THUNDERMOTHER (EN)
– Hello and first, of all, thank you for answering our questions. How is everything going right now with THUNDERMOTHER?
Hi, thank you for having us! Its going great! We are really enjoying the ride. =)
– Even though you’re not precisely new, this is our very first interview with you so, to begin with, could you introduce yourself and the band to all our readers?
My name is Guernica and I´m the singer, Filippa on Guitar and also the founding member of the band. Emlee on the drums and Sara on the bass.
– And how did you come up with the band’s name? What does it mean? Literally and not.
Filippa came up with the name with a former member over some beers. Nothing to crazy but the name really sounds and feels like the music and the essence of us.
– Tell us about your musical journeys and experiences prior to THUNDERMOTHER that lead you to where you are right now.
Music has for me as long as i can remember been a part of my life. I started my first band as a teen and since always know that i wanted to play in a band. After graduating from MI I moved back to Sweden and started my previous band in which I met Filippa. And like most band, we went through a little crisis and I contacted my friends in the music business to get some advice, Filippa was being one of them.. I jokingly said that if she ever needed a singer I´d be there straight away. Never expecting that she also had some problems and was looking for a new singer fir Thundermother. I still feel like it all just happened in a crazy way. It just felt like all the stars where aligned and it was just meant to be.
– You just finished a «spring» tour that took you to Spain, how was it like?
Amazing! We love Spain and our Spanish fans are just fantastic!
– Anyway you’re coming back in May with AUDREY HORNE and BACKYARD BABIES, and you’ll hit some Spanish cities you didn’t stop by on the previous tour. What can we expect to see on stage if we’re going to see THUNDERMOTHER live? Your music is full of energy, how do you transport that to a live scenario?
We all individually have our on routines of how to get in the right state of mind. I need to warm up and as of late i’ve found that putting on some fun crazy song makes me really pumped and ready to give 110% on stage.
– In fact you recently released «Da Igual», the Spanish version of «Whatever». Do you think this kind of things build a stronger bond with your Spanish speaking audiences?
We certainly hope so, but we did it because we could and we thought it was a fun way of showing our hispanic fans that we see them and appreciate them. Back in the days lots of bands did it and we love the whole retro aspect of it too.
– Your latest album came out over a year ago now. Do records, after some time and playing them live, get new life? Does your perception on theme change as time goes by?
They grown and live we try different things to make them come to life more. But the the theme is the same.
– In fact your newest record is just entitled «Thundermother». Is it some kind of statement?
Yes, we wanted to make it clear that we’re here to stay and stronger than ever.
– And do you already have ideas for a next record?
We have started to write, yes. The main focus right now is creating really great song for the 4th album.
– As it’s usual, the therm «all-girl» or «all-female» band is often used to describe you. How do you feel about it? Are you OK with it or sense it like a non-accurate description solely based on your genre?
I hate it honestly. I think it’s extremely demeaning and very dated. We are a band that happens to only have female musicians.
– Talking about such, a few years ago in your home country the Kill the King was born as a reaction to the #MeToo movement. With actions and movements like this, would you say the Rock and Metal community is more inclusive or at least being more aware of certain issues that seemed unnaddressed until recently?
Hard question to answer. I cant answer for the metal scene but for us it’s gotten better but it’s far from perfect and we still experience unnecessary situations and get judged etc based on our gender.
– As an insider, are things in the Rock community actually changing? Even though there’s a still a long way to go not just in Rock, but in our society in general.
I think that little by little it is. More people are accepting and see us as musicians so thats good. But its gonna take some time for it to be gone completely. But us being in it and fighting the good fight by just not taking any sit and doing what we do we are part of the change and hopefully next generation won’t have too.
– Are there any woman artists that inspired you in your music journey when you were starting? Or any bands with female members you can look to for inspiration?
As a teenager, No doubts Gwen Stefani became a huge inspiration. I just loved her present and attitude. Before that obviously the spice girls when I was a kid, they just did what they wanted and that in itself was amazing to me. When I was a bit older and started to really get in to rock and finding my voice Janice Joplin and her rawness and realness was/is captivating.
– And before we wrap this interview up, how could you describe the whole THUNDERMOTHER music and ethos in just 3 words?
Raw Real Rock
– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it. See you in May.
Just that we hope to see as many as possible of our fans on the road this year and that we love them all!
Tania Giménez
tania@queensofsteel.com
