{"id":26419,"date":"2015-04-20T07:30:21","date_gmt":"2015-04-19T21:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=26419"},"modified":"2015-04-18T13:41:41","modified_gmt":"2015-04-18T03:41:41","slug":"erik-ohlsson-of-millencolin-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2015\/04\/erik-ohlsson-of-millencolin-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Erik Ohlsson of Millencolin"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n<\/a>\u201cSo this time around we focused on how do we sound when we play live because when we play live that\u2019s really what we are and those songs we choose to play from our records sound a lot like the songs on the new album, so it felt like it\u2019s been a fun and great process trying to bring out the essence of Millencolin in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

From release: Most bands never make it this far in their careers, at least not without a handful of ex-members, lawsuits and various skeletons in their respective closets. And one listen to \u2018True Brew\u2019 will tell you that Millencolin are back, they\u2019re as strong as they\u2019ve been in a decade or more and they\u2019ve never lost that fire. \u2018True Brew\u2019 is the kind of album that sounds both timeless and modern, a record that could only come out of four adults who have been side by side since they were teenagers, who have weathered changing politics, shifting cultures and the rise and fall of all kinds of musical trends.<\/p>\n

We once again caught up with our old mate Erik Ohlsson of Millencolin who is always a pleasure to talk to, and he filled us in on the band\u2019s new album \u2018True Brew\u2019 as well as a look back at the band and much more\u2026<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s talk about the new album just about to be released, \u2018True Brew\u2019 I have to ask about the title, where did it come from and why was that the choice for the naming rights of the album?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s got a couple of meaning, in Swedish when you\u2019re making songs or coming up with riffs on a guitar we say that you boil some notes or brewing some notes and the four of us in the band we\u2019re really contributing, everybody to this final product which is the new album. So we both put in and I\u2019m doing all the graphics and the video stuff like that and Mathias write most of the riffs and Nikola wrote most of the basic ideas for the songs and stuff like that and we all put our work into the brew so it\u2019s like this album is a true brew of the essence of Millencolin in a way, and then Nikola in the last two years has started making his own craft beer and has got a small brewery at his house *laughs* so that was some of the aspect of the title as well.<\/p>\n

What can we expect on the album as there was mention of a bit of a return to your roots?<\/strong>
\nYeah, it\u2019s been seven years since our last album, and our last album \u2018Machine 15\u2019 we tried to do something we haven\u2019t done before, we had a Swedish chamber orchestra playing strings on two or three songs and we wanted a clean well produced product, we did the mixing in Hansa Tonstudio in Germany where U2 had mixed their albums and stuff like that, and that\u2019s fine but looking back on it it didn\u2019t look like Millencolin in a way. So this time around we focused on how do we sound when we play live because when we play live that\u2019s really what we are and those songs we choose to play from our records sound a lot like the songs on the new album, so it felt like it\u2019s been a fun and great process trying to bring out the essence of Millencolin in a way. Also looking back at what influences we had in the beginning, Bad Religion is one of the biggest influences of Millencolin ever and especially on this album. So it\u2019s a punk rock album, it\u2019s got more energy than in a long time.<\/p>\n

Crazily it\u2019s your first studio album in almost seven years, was it in a way hard to put together a new record after this long I mean was there too much material to choose from?<\/strong>
\nYeah\u2026 actually it was a long process, it wasn\u2019t a hard process but it was a long process and at one point we had like twenty five songs so you realise along the way that has to go and that has to go, but we started recording nineteen songs and we took it down to thirteen on the album and we\u2019ve got two finished songs we\u2019re waiting to release somewhere else, so we ended up with fifteen new songs. We still have half-finished a lot of songs too but I think we choose tracks to be on the album, but it was a great process and we own our own recording studio in our home town so it\u2019s been kind of easy for us to go in and out at what hours we want.<\/p>\n

In terms of song writing now, how does it differ to your last releases, is it any different now or is it the same formula?<\/strong>
\nI quite writing songs *laughs* I used to write a lot, especially on our first three albums but more of my creativity goes a lot more with the graphic side of stuff and of course I do my input but its Mathias and Nikola who writes all the music these days I must say. I guess I could but that pair is doing well so let them do it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 20 years this year since \u2018Life on a Plate\u2019 when you look back at that time did you even think you\u2019d still be making music two decades later?<\/strong>
\nNo no no of course not\u2026 it\u2019s weird, when we started a band there was never a thought of getting famous or playing outside of Sweden or whatever, not even getting a record deal so our whole career is kind of crazy from day one and we\u2019re really happy how everything turned out *laughs*. Of course back then you wouldn\u2019t believe that we would be here twenty years into the future for sure.<\/p>\n

Now earlier this year you were back for Soundwave, how was it for you this time around?<\/strong>
\nWe enjoyed ourselves, we did it back in 2011 the last time and then we did the Warped tour last year which felt like a mini Soundwave in a way, same promoters and stuff. We love it, and especially like Soundwave is amazing with all the bands, great weather, great people, great hotels and we just love it there.<\/p>\n

Prior to that you were here was for Warped Tour, but have graced our shores a number of times, do you have a favourite musical moment from touring Australia?<\/strong>
\nOooh\u2026 we always have super good shows there, we\u2019re always spoiled with really nice shows so there have been\u2026 Australia always seems to surprise us and we\u2019ve done some crazy stuff there. For example we did Big Day Out back in 2002 I think, and back then we played in front of the absolute biggest crowd we\u2019ve ever played in front of, I think it was 65,000 people and that\u2019s just one of those that you always mention in interviews. Then club shows being so great and the first tour we came out for and it was The Living End and Bodyjar opened up for us and that was fun and especially since after that tour and a year from that The Living End took off like crazy.<\/p>\n

So what do you still enjoy about being a part of Millencolin?<\/strong>
\nI love everything about it man, and I also think that we realised that this is our lives, I\u2019ve been a part of Millencolin way longer than before I had even met the guys, so this is the biggest part of my life and I think I just realised that hey this is us and we can\u2019t do anything else or we shouldn\u2019t do anything else *laughs* so it feels really, really good and I\u2019m more excited than ever. Also releasing this album just feels so good and bringing so much positive energy and we\u2019re looking forward to the future\u2026<\/p>\n

Lastly, let\u2019s look ahead, finish this sentence for me, by the end of 2015, Millencolin will\u2026<\/strong>
\nWill\u2026 continue touring on the new album \u2018True Brew\u2019 but by that time we\u2019d have been doing a lot of shows so far and will continue into 2016\u2026<\/p>\n

And keep going and going\u2026<\/strong>
\nYeah I guess so\u2026 *laughs*<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00d6rebro, Sweden<\/p>\n

Band members:\u00a0<\/strong>Nikola Sarcevic \u2013 Vocals & bass, Mathias F\u00e4rm \u2013 Guitar, Erik Ohlsson \u2013 Guitar, Fredrik Larzon \u2013 Drums<\/p>\n

Forthcoming Release:<\/strong> True Brew (Out April 24 – Epitaph)<\/p>\n

Website:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0http:\/\/www.millencolin.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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