Schandmaul
No Musician Is Happy Just Practicing At Home

10.10.2012

Uproarious Germans Schandmaul are just about to visit our town and throw another folk rock party. As part of preparations for this joyous event, we addressed a few questions to bassist Matthias Richter, as he took up responsibility for public relations in the band while mainman Thomas Lindner was on vacation. Matthias said straight away that speaking English is not always easy for him, but as the other Schandmaul members have even worse relations with this language, he was chosen as the spokesman. Nevertheless, we had a very pleasant and honest communication, and not much, if any, of it was lost in the translation.

You will be playing in Russia in October. What can you say about these shows?

I think for us this coming to Russia is really special this time. Maybe you know, we tried to do it in spring this year, but we had to cancel because Thomas, our singer, was very ill. He had a problem with his vocal chords. So we had to cancel the whole tour, also in Germany… But now we’re coming to Russia in a few weeks and these will be the last concerts of our tour. We’ve been playing over last two years, so these shows will be really special. We’ve been to Moscow before and it’s always been so great being in your country, so we’re looking forward to go there again.

Have you prepared anything special for the Russian audience?

Well, no. I think we can’t do anything special except just play. That’s what we always do when we’re having a concert, so we hope that we all will have a great time when we play our concerts, but there’s no special plan. We just come, have fun and hopefully play a good concert.

Which city do you look forward to see more, Moscow or St. Petersburg?

I have only been to St. Petersburg once, but back then it was called Leningrad, it was such a long time ago. It was when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old and I spent my vacations with my parents in Finland actually, but we made a trip for 5 or 6 days to St. Petersburg. That was the only time I went there and I think I’m the only one in the band who’s been there. With the band we’ve traveled to Russia, but we’ve only been to Moscow twice. I think the rest of my band don’t know St. Petersburg and I don’t know it either, because it’s been so many years since I was there.

Your band will celebrate its 15th anniversary next year and you’re planning some special events. So can you share some of your plans?

Next year we won’t play any concerts except the band’s 15th anniversary concerts. We’re planning to go to the studio in spring, to make a new record and then in summer to play these two shows. We’ll play on Friday and on Saturday. On Friday… Years ago we did a kind of acoustic DVD with orchestra, so on Friday we’ll play this concert again and on Saturday we’ll play, let’s say, a normal rock show, but, I think, an extremely long one. We will also have some other bands, because it won’t be only our concert, we’re planning to do a festival, so there will be other bands we know. We’ll make it in Cologne this time, it’s in the central part of Germany. I think it will be nice. We hope so. It looks like it will be great. So we’re looking forward to it, though it’s nearly one year to go, but we hope it will be great, successful and everyone will have a great time.

Are the bands that are going to participate in the festival your friends or just some bands you like?

On the first day there will be a band called Saltatio Mortis and this is a band we all know because we played so many festivals together. Exactly on this day when they play the festival they will release a new record, so they’ll play something new. The next day we will have some other bands like Omnia, but it’s not all planned so far. But anyway all these bands are the bands we’ve known for years.

Are you going to release a new DVD this time?

No. This time not. Last DVD we did was for our 10th anniversary and it was really a great thing. For us it was a very emotional concert. So we decided that our next DVD… Or at least we’re planning to make a new DVD when Schandmaul is becoming 20 years old. But we’re really thinking about it. I think that next year we will film something during that weekend and form a video, but we’re not planning to make a DVD.

You said that you’re going to record a new album quite soon. Can you reveal some information about it?

Yeah, but there’s not so much to tell at this point because this year was not easy for the band. The feeling was good and the understanding inside the band was good as well, but our two girls had been pregnant and gave birth to their babies nearly at the same time, so we had much stress with playing and working as musicians. We also changed our record company and that was also not so easy. So we had much work and actually now I can say that we’re on our way writing new songs and we still have some ideas, some of them are more “fixed”, some are just like “starting” ideas and at this moment I can’t tell you much about this new album except that we’re planning to go to the studio in spring, so we have a lot of work to do during these months.

As far as I remember it took you about a year and a half to record your previous album. Will there be any strict deadline this time? Or will you just go with the flow?

This is quite fixed. Maybe we won’t be able to keep our schedule, but we’re planning to do so. We’re planning to release the album in the beginning of 2014, in January, and then to start touring again. So we’re going to record till our anniversary shows. But you have to know that when we’re making an album it’s not like the recording is finished and then the album is finished and then it’s released. Actually we need much more time after finishing the album… The record company needs time for promotion and so on, so we have to deliver our finished record and then it will take some time, maybe half a year, to make the release possible. Music business is a hard business. But still we’re very lucky that we can do this job, because it’s what we like doing. So it’s okay.

But you know, 15 years seems quite a long time. Don’t you get tired of your “folk madness” from time to time?

No, I think no. Since the band started we’ve been growing with each year but in very small steps. And I think it’s very good, it’s healthier, because your mind can grow with the band. And we also learned to have some breaks. Next year we’re going to relax a bit after touring because we’ll record our next album and play only anniversary shows. I can say that many people have to work much harder than we do. But always being ready to pack your suitcases and go on tour is also a bit hard for your body and everything. We love this, but we’re taking a break next year and just concentrating on making a good record. And when in 2014 the new record is released we’ll be fit again and will enjoy going on tour.

As you said two of your band members gave birth to their babies this year. Don’t you think that it’s becoming harder for all of you to work as musicians when you’re getting older and have your families and some responsibilities you didn’t have before?

Yes, maybe. I think having a job like that and being in relationship you need to have a partner who really understands what you’re doing and has no problems with letting you go on tour. Living with a person like us is sometimes hard. Actually I’m the only one who has no relationship, but I had one for the last 8 years and I can say that all the other members are married or have really long relationships and it works quite well. Birgit (Muggenthaller-Schmack, flutes, bagpipe) had her second baby this year and when the first one arrived he was not even two months old when he went on tour for the first time. And everything gets different when you have a small baby in your tour bus. But still it works. And as I said when I compare my life to my friends’ lives, I see that many people have to work harder than we do. Of course we work hard too, but we’re free people. We’re friends and we’re making business together. It’s different from when you work in a company and have a big boss over you… I think we’re in a quite comfortable situation and we can handle it and it’s not really a big problem. Children are great even though it can be hard sometimes.

Once you said you’re really proud that you’ve never done anything in your life except playing your bass. But don’t you ever regret not having any other profession?

No. But I have to say that actually I’m working every Tuesday in a photo studio and for the last years I’ve been making a lot of video stuff for the band, not music videos but other things we were putting into the Internet. And I study that, I like that photo and video stuff very much, so I work in a studio to become good at it. But I don’t have to work there because I already have a job I really like and I’m not disappointed that I haven’t done anything else. I think I was very bad at school, but that was also connected to that every evening I was with a band practicing. I think I made this decision very early in my life, I decided that music is the main thing I’m living for and I want to be a professional. And you can’t do many things at the same time. I think it won’t come to a good point, so you have to concentrate on doing just one thing. And I did. And I’m very happy I made this decision.

Is it true that you also play contrabass, and can you use this ability with your band?

I have a contrabass and when I started playing the bass I also had some contrabass lessons. But I have to say it’s really a different instrument. If you see someone playing the contrabass you can notice that you have to use only three fingers. It’s also much bigger, so you really need another technique and I’m not really good at it at this moment because I don’t have much time to practice. But it’s a long time project and I hope that maybe in future I can also play the contrabass quite good. But when being on tour it’s difficult. It’s such a big instrument and it’s so sensitive because it’s made of wood. All the basses I have on tour are much better for making rock’n’roll because you can pour your beer over it or something and they are not so fragile. And if we play a ballad or a quiet song, I can also do it with my bass. But talking about our future work, if there’s a song that a contrabass will fit in, I will try it. And if it’s good enough, it will be on the record, if it’s not good enough, I’ll take another bass to do it.

How’s your side project Weto doing?

Well, we released a CD, but that was one year ago, in August, I think. We did a small tour last year and this year we just played some small festivals. We’re quite relaxed with this project because we can only do this project when we don’t have to work for Schandmaul. We make our living off Schandmaul and it would be a very big mistake if we were putting too much energy into Weto. It’s really important now to write songs for the next Schandmaul record and this is topic number one. We’re planning to make a new CD with Weto and it will be quite easy to manage it because four of the five members of Weto are also a part of Schandmaul, so we have time together or we don’t have time also together. We’ll see when it happens next time that we can do it. Maybe next year, maybe in two years…

Thomas said it’s like with Schandmaul you’re kind of “living in the past” and with Weto you’re responding to the modern situation. What time do you personally like best, at least music-wise?

Well, Schandmaul… Yes, it sounds like music from the past because of all these violins and bagpipes… These are not the instruments for making rock’n’roll, for modern music. And also the lyrics of Schandmaul are kind of fairy tales, mystic things and so on… And of course with Weto we can stay in modern times. I can’t say what I like more. I like both, yeah. And as long as I’m the world’s worst lyricist, I can’t write any lyrics, so I find the lyrics we have with both bands really good. With Weto it’s great that we can play a bit harder music, which has no space in Schandmaul. And we can experiment a lot because nobody is expecting anything from that band. We can just do what we like. But I think the mixture we found inside Schandmaul is really special. The whole scene in Germany is quite big, but there are some bands that are quite similar, they also have the medieval instruments but are more like doing metal music. There are also some bands with the same instruments which are only playing folk and real medieval things. And with Schandmaul I think we do both a little bit. And we like it. For the last years we’ve been developing and I think we have good understanding and that’s what’s really important. I think Schandmaul is the main thing in our lives and we’re trying to hold it and to keep it safe as long as possible.

You’re really energetic during your performances. Where do you gain your energy from?

Well, I think we’re making music and I have to say that no one who’s starting to learn how to play an instrument is happy with just practicing at home, in his room. I think playing and making music for people, seeing people enjoying your concert, enjoying your songs, having feelings for these songs are the greatest things you can ask for as a musician. And as for me I can say that music is my strongest transmitter of feelings and I have a very big library of CDs and I listen to nearly any kind of music – it only depends on the mood I am in. And when you’re on stage you can see people crying, you can see people celebrating or dancing and what warms my heart is when I look around and see all the people enjoying our music and having a good time. That’s the greatest thing you can reach with your music. So it’s not hard to get some energy when you have to work on stage. It’s more like you get your prize for practicing for a whole week in your bedroom alone. Seeing people when you’re on tour is always great.

Well, apart from listening to music and making music, are there any things you enjoy doing?

What I personally like doing… Well, I started doing sports again after a while. I think it’s a great thing to do, especially if you have to spend so much time touring. It’s not a secret that traveling and being on tour in not healthy living. I agree with being a little bit self-destroying and I like drinking beer. I think it’s a part of the job and I accept it. But it’s really important to do different thing when you’re at home. You have to live healthier, do some sports… So I like that. I like eating and also cooking because it’s good for your mind. I also enjoy the times when I can meet my friends. It’s sometimes difficult during the summer months and when you’re on tour, because all the friends you have generally have to work from Monday till Friday and then on weekend they have a party together, but you can’t be there because you’re going to work.

Yeah, talking about your cooking… I was surprised to see that on your personal page on your band’s website you posted a recipe of some dish with mushrooms…

Yeah, I have to say that when I put that recipe on the page (and I was supposed to write some kind of biography there), that day I really tried to cook that thing and it was really great so I decided to write about it there. I really like cooking. When I was younger and lived with my parents they really had only one hobby and that was eating and cooking, so coming together to eat was really a big part of our family life. During the last half a year I didn’t really cook that much, because as I told you before I’ve just finished my relationship. I think it all ended before last Christmas, but we lived together for half a year more. Living together when you’re not really together is nothing good, I must say. But now I cook a bit more and I really like making food. I think without eating everyone will die, so you need to gain energy for your body from food and it can also be the energy for your soul.

Then, if you’re such a good cook, you must like people to come to your place, am I right?

Yeah, I can say that what I don’t like is clubbing. I travel so much and being in a night club where you can dance but if you want to talk to somebody you have to shout is not really comfortable for me, I have enough of it. I like more being around with my friends, having parties at someone’s house, like at my friend’s or mine. I prefer to spend my time with people that I know for quite a long time. This is what I enjoy more. But of course as long as I’m single again I have to leave the house more often if I’m not going to stay alone for the rest of my life.

Being a musician you have to travel a lot, so are there any countries you prefer?

I’ve been to Finland three times and I like it very much. Last year I spent ten days in Estonia and I really liked that also. With my ex-girlfriend we visited Thailand some time ago. Well, it was a good time, but for me it’s too far and not my culture. I prefer being somewhere where I don’t feel like a tourist and where people see that I’m a tourist only when I open my mouth. For example if I’m going through Moscow I think that maybe I’m not looking like most of Moscow people are, but you can’t see from one kilometer that I’m a tourist. It feels more comfortable for me. For example, in Thailand they seem to think that I can afford everything, so they came up to me asking me to buy something all the time. I don’t feel well when I have this stamp on my head, “I’m a tourist”.

I see. And talking about your band’s future plans, are there any goals you want to reach as soon as possible?

Nothing spectacular, I think. We moved to a new record company this year, so when we release our next CD it will be the first album we record with the new company. Of course we’re looking forward to see what will happen with this new partner on our side. Hopefully they can do better than our last company could. But as I told you before with Schandmaul we’re having everything quite slow. And we like it. I think it’s really healthy for the band and also for the members inside the band, when it’s not going too fast in one direction. So we’re just planning to do the same job we’ve been doing for the last 14 years. Of course we had some mistakes. Music business is hard. There a lot of people who say, “oh, that’s great” and blah-blah-blah, but actually it’s not the nicest business. But we’ve been doing this for so long that now I think we can look into the future with a great feeling. We still want to do as a band at least 15 years more and it’s the biggest dream we have. Of course we hope that we won’t go backwards but will grow little by little. If it can happen like this we will be all quite happy and satisfied. We also will try doing some other things. For example, we’re going to make a book for children. We’re working with a guy who writes some stories for children and with a girl who’s making pictures. So we’re planning to make a book with stories, pictures and a CD. We will record some songs which are funnier and are not the typical sound we have. I think this will be released in the end of 2014. We’re not hurrying with it. I think we have this idea because so many members of the band became parents.

That’s an unusual thing to do really! But don’t you have a dream of becoming a superstar one day?

Hmmm, no. I think that the band we have has no chance to become big, famous world rock stars because all the music we’re making is German. What I think we can reach and really want to reach is… You know, everywhere - and here in Germany as well - there are some bands that have existed for 30 and more years. They’ve become a part of German music history. And if we continue doing what we’re doing, I hope that we can reach this state. And this would be a great thing. But I won’t be like Robbie Williams and this could never ever happen to me.

Is there anything to tell your Russian fans before coming to Russia, you’re welcome to do that.

Okay. We’re so looking forward to coming to Russia and we hope that we’ll have a big party like we had when we came before. I have to say that it’s always been great when we came to Moscow, because when after the concerts we were talking to the people they were so interested and so friendly and I also found it really great that so many Russian people can speak a little bit German. But it was like we even felt a bit bad because I remember a girl coming up to me and saying, “Entschuldigen Sie, dass ich so ein schlechtes Deutsch spreche”, and I was thinking, “oh, my German is not so nice”. And the second thing is that it’s me who came to your country, so you’re not supposed to say “sorry” for things like that. Anyway, we were really sorry that we couldn’t come in spring and we hope that you understand that there was no sense in going on tour with an ill singer. I also hope to see some people who came to see us when we came with our previous shows. And please bring all your friends with you so that we’ll have a really good party.

Schandmaul on the Internet: http://www.schandmaul.de/

Special thanks to Alexei Kuzovlev (The Motley Concerts) for arranging this interview

Ksenia Artamonova
September 18, 2011
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