Dead Notes is a german band which sounds fucking good. They took their time and answered my questions and here they finally are…what? The answers I mean…October 2010.

History?

è    The Dead Notes started in October 2003. What was first planed as a small Jam-session with some friends ended up in an asskicking Rockband straight outta the Bavarian outback! The Notes did over 100 shows, most of them in south Germany, but also some shows in Austria and the Czech Republic. They shared the stage with Bands like Peter Pan Speedrock, The Bones, Against Me!, The Turbo A.C.’s and Bloodlights!

Until now they released one EP called ‘more than alive’ and their debut album ‘down with clichés’.

At the moment the boys are working hard on the last few songs for the upcoming record! The songs are getting more and more Hardrock but The Dead Notes still remember their Punkrock roots! Better watch out, The Dead Notes are coming with a rock monster record in 2011!!!

Please tell me a little about every member, age, family, work, interests and
something bad about every one?

è    Tobi (28):

Family: Magge’s brother, in a relationship

Interests: The Dead Notes; Vocals, Soccer, Concerts, Beer, R’n’R

Work: Studies Industrial Administration

è    Magge (31):

Family: Tobi’s brother, married, father of 2 kids

Interests: The Dead Notes; Rhythm guitars, his kids, Concerts, Beer, R’n’R

Work: Industrial Clerk, Accountant

è    Christoph (29):

Family: In a relationship

Interests: The Dead Notes; Lead guitars, Concerts, Beer, R’n’R

Work: Studies Industrial Engineer

è    Juli (28):

Family: Single

Interests: The Dead Notes; Bass, Football, Concerts, Beer, R’n’R

Work: Studies Media Engineering

è    Christian (31):

Family: Single

Interests: The Dead Notes; Drums, Concerts, Beer, R’n’R

Work: Studies Mechanical Engineering, Constructing Engineer

DEAD NOTES-DOWN WITH THE CLICHÉS(CD-MODERN NOISE MN 023)

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The Dead Notes sounds like a band like I want them to sound. Nice melodies, tempo , choirs and similar. Not so that they sound as Bad Religion and it´s more like if they are a mix of Bad Religion and Social Distortion with a Pop-touch. Really good is it then if you understand my description and I´m bubbling of happiness when I listen to their music. Much feelings and a whole lot of good influences and The Dead Notes should have a higher status among punks and why not be a band on West Coast Riot next year. The record came out 2007, when does the new record come? 30/9-2010

What about it?

è    Accepted ;-)

Is there any other bands you´re being compared with?

è    Some say we sound a little bit like The Backyard Babies, some say like Bad Religion, some like Social Distortion mixed up with Danko Jones! In spite of all bands we are listen to, we try to create our own sound! We do whatever we want to do, but we are definitely a ROCK Band!!!

Do you care about reviews?

è    Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t! Some reviews are real and we feel confirmed in what we do! Criticism is always welcome as well, as long as it is objective, because these reviews will push you forward! But we hate to get reviews of people who are always repeating the same old phrases. Better come to point, say what you mean, take it or leave it! Another important point is that only people who are into one style of music should write the reviews for that type of music! How should a Death metal fan write a good and objective review for a melodic Punkrock band?

Which is the most peculiar review you ever have got?

è    One time we got a review which compared our music with taking cocaine in the morning! That was one of those reviews without a message! I mean what impression should you get of our music when you are reading this?

But we got inspired by that idle talk and created our own message in one of our new songs!

How would you describe your music in three words?

è    Rock and Roll

How is it to live in Germany?

è    We all come from small towns in lower Bavaria. Some would say how boring, but there are many opportunities for bands to play and the people are all hungry for live music! The whole scene is quite familiar, that`s why a lot of very good underground Rock Bands are homelike in our region. Actually it is also much easier and much cheaper to get a rehearsal room! We know some bands who must pay a huge amount of what they earn with their concerts for the rent of their rehearsal room!

I guess we are all happy living in the south of Germany, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty ;-)

What about the government?

è    We are not a political band! We all have our personal opinions about the government but this is not part of our songs! We got some critical songs about the society we are leaving in, but we would never say people what they should do or don’t! We want to make people think about some problems, but we give room for own impressions. It`s more like raising the middle finger, than the forefinger.

Do you think that music and politics goes hand in hand? What do you sing about?

è    Sometimes it’s good and important to bring it together, cause this is one way to make a lot of people think about obvious problems in politics and society! But we are not one of those bands! Most of all we want to have fun and we want the people to have fun! We sing about girls and party, about relationships and breakups, about rock and roll! And sometimes about society! It always depends on what is happening in our life at the moment! I guess life is the best songwriter!

Best political band?

è    Rise against!

Is there any good bands in Germany now?

è    Of course, we got a lot of great bands! And every band got it’s own style! There are our rehearsal room friends Cashless, the all-female-band The Scaredycats, The Rudes, The Baboons, Black Velvet, Black Cat Zoot and many more. Check out our MySpace Top Friends! More people should give Bavarian bands a chance! They don’t know what they are missing!

What do you know about Sweden?

è    Some of our favorite bands are from Sweden, like the Hellacopters (R.I.P.), the Backyard Babies or Hardcore Superstar! I guess the Swedish people support their local bands a little bit more than the German people do, right?

Stieg Larsson was one of the best Swedish Thriller writers and a great fighter against racism! And we know that you got Nils Holgersson on one of your banknotes, is it the 20 krona note? What else, yeah, we want to play in Sweden in the future… hope this will happen someday…

Have you heard any good Swedish bands?

è    As mentioned in the last answer we love the Hellacopters, the Backyard Babies and Hardcore Superstar! We also like the Bones, Psychopunch, the Hives, Bombshell Rocks and Nicke’s new Band Imperial State Electric! Somehow the Scandinavian Punk’n’Roll explosion in the late 90ties was one of the reasons why we started a Band!

What does punk mean to you? Is it only a word or is it a lifestyle?

è    For us it was always PunkROCK! We have never been Punks or something like that, but we grew up with punk music! Maybe the lifestyle affected us in some way, but it was always about the music! But if Punk stands for the freedom to do whatever you want to do, then we are punk, at least in the musical part of our hearts!

Please rank your five favorite records, five favorite concerts and five most important things in life?

è    Oh man this is not so easy. We listen to so many records and we’ve been on so many concerts… ok, here are some of our favorite albums and concerts.

Records:

-          The Backyard Babies – Diesel and Power

-          The Hellacopters – High Visibility

-          Gluecifer – Soaring with the eagles at night

-          Airbourne – Running wild

-          Volbeat – Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood

Dead Notes concerts:

-          Release Party ‘Down with clichés’ 2007

-          Leonberg Open Air 2005

-          Passauer Pfingst Open Air 2006

-          Against Me! Support @ Club Vaudeville Lindau 2006

-          Peter Pan Speedrock Support everywhere

Concerts:

-          New Bomb Turks, Murder City Devils, Zeke, Cellophane Suckers Tour 2000 @ Backstage/Munich

-          Gluecifer with The Gaza Strippers – Tender is the savage Tour 2000 @ Backstage/Munich

-          Hellacopters with The Hydromatics and Zen Gurilla @ Incognito Munich 1999

-          Mighty Mighty Bosstones @ Georg Elser Halle Munich

-          ACDC – Stiff upper Lip Tour 2000 @ Olympiahalle Munich

Life:

-          Family

-          Friends

-          Music

-          Fun

-          Happiness

First, last and most expensive record ever bought?

è    Christian: My first record I have bought was Green Jelly – Cereal Killer Soundtrack

è    Christian: My last record I have bought was the new Volbeat record ‘Beyond Hell Above Heaven’

è    Christian: I don’t know the most expensive one

è    Juli:                      My first record I bought with my own money was Highway to Hell (AC/DC)

è    Tobi: Well, I'm not sure, but I think it was Michael Jacksons Bad (What a shame...). The last record I bought was, similar to Christian, Volbeat with Beyond Hell Above Heaven’. The most expensive record I bought was Diesel and Power by Backyard Babies. It was a Japanese version. Unfortunately there was no other one available during that time I bought it.

                     
Most embarrassing record in your collection?

è    Christian: Bon Jovi – Unplugged

è    (Juli: David Hasselhoff – I was about five years old, when I got it.)

è    Tobi: I'm really not sure if I want to tell that. I think I got more than one I'm ashamed of. For example: Ace of base

IIs Modern Noise your own label, or what?? If it isn´t is it a good label?

è    Modern Noise is not our Label! It is a small Bavarian indie label and we are part of their roster with our first record ‘Down with clichés’. We were happy to have a label but over the years we have learned, that it is better for us to do everything on our own. The next record will be released pretty sure by ourselves, unless there is a ‘bigger’ label which wants to sign us!

Which type of people comes to your concert?

è    People, who wants to rock, drink and have a good time! There is no certain group or scene that comes to our shows! Everyone is welcome, no matter if you’re a punk, metalhead, rocker or indie-fan!

Is it many interviews? Is it boring?

è    We had a few interviews the last years, but not so many! We’re still a small underground Rock’n’Roll band from Bavaria, so there is not so much interest. But everyone who wants to have a interview is welcome! We never think this is boring!

Which is the question you never get, please ask it and answer it?

è    Do you want to support AC/DC? – Ok!

Is it any chance to see you in Sweden soon? Or anytime?

è    It would be awesome to do some shows in Sweden! We hope that this will be possible in the future! If you have connections, let us know!

Where is the best place to play?

è    Every place is great as long as the sound is good and the people are ready to rock their hearts out!

How is a good gig with you? And which is the biggest band which you have played with as a support act? And which is the biggest band which has been a support act to you?

è    A good gig is when the crowd is going wild, when everyone is having a good time, listening to our music, dancing and drinking! We love to play with bands who want to party after the show! What is also very important is a good sound on and in front of the stage! And when there’s still some money left after the show and the driving and everything, than it was a really good gig!

è    We supported Bands like Against Me, Peter Pan Speedrock and the Bones! Furthermore we played some Festivals, where Bands like Rise Against or Sick of it all were playing as well.

è    We don’t have any big support bands, because we are not big enough! We support bigger bands or we rock out with bands which are friends of us!

The name, where does it come from? (Yeah it´s a boring question but it´s interesting)

è    As we started the band we had no particular idea what name the band should have. We just started playing! After some month we had enough songs to do the first show! But still there was no name, only a list with a few suggestions. The time was running out, so a good friend of us, who was playing at that show with his band as well, chose a name! That was the day ‘The Dead Notes’ were born! We were searching for a name everyone can keep in his minds. Because your bassist is pretty oblivious.

What shall we do about all racists?

è    Never stop fighting them!

The best band in punk history?

è    Difficult question, cause there are so many! Maybe the Ramones or Cock Sparrer or the Clash or Social Distortion or the Misfits. And don`t forget the Sex Pistols, Rancid, Bad Religion and NOFX

The most important punk song?

è    Almost impossible to answer! Maybe Blitzkrieg Bop…

Futureplans for the band?

è    We want to release our 2^nd record next year! This is the main goal at the moment! We are working hard on the new songs and so far they are all killer!

After the release we want to go on tour again and play as much concerts as possible, maybe also in Sweden!

For yourself?

è    We want to grow up, but we never want to get old!

Wisdomword?

è    Do what you love and love what you do!

Something to add?

è    Watch out 2011!!!