Nog even wat leesvoer jongens:
MOB 47
1. Hello Ake! I am honored beyond words (and feelings!) that you have agreed to do this interview! It's a common sentiment with many other "legends" of your stature that you old gods do not like to be put on such pedestals or revered as demigods...but I think the new attention and nearly electrical excitement to the reformation is an understandable (and modestly expected?) reaction! So let's get right to it...why the nearly 20 year wait? What was the spark that got 2/3rds of the band going again, and why wasn't Jogge interested (I know he got bored in the early days...but why not a little reunion today?)? Is this a long-term reunion or a limited "just for fun" thing? I know you are playing a few dates in Sweden next May, correct? Any chance of grabbing Per for a few impromptu Protes Bengt songs??? Smile
In '87 after we split up then band I moved to Malmo which is about 6 hours carride from Stockholm where the other lives.
All the members put the music away but Chrille and I have kept the contact through these years and many times we have talked about playing music again.
When we met a friend of Chrille who played the bass the feeling to play again got bigger and we tried to play together and that was really cool.
Then we called Jogge and he was excited the start the band again, now as the singer.
We gonna our first gig May 25 2006 in Stockholm (maybe with some Protes Bengt bonus songs) and if everything works fine we're gonna play as many gigs as we can.
2. How did you go about finding Johan, is there much of an age difference between him, you, and Chrille? The videos you guys have on the site it shows him fitting in just fine! Is he from any other bands, or just a friend? Is the band writing some new material, or are you just going to redo all the old classics? Again with the videos, the one of Nuclear Attack you guys sounded like you hadn't skipped a single decade (with the exception that Chrille doesn't seem to be 4/4 C-beating ["Chrille Beating"] anymore...not that I'm complaining at all seeing as he's FASTER!!!). So, was it much work to get back into the groove...or did you guys already screw around on your instruments over the years (you know, by yourself after work with a beer to relax and such) that you never really lost any stamina?
Johan is 38 years and a neigbour that Chrille meet around year 2001...he have never played hardcore punk before but used to play bass in some metal projects. We are writing some new songs but the main thing right now is the gig in May 2006 so we are practising the old songs.
It's going pretty good though it's almost 20 years since we last played those songs.
3. I'd like to dispel many rumors that have accumulated around the band over the years...please don't think them silly (maybe they are fun rumors to you guys...if you are even aware of them). So here goes: Is it true that Chrille played drums for TASTE OF FEAR's debut CD in the very early 90s (his name was used for that of the drummer on it). Rumor 2: You had become a member of Sweden's bowling elite, correct? So you were a pro bowler and also inherited your parent's bowling alley? I believe there is a picture (years ago) of a Japanese crasher-crustie visiting with you at the alley somewhere on the internet. Rumor 3: When the band heard FEAR OF GOD for the first time, it was said you guys vocalized that F.O.G.'s "energy" was what Mob 47 was attempting (even if the styles were different), is this true? And finally, something I've been curious as hell over (it's more Protes Bengt related), was the ridiculously packed (105 song) demo that Protes Bengt was inspired to beat the infamous Genocide Association demo that Dig/Earache was a part of?
We haven't played anything since we broke up '87 so all the rumors that we appear on any recordings or any bands are not true.
Rumor 2 is altough true. After we split-up I concentrated on bowling. From 1988-1991 I was a member of Team Sweden. I had 215 average.
Protes Bengt was a silly project with members from MOB 47 and FILTHY CHRISTIANS where “the goal” was to beat the number of songs on a casette tape. There were a band in Sweden who had released a casette tape with lots of songs.
We recorded around 70 “songs” on my portastudio but then we realize that the songs where too good to be on casette tape so I contacted a studio to see how many songs that will fit on a 7” EP...the result is “In Bengt we trust” EP.
4. Please don't think this is a stupid question Ake, I'm seriously dying to know (It's eaten at me for over a decade!!!)...what does the name "Mob 47" mean? Is it to be taken literally, as a "mob" of activist people, or does it happen to be a Swedish word as well? And why "47"? The name as a whole has an air of sounding "hard" and pretty brutal (and kind of exotic) especially matched to the music! I've Googled the name before and got pictures of old Swedish men (what the hell???) Also, what did "Censur" translate too?
The name MOB 47 doesn't mean any special...we wanted a short name and then the number 47 was added.
5. What does the band get up to these days job/lifewise? I know you're still fond of your classic punk...do you still have those original records or have any contact with those band members? I read nearly 10 years ago online that in the mid-90s you were also into poppier Swedish punk at the time. But "back in the day" (and now) how did you create the "droning" aspect to your riffs (what were you hearing in your mind?)? It's been said so many times you took influence from Discharge (duh!) to early Boston hXc, yet I don't see any of that except for the "speed" and the Discharge-style song structures (2-3 riffs, riff/chorus/repeat etc). Did "talent" have as much to do with your riffing style or were you spiritually "channeling" that "energy" I had mentioned earlier? I mean, you guys are just fucking insane! The band has a "crush" feeling like earliest grindcore (but being 120% punk instead!)!
I sold most of my record collection when we split up the band, but I have of course kept the records that meant most to me...you know...MINOR THREAT, CRUCIFIX, M.D.C, GANG GREEN, D.R.I etc.
Our songs and especially the early ones are were much influenced by DISCHARGE but with the speed from the U.S hardcore....We then later found a little different style but I think it's quite easy to hear if it's MOB 47 or not....we have a little special style....I think and hope the new songs will fit into the picture.....
6. How did the Speedstate 2xCd happen? I mean, that shocked me to my core when I first heard about it! The early Distortion disc made sense, seeing as the label is Swedish so tracking you guys down for it wouldn't be hard (as well you'd only been broken up 8-9 years at that point I think)...did you approach Speedstate or was it them? What made you choose Speedstate? When I picked up that release I pretty much shit my pants, as the Distortion disc left so much awesome stuff out (it's a good "best of" disc...but as shown by the Speedstate disc there was more of a story to tell)!
It was Shoko from Speedstate that contacted me that she wanted to release our first tape “Hardcore attack” as a CD. She wondered if there was anything else unreleased and I found the DISCHARGE-songs and some other. It all resulted in a complete discography with all stuff recorded.
7. Why were there never any other official releases when you first existed? I think it's a crime that you guys had soooooo much material and no other labels would release you (especially since you were popular right away with MRR). Taking just one version of each song you wrote (I know you did a few retakes) you could have had at least 2 12"s or a dozen eps (he Discharge-covers session would have made killllller fun release! You sure chose the right songs for it!)! I mean, I'm totally at a loss why you ended up seeing more vinyl in bootlegs years after you broke up!! How did this make the band feel over the years (and even when you were still together!!!).
We were just about to record a 47-track LP (we had about 40 songs and wanted to add some covers to get to the number 47) when we split up. To see all the bootlegs is just fun....
8. All the demos and your friend's bands were recorded so amazingly! It honestly sounds like a basic 8-track and not a cassette 4-track! How did the process of recording work? Did you "dump" tracks into others to "split channels" for multiple instruments (that makes me think a lot of Crudity, especially with them being a 5-piece!). Everything is eq'd so perfectly (did you guys have a pre-mixer too?)...I'm really fucking amazed to this very day how excellent the recordings sound! How did they sound to the band, and how long did it take to record and mix (I take it you did all this? You would have made an excellent soundman Ake!)? Oh man I gotta ask you, any plans of re-recording in a "real" studio, as I'm sure people would shit their pants if the band had the heaviness of a classic Sunlight Studios death metal production haha!!! On a sadder note, I'm sure if Nasum's guitarist were still alive, he'd be heavily honored to record you guys (especially with the great lengths Krigshot went to duplicate Mob 47's style).
We recorded everything on a portable 4-track studio. The recording process was no special...we put 4 mics on the drums and recorded on one track...and added guitar,bass and vocals. Drums and vocals was then mixed to one track so one more guitar could be added.
We will see if we're going to a real studio or if we're going to to D.I.Y.
9. Have you heard the other Mob 47 style bands such as Frigora, Instinct, Ferocious X, and Loutish? Many crust/discore bands obviously admire you, but I'm curious why there weren't more exact imitators...seriously the above mentioned bands all sound like they could be brutal continuations of Mob 47's sound. What did you think of Crudity having the same style? Did you think they stole it from you or was it all an accident haha! (I worship the shit out of Crudity too!). Man, there wasn't a single riff you wrote ALSO counting all your other projects that was "filler"...once again I'm extremely surprised at how prolific you were! WHOOPS...whatever happened to the "unreleased" songs from the very first Protes Bengt jam...it was like 60-70 songs right? I think Per once said that vocals were never recorded for the last 30 songs, so only the first 32 songs that became the ep was released.
CRUDITY was really really good and good friends with us....the drummer/vocalist Tommy later joined us as the singer.
As a said before....we recorded around 70 songs and 32 became the EP....the tape with the songs is lost....
I've heard a demo with Loutish.....that was really good...
10. Your thoughts over the years with seeing the band's "legend" never dying out. How did/does the band handle being recognized from time to time and having the same questions and praise heaped at you (or seeing Mob 47 shirts and patches on kids, the endless bootlegs, the endless talk over the past 20 years)? Still, there must be a part of you guys that are happy that you helped spark an entire musical genre, and played a major role in putting Sweden on the map for vicious, unrelenting thrash! I think I can second-guess you that you think that punk still has a vital message of "release" and value today, correct? The band even back in the day weren't really fans of "practical anarchy", right? So your feelings on extreme activism now as "adults"?
We were never an anarchist band though the lyrics were anti-government, anti-police etc....
The lyrics today gonna slightly different....
11. Stupid stupid stupid fucking question...top 10 current punk bands from anywhere in the world that you like...and a separate 10 ten of other genres that give you pleasure!
I still like the old bands: MINOR THREAT, POISON IDEA, CRUCIFIX, D.R.I, GANG GREEN, JERRY's KIDS, M.D.C, DISCHARGE, TERVEET KÄDET, NEOS
Other bands I like: METALLICA, D.A.D, ANTHRAX, TURBONEGRO, SLAYER...
12. This is it! I could ask a billion more questions, though I'm sure this batch here has been overwhelming for you Ake! Please leave any vital info and contact here! The world scene is rejoicing at your return, even if it is temporary! I am so happy I had the opportunity to do this with you!!! Fare thee well old god...and ETERNAL respect!!! (P.S.: What did you ever do with your old leather? HAHA!)
I just want to say how nice it's play with MOB 47 again and I'm overwhelmed with the response from all over the world. Hopefully we can do some tours overseas....it would be awesome.
Check out our website for further information:
www.mob47.se
Cheers
Ake
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