Dutch retro-rockers DeWolff are currently in the middle of a mammoth tour around Europe, supporting their fantastic 2018 “Thrust” album, which was released earlier this year. Influences from the rock n roll days of Led Zeppelin & the Doors are heavily apparent in DeWolff’s genetics. The band, which comprises of brothers Pablo (singer/guitarist) and Luka van de Poel (Drums), as well as Hammond organist Robin Piso, has previously described their sound as raw southern psychedelic rock. The Rockpit caught up with Robin shortly before the band took to the stage at a large outdoor festival in Switzerland, to discuss the new album, festival line-ups and how he chose to play the heaviest instrument in the band…
Sean: Hey Robin, thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us at The Rockpit. I know you are in the middle of your huge European Tour. Things must be pretty manic right now for DeWolff. You guys just don’t seem to stop at the moment.
Robin: I’m real good thanks. Yeah that’s true man. We released the album in May and we’ve been on tour ever since. We are currently doing festivals. Today we are in Switzerland with a show tonight. Yesterday we did a festival with The Black Angels & Seasick Steve. And at the weekend we are playing at Lowlands, which is one of the biggest Dutch festivals of the year – they have The Gorillaz there, King Gizzard, Kendrick Lamar… it’s a big, big event with all kinds of bands.
Sean: I’ve been looking at the timeline of your previous album releases & tours and there just never seems to be any gaps.
Robin: Yeah, we work pretty quickly compared to other bands. We tour, and then we just get back straight back into the studio where we start writing, then recording and then back out on tour again. It’s like the cycle of our life [laughs]. We release an album every one or two years.
Sean: I’ve been looking forward to talking to you guys because DeWolff has come up in a few interviews lately – I’ve asked some bands who they are listening too right now and DeWolff & Greta Van Fleet both have come up on more than one occasion.
Robin: Wow, what in Australia?
Sean: Yes, so you must be doing something right musically. It’s been 5 years since you were last here…
Robin: Yeah, 5 years since we cracked our last “tinny” [laughs}
Sean: So the latest album is “Thrust” and it’s had rave reviews all over Europe. It’s a great collection of songs. Can you tell me how that came together? And do you really only write in the studio and not when you’re on the road?
Robin: Well, we have our own analogue studio, so we started writing some new stuff in January 2017. We spent some time in there writing, recording and mixing and we were finished around August. Then it took around 6 months to release it because we had to find a record label. We didn’t really tour for that time until the album was released. So, no we don’t write while touring but sometimes during sound check an idea might pop up so we try to elaborate on that idea when we get back in the studio.
Sean: Why was “Thrust” selected for a title?
Robin: We were looking for a strong word to describe the vibe of the album. A lot of the songs have a thrusting vibe to it. It sounds powerful and maybe a bit sexual too.
Sean: The previous two albums were released under your own label, Electrosaurus. Why did you move labels to Mascot for this new release?
Robin: First and foremost we are a band, but we needed to release music after we left our previous label. So we formed our own label to do that – but there is only so much you can do as a band. A record company’s job is to sell records and they do this through publicity & promotion – that’s their job. Our job is to write music, recording albums and playing live. So we got Mascot on board with the “Thrust” album and it’s doing the best of any of our previous albums – so we know we made the right decision.
Sean: Do Mascot allow the same freedom in your song writing as you had on your own label?
Robin: Yes certainly. Mascot is mainly focused on one or two genres of music – normally guitar or bluesy stuff, and we fit pretty well in there so they understand us and let us work freely. But we had already finished this album before we started working with them, so they couldn’t change much of that [laughs]. But we pretty confident that the next album we write, they will give us full creative control.
Sean: That sound you have is reminiscent of that 60’s & 70s “never-gets-old” rock, with influences hailing from the likes of early Deep Purple, Hendrix & Zeppelin. Your Hammond organ is one for those iconic sounds throughout the album. Where did the musical journey start for you?
Robin: Yeah man, that Hammond organ sound is great. There are also some synthesisers through the album too, but mainly the Hammond organ. For me, I didn’t really come from a musical family background. I started in primary school with the recorder [laughs] which was kinda funny. And as I was growing up I found I wanted to play a more real instrument, so my parents asked if I wanted to try some music lessons. So I had a guitar lesson and a piano lesson and chose the guitar because I thought that way, I could carry it anywhere. But then I brought a keyboard from a friend of mine and found myself playing that more and more. So my parents asked if I wanted to switch and so I started playing the piano…and now I’ve ended up playing one of the heaviest instruments out there that I can’t bring just anywhere [laughs]… but I do have to bring it everywhere. It’s on tour with us now and in the back of the van and it’s pretty heavy, but it sounds so cool so it makes it all so worth it.
Sean: Are the fans enjoying the new songs in the live shows?
Robin: It’s going real good. The thing is with our previous albums, there aren’t a lot of songs from them that we wanted to play live… we tried but they just didn’t work. So when we play live we like to go the more rock n roll side of things than the psychedelic. When writing this latest album we had that in mind… easier, groovy tunes – something you can dance to, instead of very complicated rock operas like we tried on our 4th album. So every song from Thrust plays well live, which is great. And the audience seems to love this.
Sean: The reviews I’ve read of the live shows you’ve been doing have been fantastic, so more reason for you guys to come back to Australia soon, for some more “tinnys”.
Robin: I still remember when we last played there. I did my first surfing… had my first boat ride… lots of firsts, so we can’t wait to get back there. And of course the “tinnys” [laughs].
Sean: Just a change in direction, if you could sit down and chat with 3 other musical artists, dead or alive, just for a couple of hours who would you want to talk to?
Robin: For me John Lord would be the first one, as he was such an influence on my playing. I could talk to him for a long, long time. Robert Plant would be another – I managed to talk to him for 3 minutes once [laughs] but it wasn’t long enough. We met him at another festival in Switzerland a year or so ago and it was just a quick chat and I managed to get an album of ours into his hands – I wonder if he ever listened to it [laughs]. We could talk about it in those two hours [laughs]. And I would definitely like to sit down with Paul McCartney. And also maybe…
Sean: …Hang on. Do I need to pull up an extra chair at the table?
Robin: Yes please [laughs]. Probably Cory Henry, the jazz pianist, because he plays with a really cool grooves and style so I would love to sit down with him. But the other 3 are more memorable [laughs].
Sean: So what tunes are you currently listening to?
Robin: Do you know The Arcs? It’s a project from Dan Auerback from The Black Keys. So that’s pretty cool. I’ve also been listening to Aretha Franklin over the last week with her being very ill in hospital (this interview was the day before she sadly passed away). The album she recorded in the Muscle Shoals studio is so good… so pure. I love that. Her voice is amazing. Do you know The Staples Singers? Mavis Staples did a really cool album around 2013 and there is a song “Eyes on the Prize” which is so cool – such a great sound. There is a huge source of inspiration out there which just never ceases to stop.
Sean: So back to the tour – this takes you onto February 2019. That’s a long time out on the road.
Robin: Yeah, like I said earlier, it’s festivals for us at the moment and then in October we head to France and then Spain. In November I think we are then in Germany & Austria, and Switzerland is in there somewhere too. Then in December & January we are back in Holland. It’s not too bad because everything is so close in Europe. Australia is so much bigger, hey.
Sean: Not wrong. So how long is your set tonight?
Robin: Well, we are on for an hour tonight, which is good – it would be a shame to play for just 15 minutes [laughs], especially dragging the organ all the way from Holland [laughs]. We get so many surprises when we play these festivals – we really don’t know what to expect sometimes [laughs]. There are so many different bands and that’s the fun thing. So yesterday, as I said, there were The Black Angels, Seasick Steve and even Luther Dickinson, who was the guitarist with The Black Crowes for nearly 6 years, he did the last two albums – we had so much fun with him, he’s a really cool guy.
Sean: Well you need to start getting yourself sorted for the gig, so I’ll finish by asking if you could pick one song to be credited with writing, what would it be?
Robin: That is so hard. I don’t know if I can pick one song. There’s a George Harrison song that is just so beautiful but I can’t think of the title. Maybe even Seven Nation Army [laughs] because that has, like the best riff ever. No, that isn’t it. I can’t pick one…for me it would have to be an album and the album that comes to mind is Made in Japan by Deep Purple. For me that album changed my life and the way I play the Hammond organ. If this album is what I’m remembered by, then I can die in peace, because I know it can change other people’s lives too!
Sean: Fantastic answer Robin – albeit with a bit of cheating [laughs]. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us here at The Rockpit, especially knowing you’ll be going onstage shortly. Good luck with the tour & album and we hope you guys can get back to see us here in Australia in 2019 sometime.
Robin: You’re so welcome. We hope so too. Thanks Sean.
