THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR

Q&A with HIPSTER OVERKILL

Denmark ‘s Funkiest Export Are Trying To Go From ipod Ads To International Stardom

The Scandinavian country of Denmark and it’s capitol, Copenhagen, are best known for the exportation of….um…..let me see…well, if Pop/Funk band The Asteroids Galaxy Tour have anything to say about it, Denmark will be best known for exporting them.  Producer Lars Iverson and vocalist Mette are the creators of what is currently the freshest sound of 2009.  Starting the group only a mere 18 months ago, the group has catapulted into the pop consciousness thanks to the help of Steve Jobs and the taste making ad people at Apple.  There seems to be no better way for cutting edge musicians to gain fame in the new millennium than to snag the next ubiquitous ipod commercial, and T.A.G.T. are already in your head (thanks to the ipod Touch) and you didn’t even know it.  After releasing the Around The Bend - EP (the title song is the infamous ipod song) they plan on releasing their first full length album, Fruit, this Spring with a tour to follow.

Hipster Overkill got to hop on the horn with Mette for a conversation about their influences, look-a-likes, and the musical Hair.  After the Q&A, scroll down to view their latest videos and more.

Questions By D. Painter

Answers By Mette

Hipster Overkill:  Congratulations on such quick success since the release of ”Around the Bend”.  I had no idea until I read your press release that the band had only been formed about a year and a half ago.  So this must seem like a whirlwind to you.  I can’t imagine what the experience is like.  Can you explain it to us?

M:  We’re from Denmark and we live in Copenhagen, the capitol, and “Around The Bend” was only released  weeks ago [here].  I don’t know how it feels because I don’t hear it and I don’t see it on the television or anything so…

H.O.:  Is it that you’re on the road too much to listen to radio and watch TV?

M:  Yeah, a little bit like that, and because we haven’t been playing in Denmark.  It’s quite new, it’s great to hear if we have airplay success somewhere else.

H.O.:  How old is the song, has it been sitting on a demo for awhile or is it that as soon as you put it out it caught on and the apple people got in touch with you?

M:  Almost.  It’s me and Lars and we have some friends that play with us live.  Lars and me, we work in the studio and we record and then get back to it and record something else and produce a little bit here, a little bit there.  The songs are always fresh because we always change it or add something different, so when [we were placed in the ipod ad] we had just done the last [mixdown of the song].

H.O.:  I know you have the full length album, Fruit, being released soon but you dropped an EP last year.  Was the release of the EP prompted by the ipod commercial to capitalize on the hype you knew you’d be getting from that?

M:  Well, we had talked and arranged to release an EP and then this year release the album.  It was just good luck that the ipod ad came in.  We get out to a lot of people because they hear it through that commercial.  It was a good thing for us.

H.O.:  I love the Around The Bend - EP, it’s fun, it’s fresh.  When I listen to songs like the title track and “Push The Envelope” they have that sense of familiarity to them because of the funk vibe, but, at the same it’s very new.  I guess that’s the goal of most bands to create something with an air of familiarity without sounding derivative of old bands.  Sometimes you hear bands that sound old and you say to yourself “oh, they sound like so-and-so.”  I can’t say that about you guys.  Since I can’t pin point your influences can you tell me who inspires you as a musician and song writer?

M:  Well, I’m actually glad that you say that because we feel the same way.  We have so many different influences [including] Jazz, old-school soul like Stax and Motown, Elvis, The Beatles, Missy Elliott, Hip-Hop, Pop acts, Electro acts so we don’t think about, “this is what we want,” it’s just creating itself through what we’ve been listening to through life.  We’re often asked, “So, describe your music.  What is it?” and it’s difficult to describe because we think it’s a mix of so many things.  What people think it is they can think that.  That’s the thing about music, you can grab what you want and take out of it what you want.  We’re not trying to tell people what it is…

H.O.:  Well, a lot of times, when it comes to retail and getting your video placed, you have to label it.  So if you had to, what would you label it?

M:  Well, I would say it’s definitely Pop music with a twist of everything.  Don’t you think that describes it?

H.O.:  Yeah, I guess I could say that, especially since you have the dance remix on the EP.  Having the “The Sun Ain’t Shining No More” Bruce Aisher Remix allows DJ’s to push your music that much further in a club setting.

M:  I don’t know that much about the club thing, so, do you think it’s positive to get a lot of remixes to use as a way to get through to the club scene?

H.O.:  Definitely.  Are you familiar with the group MGMT?

M:  Yes.

H.O.:  The thing that benefited them the most is that the Electro scene embraced them, but when you listen to their album cuts there’s not a lot that DJ’s can work with.  They got a lot of remixes from the top people and that kept them alive in a Pop sense.  That would work with you guys as well.

M:  I think that’s cool.  We’re open to remixes and we’re always looking for something to bring us further.  The remix is the best [way to do that].

H.O.:  When I listen to the current single, “The Sun Ain’t Shining No More”, it has a retro 60’s soul vibe that would appeal to listeners of Amy Winehouse in comparison to your other songs that are a sort of new-wave funk.  What can we expect more of on the full length album when it comes out in April?

M:  You can expect everything and nothing.  Even though you’ve heard the singles you can expect more songs that take us in a new direction.  But, at the same time, they have something in common so it’s a whole piece.  I think that makes it fresh.  It’s not something we thought about, it’s just the way it is.

H.O.:  When it comes to actually making the music in the studio, even though it feels very organic, having influences like Electro and Hip-Hop gives me the impression that there’s more synthetic production going in it such as keyboards and sampling.  Similarly to the Break Beat producers/artists currently out there like Kraak & Smaak and Thievery Corporation do you have those elements involved?  Or is it an organic process?

M:  Lars is a producer as well.  To begin, the drums are programmed then we mix the programmed drums with real drums.  Then we have horns [that are] first made on the keyboard then we bring in the brass section from the band and they play the real horns.  The vocals are recorded on a hand held mic in a room, not in a [booth].  Most of the instruments are organic, and a lot of the instruments are also played by Lars.

H.O.:  Yeah, it translates well live from the footage I’ve seen on YouTube.  Hopefully at some point in the United States we can check out a tour.  What are your plans for that?

M:  We’re still planning on it but I know that we’re playing the SXSW festival [in Austin, TX March 13-22] and we have a small tour after that.  We will be back [in the U.S.] around the [release] of the album.  The best thing is to check out the myspace.  We write blogs as well sometimes, and there’s pictures and video.

H.O.:  One of the things that make the band’s sound unique is your vocal style and delivery.  Even though I can’t figure out what influenced your style, I can put my finger on one thing, and that’s who you look like.

M:  Who do I look like?!

H.O.:  Debbie Harry from Blondie back in the 80’s.

M:  Oh Yeah, I’ve heard that one or two times before and then I checked it out.  I can see some of the familiar things with the face…

H.O.:  Yeah, she was a big sex symbol…

M:  Well, I’ll take that as a compliment then.

H.O.:  She did similar things [as you] in terms of crossing genres [but in her case it was] between Punk, Disco, and Hip-Hop.

M:  I don’t know her that well.

H.O.:  You gotta check her out.  Since she wasn’t a musical influence, who would you say were the people that when you began to sing you imitated their style?

M:  I thought about that because I get asked that a lot, but, I can’t remember because I’ve never been into a band or been a big fan [of too many singers].  I listen to a lot of Bob Dylan…

H.O.:  I wouldn’t have guessed that.

M:  Mostly male artists actually.  I like the old Hair musical.  My mom and dad had that one and I used to sing the old recordings of that.  Because the tape was so old, it sounded really great like an ant and I used to sing to that at home.  Of course The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones [as well].

H.O.:  The Who I’ve never been able to get into.  Anytime anyone says they’re a Who fan I ask them to explain what I’m missing.

M:  Well I think that when I listen to music I hear the harmonies and the melodies and I don’t listen to the lyrics.  Sometimes when you get some music from that [early] time of your life you grab it and it means something to you and you can’t explain it.  Maybe you wouldn’t like it if you heard it another time [in your life].  It’s difficult to explain.  I know some music I really love and people don’t understand why I love it and they have something that I don’t understand.  That’s the thing with music, you don’t have to understand why, you just need to take from it what [you like].

H.O.:  Well, thanks for sitting on the phone with me so long.  We will see you when you come to the U.S. for SXSW.  How can people keep up with what The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are doing?

M:  www.The AsteroidsGalaxyTour.com and also www.Myspace.com/TheAsteroidsGalaxyTour is what we check to see what people have to say [to us].

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour’s full length album, Fruit, is due for release in April 2009.    The EP Around The Bend is available now!

Keep checking their page and Hipster Overkill for more on this band.

Thank you to Helen at IE Music for her help in making this interview happen.