Interview with Goran/Generous Maria

-First of all, when was the band formed and what were your previous bands?

Göran Florström: We got together 1998, I think... I hadn´t been doing
anything musicwise for a while, had been pretty tired of the music scene but
around 98 I really felt I wanted to be in a band again. So I teamed up with
my old friend Jeppe and Ulrik, a guitarist he played around with, and we
found the other guys and Generous Maria was born.. My prevoius band was
called Cloud Catchers. We did two albums and faded away.. Jeppe, the
bassist, was in that band as well for a while, played guitar on the first
album. The drummer Mats used to play in Mobile Mob Freakshow. And Danne, the
other guitarist, was in Mary Beats Jane for a while..

-Before your first LP Alone Records released a 4-track Split CD with Skua.
Have you recorded anything prior to this?

GF: We recorded a 4 track demo that never was released and wasn´t meant to
neither, just a few months after we got together in 98.. That´s about it.
After that we recorded what was to be Strict Nurse EP on the Split.

-Do you think the split CD contributed to the fact that your debut was
released by Lunasound?

GF: Well, yeah, definitely. The Split on Alone gave us a name in the rock
underground, we got really great reviews on the CD and it kinda paved the
way to the deal with Lunasound.

-The sound of Command of The New Rock has sort of a live feeling. Which
studio was the material recorded in and for how long?

GF: Most of the basic tracks are recorded live in the studio, in that way we
captured a kinda natural live groove to the songs.. Then of course all the
overdubs and the vocals are recorded afterwards. We did the sessions in a
studio here in Gothenburg called Grand Recordings and worked off and on for
a couple of weeks. Then the mix took some time, like a week - ten days..
Pretty hard work, but rewarding..

-Talking about the sound it's possibly worth to talk about the instruments
you use.

GF: I´m a singer so what do I know.. Mats uses a really nice Ludwig drumkit,
sounds great. Ulrik plays on a Flying V and a Gibson SG. Danne usually bends
the strings of a Les Paul and Jeppe has a Fender P-bass and a Rickenbacker.
Check out our homepage www.riffrock.com/generousmaria for more info on the
amps and stuff..

-What were the reactions on Commando on the part of the audience and the
media?

GF: The fact is that we´ve been getting raving reviews on the album from
everywhere. It might sound like I´m bragging but it´s really so. We are
pleased as hell with the response. From the crowd at the shows as well. And
it seems like we´ve reached out to countries we didn´t hear from before,
like now: Hungary. And Ukraine and Slovenia and countries like that. That
feels good.

-Is it difficult for you to write lyrics or does it come easily as the
feeling comes?

GF: Well, it depends.. Mostly it goes pretty smoothly, no problems, just to
dig in my mind for a while. But right now you caught me in a period when it
goes pretty slowly, I´ve got a bunch of half-ready songs to write lyrics to
and I don´t seem to be getting anywhere..

-Would you mind talking about a couple of your favorite lyrics?

GF: If you mean Generous Maria lyrics, I´m pretty pleased with the lyrics of
a new song called Devil´s Brood. It´s gonna be on a 4 way 7" comp. out on
Game Two Records soon. Check it out when it´s released and see if you
agree.. Otherwise I think that the lyrics that Bon Scott wrote were
outstanding, such humour and wit.

-Do you plan to make a video for any of the songs?

GF: Well, actually no. We should, no doubt about that, but don´t really see
how the finance would work out.. In the future hopefully.

-Where do you usually play outside Sweden?

GF: Nowhere as yet. We´ve only played Sweden so far.

-Do you like playing with bands of the same style or it's all the same and
all that matters is that more and more people get to know you?

GF: Of course it´s the most important thing to reach out to more people, but
it tends to be that we´re playing with bands in the same genre. Just last
weekend it was a great happening here in Gothenburg called Fuzzfest when we
played together with Dozer, Grand Magus, Abramis Brama and Souldivider. So
actually, mostly it´s like that..

-Sweden doesn'z seem to be in need of stoner-doom-retro bands. You possibly
have more of these than any other country in Europe. What do you think
might be the rason for this?

GF: No idea man, no idea. If I´d have a good answer on that I´d gladly
deliver.. It´s a mystery to me as well..

-Many bands don't like the "stoner" label. They not even like to be in a
category. What do you think about this term?

GF: Can´t say that I "like" that label, but can´t say I hate it neither.
Don´t really care that much about labels. Actually it helped us quite a lot,
especially in the beginning, to find the "right" people and zines and
channels and stuff. So, come to think of it, we should be pretty grateful to
the stoner label..

-Tell us about your musical roots.

GF: I think all of us have those 70s, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin roots, you
know. And for me personally it´s always been Iggy. He´s my housegod y´know,
especially the early records with the Stooges and The Idiot and .. well,
almost the lot!

-Finally, bands seem to have not reached the Central - Eastern European
region last year. Do you plan any concerts around here in the near future?

GF: No plans in that direction, I´m sorry to say, but we´d love to come to
Hungary to play one day. I´ve been to Budapest and Pecs (not sure on the
spelling there..) before and I love those cities and the country. I´m sure
that the rock people are great there.

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