Blues Pills interview

Blues Pills are both a Rocking.gr favourite (check our article for 2012's Underground Releases) and a new retro rock sensation. We asked Cory Berry (drums) questions that include the signing with Nuclear Blast, their influences and their philosophy for music. See what he had to say about the classic sound trend and the lost feeling of music.

You come from different countries. How did you end up together and what did you talk about when you met? Was there some "Yes, that Janis Joplin LP is my favourite too" moments you wish to share?
The band first formed in America, Iowa to be exact. It was a really natural process of an idea that materialized into being. All the members were planned and thought out from the beginning. Really the only aspect of the band that was given any thought was what we were going to call ourselves and what musical journey we were going to take. Cory and Zack coming from heavy rock and psych backgrounds had a general idea but when hearing Elins vocals knew there could be a whole lot more. The core members were the trio, but when recording some new demos, Crusher records asked us to release an EP, we said yes and that's when we knew it was time to add Dorian to the mix and really get the band going. Cory and Zack had met Dorian in France while being on tour and saw him showcase his skills live. He was the missing link since the bands origin. There were no special moments or revelations within the band because everything happened so fast. We didn't even know what we were getting into. It's really all a blur when you stop and think about it. Makes us wonder sometimes how it happened like it did. I guess you could say it was a strike of fate.

(To Elin Larson - vocals): Do you feel the same singing in English as in your mother tongue? Have you decided as a band if you are continuing to create songs in both languages?
For me it’s more personal when singing in Swedish, where as in English it feels more free. We would like to make another song in Swedish but as of now we are focusing on writing songs in English because it’s a universal language and mostly everyone around the world can understand and relate to them.

Name the artists whose music you mostly hear or think about when you are in the process of creating new songs.
We don't really do too much of that. We like to keep it simple and not get too crazy with ideas. We don't really have a basic outline of what we are going for either when we write a song. Usually it's free form at first and we go from there. Someone usually comes up with an idea sporadically and we work on it together as a collective. Each one of us has our strong points and we work well together because we bring each of our own elements to the table. There never really is a thought about who we want the song to sound like, but more of what kind of feeling and message we want to give with each song.

Now name the artists that come into your mind when you hear your own music.
It’s really difficult to describe your own music, but I can say some of the artist that have had a big influence on our music. Some of these include: Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, Free, Captain Beyond, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin, the list could go on and on. To be honest we don’t really listen to our own music that much we spend more time searching for inspiration in other music but I guess when we do listen to Blues Pills we can’t really distinguish a single band but a cocktail of bands and influences.

Listening to "The River" (already my favourite) from the new EP I mostly enjoyed the combination of soul and rock. Do you believe that the voice of Elin gives you the freedom to travel through various genres as I do and is this the path you have decided to follow, combining the two genres?
Yeah, it definitely opens doors to cross between genres because Elin’s voice is so versatile and she has a soulful quality that is easily incorporated into our music. We don’t really have a set path that we are strictly trying to follow, but wherever the music leads us is where we will be going. We will see what’s next soon enough, but the fact that Elin has such a soulful voice gives us something unique because I don’t think it’s something that can be taught and learned but rather something you’re just born with. It allows us to add the soul element to our music as opposed to a lot of rock bands where the singer just yells or screams over the music. That traps them in a box.

(To Dorian Sorriaux - guitar): Name your guitar heroes and what do you most enjoy when playing live with the rest of the band. How would you describe you style?
My biggest guitar heroes and main source for inspiration are Billy Gibbons, Rory Gallagher, Peter Green, Paul Kossoff and also Hendrix fits in there somewhere. Also, when I was growing up back in France I used to go watch a lot of local guitar players in my hometown. When playing live with the rest of the band I really enjoy the freedom to express myself in the moment like anything can happen, you know? Improvisation is so much fun when playing live. I never play the same solo twice. This really lets me let loose on the stage and share how I’m feeling with the rest of the audience. Music is what I love to do so when I can play live and share it with an audience it makes it more special than just playing at home.

How did you convince the people of Nuclear Blast to sign you?
They didn't need convincing. It was more like they convinced us. We sent an e-mail and planted the seed. After a while they contacted us and after some talking actually set us up with our current manager and we started negotiating. It wasn't a hasty decision, but a well thought out one. We had met and been talking with other labels but it was Nuclear Blast who gave the best vibes and had a similar vision for Blues Pills. To be honest we were hoping for NB and we are very happy we made the roster.

What is the greater compliment you got till now about your band?
Just being compared to all the great bands of the 70's is enough for us. Even being compared to more recent bands like Graveyard and Rival Sons is a huge boost for us. Mostly though, it's the passion behind the compliments from fans that hits hard and is real. We love to read positive feedback from reviews online and especially from our fans. That is why we love to play live. To give our fans a real experience full of dynamics and emotionally driven rock music.

Is there room for bands that create retro rock music in today’s music scene?
There seems to be room at least for now. Retro bands are popping up all around the globe. It's one style of music you see booming in the underground scene. You just have to dig around a little bit. So far Blues Pills are doing fairly well. In just under two years we have come a long way from being unknown to being on Nuclear Blast. We haven't even released a full length record yet. Some people think it's a trend but we think it's an awakening to more of the forgotten aspect of truly passionate music. Music has seemingly lost its feeling throughout the years. We want to bring that back, and we encourage others to do the same whether there is room for us or not.

Who are the next Blues Pills? (I know. Journalists...) Name an artist that we don’t know and that you think can be big.
I can name a band I personally think should be huge and you probably haven’t heard of them. I’ve been keeping an eye on them for awhile now and I have to say I love them. The band is Dean Allen Foyd.

(Rocking.gr's scouters have already discovered this great band. You can read about them in the article for the Underground Artists of 2012)

Super psychedelic all stars. They look like they came straight out of a time machine set for the 60’s psych era. They put on the most amazing show that I have ever seen. I was blown away by all the players, but most of all it was the drummer that had me in awe. I have never seen such skill being used by a drummer live. This band should be known throughout the world and they should be massive!

What is the best way to solve the problem of piracy? Better records, lower prices or something else? Are live shows the only hope for an artist to make a living out of music today?
If the piracy problem could be solved it would have been done by now. I really don’t have the answer to that problem. At least it’s helping the band spread whether they get our music for free or not. The main thing for us is that the band is spreading and we are ok with that. Playing live really is the biggest source of income for bands these days it seems. Selling merchandise and albums on the road is where it’s at least for bands our size. You could always be a studio musician but that only gets you so far.