Mit ihrem Mini-Debutalbum ‘Ragazzi‘ schafften Cancer‘s Kristian Finne Kristensen, bekannt als Frontmann von Chorus Grant und When Saints Go Machines Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild einen fast organischen Gitarrensound, dessen Tempowechsel, Genresprünge und plötzliche Stimmungsschwankungen mit Vonsilds verschrobener Textkunst zusammen gehen wie Vanilleeis mit heißen Kirschen. Im Interview hat uns Nikolaj, bevor die Band morgen in Berlin beim zweiten ausverkauften JaJaJa Showcase im Flux Bau mit Team Me und Adna spielen wird, ein wenig über das neue Projekt der beiden Dänen aufgeklärt.
Band Facts
Name: Cancer
Band members: Kristian Finne Kristensen, Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild
Live Band: Kristian Finne Kristensen, Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild, Moogie Lindberg, Tobias Tangaa.
Founding year: 2013
Residence: Copenhagen
Current album: Ragazzi
Questionaire
You’ll be playing at JaJaJa Berlin in November, how did you get involved with the project?
No idea we were asked to come over and play and we´re happy about that.
“Cancer“ is not necessarily a word people associate with positive things, how did you come up with the bands name/ what does it mean to you?
It’s the name of a personal tragedy and we chose to work on the music under that name to try and give the word new meaning, keep communicating and honor the love and honesty that emerges in people when going through tough personal tragedies.
How did the collaboration start?
We met in school and started hanging out just to play some music and it felt really liberating, so we thought we would keep it up by forming the band.
You both come from seemingly different musical backgrounds how do you think Cancer benefits from that?
We feed of each other’s inspirations and abilities and it becomes something we haven’t done before which is really fulfilling.
I had a really hard time writing a review for your album, because I just never felt like I could properly describe what I was hearing and for some reason the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and the tales of the brothers Grimm popped up in my mind. What kept you inspired during the making of the Album?
I kind of like that association. I think one of the things that kept us inspired was that it wasn’t supposed to be anything other than just a feeling of the reality we were going through at the time. We were just starting to write music together and a lot of what we were doing had nothing to do with music, but that’s what it ended up being because it was how we learned to communicate with each other.
You both are the lead singers and frontmen of your other musical projects, how did you decide who would take what place in ‘Cancer’ or did that come gradually?
We still don´t know from song to song. In this band we are both lead singers and band leaders and it feels great to be able to steal melodies from each other, talk about and alter lyrics and stuff like that.
‘Hunting Large Cats From Helicopters’ – Please tell me something about how you choose your song titles.
A lot of times the titles pick the songs meaning that the lyrics are often there before the music. That specific title came from a dream I had. Seeing these majestic animals hiding in what might have been a cornfield or something and helicopters hovering over them in the morning mist trying to get a clear shot.
What do you think are the best parts about working with each other?
To be able to explore a world of sound that we´re unable to do by ourselves.
Any chances of getting my hands on a full length ‘Cancer’ Album anytime soon?
We´ve got a lot of new material so maybe.
What can we expect from you two in the near future?
Please don´t expect anything.
What are you doing when you’re not making music?
I´m feeding my mothers tortoises, listening to music and trying to figure out the meaning of balance, Kristian might be bathing in the harbor or fiddling with his toy burger.
What did you learn in 2014?
Keep it simple, keep it real, stay humble and keep jamming.
Your Top 3 records of 2014? Why?
Iceage – ‘plowing into the field of love’. I really like a lot of the lyrics, it’s rock music and when it gets hard it´s still not sounding like a weird masculine power trip and it feels heartfelt. That makes it sexy to me.
Other than that I don’t know, but I just bought the new Scott Walker and Sunn o))) album and the Butthole Surfers album ‘Hairway to Steven’ and I’m really looking forward to listening to them. The Butthole Surfers album was recommended to me by a friend and he told me that I need to listen to it at least a couple of times before I decide if I like it. Hopefully that will happen today.
Also I just put on the new The Bug album last night and what I heard I really liked. It set a good mood for the late hours of a Tuesday morning.
Which song would fit your actual situation?
Burial – Rival Dealer
Which song makes you dance independent of your situation?
I don’t know, sometimes I really don’t feel like dancing a whole lot.
What would your „Bedroomdisco“ look like?
I would like to have it looking like the mansion from the movie Scarface although that might not be so cozy.
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