Interviews: Sour Blood

This is a new interview with the Alternative Rock band Sour Blood from Poland. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, plan it or come out just like that?

Unlike my approach to writing music which is very spontaneous and dictated by how I feel at the time, coming up with the name was a thought-out decision. I wanted to find the right words for all the bad feelings that music can cure. To me and many others alike, music is the therapy we enrolled in years back, the best one I could think of then and now. So, I wanted to find a good name for this bucket of shit that you process every day. It makes you bitter, so immediately my thoughts went to tastes, or rather distastes I should say. Then, it dawned on me as I heard a verse of this old Green Day song “Geek Stink Breath” in my head going: “every hour my blood is turning sour”. There I had it: the grief, the pain, the regret, so strong you can feel it intoxicate your body. That was it. That’s Sour Blood.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Not sure what genre it is and is going to be, frankly! Sour Blood is meant to unleash any musical desires there are in us, so expect the unexpected! It is all about feelings as they come, even the name of the project circles back to this notion, so I cannot imagine being at a point where I analyze it and think we could use a catchy single so let’s write one. Ironically, catchy singles are exactly what drives me right now, so let’s just call me a sellout from the start so I am not called out later for saying that!

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Yes, Karol (the vocalist) and I met at the most rock 'n' roll place you can think of: the office, at work. If you expected a breathtaking story taken live from the Mötley Crüe’s diaries, brace yourselves - here goes nothing. It is not, however, where I heard him sing for the first time. We were at a party, and there happened to be this karaoke contest. I hate karaoke, so lucky me, huh? I wanted to die right there. So Karol, having had a couple of beers, jumps on the stage without any warning, grabs the mic, and goes off singing. I think he sang some Arctic Monkeys, “Do I Wanna Know” most likely, I don’t remember, plus some other tune. What I do remember is how fucking awesome he sounded and, needless to say, he spoiled all the fun to others involved as he was obviously the only guy in the club who could sing, as it is normally on karaoke. Fortunately, he wasn’t booted out.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Mine is easily Green Day. It is the first band I picked up at the age of 9 or 10 and it kicked me right in the ass so hard I was knocked out of my shoes. I played “Dookie” and “American Idiot” like crazy. Little did I know that they would still be my all-time favs 20 years later. By the way, I never found these shoes.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

It can be really anything, but for the most part I just copy from more talented people than myself! The actual artists, you know? I tend to reach for moviemakers, e.g. John Carpenter haunts my head all the time and whispers some cool ideas, at night mostly. Otherwise, the lyrics of Jonas Renkse from Katatonia scratch my “poetic” itch just right on the spot. I don’t know if it’s a common feeling while you are listening to something or watching a movie and you have this thought sneaking into your head saying “damn, wish that was my piece, it’s so good”, but it attacks me quite often. When this happens, the rest is just a matter of time before there is a sketch of a song/lyric/visuals. Karol, on the other hand, takes a deep dive into himself and his own experiences to make out lyrics. It can be a pretty cathartic exercise to just shovel shit out of yourself and smear it onto a scrap of paper. I heard it works.

6. Where was your last gig?

Sour Blood is not performing live currently as there are just the two of us pretending there is a fully-fledged band playing a song. The black magic of music production says hi! Never say never, though.

7. Where would you like to act?

The Royal Albert Hall. We also want to be big in Japan.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

“Sour Blood” is two guys right now, so there is definitely room for more contributors! I don’t have a list of names I would like to engage in the future, but the focus would be most likely on anything else than vocals and guitars as these we have covered. Unless there is a chance for “Dead Stand Up feat. Pitbull” - I would do anything to make this happen! Anyways, to all musicians out there playing bass, drums, or some weird exotic pipes: reach out! We may end up doing something fun. And no, you won’t be paid.

9. Whom not?

Bands from the moon. Cool tunes, but no atmosphere.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Of course, I have! It was the first gig I played with my original band In Hell’s Duty. Let’s say I had close to zero stage experience then and had to come out and play this first “serious” debut gig, almost a decade ago or so. What did I do to overcome that fear? I had had 9 beers before the show, 0.5l each, so by the time I got to the town we played I was already quite relaxed. If I did it today, I would probably drop dead where I stand, so it doesn’t work anymore. But seriously now, I think it’s good to have these butterflies in the stomach, you know? At the end of the day, you are supposed to do something cool, so try to be cool about it. If you fuck up, you are neither the first nor the last to get fooled while rocking out. Get over it, prepare better next time, and rock out the next night. That's my advice. 

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

“Sour Blood” is the only natural outcome of listening to so many bands… For the happier and lighter part of the sound, I will point to Green Day as the inspiration which goes back decades. To me, they are masters of songwriting. Their songs are usually short, and catchy, and they kick ass! It’s the perfect formula. On the other hand, the real beauty reflects in the eyes of sadness and melancholy. Here my vote goes to Porcupine Tree and Katatonia. I love to lose myself in some of their albums to get in the right mood before working on the lyrics.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Once after a gig with IHD we got this text from a guy asking if it’s ok that he uses one of our songs in a commercial. I think it was some sort of a high school project, but he asked very nicely and laid it out so that we believed it was actually a quality thing he was working on, so we said why the hell not? Well, it wasn’t a quality project. I saw it once then and I really hope not to see it again. But hey, it was some free publicity after all.

13. What do you think of your fans?

It's really an indescribable feeling when after working on something for a long time you throw it out there just hoping for the best, and it turns out that there are people who dig it and take the time to show their support, be that a kind comment, thumbs up, or alike. It doesn’t matter if there are 10 or 10000. It means the world to me and gives me the energy boost to keep writing and putting stuff out, especially since there is so much stuff to listen to. I have received nothing but support so far and I am simply happy that there are folks who care about music and decide to share their good vibes. They are the best!

14. What do you think of our site?

Guys, you take the time to work with local bands like ours, put out an interview, help get some much-desired publicity, so you are heroes in my book. Rock’n roll, if anything, is a community, and you bring people together to celebrate it. How awesome is that?! We wish you a ton of exciting projects knocking at your door. Keep it up!