Unleashed: An Interview With Skanimals

Skanimals is a Norwegian ska-punk band that formed after one of its members was inspired by seeing The Interrupters perform live. “Unleash The Skanimals”, blends ska with Norwegian influences, notably in the track "To Valhalla," which incorporates a Viking horn to create a Norse atmosphere. The band's music is also inspired by a variety of genres and bands, including pop-punk acts like Bowling For Soup and The Offspring, as well as bands like Panic! at the Disco, System of a Down, and P.O.D..

The band's songwriting process is a collaborative effort, although it can vary from a band member bringing in a complete idea to writing on the fly in the studio. When it comes to their sound, the band is always looking for new elements, and they have used throat-singing in an interlude and a mouth-harp in their song "Madness". Live shows are a high-energy experience, with the band's motto being "Move your feet, and dance with us". Their live shows are characterized by "groovy rhythms and high energy music," as well as solos and surprise trumpet parts.

We had a chance to catch up with the band recently for a wide-ranging interview.

What's the story behind the name Skanimals?

Birk (vocals): Our aim was to include elements of ska, even when we create music in other genres. For that reason, it was important to have ska in the name, and it's also a great conversation starter to get people introduced to the ska genre here in Norway. The full name "Skanimals" was a actually proposal from our bassist’s girlfriend.

Your music blends ska and Norwegian influences. How do you fuse those two distinct sounds?

Marius (bass): When it comes to Norwegian influences we went all out with the intro to our debut album "Unleash The Skanimals" with the track "To Valhalla". We added a Viking horn and tried to make a very Norse atmosphere. The intro also transitions into "Gods On My Shoulders" which revolves around Norse mythology. Other than that, it's important for us to show the Norwegian people what the ska genre is all about, as it's lesser known here. So, our biggest influence comes from abroad.

Birk: Our strategy when it comes to fusing the sounds is to adjust and adapt the ska sound to fit the expression we are looking for in the sound, which gives an interesting dynamic to our music.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences, both within the ska genre and outside of it?

Marius: We've got to thank The Interrupters for our band’s existence. Seeing them live convinced me to form a ska-punk band. In my youth I always enjoyed the soundtracks of those Tony Hawk's Pro Skaters games featuring bands like Goldfinger and Zebrahead. We also look to pop-punk like Bowling For Soup and The Offspring for inspiration.

Birk: Agreed! Even some different bands like Panic! At The Disco, System Of A Down and P.O.D. give us inspiration with regards to creativity and vocal expression.

How does the Norwegian music scene, particularly in your local area, influence your sound and lyrics?

Birk: Our Norwegian songs lean quite heavily into punk, with less ska influence. These songs can be a bit harder due to our dialect being associated with bands like Blood Command and Taking Names. But we also look to bands like Kaizers Orchestra and Turbonegro for inspiration. In the future we are set to make some more ska/alternative Norwegian music.

What's the most unusual venue you've ever played?

Birk: That's got to be Vaktbua (translated: Lookout Shed) in Kristiansand for sure.

Marius: Yeah, Vaktbua is a pub/venue inside of a regular small house. The bar and the stages are aligned, and the floor in front of the stage is small. Half of our crowd had to watch from the bar floor.

Your live shows are known for being high-energy. What's your secret to getting the crowd moving?

Birk: Groovy rhythms and high energy music absolutely does a good job at keeping the crowd moving! But we also take pride in creating an interesting show with solos, surprise trumpet and keeping it high energy on stage. The clue is to not let sweat and heat stop us. "Move your feet, and dance with us" is our motto!

If you could collaborate with any artist or band, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Marius: As I also play in a Mötley Crüe tribute band it would be cool to collaborate with Nikki Sixx. Other than that, we would love to make a ska song with Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger or The Interrupters. Los Fastidios would be cool as well.

Birk: Good ones! Lately I've found that Millington is making themselves known in the brass-emo scene, and they have a sound that would be fun to work with. If I could pick any it would likely be 2014 Vampire Weekend or Panic! At The Disco!

Which song is your favorite to perform live and what makes it special?

Birk: I find Alpha to be very fun. It has a sound that describes our goal well. I love the combination of trumpet and vocals which is challenging and fun! It's also a song that has grown a lot with regard to live performance and the input of additional band members.

Marius: My favorite is Rum Voyage. It's the most tropical sounding song we have matching our attire on stage. It's also a song with a fun and playful bass line.

Describe your songwriting process. Does someone bring in a complete idea, or is it a collaborative effort from the start?

Birk: It varies. I write quite a lot and enjoy writing just to write. In some cases, another band member comes up with a melody and I fit one of my lyrics. We've also done quite a lot of on-the-fly writing in the studio which works well. Marius is the one with the most complete ideas from melody to lyrics, but it's usually a combined effort. I think we have a good workflow and really shine in the creativity/productivity aspect!

Photo credit: Petter Sandell

What's the biggest challenge you've faced as a band?

Birk: At times there are too many good ideas floating around to get to everything. When we choose what to work on, this can cause someone to lose the feeling of ownership. Also, our strength when it comes to varied genres can also be a challenge when some band members must work on genres that are not quite what they enjoy the most.

Are there any traditional Norwegian folk instruments that you've considered incorporating into your sound?

Birk: We are always looking for new sounds, and some more strings could be cool, like a fiddle. Throat singing can already be found in our interlude, and mouth harp is used in "Madness". Every sound gives a unique impact, but it's not our focus to be even more "traditional".

If your band could be an animal, which animal would it be and why?

Marius: A kangaroo. Me and Birk also play on a volleyball team and it would be nice to jump high as kangaroos without any knee pain.

Birk: I would say a chimp. Full of energy, loud ass vocals and cheeky personality.

What's the best advice you've ever received about being in a band?

Birk: Make compromises and take criticism as constructive feedback. Everything can always be better but at some point, you need to be happy with the product and move on.

If someone had never heard ska before, which of your songs would you recommend they listen to first?

Marius: "Figure It Out". It's also the song most people like to dance to when we play it live.

How has your sound evolved from your first release to your most recent album?

Birk: We are leaning more into interesting melodies from ska and have dialed back the metal sound a bit. But metal/screaming is something we want to use more as an impactful element for a hard-hitting impact and variation where we see fit.

What's one misconception people have about being in a band?

Birk: That it's just a hobby. I've found this to be nearly impossible. If we want to get noticed and bigger we must work as a team and look at some things as work to be efficient towards a goal. Being in a band takes time and effort, especially if we want to be an original band that's constantly evolving.

Besides music, what are some of the things that inspire your creative process?

Marius: Real life events or mythology. Some lyrics are written as satire and some are story driven.

Birk: I enjoy taking real life experiences and wrapping them in a more fantastical shell. It's also meaningful to get some politics and larger issues in there, even if the songs have a cheerful vibe.

What can fans expect from The Skanimals in the next year?

Birk : You can expect a more refined sound with even more interesting elements. We are also including more brass to get a fuller and bigger sound. And if you check us out live, the shows will be bigger, better and a whole bunch dancier!

We want to be recognized as a serious band with ambitions. A hit song, warm up on the big stage and festival appearances are on the bucket list!

Final question - anyone you'd like to thank?

Your New Drug. They’ve made a small ska-punk festival in Norway called skadvent. They also lend us their trombone player from time to time. We’d like to thank Thomas Berdal Audio for mixing our latest single, and TomTom who’s done all the mastering of our songs. Los Fastidios gave us the opportunity to play support for them in Norway, this is the nicest band we’ve ever met. Finally we’ve got to thank the band that inspired us to form Skanimals: The Interrupters, Goldfinger, Bowling For Soup and Zebrahead.

Links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skanimalsofficial/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/61txCE6wT1o6OyU63l6sf4