Mark talks to liv jangrell about the bands plans for a rocking 2011!
MD: We love the new CD ‘True Sound of the Underground’ it made No. 22 in The Rockpit.net’s Best of 2010 but was my personal No.3 pick: it’s an amazing album and a real progression from the debut ‘Switchblade Serenades’ are you pleased about how the sound has changed the first release?
LJ: Very pleased!! This is the kind of sound we have been trying to capture over the years and finally we feel that we found it. More punch and rawer but still those Sister Sin melodies, you are gonna hear more of that in the future!
MD: It also has to win ‘Coolest album title of the year’: where did that name come from?
LJ: Coming to the U.S a couple of times now we noticed all these metalcore bands talking underground this, underground that, so we thought it would be fun to stir shit up and call our album “True Sound of the Underground” – Plus it is a cool soundin´ title.
MD: What sort of response are you getting to the album from elsewhere?
LJ: I would say we have got very good response, especially in the US. Maybe we alienated some of the old fans when stepping away further from the sleaze sound but we´ve definetly gained a lot more fans with this one. It has been cool to see that there´s a lot of people who listen to heavier music who can appreciate Sister Sin aswell.
MD: I love the fact that there is no ballad on the album; it’s so refreshing to see that from a rock band. How conscious was that decision?
LJ: That was sort of conscious yes, we are not the ballad type of band and would never put that type of song on the album just for the sake of it. Never really had the urge or need to write a slower, ballad type song but who knows? Maybe one day? … but probably not! (laughs)
MD: Lyrically the content of the album is a little on the aggressive side which makes it a bit different, who writes the lyrics?
LJ: That’s Dave the drummer, he is great, and may have some deep dark aggressions! (laughs)
MD: ‘Better Than Them’ is in a trailer for an episode of Star Wars – The Clone Wars. How did that come about?
LJ: Have no idea actually.. It was a fan who saw the trailer on Cartoon Network and recognized the song. We asked our label and our publishing and they had no idea either why they chose a SS track. Probably luck? I guess that somebody, whoever chooses the music for commercials, is a Sister Sin fan!
MD: When can we expect something new from you guys? It’s been months!
LJ: We are going on tours during the spring so that’s our first priority, but we have already started to write some new material and we will try not to wait very long for the next record. We’ll probably start recording after summer and the Festival season is over. So hopefully a new album will hit stores next Fall.
MD: How was the US Tour this year? Back in August I narrowly missed your Fresno show as I was flying home that day. That’s what three US tours in as many years?
LJ: three tours in two years actually, and the tour with MSG turned out great. Some trouble around marketing stuff & with promoters but the audience was surprisingly positive, if you think of the bands we shared the tour with (Lynch Mob as well), we are kind of heavier but people seemed to like us a lot.
MD: Have you noticed a change over there? Are more people talking about Sister Sin?
LJ: Yeah, we could definetly tell on this last tour there were alot more people coming out to see us, so that was really cool! Still a long way to go though & we plan to tour U.S as much as possible and every chance we get.
MD: What is it like to tour with bands like MSG and Lynch Mob?
LJ: at first it was kind of weird since maybe we didn’t quit fit in that category, but their crew was great, helped us a lot and the audience as I said before was amazing, so it was all worth the extremely long distances between every show. We travelled for example between Texas and Boston MA for 1 show which is insane! (laughs)
MD: wow that’s a massive trip!
MD: You’ve also played with legends like Motorhead, Doro and W.A.S.P. What is the biggest thrill about playing with bands like that and what do you learn from them?
LJ: Of course that is a dream to play with these bands ‘cuz that’s the music your born and raised with, and your idols, so that has been amazing to be able to do that! All of the bands you mention have been surprisingly humble and down to earth which is really cool. So I guess we didn’t learn too much from them in that sense but a lot more about them!
MD: Tell us about your influences, anything out of the ordinary?
LJ: Well maybe, I listen to a lot of old soul like Aretha Franklin, and I really do love Jethro Tull very much. Otherwise one of my biggest influences is Dee Snider, he is amazing on stage! I also have to say Pantera; I never get tired of Pantera!
MD: We love Dee and saw the Twisted Sister guys last year at Rock N America they were great! As a singer do you have a role model or a vocalist you particularly admire?
LJ: Well yeah, it’s Dee Snider again for the stage presence, and singers like Glen Hughes, Jorn, Aretha Franklin and Eva Cassidy for the sound of their voices!
MD: What does ROCK mean to you?
LJ: That’s my world! It means everything to me; a way of life, a way to live, to think and keeps me driving forward. The music has such power, love and feeling I cant find somewhere else and in something else. It’s how I live and breathe basically!
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MD: What inspires you to make music day by day?
LJ: It´s a way to express myself that gets pretty addictive and something im not able to do like that in other ways. I love to perform, sing and everything that surrounds music. I dont find a “normal” life very appealing so that´s a big motivator and inspiration to keep on doing what we are doing.
MD: From ‘Street Metal’ ‘Working Man’s Metal’ and ‘Early Motley Crue’ I’ve read many descriptions of your sound, how would you describe it and what is the biggest compliment you’ve been paid musically?
LJ: I find people or journalists describing and comparing our music to a lot of various bands and I honestly dont care or have the energy to care even if it´s waaay far off from the map, whatever suits you ya know.. But personally I would describe it as Heavy Metal, not in the modern sense but the definition of Heavy Metal back in the early 80´s with a somewhat up to date sound and style . I think all of your descriptions above fits pretty well too, I hope it shines through that we are a working-class band, honest in what we do & dont do songs about “crazy pool parties”, white limos and other cheesy shit and pretend we´re a Hollywood band roaming the Sunset Strip!
MD: That’s so cool and refreshing to hear Liv! You can now download your CD for an amazing $5.00 on I-tunes surely that’s something only people without the CD would be foolish to miss out on?
LJ: Yeah, I understand that most people don’t buy CDs when you can download something for free off the Internet, but $5 bucks… c’mon, even my unemployed friends can afford that and not break a sweat. I challenge your readers to do it, it´s totally worth your time and hard-earned money!
MD: Oh I agree I picked up the CD in the States and I’ve played it so much I might be needing another one soon! So what does a band need to do these days to get noticed with people’s attention spans seemingly at an all-time low?
LJ: Don’t jump on the bandwagon, stay consistant, tour as much as possible, interact with your fans and hopefully they stay loyal.
MD: How can people keep up to date with Sister Sin?
LJ: Swing by www.sistersin.com and we got news, tour dates, and everything there. Also all the essential links to our official Facebook, Myspace, YouTube and whatnot.
MD: If you could have been involved with the creation and recording of any album or piece of music what would it have been and why?
LJ: I would want to say Pantera and ‘Vulgar display of power’, but I think they actually were a pain in the ass to work with so noooo… It would have been cool to hang around Metallica and Bob Rock when they recorded the Black album, not a major fan but just in terms of budget, producing and the amount of time they spent with it compared to today’s productions. Any early KISS album would be sweet; I wouldn’t change a thing either, just sit there while a piece of history was being made!
MD: And an easy one to close with! What is the meaning of life?
LJ: now you are getting to deep here haha, I have no clue, just live your life and try to do what you love!
Many thanks for taking the time to speak with us Liv, and thanks again for giving us such a great album in 2010 with ‘True Taste’ and best of luck to you and the guys for 2011!
