VööDöö

Vöödöö is a four piece hard rock band based in Bergen, Norway. Their debut album, Ashes, is one of my top picks of 2018. The record is a complete representation of the varied musical styles of Vöödöö. For a more comprehensive review of Ashes check out the October 30th 2018 piece in the Eclectic Music Lover. The band consisting of Goran Stavang Skage (Vocals), Sveinung Fossan Bukve (Guitar), Stian Brungot (Bass) and Giuliano Antonio LoMonaco (Drums) were kind enough to give AMP a lengthy interview.

AMP: I know this is a basic question but how did the band form?

Vöödöö: Basic questions are always a good place to start! Initially it was drummer and bandleader Giuliano who wanted to start a band. So he asked around and found bass player Stian at a local jam spot. After some auditions, or more like informal jams, guitarist Sveinung proved to be a total match, personally as well as musically. The last member slot to be filled was vocals. It’s funny how different the sound landscape would be without Gøran. The first vocalist we tried had this Axel Rose thing going on.  And his name was Aksel as well. Haha. We decided to try some more vocalists and we were just blown away by Gøran’s vocals. Unaminously we voted yes to Gøran after the first rehearsel with him. From that point it’s always been us.

AMP: Your music is raw and powerful but at the same time melodic and bluesy. Where does the band find it’s inspiration?

Vöödöö: It’s really strange how we all come from so different musical backgrounds. Before Voodoo separately we were playing everything from pop to punk and salsa. We are all inspired by quite different artists but we think bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead and Billy Clyro need to be mentioned. At the same time we try not to limit ourselves to one genre. If that song needs a bluesy riff, we include it. If it needs something else then we go somewhere else. In that way we can mix it up and have great fun with our music.

AMP: How was your first album, Ashes, received in Norway and abroad?

Vöödöö: We didn’t have any clue how our music would be received but we can say we were positively surprised! We worked so hard over the many year on our songs. Yet you still can never be sure how the audience receives it. You go blind in the songwriting and production process. But in total most of the reviews have been good as well as the feedback from friends and others. This for sure has motivated us to make more music and hopefully we can do an even better second album.

AMP: Your single “Lay Me To Rest” got massive hits on Spotify. How did that make the band feel?

Vöödöö: It was actually one of the first songs we wrote. It went through many versions before it ended like it did. We worked hard with the riffs, tempo and melodies. We even had this huge Hammond organ part which we stripped down to fit the song. Eventually we felt that this had to be our first single and you can say we didn’t regret that decision. Watching how the song got included in more and more playlists, including some really important ones, was a big kick for us. We feel that the song is a good reference point of what we are – HEAVY SOUL!

AMP: Every song on Ashes is amazing. Absolutely no fillers. Each song can stand alone but together they form a cohesive vision. Was that intentional?

Vöödöö: Well thanks, that’s a great compliment! We don’t think we intended it to be like that but we did cut out some songs which we didn’t feel was right for the record. In collaboration with our fantastic producer Stamos, we ended up with nine songs. Some songs are guitar driven. Some are heavily based on the bass line or drum part and some are concentrated around a specific melody or text. We tried to mix it up as much as we could but in a way to fit the “whole”. We also experimented with different scales, rhythms and guitar effects so that every song would have its own sound but still be part of the bigger feel of the record. All in all we feel each song had something particular about it that would make our listeners enjoy it in a different way.

AMP: From watching your videos the band seems to have a great stage presence. When can we expect a world tour?

Vöödöö: Haha, anytime soon. Setting up a tour nowadays is not easy but we can’t wait to be playing big stages. Though we may sound good on record, our music really has to be enjoyed live to grasp the “Heavy Soul” concept. When we feel everything is right and in place we’ll hopefully do a world tour. First we are setting our sights on a European tour.

AMP: I can envision you sharing a bill with bands like Alice In Chains. Who would you like to tour with today and from the classic rock era?

Vöödöö: Good question! If we could chose a band from the classic era we think we would have to go with Black Sabbath or Deep Purple which is more representative of us than Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones. Today we would love to tour with Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead and yes, like you mentioned, some good old grunge band like Alice In Chains. We believe our music is broad enough for a lot of different audiences but we are not in a position to be picky about who we tour with. So if any headliner who likes our music invites us on tour we really wouldn’t think much about it. We just want to play and spread our music.

 

 

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