Bman's Exclusive Interview: Stains of Blue (Stockholm, Sweden)

I caught up with Simon Schultz, bandleader of Stains of Blue, a band from Stockholm, Sweden.

Bman: Hi Simon. So tell me a little about the band. Who are the members and how long have you been playing together?

Simon: The band consists of Rahwa Ghebrehiwet on vocals, Anton Hållbus on bass guitar, Todd Barker on drums, and me and Simon Näckborn taking turns on lead and rythm guitar. We also have some new material featuring myself on harmonica and piano. We've been playing together for about a year and a half, I believe. We play a mix of blues and rock, with influences from all over the rock n roll spectrum, ranging all the way from AC/DC to Red Hot Chili Peppers to Jimi Hendrix.

Bman: We live a pretty sheltered life in the US and don't often get to hear of European talents unless they really get a big break (or unless they play pop music). I came across one of your videos and really liked your sound. I've only found a few tracks online. Are you just working up your first collection for recording?

Simon: We have around 15-20 original songs which we are quite happy with. But we are just now getting in to recording, and we actually went into the studio for the first time this summer. We try to record as much live footage as possible and upload it to Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/GuitarGeorgie?blend=21&ob=5 and our facebook-page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stains-Of-Blue/158421817510160?sk=wall . As of today we currently have 3 recorded tracks and we are in the process of recording a couple more.

Bman: In looking through your materials on Youtube, I find that I like your original material much better than your cover tunes. I don't know if anyone has told you that but your original tunes come across a lot more real.

Simon: Thanks a lot, really appreciate it! We have never heard that before, no. We feel the same way as you. Our original songs have a personal connection to us and therefore they feel more real. Covers are great, but generally, original songs are more fun to play.

Bman: There is an extreme difference between the two. So who is the song writer or is that a collaborative effort?

Simon: The song writing process is pretty loose. We usually noodle at home by ourselves and then bring some lyrics, chords or riffs along to a rehearsal. There we make up the missing parts and try to make it into a song. Some songs take more time to construct than others. It depends on how the song is composed and on our daily form.

Bman: That makes a lot of sense. Is there a plan for a cd release anytime soon?

Simon: After we have recorded a few more songs we will look into putting them on some sort of a digital album, probably on spotify and itunes, but we have some studio work to do first. My estimation is that we’ll have a finished product within 6 months, but you never know, could be earlier.

Bman: Your vocalist has a really cool sound. Where did you find her? (Jeff Beck found Rod Stewart singing in a pub).

Simon: If I remember correctly  Simon Näckborn's little sister brought home a recording from a performance in her school.

A couple of days after Simon N. heard the recording, he asked his sister to invite Rahwa to a rehearsal. Thankfully she showed up, because there wouldn’t be any Stains of Blue without her.

Bman: I think what I heard sounded like there is talent throughout but her voice is definitely what initially caught my attention.

Well, I wish you well and hope to hear some new stuff soon. Do you have anything that you'd like to tell you new fans world wide?

Simon: Stay tuned for more recorded material as well as live footage! Any videos, songs or news about the band can be found on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stains-Of-Blue/158421817510160?sk=wall, a “like” would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions feel free to contact us on our facebook page our send an email to simon.schultz@comhem.se

Rock on!

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