Interview with Half Man

A huge welcome back with your new masterpiece Red Herring. How has the reaction been so far from the Half Man mob and press coverage?

Janne: Thank you Gabbe. It's been great. We were not really sure how the response would be but so far it couldn't be better. We are very happy.

You knocked me out with your first album the self-released The Complete field Guide For Cynics. How was the reaction for that album in terms of following and press coverage?

Janne: We had a very good reaction to that album too. It took a while for it to reach out to people but when it did we got a great response.

When you made your first album I have read that you had been around for over a good decade. How did Half Man form in the first place and fill us in if you did any early recordings previous to your first album? Everything that concerns Half Mans past up until now.

Janne: Patric, two other guys and I formed the band the first time in 1986. We played a mix between boogie-rock and psychedelia from the 70s. After two years the band split, but Patric and me continued playing together in different constellations until 1990 when Peter and Roger joined the band. By then we’d drifted more towards the blues, but as time went on the music once again gradually became more and more heavy and psychedelic. We played five or ten gigs a year at small pubs and festivals and it was all about partying and having fun. Eventually we got the opportunity to record in a studio, at first we did it just to have something recorded with good sound for ourselves, and then, as it turned out better than we’d expected, we moved on and the result was "The Complete Field Guide For Cynics". We released it in May 1999 ourselves, and after a couple of great reviews, Skivfabriken and Border Music showed interest which lead to a second, official release in July. Two new songs were recorded in November 1999 and the split EP "Half Man Vs Mothercake Vol 1" was released in January 2000. After some attention abroad in late 1999 we recorded the Aerosmith tune "Round And Round" for the tribute "Right In The Nuts" from small Stone Records, which was released in August 2000.

You have signed with Beard Of Stars.How pleased are you with the deal and the push from the label in terms of promotion and support?

Janne: We are very satisfied. They are all great guys and they were very enthusiastic from the beginning. It is almost like we know each other and are friends, although we’ve never met.

Speaking of the production was it any differences in the studio process this time compare to when you made the first album?

Janne: This time we had a better grip on what kind of a sound we were after than on the first one. We were very inexperienced at studio work when we recorded The Complete Field Guide For Cynics.

Ever since I first heard the band I have always thought of Half Man as a heavy progressive blues-rock band. Would you like to describe the sound that this band have, am I right in my opinion or do you have a different angle?

Janne: Yes, you’re absolutely right. I'm glad that you see us as heavy progressive blues-rock. We have had great success in the stoner-related genre but we are definitely no stoner rock band.

Another thing that amazes me are the fact that you have more in common with the underground era of late 1960s /early 1970s heavy rock, the more acid psychedelic era bands like Stray dog, Bulbous Creation, Fraction, Aunt Mary to name a few. Maybe the only classic band that I can think of is Mountain. Is the underground scene of that period the most influential genre in Half Mans sound?

Janne: We get influences from many directions. We all listen to a lot of music and have just about the same records in our collections. A lot of old blues, psychedelia, progressive and hard rock. We love the underground scene with all its crazy sounds.

More on the underground cult bands.There is a jungle out there with all kinds of fantastic records. List of your top 5 faves of the late 1960s early 1970s period?

Janne: This is so difficult since I have many favourites and they of course vary from time to time. Ok five it was. Amon Düül II - Yeti, Catapilla - same, High Tide - Sea Shanties, Tomorrows Gift - Same, Spooky Tooth - Ceremony.

You named the album Red Herring, a fantastic tune from the split single with Mothercake. That track didn't end up on the CD version only the vinyl version how come?

Janne: The name came in to being at a pretty late stage. The logic behind it , if one can call it that, is the fact that a red herring is a false lead and the track doesn't appear on the album. Also, since the EP is out of print and few copies where available outside Sweden anyway, we decided to include the tune as a bonus track on the vinyl edition, to give vinyl enthusiasts, like ourselves, a little extra.

You used the same people on this album as on the first one. Björn Wallin for the sleeve and Mattias Nilsson on the production. How much of an input have Mattias in the sound and mix of the album this time compare to the first album. Looking at the sleeve from Wallin how pleased are you with the cover of Red Herring and do you feel that the cover match the material on the album?

Janne: Actually, photographer Tord Lundmark created the first cover and Björn only did the lettering. Tord is a very talented guy, who always is a pleasure to work with. Incidentally, he took all the pictures for this album as well.Björn’s drawing has always amazed us, and we are very satisfied with the cover, both the vinyl and the CD versions. Mattias is almost like a fifth member, he knows what we want to sound like and is very good at bringing out the best from the gear. This time we knew a lot more what we could expect than the first time around. All the sounds and mixings are always made together.

Going back to the first album, The Complete Guide…, an album with a wide spectrum of different moods and emotions. Looking back at that album, since you had been around for years before you made The Complete Field Guide…, is that album a kind of an end result of the sound that you have progressed since the early days of Half Man?

Janne: Actually we were pretty heavy sounding from the beginning. The first Half Man line up had tunes that were up to 20 minutes long and very psychedelic, but of course the sound has progressed to the better though. I should say that The Complete Field Guide… is like a cross-section of a very long period of Half Man.

Speaking of Half Man as a live act, when I saw you at the Dist Festival 2000 I was stunned. The album is marvellous but when I saw you there you were even better live. You have played at small festivals, biker clubs and various other places even before the release of your first album. Have you reached the peak in your live show or will you progress even more and speaking of your live following how has the turn outs been so far?

Janne: Thank you. I'm glad you liked us live. I don’t really know about the live shows. We haven't done any in a very long time actually.

One of the minor changes is that there are fewer covers on Red Herring compare to your first album where you had 5. On this one it is only a version of Zappas Willy The Pimp, an excellent version I must add, very Half Manish so to speak. Why did you decide to do Willy The Pimp?

Janne: Frank Zappa was a wonderful musician and the Hot Rats album is one of our favourites. We all love this crazy song with Captain Beefheart’s weird vocals - a real hit! We have been playing it live for a long time and just thought that it fit in well on the Red Herring album.

One of the most stunning moments on the album in my opinion are the close to 10-minute epic Sugar Mama, a slow hypnotic psyched charming blues piece. There are plenty of fantastic tunes here. Which ones are your own faves at the moment?

Janne: I think I have to answer Departed Souls on that one but I am very satisfied with the album and feel for all the tunes.

Time for a vocal question. Like on the first album the vocals have a fantastic range. Hard, mean, bluesy and emotional. When you made the vocals for Red Herring, was it any difference in the studio process this time compare to The Complete Guide. I find it more experimental this time compare to The Complete Guide. And my question is Do you feel more established now compare to early days?

Janne: Thank you again. Maybe I feel like I sing a little bit better now than on the first one. I felt more confident on the second album. We definitely experimented more on the Red Herring recording than on the first one. Maybe that shines through. My singing has developed a lot since the early days and I put more effort on it now than I did before.

The guitar work is another stepping-stone on the album. Also the rhythm section. I find it very solid compare to the first album. Were there any differences this time in the studio process from the musical standpoint? I find Red Herring to be an album with a load of experimental lust. Do you agree?

Janne: Maybe we all felt more like at home in the studio this time. We put much effort in getting it just the way we wanted this time.

I might have touched this in the previous questions but what is the concept for Half Man. Is there any specific concept that you have as a band?

Janne: No. We are just a rock and roll band playing what we like.

Looking at the Swedish heavy rock scene that I reckon is a lot healthier today.Grand Magus,yourself,The Satellite Circle,Abramis Brama to name a few proves that there is a new breed out there. It's a shame that there isn't too many places to play over here even though there is an audience for it. What do you think about the current situation for the Swedish heavy rock scene and in what way would you like to see a progression to make it even better?

Janne: I totally agree. There are a lot of good Swedish bands out there. I am not afraid of the state of the Swedish heavy rock scene. Even if there are only a few places to play there are always bands. But there are a lot of problems: good rock stages are rare, going out for a beer and some good music is expensive and a lot of people stay at home - records are expensive too. This sucks!! FREE ROCK AND ROLL!!!

Looking back at the split EP that you did with Mothercake. How was the response to it?

It didn’t get much distribution, but we got good response on that one from the few people who got it. We are very spoiled with good response, luckily.

Finally what is going to Half Man after the release of Red Herring? When is the vinyl coming out? Any new EP:s on the way? Have you set any dates for live gigs in Sweden or overseas? Fill us in about what is going on in the Half Man camp at the moment.

Janne: No dates have been set. Maybe we are going to add a song for a compilation in Italy. The vinyl should be out any day now.

Thank you very much for the interview,all the best wishes with Half Man and Red Herring.The album is in my top 10 list already of best albums in 2002. Hope to see you live on the Swedish west coast very soon.

Janne: Thank you too Gabbe. I also hope to see your always very happy face again. Rock on.

By Gabriel Lilliehook

GL productions review of Red Herring at hem.passagen.se/lillie/rec16.html

Half Man info at www.riffrock.com/halfman email: half_man@hotmail.com

Red Herring Order at www.vinylmagic3.it email: bos@vinylmagic3.it