Digression Assassins interview with Johan vocals for DA interview by Sean WWTO

http://www.myspace.com/digressionassassins
digressionassassins@hotmail.com
http://www.ampire-records.com
http://www.myspace.com/ampirerecords

First off i would like to thank Johan and Digression Assassins for taking the time out to do this interview with Worldwidetakeoverzine

How did the band come to be named Disgression Assassins and is there any special meaning behind the band being named this

Since I wasn't in the band from the beginning, I am not really sure, but I think that the drummer wanted the word "assassin" in the band name and the first singer wanted the word "digression". So the words were combined into something that more or less symbolize what we do, breaking rules, or killing rules.

who are some of the bands main musical influences

I can't answer for the whole band, but as a singer my personal influences are vocalists like Eugene Robinson of Oxbow, Blixa Bargeld of Einstürzende Neubauten, Mike Williams of EyeHateGod, Nick Cave, not that I sound like any of them but they are an inspiration to keep doing what I do.

I can say that we're all into Gonzo Hardcore, Metal, Punk, Rock and Alternative Music.

what are your views on fighting at shows

As long as everyone fights someone who want to fight them back, go for it. Just don't drag people who are there to watch and enjoy, without getting a punch in the face, into it.

for someone who has never been to Stockholm and is planning a visit for 5 days what would you recommend for them to see and do while there as well are there any other cities that you would recommend to visit as well

That totally depends on what kind of person you are. I don't know if there any of interesting things in Stockholm, you have a couple of museums, but again, what are you after? If you want to get some cultural creds you can visit museums, art galleries and memorable spots in Stockholm, but I wouldn't recommend Stockholm to a tourist, maybe because I live here, but I don't think Stockholm is an interesting city. Sweden has a pretty dull history compared to other european countries.

are any members in side projects other than Digression Assassins

Not for the moment, and haven't been as long as I've been part of the band.

how long has the band been together

DA was formed in 2005, now it's only the drummer and the guitarist (who started the band together) who are left from the original line-up.

how many cds eps 7 inches split cds and demos has the band currently released

Two demos, one selftitled and "Attack and Avoid", one self-released EP "Next Step Can Only Be Supposed" and we are now releasing our debut album "Omega" on Ampire Records in Germany, we hope to have it available in the end of May/beginning of June.

what do you base your lyrics on when writing new material

All sorts of things, I've studied philosophy, I read a lot of poetry like Baudelaire. Lagerkvist, I read newspapers, I love provoking authors like De Sade, Dennis Cooper, Gabrielle Wittkop, so the thing that most lyrics end up in is criticism, against mankind, religion, society in a, hopefully, provoking form. And since I'm a singer/lyric author it's impossible to not get inspired by other artists lyrics if you read them.

how can the readers from around the world contact you about ordering merchandise

Best ways are either www.myspace.com/digressionassassins or directly at digressionassassins@hotmail.com or contact the label www.ampire-records.com / www.myspace.com/ampirerecords

is there a large and thriving scene in the Stockholm area as well as throughout Sweden

We haven't come across a lot of acts playing odd, extreme music, but there are a couple of acts out there who try to push the limits.

when is the best time to visit Sweden in your opinion

Also depends on what you want to do and where you want to go. For some reason, I'm not comfortable with recommending Sweden to anyone.

is this the original lineup and if not what is the current lineup

This is the current line-up, but not the original one.
Vocals: Johan, me in other words
Guitar: Mattias
Drums: Adde

We used a friend to play bass on the album, but live it's been us three since June last year.

if you could have anyone do guest vocals on your next recording who would it be and why

We had the old session singer Mischa from the "Next step can only be supposed" Ep on this album and I think our voices work together really great. My first gig with Digression Assassins, we did together, it was his last one and my first so we shared the stage. Could I pick anyone, I would like Justin Pearson of The Locust or Wes Eisold of Some Girls to come and do guest vocals on our next album.

does the band have any plans to tour the USA in either 2009 or 2010

We want to, if anyone can get us enough gigs so we can afford to come, lend us a minivan and a map, we're there.

in only one sentence describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before

Intense, insane and passionate destruction of musical rules, with a sense of groove, haha. More or less.

when the band is on tour in the van what is usually playing in the cd player

Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Meshuggah, Entombed, Locust, Mars Volta, Rage Against The Machine, stuff we like.

how were you first exposed to the scene and what made you say i want to be in an band

I come from a more metal/alternative oriented background than the others, they been playing punk and hardcore earlier, and they are a couple of years older than me. I started as a singer in a Black Metal act, and did that for two years, after that it was death/grind, drone, noise, ambient and noisecore. First time I heard Locust I was 14 I think, and it blew my mind, took a couple of more years before I heard Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge, but same thing happend. When I left my earlier band I knew I wanted to be in a band that performed insane, aggressive music, so I put up an ad, Mattias answered, and directed me to their myspace-site, and from the first time I heard Bully The Weak, I knew I wanted to be in a band that played that kind of music. Uncompromising, brutal, insane and aggressive. They turned out to be a couple of good guys as well.

when on tour and driving from city to city what is some of the weirdest shit you have seen happen or pass by

DA haven't been on tour, there's been single gigs, about 6-8 a year since the beginning, so no real tour-stories I'm afraid.

where do you see the band in 3 years from now

Hopefully releasing our third or forth album, touring a couple of months a year, getting good reviews and a load of fans who appreciate what we do.

the term hardcore has become so overused that any band putting a breakdown into a song is considered hardcore but explain to the readers what hardcore means to you

I've always thought that musical genres are defined by the originators, then explored and evolved by others. Hardcore to me is resistance and should be about that.

who are some of the up and coming bands from the Stockholm area as well as throughout Sweden that we should be on the lookout for

We played with Axe a couple of days ago, former Bruce Banner members, playing hardcore/punk/rock, Karpis, who got us that gig, a Mike Patton-isch sounding band, Soviet Jazz, experimental music in its purest form.

What is your most memorable show and why

The last one I think, at a pub in Stockholm, it was the tightest, best performance and greatest audience so far.

where else besides myspace can the readers go to to findout about upcoming shows and other band related information

We are trying to get a webpage together, but none of us in the band are good at that stuff, so we need help. But right now we've put all our cash on getting the album recorded, the artwork done and getting shirts printed as soon as possible. So Myspace is the only place so far. http://www.myspace.com/digressionassassins

What advice can you give to some of the newer bands starting out that maybe having a tough time and thinking about giving up

It's hard, I've thought about giving up some times, but I need to do this, it's not something I just do for fun, I need to do it. If bands out there feel the same way, don't give up. If being in a band, performing, writing music, writing lyrics, being creative is something that has to be done, you can't give up or you'll regret it.

where do you think you would be right now had you not been exposed to the hxc metal scene

I've always been into extreme music of all kinds, so if I hadn't ended up in a hardcore band, I'd probably be doing noise, ambient, drone or some other alternative music.

why do you think that people always associate violence with hardcore shows and it always gives hxc scenes and shows a bad reputation

Violence at hardcore shows aren't that common in Sweden. So it's hard for me to answer that question.

Do you have any upcoming shows that you would like to tell the readers about

Not for the moment, If we don't get anything booked, next show will probably be our release party.

Is there anything else that you would like to add that i may have forgotten to ask that the readers should know about

Digression Assassins - Omega, an 11-track debut album. It will be released on Ampire Records in Germany within a month or two we hope. It will be available through them and through us!
Thanks!