This article was automatically translated by AI.
Hi!
How long have you actually been playing together?
Under the name Dexter Jones since '99.
I saw that you've been quite a bit on the road, some gigs in the USA and almost all over Europe?
Well, more or less, we haven't played in Italy, Spain, or Portugal. But otherwise, we've been quite active in Europe, yes.
You have a new label now, right?
Yes, we are now with Fuzzorama, and we are quite happy with it.
And you also released your current record "Side by Side" there..
Yes, that's right.
I really like your album because it's truly feel-good music. The first track reminded me a bit of Jimi Hendrix in style.
Yes, we all like Hendrix, but it's cool that you compare us to him; no one has done that before, it's quite extraordinary to be compared to him.
When did you start playing guitar?
A year ago... oh, you mean when I started learning the instrument?
Yes.
That was in my childhood.
And did you take lessons?
No, I taught myself. To be honest, I see myself more as a bassist even though I've taken over the rhythm guitar now.
I read in your info on Myspace that you have a specific sound concept. Using as little distortion as possible, is that right?
Yes, you know, we play tube amps, and they already have this natural distortion, but we don't use distortion or overdrive pedals if that's what you mean. Just pure tube.
I've heard some bands from Sweden, and you get the impression that there's a retro direction in the rock scene that's quite popular right now.
I think there's a movement starting, a back to the seventies. We've been doing this for a few years, but other bands are joining in. I would say that it's currently a growing scene. There are some bands that play something similar to us. Some a bit more psychedelic but with the same sound, not so distorted.
There's also a movement to reproduce the same sound as in the seventies, using old amplifiers and old recording devices like analog recording equipment and so on. "True Seventies," so to speak. Do you do that too?
In a certain way, yes, I use these old tube amplifiers because I like that special tube sound, but I don't use them because I think it's seventies stuff, so it's just as good. For me, it's mainly about the sound. I'm also not really into this guitarist thing of looking at what other people are playing. When I look at these newer devices, I usually just get confused. You know, they still make tube amplifiers today, but somehow it's too complicated for me. I need a master volume, gain, treble, and bass; if I have to study a manual first, it drives me crazy.
I play through a head and a cabinet, and for me, it's more important to find the right cabinet for the amplifier.
Do you try out a lot of equipment?
No, not really. What I change more often are the cabinets, but the amplifier always stays the same; it's an old Sandler tube amp.
How's the tour going?
Very well, we've been on the road for about two weeks now, and so far, it's been going very well. We see a lot of new interesting places, meet nice people, especially other musicians with whom we can really exchange ideas. You can also have good conversations about music with the people. We've made a lot of new friends.
And how about tensions while touring?
Yes, we had problems, but that's why we've exchanged some musicians.
You exchanged two people, right?
No, not just two; we've exchanged a lot of people until we became the real Dexter Jones Orchestra lineup in 2001. But it was always me and the two brothers. One of the guitarists and the drummer. I used to play bass, but now I play the rhythm guitar. So overall, we've exchanged four guitarists now.
There used to be more problems. Now it's quite relaxed. We all come from a small village and have known each other since childhood. When you know each other so well, you don't get on each other's nerves as much.
Do you want to do this professionally?
You know, it's not that important to me to make a living from music as long as I can do things like Dexter Jones. It would certainly be much easier if we could live off it.
Maybe it's not so good to just move towards "making music a profession"?
Exactly, you know, if you live off it, then you risk commercializing your stuff and adapting it to what you think people would like.
We make music for ourselves, music that we like.
Of course, we are excited when we see that other people like our music too. How often have bands made the mistake of compromising on their music? You can observe that well with mainstream people. You know, it always depends a bit on the people who do such things, whether they care about what kind of music they make as long as they play.
Personally, I would rather go back to doing some job to pursue my thing in my free time.
Do you play slide guitar on the album?
No, we have a guest guitarist on the album. So you won't hear any slide guitar tonight.
Are you playing all your material tonight?
We have now released two albums, a mini EP, and a 7", so about 24 songs, and we won't play everything. Since we've been on the road almost all the time lately, there hasn't been time
to rehearse all the songs with our new bassist Frederick.
You know, in Sweden, you usually play for about 40 minutes; we've almost never played longer than an hour, but here in Germany, it's a bit different. Here, people expect you to play a bit longer if you're the main band.
Say something about the title track of the CD "Side by Side"; it's quite a special piece, almost a bit depressing?
Yes, you know, I'm a vinyl collector, and the common thread running through my collection is more of the darker stuff; I'm particularly into that. So, 60s and 70s stuff, Allman Brothers, early ZZ Top, and I think I particularly like the minor pieces and the associated sad mood. You can hear that quite well in "Side by Side," I believe.
Who actually writes the songs in your band?
I write the songs, and then we arrange them together as a band. Most of the time, I come with ideas already prepared on my computer, and we work them out.
This process has proven to be the most sensible for us.
What are you actually doing after the tour?
We will be scoring a silent film; I think a lot of work awaits us because the film is quite long. But I'm looking forward to it. After that, we have a small tour in Finland, and then we will take a break; when you're on tour, it's not so easy to write new material for the next album.
And in May next year, there will be another tour, probably also in Germany.
Thank you for the interview.
