Ww: Who met whom and how was Solanoid started?
Lee: I met Adam through an advert in a music shop about 4 years ago. At that time we were playing with a girl bass player called Lyndsey. We met Vic because he booked the bands at a local venue we played at, and when Lyndsey left we asked Vic to join.

Ww: Original bassist Victor Crane left the band shortly before "Aurora Avenue" was released. How did you find the new bassist Jon Crawford?

Lee: Jon used to play in another local band that we played with a few times and he joined Solanoid about 6 months ago.

Ww: You are often called in a breath with the Grunge Band Nirvana. Is it an honour for you or disturbs you the comparison?

Lee: Nirvana are the equivalent to our generations Jimi Hendrix or The Beatles so being compared to them is an honour. But obviously we want to be known as our own band

Ww: Name some of your favorite bands and albums. Who influenced you in your music?

Lee: When I started out playing music I was inspired by the album `Lovey´ by The Lemonheads and `Dirty´ by Sonic Youth. Currently I really like bands like Biffy Clyro and Jetplane Landing both of whom we have played with recently.

Ww: How would you describe your own style?

Lee: Its always hard to describe the style of your own music as you are very close to it, but I would describe us as alternative-rock. Magazines have described us as everything from post-grunge to emo but maybe its best left up to the person listening to the record to decide.

Ww: Has your musical and artistic vision changed since you started out as a band?

Lee: Yeah, I think it has. I believe that as musicians you have to grow and explore new sounds otherwise you´ll just feel stunted. People who listen to the band don´t want to hear the same album being released over and over again just as we wouldn´t want to make the same album over and over again. I think the best bands always try and expand their sound from album to album and true fans will allow a band to do this.

Ww: Is your music a way for you to develop and grow as a person?

Lee: The music itself is generally about past experiences so I wouldn´t say that aspect of it helps me to grow as a person. But going out touring and meeting new people who we work with can help you to grow as a person and a musician in general.

Ww: Another link to Nirvana is that you've recorded your debut album "Aurora Avenue" in Seattle. Jack Endino, who was one of the producers of Nirvana's "Bleach"-album even produced your album. How did it come to this cooperation?

Lee: Our manager had a contact with Jack so we sent him some demos and he liked the material and offered to work with us. It was great to get the chance to work with a guy who´s name will go down in rock history due to the work he has done with seminal bands. Plus it was a pleasure to work with someone who we got along with personally as well. .

Ww: What does the title of the album mean?

Lee: "Aurora Avenue" was the name of the street we lived on in Seattle while we were over there recording the album. We also felt it fitted the feel of the material.

Ww: Do you plan some gigs in Germany in the nearer future?

Lee: Yes. We are currently trying to sort out a tour of Germany for early next year, we're all looking forward to it.

Ww: What can we expect from your live shows?

Lee: We always try to put as much energy as we can into our live shows. Expect loud guitars and plenty of sweat. Also we often try out new songs at live shows to see what people think of them. So if you come to see us live you might get a sneak preview of new material.

Ww: More and more sensitive Emo-Chapels appear. What's your opinion of the Emo Wave?

Lee: I think, though there is a certain sound that is called `emo´, its just another way for people to pigeon-hole bands. We have been called emo before. Emo is short for emotional and surely all bands should be emotional?

Ww: Finally what are you looking forward to the new year?

Lee: We are planning to record our 2nd album early next year and be doing lots more touring, hopefully across the whole of mainland Europe as well as the UK. Also we´d like to play some festivals next summer.

[ Deutsche Version ]

Interview von Julia Hansmeyer.