Interview with Holger

The 12th of April, in a part of Belgium where we're used to have some well-known festivals, a small festival took place, although there were nothing but big names on the venue. Waterdown was one of them…

Q>> When I listen to your new album, which I love very much, I hear hardcore, emo, punk rock, even metal, but how do you define your own style of music?
A>> Well, it's hard to define it sometimes. Every member of our band listens to different styles of music. I listen to metal and punk rock, and it's kind of the same with everyone else. They listen to different things. Some listen to old school, some to jazz, like our drummer, because he played in some jazz combos and other things. So if I have to define the style of our band, I prefer the term 'hardcore band', because we try to get a message through, but this doesn't mean we're a political band. It's more like a way of living and the way we deal with the band, the touring... so I would say it's a hardcore band.

Q>> Is it essential to put a label on a band?
A>> I think it's easier sometimes to have a vague definition of the band, but if it gets to narrow-minded, it makes no sense. Sometimes labels put a band in a direction which doesn't fit at all.

Q>> Are there other German bands who play the same sort of music style?
A>> Yeah, there are other bands, but I don't think they play quite the same style. But there are a lot of mush bands, maybe you know Caliban and Heaven Shall Burn. Maybe there are some bands with the same sound like ours, but I wouldn't be able to give you some names.

Q>> What do you think of the German punk rock scene with bands like Skin Of Tears, Not Available, Gigantor, Beatsteaks, Donots…?
A>> Well, I like all those bands. We have a special relationship with the Donots, because we've been friends with them for a long time. Christian, our base player, and the singer of the Donots are very good friends. It's always nice when we meet or play shows together, like today. But I also like the other punk bands, sure.

Q>> Do you think German punk rock has got a sound of its own?
A>> I'm not quite sure. There were times where I was more into punk rock, but I couldn't really tell you if there's a difference between German punk rock and other famous international punk rock bands, like NOFX, Lagwagon,... Well yeah, like you say, there's an American sound, a Swedish sound, so it's possible there's a German sound as well.

Q>> Waterdown formed just about 3 years ago and see where you are at this point. Are you guys living a dream?
A>> Yeah, I'm very happy… Happy with how things worked out. Nobody could have possibly thought that we were able to put records out on a label like Victory. It all happened very fast. Sometimes we were a bit stressed, like for example with our US tour, and that was very hard because that was a van tour. There were things that were hard to deal with, stressful situations, but it only made us stronger. To be honest: I've always wanted to be in a band, be on the road, and I think I speak for the other members of the band as well. This is exactly what we want to do for the moment. So we're really happy with it.

Q>> How did the signing for Victory Records come about?
A>> We did a small tour in Germany in support of Grade. Kyle from Grade told us he was going to give a demo c.d. to Tony from Victory, and we thought that was very nice of him, but we didn't expect anything. And I think a week later, we got an e-mail from Tony himself, and he told us Kyle gave him that c.d. and told us about the new signings at the time: Thursday. They signed for Victory at that time, and he told us that we could fit into his label program. Then it took some time to arrange the contract, and finally we signed. And all thanks to Kyle from Grade. It also happened very fast. He introduced us to Tony, and Tony liked what he heard. We were able to play shows with Snapcase on the other hand, and with Boy Sets Fire, which had their release on Victory as well. When those bands went home, they told us they liked us very much as a band, and they were convinced.

Q>> What do the German people think of the deal with Victory, by that I mean the fans you had since the beginning?
A>> The opinions are very different. Some people really have a problem with Victory Records, I don't understand why, because they refer to it as a major label, which it isn't. For other people it is way to big, for those who really think they're hardcore. Maybe they have problems to deal with the fact that our record's on Victory. But there are many people who don't mind at all on the other hand. They're just happy for us. People we know personally understand why we made this decision. We're are happy with Victory and they support that.

Q>> Do you guys have jobs besides your music career, or did you have to give them up?
A>> Yes, our singer Ingo had to quit his job, because it was a full time job in the media. He now works part time at a skate shop. Our drummer was studying, but also quit for the band he played in before Waterdown. Now he gives drum and singing lessons, and works in a kinder garden. This is what Christian, our base player, does, he also works in a kinder garden. But it's more like a full time job for him. He's using all his holidays for the band, and even takes extra days off to go on tour with the band. Axel works part time at a big music store 'Musik productiv'. He can also work extra hours to get some days off for the band. This is how it works out. For me myself it's not really a problem. I'm studying right now and I can skip some classes, it's ok. I can study on my own and do the exam when I'm home. I try to study on the road, which I'm not doing now, but I have to do some work before I go home. Right now, I'm missing the beginning of the new semester. But I'm planning on continuing my studies, and graduate. That's my plan. I'll have to wait to see how the band's like in about have a year, a year from now. I have got to find a compromise.

Q>> People compare you with bands like The Used, Finch, Boy Sets Fire, Glassjaw… How does that make you feel?
A>> I think it's good. I love bands like The Used, I like them a lot. It's a pretty good band. I think that maybe we're not as poppy as The Used, but I like what they do as well. I'm a very very big fan of Glassjaw. I think, for people who like to have an idea of what we sound like, it's not really wrong to be compared with these bands. I think that's ok.

Q>> I've been reading good reviews all over the world, on webzines, magazines, … is this Waterdown's big break through?
A>> That's a difficult question, really difficult. Even if the reviews are good, we still don't know what the kids think. We really don't. In England we're doing good, and in parts of Germany as well. But it happens we play shows where there's not a lot of people coming, like our last show in the Netherlands. And I think things like that will always happen again. I really wouldn't be able to tell what will happen with this record. I don't have any idea. I'll just wait for this tour to end, and see what works out, and think about how many people came to the shows. We're going to Spain next, and we haven't been there before. We don't know what will happen. Maybe no one will come, maybe it will be a good show. I can't say that. We'll see.

Q>> Did you always have two singers in the band? How did that happen?
A>> First only Ingo was in the band. We started the band, because we split up with our old band. Axel, our guitar player, also played in that old band. Our second singer came to our rehearsals and liked it, and then I thought about some rhymes and some melodies. We were really impressed by it and we worked it out. Somehow, the two singers learned how to work with each other.

Q>> What do you think of other bands with to singers, like the commercial ones: Linkin Park, Crazy Town?
A>> Seems like the two singers sing kind of the same. It's absolutely not my type of music. I'm not into all that stuff. When Crazy Town started, with the new single, I hated it. I think the new song is more new metal, for the bigger audience, and that's more ok. But I don't know why they have two singers. And Linkin Park, well, they're not even bad musicians, but they don't give me the feeling I want to have when I listen to music. It's really polished. I don't really care about those bands.

Q>> I guess it's not very easy to compose songs with such a variety in styles. How do you guys create your songs?
A>> It's a good question. When we started, we all had different ideas. For example: I came on with a riff, or Christian, who writes many of the songs, and we just try to figure out what to do with it. We start with a basic idea, figure out what the drums would be like. Then, usually Christian comes with an idea. Then I come up with an idea and put the guitar on it. And this is how we worked for the whole first record. Everybody contributed. It was like a process in the rehearsal room. For the new album we worked differently because we had less time and we knew we had to write songs. We also worked with the ideas we had at home. We recorded them, put a drum track to it, and a base idea. But it was more a sort of a home recording. Sometimes there were only two or three of us, and then we gave the ideas to our singers. Then they contributed their parts. It was like a new feeling for us. And the funny thing is that there were already songs that existed for a long time, but that we didn't even play in the rehearsal room. After we did that and we had a good feeling with a song when we played it, we kept it. Otherwise we left it for what It was. I think this time the songwriting was a bit more technical. But it was a good experience, a cool process.

Q>> It is the second day of your European tour. How are the guys from Somehow Hallow so far? How's the relationship with those guys?
A>> It's good. Some of us know them, like Ingo, because he did a tour management for Grade, their former band. Our tour manager also knows the guys. So we have a good relationship. They're friendly. I like what they do on stage. I think it will be a good tour with them.

Q>> Isn't it weird to be at a hardcore tainted festival and have 3 Colours Red at it?
A>> Yeah, it is weird, and it's even weirder that the Donots are on tour with them. But I must be honest, I don't really know 3 Colours Red. I like what I heard. But it's still weird. Like when we played the first time with a really huge band in the States, we played festivals with Hardbreeth, or Boy Sets fire, I couldn't imagine that. So it's hardly the same here. But we get used of these situations we were never used of before.

Q>> Have you seen the surprise act? That was even weirder, don't you think?
A>> Yeah, it is! Really strange, but a cool idea! I liked it. Some hip hop…

Q>> How was it like to work with Uwe Sabirowsky for the new album? Some songs of yours really remind me of 'Beatsteaks'. Is that due to Sabirowsky or is it simple coincidence?
A>> Are you thinking of the song 'Going Back'? All songs we recorded were finished and then we went to the studio. The instrumental part and nearly all of the melody lines and the vocals were finished, but Uwe had some ideas. He thought of how we could rearrange a song, maybe leave a part that didn't fit in, what to do with the singing, how it should sound like... So let's just say that the songs are our own, but he contributed his part. Maybe that's why you hear some elements of the Beatsteaks. He's probably done the same with them. He had very good ideas. It was the first time we really had a producer and it was a good experience. He had really good ideas.

Q>> We live in a decade where we find nothing but overproduced albums in the music stores, but your album has been recorded in a live kind of way. Is that the strong side of the band?
A>> I think so yeah. We didn't know how we would record when we went to the studio. Maybe we thought we had to record it starting with the drum tracks, and with computers or something, but it was Uwe's idea. He said we were a rock band and we had to try it live, and it was the best decision he could make. We thought about it, and decided he was right. Because when you're making music the way we do, we're a live band, this is the best way of making a record: show live what you can do on the record. But it's hard for me to say how big the difference is between our live act and what we hear on the c.d., but the recording experience was good. I would do it like that again.

Q>> What are your personal musical influences?
A>> Lots of things. Let me start with metal, death metal, black metal, older stuff: Cradle Of The Filth ... The other extreme is pop punk, which I like very much: Starting Line, New Found Glory,… I also like hardcore bands: 18 Visions, Snapcase, … and so much more.

Q>> You've got a website in English (.com) and one in German (.de), but they're both the same. Have they always been the same? Will you keep both of them?
A>> First we only had the German, and the other came later, I think in the last 6 months. I think they're the same, like you say. But I think we'll keep both of them. The .com is good for countries like America, because they have never been confronted with .de, so I think the www.waterdownmusic.com is easier for them. But as long as the pages stay the same, it's ok. I think the .de is easier to remember for the Germans. But I don't think the Germans would mind if the .de never existed, because if you want to look for something in Germany, you have got to know the .com, .net,…

YVES

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