Interview by Geno McGahee
Drawing comparisons to Black Sabbath and Alice in Chains, Underwing is quickly making a name for itself with its catchy and moody hard rock tunes. The band has earned quite a following and there’s no secret why. Their music is great and it resonates with many. The message is defined and the mood is intense.
Scared Stiff had the chance to sit down with Underwing and talk about their music and mission…
GM: Can you introduce yourself to the public? How would you describe your band, your style, your message?
Underwing is the intense interaction between groovy rhythms, melancholic moods, hard-hitting hooks and the commanding vocals of Enyeto Kotori. By taking inspiration from genres such as prog, stoner and grunge, the band has made a unique musical expression. In short: If Black Sabbath and Alice in Chains had a lovechild that was adopted by Tool, who coincidentally lived next door to Soundgarden and Motorpsycho, the result would be Underwing.
GM: What got you into music?
Magnus: Always been a fan of music, since the early days of rocking around my house to whatever record my dad put on. A lot of Black Sabbath in the early days, but I thought it sounded scary, so I had a period of time listening to boybands like Backstreet Boys and A1, haha! After that my uncle introduced me to Elvis. After that I discovered different variations of rock n roll. He’s the king, you know.
GM: What musicians/bands were your inspirations?
Magnus: When I started playing the guitar I was heavily into punk bands, like The Dead Kennedys and Sex Pistols, but also softer punk like Green Day and bands like All Time Low, New Found Glory etc. It’s actually much too many bands/artists that influence me to list here. I’m wearing them on my sleeves, so to speak – and anything can influence me if I’m receptive for it.
GM: Talk about your latest album. What should the public expect?
Magnus: Our latest album, which is actually and EP, but has the length of an album (confusing, I know..) is called Spirals. It was released on the 1st of June this year via our own label “Pinecone Records”. It has 4 marvellous tracks, and I’m not gonna tell you what to expect because you shouldn’t go into music expecting stuff – find it on Spotify after a 10 minute meditation and go into it with an open mind.
Here’s a link: https://open.spotify.com/album/4fKU4HrMKTZ7N5GAdbYNed
GM: What has been the best experience you’ve had being in the business?
Magnus: Meeting new people with fresh ideas, and people who find our music are helping them in some way or another. That shit is inspiring and makes me want to go on doing this. Also, being on stage in front of people screaming and cheering for you isn’t that bad either. It’s amazing to feel such levels of support for what we do.
GM: What has been the worst experience you’ve had?
Magnus: Having to cancel a gig because of a LOT of stress. We hadn’t got enough sleep after the gig the night before, our car broke down, Thomas’ (our lead guitar player) arm wasn’t working and he had to go to the E.R, and I was having a panic attack in some gutter just blocks away from the venue we were playing. Simply too much happening at once. A bit too many drinks the night before too, to be brutally honest.
GM: With the changing mediums in the distribution of music, how difficult is it to make a living in the business?
Magnus: Depends on your creativity and mindset going into it. It’s both more difficult, and easier than before. You’ll have to be open for alternative sources of income.
GM: Any final thoughts?
Magnus: Nah. Check out our music on Spotify and say hi to us on social media – we love hearing from you guys!
We also got this special advent calendar going on where you can win exclusive giveaways every Sunday before Christmas – check that out here: https://www.underwing.band/yule-calendar.html#/
