Lead vocalist/guitarist, Nick Red of Sweden’s Blowsight, took a break from writing the new Blowsight album to sit down with us and answer a few questions and we couldn’t be more thankful of his time.
Let’s introduce the world to Blowsight: who is who in Blowsight?
It’s four Stockholmers, always willing to tear up places, make people think, fuck the norm and have a good time!
How did Blowsightcome together?
Long story short…Me and guitar player, Serban, went to the same rock clubs in Stockholm back in 2003, and realized we had the exact same influences, the same guitar heroes, and the same stupid humor. He had also heard my songs off Mp3.com, if anyone remembers that website. It was one of the first websites in the style of Myspace, where bands and artists could put up their tunes for free. So, one thing lead to another and we started recording songs together. After that we teamed up with Fabz and Flavia, the first bass player (former Drain STH).
Why the name Blowsight?
First off – it contains a word no one dares to use, which is “blow”… Okay, Hootie and The Blowfish, fair enough! But I think it contains a huge piece of energy, that word. I also love the fact that a lot of people think about blowjobs. But really, it’s a wordplay from the word “oversight”. Having an oversight regarding something means you can forgive and move on when something happened, while “Blowsight” is a more aggressive way of tackling things. Blowing it up, destroying it, biting back.
Describe the essence of Blowsight in five (5) words?
Wow, five words only? Hmmm…I’d say Energy, Playfulness, Emotions, first and foremost. As the songwriter, those words are important to me. Also, “Variation” is a key word there. Finally, I’d go for Fighting. Not the physical fight, but the will to fight for something you’re passionate about.
Where does the responsibility fall for writing songs and music?
I do the core writing, the main parts and all the lyrics. Sometimes the other ones want to change certain things, and sometimes they come over to the studio with a riff or a drum beat, but 99% of the songs are done by me.
How does a typical Blowsight song come together?
It varies so, so much. It all depends on what mood I’m in. Sometimes I start recording just for the fuck of it, like “I wanna hear a new Blowsight tune” and just dive headfirst into it. Sometimes me and drummer, Fabz, jam together and come up with a riff we like. But most of the times it’s me, alone in the studio, just building the song like it was a Lego house. I must have almost 200 song ideas in the computer, everything from extreme death metal tunes to pop stuff. The tricky part here is to keep the same mood when you return to the song. If I’ve been working on a hardcore song for 3 hours and then leave the studio for a snack, and head back feeling calm and relaxed, some other mood might be in my hands which instantly leads to start recording another song with a whole different style. That’s why it’s always hard for me to finish some songs. I’ve got songs that are 10 years old that I really like, but I never seem to get to the point where I go “wow I really feel like finishing THAT song now!”.
What inspired you to cover pop icons Lady GaGa (“Poker Face”) and Britney Spears (“Toxic”)?
The songs! I love songs that have that camouflaged evilness underneith it. Both of those songs do. Same with “I’m A Slave 4 U” or Kelis “Milkshake”. There’s something quite aggressive yet groovy about them, and that’s what I love. It’s not like you’ll hear us covering a Bieber song because I need a feeling, not just plastic crap, to actually want to record it.
Is there a band/artist you want to cover that you haven’t yet?
Sure! Millions. There’s so much amazing music out there that I would love to put a Nick Red Stamp on. Some classic rock songs, some mellow stuff, some electronic sh*t. It’s all about having time to do it. It’s fun, to just mess with a song and make it your own, so to speak.
What is the music scene in Sweden like?
The music scene in Sweden in general is very, very strong. We’re the third biggest music exporting nation. In rock music, I think it’s also really strong. There’s a lot of really good bands over here. Some try to sound like In Flames or Soilwork, that kind of style – but there’s also a lot of unique bands that are up ‘n coming.
How are your fans in Sweden compared to fans in other countries?
Swedish fans are more “I’ll leave you alone and just say hello”, or come up and quickly throw out a “I like your band!” or “Great show”, and then walk away, while the Blowsight followers abroad are more interested in chatting and sharing experiences etc. I don’t think any version is better than the other, it’s just how it is. But we’re people just like anyone else. I love talking to people.
How did it feel to be Nikki Sixx’s pick of the week on his Sixx Sense show?
It was really, really cool. Such an honor. Nikki is a living legend, and I liked his solo album a lot. I was too young to get in to the Mötley Crüe era when it happened, I was more a Metallica, Sepultura kind of guy, but I’ve got a lot of friends who are heavily inspired by them and listens to them and I know the impact he’s done to the rock scene. His approval is a good receipt that we do something right! (laughs)
Bands now are expected to be socially active online, do you think this helps or hurts
artists?
I actually didn’t know bands are expected to be socially active, to me it comes quite naturally. The whole “larger than life”-thing is, finally, disappearing and rockstars aren’t seen as Gods anymore – at least not as much as they were about 20 years ago. In my opinion, I think it helps. It has never been easier to connect with music lovers, so why not use the technology we got?
What social media preference do you as a band choose to use and is there a specific
reason why?
We mainly use Facebook, but also some Myspace, one or two tweets, stuff like that. I prefer Facebook, simply because it’s fast and people can chat with me whenever they want.
Tell us about the recording process for “Life & Death” and how different was it from your previous LPs/EPs?
The “Life & Death” recording days were quite relaxed. Coffee, some Xbox360 breaks, some wine. We let it take time and not stress anything. We stayed at my house, scrolled through all the songs we thought should make it to the album and stripped it down, starting at about 30 songs. It wasn’t very different, we always recorded the stuff ourselves, at my studio, and I always mix and produce it. Nowadays it’s so easy to get a decent product just by having a couple of music programs. You don’t need stuff for thousands of dollars anymore, and I think that helps alot of up’n coming artists.
“Hit on the Radio” is a pretty infectious tune, how did the song come about?
It was one of those songs that I had written but I didn’t really show it to the guys at first, since it’s so overly poppy (laughs). I must’ve accidentally played it for them one night but when I did, they loved it so we thought “why not?”. That’s one of the things I love about the concept of Blowsight. There’s so many genres out there that I love and that I want to explore, and Blowsight makes it possible for me to do that. I get tired of albums that have the same style for 13 tracks, I want variety.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEgAPsuGk5U]
Did you know while writing or recording that you definitely wanted “Hit on the Radio” as a single?
No, that was the record company’s choice. I don’t think in “single” terms when I write songs, I just write ’em and if the label wants it as a single, then I trust them. That’s their job, not mine! (laughs) Of course I can tell what song is the hookiest or the most catchy, but it’s not something I think of when I’m in writing mode.
If you are opening, how do you connect with an audience that might be there solely for the headliner band and who don’t necessarily want to give your band a chance?
Oh man… I don’t have a proper answer for that. We just go out on stage and play like it’s a headlining show. 99% percent of the time people are open to hearing new music, especially the younger audience. I personally love going to see support bands, it’s a great chance for me to explore, so to speak. But of course, opening for classic rock bands like The Scorpions or Danzig – now that is a challenge. Their fans are, how should I put this… not always as eager to hear a new band than fans of bands like Trivium or Bullet for My Valentine.
Favorite artist you have shared the stage with?
I think the craziest tour we ever did was with Kottak. Those guys were amazingly fun to be around, and the shows was always an adventure. You never knew what would happen. I like that, the uncertainty… playing with Trivium was a blast also, they’re really good people and they treated us well.
Artist you want to share with the stage with?
Metallica. For obvious reasons. Hetfield is the reason I picked up a guitar. That show would be a dream come true.
What are Blowsight’s plans for 2014?
We’ve been having a vacation for a while up until now, and there’s suddenly a lot of new stuff happening. New songs are being recorded, some cover songs will be surfaced, I think. Other than that I can’t really tell you just yet. But some major things will occur. Muddy answer, eh..?
Anything else you want the audience to know before we go?
I want to let ’em know that we’re getting ready for some more shows in Europe and possibly in the US real soon. No more silence, let’s get this machine running again!
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Buy Life and Death: iTunes | GooglePlay