Tekla Knös have been know to be a christian skinheadband which likes punk. Punk and religion have always ”been against each other” and how would this be?

History?
-During the spring 1996 I learned to know a skinhead called Emil. We agreed about that Sweden needed a Christian punkband. Said and done. E rehearsed the first time in the beginning of the summer.In the beginning we had a singer, but he jumped off before the summer was to it´s end. We have difficulties to find a drummer also which was in the group for a longer time. That went OK when Henrik, an old schholmate to me came into the group 1999. Then became Tekla Knös the band that it is today. That spring we recorded our first record. "Så sparade vi oss ur krisen" and released it on our own new strated label Etik & Moral Records. It was the first in record in this style(swedish christian punk ) it it got(often positive) attention. And then after hat we have been into some compilation records and we have given out a cd-r called  "Schengenland über alles" (2002). The new record "Hellre Dåre Än Marionett" we recorded last spring. But it was some personal things which forced us to do the release a little bit later than we thought. And therefore it´s fun that it´s out now. The response have been brilliant, not at least from the fans which have been waiting for the record. It really feels that we´re back on track!!

Please tell me a little about every member, age, family, work, interests and something bad about every one?
-Guitar and vocals: Emil Wetterud, he´s 28 years, works as a locksmith. He´s married to Dulce and they have precisely got a cute baby which must be one of Emils biggest interests right now but he likes to fish. Secret: He´s a Boppers-fan.
Drums and backing vocals: Henrik Dahlqvist, 31 years, is a teacher and married to Jenny. In his spare time he builds a recordingstudio and he´s also a “soft drink expert” Secret: he has a phobia for shippropellers.
Bass & Vocals: Me myself I, 32 years, is the one who daily take care of Etik & Moral Records. The rent I pay with help of being a freelancing TV-photgrapher and so on. My family is right now a catmum and her three kids. I like to bike and can discuss politic in hours. Secret: I used to watch “Hem till Gården”.

To be a skinhead, christian and to play punk must stick some people´s eyes?

-It´s going really well together. The Christian church is from the beginning a really undergroundmovement and that Jesus annoyed the established people was really true. The total and statepowerfriendly church is nothing we stands for. But of course, we provoke with our existence and many sees the combination God and punk as a real paradox(maybe it is but who cares?). It´s christian which don´t thinks we´re really house-trained( it´s enough for them that we swear in some song so can you get half of Småland against you..) and there´s people in the punkmovement who sees red when they bump into us. But there is their headache that they´re seems to be restrict and intolerant. I mean , I don´t stand up behind everything about punk but I don’t send them hatemail for that sake. 

The christian thoughts have it been with you since you were small or does it came to you later in life?
-Me and Henrik have been christian since we were small but both have reassess and renewed our relationship to religion as grown ups. I had a period in the end of my teenage then I really tried to not be a Christian but I thought nothing was nothing to have. When I get back to the faith I took away everything which I think is religious bullshit and kept the true. Emil became a Christian when he was 19 years old after have lived a life filled of fights and drugs. He have telled us about it in his words in the song
 "Aldrig tillbax"(Never Goback) on our first record.

How does people react when you play gigs and they don´t know that you´re a christian band?
-It´s very different. Many people don´t care about it and take us for what we are: a good punkband. Other people is a little bit awaiting but when they understand that we´re not Ulf Ekman and that the music rocks a lot they change their mind. Many people appreciate our honesty and the things we believe in. But it have happened that we have played for a hostile audience which haven´t even given us a applause after the songs. . A comment we have got after a gig:”We like dthe music but not the message”.

How is a good gig with you?
-Both we and people in the audience have fun. We don´t mess up the music too much. People goes from the gig sweaty and happy and with a nerdy smile on their lips with some thought in their heads about our lyrics and what we have said.

 
Which type of people come and sees you?
-Wow, it can be a very odd mix. From wellcombed freechurchpeople to really dirty punks.

Describe your music in three words?
-Punk, punk, punk...

When you write lyrics, what inspires you, do you take things from the bible sometimes?
-The things we write about is what happens around us, among our friends and in our own lives and in our relation with God. But it´s not so often that we take something directly from the bible but I think the most we do you can notice our christian faith but it can happen that we take something from the bible now and then.

It is easier to write a lyric when you´re angry?
-Yes.

What is most important, is it the music, the lyrics or is it to have a refrain that people remember?
-I don´t think that way. Music and lyrics are both important ingredients in a song. If people remembers the refrain I don´t care about

Do you do the songs together or one by one?
-It varies but it´s more and more now that we do the music together. The most lyrics I write but we have begin to do more together now.

Please rank your five favoruiterecords, five favoruiteconcerts and five most important things in life?
-Hm.. difficult stuff.. after much itching on my head it must be these..
top 5 records:
1. New Model Army - Thunder & Consolation
2. Billy Bragg - Talking to the Taxman about Poetry
3. Dropkick Murphys - Sing Loud, Sing Proud
4. Ride - Going blank again
5. Nirvana - Smells like a teen spirit

Top 5 concerts:
1. Dropkick Murphys, Barcelona, junie2001
2. Pedro The Lion, Schubas, Chicago, july 2000
3. Stavesacre, Krageröfestivalen, Norge 1998
4. Liten Stina (Swedens best folkband!), Frizonfestivalen, Örebro 2003
5. Billy Bragg, Gino, Sthlm, 1994 (I think it was)

top 5 important things

To live near God
2. Family and friends
3. Global social justice

4. To enjoy and be grafetful to life
5. "24" on tv4 thur, 21.00 – a holy moment..

First, last and most expensive record ever bought?
-The first wasEurope "Wings of Tomorrow". The latest was The Discarded "I won't live a lie" (an american chrsitian punkband which doesn´t exist anymore. Some of the members is in the band Scarred, who kicks ass). The most expensive record must be a picturevinyl with the American industry band Blackhouse. I don´t remember how much I paid for it

The most embarrassing record in the collection?
-Yeah, I think that Strypers "To Hell With The Devil" is really embarrassing but I know other people who could kill top put their hands on it.
 

The record you bought for the cover and get so disappointed on?
-I almost ever succeed with my buying. For example I bought the punkband Les Thugsvinyl-ep "Dirty White Race" only because of the cover and I think that it´s a really good record..

Where do you stand when were talking about mp3´s, does the company bite themselves in the back? Do you download?
-As a little band it is a invaluable way to spread your music. We have a lot of fans in USA and thanks to the guy who bought a record and then spread mp´3:s to all his mates. We thinks it more important that people hear us than that we get paid for the music. And therefore we say to our fans that they should spread them . And then I think that when you like an artist so do you want their real record. I am that way. I download music with a band I want to hear and is it good I buy the record. , So the labels definitely bites themselves in the back but they can do that. I will not cry when the branch is falling apart....

 What do you think about living in Sweden today? What´s the best and what´s the worst?
-Sweden is a nice country to live and be in, it´s therefore we should have some more people in our fellowship(I mean refuges) . I love both climat and nature and we have it really good in old Sweden if we think after even if politicians and businessworld try to fuck up things for us. The worst in Sweden is the climat for debate and it´s both spiteful and narrow. The swede isn´t so tolerante as we think. The conformism is flourish in our long country.

Is there any good bands in Sweden right now?
-Of course it is. Swedes are really good at doing music. I have many good bands among my mates as:. Blindside, Namur and
Peejay & the Bohemian. There is many good bands in the oi and skascene. But I think the swedishsinged punk is a little bit boring and I think the most stuff sounds like Asta or Strebers-clones. 

Outside Sweden?
-The Norwegian glampunks Silver should no one miss if we say so.

You haven´t tried to get a contract with the christian label Tooth and Nail because it would suit you or?
-I know the People on Tooth and Nail ( I was with DayGlo Records some years ago and Tooth and Nail licensed our records in USA) and they have released a lot of good bands through the years(One of their biggest groups is Starflyer 59 and they have released a really good record in true Jesus and Mary chains spirit) But they´re more businessconcentrated and they are more and more a s a big label. I have a mate which have some small punklabels in USA and for me it´s more tempting to work with them

You have never had any thoughts of doing your material in English only?
-Yeah, we have talked about it. We have a ridiculous big audience outside Sweden and most in USA so it would open a bit for us. We wrote the song Anti-State in English so the Americans would understand where we stand. But in the same way I think it´s something special with punk in Swedish and we think that the “Tekla-ting” is lost if we change language. But we will maybe go to England this summer and then it´s good to have some english songs in the luggage. 

Is it many interviews? Is it boring?
-Yeah, I drown in interviews. No, it´s no danger..

Please ask  a question you want to have and answer it?
-How is the weather in Stockholm? Good thank you, the sun is shining and I will take coffee in my garden.

Is it important for a band to have a website? Many visitors there?
-Very important. I would say that as a band today you must have a website. And interactivity is everything. It makes people can see the site and that they come back. E have both a guestbook there they can discuss everything what they want and even they who don´t like us is welcome there and say that we´re shit

Any favouritesite on the net?
- www.jesusradicals.com is a resourceforum for Christians who “thinks different”. Except discussforum you can download articles in subjects as pacifism and Christian anarchy. If you like to talk shit so is the skinheadforum Bråkmakargatan the place to be. The address is www.brakmakargatan.com

What does punk mean to you, is it only a word or is it a lifestyle?
-As fast as you try to define the thing punk so I think that you almost take death on the concept. But I think that punk is a way to be against people around, community and the church and so on.  

Isn´t it a little bit boring that the nazis have take over the skinheadstyle, but now it´s not so many any longer or?
-We had more problems with that when we started to play. The naziskins seems to have got back from they came from but the originalskins become more and more. Medias ignorance in this area is difficult but people overall have a better check. E don´t get so much comments today as we got when we started to shave our heads in the middle of the 90´s( but I will say that I personally is more as a shaved punk more than a skinhead but as usual people don´t see the difference) And then we have as a band a big work to do when it´s about telling Christians about it. When we play in Christian coherences we must be clear about the skinhead-thing. It have happened that we haven´t got the access to Christian festivals because of our collaboration with skinheads

What do you think about the things which happened in Knutby, Have this something with religion to do? Have you written a song about it?
-Yeah, what to say about this, except that this is tragic, very very tragic. That a human being can be so evil as the "pastor" seems to be is hard to believe-. It surprises me that he could lead so many people wrong. It takes me two seconds to see that his theology is unbiblish(it haven´t any support in the Bible) and it haven´t anything with real Christianity to do. Is it anything which could do us mad it´s false christianity  but we haven´t written anything about Knutby. And should we do that it had been more as a comfort more than to shoot on an assembly which already lies down.

Futureplans for the band?
-Right now we´re booking ggis for the summer. More about that on our website. gigs.

And for yourself?
-I am open for suggestions...

Wisdomword?
-Dare to refuse conformity! (a slogan we had some years ago.)

Something to add?
-You don´t have to do a lobotomy to be a christian. You don´t have to be a christian to like Tekla Knös. Please buy the record... ;-)