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Interview with Emil Ekbladh - Dirty Passion
Hello Emil, please introduce Dirty Passion
Dirty Passion is a Swedish classic rock band formed in late 2006 by Emil Ekbladh (vocals), Christopher Olsson (guitar), Björn Wilander (bass) and Markus Winberg (drums).
Tell us about the history of the band.
We all came from previous bands that were going kinda nowhere so we teamed up to create something new and really good. We listen to the same music more or less so we had a really easy start. We never had to discuss in what direction we would go - we found our sound instantly. Since the start in 2006 we've recorded several promo CD's and played well more than 100 concerts. We've opened up for bands like Saxon, Y&T and Crashdïet and toured most of Europe with Faster Pussycat and Enuff Z'Nuff. We've been featured in newspapers and magazines (including front pages) and have been played and interviewed in a large number of radio stations. Our debut album Different Tomorrow was released on December 13th (2010) and debuted at #9 on the Swedish album charts (Hard Rock). It has now advanced to #7. Things are going really well at the moment...
Please tell us about "Different Tomorrow" and why should people buy it?
Different Tomorrow is just a great rock album all the way through. It's a good mix of songs and I think anyone who's into old school rock will love it. We recorded the album together with Berno Paulsson who has recorded bands like The Haunted and Nasty Idols. Berno uses a lot of vintage analog equipment, which is pretty unusual these days, and this makes everything feel a bit more alive and warmer. Berno did a great job producing and we've never sounded better on record!
How did Dirty Passion end of on the whole Faster Pussycat/Enuff ZNuff tour?
Faster Pussycat and Enuff Z'Nuff did at the time have the same booking agent and we were contacted by them regarding the tour. It was an offer we couldn't refuse, of course. We were actually considered as support act to LA Guns some months earlier but we missed out on that one. I think the reason they offered Dirty Passion these tours was that we had recently supported Y&T in Germany - another great band with the same booking agent.
The tour bus you rode in Scandinavia was an old polluted bus that got Taime Downe so sick that he went to the hospital. Did all 3 bands share bus?
We all shared the same bus which was cool. Usually bands travel by themselves separately but due to the long distances all across Europe back and forth I think the only way to make a profit out of this tour was to travel together in only one bus. It was nice to travel together and we instantly kicked off a month-long non-stop party in that bus. We didn't even have enough beds for all of us but that didn't matter 'cause someone was always awake to keep the party going. I don't think the bus was the main reason for Tamie's illness though. We had the worst fucking winter in years here in Sweden and I think that goes for many of the European countries we visited too. It was snowing like hell and the temperature was way below freezing point everywhere we went but Italy and Spain. We travelled through Germany a couple of times and it was like visiting the north pole. Imagine Sweden and Norway then... I don't think the Americans really had a clue what they were up to when booking a tour over here in the months of January/February. A couple of us, including me, got just as sick as Tamie by the end of the tour and had to visit hospital. Being vocalists I think we're more vulnerable to infections since our throats are always sore. Sure, the bus was polluted too, but then again we had an ongoing party for 30 days so I think we were responsible for most of the pollution ourselves.
What is the best story from the Faster Pussycat/Enuff Z'Nuff tour?
We ran into so much shit that it's a miracle we made it through. The best stories will have to remain a secret 'cause I don't wanna point anyone out here... Anyway, pretty early on we got into trouble when we were going to Italy. There is this tunnel across the Alps that will save you a lot of time and distance when you're going south. We were not allowed to drive through the tunnel beacuse they needed some specific document regarding the vechicle's pollution. So much for the shortcut... We had to find another way and drive through a whole different country over the Alps with that bus to make it to the gig. We barely made it. After a couple of gigs in Italy we came close to a bus break-down. There was a major problem with the gear box which could have halted the whole tour but luckily our bus driver found the problem and managed to fix it temporarily. In Italy we also had the back luck of hitting another car right outside the venue we were playing. Nothing happened to the bus but that car wasn't pretty. We then smashed another car later on in England. Italy had more trouble for us... In Pisa we drove several kilometers down this small narrow path leading down to the hotel just to find ourselves stuck with no space to turn the huge bus around. We couldn't go anywhere and reversing the bus all the way back would be dangerous to the old gearbox. Besides that, it had to be done with literally no visibility and with a small river on one side and a deep ditch on the other. That was Italy... Back in Sweden Tamie, who was already sick, got worse and he had to go to the hospital. We barely made it to the gig in our hometown Malmö. They were about to cancel the whole shit when we didn't turn up. We made it though. In Spain we were pulled over by the police that told us we couldn't go anywhere until we payed them ?1000. They made some cheap story up accusing our driver for having driven too long without sleeping. It was a complete lie and he had all his papers in orders but we couldn't get anywhere without paying, so we did and we made it to the gig for the night. Then, I think it was when we were entering England from France, the American bands were not allowed in through the customs. They couldn't find their (I think) working permits. We had some nervous 30 minutes before it was all sorted out. Once in England we had to go to the hospital again to get me and Xristian Simon (Faster Pussycat) some treatment. At the last gig in England we left Tory Stoffregen (Enuff Z'Nuff) behind. It was crazy. He had to find his way over to Wales for the next gig by himself and somehow he did. This may sound a bit depressing but looking back it's quite fun. Believe it or not - we never had cancel one single gig.
What was your favourite show/city from the tour? Please elaborate.
Paris, France was probably one of the highlights. We were treated like rock stars from the minute we got there with booze, food and great separate backstage areas. We all played great gigs and it was a huge audience that was really into it. The first gig of the tour in London, UK did stand out too, as did our our homecoming gig in Malmö, Sweden. We had a lot of friends come over in Malmö and it was a good party. However, when it comes to partying we had the greatest one in Pisa, Italy. Everyone got completely wasted!
How would you categorize the style of Dirty Passion?
Dirty Passion is classic rock. However, we don't pay a lot of attention to what style we are. It just makes you feel limited. People call us whatever they want; that's fine with me.
Can you share with us one or two of your favourite moments with the band?
Supporting Saxon was one of the cooler moments. It was nice to meet the guys and Biff was kind enough to wear his new Dirty Passion t-shirt throughout their whole show. Another cool moment was a while ago when we went to Germany to play this metal festival called Feuerfänger Festival. We got booked and before leaving for Germany we noticed that we were the only kind of classic rock band on the bill. All the other bands were more "metalish"; death metal, thrash metal, black metal, you name it... We thought we would be laughed at by the audience, but once we went onstage and started playing the room got packed to the limit. It was amazing and not what you would expect. We got the greatest response ever from the audience!
How is the writing process in the band?
Me and Christopher write most of the songs. Usually it starts with a good guitar riff and then we take it from there. When you have something good it's almost always easy to come up with a melody and lyrics for it. Markus and Björn somehow always take the songs to a higher level when they add drums and bass.
What brought you on the path to becoming a musician?
I've always wanted to be in a rock 'n' roll band since I discovered rock music. I was probably around 11 or 12 when I got my first Kiss CD and got hooked. A nine to five day job is not for me; I can't live like that. I want more out of my life.
How important do you rate the lyrical side of your albums?
Very important. Everything we write have a meaning to us. You don't just write lyrics out of nothing; they are true stories based on your life and your feelings. I like the fact that people can identify with us 'cause we sing about real life - about happiness and about pain and suffering. We share the same fucking problems that you all do.
What do you think about the state of the music industry today?
The music industry is pretty fucked up, honestly. Something tells me it was easier a couple of decades ago. There are so many bands out there today and so much music that I think people have a hard time to sort out what's worth listening to and what's not. It's pretty hard to sell records these days since we have all the downloading and Spotify and so on.
Sure, you can pay and download an album legally but usually the money you pay never finds its way to the artist and sometimes not even to the label. I think people have gotten used to the idea that you don't have to pay to listen to music anymore. It's hard to survive but you gotta face it; there's nothing you can do about it.
What do you think is the best way to fight music piracy?
I don't know. In the end of the day it's up to you if you decide to pay - or not to pay - for the record you're listening to. If the record is good enough I think a lot of people still would want to buy it. We reached #7 on the charts here in Sweden and that means a lot of people actually decided to do the right thing and buy it.
Can you describe a typical day in your life?
I wake up late as hell in the early afternoon and then I spend a couple of hours doing band business by the computer; keeping in touch with promoters, record company, fans, doing interviews and stuff. I go to the rehearsal studio and work with the band in the early evening and we usually stay until pretty late. Then some more band business to attend to when I come home before I go to bed. And this is why I wake up late as hell the next day...
What are the first words that come to mind about these people:
Danny Nordahl
Great guy! We had a lot of fun on the tour. He's a big fan of Backyard Babies just as me. He never eats - he basically lives on beer!
Chip Z'Nuff
Chip is a real sweetheart. He's always nice and polite to everyone and he supports Dirty Passion to 100%.
Joey Tempest
One of my greatest influences. Amazing voice!
Chris Laney
No relation. He's produced some good shit though.
Conny Bloom
No relation.
Martin Sweet
We've met a couple of times. He's a nice guy, but I don't really know him personally. Love Crashdïet!
Donnie Vie
Donnie is another amazing vocalist. He has a really special sound to his voice that I like a lot.
Taime Downe
He's a rockstar and he's really serious about it. One thing I remember from the tour is that he always wanted to pull over for coffee as soon as he saw a truck station. He loves coffee as much as I do! He's alright!
Thanks for answering these questions. Now you are free to write a few lines to our readers.
I would suggest you all check our album Different Tomorrow out if you're into classic rock. You're gonna love it! See you on tour people!
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Written by Michael - 1/19/2011 |
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