Hiya folks thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today, grab a brew and take a seat. Thanks for letting us Premiere your new video too, we will get to that shortly, but first.
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
From the teenage obsession with rock. Not content with just looking at the posters and listening to the records. Saw the 80’s videos full of girls and guys wreaking havoc. Just had to have a go at it!
Introduce us to all to the members and your musical history.
Kjetil- Main songwriter, guitarist, and founding father of Razorbats. Previous bands; Abnormal and the highly successful Surferosa.
Martin- Bass guitar. Previous band; Borderline Bitches.
Asle- Guitar. Previous bands; She Said Destroy and Babylon Bastards.
Christian- Drums. Previous bands; Incense, The Dogs, Tsjuder and a host of others. Currently active with Gothminister and Beaten to Death, beside Razorbats.
Paul- vocals and yours truly. Previous bands; Hollywood Vampires (no, not that one..), Kill City Bandits, and Virginia Hill.
Name me your 3 favorite Albums.
Alice Cooper- Hey Stoopid
Ramones- Rocket To Russia
Pogues- Rum, Sodomy & the Lash
What was the first song you heard that steered you into a music path?
School’s Out- Alice Cooper
The music industry is the hardest industry in the world to progress in, How do you feel you are doing?
All right, it is climbing for every move we do now.
But we want it to move faster! We have a new strong label, so we believe the new album will take us to higher and bigger places!
I’m seeing a lot of debate about women not feeling safe at music gigs, any thoughts on what we need to do to help?
Hmm.. Maybe the guys should enjoy the shows without ripping off their shirts, throwing their expensive beers in the air and slamming into each other. Let the girls stand in front of them, maybe they even get to take one home at the end of the night..!
As you develop as an artist and develop using socials what ways do you get new ears on your music? Any tips?
Aw, man. I am not the right guy to ask. I kinda hate social media. But, you just have to get it out on all platforms and hopefully, it catches on. Pay someone to plug it, I suppose..
Tell us Two truths and a lie about you.
Truth; the name Razorbats is cobbled together just because it sounds cool.
Truth; we love glamrock just as much as we like hard rock and punk.
Lie; that we are actually considering breaking up the band
What’s your thought on Spotify’s monopoly on the music industry?
Not good, of course. Monopoly never is. We have a wine monopoly in Norway and the prices are ridiculous..
Do you sign up for any conspiracy theories?
No. Can’t say I or we do. Look at things from multiple angles and make up your mind.
Did you buy anything you don’t need during the pandemic?
No, needed every beer and record I bought.
What was the worst experience on stage?
I played half a show firmly believing I had crapped my pants and performed like a flogged dog. But it turned out I hadn’t, so it was a total waste of nerves.
Tell us something about you / each member that you think people would be surprised about.
Martin is actually not Italian, even though he looks like it.
I like to go skiing and I’m a grand master in Phantomology (Lee Falk’s The Phantom). I also have a hunter’s licence
Kjetil plays Magic, the card game.
Christian is not evil, despite his tenure in extreme metal bands and the occasional use of the moniker antiChristian
Asle is a librarian.
What makes you stand out as a band/artist?
That we kinda fit in on any festival. We are pop enough for the kids, fast enough for the punks and just heavy enough to live for a metal crowd(when they need a break from growling).
I hear you have new music, what can you tell us about it.
It is the most band-written record so far, so it has got slightly more variation than previous efforts. But we are not reinventing the wheel here. It is just more powder in the rock n’ roll canon.
Talk me through the thought process of the new tune/s.
I can only speak for the single right now. It is about the age-old balance between leading a wild rock n’ roll life while trying to keep it together in the «normal” world.
The album touches upon every aspect of the relationship between girl and boy, I can tell you that.
What was the recording process like?
A lot of stops and starts, because of the pandemic. But once we got going, we nailed drums, bass and rhythm guitar mostly live, tighten it up where it needed, and put vocals and jingle jangles on afterward.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
We learned to trim off unnecessary fat, with the help of our producer.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
More cowbell, perhaps..? No, we are really happy with it!
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
There are so many cool bands besides Kiss, Ac/Dc and Guns n’ Roses etc. Look beyond the obvious greats and do some digging. There is a real treasure-trove of things to find!
Thanks folks, let’s celebrate this band and their brand new video that we are premiering right here 👇
Here are a few words on the Premiere…
“The song is a cross between the gnarly sand rock of The Hellacopters, the powerpop of Cheap Trick and the anthemic pop-metal of Def Leppard. The brand new video for the single “(Maybe It’s Time To) Break Up The Band is a high energy all out performance video made by renowned Norwegian lighting designer Daniel Sorensen, who is well known for his work with artists like Turbonegro, Wardruna, and Dagny. The video captures the confusion and frustration of the songs lyrics at the same time as showcasing the band as a stellar live act.