Interview with Pim of Peel

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

I grew up with music all around me, in my family and among my friends, in a time when music was (I dare say) a more important and defining part of people's lives than it is today, sadly enough….I’m not sure what I would have done if I wasn’t into music; maybe writing, maybe psychology, movies or maybe lawyer .

 What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

Music is most of my life; playing music, listening to music, writing music… Besides that I like to watch movies. I am a football idiot. I used to love reading, but now I’m too lazy and unfocused and that’s really kind of sad, because there is so much magic in books.

How long has your band been around?

We kicked off our career early this millennium with our self-titled album released on Edel Records/Playground Music. Some of the songs got airplay all over the world, and the video for “Natalie Somewhere” made it to second place on MTV’s Top Nordic Charts, as well as the sales charts in Norway.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

We are a Norwegian band, we live and work in Norway, in a small town outside Oslo (Norways capital) . I’m not sure how it has influenced us, it is hard to pinpoint, BUT I’m sure that it puts its stain on our work - both musically and lyrically. Norwegian as a people is quite introverted, narrow-minded, and we carry the contradiction of feeling like the champions of the world and at the same time inferiority complex is a part of our DNA. We’ve had the oil industry that we more or less stumbled upon to build up our  economy making us one of the wealthiest countries on the planet. So the fundamentals for a happy life should be present, but there are few other countries in the world swallowing antidepressants and consuming alcohol like us. The nature and weather is harsh and rough….So, there’s a lot of contradictions in Norwegian society, and it would be strange if that in some ways didn’t  influence our music.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

We were looking for something easy to remember, but at the same time meant something; Peel could be both the action (the verb to) to peel off something to get into the core as well as meaning a layer, a shell, armour, something that protects or hides…

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

 It is difficult to pick out the most memorable shows, but if I had to pick one it must be the show that got us a record label. I never wanted to be an artist. I never thought I had the frontman gene in me (I still don’t think that…hehehe), I never cared for attention, I am quite shy and introverted around people I don't know or in settings where there is too much rumble, fuzz and noise. My goal was to be a producer and songwriter. Anyways; I was convinced and talked into starting Peel as an outlet for songs that were too personal to give to other artists. We picked up interest from a lot of record companies, most non-norwegian. One of the companies (Edel Records/Playground) was situated in Germany and Sweden with a small office in Norway, wanted to check out the band live, preferably in Sweden, Germany or if they had to come to Norway a stage in Oslo. I was very, VERY, reluctant (Peel was just an outlet for personal songs, remember) but agreed if they would come to the smalltown where we lived and check us out live in a local pub. The European Head A&R from Germany had to come to the countryside in Norway. He was picked up on the airport in a Limousine and driven through the dark snowy and ice cold landscape of January Norway and placed on a bar stool in a “well worn” pub with a bunch of local peelgrims. We delivered our show with our hearts in our hands, the crowd liked it and so did the big boss from Germany - it got us signed. It’s a fucking Cinderella story. We played festivals with much bigger crowds, we have played on legendary stages in Norway, but that gig is one of my fondest memories without a doubt.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

We are not a big thing , never have been, so there are many, many places we would like to play. Places we have heard about such as Madison Square Garden in NYC, Marquee Club in London, Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Hammersmith Odeon, Cavern Club in Liverpool, Paradiso in Amsterdam, Glastonbury Festival…the list is long. Very long. And not very realistic, but it’s both cool and important to dream, right?

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Oh, that’s not easy, and the answer I give you today would probably not be the same tomorrow. But I would have all kinds of different artists; The Beatles, Kiss ( 70’s Kiss), Nirvana, Bee Gees, David Bowie, The Cure, Arctic Monkeys, Peel, Thin Lizzy, Radiohead, The Smiths…Oh fuck, the list is endless..haha.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

To someone who is just getting into playing in a band I guess I would say something like: practice your instrument, practice the art of songwriting, let it be bigger than the “fame and  celebrity” -thing , say something, use your ears (listen), your heart and soul (feel) -  NOT your eyes,

To myself I would say: get your head out of the clouds, get an education, cut your hair and get a job…hahaha…No, I would say: believe in yourself, don’t shy away, you can do this!

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

I think I answered that already….(above) 

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Again a tough question that would come off with a different answer depending on when you ask me. But a couple of the songs that stick with me are “Comes Down…OK” from the first album, because it started it all for us. It’s the first song that made it to the playlists on radio. “Natalie Somewhere”, also from our debut album, is a song I’m very proud of having written. “Second Man on the Moon”  is another personal favorite.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

“Boy with the Oxygen Mask” from the “End of Summer EP” is always fun to play, our new single “Love Phobia” is challenging and a blast to play, “(We are) The Wheel” and “Off the Edge” for the “Ghosts & Shadows” album are great live songs…

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

Up until now I have written more or less all of the songs, both music and lyrics. I usually record demos, sometimes they are quite rough with just a guitar and vocals leaving space for the other guys to color it with what they want, and sometimes it is almost a done song. BUT everyone in the band contributes in making it sound like Peel. Holten(bass) does a lot of the beat programming, Seb programs a lot too, and has a great ear for production and he always delivers great guitar tracks. As our “fifth” member we have Bjørn Are Rognlid in Regulator Studio who co-produce, mixes and is technician during some of the recording.   

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

Oh, that is a big question. Hmmmm…there are different messages, different themes, different stories depending on the song. But an overall message? Nah, I don’t know; I tend to write for the outsiders, the broken down, the ones in the shadows, the ones considered losers, those we don’t see, those who make no sound. And my songs can carry the view from those we as a society really consider outcasts, the ones that we as a society really hate and don’t have a room for.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Of course we have disagreements in Peel. And we solve them with a solid fist fight…haha. No, we solve them in a civilized way…

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

We are releasing new songs these days. Our new singles “Love Phobia” and “Someday / Someone” are just out - CHECK THEM OUT! Hopefully we will release our new album “Big Sundown” late this fall, early next year. We will do live shows if we get offered some cool ones. Or else it’s new songs to be written.