What individuals are behind Frei Schnauze, how long have you been around, and who came up with the idea to found the band Frei Schnauze?
Behind the band are six Berlin musicians: Falk and Thommäs on lead vocals, Borch on lead guitar, Alex on rhythm guitar (+ backing vocals), Butthead on bass (+ backing vocals), and Oigen on drums (+ backing vocals). The idea for the band formation came from all of us, so to speak. We had known each other for many years prior and were already in a shared rehearsal space shortly before "Frei Schnauze!". We dissolved the old project, started jamming together, and quickly realized that it creates an incredibly interesting mixture when you let Punkrock, Hardcore, Metal, Skinheadrock'n'roll, and SKA collide. So, each one played their own genre in combination with the genres of the other band members. Everyone did their own thing, and yet a common unity emerged! When lyrics came along that were anything but shy, we realized what we were actually producing: We played frei Schnauze. That's how the band name came about.
Was it clear from the beginning where the musical journey should go and that it would be lyrically hard-hitting political punk with a mix of Ska, Punk, and HC?
No, that was not clear at all in the beginning! As mentioned, everything started with innocent jam sessions. Back then, no one would have thought that a new, serious band would emerge from it. However, after we played the first riffs over and over again, certain fragments solidified and became earworms. At some point, we felt the urge to embellish it lyrically. When you let Hardcore collide with SKA, you get a surprisingly exciting result: The HC kicks you in the ass from behind with all its might, and the offbeat from SKA pulls you powerfully forward – one pushes, the other pulls! In short: A dynamic of aggression and passion emerges! When you have such a foundation to write lyrics on, you can hardly avoid direct criticism and anger. The mood of the music influences the mood when writing the lyrics. One thing leads to another. When you then open your eyes and recognize that huge pile of societal, political, and human crap out there, it simply bursts out of you, and you vomit your texts from top to bottom under high pressure! This development was much more of an unconscious and uncontrolled one. We just let it flow to be surprised by the result it bears.
Now to the first burning question: Current developments in the precarious matter with the antler-wearing Onkelz imitators? Have the deer shed their antlers?
We don't know exactly either. We keep our ears open, but the roaring in the woods has fallen silent for now. We hope that no hunter has been up to mischief there. You can never know in the
dark woods. On the other hand, Christmas is slowly approaching again. Maybe the management has called everyone to order and harnessed them back to the Christmas sleigh. One never knows. The fact is that there is currently a silence. Whether this is due to the unexpectedly loud outcry within the scene, the reporting that reached far beyond the punk scene (even South Tyrolean blogs and local online newspapers reported critically about it), or the increasingly loud voices within the Deutschrock scene itself would be speculative. Either way, it has unleashed a wave that apparently has been rolling in for a long time. We were just the drop on the hot stone. Hopefully, it has opened the eyes of one or the other. Probably someone is sitting somewhere in their quiet little room waiting for us to make a wrong step so they can dump the next pile in front of our door.
While we're at it... How did the band name come about? Did the name arise from an aversion to right-wing open wild animals?
That is, of course, the conclusion that many people are currently drawing. But that is clearly not the case! As mentioned above, the band name refers to the way our music style emerged, to our lyrics, and to the musical composition.
I have been following this a bit and skimmed through the comments of various people on your homepage... Among other things, the F.W. sympathizers accuse you of wanting to take advantage of this situation because you have a bit of advertising through it. Was this situation perhaps positive for you in that it made people more aware of right-wing openness/Grauzone, leading to more sensitive reactions and closer scrutiny?
To say that we had no benefit from this situation would be a flat-out lie! Suddenly, FREI SCHNAUZE! was on everyone's lips. Considering that this whole mess rained down almost simultaneously with our album release, it certainly leaves the impression that it was all planned. It was definitely not! We would have never expected such an intense response! Neither the positive nor the negative! To be honest, the controversial shirt design was not planned for release at that time. The fact that it made it to the public was merely a result of the hasty setup of our blog (which was supposed to go online in time for the album release). To create the piece, you inevitably have to juggle text and image material. So you create placeholder articles. One of them was this shirt to test our webshop. To be precise, it was online for ONE single day, and the next day we received the aforementioned lawyer's letter. In the context of our press release regarding the mentioned cease-and-desist letter, we had to make this design public against our original plans – after all, it was the subject of the cease-and-desist and therefore of primary interest to the press release. Perfect for us! Someone really shot themselves in the foot there! And let's be serious: Did anyone really believe that we would keep our mouths shut under such circumstances? Of course not! That's why we are called FREI SCHNAUZE! No words... However, that doesn't change the fact that we would have gladly avoided all this stress. After all, it incurs enormous costs anyway. Moreover, our actual baby – namely the new album – was significantly pushed into the background because of this issue. We would have preferred it the other way around! But well, what's done is done, and in the end, hopefully, everything will turn out positively!
But back to the topic! The issue of right-wing openness and Grauzone has certainly been fueled in many corners. It's amusing to see people who claimed last summer that they would privately enjoy such music suddenly sporting a big "Schnauze!" on their shirts this summer. What particularly surprised us was the cross-scene criticism! Bands approached us that had to share the stage with the gentlemen at Wacken and urgently requested one of these shirts to visually express their criticism on stage. The same applies to the Summerbreeze Festival. There are bands that altered their stage banners for this purpose, bands that began printing similar shirts out of solidarity, announcements against the wild Grauzone echoed from the stages at various festivals, and so on. Politically, this is, of course, a huge success! Simply because various
mail orders (except for one!), various labels, various bands, various promoters, various fanzines, etc., have clearly positioned themselves. That was a clear signal from all those who still care about the scenes! A clear statement to all politically questionable nutcases that they are unwanted in our ranks! We hope that this has opened the eyes of one or the other emerging punk and that they will not fall into the trap of commercially motivated right-wing openness. More than enough people have already stepped in it.
When it comes to the Grauzone topic, there is never a shortage of conversation material. Many bands do not take it seriously with whom, what, or where they play, and especially, who is allowed into the concert. With FW, it has been proven often enough that there are not only idiots in the band but also in the audience. On the other hand, I also see a great danger in reacting unreflectively and hastily labeling people as Grauzone. I believe one should form a personal impression when there are too vague rumors about a band. What are your experiences regarding right-wing openness?
That's probably your favorite topic, right? Haha, but let's stick to answering your questions. That's what we're here for. Basically, one must certainly distinguish between the
band, the audience, the attitude of bands towards(!) their audience, AND the event that a band plays. For example, we know that we – fate plays a trick on us – are also well received in the Deutschrock scene, just as there are some people who go wild to our music. So we could, if we wanted, jump on that bandwagon, cash in, and give a damn about our ideals. We could close our eyes and tolerate all the crap to profit financially from it. It cannot be denied that we have already been invited several times (no joke!) to Deutschrock concerts (which we, of course, explicitly did not play!). With not insignificant fee offers! The alternative is to solidify exactly what we are currently doing: to remain steadfast, to reflect on our ideals, and above all, not to close our eyes to reality. Bands that give a damn about the mindset of their audience may also tolerate right-wing idiots at their concerts. They are thus open to right-wing visitors and therefore right-wing open. If I, as a band, play at events where clearly right-wing open crap is happening, I have the option to either position myself against it on stage or to keep my mouth shut and tolerate this behavior. Once I tolerate it, I am also open to it, hence again right-wing open. And so on and so forth... Many of the bands that are accused of being part of the Grauzone carry it in part but also unjustly. This must be clearly mentioned at this point! You cannot mindlessly transfer constellations from 15 years ago into today's time and pick them apart under today's interpretation. If I play on stage A today and in 10 years, for example, Endstufe plays there, I could never have known about it (because it simply hasn't happened yet). A classification as right-wing open is therefore absolutely pointless due to such nonsense (Note: This is just a fictional example!). Unfortunately, such logic spreads wildly in some cases and thus destroys an effective discussion on the actual topic. Simply because it is undermined and rendered unbelievable by speculation. The fact is that a healthy and effective discussion on this topic can ONLY take place if it is conducted factually and is not emotionally charged! Otherwise, the consequence will be that a band unjustly accused will eventually give itself the Grauzone stamp – simply to scream a loud "Fuck you!" into the world out of protest. The truly dangerous and questionable bands unfortunately quickly fall by the wayside or feed off the resulting opportunity to mitigate their accusation. We ourselves know in full consequence how we stand on this issue and what we actively engage for or against: Good Night White Pride! Fuck RAC!!!
Now to your new album "Hunger", which was released on the Schwerin label Sn-Punx: Since I had the pleasure of reviewing the CD, it surprised me as a "little hardcore listener". It's nice to have this touch of Ska in your music, making it much more varied. Lyrically, the album definitely plays in the upper league of political punk. What time frame did the CD come about?
The album took about 2.5 years of development and implementation. As you can imagine, songwriting with all those influences is not always the easiest. Not to mention that we could only afford the studio recordings in stages and had to piece it together bit by bit. In the end result, however, that is hardly noticeable. Tobi from Kugelphone Studio did a really good job and must have gained quite a few gray hairs after all those sessions. A big thank you for that, as well as to Dirk and Caro from SN-Punx!
How does a "rehearsal" look like for you? Did you create the songs together or did everyone work alone in their quiet little room and then meet up?
Nope, nothing in the quiet little room! Everything comes together during rehearsals. Usually, someone comes up with a new fragment, we jam for a bit, and then continuations or new lines emerge, the singers go home with an earworm and come back to the next rehearsal with fragments as well. One thing leads to another until the song has matured. When it comes to finalization, there is usually some argument and fuss. Simply because everyone stands for a different genre and the different influences have to be brought under one roof first. Afterwards, we head down to the pub, and over a beer, the fuss dissipates into nothing.
Did you intend from the beginning to release the CD on a label, and how did you come to Sn-Punx?
A label was always the plan. It hardly makes sense without a label. After all, you also have an effective distribution on your side through an effective label. If you try to get your record into all the different stores and shops through self-production, you will be in trouble. It consumes so much time that you can no longer concentrate on the actual music and concerts. Not to mention that after all the recording and mastering stuff, it demands a considerable amount of money again. Therefore, the decision to want a label was always clear. We came to SN-Punx through a completely normal application. After we had our recordings in the can and the mastering was done, we started sending applications to a handful of labels that personally interested us. Among them was also SN-Punx. And as luck would have it, Dirk promptly replied that he could well imagine a labeling with us. We got along right away, obviously moved on the same wavelength, and that sealed the deal. Absolutely unspectacular, easy-going, and stress-free. For that, dear Dirk and dear Caro get a big thumbs up in this context!
What experiences, both in and outside the scene, must one have gathered to find inspiration for these very deep, thoughtful lyrics?
Puhhh... Does one really have to gather experiences for that? We think you just have to take the blinders off your own eyes and consciously look at the world out there. Of course, a portion of philosophy is necessary. Someone who is dull-headed will only recognize the world in its visual appearance. However, as soon as you engage a little with geopolitical events and put things in an international context, it should become obvious how brazenly and insidiously we are lied to in every corner. To quote a passage from our text "Schlachtruf der Idioten": "...You shall believe! Eat! Shall not question any longer! With retouched images, they hit the truth in the stomach! Confronted with illusions until unconsciousness, which blind you – a deception that confuses the senses! ... The one that seduces you! ... The one that dictates your perspective!". That is an
independently captured worldview. Nothing more! In the text "Ohnmacht", we actually already have a quite fitting hint about the situation or emotional state from which our lyrics often arise: "Another one of those days that I can no longer endure because I question – torment myself with insights! Days when I can see the powerlessness that awaits us everywhere – that no one can deny! Such days are very hard for me to digest; instead of swallowing it down, I am regurgitating! Because I have to vomit it out, spread it wide, scream it out: The prison of freedom – powerlessness in abundance!".
How is the so-called "scene" in Berlin, is it very divided there, or is there still some kind of cohesion? And how does it relate to the Grauzonen problem in your area? Is it difficult for a band with a clear stance and distance from various strange bands to gain recognition or, even better, to be a role model for others?
Where does the scene start, where does it end? That's hard to answer. There are definitely clear divisions, but it has always been like that and will unfortunately always remain so. However, as divided as the scene may be, it still stands together in one respect: namely when it comes to the attack on the last remaining alternative centers of the city. Example Liebig 14 or Köpi! Since Berlin has an incredibly diverse range of movements, every band finds its individual audience, and thus one is constantly confronted with both hostility and support. You have to live with that and seek your own path without paying too much attention to the opinions of others.
Where have you gathered your musical experiences? In which bands have you been active, and where are you currently playing on the side??
Alex (formerly played accordion and currently plays on the side with Nordwand) and Thommäs (formerly played drums) originally came from Essensreste (Kellerpunk), Falk (formerly trumpet)
toured with TenSing across the republic, Oigen played earlier with Flying Shit (Punk), Borch (formerly played blues and clarinet) was a kind of wandering guitarist at paddle events, and Butthead (played piano on the side) comes from a Gothic band. At some point, we all met in a shared rehearsal space in the band OTP, dissolved the same band, and founded FREI SCHNAUZE!
You don't let yourselves be pigeonholed musically, which I find very authentic, as some bands unfortunately often try to copy something. What do you like to listen to when you're not playing yourself? Do you let yourselves be creatively influenced by it, at least a little?
That's hard to say exactly. Everyone listens to something different. If we have to summarize the genres, the following definitely influence our private music enjoyment: Street-Punk, Punkrock, Skatepunk, HC-Punk, Hardcore, Metalcore, Metal, Blackmetal, SKA, Reggae, and of course Scooter ;-).... Just everything that is alternative and handmade. And yes, of course, that also seeps into the creative development of new songs. You can't avoid that.
Where do you see the line to commercialization reached, or can it even be drawn in such a way that one can say up to here and no further? There are also punk rockers who have to live off their band. What do you think about that?
If musicians manage to live off their music, they certainly deserve it. In our view, the line to commercialism is crossed when the heart is no longer at the forefront, but the thought of making as much money as possible. At the latest, when bands demand five-figure fees, the balance is clearly no longer right. We already consider four-figure fees to be extremely questionable. How high fees can/should/may be depends heavily on the travel distance, the number of members, expenses for instruments, provided technology, fuel costs, incidental costs, etc. Ultimately, each band, every concert visitor, and every promoter must decide for themselves. There are no hard and fast rules! The power to create a definition for this lies solely with the audience. If it does not support commercialism, it will decrease in the scenes. If it supports it, it will continue to flourish.
What is planned for you in the near future, e.g., planned concerts or tours? Any new things in the pipeline?
Up to this point, there are currently several dates planned for the end of the year, and many inquiries are still unanswered from us. This is often a job problem due to shift work.
Currently, the Potse Festival, the Save The Scene Festival, the Siempre Antifascista Festival, Wurzen, Halle, two still unresolved shows in Bavaria, and a show in Celle are definitely on the agenda for this year. However, as mentioned, there are still several inquiries pending that need to be answered. A lot will certainly happen in the coming weeks. You can always find news about our concerts on our blog: http://frei-schnauze-band.de
In addition, a few sampler contributions are likely to follow in the coming months. The first song for the next album is already in the process of being born again. There may even be a split release in between. None of this is set in stone yet. For now, we are focusing on the upcoming shows and getting our album out to the public as effectively as possible. That is currently priority one!
One last question: What positive change would you wish for in general in the punk scene and for you as a band specifically?
Three words: Think instead of consuming!
For us as a band? Hmmm... Probably that we stay as we are. After all, we are all thick friends, not just a haphazard bunch of musicians. Of course, we wish for ourselves and our audience incredibly great concerts at the upcoming shows! The album reviews have been incredibly positive so far, and the feedback on our shows has been the same – so let it continue like this!
