From Zitter I have got a really good rock record that lies and balances between different musical styles, here they answer questions regarding the group at the end of August 2021

Some history about the group?  

-We started playing like Zitter in 1998. In the first few decades, we were happy to rehearse and record songs. Over the years, we have gone from cassette porta, via digital porta of different calibers to recording in Logic. We did a couple of charity gigs in 2008; one to support research on cystic fibrosis (Chinateatern, Stockholm) and one for the homeless (Eskilstuna). Now in recent years we have switched up and started playing live.

Tell me a little about every member, age, job, family, band before on the side?  

 -Fred Z, vocals/bass, widower, teenage parent, 48 years old, sports teacher who played in several bands during his teens.

B Gustaf, guitar, loner, 52 years old, archivist who played in several bands during his teens. MacCalico Adee, software drummer, eternally young.

I can hear some metal but a lot of other things too? Was it better before?  

-Yes, sir. We grew up with the music of the 1970s and 1980s. Much of what is 'new' today is just repackaging as things that have already been done. Of course, it can be good anyway, as long as there is a personality in music. The vulture is our bird. It creates new life by acquiring the dead. That's how we look at music making.

Zitter, are you happy with the name? What were you thinking by that name?  If the best band name hadn't been busy, what name would you have chosen? I mean, what's the best band name? 

- Yes, we're happy with the name. Short and succinct! Fred wanted a name based on a perfectly ordinary Swedish word. It became "sitter", but given that the letter Z is a neat and cool letter, s was replaced with z and then it became Zitter. The fact that Zitter in German means shaking doesn't make the band name any worse because we want our music to get people moving. Best band name? Gummibandet!

What's the best thing about playing live?  Have you started playing live after COVID yet? What kind of band do you have gigs with? 

-The energy kick, to spread and meet joy, to create something unique that unites a number of people in something in common. We played at the 4Ever Rock Festival on August 14th. Right now we contacting venues in Stockholm. We play together with hard rock bands that play on the Stockholm underground scene.

Where's the best to play, where's the worst? 

-We always give everything we can on stage, so every gig will be the best of the day The worst part is you have to get off stage. 

What is it like to play this kind of music in Sweden today? 

-The venues we play at depend on the bands themselves bringing an audience. The places don't have their own tribal audience. So in a way, it's hard to reach a new audience.

How would you describe your music in three words?  

-Energetic, engaging and taking a stand

What does punk mean to you, is it just a word or is it a lifestyle?  I know you don't play punk, but I just wonder what you think of "my" favorite style? 

-For us, punk is very much an ideal and an attitude," he said. We embrace the DIY aspect and the freedom to express ourselves in our own way. We don't feel the need to embrace the punk uniform visually (like fashion), but it's something that bolts inside the chest. The genre punk includes everything from radio-friendly trall to well-directed crotch kicks. In our luggage there is a lot of punk from the 1970s to the present day. Three-chord songs were not invented in punk, of course, but have left a clear mark on our musical creation.

How do you see on download, mp3 and the like? Does it benefit smaller bands?   

-Any spread of music that gets a talk going is good for getting the band name out. While it has become easier to spread their music, it has become more difficult to reach new listeners as the amount of available and good music has increased explosively. It is possible to live with the fact that downloading does not provide any financial compensation for those of us who do not have music as a livelihood. Streaming services still provide some scruffy payments if, like us, you use a nice aggregator.

What do you think it's like to live in Sweden today, politically?   

-Sweden is in many ways a good country to live in. Especially in comparison to what it looks like in many other countries. As long as there is room to shape your life as freely as possible, one must accept the outcome of the elections.

Are there any good bands in Sweden today? In your hometown? 

- There's a lot of good bands in all directions! Both established and independent bands. 

Do you play anything outside Sweden?   

-Not yet, but I'm looking forward to doing it.

Other good bands from abroad? 

-An enumeration and it would run out of space on the Internet.

Your lyrics, what are you influenced by? Will you never sing in Swedish? 

- Life. Everything from personal thoughts linked to where we are in life to opinions on current social issues. Already done. Last summer we wrote the song Pantarkungarna. The lyrics are based on the crazy characters in Hard Steel created by independent filmmakers Rotten Soulz from Umeå. Just check out their clips to get an idea of what the song is trying to convey.

You've made three full-lengths, how come you're so effective?  

-Three full-lengths in 51 weeks! :) It has been a very productive time; not only as a result of the closed situation. Several of the songs recorded during this period have been rehearsed for a long time. Before that, we've released five full-lengths, two EPs and a few singles.

Is there anything you'll never write about? Or is there nothing sacred? 

-There are lots of things that we will never take a stand for in our texts. However, we can criticise what we want.

Politics and music, is it always connected? Or shouldn't you mix these? 

-It's perfectly possible to convey political messages with the help of music. Emotions and music also go well together. Different musical expressions fit differently with what you want to convey with the lyrics.

Best political band/artist? 

-Anti-Flag.

Do you think music can change someone's life, I mean lyrics etc? Do you have an example of that? 

-Oh, absolutely. We have read many interviews with established bands where they have told about how their texts have affected the way people view their lives. Then there are all the protest singers and their followers in different genres who have made people see the seriousness of current issues.

Your cover is really nice on your "record" Intoxicated World, who did it. Is it important to have a cover that you understand what kind of music you are playing? Which is your favorite cover all the time?... 

-I'm so grateful. We're a DYI band. In other words, we do everything ourselves. It is fair to say that our covers over the years have been of mixed compote. Most have a hard rock aesthetic at the bottom. Nothing beats the cover of Kiss' debut album.

Isn't it important to get physical records out? No thoughts of releasing physical music?  Is there a good record store around you? 

-Physical records, basically just vinyl, have become a collectible and something for those with self-proclaimed super ears. CDs feel like something where the best before date has passed. We only run with digital releases as it is so much easier to reach out with music that way. In addition, you get away from certain expenses and do not have to have stock with discs. That said, we don't say that there not could be any more physical release in the future. Now we release our music with the help of an aggregator, which means that the music is available on all established music sites. Then attracting people there is another thing. I guess there are still some record stores in town, like Bengan's and Sound Pollution. I guess these are places you just walk past.

Please tell us something really funny that has happened during your career on stage or backstage etc? In this band or any other band if you haven't had time to play out so much yet... 

-On stage, something unexpected always happens when our stage show is based on a spontaneous, chaotic choreographic performance. BG, for example, has fallen into the guitar stringer and got it over him as he cleared wildly and uncontrollably. When Fred made a kung fu kick, the shoe flew away and hit a lady in the head.

How does your audience look like? What kind of people do you draw? Are you missing any types of people? You had your first concert just a while back, didn't you? 

-In the places we've played the last few times, the bands themselves were expected to draw audiences. In other words, it has been people from their own circles and those of the other bands who have appeared. For a live music scene, it would be good if music fans venture out to experience unestablished bands live, instead of spinning around the Internet and following trends. Daring to meet the unestablished offers great opportunities to find your own favorite bands.

Please rank five favorite records, five favorite concerts? The most embarrassing record in the collection? 

-Five favorite records in no particular order: AC/DC Let There Be Rock, Queensryche Operation Mindcrime, Ratt Invasion of Your Privacy, Accept Russian Roulette, Papa Roach The Paramour Sessions. Five favorite concerts: Imperiet (every folkpark tour), Skid Row/Mötley Crüe in 1989, Kraftwerk in 2014, Alice Cooper in 1989 and Supercharger/Hardcore Superstar in 2015. Most embarrassing record: Steve Riley, which isn't a solo album by the L. A. Guns drummer, as some of us thought. :) 

Interviews? Necessary pain or fun to do? 

-That's funny. We haven't had so many yet.

How have the reviews been on the record? What bands are you compared to? Annoying or fun to be compared to other bands? 

-Appreciative words from Hard Rock Info and Skylight Magazine, among others. Even if they're not reviews, comments from people in the circle of acquaintances are just as important.  Alice Cooper, Hank von Helvete, The 69 Eyes, Sick of it All, Hanoi Rocks and the New York Dolls. It's always nice to hear that ZItter sounds like bands we ourselves never thought we'd sound like. Best, of course, is when we hear that we have a special, unique sound. Preferably linked to the fact that we use so much software instruments, without being an industrial band. Although we have no ambitions in any way to create any kind of new genre, we write music without having any selected bands as given frame of reference. We're just normal musical vultures! :)

If you could choose five bands from history, dead and alive to have a concert with your band, what are the dream bands? 

-Dirty Looks, Anti-Flag, The Offspring, Papa Roach and SuperCharger.

Is music a great way to get out frustration and become a kinder person? Are you angrier today than you were younger? 

-Music is a perfect way to get emotions out on the whole spectrum from atomic bomb silk to silky oven, from basement hole anxiety to ordinary everyday borege. We have always been clear in our views. Age has given some fatigue to people's behaviors. People's selfishness gives us the creeps.

What's the weirdest question you've been asked in an interview? (Other than this one then)?

- What's the weirdest answer you can give?

What's the question you'll never get, ask it and answer it? 

-Does the Pope have a beard? Yes!

Future plans for the band? 

-Keep up the pace by doing several gigs, continue the creative work with new songs and new recordings. Develop our stage show, including with several vultures.

To yourself? 

-To constantly try to be a good person. It's cool to be nice

Words of wisdom? 

-You feel better being yourself. It's just a matter of finding out who you want to be.

Anything to add? 

-The most common question we get is why we never got a drummer. It's hard enough being two to unite! When we were actually getting a drummer for a period of time, we were totally set on it being a woman. After a number of unanswered ads and a cancelled audition, we accepted our failure to realize that idea.