MP3: Samtidigt Som - För jag tror att ingen annan kan känna såhär för dig
This week's guests in our ongoing Göteborg spotlight series is Samtidigt Som.
How long have you lived in Gbg? What brought you there and what's keeping you from relocating elsewhere?
We're all from the GBG area and all of us has always lived in or really close to the city. We really love GBG and as a band who sings in Swedish, there's really no place else. GBG has been the major city for music in Sweden for several years and still is. It's a city with a strong identity and legacy music wise. The alternative in Sweden would be Stockholm (Malmö doesn't have a music scene worth mention) and it's no point to relocate since Stockholm is cold and soulless. And they have the worst football teams.
Your music reminds me a lot of classic Gbg indierock- is this something that you are aware of? Do you think there's an important legacy of Gbg music to live up to? What other influences do you draw from?
There is no doubt that we are strongly influenced by GBG indierock. For instance, our debut-EP are recorded and produced by old Bad Cash Quartet guitarist Kalle Von Hall. The thing was, when me (Erik Grahn, guitar) and bassist Erik Weiman were beginning to talk about forming a new band together again, things that came up was that we shouldn't try to complicate things, keep it simple and pure and don't be embarrassed of our influences. I think that both me and Erik have strong sense for melodies and even if you can hear that we're from GBG, which we're very proud of, I think you can hear that it is Samtidigt Som. Basically we just want to play fast and loud because it's more fun that way.
How friendly is the local scene? Is it easy for a new band such as yourselves to get noticed?
I think that it's probably friendlier than many other places. There are a few really good clubs where most of the scene hang out. In a way you can see that a new generation is growing and taking more space, it's about time that a new generation steps forward.
With bands like us, Almedal, Boat Club and My Darling You!, I think that our small label Luxury done a great job, and it is, togheter with the club "Svanen" at Jazzhuset, the two most important things for having the good scene we have.
I think that it's quite easy to get noticed in GBG if you're good. I know loads of bands that been playing for ages without getting anywhere simply because they're not good enough, but in contrast, you have us who got a record deal after our first gig. Of course, I'm quite sure playing the way we do helps us, we give 110% when we play live and we do really catchy songs. But that is what we want to do and if people like it, I wont have some pretentious idiot telling me that we get everything for free and that we do brainless music (which we do, but we like it brainless).
Are there any rivalries or are other bands generally happy to help eachother out?
I'm a strong believer in helping each other out. I don't believe you can compete in music and I hate when I hear people trash talk other bands just because they doing better then them. GBG is to small for rivalry and to keep our position as Sweden's music city number one, we should all just try to promote other good bands.
What are the advantages of being an artist in Gbg? Disadvantages? Is there anything that the city is lacking?
The good thing about GBG is that it's small. The bad thing about GBG is that it's small. It's good in that sense that it never gets too elitist, but bad that sometimes it feels like a small group of people have way too much power over the scene. If it was bigger, it would be easier to fight that. But as I said before, a new generation is on its way and it's inevitable for us not to take over.
Got a song you'd like to share?
If it should be a song of ours, I would say our new single "Constant in motion". That one sounds really GBG. And a song from another GBG band would be "No time for us" by Broder Daniel. It's one of my favourite songs ever and still gives me the shivers.
Unfortunately, "Constant in motion" was not available to me at press time, but since I strongly feel that Samtidigt Som is worth hearing, here's "För jag tror att ingen annan kan känna såhär för dig" instead.
Samtidigt Som - För jag tror att ingen annan kan känna såhär för dig