Jonas (Rev. Soarthroat) – vocals
Rob – lead & rhythm guitar
Snejken – lead & rhythm guitar
Mats – bass & vocals
Nick – drums

Congratulations to your excellent debut album Here To Save You all, how has the reactions been so far on the album from fanbase and media?

Rob: Thank you! The response has been great from the media and even greater from our fans. Especially when playing live. We always get a lot of new fans every gig we play.

Mats: It’s just that we want a lot more! We’ve met people who are really into Backdraft, and have had some great gigs and wonderful times, and we’re now really frustrated that we’re not out on the road 24/7 and all the time and everywhere! We’ll be on the road in Sweden and in Holland/Belgium/Germany in December, though…

You have two excellent cd demos behind you The Wicked Man and Goddamn Man but how was the band formed in the first place and are you pleased with the response on the demos?

Rob: Me and Jonas met in a bar in 1997 and decided to play some real hard rock music. I don’t think there is too much of that honest pure good quality rock’n’roll nowadays, so we really felt that we had a mission. We didn’t put too much effort to spread and promote our first two demos, ‘Wicked Man’ and ‘Devil’s Hand’, cuz at that time we were a lazy bunch of motherfuckers and didn’t understand the importance of working hard for the band, and I’m talking about working with stuff outside of the rehearsal room. We were one of those bands who are just locked up in their basement all the time and that no-one ever gets to hear, and we were probably the best band in the world in that locked-up genre! But with the making of ‘The Goddamn Man EP’, Mats joined our pityful asses and he changed this trend totally. He posted the CD to everyone and soon things started to happen!

Even since I first heard the band last year you owe a great deal to the Southern rock style stuff like Molly Hatchet, old Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot etc. bringing along a bluesy heavy sound to it. How would you in your opinion describe the sound of this band?

Rob: Three words - Southern Hard Rock.

Snejken: It’s a mix of all of our influences, from old blues & country to 70’s heavy rock to modern metal!

Mats: I don’t feel we’re a 100% Southern Rock band, but I can see why we’re pigeon-holed that way – it makes it easier for people to know what they’re dealing with. Many bands say they don’t want to be put in a specific category, but I think it’s okay if it helps people to discover us! It’s just rock’n’roll, man!

You signed with Lunasound, are you pleased with the deal you have and the push that the album have got so far?

Snejken: Stuart’s the man, I’m very pleased with the deal and his work so far.

Mats: We’ve got a lot of press from just about everywhere, so what he’s achieved with limited resources is really impressive. Being on a small, independent label is always harder when it comes to marketing and distribution, but on the other hand I don’t think a major label would’ve got the underground and metal buzz goin’ quite as good. And we wouldn’t have had total control, like we have now, which I for one value most of all. The only compromise Backdraft ever does is between the band members.

More on the southern rock style, even though its not particularly original it hasnt been too much bands that have pick it up, since you are one of the few and have managed to create something that sound fresh and entertaining, looking at this particular scene, how do you see it will it remain as it now or will it progress?

(pic Ulf Magnusson)

Snejken: A lot of what’s out there are these older guys who in some way or another still continue doing their old style. Personally I haven’t heard too many bands coming up with anything new. So the scene is kind of open for bands to develop and experiment. We feel that we somehow managed to, maybe unintentionally, create something different from just being "retro".

Mats: I haven’t heard too many newer bands in this genre either, that are really making it their own thing. If someone can take the southern rock style forward the same way that the Allmans Brothers created it from their blend of jazz, soul, country and heavy rock, I salute them. I mean, you can in no way outdo what they or Skynyrd did in the 70’s by copying them, so just leave it be. It’s good to see, however, bands of all styles now starting to acknowledge that – yes – a lot of the southern rock of the 70’s were very good music, and it’s not just a redneck nostalgia thing. It’s almost like what happened to progressive rock a few years back. Suddenly a lot of people came out of the woodwork! That’s an all-good thing I believe, musical dogmatism is nothing for me.

More on the sound of this album, I feel that Here To Save You All have a terrific production, its very live sounding are you pleased with working process and the final mix of the album?

Snejken: Yeah we had a really good time. We wanted to record as much as possible live, instead of doing it piece by piece. We kept it very simple throughout, we never got caught up in the world of effects and sound experimenting. We were pretty much prepared when we started recording and we did the songs like we’d rehearsed them and played them live. And since the gear we’re using is straight ahead and uncomplicated we always get the same sound. The producer, Per Wikström, was excellent to work with! He managed to capture the raw kind of live feel we wanted. Don’t forget that beer, coffee, pizza and a huge amount of cigarettes also made a big contribution to the sound. Some nice looking girls as well…

Mats: It was a cold winter and we just got into our own little world down in the basement studio, far removed from daily life in Stockholm. I’m very pleased in that it sounds like us live, which was the intention. Many of the bass and rhythm guitars, and even some solos, are live from the first take. We’ve had some technical problems with the mix, and had to remix a few times but that stuff always happens. It’s maybe a little sharp and edgy here and there because of the monitors used, but that’s also nice in that it doesn’t sound like lame old retro. The sound jumps out at you and kicks you in the bollocks!

So far you have been doing a few dates around Sweden, after I have seen you live for the second time I feel that you progressed and is now delivering a really pleasant and entertaining performance. Have you more dates coming up and talking about your liveshow, have you reached the peak in your performance or will you progress even more?

Snejken: Hell no! You always keep progressing. I feel there are hundreds of things to make the show better than the last time. It may not be obvious things to the audience, but to ourselves it really makes a huge difference, and that they will notice! So expect even greater shows in the future.

Rob: We’re gonna do a tour with the Finnish band Five Fifteen in all the major cities here in Sweden, starting out on the 29^th of November at Skylten in Linköping. After that we have five or more headlining gigs in Holland, Belgium and Germany. Those gigs are meant to be a warm-up for a bigger European tour next year. So we do have plans, but we want more and more and more… For all the details, updates and news, please check out our home page: www.backdraft.web.com (also check tour schedule at bottom of interview!)

Listening to the album I feel there is a wide spectrum for being a debut album in the musical standpoint its hardrock, Southern rock, blues, boogie mixed all together from the opening Convoy to the final Hillbilly Blues, are you pleased with the outcome of the variations that is featured on the album and for the next album will you expand into other territories with your music or do you feel you have found the right concept that you are delivering here on this album?

Rob: I think we have a lot of variety and dynamics compared to other modern rock bands. On the next record we’re gonna spread our wings even further and deliver some more rocky straight rock’n’roll parts and also some more heavy and darker sides of Backdraft. We’re also working on some really soft, beautiful country songs, so I think we’re getting even more dynamic and varied!

Talking about the strength in Backdraft, what is the biggest strength do you feel?

Rob: Playing live is our strength.

Mats: Our it’s-us-against-the-world mentality, really, which makes everything else possible!

(pic Johan Rydström)

Talking about the reviews you have got so far, what I have seen so far it has been a really good response to the album are you suprised with the press response so far?

Rob: You never know what the critics will say but since I believe in the record so much it would have surprised me if people who gave it a chance would turn it down. It seems to me that the critics who don’t understand this kind of rock’n’roll music at all have still at least thought that ‘Here To Save You All’ is  some outstanding quality rock and given us ok/good marks. And for those critics who understand this kind of music, the reviews have been excellent!

For those who still dont have a copy of this album, to describe this album for them. How would you review this album?

Mats: It's a ten song rock'n'roll album on a piece of CD plastic, and the best thing is you can also record it to one side of a C90 tape and have in your car as well, perhaps with Degüello on the flip side. It will put a smile on your face and make you drive carelessly! If you can’t find it at your local dealer’s, go to www.customheavy.com or www.lunasoundrecording.com and order it right away!

I was talking about the influences and inspirations before, beside your interest for Southern Rock fill us in whatelse that inspires you, subjects for lyrics, major inspiring bands etc.?

Snejken: We never intended to consciously "play Southern Rock", it has just happened because some members have grown up listening to this music. So, therefore it’s natural for it to be an influence on the music, as well as the blues, metal and everything else we listen to.

Mats: Jonas is very much into country; especially Kris Kristofferson and Roger Miller and such, and I think that the storytelling tradition has rubbed off on our lyrics. Musically, what makes Backdraft different is the depth of our influences. It’s not just metal with a ZZ Top album thrown in for good measure. It’s everything from Robert Johnson to Freddie King to SRV; everything from The Osborne Brothers to Gram Parsons to Shania Twain; everything from Sabbath to Saint Vitus to Slayer.

Talking about the future plans for Backdraft looking into the crystal ball what is the next plans for you. Eps, the next album more livedates etc. fill us in on the details.

Mats: To be honest, we don’t know anything about the details! We will not do another album until we have another batch of killer songs. December is gonna be great, with the tours, and we’re hoping to go out on a real month long bastard in Europe some time next year. We have a booking agent who’s working with Raging Slab, Five Horse Johnson, Terra Firma, Leadfoot and many others, so we hope he can pull together something for us. I want to start working on the US as well, but as for now our label is still trying to sort out a deal there, so we will see what happens. It’s gonna be a long and rocky road, but we’re determined to work hard to get as much out of this as possible.

Snejken: As we’ve said before: World domination! By doing our stuff, doing it good and doing it everywhere!

By Gabriel Lilliehook

For more Backdraft info check out their Official Webpage, email the band at backdraft666@telia.com

Regular mail: Veteg.5 11859 Stockholm Sweden

Backdraft Tourdates

SWEDEN ROCK 2002 TOUR w/ FIVE FIFTEEN

29 Nov - Skylten, Linköping

30 Nov - Backstage, Malmö

1 Dec - Kompaniet, Karlshamn

3 Nov - Hard Rock Café, Stockholm (free admission!)

6 Dec - Kåren, Gothenburg

7 Dec - Kashmir, Borås

8 Dec - Rockland, Sala

For Swedish bookings, contact Goatbridge at goatbridge@telia.com

HERE TO SAVE SOME OF Y'ALL - EURO 2001

13 Dec - De Engel, Den Helder, HOLLAND

14 Dec - Burgerweeshuis, Deventer, HOLLAND

15 Dec - Kelder, Amersfoort, HOLLAND

16 Dec - Frontline, Gent, BELGIUM

17 Dec - Logo, Hamburg, GERMANY

For European bookings, contact Vain Productions at vainprod.bookings@planet.nl