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Eisbrecher - May 2007

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Interview with

Alex and Martin of Eisbrecher

On 17th May, EISBRECHER played a concert in the Matrix club in Bochum/Germany to promote their current album ‘Antikörper’. Our partners of Radio Morituri had the possibility to talk to Alex before (Part 1) and to Martin (Part 2) after the show. Here’s the interview…


Part 1 - Interview with Alex

Radio Morituri [RM]: Today, we are guests of EISBRECHER. Alex is sitting here now and first I’d like to ask him how he spent the day and how he’s feeling.
Eisbrecher [EB]: I wish you a wonderful day, Alex of EISBRECHER speaking. Good question how I spent my day. Actually, not at all! My day started two hours ago when I was waking up from an alcohol coma. My voice still is a bit smoky and cracked because we were drinking and smoking lots of cigarettes until eight in the morning, I think. Yesterday, we consumed three or four litres of Whisky totally. That’s respectable, whereas not all of the band are drinking Whisky. I do and I just had an interview with young ambitious journalists called http://www.kellerkinder.de/ or something like that. Very funny! Yes, and that’s it. And now I am sitting in the bus having an interview with Radio Morituri and I really like that.

RM: Good! Even though I have the opinion that ‘Antikörper’ is a great album, old MEGAHERTZ fans are missing the harder guitar sounds a bit. What do you think about that?
EB: Yes, I also think that we created a great album with ‘Antikörper’. Thanks a lot. I have to give ourselves a praising pat on the back and I really give a shit on what old MEGAHETZ fans think. Because MEGAHERTZ probably will make a new record someday and than they should get that one. EISBRECHER is doing what EISBRECHER does and EISBRECHER sounds as EISBRECHER should sound in my ears and if someone doesn’t like it than he should listen to something else. If I don’t like Mallorca than I’ll go to Iceland the next time and if I don’t like my job anymore than I quit and do something else. All this moaning about the past things and the old MEGAHERTZ fans, sorry guys, EISBRECHER is EISBRECHER and I won’t do the music others think they have to expect from me.



RM: In June you’ll play a concert in Moscow. First, have you learned some Russian and second, how do you prepare for that trip because this is totally different?
EB: Of course I can already some Russian. Yesterday I practised a little. Well, if you have two-tenth of a percent alcohol in your blood, no language of the world is difficult anymore. Worked quite well. We also have a Russian fur cap on board. Naturally EISBRECHER, ice cold Russia, icebreaker (engl. for EISBRECHER)… Russia is the icebreaker nation. Who has most icebreakers? Whether Russia or Finland, I am not quite sure. Anyway, now I have forgotten what the question was…

RM: How are you preparing for Moscow?
EB: Not at all. Well, at least not musically. We drink like hell that we can keep up with the Russians. Well, of course we will practice, practice, practice… Stupidly we would have to drink more Vodka. We’re more in Whisky but I think if we can deal with that well than we’ll also show the Russians how much a Bavarian liver can stand. I just got the blood test results from my doctor and they are great; quite surprising after 15 years of brutal slovenly life. Russia, I come and I am well prepared! ;)



RM: Well, I am anxious to that. I assume that we get to know anything about that from your website http://www.eis-brecher.de/. Another question, one cannot put your music into a certain genre. I think that can be a curse as well as a blessing when you make self-contained music in-between different styles. Sometimes they say you’re doing Rock, sometimes it’s Dark Wave. If you have to specify a certain genre for you, which one would that be?
EB: Usually I do not put us into a certain genre. Why? If you do it yourself it would be as if you load the gun for someone else. That’s like I would say now: look, you wanna shoot me, here’s the ammo than I die faster. So, I won’t put us into a certain genre. Develop it for yourself with your own creativity. I would say we’re doing Rock music, exactly that kind of Rock music we – Pixx, Alex and the other guys of EISBRECHER – like and anyone else who does not like it… well, they should leave it. Good bye. And if you like it, come with me onto the icebreaker.

RM: Whereas we’re just talking about your music, where do you get your inspiration from?
EB: We’re taking our inspirations directly from life. From the life of others… good movie btw (comment: He’s referring to the movie “Das Leben der anderen”) and it got the academy awards well deserved in my opinion… and from our own life. We do not need more inspiration sources.



RM: How much get the other band members, besides you as the song writer, involved?
EB: I am writing the lyrics, Noel Pixx is writing the music. Our new live guitar player Jürgen is accidentally also singer in our support band A LIVE DIVIDED. In the meantime, he also contributes his part in writing the songs. Someone else out off A LIVE DIVIDED is our keyboarder Mac. Main song writer and composer remains Noel Pixx. He also proved during the MEGAHERTZ times how good he is in song writing. Songs like ‘Miststück’ run on heavy rotation in the clubs for ten years now and since than we caught up quite well with ‘Leider’, ‘Vergiss mein nicht’ or ‘Schwarze Witwe’. So it is: lyrics me, music by Noel Pixx - that’s our division of work.

RM: What was the musical highlight of your career so far in your opinion?
EB: Now is the climax of my career. Why? Because I can decide anything on my own right now! I just can do the music that I want to do. I can decide what’s on the cover of my record. I don’t have to deal with any compromises right now. And I tick in the same way like Pixx. I know we are ultimately free, we have exactly our thing and ultimately we are playing in front of more people we ever did in MEGAHERTZ times. This tour turned out as absolute success what you can never expect before. You just realize it when you are on tour. Just to mention, a band is that much worth as it is worth at the box office. My opinion and at the moment, people come. In average we have 400 to 500 people per show and that’s simply amazing. You cannot count on that. But we’re just on a level now we should be. But I hope that’s not the limit yet…



RM: That already answers the coming question somehow… if you are satisfied with your album so far. But you already told that. Well… what was the most embarrassing concert for you so far?
EB: There are no embarrassing shows. A band presenting an embarrassing show should not go on stage at all.

RM: Ok, then I change the question a bit… what was the funniest?
EB: There also is no funny show. I don’t know what should be funny with that.

RM: But there is bad luck, mishaps or something like that… where you talk about even years afterwards. Didn’t you have an absolute mischance sometime?
EB: Well, sometimes it is unpleasant when the electronic fails, when you keyboard fucks up on stage or when the samples do not work anymore, if the drummer all of a sudden does not have a click in the ear anymore and plays blind. That’s shit and if you can deal with it somehow you can laugh about later. But at the moment it happens it is just unbelievable shit and you have to solve the problem. Funny things regarding falling off stage because you’re drunk or something like that… that doesn’t happen with us. That’s not funny. We are a damned professional band and we go on stage because we want to go on stage. Well, I can tell you funny stories out off the Nightliner. I can tell you funny stories out off my life but a show is not funny. A show is just amazing. The word “funny” doesn’t fit into that content.



RM: What can we expect from EISBRECHER in the near future?
EB: First we’ll finish our tour. Let’s se if we survive. I really hope so. And afterwards I’ll visit my chiropractor, then my psychotherapist and then I’ll go and see my doc to get some new blood tests done and I’ll do a new HIV test and when that’s all done we’ll play some festivals. End of the year we want to release a maxi CD - means an EP with a few songs and some video material from this tour, I hope, and then a new album - ‘Eisbrecher 3’ or however it will be called then - end of February or March. That’s the plan so far. But don’t nail me down on that. We are Bavarians and anything comes different than thought.

RM: So you did enjoy the German tour completely? Seems to be a total success. Is there something more you want to tell to our listeners? Something you just want to say?
EB: Hello beloved listeners, I am Alex of EISBRECHER and if you haven’t already seen us live on stage you still have the chance. We will play the WGT (comment: already over now) and the Amphi Festival. And we’ll play the Summer Breeze. So come and join us! We love to play live. For me, it’s the reason why I make music and I think that many people saying the new record is too poppy will definitely enjoy the harsh live set. So please come and look at this band!

RM: Thank you very much!


Part 1 - Interview with Martin

RM: Here is Radio Morituri again and we are back in the interview with EISBRECHER and I hope, Martin says welcome to all.
EB: Hello, here is Martin of EISBRECHER and I send out greetings to all listeners to Radio Morituri.

RM: The show is over now. What impressions about it do you have?
EB: Bochum is a city that rocks extremely. It was a lot of fun. People were in a really good mood. We did not want to leave the stage at all and sometime we did not have songs anymore. We really fired out everything possible and had lots of fun.

RM: Tomorrow you’ll play in Berlin what will be an extreme challenge. I know that myself because many of our listeners are from Berlin. How will you face that?
EB: Well, we’re really looking forward to the Berlin show. We know the Berliners have a good taste in music. And that’s why I think they will take us well.

RM: Next question; Moscow is coming up. How do you personally prepare for that?
EB: First I will get all my stuff well insured. Then of course I will deal with the city and learn about is because I hope to have the chance for some sight seeing there. Otherwise I’ll just see what the trip will bring. I am looking forward to it a lot and I am sure that it will be an interesting concert and also an interesting experience.



RM: It is known now that MEGAHERTZ are back. The will be touring and prepare a single or EP. You are still playing songs from back than, i.e. ‘Miststück’. How is this feeling for you personally?
EB: For me, I have the feeling in this case drawn back because I am not that long a member of EISBRECHER so far. I am in the band since last December, mainly for the tour with J.B.O. so that were all new songs for me. ‘Miststück’ itself is a very strong song which is making a lot of fun and where I realize that the audience loves it a lot. If course I know the history according MEGAHERTZ and EISBRECHER, but I am not very involved into that and so, this is only a song for me. That’s also the case with other MEGAHERTZ songs that might find their way into the set. I just think they are great and anything happening around that, politically and so, there I am not involved and I stay out completely. Here, only the music counts and a great song is a great song.

RM: Personally I saw J.B.O. four weeks ago and I was very disappointed by the fact that they are very over the ground in my opinion. I had the band for interview two years ago and at that time they were different. Do you think that your success could make you losing ground?
EB: First I must add that I met the J.B.O. guys last year on the tour and sensed them as down-to-earth and nice people. I could not see that hey were losing contact to the ground at all. Singer Vito also visited out show in Nuremburg some days ago. Very nice of him I think. Well, it was a home match for him but he did not have to go. But back to your question. I don’t think that we will lose the sense for reality in any case because we are making music for our audience, for our fans, and we also know where our success comes from. It just comes from many people loving our music and it would be very impudent to dissociate from that. The music just lives from them listening to it.



RM: Which influence do you personally have on the musical development of EISBRECHER? How do you take influence onto lyrics, instrumentation etc.? Is there a certain flow?
EB: I think on the next EISBRECHER CD it will be different in the case that we all will record instruments live. So I think, the musical character will change into the more live and rockier feeling. Lyrically, Alex is unbeaten, so it would be impudent to interfere into that matter. Musically, I think I could give a certain influence due to my style. Anyway I have to take myself a bit back. I am also working in other areas where I can develop myself as bassist. Within EISBRECHER, only pure energy counts and I try to put that in and implement it. I felt very honoured by the band after the J.B.O. tour when they said they like what I am doing. I think that’s a good base to work together. I think that there will be definitely a musical cooperation and several possibilities to take influence.

RM: As said, the concert is over now. If you look back to the whole tour and remember that you’re going to the studio soon, which impression did you take with you?
EB: I got the impression that a “real” band has formed now, also according to the line-up changes which happened in December. I know my predecessor, Miguel, very well too. He’s a good friend of mine. So I was talking to him before I joined the band if it is ok. Sometimes leaving a band is like ending a relationship and as if I would have a new girlfriend now. So we cleared up things before so there is no problem at all. The impressions I got from the tour definitely are that we can get along with each other very well and will work together in a good way. It is a very funny relation to the others and also very professional and I think that’s a good basis to work with each other productively and anyone is respecting what the other is able to do because anyone has different strengths he can bring in. The new record definitely will be great!

RM: EISBRECHER had several line-up changes so far, a big seesaw. How do you think about your position in the band? Do you think it is tightened now or do you have the opinion that there will be fluctuations in the band again - what would not be pleasing for the listeners and fans? The fans usually see Alex and Noel as EISBRECHER, but the band is a complete empire. Where do you see yourself within it from today’s point of view?
EB: Of course I cannot look into the other’s minds. But I am someone believing what others tell you and the feedback I got was: I am in! And I did not get the feeling that there might be something wrong. So I think I have my standing. My position is quite tightened. I feel as part of the band and not as someone filling the holes. I make a living as bassist. I do my projects. But I think that EISBRECHER has an extraordinary position because there a band has formed and a band feeling has developed we think we can built up on it.



RM: Well, I think sometime you are fed up with that all here and want to relax behind the closed doors of the tour bus. So, nearly the last question: Which influences do the songs have on you and how do you arrange your private live before and after the tour?
EB: That’s just two questions at once. According the first questions: Some songs are really appealing to me, especially lyrically. Other songs I cannot really empathize, i.e. the song ‘Leider’ which deals with experiences I did not have personally. But I know people who made such experiences and so it is a bit easier to empathize. Musically, the songs all are absolutely my kind of stuff. This energy which is included in the songs, I share and carry it with me. I totally stand behind it and so I can say this music is really my kind of stuff. And now you wanted to know something about my private life (laughs). It is always the question what you want to reveal. My life outside of EISBRECHER looks that way that I work as bass player. I work in the studio for different bands. There are also other bands I support live on stage where a can also let go myself a bit. And than I have a surprise for you; that might be interesting for all bassists and drummers: I made a solo record together with drummer Greg Bissonette. You might know him; he worked i.e. with Carlos Santana. Well, Greg and I did a record containing only bass and drums except two songs where Matthias Eklund joined in who is a freaky guitar player. But besides that, there is only the power of bass and drums and so, I just want to give you a copy of my CD which you can give away to your listeners. The record is called ‘Bass Invader’. That’s just that kind of music where I can let go as bassist what I don’t do within EISBRECHER in that way and so some other facets are shown.

RM: Well, I cannot judge about it right now because I just got it. But we will give it away to our listeners. Question, how can you get all that work done, here a solo project, there EISBRECHER…
EB: I don’t sleep (laughs).

RM: Many artists say that they relax totally in private live with girl friend, wife and kids. Where do you get your energy from?
EB: That’s the same with me. Maybe the records label does not like this statement because they prefer the myth of a “free” musician, but indeed I am in a happy relationship for seven years now. My girlfriend keeps my back free and so she gives me the power to relax, to regenerate so I can do all there things.

RM: Very last question so you can finally relax in the tour bus and you because you have to go to Berlin for the gig there tomorrow…
EB: Tonight!

RM: Ok, tonight you have to go to Berlin but I have seen the tour bus and it looks very comfortable. Is there something you want to say to our listeners at the end?
EB: I just have to say: Listen always to Radio Morituri and you feel well!


Interview held in German by Jana Konopatzki of Radio Morituri; editorial work by Sebastian Huhn, translation by Daniela Vorndran.
All pictures from the Bochum show by Marcus Nathofer
{jos_sb_discuss:21}

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