Hello Peter. My name is Micke Larsson and I'm
the band's singer, and I'll answer the questions.
This writes Micke who sings in E.A.T.E.R. this
interview was done in May 2020 I
interviewed you most recently in 2011, what has
happened since last time? Many member changes?
-That has happened quite a lot since 2011. We
actually closed the band in it´s then form in
2015. The band today consists of Mikael “Gröten”
Karlsson and myself, as well as the new members
Ludvig Kramenius on drums and Kalle
Wejrum-Fielding on bass. I
think the new record is a fantastic thing and
the sound makes me think of early crustpunk and
that you should have all the cred for… what are
you most satisfied with yourself on the new
record? -Thanks!
Fun that you like the disc. I'm probably
most satisfied with the songmaterial itself.
It's not that I'm dissatisfied with anything
else. I have been with and produced the record
and, like most musicians, I naturally listen
very critically to my own recordings and mixes,
and I can only say that you never get completely
satisfied. But the songs are by far the best
I've been done with E.A.T.E.R. Some of them may
be among the best I've ever written.
How is it like to play this type of
punk/hardcore in Sweden today?
-It is and has always been relatively easy to
get gigs when playing hardcore or punk, because
there is a DIY culture with people fixing gigs.
What kind of audience do you have live, are you
just old fans or are there new abilities in the
audience?
-It's probably pretty mixed in age nowadays. In
the eighties it was basically only young people
at the gigs, but now, as I said, the average age
of the audience is higher. I think the average
age of all types of rock events is quite high
today.
The nickname Gröten(THe porrdige), where does it
come from?
-I really do not know. He has been called so as
long as I have known him, and I have never had
any real clarity why.
What do you prefer to be called E.A.T.E.R. or
Ernst and the Edsholm Rebels?
-The band is called Ernst And The Edsholm Rebels.
E.A.T.E.R. is the abbreviation of the name.
Did you was named Eater from the beginning and
took the name Ermnst...to separate you from
English Eater or how was it when the name came
up?
-No, as I said, E.A.T.E.R. the abbreviation, and
it came in handy because the name is so long.
Tell us a little about the following records and
what you think about it today ..
-The first record you bought or received?
Actually, Walt Disney's Jungle Book on vinyl, I
think it was.
-The album that changed your life?
There are some records that I have listened to a
lot in certain periods and that have been
important to me, but I do not know if there is
any special that I think stands out from the
others.
-Last album you bought? I
don't know, because it was quite a long time
since I bought a record. I always just stream
music.
-The album you're ashamed of? I
have no such thing.
-The album that makes E.A.T.E.R. sounds like you
do?
It is impossible to answer because the band
members listen to and are influenced by a
variety of artists.
-The album that always has to be on the tour
bus? A
Momentary Relapse for No Reason by Ernst And The
Edholm Rebels must be in all bands tour buses.
-The album that you would have liked to have
been on and played on?
It is always fun and exciting to record. It is
especially fun if you take the time and
experiment, so any of Phil Spector's productions
from the 60's would have been exciting to have
participated in.
Are there any other good bands in Sweden today
that you think are worth mentioning?
-There are a lot of good bands and musicians in
Sweden. Sweden is probably the most densely
populated band country in the world, and the
quality is consistently very high.
You publish your records yourself, why? Isn't a
record label who wants you? -
That's how we work. Much of our music has been
released as collections and reissues of various
companies both in Sweden and abroad, but when it
comes to our own official releases, we prefer to
do as much as possible ourselves. There are a
variety of reasons for that. Above all, it's
because that's what we've always done. We have
our roots in the DIY scene and when we started
releasing music in the eighties, it was never
the question of anything but that we would do it
ourselves, and that is the way we have continued.
In addition, it is always very educational and
evolving to do all the work yourself.
What is the most expensive thing you have heard
that your Doomsday Troops have been sold for?
-I am not a record collector so I do not keep
track of that.
What does punk mean to you today when you
compare to when you started?
-When I started playing with E.A.T.E.R. as a
teenager, punk was a lifestyle for me. I am not
a particularly nostalgic person, and I can
certainly say that punk as a lifestyle is
nothing that interests me the least today. I
play in E.A.T.E.R. because I love music.
Especially then to write and play your own music,
and this no matter what type of music it is.
What is better nowadays when you play live and
what is the big difference towards the beginning
of your career?
-There is, in principle, always better sound and
better equipment nowadays than it used to be.
Tell me something really crazy that happened
during your years together?
-We lost a whole tour bus in Belgium in 1986.
However, we finally found it. We forgot a band
member at a gas station outside Detroit in 2011
and didn't discover that he was gone until he
had managed to borrow a phone and called the
drive /tour manager. Then we had been driven for
an hour.
Are there any fans for you who have done
something really dedicated, like a tattoo of
your logo or something like that? -
Just that, an E.A.T.E.R. tattoo,I recently saw
on a picture on Facebook that someone had done.
You never do any songs in Swedish nowadays? Why
not?
-We haven't written lyrics in Swedish since I
joined the band in 1983, and it probably depends
a lot on me. I prefer to write lyrics and sing
in English. For me, for some reason I haven't
analyzed, it's easier, and it gets better.
What influences your lyrics?
-I am influenced by life and the world in
general when I write lyrics. Things I feel I
want to express.
How do you think it is to live in Sweden today
with politics, corona, music, etc?
-It is in many ways an interesting time. The
ongoing pandemic has forced society to rethink
and re-evaluate a lot of things that were
previously taken for granted. The music world
seems to have adapted very quickly to the
situation that arises. One can see, for example.
that there are a lot of streamed gigs in social
media, as the opportunity for artists to play
live has basically ended.
Have you played a lot abroad over the years, if
you have where has been the best?
-In the mid eighties we played Germany, Denmark
and Belgium. It was quite chaotic travel with a
lot of partying. Today we have done two longer
tours. In 2011 we toured the US and in 2013 we
toured Japan. Japan, in my opinion, is by far
the best country to tour in of the places I have
been to.
After all, the title of the album is "A
momentary relapse for no reason" what was the
idea behind the name?
-The title is a travesty of the title of the
Pink Floyd album from 1987. The idea is most
that we wanted a slightly screwed and unusual
title on the record.
Is it important for you to release physical
records, why or why not?
-There is no self-purpose for me to release
physical records. But there are some benefits to
making a physical release of a release.
Reviewers like to have physical discs, so if you
want the disc reviewed then you have to have
physical discs for them. If you are touring or
are out and playing often then physical records
that you sell at the gigs are a good extra
source of income for the band.
What bands are you being compared to when you
get reviews? Which is the most odd thing you've
been compared to and don't understand at all?
-Now most recently we were compared to Biohazard
and Madball in a review. I have a hard time
comparing music at all. For me, the diversity
and differences between different artists are
more interesting than the similarities, but on
the other hand I understand that reviewers are
happy to make comparisons when they paint a
picture of how a record or artist sounds.
What three words describe your music?
-I pass the description to reviewers and others.
I think our music speaks for itself.
Are there a lot of interviews nowadays? Boring
or fun?
-This is actually the first since the new record
was released. I think it's really fun to be
interviewed.
Strangest question you ever got?
-This question.
Future plans for the band?
-We want to follow up the new release with
another release in the near future. There are
some song ideas that we would like to test to
record.
For yourself?
-I will continue to write, record and release
music. Partly with the bands I play with, and
partly solo.
Today's words of wisdom? -
I'm not going to say anything, unfortunately. I
leave it to your readers to try to formulate
their key words in life themselves.
Something to add? - Thanks for the interview Peter. |