MISCONDUCT
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 17th August 2010.
Swedish punk rockers Misconduct have a new album “One Step Closer” out, and are touring heavily in promotion of the album.
We caught up with singer/guitarist Fredrik to find out more.
Hi Fredrik, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Fredrik: No problem dude! It’s our pleasure!
Can you give us a brief history of Misconduct - how you formed etc...?
Fredrik: Misconduct was formed in the little Swedish town of Kristinehamn by four guys who wanted to play some energetic and melodic hardcore punk. The band consists of me on Vocals/Guitar, Erik Ydlinger on Guitar, Simon Guidoum on Bass and Daniel Petri on Drums.
We got a record deal with Bad Taste Records on our first demo “Like The Old Days” and Bad Taste released three albums with MISCONDUCT. In 2002 I started my own label Side By Side Records and we released our “New Beginning” EP on Side By Side Records in 2003. In 2004/2005 we released the “United As One” album which made MISCONDUCT what it is today. Now we’ve just signed a deal with I Scream Records and our new album “One Step Closer” was released in Europe this April/May 2010.
Did you know what sort of music the band was going to play right from the start, or has it developed considerably over time?
Fredrik: Well I knew exactly how I wanted the band to sound from the beginning but we didn’t really have the skills or the song writing ability at that time. So in the beginning we mainly focused on writing short songs with tons of energy. Through the years we have developed a lot as a band and I think we really found our own sound.
How would you describe the sound of the band to someone who hadn't heard you before?
Fredrik: Most people say that we play Melodic Hardcore Punk or Scandinavian Hardcore but for us it’s all Punk Rock man!
Who or what would you list as your main influences?
Fredrik: In the beginning it was mostly bands like Bad Religion, Gorilla Biscuits, Minor Threat, Sick Of It All, Pennywise, 7Seconds etc. But nowadays we’re influenced by all sorts of music and also by our friends, families and ourselves.
What is the music scene like in your home town?
Fredrik: Well I think the music scene in our hometown is really great right now! We have a lot of good bands who release records and stuff and we also have a lot of new and upcoming bands that are really interesting. We have a really good recording studio where the bands can record and some really cool rehearsal spaces. There are also a lot of concerts going on every month and I myself run a club where we mix well known bands with local acts. So yeah the music scene is really good here right now!
You have a new album "One Step Closer" out... When did you start work on it and how long did it take to write and record?
Fredrik: We started to work on the album in fall 2008 but in the beginning it was mostly writing songs and making pre-production demos. I guess we recorded the drums on the first four songs in February 2009. We didn’t really take any break from playing shows when we did this album and I even wrote some of the songs on the album after we started the recording. So it took us around 10 months to write all the songs and record them but all in all I guess we spent like 1 month in the studio recording.
How does it compare to your earlier work in terms of sound, style and quality?
Fredrik: To begin with I think “One Step Closer” is by far the most diverse album that we ever made and there is definitely a song for everyone on the album. Production wise “One Step Closer” is a big step for us and we put a lot of time and effort into getting the great sound of the album. Also when I wrote the songs for this album I wrote all the music for two guitars instead of one. So there are a lot more harmonies in the music then ever before which makes all the songs more interesting.
We’ve developed a lot as a band and also me as a songwriter and I think that we all really challenged ourselves on this album.
Where do you find your writing influences? Where do you look for inspiration?
Fredrik: I mostly find my inspiration in everyday life, among our friends and families but also from traveling around the world. There are so many people around the globe that don’t have all things that we take for granted and I think it’s really important to write about stuff like that.
Is there a single story behind the songs, or are they all standalone tracks?
Fredrik: Well you could say that the “One Step Closer” album has kind of a theme and some of the songs are even linked together but they are at the same time stand alone tracks.
How does the writing process in Misconduct work? How would a typical song be created?
Fredrik: Mostly I come up with a melody and a topic in my head, usually in the middle of the night, and then I finish the song on my acoustic guitar. Then we all rehearse and arrange the song together in the band. But a song is not really finished until it’s recorded and I usually change the songs like a million times haha!
Do you do anything special in the studio to get your sound, or are you quite a 'traditional' band?
Fredrik: Yeah sure we have a lot of cool tricks but we better keep it a secret ;)
Do you have any favourite moments on "One Step Closer"?
Fredrik: I love every single track on the album but the songs “Closer” and “Side By Side part II” are very special to me cause they kinda inspired the whole album and started everything. Also the song “Family” is a special track with a very personal history.
Do you enjoy the whole studio/creative experience, or do you prefer playing on stage?
Fredrik: I used to hate being in the studio but on the last two records I started to enjoy recording more and more and especially on the “One Step Closer” album we all had a great time. But still we all prefer playing live on stage where we can rock out and meet the crowd!
That’s the real MISCONDUCT!
You've got a lot of tour dates (including plenty of festivals) listed on your MySpace site. How have the gigs you've already played gone, and are there any concerts you are particularly looking forward to?
Fredrik: The gigs so far have been totally amazing and especially the summer festivals have been wicked! We are all really looking forward to play together with Bad Religion on their 30 years anniversary this August! Also looking forward to our tour in October and touring with Sick Of It All and Madball.
Any chance of seeing you playing the UK?
Fredrik: Well we would love to do a solid tour all over the UK and I’m hoping we can cross the channel in September or October for some UK dates.
What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?
Fredrik: Our live shows are very energetic and it’s very important for us to have a good connection with the crowd. Misconduct is all about moshpit, stage diving, crowd surfing, pogo, circle pit and sing alongs. Violent style has no place at a MISCONDUCT show!
The MISCONDUCT crowd is always looking out for each other like a family. Unity above all!
You have a number of music videos out. Any highlights from creating them, and are there any more in the pipeline?
Fredrik: All videos have been a lot of fun to do but our latest video for the song “Closer” which we did together with director Patric Ullaeus was by far the greatest recording so far. We had so much fun together with everyone at Revolver Film and we will definitely work with them again. Yeah we got lots of ideas for new videos and I think we will do at least 2 more videos from our new album.
Any question you love being asked that I've missed? If so, what's the answer?
Fredrik: Haha don’t think so dude! Or maybe “who’s my favourite movie villain?” Darth Vader off course!
What are you up to once you've finished answering these questions?
Fredrik: As soon as I’m done here I think me and some friends will go for a late night swim in one of our local lakes combined with some kick ass lakeside barbecue ;)
Anything else you would like to mention?
Fredrik: Don’t forget to check out our new album “One Step Closer” and keep your eyes opened for MISCONDUCT tour dates near you! See ya all in the PIT! Peace, Love & Unity!
Thanks for your time!
Fredrik: No prob Jon! //Fredrik - MISCONDUCT
Thanks again to Fredrik for his time. As the man said, check out the new Misconduct album and make sure you catch them on tour!.
http://www.myspace.com/misconduct
