audition, shows up, 2 hours late. He’s name was Alex. We brought him to the studio and let him sing some tunes and we saw potential.
Last but not least the bass player joined the brotherhood. David was a common friend of me and Marcus since before. An authentic Rockstar he is. We knew since before he could play and since he was a good friend of ours and he liked what we were doing he joined us.
The cover of Avicii’s super hit “Wake me up” in 2013 was a fine way to introduce the band to rock audiences worldwide. How did you come up with that idea?
L: I’ll tell you! So at this time all was sorted with the band we started to rehears the songs we wrote. To get some attention we thought to do a rock cover. This could not be of a rock song and it was of great importance that we made someone else’s track sorta sound like it was “ours”. The song “Wake Me Up” by Avicii was the song we choose. It had been on the radio non-stop since a couple of months before so we thought that was the perfect song to transform in to hard rock. It was done in 24h and uploaded on YouTube at noon. I remember waking up and going to work. I logged on to my work computer and saw that we had 10.000 views over just some hours. Insane! Now it’s over 1.2 million and still counting. Not to be cocky but I still today think that was a great move and I guess a little thanks to Avicii would be not more than right…
How did your participation in the Swedish Idol help you and your band in general? Was it worth your time and devotion in the end?
L: Well, Reach as a band was already working on the debut album and we were already planning the UK-tour so that was not thanks to Idol. I don’t regret doing it because I wanted to sorta help to bring back rock n roll by singing rock songs throughout the contest. Songs that were way too difficult for me haha! After all I’m a guitarist first… Many of my followers after the show obviously found reach so that was good but overall Idol just gave me many Instagram followers and made it easier to get more gigs as “Ludvig Turner”. It was definitely worth it and not to forget I would have met me lovely lady if it wasn’t for Idol.
And how did you come up with the band’s name Reach?
L: Reach out to Rock! That’s what we wanted do to so Reach seemed as a good name for us. And “Reach out to Rock” as a debut album name took about 5 minutes to decide.
The message is clear judging by the album’s title “Reach Out to Rock”. Is it what you had in mind in the first place?
L: As I said, it’s the whole idea behind this band.
Do tell us a few things about each track…
L: “You Called My Name”: One of the last songs we wrote to the album but it had a cool riff and a nice melody to it. We wanted to make sure that people wouldn’t call us an AOR band from the beginning so to put this song as the single from the album was a move we made to show the listeners that we are a hard rock band. Nothing more, nothing less!
“Fortune & Fame”: Ahh, this one has some background to it. It’s about the struggle everyone has at some point in their life. People telling you you’re not good enough etc. It’s about the underdog. About how you do anything to get to where you wanna be. That’s what I felt when I started playing guitar and its the idea behind Reach. “Get me out of the gutter, away from the rain. I’ll do anything for fortune and fame”. You can say that I’m doing anything for fortune and fame was being in Idol or you can say that the 8 hours a day I spent with my guitar since I was 15 hoping to be the next Slash is doing anything for fortune and fame.
“Tell Me”: “Tell Me” is a classic love song, the one you have to have on a rock album if you’re not Airborn our AC/DC! All the songs were written in our rehearsal studio and I think this is the first one me and Marcus wrote that we decided to put on the album.
“We Are”: This is our anthem! “We are the ones to make it”. Many of the songs are in the spirit of a Rising Force (I know exactly what I wrote, I love Yngwie). We’re underdogs who want to show what we’re made of.
“Someone Like You”: This was the last song to be recorded. I was at Marcus place the night before we were supposed to record the last drum parts. We were having a glass of wine and jamming and wrote “Someone Like You”. We wanted it to be on the album as well so I took my guitar to the studio the day after and we recorded it. It was a big surprise for Alec and David when they stepped in to the studio recording a song they never heard before!
“The Beast”: This is probably my favorite song on the album. I love that riff and I love the solos and the vocal melody on the verse just… Mmm!! It’s a song I really wanted to have on the album to express what we felt about the co-operation with the guys before Sunhill Production came into the picture.
“Make Me Believe”: This is not exactly single material of the modern formula, so to speak but this together with “The Beast” is what I’m most proud of on the album and it shows a bit of what Alex is capable of as a singer. He wasn’t perfect when we found him and neither is he today, none of us is, but he grows as a singer for each rehearsal and I’ve never seen a musician evolve from any other singer to a performer after one tour. I’m very proud of him and this song is, as I said, just a fraction of what I think we’re gonna hear from in a couple of years.
“Reach Out”: “Reach Out” is a song I wrote with Thomas Widmark maybe 2 years ago. I was listening a lot to Gary Moore at that time (bless his soul) so I was inspired by him writing “Reach Out”.
“Looking For Love”: Love this one as well, I think listeners of “Reach Out to Rock” should give this sometime because it grows, still for me as well. The solo in this tune is my tribute to Gary Moore. He is my biggest influence and I really wanted to piece of him into it.
“Coming Home”: Classic story behind this song. Laying in my bed, suffering from insomnia, picking up my guitar and started riffin’. I love “Coming Home” because it really doesn’t belong on this album but yet it a perfect ending to it. On other sorta “heading for the stars”-ish tune on the album. I also love the fact that some people hate it and some love it. That’s just what I like. At least it’s a fuckin’ reaction!
How did the cooperation with Pontus Norgren (Hammerfall,Poodles) and producers Erik Modin & Johannes Hennoks come about? Are you satisfied with the album’s final outcome?
L: It was good! “Reach Out to Rock” was the first full album Erik & Johannes recorded for a band so of course the ran in to some obstacles but it’s fully understandable and in the end we created a good album. I’m very happy Pontus could help us with the mix and master of the album. To this day he is the one who has delivered the best live guitar sound for me so it felt awesome to have him on our side.
Had you been longing to release your album through a label or you were also prepared to do it yourselves if you didn’t find an interesting offer?
L: We did it all by ourselves. We paid every recording and video you can find with us! There was never a question about doing it but some financial support would have been nice. Still I think doing it “indie” was the way to go here. Maybe we’ll look into a label to help us with the next album. Sun Hill is our management and booker and I don’t wanna leave it unsaid that this would have been done as fast and good without their help. I’m very happy that they wanted to pick us up and help us.
When did the offer from Sun Hill Production come and what was the major point that made you say ‘yes’ in the end?
L: We were offered a contract with Sun Hill after releasing “Wake Me Up” and “Black Lady”. I first met Karl Silfversparre after playing on his birthday party with Marcus, Soufian & Hank Erix (both Houston). Both Karl and Christer love has more passion for the music than any label people I’ve come across, even in Idol. So that together with good ideas for Reach just made it for us.
More and more young bands prefer to do things on their own. What do you think are the pros and cons on such a thing?
L: Well… I’m not an expert but from my point of view I say, do as much as you can by yourself. With equipment for a 1 000€ you can easily record songs that are nice to listen to. Booking and management is what you need before you start playing very big venues. It’s a lot of work but I think it’s worth it in the end. Also, nothing feels as good as releasing an album were it says that you and your band mates are the songwriters and not someone else!
What’s that “extra” thing that you have as a band which makes you separate yourselves from the other young bands of your time?
L: We’re still searching for our sound but I think that the progress we’ve made is because of the work and time we put into it. We don’t act like old time Rockstars, drinking and taking drugs non-stop because there are so many good bands out there (especially from Sweden) so doing that is just ruining yourself in my opinion. That comes later!
How would you describe your band’s music style? And which are your major influences (musicians & bands)…?
L: I would describe Reach as a relatively modern Hard Rock band. There are many influences. As I said my hero is Gary Moore, I know Marcus loves him as well. I must tell you! He must be one of the few drummers in the world who can sing along to every Gary solo, it’s amazing! David loves the blues and I know Alex is a fan of Adam Lambert. I listen a lot to Muse and 30 Seconds To Mars but also Omar and Dángelo. I’ve actually stolen some riffs from Dángelo to the album. Of course we all love the old greats such as Whitesnake, Sabbath, Purple, Zeppelin etc. We have Pretty Maids as well. Our Swedish brothers in HEAT and Eclipse have also played an important role in creating music. So many influences...
Even though you have major 80s hard rock influences, there’s a contemporary sound on your album and thankfully you do not sound “retro” as many bands try to do these days. Was it something that you did on purpose or it just came out naturally along the way?
L: Since we listen to music from ages ago we tend to take their path but since we try to come up with something of our own that’s what makes it all a bit modern and sorta fresh. I don’t see anything wrong in the retro style, for instance I love Rival Sons or the new Europe album “War of Kings”. But that’s their thing and we’re just trying to do ours.
Do you plan to release a new video anytime soon and if yes for which track? A video for “You Called My Name” could be superb, right?
L: Yes, we are! Not for that song but there is a video coming up soon. Can’t wait to see it, it will be an honest video showing you some highlights of the begins since we released the album.
Are there any plans for a tour in the near future?
L: Yes, we have some ideas. I would love to go with Eclipse again and we have been talking about it with them as well. Well see… But for sure we’ll head out at least 1 more time this year! Hopefully 10 more times!
What does the future hold for Reach and what are your personal ambitions?
L: I’m just writing and writing and were trying to look forward but for now it’s all about getting out there and show people that we can deliver live as well. There are some new tracks that we will start rehearsal soon so who know, maybe another album release this year?
Time for our “weird questions”!!! Are there any funny incidents from the recording days that you’d like to share with us?
L: Hahah! I instantly start thinking of the fart fan… During recordings and rehearsals Marcus has this fan I tend to make fun of him for using. So me (mostly me), Alex and David used to fart into it and let the fart fly with the wind right into Marcus face when he’s playing. He just gags like a madman trying not to lose the groove. I tell you, it’s the best thing ever!
Best 3 hard rock albums of all time?
L: Wow… I had to struggle writing down my Top 10 on Facebook the other day. Well, as of now, I think that Muse “The 2nd Law”, Chris Cornell’s “Scream” and Whitesnake’s “Forevermore” has been the most played on my playlist. Top 3 of all times… definitely “1987” by Whitesnake, “Wild Frontiers” by Gary Moore and “Back in Black”… I love AC/DC.
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?
L: “1987” by Whitesnake…
Is the “free downloading issue” the main reason why the music industry has taken the downhill or there are others more important reasons for that?
L: I think that the fact that the simplicity of getting your music released and the fact that there are 1 million bands out there has something to do with it. I don’t think that’s only a negative side to since that’s what we´ve been doing. The business has changed no doubt about it but I mean it all comes back doesn’t it. Now artists are only releasing singles for instance, I never experienced it but isn’t that what artists used to do in the 50s? CDs are not selling as much but instead people are collecting and buying vinyl from both old and new bands! There is a big change in the industry but I don’t think it’s the right thing to do blaming it for not having success. If you create something that’s honest and that people like, they will like it. Easy as that! It just about adapting to the situation, is what I believe.
What do you think about this “Views, tweets & Likes” mania of our time?
L: It’s a good instrument for statistics as long as you don’t fake it and fool yourself!
Top 3 Horror movies of all time?
L: “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “Saw” & “Hostel”…
Which is the most overrated band of all time?
L: Don’t wanna be a hater here but I must say that I don’t understand the success behind One Direction.
Best pick-up line that has worked for you several times in the past?
L: Here, smell this cloth of chloroform!
What’s the worst thing you can say right after sex?
L: I don’t know, haven’t had sex yet! As I said I prefer doing it “indie”…
You have the opportunity to sleep with the movie-celebrity/porn-star of your choice. Who would it be?
L: Michelle Rodriquez…
Which of the Seven Deadly Sins do you reckon is the one, that’s more likely to send you straight to Hell, in the afterlife?
L: Wrath…
Imagine that your girlfriend/wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react? ☺
L: Awesome, many sold albums! Awesome, I have a girlfriend!
Thx for talking to Grande Rock Ludvig. Wish you and your band the best for the future… Take care!
L: Thank you very much, enjoy this and I hope talking to you soon again! All the best!