Nick: So tell me about Mania.
Dango: To me mania is about being a bit crazy in what you are doing. You have to be a bit crazy to do some things and make it! For example, we’ve spent endless hours in the tour van driving back and forth through Europe because we love to play live and have an inner glow which keeps us going. You also have to be a bit crazy to write a 13 minute song [laughs]. We were truly in a mania or frenzy when we wrote and recorded the album. It was the only thing in our minds for two full months. Truckfightersmania I would call it.
Nick: So why did Paco [Andreas von Ahn, drummer] leave?
Dango: His wrists were injured to the point of no return. He played too hard and apparently with a slightly bad technique. He`s totally fucked in his wrists nowadays - can’t play drums at all or hardly carry heavy stuff, etc. He had leukemia when he was a kid so he thinks that’s why his body was a bit torn from the beginning. At first the doctors thought Paco had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, something that’s easy to fix through minor surgery. But just when they were about to do it a new doctor saw that it wasn’t that, it was the ligaments and [cartilage] that was totally worn out, so his pain came from the small bones in the wrist actually touching each other. It was extremely painful for him in the end.
Nick: That’s horrible. How did you find a new drummer? I recall a post on StonerRock.com shopping for one.
Dango: At first we simply asked the oldest Truckfighters drummer Pezo [Oscar Johansson] whom played on The Fuzz Split of the Century. He wanted to join again, but it only lasted for about a year. Then he decided other things were more important again. We really hoped he would’ve changed his personality over the approximately five years Paco played in the band, but unfortunately not. I wouldn`t say it was a mistake to take him in again though ‘cause he drums on Mania and we are very happy with the album in every way. When Pezo said he wanted to quit in September of last year we searched all possible channels, talking to everyone we knew, putting up posts on forums, etc. We didn`t find anyone who fit. That`s why Pezo recorded the album and did a few shows with us in Italy this spring. After a long wait we finally found a new guy in February or March and it was through the normal channel, the mouth [laughs]. But seriously Ozo`s girlfriend [Oskar Cedermalm, guitarist—the guy, not his girlfriend] had a friend who knew Pedro as he will be called in Truckfighters and it is on that way, a real love story!
Nick: Fredo [Winfred Kennerknecht, guitarist] recently left the band as well, correct? Why did that happen?
Dango: He’d had problems with sleeping for most of his life. One day he got a new doctor who was interested in his problems to the point where he or she actually read about very uncommon diseases. To make the story short, Fredo got a diagnosis saying he did not produce sleeping hormones on a daily rhythm. The solution for him was to take a medicine and go to bed at 10 o’clock every night. Doesn`t work to play in a touring band on those conditions.
Nick: Jesus, talk about bad luck. So as for Mania, what does it sound like?
Dango: More Truckfighters. If you think that Phi is a development from Gravity X in the way that it`s more progressive, I think Mania is even more on that path. It`s very fat sounding but maybe a bit more controlled than before, a bit sharper, a bit better.
Nick: You’ve mentioned the record was written with just bass and guitar. What was that like?
Dango: You mean in the way that we recorded just bass and guitar straight into the computer first cause we had no drummer, so we couldn`t make songs the “normal” way? It was cool. Very different but cool. Nice to know it`s possible to do a good album just by entering the studio and staying there until you`re satisfied. We`ve never worked like this before but maybe we`ll do it again.
Nick: How do you write without a drummer? What do you do?
Dango: It was very weird. Some parts were like, “Here, we’re going to play this,” “Well, that’s a little boring,” “Well, what if the drums did this?” [pantomimes some big beats] So we had to imagine everything including the vocal lines and additional guitar. It’s also cool. We actually had a chance to listen to the songs before we recorded them, otherwise we’d just jam them, record, then listen afterward. Now we can listen to ideas and change parts. It’s a longer process though.
Nick: So no recording in a bomb shelter this time?
Dango: Yes actually, but a new bomb shelter. Bigger, better air, not so much mold and dirt. It was cozy enough to have a good time and make the album. We are building the new studio bomb shelter there and it`s damn cool.
Nick: How did you find this place? Have you named it?
Dango: It was a local music association that constantly scouts the market for possible rehearsals and other music friendly places that tipped us. We had been looking for a better studio/rehearsal space for years without success then suddenly it was there without us even trying.
Nick: You’ve mentioned an “album approach” to past releases. How does that factor into Mania?
Dango: It`s supposed to give the listener the best experience listened to in its full length. That`s how you should listen to an album. We don`t write a bunch of hit songs, it` more a concept of an album, a feeling that you will find if you listen to it all not just a song or two. Find this feeling — it is worth it. The best albums are those that grow.
Nick: What’s with the cover? Is that a field?
Dango: Yep and inside it`s a lot of winter pictures from just outside our hometown Örebro, Sweden. The place is called Stora Mellösa. We thought winter was a good symbol since we have a lot of it in Sweden and we recorded during the winter.
Nick: I see a progression from Gravity X to Phi — you got more technical and proggy. Does Mania continue in this way?
Dango: Definitely, you hit the spot.
Nick: The guys who are doing the Lo Sound Desert documentary are making a film about you guys. How did that come about?
Dango: At first they wanted to interview us for that project. Then they asked if they could do a documentary about us. It`s very cool. I really don`t know why but once they said they thought we were really nice guys and a very good band I guess that has to do something about it. I`m not saying they are in love with us or anything [laughs]. They are cool dudes too. We get along well.
Nick: So what do you guys do outside the band?
Dango: We try to work as little as possible. I mean you just can`t have a normal job and be in a serious band. Not enough time. I am a freelancing sound engineer, working both with recordings and live sound. Ozo does some sound work as well and a little bit of different stuff. For two winters he`s worked in a skiing facility outside town for example. Pedro works with mentally disabled people.
Nick: So will there be videos for the new record?
Dango: Yes the guys who did the video for “Traffic” has done a new one for “Monte Gargano.”
Nick: You guys have quite a live presence, at least from what’s online. Is that something that’s planned and talked about, or spontaneous?
Dango: Mostly spontaneous. It`s the reaction when you’re full of energy on stage and the audience is also full of energy. Then it`s a synergy effect, an exchange of power. The trigger to all of this is the music; it`s very groove dynamic and powerful, a little bit different live than on recordings. More power live, another feeling but still a good one listening to the albums. It’s definitely not the same. In addition I`ve always disliked bands that just stand still and play looking bored so we try to be the opposite. Music is all about feelings and energy, to transmit it to the audience is very relieving.
Nick: So what’s with the name?
Dango: It’s an old pulp fiction book series about two truck drivers who drive around and do a lot of interesting stuff that’s not interesting at all. It’s written for 12 year olds and the stories have very very simple sentences — it’s a lot of words but nothing happens. ‘He likes to drive the truck with blah-blah-blah horse power and blah-blah-blah steering wheel.
Nick: Where the hell do you find something like that?
Dango: It was at a market where they sell old stuff. We thought it was a cool thing and in the end it was the band name. I think it’s from the ‘70s, maybe early ‘80s. There are about 12 or 14 books in the series. We have four of them now, some from the Swedish Ebay. It’s fun. I don’t know what it means — it’s just a cool name. People always ask us if we’re fight for the trucks or against us. Grammatically, I don’t know. How does that work if it’s one word?
Nick: I’m not sure. My guess is that you’re fighting the trucks, but there are plenty of counter examples. What do you say when people ask you?
Dango: I don’t think we have a good answer. We have actually found out what a truck fight is. If you’re on the motorway, two lanes going opposite ways, which is a pretty big lane in Sweden — there aren’t too many cars here — and two trucks are driving, one trying to overtake the other in the left lane. They’re going the same speed, and maybe up a hill, one can’t overtake the other. We see it every now and then on tour — it’s very annoying — but nowadays it’s more fun, we laugh and say “There’s a truck fight!”
Nick: So how’d you end up on Fuzzorama and why’d you stay there?
Dango: Fuzzorama… we kind of ended up there from the beginning. We recorded our first demo and they said they wanted to release it, so why not? It’s on the ground and it works. Of course it would be cool if a major label wanted to give you a lot of money, but in reality, I don’t know if that’s going to happen. Anyway, it works well, we tour a lot in Europe. Of course we want to go to other parts of the world, but it’s really hard set that up from here. If someone helped us book it, it’d be different. Fuzzorama is near us, so that’s good.
Nick: You get distribution in other markets too, so hey…
Dango: Yeah I like it. I hope people can get our record that way, so they don’t have to download it. I saw you can find the new record on the Internet already. Someone has leaked it — a fan or reviewer.
Nick: What’s your reaction to that?
Dango: I don’t like it. People think that the labels make so much, but they don’t think about what happens for smaller artists who need to make a few bucks on the music, to allow them to try and make a living on it. For big bands, they have the money and fans to go to shows, but it’s different for bands on small indie labels. It’s a step from going from that artist to all the way, and you have to get money, something for your work — you’re working really hard to get everything together. Of course it’s cool that people download and there’s a demand for our music. I think it’d be better if they bought it…It doesn’t have to be expensive. In Sweden a CD costs about 150 Swedish Crowns — that’s about 20 bucks or less — it doesn’t have to be that high, but maybe ten. If you know the music market, if you like a band and want them to stand a chance and hear a new record, you need to help them sell records.
Nick: I know in the States a lot of the focus is on merch. On a good night you sell enough t-shirts to get to the next town.
Dango: It’s easier to have fun and not have to pay out of your own pocket to tour. Maybe that’s why we haven’t toured as much in other parts of the world — we want to break even. In past tours we actually made a few bucks. It’s not like we can put out a fat seller and take a month off; we’re struggling to make it.
Nick: How long are you guys going to keep at it?
Dango: How long? Forever [laughs]. As long as it’s fun and it’s going in the right directions. It doesn’t need to go fast, but I think you need to feel that’s it’s spreading, that more people know about you and come to your shows.
Nick: Does social media and technology factor into the band much? It seems fairly time consuming to me.
Dango: It is. Hopefully the real fans check out our pages and see what’s going on. I don’t know what bands did before the Internet to promote themselves. I think around Sweden the underground is growing because of these things. If you have time to search, you can find a lot of cool bands, but yeah, it’s extremely time consuming.
Nick: And finally back to the whole “stoner rock” and “desert rock” thing. It seems like you guys will always be compared to vintage bands and that particular sound. Does that bother you?
Dango: I don’t mind being compared to them… they’re good bands, after all. I mind when people say we try to sound like them. We try to do our own thing; we don’t see ourselves as a clone. We do what we think sounds cool, nothing more than that. If we sound like another band it’s not on purpose. If we write something that reminds us of someone else, we’ll throw it out.
