Covered many times back in the days when I used to post regular news on IDIOTEQ, teased in my latest interview with gab De La Vega (Epidemic Records), the Swedish raw metallic hardcore punk pack PAINTED WOLVES featuring members of DEATH IS NOT GLAMOROUS, DEAD VOWS, THE SMACKDOWN, and ANCHOR, took some time with me to talk about the band, a new upcoming record, their first year of existence and the upcoming European tour with DANGERS, Fluff Fest and ANCHOR’s recent South American trip!
Hey, what’s up guys? It’s so good to have you here. How is your week goin’?
The pleasure is all ours! I’ve had a great week this far. Hanging out in the sun, working on a bunch of projects, exercising and of course the weekly PAINTED WOLVES-ritual: band practice, getting snacks and walking through our beloved hometown together. Making plans, shooting shit.
Alright, so.. I bet there are still a few who don’t quite get who you are ;) therefore please be so kind and shoot us a quick introduction on PAINTED WOLVES. Who you are, what inspired you to start this band and what are some of the reasons to run it?
PAINTED WOLVES is four long time friends, punks and restless souls.
Me and our guitarist Linus have been in bands together for almost ten years. THE SMACKDOWN and DEAD VOWS being two of them. He’s one of the most genuine people I know.
Me and our bassist Mathias kept running into eachother at shows everywhere, all the time for years and years but I never knew his name. I think we moved to Göteborg pretty much at the same time and that’s when we started getting to know each other. If you’ve ever seen DEATH IS NOT GLAMOROUS you’ve most certainly seen this gent on the bass guitar.
Like the rest of us our singer G has been around for a long time, doing bands, shows, labels, record stores and whatnot.
He’s a punkrock hero. We were both in DEAD VOWS.
I myself cannot live without creating and playing music. I need this outlet. I also need these people in my life. What drives us a band? Our love for this music, paying tribute to it, but doing so our own way. PAINTED WOLVES has been quite a ride this far and I’m excited to see where this will take us.
Very cool.
You’ve released your debut 7’’ titled “Unholy” last year. What feedback have you received about it? Was it released by Gab’s Epidemic Records only?
Yes, Epidemic Records was the only label involved with “Unholy”. I’ve known Gab for a while and he liked what he heard, luckily! We’re very proud of the outcome and it’s been well recieved as far as I know.
There were 300 copies in the first print. Is there a lot of it left? Did you present the outing at ANCHOR’s merch table in South America? :)
I think most of it is gone by now. We’re taking whatever we have left with us on tour in July and hopefully there will be a second press sometime!
I didn’t get to bring anything related to PAINTED WOLVES with me to South America unfortunately. I brought the necessities: my guitar, swim trunks, an extra pair of shoes ad that was basically it. I’d love to let South America know about PAINTED WOLVES though!
I bet! How was that trek? Would you mind a little offtopic and dropping a note about it here?
Visiting South America was a dream come true. One I never thought I’d realize. The places and the people absolutely blew my mind. Even though many don’t speak a word of English and none of us know Spanish or Portugese we made amazing connections and shared stories of life every day. South American hardcore is very real, vital and alive. I feel honored to have had such a warm welcome there.
Imagine being a Swedish working class kid and having three chords bring you across the planet, to some of the most amazing places you’ve seen. It’s a total mindfuck!
Going for a swim in the Brazilian rainforest, playing in front of 1000 people in Sao Paulo, sharing my love for Claudio Caniggia with locals in Buenos Aires and visiting the Museo de la Memoria in Santiago, Chile. I will take this with me forever.
Yeah, I expected an answer like this :) Very cool.
Alright, so what are you next moves when it comes to records. What and when can we expect now?
Our next move…
Right now Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden Recording Studio is mixing our upcoming 12″. Six songs, 18 minutes of music. We’ll make all of the details official very soon!
Wow, great! Any chance to reveal a bit more? ;) Are you continuing this adventure with the same message? What were some of the goals you set forth this time?
I think the only goal we’ve ever had is to keep getting better and do things a little differently. As boring as it may sound I’d say our upcoming 12″ sees us take the next step. It’s more diverese.
The record is going to be a collaboration between I FOR US RECORDS, EPIDEMIC RECORDS, MANIYAX RECORDS, our own WEGAN WOOFPACK WECORDS and possibly another label which I can’t reveal yet. It’s coming out June 28, just in time for our summer tour with DANGERS! We’re very proud of it!
Oh yeah, the DANGERS tour starting on my birthday :) How’s the booking goin’?
My birthday too!:) June 28! As of now there’s one open date so it’s looking really good! Can’t wait!
Haha, no shit! :)
COMADRE were supposed to join you on this trek, but they have decided to break up, huh?
Yes, very bummed out about that! They were an incredible band and their last record is beyond amazing. Very special!
Ok, mate. But let’s get to the point here, the real question is not why they parted their ways, but rather why there is no Polish date on the list!? ;)
Very true:) We would of course love to play Poland and we have been getting offers but since we’re going to Spain and back I guess it just wasn’t doable. Next time for sure!
I guess the only chance to catch you then will be FLUFF! I’m doin’ my best to get there this year! Share some thoughts on this magical fest.
Fluff really is something special. I’ve played it alot of times and it has always been the highlight
of the year. No barriers, no security, no huge ass sponsors, just punkrock fun, animal rights, radical politics,
burgers, icecream, smiling faces. I’m truly thankful to have been a part of it as many times as I have.
I will be coming back!
You’ll be performing at the tent, right? What crazy ass parties have you experienced there? Any special shows you’d like to recall?
I think so, and I sure hope so too!
The DEAD VOWS-show in 2009 is without a doubt one my favorites. Everything about it was just amazing! All of the ANCHOR+Fluff-escapades have been mindblowing too.
Memorable shows I’ve seen at Fluff… BANE, COMADRE and ANOTHER BREATH are the first that come to mind.
VERSE last year was very special too. This year I’ve got high hopes for STRIKE ANYWHERE. Absolutely love that band.
Yeah, it will be a blast, I’m sure. Personally, I loved ANCHOR’s intro for your last headlining show there, haha!
Haha, glad you liked it! We figured alot of people had seen us a million times already so we wanted to add a little something no one had seen at an ANCHOR-show before. Ryan is a genious!
Alright, but focusing back on PAINTED WOLVES, tell me how do you remember your last year’s short German/Swedish run (6 shows total). It was your debut mini tour as PW, wasn’t it?
Yes, it was and we loved it! No expectations, just good old punckrock fun! Get in the van and play our hearts out every night. Back to basics! The way we all started, you know! Since then we’ve played a whole bunch of shows around our area. We’ve gotten alot of offers from everywhere so we can’t wait to make it up to everyone and hit the road again!
Alright, Matt. What else are you cooking up there for us? What’s next for the band in the coming months?
100% focused on the new record and the tour. We’ll do what we can to leave our mark on this world. I have no doubts this summer is going to be an adventure and we’ll do what we can to make it last through fall and winter. More shows to be confirmed, more songs to be written! Once it’s done we’ll do it allover again!
Great! Thanks so much for your time and have a good time with these challenges. Take care, man!
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