Hiya folks thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today, grab a brew and take a seat.
What made you decide to that music is a thing for you?
Thomas Charlie Pedersen: Pretty early on I figured that I would never really become a master at an instrument since I didn´t really have the patience to practice scales and stuff like that. But I knew I wanted to become a songwriter because that´s what excites me the most. I still feel that writing a song is a total mystery and the fascination is therefore undiminished. I think I have a lot of respect for its trickiness and strange ways and I always try to take a humble approach to it. Writing a song is the part of the music I like the best. It just feels great to create something.
Introduce us all to the members and your musical history?
The core of the band is my younger brother Daniel & I. We have played music together since forever. We have a mutual understanding of each other´s approach which has proven hugely beneficial when writing and arranging. Even though we now live in Copenhagen, we grew up in the countryside surrounded by music. Our father had a lot of instruments in the living room so it always felt like visiting a candy shop. It was just natural to pick something up.
What’s one question you’re sick of being asked when interviewed?
Nothing really. I have already been asked the same questions a few times while promoting our new album, but it doesn´t bother me too much really and I understand it´s a part of the game.
We set up RGM USA and many other countries in the world to share music with INCLUDING RGM DENMARK good idea?
Sounds like it, yeah. But gotta admit I need to look more into this. You caught my attention for sure.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories?
No, obviously. But I would need a clear definition of it first. Our new album deals a bit with topics that have become distorted and I believe this is probably one of them.
Did you buy anything you don’t need in the pandemic?
No. Because everything we spent money on was related in some way to creating our new album ‘Funhouse Mirror’. When the lockdown period began we suddenly had some more time on our hands and felt like using it creatively. The entire album was created during this period of time and we felt it a necessity. Therefore I believe we spent money in a meaningful way.
What useless party trick do you have?
Well, I don´t attend that many parties. But when I do I have a habit of leaving it without saying goodbye to anybody. This is because I don´t want to attract attention by announcing my departure. So I wouldn´t really call it ‘useless’ but some people have complained about it even though it makes perfect sense to me.
What was the most fun you have had on stage?
Probably when we toured Japan once. I couldn´t communicate with the Japanese. Then I learned myself a few phrases. They laughed. I probably sounded weird. It was hilarious.
What was the worst experience on stage?
Once we played a gig where someone started a fight during the quiet song in the set. That was also a weird experience. Chairs and beer glasses just flying around. Felt like the wild west or something.
Tell us something about you / each member that you think people would be surprised about?
Well, I don´t know if it´s a surprise but we do spend a lot of time recording demos of the songs before we do the recordings for an album. But once we do the album, we want the process to be as swift as possible.
If you had to describe your band/music to an alien how would you describe it?
Hello, Alien. We´re a human band writing songs about human behavior.
What makes you stand out as a band/artist?
I don´t know. But I sure hope we do.
Right now, what’s pissing you off the most?
Oh, a lot of things, haha, don´t get me started!
What’s your favourite song to play live and why?
I really like playing the song ‘Baton Rouge’ from our Peninsula album. It just creates such a special mood. At least for me.
What can you tell us about the album?
It´s an album called ‘Funhouse Mirror’. It´s our fifth full length album release. It started out as it usually does by making demos of songs and at some point we felt like we had enough songs for an album. I think this is our most cohesive album to date and possibly our best. I think we´ve become better at doing everything the right way, recording-wise.
Talk me through the thought process of the album?
Well, to be honest, there wasn´t much thought at all. We´ve previously aimed at big album concepts but for this one we just wanted to make a great ‘normal’ album with 10 songs. It´s the first album where Daniel and I wrote everything without songwriting input from our guitar player Rasmus and it possibly made the process smoother in terms of making the tracks fit together. Now we´re only two decision-makers though we may also disagree at times.
That said, we began to think of a funhouse mirror as an idea for artwork. It was basically Daniels idea. It usually is. And I thought it was great since it seemed to work well with the lyrics and overall mood of the album. A funhouse mirror gives me associations to something circus-like and I think we have some vaudevillian elements in the music. I don´t know. It just seemed to work.
What was the recording process like?
We spent a lot of time working on the demos. The process intensified during lockdown. The recordings were a bit tricky because we had studio time cancelled twice due to Covid and we were recording with someone located in Sweden and New York City, respectively. Thankfully, all the parts came together in a nice way and the album was a joy to make, mostly. When it wasn´t, it was due to things beyond our control. So yeah, a little bit stressful at times but I think we always knew that the album would be done at some point. I think the whole Covid situation helped us to focus and keep us on our toes.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the album?
Probably that persistence and a little faith will go a long way. It seemed, at times, as if the road to bliss was cursed and we had to rely on destiny a few times. We never really questioned the goal or our own efforts to get there but Covid really made the world different during that period of time and it was a little nerve-wracking to say the least. Speaking of the songs, they all came quite easily this time around.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
I think the biggest difference between Daniel and I is that he´s quite the perfectionist and I´m not. I´m usually way more restless as opposed to Daniel who can spend hours on end working on the same little detail until he´s satisfied. That doesn´t mean I´m not aiming for the best, I am, but I also strive to maintain some spontaneity. But that usually makes me not want to hear the record once it´s finished. I did, however, listen to it a few days ago and I found myself not really wanting to change anything. It holds up just fine. That´s usually not the case. I always feel like we could spend even more time on especially the vocals. I don´t think of myself much as a singer. But I think we did pretty good.
What are your plans for the year ahead?
Maybe do some acoustic shows and then start work on new songs.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
I would like to thank you for the questions. It was fun.
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