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Emma Karolina Swanström,
welcome to BassGirls.Com. Where are you based?
Umeå, Sweden
At what age did you first take a
bass in your hands? I think it was
at 21
What attracted you to playing bass?
My heroes, Peter Hook and Kim Deal. Since I gave up on the guitar I
decided to give the bass a try, and they inspired me, among others.
Did you play any other instrument
before you started playing bass? I
really wanted to play the guitar, but I gave up on it after about a year.
It was disappointing to find out that it wasn't my thing, since I
desperately
wanted to be in a band and get all those songs out of my head. But once I
tried to play the bass, it was true love...
Can you remember the first piece you
ever learned on bass? It must have
been Transmission by Joy Division.
What was your very first public
performance? 2004, at the annual
She's Got The Beat festival in Umeå with the Koo-Koo's. I did my first
gig with Disconvenience- my main band- a month later at an artschool (like
The Sex
Pistols...)
What’s your current band?
Disconvenience (old school punk rock)
[see Links page - Ed.] and The Koo-Koo's (queerpop/rock/synth)
What’s your main bass?
Aria pro II
What strings to you like best?
Boomers, 'cause they're cheap...
What is your backline bass amp
setup? Marshall JCM 800
Fingers, plectrum (pick) or both?
plectrum, 0.73 mm
Have you played double (upright) or
acoustic bass? No, never
What type of music do you play?
Preferably punkrock, with Disconvenience. I like playing fast and
aggressive. But it's also fun to be in Thye Koo-Koo's, 'cause it give me
the opportunity to strike cool poses...
Who do you listen to when you’re not
playing? Mostly punk. The Avengers,
The Partisans, The Ramones, Adolescents, The Misfits, X, X-ray Spex, Sex
Pistols, The Buzzcocks, Black Flag etc. etc.
Have you recorded/released any CDs?
Two demos and a 7" EP with Disconvenience. We will release our first LP in
2006. The Koo-Koo's have just recorded our first demo.
What was your best gig/venue ever?
I loved plying at a club called Ny
Våg here in Umeå with Disconvenience last year. It wasn't our best gig,
since we've developed a lot since then, but I remember it as a really fun
gig!
Ungdomshuset in Kopenhagen, and The house of loomings, Brooklyn, NYC was
also great! With The Koo-Koo's, it must have been the Gay Pride festival
in Umeå last summer.
What was your worst moment onstage?
Definately in Petalax, Finland. Basically everything went wrong...We
dropped our plectrum, cables and drumsticks all the time, wich made us
tense and focused on everything but
the audience.
Were you ever on a TV show?
Yeah, we were filmed by national TV
yesterday! I'm supposed to talk about feminism in this program, and they
filmed us in our rehearsal.
Did you ever make the cover of a
magazine? No, but we've made a lot
of interviews, and our EP, “War on Wankers” has got very good reviews in
all magazines that wrote about it. I found out yesterday that it's now on
three peoples “best of the month list” in Maximum Rock n' roll!
What’s your favourite album/CD?
I can't pick just one: Joy Division: Substance, The Partisans: Police
Story, The Ramones: The Ramones and Madonna: Like A Prayer
Do you play/own any other
instruments? a couple of acoustic
guitars
Do you sing?
Yes, I don't think I could play without a
microphone in front of me.
Have you ever performed onstage
without your bass? Yes, when we
played at a wedding last summer, we finished the set with “White wedding”
(Billy Idol) and “Baby I don't care” (Transvision Vamp), and I let a
friend play the bass so that I could focus on singing and dancing
Have you played outside your own
country? In Finland, USA, Denmark,
Germany and Holland.
What’s your opinion on basses with
more than 4 strings? Not for me, not
for punk
What do you feel is the bass-players
function in a band? To make up cool
basslines, not just to follow the guitar.
Did you ever have a famous person in
your audience? Do tell!
Hmmm...Dennis Lyxzén and Inge Johansson (Refused and The International
Noise Conspiracy) and Lisa Miskovsky (all from Umeå) and people from
Katatonia and Opeth are the ones I can think of right now.
What are your ambitions?
To make Disconvenience the legendary band it deserves to be, and to play
at gay events all arond the world with The Koo-Koo's.
Did you come from a musical family?
No, exept for my granddad, who sings
very well
l
Are your siblings and/or parents
involved in music? No, none of them.
My Mom gives dancing lessons though, and she started taking me to
festivals when iI was twelve. Music was always important in our home when
I grew up.
If forming your ideal live band,
what instruments would you have with you onstage?
A drumset, a bass and just one guitar! And two vocalists!
Do you see the bass as a solo
instrument? No not really.
Apart from your own projects, have
you played recording sessions with other artistes?
Actually no, which is strange...Most of my friends are in bands but I
guess I haven't been and the right place at the right time so far. Or
maybe the all think I suck! :)
What other instrument would you like
to play? The guitar, but I suck!
If you could be taken to a concert
anywhere on earth tonight, who would you want to see live?
I've seen just about every band That I had
to see ones before I die that are still around...I just wish I had seen
Joy Division, The Ramones and AC/DC with Bon Scott....I hope I'll see The
Partisans one day, and that they'll still be great!
What CD are you listening to most
these days? The Partisans: Idiot
Nation and GBH: Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne
What are your ambitions, musically
and personally? To reach out to all
people who wants to listen (and force the rest, he he) with my art and
music. I also want to give Umeå the alternative scene it deserves. We need
more rehearsals and most of all better venues up here! I want a big house
around Umeå wich I call fill with activities like these, such as an all
ages-club, rehearsals and studios.
Do you have a pet?
Yes, three cats.
Do you write/compose? I write all the lyrics and most of the music for
Disconvenience.
Do you have a day-job or do you play
professionally? I study pedagogics
and work as a life model at art schools.
Give one piece of “golden” advice to
someone who has just bought their first bass?
Don't have too much respect, just play (with) it and try to pick out your
favourite songs in order to understand how it “works”. Record something
at an early state. I think you learn a lot from recording, and then half a
year later you can listen to it and hear how you've developed.
Have you any “bassist” jokes to
share? No good ones. Just those
about “The ugly bassplayer”...All people should know that the bass player
is usually the most attractive member of a band!
thanks to Emma for being part of BassGirls.Com
text and images are copyright
of Emma Swanström and
BassGirls.Com
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