Crash Nomada
It´s hard to come across a band with such diverse and
professional musicianship as the Swedish Gypsy-Folk-Rock band “Crash Nomada”.
Fast, upbeat, slow, moody and with the roots of punk the band has reached their
first album which is purely being sung in their native Swedish language. We
sent over some questions to the band to see what influenced the band this time
around. Singer and guitarist Ragnar Bey answered the questions for us.
Courtesy: Crash Nomada
First
of all we were a bit late this time around compiling an interview for your
latest release. The album has been out now for a while. Which reactions have
you got this time around so far?
Ragnar: The album has received good reviews and people have been very positive which is
great. Although we had hoped at least some people would become a bit more
provoked by it.
You
did a limited EP-vinyl called “Broar” a couple of years back. 4 songs
completely sung in your native Swedish language for the first time. Did the EP
encourage you to further embrace Swedish for the latest album too?
Ragnar: Yes definitely. It feels easier to reach, or at least have some control over,
higher poetic levels in your native language. And it is also possible to sing
about other subjects and environments. On the other hand, since the latest
album is in Swedish we haven’t reached out as much to the rest of the world as
we have with the earlier releases in English. Which we kind of miss too, so we
are planning to do more stuff in English or other languages in the future
again.
If
possible could you give us a brief run down of the influences for the songs on
the new album which also is selftitled as “Crash Nomada”?
-
“Tusen Sånger”
A song influenced by hip-hop, rai, noise rock etc.
Lyrically it relates to the Tower of Babel, and holds the pantheistic belief
that we can cooperate despite differences and despite what nationalistic people
in power say.
-
“Någon Form Av Svar”
Lyrically a classic song
about searching for answers in life. Musically it is almost a techno song, but recorded
completely live with instruments.
-
“Cuatro Caminos”
A song about busking and
life on the streets in Europe. Musically it has some sort of rough reggae, Manu
Chao vibe.
-
“Stenålderssjäl”
Classic punk rock with folk
music instruments. A song that is critical towards the last 10 000 years of
civilization and – both with humour and a serious undertone - urges us to
connect to our “stone age soul” as the final weapon against oppressive civilization/society.
-
“Ljuset Som Du Sökte
This song is about the mystic, anarchist, painter and
esoteric author Ivan Aguéli from Sala, Västmanland.
-
“Under
En Mörk Europeisk Himmel”
A song that deals with the situation in Europe/refugee
crisis on the Mediterranean during the last years, but does so through the
classic Greek myth about Eurydice and Orpheus. Musically it has breakbeat drums
and is inspired by noisy Drum and Bass music. But played and recorded live with
instruments and acoustic drums. Lots of atmospheric Brian Eno style
instrumentation.
-
”Ingenting Är Sant”
A song about Emmy Hennings, Hugo Ball, Nietzsche and
the Assasins. A song that deals with the thin line between complete subversion
of aesthetics and society on the one hand and complete devotion on the other.
-
Det
Här Är Ditt Liv”
Classic D-beat hardcore punk with accordion and
violin. Lyrics deal with the boredom of identity politics and ideology. 1
minute and 20 seconds long.
-
”Mälaren”
A song about the lake Mälaren, but also a song about
the world, about our common history and about freedom.
-
”Bomullskrona”
This is a cover and Swedish translation of the song
Cotton Crown by Sonic Youth. It is a beautiful and mystic song that I’ve always
admired, it was great to finally get the opportunity to translate and cover it.
Photo/Courtesy: Knabble / Crash Nomada.
You
probably heard many times that your band has being baptised as a band with
”World Folk Music” influences. Many bands tend to be very narrow minded and
follow a strict routine, yet with “Crash Nomada” it seems you are always
embracing new musical ideas. If you compare with when you first started and
now, what has influenced you as musicians during the years?
Ragnar: Musically
we are constantly evolving. In the beginning we really wanted to mix folk music
with punk, and were quite focused within that musical and rhythmical framework.
Lately we have been more open to whatever comes up and what Jari Haapalainen,
the producer we’ve been working with, has wanted to progress with. So the
latest album has many influences, ranging from techno beats to noisy post punk
and beyond. But always with the folk music and punk intensity in the bottom.
The
band also seems to be inspired by many different writers, teachings and books.
Apart from music and writers, what brings you new ideas and influences?
Ragnar: Yeah like you say, primarily, for me, in order to create music it is crucial to
listen to a lot of other music and to read loads of books on different
subjects.And to have a bunch of creative friends in the band of course. Apart
from that I think it is very important these days to pay attention to things,
to make an effort to really observe what goes on around you, and to screen away
irrelevant stuff. You have to work on your own illumination. All these smartphones,
for example, can be dangerous traps. Previously freedom and creativity has been
restricted by means of censorship of information, these days we are bombarded
with useless information. This endeavour, of working on awareness and focus, is
in many ways a sort of spiritual undertaking that requires hard work and
discipline, meditation and training. And it is often easier said than done. It
is also ancient wisdom; there is a saying by the 13th century mystic
Rumi: “the art of knowing is knowing what to ignore.”
You´ve
toured the globe many times. What touring memories and anecdotes do you have so
far?
Ragnar: This
question is always tricky to answer, there are many anecdotes. The funniest and
craziest ones are often not fit to mention in an interview… and the ones that
are fit to mention are often not crazy enough, haha…
“Crash
Nomada” have tackled the Swedish melancholy, mentality and the clash between
the small town and the urbanization. What do you prefer these days, the
calmness of the small town or the big city?
Ragnar: Both I’d say. I grew up in the forest outside an
industrial small town in rural Sweden, and I loved it. But I have spent many inspiring
years living in big cities in different countries too. I think I will always like
both and not stay in one place for too long.
You
have taken a clear stance in the migration and immigration debate which has
partly divided and separated Sweden and Europe for many years now. The new song
“Under En Mörk Europeisk Himmel” is a good example of this. How do you look at
those recent years with almost biblical proportions, like a yet unseen modern
Exodus?
Ragnar: Yes, the above-mentioned song, as well as Mälaren
and Tusen sånger deal with these
issues in different ways, and they all do it within religious or mythological
and historical narratives. I think it is interesting to write some songs with
that awareness. It creates depth and a tangible connection to our ancestors,
who were also simple Homo sapiens struggling in this world. And deep inside we
all carry the answers. I think a song with this type of narrative can reach
further than a song just saying “Fuck the narrow minded right wing
nationalists”… sort of.
We´ve
heard that the band also has been playing as street musicians. What differs
from playing music on the streets comparing to have a proper arranged concert
with a paying audience?
Ragnar: There is a certain magic in the air when everything is acoustic. You get closer
to the dynamic nature of sound and body when singing and playing. We still do spontaneous
street gigs and acoustic small gigs. But the chaos and high volume of a proper
gig on a good stage with a participating audience is also pure magic, but in another
more boosted way.
Courtesy: Crash Nomada
We are believers of Jesus Christ, yet we have also
always listened to a lot of punk, grunge, heavy metal, post rock. Have you
considered to ever take on the Bible, perhaps as an concept album in the
future?
Ragnar: There
is a quote from someone… could be a Dylan-quote, but I’m not sure, I can’t find
it now, but the bottom line was something like: “Atheism is terrible for music…”
And there is a certain amount of truth in that. Music has always been a bridge
between the divine and the earthly everyday life. We can’t ignore its
metaphysical and spiritual transformative power, practically or historically. A
lot of secular commodified music is ripped from its roots and context and
therefore fails to connect and transform us. And listening to yet another band
with a fixed routine left wing atheist approach can be a bit dull… for me it
just gets predictable and a bit like putting a grid on top of the world and
then being content you have all the answers. On the other hand, a lot of explicit
religious music can be just as boring. When someone has all the answers, you
just lack the chaos, ambivalence and magic that is essential to good music. And
in a way, this ambivalence or tension between the sacred and profane was
formative for the early Rock’n’Roll ethos, which has one foot in Afro American Christianity
and the other foot in hedonism.There is another saying by someone, can’t
remember who: “There are two steps on the spiritual journey; begin and
continue”. The spiritual path contains both elements of faith and doubt,we will
never reach some kind of goal and have all the answers. In my opinion this
struggle needs to shine through the music.But anyway, to answer your question, I
think I will continue to write with religious texts and scriptures as historic
and cultural reference points, it is difficult not to. However, personally,
when it comes to Abrahamic monotheism, I spend more time studying the esoteric teachings
and practice of it´s different underground and mystical spiritual movements, more
than the early scriptures.
Time to wrap things up for this time. What does 2019
and 2020 hold for “Crash Nomada” and do you have any last words for your
listeners out around the globe?
Ragnar: We will be doing some gigs and start to work on some new songs probably. Thanks for a good interview with many interesting questions.
Thank you very much for taking your time answering the questions for us!
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