Kategorien
2016

Shut Up! Twist Again! 23.10.2016 interview

Interview time with Shut Up! Twist Again!

I was able to see these French guys playing in Munich and here is the follow up interview with Shut Up! Twist Again!


Lucas from Shut Up! Twist Again! Johnny from Shut Up! Twist Again!

RTC: Who are you guys, please introduce each band member one by one. Name, job in the band, shoe size, why the hot chicks should choose you and not him or whatever
Jerome: Hallo!
I’m Jerome, I’m 28 years old, I play the guitar and I sing. Lucas is 22 and plays the drums and vocals. Johnny is 26 plays the guitar and vocals. Thomas is 25 plays the bass and vocals.

RTC: Since when is Shut up! Twist again! around?
Jerome : We started the band during the end of 2013 and we made our first tour during the next summer in 2014

RTC: You are coming from?
Jerome : We are from the Basque Country, we don’t live in the same cities we are between Bayonne and Hendaye (you can check on internet it’s beautiful) but 5 years ago I moved to Bordeaux.

RTC: Do you surf?
Jerome : No, I tried during 2 weeks but I stopped, I am too lazy to spend my time waiting for good waves. But I have a good level in Ski cause the mountains are not so far from our house (less than 1 hour)
Lucas : I used to do it a couple of weeks when I was 14 but I was not so good at it (and my fuckin cousin’s broke my surfboard, so I quit !)
Thomas : No, I always preferred eat a tasty ice cream near the beach!
Johnny : I started young in my city’s club but I’ve quickly joined Thomas near the beach.

RTC: What is the place to be in your hometown?
Jerome : Bayonne.

RTC: And when you are not on tour, which is the best bar/restaurant where you hang?
Jerome : I go in a lot of spots in my hometown but if you are in Bayonne you have lots of chance to see me in a bar called “San Nicolas” or I in an associative bar with friends called “Pena Sale El Sol”.
Lucas : I guess a good beer in front of my hometown’s beach fits perfectly for me !
Thomas : Before, I was all time in the „Kanttu“ Basque bar situated in Hendaye, there was a lot of good concerts and amazing people there. Unfortunately, this place is now closed like many others… So now I drink at home, with my friends obviously!
Johnny : I was often in the „Kanttu“ too… now I go to eat some tapas and grab a beer in the harbor of Hondarribia in Spain.

RTC: Good concert places from where you are from?
Jerome : Unfortunately, lot of places closed during the last 5 years, there are some places still open but it depends on the teams doing the gig.

RTC: Where can I get your record (on vinyl) in your hometown?
Jerome : Some labels have our vinyl but for the most important part we have our merch on bandcamp or with us on our gigs of course!


Jerome from Shut Up! Twist Again! Thomas from Shut Up! Twist Again!

RTC: What was your first record you bought?
Jerome : The Offspring – Americana
Lucas : Limp Bizkit – Greatest Hitz
Thomas : Shakira – Laundry Service
Johnny : Nirvana – Nevermind

RTC: And the last one?
Jerome : Against me – Shape shift with me
Lucas : Hot Mass – Nervous Tensions
Thomas : PUP – The Dream is Over
Johnny : Downtown Struts – Victoria

RTC: How many records/ singles does Shut up! Twist again! have released?
Jerome : We have two albums you can listen here : https://shutuptwistagain.bandcamp.com/

RTC: Can you make a living out of your music?
Jerome : Of course not, it’s not the goal and nearly impossible when you play alternative music.

RTC: What do you do to earn the money for life?
Jerome : We all have jobs beside

RTC: Does it work out with your “Pay What You Want” at the merch desk?
Jerome: Yes, we are not professional sellers, the merch is a way to help the band and most part of people understand that. That’s why people can fix their own price and decide how much they can give

RTC: What is the average that people pay for the vinyl?
Jerome : I don’t know but it’s around 10 euros

RTC: Highest price paid?
Jerome : Maybe 40 euros! It’s rare of course but sometimes people give us money and they say take it, it’s not for vinyls, use it for recording, gasoline, etc.

RTC: Here is some place for that fucker who did not pay anything but took your stuff:
Jerome : This doesn’t happen a lot, but in fact when it’s under the cost price we refuse to sell or it depends on the guys. If it’s a kid and he enjoyed the gig and before going I can give a cd for example. But “pay what you want” it means you have an idea about the costs of making a vinyl or a t-shirt. If you have money you give more if you want, if you don’t have you can give but you can’t give something disrespectful for example under 4/5 euros for a vinyl.

RTC: How many days a year are you on the road?
Jerome : For the two last years, we played around 200 gigs…

RTC: What is the main difference between playing in France and Germany?
Jerome : There is not a lot of difference cause inside each country there are differences. Some places are more rock than others. The scenes are very close cause the same bands tour in France or Germany. I can’t tell you a main difference.

RTC: Beer or wine?
Jerome : Whatever the answer it could be tasty to drink!

RTC: When travelling on a tour, you have your own van?
Jerome : Yep it’s kind of obligation, when you have your own van you can play everywhere and everytime you can. When you are often on tour, it’s less expensive than renting.

RTC: How many are you on tour?
Jerome : It depends the minimum is 4, we made a tour with 8 people until Russia and 9 in Spain and Portugal. But often we are 5, we take Chuck our best roadie/photograph/merchguy with us.

RTC: What was the best thing while this time in Germany (OK you met me, but I asked for the BEST thing!)
Jerome : Playing 2 gigs with The Dictators in front of a lot of people I think it’s a pretty cool thing (just after meeting you of course!)

RTC: How did you come to play with the Dictators NYC?
Jerome : Stefan from M.U.F.T help us a lot, he’s a very nice guy!

RTC: Could/ can you learn anything from them?
Jerome : Not really, but it was fun to drink some beers with “legends” and chatting together about lot of things.

RTC: Any tip/ help for other bands on tour from you guys (what can they learn from you)?
Jerome : Not really, do your best to find places and go on! Even bad luck happen is still fun!

RTC: What made you start making music?
Jerome : I don’t remember, my parents listen a lot of music (rock music of course!) since I was a child I’ve this influence, I started to learn guitar when I was 4/5 years old.
Lucas: My parents pushed me to choose an instrument and take lessons when I was 7
Thomas : At that time I knew Johnny, he already played guitar and we started to play together in a garage of a friend who was drummer.
Johnny : I started to play accordion when I was 10 years old cause my parents are portuguese… hahaha after some years my father finally understood I’ll never be the new one „Joaquim de Magalhães Fernandes Barreiros“ (Quim Barreiros) then he bought my first guitar!

RTC: Which bands did influence you?
Jerome : Lot of bands like Against me!, Dead to me, PUP, Title Fight…..

RTC: What about French bands?
(my French band knowledge is quite bad, I know Ludwig von 88, Berurier Noir, The Hatepinks, La Flingue, Jean Michel Jarre, Mireille Mathieu, Les Thugs and Shut Up! Twist Again!, haha)
Jerome : Whoa very different things you know! We have a pretty strong DIY scene in France, in fact there is less people coming to the show but the numbers of cool bands increase ahaha. This is a list : Guerilla Poubelle, Sport, Quitters, Intenable, Totorro, Heavy Heart, Not Scientists, Justin(e), The Traders, RAVI, Monarch!, Wank For Peace, Birds in row…

RTC: Why should more people listen to Shut Up! Twist Again! ?
Jerome : Kind of mathematics when you played a lot, you meet a lot of people no? By the way when you make the thing honestly people see it, that’s why the alternative scene is very attractive for me. The guys drive all the day to make a gig, take a drink and speak about things just for spend time together. Sometimes, music is in the background is not the most important.

RTC: What was your first show?
Jerome : For the first show we played with The Decline! and Burning Lady (2 French bands famous maybe you know cause they play often in Germany) it was cool for a first time. And like every first time not the best but it was not catastrophic too.


Lucas from Shut Up! Twist Again!

RTC: (for each of you) Imagine you are God and you are able to set up a festival of your choice, name me the five headliners (even dead people or dissolved bands):
Jerome : Obviously we are all agreed to choose, Bruce Springsteen, The Pogues, Rage against the machine, The Who, Queen, Nirvana, The Clash and if I’m god I can add one more : The Ramones!

RTC: Before giving a highly intelligence statement to my readers, one more question, How would your mother describes your music to her neighbors?
Jerome : Good question. I think she says punk rock but she adds “they are nice guys”.
Lucas : I think she speaks more about the fact that I spend a lot of time in other countries than specific style of music we make.
Thomas : My mom is a fan of the band! I guess she says: „my son has a band, he plays guitar and he’s a rock star!“.
Johnny : I think she describes our music sound like Johnny Hallyday but a bit louder!

So thank you dear reading for taking your time, now go and listen to them and when Shut Up! Twist Again! are coming around, try to catch them live, they are worth it!

Kategorien
2016

Shut Up! Twist Again! 14.08.2016 Garage deLuxe München


Shut Up! Twist Again!

Bonjour, da knallen die Franzosen Shut up! Twist Again! als Vorband bei den Dictators NYC ganz ordentlich rein. Hat mir gefallen, intensiv dargebotener Punk Rock. Wild and Wicked. Geile Action beim Konzert in München in der Garage deluxe und tolle Energie bei dem Shut up! Twist Again! Auftritt, die Jungs werden wieder angeschaut und hier geht es zum Band interview.

Ben, dis donc., the french Punks Shut up! Twist Again! really kicked it. They have been playing before The Dictators NYC at the Munich show (Garage deLuxe) and I really liked the energy and the power they were setting up on and in front of the stage. Good one and when they are back in town, I wanne see them again. Might be that a Shut up! Twist Again! interview will follow.