I got a LP with Jack Torrance in the same time
as I got Deathjocks and it was Eric who is in
the both groups that sent them to me. Now it is
time for Jack Torrance to get their interview
done. January 2020
The Shining a Movie that you like I
understand...thinking about
your name? Other Movies you like?
-We all agree that “The Shining” is one of the
greatest movies of the 20th century,
right?. And Jack Nicholson absolute kills it. I
mean – look at his face when he´s starting to
lose his mind. One of the most malicious looks
with just lifting his eyebrows! So when I came
with the idea of naming this band after the
character Jack Nicholson plays here everybody in
the band was cool with it. The name of a band
needs to arouse interest and gives you a feeling
of what the music is about. I think Jack
Torrance is doing that. Other Stephen King
related Movies I like are Carrie and Stand by
me. High fidelity is a classic when it comes to
music-related films. More recent movies which I
really dig are “a quiet place”, “Hellboy – Call
of darkness” and to mention another genre:
“yesterday”.
Which are the members in the Group, instruments,
other bands, age?
-Christiane (Bass), Eric (drums, vocals), Franz
(guitar, vocals), and me Matze (vocals, guitar).
Other bands some of us are playing in are
Plastikschmidt, Anti-Control, Deathjocks and
Drey.
We are one of those “too old to die young and
too young to die old” Bands.
For how long have you been going on and played
with this band?
-It took a long time, patience and luck until
Jack Torrance was complete. We´ve been playing
in this line-up since 2015 i think. And we had
to spend a lot of time rehearsing until the
album finally came out.
I Think your music sounds a little bit like
emocore and I also think of Wedding Present
sometimes? What about that?
-I´m totally cool with calling our music emocore
as long as we´re talking about the “oldschool”
emocore like Rites of Spring for example. We
call our music Heartcore. It´s Post-Hardcore,
full of emotions, Hardcore without that
tough-guy bs. That sums it up pretty good. I´ve
never listened to The Wedding Present before to
be honest but after you mentioned it i did and
can´t find that much in common between their and
our music. But that is the cool thing about
music. If you do than you do. There´s not always
just a right or wrong.
What is the most peculiar Review or comparison
you have got with Jack Torrance?
-In one review someone called our music a mix
between heartland-sound and brutal hardcore-punk
which we all found a little bit strange. In
another review someone wrote that my voice
reminds him a little bit of Bruce Springsteen.
So please call me “The Boss” from now on. Or the
other guy who wrote he thinks about the Wedding
Present sometimes. Haha – just kidding.
Do you care about Reviews? Which do you trust
the most the good or the bad ones?
-After putting so much work, passion and
lifeblood in a record you automatically want to
know what other people think about it. It´s kind
a reward for your work. And a good review equals
good advertisement. That´s no secret. For me a
good review is where I can clearly see that the
writer really dealt with the music and thought
about it. We all know that it depends on luck.
You can´t influence who´s writing something
about you or your music. After releasing music,
the music isn´t just only yours anymore. It
belongs to everyone who´s willing to hear it. If
you´re lucky you get someone who is taking the
job of writing a review seriously and is digging
the music. We had a writer who´s absolutely
hated the cover and the layout and made it very
clear. Obviously we love the design. We made it.
There is a concept behind it and it tells a
story. But it was still a good review because it
was honest.
To play this sort of music in Germany today?
-There is definitely an interest about this sort
of music. But I don´t know if there´s a market
or whatsoever for heartcore here in Germany
because I don´t care. We just play the music
that happens when we four are together in our
rehearsal room. We don´t follow trends. We never
did before Jack Torrance. At the moment german-speaking
punkrock is a thing and even successful bands
like Donots or Smile and burn who sang in
english putting out records with german lyrics.
How would you describe your Music with Three
Words?
-Springsteens brutal hardcorepunk. Again. Just
kidding.
Honest melodic heartcore. Or heartdriven loud
heartcore. Make your choice.
Have you been playing anything outside Germany?
-Not yet. We´re planning a short tour in
Portugal this year. We want to play as much as
possible. So if there´s anybody who wants us to
play you can be almost 100% sure that we will.
If our families or jobs let us…
Catch us up on our facebook-page or write to
eric@phnxrecord.com
Which is Jack Torrance best liveperformance til
today?
-Always the next gig. No seriously, we always
try to give 100% no matter how big the audience.
Every gig is a learning process and there are
always some things which could be done better
even no one in the audience noticed it. I really
can´t tell which of our live performances stood
out. It would smaller the other gigs.
What does a live concert as best?
-It frees your mind and connect people. And you
can show your direct support to a thing that´s
important to you. Magic moments can be found in
a concert. Moments when you forget about
everything around you. When you get lost in the
music. And also it is ass-kicking fun.
Why do you sing in english and not in german?
What influences you
to do the lyrics in Jack Torrance?
-Before Jack Torrance I had a band for almost
fifteen years in which i sang in german. So the
decision to write english lyrics was a
deliberately chosen challenge for me and the
chance to try something new and different. The
main influence for the lyrics I write are
emotions. Moment shots of things that are
powerful and have an impact on you or on others.
Like fear, anger, hope or love. For me, writing
lyrics is the hardest part. The lyrics are
absolute important and defining in our music and
I take it very serious. I am my biggest critic
when it comes to lyrics.
You released a LP some months ago and why a
vinyl and not only digital?(I hate Music which
only come as digital but a as compliment
it´s OK)? Which format do you prefer?
-For us it was a matter of heart to release the
album on vinyl. I´m a vinyl-collector by myself
and we all think that vinyl is the perfect
medium for music. It´s a complete different and
better feeling or experience if you want to put
it that way than just a cd or a download. To
release an album on vinyl is the most expensive
way but worth every cent. The Vinyl comes with a
Download-Code. So if you´re not having a vinyl-recordplayer
at home (first of all you seriously should buy
one) you can still get our album to put it on
your wall as a nice piece of art. Or you can
download it on different platforms like spotify.
Have you done anything more than Flickering
Lights?
-Flickering light is our first output. So
everything we do right now and have done before
is about flickering lights. Video-shoot,
interviews, promotion etc.
One of the cool things is our label PHNX records
which was founded by our guitarist Franz with
the main-goal to release flickering lights and
enables us to stay DIY. Our drummer Eric is
doing the management for PHNX-records, so he´s
the guy you wrote to when you want a nice little
caress of loud Heartcore in your life.
I also write in my Review "if you do not try to
find this group there is something seriously
wrong with you" what about that Review?
-I´m not exactly sure if I understand this
question right, but if you want to know if i´m
cool with this statement: absolutely! Check us
out! Now! We are super-nice and good-smelling.
You wrote that you are in the process of
promotion with this group, what´s happening in
the near future with Jack Torrance?
-There is no three-year plan or anything like
that. Which doesn´t mean that the band or PHNX
records isn´t determined or half-passioned. We
just trying to do what every other band is
trying to do after releasing an album. Playing
live, doing what we love and hope for the best.
There will be clubshows, some cool Festivals and
Open-Airs in the summer and in October we´re
chasing the sun and doing some shows in
Portugal.
Have you been starting to write some new
material?
-We´ve already finished a new song at our last
rehearsal. It´s called “The heart is a
clockwork, the mind is a cosmos”. And there are
also some new stuff Franz wrote that we are
figuring out right now.
We definitely want to keep writing and writing.
And if there´s enough material for a new album
we will record it, play as much as possible and
keep on hoping for the best.
Is there anything new on the way on your label
you work on?
-I guess the next output on PHNX records will be
the debut-album of Drey, the Band Franz is also
playing guitar in. Phnx records has the goal to
be very open-minded when it comes to music. So
Phnx records won´t be a typical Heartcore,
Hardcore or Punklabel.
What´s the best of playing Music like this, is
it to get out
frustration or why do play Music at all?
-For me personally the music I play is a way to
express myself, my anger-management, my
keep-me-in-balance-trick and something I can´t
imagine living without. And the coolest thing in
playing music – if you´re not in a Coverband –
is the moment when an idea of words and chords
becomes a song and you play it for the first
time together as a band from start to finish.
And another overwhelming thing about playing
music is that all the noise you make in a tiny
stuffy rehearsal-room in a small town
allows you to play in another cities and
even another countries.
Please tell me a Little about the following
about some album? Why and what you Think about
them today?
-Your
first album:
Def Leppard – Hysteria. On cassette. Pour some
sugar on me is still one of my favorite Hardrock-Songs.
And did you know that Rick Allans Drumset was
developed together with NASA after he lost his
arm in a car accident? Anyway – pour some sugar
on me in the name of love. Nothing more to say.
-The album which changed your Life
Hot Water Music – No division. Since it came out
in 1999 it became the soundtrack of my life for
a long, long time. One of the greatest Albums of
all time. Or pick “forever and counting” or “a
flight and a crash”. Masterpieces!
-The album you have which you are ashmed of?
I really don´t own an album of which i´m ashamed
of. I must have an excellent taste of music…
-the album which is why Jack Torrance sound like
they do?
In mostly every review for “Flickering lights”
are comparisons with Hot Water Music. Something
i really can´t complain about. So again, after
that great impact that album had on me I guess:
No Division from Hot Water Music.
-The album which Always must be in the tourbus?
I´d say “Stage four” from Touché Amoré, “Cheer”
from Drug Church (we used the sound from this
album as a reference for our mixing) and a
Motörhead o Kvelertak album to party.
-The album you have been want to be on and
played?
Hah. Great question. Let me think…I know my
skills on guitar so that limits the choice…
I say Metallica - …and justice for all. And I
would have played the bass. Haha!
Which is the best bands in Germany today?
-I´d say Pascow and Clickclickdecker.
How is overall Life is to live in Germany today?
Are the politicans nice?
-Oh my…where to start… Germany is – like Sweden
– one of the privileged countries in Europe when
it comes to economy and life quality. So you can
call yourself lucky if you where born here if
you want to look at it this way. And that´s all.
You got lucky. No reason to be proud of it. The
leading parties – since I can remember – are the
CDU (Christian democratic union) and the CSU
(Christian social union). Both conservative
parties which have the word Christian in their
names. So you can imagine what kind of politics
they make. Unadventurous, spineless and
deadlocked. There is no separation between
church and state, which sucks big time. But more
threatening is the AfD (Alternative for
Germany). A party like a bad joke full of
patriotic, rascist, fascist and contemptous
assholes. And there are unfortunately a lot of
ignorant idiots in this country voting for them.
So fuck you! I can´t even begin to understand.
On the other hand the green party is becoming
more and more successful, which definitely is a
good thing.
Is there any questions you want to have that I
haven´t asked you,
please ask it and answer it?
-What´s your favorite line on the Album
“Flickering lights”?
Only love can save us now. Only love can save
us. And you can have it all. Shine your light.
Anything more you want to add?
-First of all I want to thank you and Skrutt
magazine for your time and the support you give
us by having this interview. One more thing I
want to add:
Fuck fascism.
Fuck patriotism. Fuck racism. Fuck sexism. Be
nice to each other. Stay Heartcore. Thanks.
|