German Schnogge comes from Bavaria and they play really good punkrock. Interview is done  with Jannis (bass player) and it was done in july 2023.

Please tell me a little about the story of Schnogge?

-We all come from the same village and have been thinking about forming a band for a while. Problem was that we had no bass player and drummer. Then at the end of 2019 Philipp and Felix persuaded me to learn electric bass. That was the starting signal. Now only a drummer was missing and for that we convinced Hannes (Philipp's brother) to learn drums. The first real gig we had in the summer of 2020 at a skydiving club. We were all a bit worried about Hannes because he started playing the drums only three weeks before but somehow we managed so far and the people were enthusiastic. Through the remaining lockdowns we then had time to learn the instruments to some extent.

Please tell me a little about every member, age, work, previous bands etc?

-Philipp (27): Frontman and singer of the band, works as an electronics engineer for office systems and is the one with the most musical experience, as he already has a cover band together with his father.

Felix (26): The creative head and lead guitarist, is currently still studying and doing a semester abroad in Chile, so we currently have a replacement guitarist.

Hannes (24): Philipp's little brother, always in a good mood like a drummer should be. He will soon start training as an educator.

Jannis (25): And finally myself, the bass player. I study electrical engineering and would say that I am the cool head of the band who likes to think things through first instead of going straight for it. So, none of us have had band experience before that if Philipps father and son thing doesn’t count.

The name Schnogge, where did it came from and you wasn´t afraid that any other band would be named so? What does it mean?

-Mosquito is called Schnogge (correct translation “Schnake”) in our village dialect. With this we wanted to create a reference to our region and a high recognition value. I don't think anyone else in Germany uses the word Schnogge or at least doesn't get the idea to make a band name out of it.

You come from Germany, how is it to live there nowadays, racists and politics overall?

-Germany is currently at a crossroads due to the crises. Populists are winning regional elections and society in general is quite divided. In our home village, you normally don't notice much of this, but in recent years everything has become more and more politicized. The general shift to the right can be observed throughout Europe, and we are very worried about it. If we leave that aside, Germany is a beautiful country to live in, or rather I can only speak of my region here.

When you do your lyrics, what are they about, anytime political or is politics nothing to have in music? Only in English…never in german?

-It depends on the band, we decided to go more for fun songs and lyrics for now. Currently we have no or almost no political texts. But who knows what the future holds in this regard. Maybe a song will come out in German, but I don't want to commit myself here.

How would you describe your own music in three words for those who haven´t heard you? I hear a lot of poppunk/USHC in the music?

-Fun, Nostalgic, Energy Yes that's how it should sound!

Is there any there groups you have being compared to? Is it bad or good to be compared?

-In an interview it was said that we sound a bit like Blink 182. We don't have a problem with that, we are all big Blink 182 fans and we don't sound 1:1 like them but have our own sound.

You have only released records by yourself or how is it? Not any label which is interested? How can I get a hold on your first records because you have done some more…tell us about them?

-Yes, we recorded everything at a friend’s studio (AwayFromLife Studios) and then had a few CDs pressed. Cause we come from the countryside, we had no real contacts to labels or people who know people. But maybe there will be something in the future. The first CD we recorded during Corona at Philipp's home in the attic, accordingly the quality is also worse than the other two recordings. So far, no label has contacted us, but we haven't really taken the initiative yet either If someone is still interested in the old stuff, he can write us an e-mail, we should still have remaining stocks.

The new CD Too Little To Late, which format will it come in?

-Only as CD and digital, since we pay everything ourselves, the budget is simply not enough for vinyl.

Can you feel that you have done a record if you would release it only digitally?

-No, at least a small physical edition that you can then hang on the wall, simply must be.

When you listen to music, what is your favourite way to listen to music, Spotify, vinyl, CD or what do you prefer?

-Phew, mainly Spotify, I think most of our generation will do that. In the car, however, I still like to fall back on the few CDs I have.

Do you buy much records yourself?

-I think Felix has the most, but I personally have maybe 10 CDs that I bought myself. All for the car.

Is there any good record shops left in your hometown?

-No, there was never anything like that in our little village.

Any good bands from your town and in Germany overall?

-Not from the village, but in the next town ThinIce would be interesting for hardcore fans and NoFuture for German punk fans. And in Germany in general ... mhh I don't listen to so many German bands but Wizo, Akne Kid Joe and Montreal I find really good.

What does punk mean to you, is it only a musicstyle, a word or is it a style of living?

-It's so much more than just awesome music. For me punk is a mindset, a philosophy, and a way of living that encourages anyone to challenge the status quo, express themselves authentically, and question societal norms. It's about finding your own voice, standing up for what you believe in, and embracing the freedom to be yourself unapologetically.

Tell me a little about the following song sand what they´re about?

-a) New World Short, simple and catchy. Energetic intro and melodic Chorus. The song is about the perfect world, as it should be. If anyone would relax a little more, many problems would solve themselves. There's already A lot of bullshit and bad vibes goin on. We shouldn't make our lives even more complicated. So, be nice, chill, show love to others and yourself and the world would be a better place :)

b/What is punk It's about the idea of punk. I mean what is punk? Who is punk? Is it just the music, is it a commercial lifestyle? We don't need to dress or act “to be” punk. And who the hell says or judges if you are punk or not. We could play like Mozart and dress like the pope and could still be punk as fuck. For us it's just a feeling inside, you can´t take away ;)

c)Déjà vu It's about a situation everyone of us knows. Sometimes we are in a vicious circle, we can't break out or we don't even notice. Sometimes our memories of something or someone are better than they really are and we live with bad habits that are neither good for us as individuals nor healthy for a relationship with other people. We don't want to accept the fact that some things are not meant to be or not good for us. There are things we should face and accept, to go on in life and to not goin in circles. Sometimes it is uncomfortable and you have to dare something, but still better than having this Déjà vu every time.

Are you selling any merch on your gigs, do people buy it? What sells best?

-Only CDs, Caps, and a shirt with our Band-Logo. The Shirt is bestseller.

Which is your own favoritesong among your own songs? And which song is the people choice?

-I like “My Town” very much. It was the first time we worked with a trombone and it was a lot of fun to record. Our opener “Antisocial” is the people’s choice I would say.

When you do songs, is it one in the group who does them or how do you compose a song?

-Felix wrote the most songs and then he has a rough idea how the song could sound. Then we discuss together what we can add and voila finish is the new song.

Please rank your five favorite records?

-Currently I would say:

1. Pennybridge Pioneers - Millencolin

2. Enema of State – Blink 182

3. 21st Century Breakdown – Green Day

4. Stadium Arcadium – RHCP

5. Karate Kid Joe – Akne Kid Joe

But that is constantly changing for me.

Do you care about reviews? Which is the most peculiar you ever had, with this band or any other band you have been to?

-We haven´t got so that many reviews yet so there weren’t any peculiar as far as I know..

If you could choose five bands from the past and the history and nowadays and both dead and living bands to have a concert together with your band. Which five have you been chosen?

-Difficult question … maybe the five I mentioned with my favorite records.

Is music a good way to get out frustration and become a nicer person outside the music?

-Music can be a powerful tool for expressing and channeling emotions, including frustration. I wouldn’t say you become automatically a nicer person, an asshole can have a good taste of music too.

Have anyone of all your fans done something really crazy when you have played live? Have done any tatoos or something like that?

-I think for the crazy fans we have not been around long enough.

Any good Swedish bands you like?

-Millencollin ;) For me the best, but I would be lying if I said I knew many Swedish bands.

Is it boring with interviews? Is it much interviews? What do you prefer Telephoneinterviews, face to face or as this one via e-mail?

-With you it is our third interview I think so I can’t give a final conclusion. But it’s the first in English and so it is kind of demanding for me, Felix is our English speaker but as I said earlier, currently he is not here, so I have the honor to do this interview.

Futureplans for the band?

-I’m not a fan of big plans so let’s see. We play until march 24 with our good friend and producer Jason Rowe some more shows, maybe produce a music video but it all depends how much time everyone can afford for the band, it is overall the best hobby you can have but still a hobby.

Futureplans for yourself?

-More sleeping, less stress.

Wisdomword?

-I'm not a fan of wisdom, they always sound a lot like calendar sayings to me ... But maybe I have one: Don't take everything so seriously, it's useless in the end anyway.

Something more to add?

-Thanks to you for the interest!