BAI BANG
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 3rd June 2009.
Bai Bang are a Swedish party rock outfit who have now been around for two decades. They recently released their 6th album, Are You Ready.
Singer Diddi Kastenholt answers questions on behalf of the band.
Hi Diddi, hope life is treating you well at present?
Diddi: We are doing just fine thanks Jon!!! We’re having a lot of fun right now!!!!
How did the band originally get together?
Diddi: Really quite simple, actually…We knew each other from other bands and although I was the main instigator, finally we have this line up! The very best one, I think!!
You’ve been going for something like twenty years now. Has the line-up changed much over the years?
Diddi: Yes, of course it has…That’s life, but for the last 12-13 years it’s been pretty much the same strong bunch of people. It’s great actually…
How did you settle on the name Bai Bang? A paper mill project isn’t the most exciting thing ever...
Diddi: Well… after being in a recording studio for weeks recording our first album “Enemy Lines" (which came out in 1989) we decided we really needed to make a change to our then name…. We were called Double Trouble back then but it really wasn’t appropriate.... Scanning through the papers back then, this name kept jumping out, and yes, you’re right it was a big headline at the time…. It really stood out; Bai Bang, Bai Bang, Bai Bang! We had hundreds of names proposed, but... when we left the studio Bai Bang was the only name we remembered and it stuck… so we took it.
Who were the early inspirations for your style and sound?
Diddi: KISS, Whitesnake, bands like that. Bands that really made you move and were really emotional about their music but also had fun, you know?
You have a strong clothing and hair image. Was this a deliberate decision or are you just all being yourselves?
Diddi: Of course we are all being ourselves, it’s the only way to be, isn’t it? We live and eat rock ‘n roll, it’s the way we've always been, so I think it’s right to stay like this….
At Rock Realms, we describe the new album ‘Are You Ready?’ as ‘built on a bedrock of partying... and then partying even harder’. Fair description?
Diddi: I think so, yes!! “Are You Ready” is definitely a party album, an album to have fun with and have fun to… so, yes…. Put it on and you get in the mood for a party!! Right!
How does the style of the new album compare with earlier releases?
Diddi: We have always looked for and I believe had songs with great hooks and melodies – all our previous records have started out with the same goals, just getting a strong vibe going and making the melodies strong, but now I think “Are You Ready” is the best ever! It just seems to hit the spot!
What are your favourite moments on the new record, then?
Diddi: Well, I think when the first two or three songs were recorded and put to bed (“I Love The Things You Hate”, “Born To Rock” and “Party Queen”), I knew then that we had something really special on our hands, coming through!!! We really wanted a CD with all great songs, not just a couple of good ones and the rest just to fill out the album!! That’s why there are only 10 songs on here. We had three more mixed and ready but they were just not strong enough to be on there, so in the words we always use in the studio – you’ve got to be ready to "KILL YOUR DARLINGS"!!!
Come on; sell us ‘Are You Ready?’ in ten words or less...
Diddi: You like to party right? Get “Are You Ready” now, its time!!!
Do you like to party hard yourselves?
Diddi: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who lasts longest out of the four of you on a heavy night?
Diddi: Ha! Ha! I do!!!!!! I’m sure both Pelle (Eliaz – guitar) and Joacim (Sandin – bass) would say something completely different...But I’m definitely still standing the longest!!!
What’s your favourite memory from being on the road?
Diddi: Oh my God, that’s difficult… Every time we jump into the tour bus its like small children going on camp!!! It’s so much fun!! We really love it! But we have forgotten roadies and band members on gas stations etc., you know the stories right?
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done when drunk?
Diddi: Maybe I shouldn’t admit some of those things Jon? Ha! Ha! OHHHHHHHH…. I don’t really remember this but have been told it happened? Last year, at a festival, I fell really badly, outside the bus, and couldn’t get up by myself...I was lying almost in a hole that I did not see; I was just trying to have a leak. Then I suddenly fell...My God…I had to call for Pelle and Joacim to help me!
You are playing a few festivals this year too. Looking forward to it?
Diddi: Oh yes!! Very much… Whenever this band plays, we really love to just party, really rock the place…. Venue or festival!
Do you find your music works better in the smaller venues or do you kick ass anywhere?
Diddi: We want to really kick ass everywhere!!!! A small venue or a big one, it doesn’t matter. We just love being on stage and kicking ass and so long as everyone is there along with us, it’s fine!!!!!
What has the audience reaction been like so far to the new material?
Diddi: “So far, very, very goooood!! People are just beginning to find the tracks they really like, I think, but that’s going to happen. We just try to put on the set we like and hopefully, the people go crazy!
Do any members of Bai Bang play in other bands we may have heard of?
Diddi: No, this is the focus!
What other bands are you listening to at the moment?
Diddi: I haven’t really got the time to listen to one or two special bands at the moment…. In the tour bus we always listen to different bands and stuff, everyone loves to just put stuff on… but no one that stands out!
Are you a fan of watching live music, or do you prefer being the one on the stage?
Diddi: I like live music, for sure, that’s one of the best things about being in a band, you get to mix with so many other great bands…but if I had to make a choice - being on stage with this band is outstanding!!!
What is the best band you’ve ever seen live?
Diddi: My God, I’ve seen many good bands…. But, Aerosmith, KISS and The Scorpions were very good! Real entertainers!
Any other artists you’d like to meet or work with one day?
Diddi: See above, Ha! Ha! I think Aerosmith though… It’d be really cool to tour with them or even play with them… Wow!!
Do you have any interesting hobbies that may surprise the Rock Realms readers?
Diddi: Oh yes!!!! Me and Joacim play GOLF!!!!! I’m even sponsored by Callaway, just like Alice Cooper…Joacim actually started out playing a couple of years ago and he is getting better and better now. I’ve been playing for some years and have a handicap of 5.8.
What are you up to once you finish answering these questions?
Diddi: We’re still doing a load of interviews…I just did a 1 hour radio interview for a major radio station here in Sweden…. And I’m on my way to another interview (for a magazine) right after this one!
Anything else you would like to mention?
Diddi: Yes, check out http://www.baibang.se/ or our page on myspace…The album’s out already, so grab hold of that… Then, I understand we’re playing Rocklahoma in Oklahoma, USA on July 10th with bands like Twisted Sister, Anthrax, and Vixen. Followed by the Wacken Open Air with bands like Heaven& Hell, Motorhead, Volbeat, and In Flames on July 29th. …And, later in August Wacken Rocks South and Wacken Rocks Seaside with Axxis, U.D.O., DAD, and Stratovarius, so we hope to see some of you there! Thanks for your time Jon!!”
Check out the review of Are You Ready on Rock Realms here, and make sure you catch the guys on tour!
