TODD INTERVIEWS ALL ENDS VOCALIST TINNA KARLSDOTTER
By Todd Jolicouer
Gotta love when you are offered the opportunity to interview a member of a band you really like, but isn’t a band everyone has heard of. Of course I am referring to All Ends, a GREAT band from Gothenburg, Sweden. These guys rock, but with two female lead vocalists that sing with the best of them. This isn’t another metal with chick lead singer band. The harmonies, layering, trade-offs… enough to make a metal head want to run out and buy up everything they can. I have been given the chance to talk to Tinna Karlsdotter about all things All Ends, to discuss their new album, A Road To Depression, and their new single, ‘Generation Disgrace.’ And away we go…
RockPit: Thank you. Can you still hear me?
TINNA: Yeah, I hear you. I hear you. What time is it over there?
RockPit: Uh, Six a.m.
TINNA: All right.
RockPit: Yeah, dedicated fans here In Detroit.
TINNA: Yeah, okay
RockPit: Well, first off, thank you for calling and taking the time out for The Rock Pit. We’re really excited to be able to take this opportunity and talk to you.
TINNA: Yeah, thank you.
RockPit: So tell me, the new album - how hyped are you guys to be able to put this out? It’s been a little while.
TINNA: Oh, it’s… it’s great. I think on the 27th (October) it’s gonna be out everywhere so I’m really psyched. It’s just really cool.
RockPit: Good, good. I love the teaser on your Myspace. I’m assuming that’s gonna be the first single?
TINNA: I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear what you said now.
RockPit: The first song on… there’s a song that you’ve got… it’s about two and a half minutes long on your Myspace.
TINNA: Yeah, yeah, ‘Generation Disgrace’.
RockPit: Yeah, is that going be the first single?
TINNA: Yeah, yeah, we’re actually shooting a video for it on Monday so hopefully we’ll get the video out at the end of next week.
RockPit: Okay.
TINNA: That’s gonna be the first single.
RockPit: Okay. Well, I mean, listening to the song, can you give me a little background to the track? What’s the…what’s the story on that single? I have my own feeling… maybe about, ya know, society in itself, but what were you guys thinking?
TINNA: Um, that’s, uh… that’s a song that’s… it’s more or less a direct fuck off to our generation. Everybody’s so superficial nowadays. You know, it’s, it’s… we don’t care about important things anymore… and we wanted to get people to understand that they need to focus on… on other things that… anything other than stupid reality shows and you know, I just… I put on the TV and I see the reality shows and I just get mad.
(laughing)
RockPit: I’m with you on that. I’m with you on that.
TINNA: Yeah.
RockPit: So, tell me, what are the plans now? I mean, you’re doing the video. You guys looking at some touring now?
TINNA: Yeah, yeah, nothing is confirmed yet but I think in two or three weeks we’re going to have some tours confirmed so. We just want to get out there, you know. It’s been a while since we toured.
RockPit: Yeah, it has.
TINNA: We just want to tour as much as possible with this album. Hopefully we can get to the States because we never toured there.
RockPit: Yeah, I know. Some of us have been waiting a long time.
TINNA: Yeah.
RockPit: You have a new album with a new co-vocalist. How are the dynamics of that working out?
TINNA: Mm, it’s great. Uh, we got really lucky because, um, when Emma decided to leave the band, we found Jonna just in a couple of days actually because our manager, he was like “I saw this girl a couple months ago. You can check her out.” And we did and we had this meeting and, ya know, just sat down, had a cup of coffee, and I remember I told her “I like you and you better be a good singer” and she was so, it worked out. We got really lucky.
RockPit: I know it’s the whole new chapter but just to go back for a second, were there any thoughts or fears of being able to continue as just a single singer, single vocalist band? Did you guys even give a thought to it or do you guys automatically think, nope, we gotta get somebody for the harmonies and the transfer vocals and…
TINNA: Yeah, yeah, I mean, yeah, of course. First… first thought was to… to maybe just change it but then we have… then we would lose our whole concept with the band. We are all been through girl’s thing and that’s the thing with All Ends, you know? So um… no, that it was just like a two second thought and then no, no, we need another singer.
RockPit: (laughing) Okay, well, it’s just… it’s odd because here in the states… I guess there’s a little more closed perception of what’s… what’s what with female fronted bands.
TINNA: Mm hmm.
RockPit: The minute I mention anything about you guys to friends of mine or other people who just listen to rock music as opposed to other stuff, they automatically think Evanescence or Lacuna Coil and I try and explain to them it gets twice as good when you got two singers only because, now you’ve got, like I said earlier, the harmonies and the… ya know, just playing off each other vocally. I mean…
TINNA: Yeah, trust me, you can always do it live. And that’s uh… I think that’s important. Of course we have backtracks with all the loops and, and, ya know, one more harmony on the chorus or whatever but it’s cool to be able to do it live always.
RockPit: Okay. Do you guys… do you find that across the world or especially back home, do you guys draw any comparisons like that to other bands where they say, well, you’re just like so and so, cuz you guys kind of have… to me you have your own sound. It’s kind of nice.
TINNA: Yeah, yeah, no, thanks. It’s um, I think, we, um, I mean we are six people in the band, ya know. And we have… all of us have different kinds of… of musical backgrounds. And when you put all that together you get a new sound. And, um, I think that’s… that’s what makes us unique. We always reach for a new sound and we are very open-minded. When it comes to music we… we’re not like we only listen to rock music or whatever. We listen to all kinds of music and try to… to always follow our vision. It was really cool to make this album because we did it by ourselves. We didn’t have a label in our backs, or on our backs (laughs) that, you know, needs to have a point of view of everything and, and uh, so it was a new experience for us to be able to do, ya know, completely to do our vision. And that was… that was really cool.
RockPit: Okay, so you guys actually went at this without a label?
TINNA: I’m sorry?
RockPit: You guys actually went out and did this album without a label.
TINNA: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We looked for a record deal with a finished product.
RockPit: So, how’d you guys get hooked up with Nuclear?
TINNA: Mm, they’re great. They… yeah, yeah, absolutely. I never worked with a label that worked so… uh, so fast (laughing) it’s cool, when you are managed… our management, they always say that… they are really satisfied with the communication. And, you know, you don’t have to wait for… for an answer in the email for a week. Because they just answer straight away and uh… and they just work on and it’s really cool. I love working with them.
RockPit: Great, you guys were on Gun before, right?
TINNA: Yeah.
RockPit: Okay, and then I believe Gun went under. Is that - was that the reason for the change? Gun kind of folded?
TINNA: They actually, uh, cancelled that whole office. I believe, when it still was Sony BMG. Uh… they, they uh… they cancelled the whole office and then uh, yeah, we wanted to move on, ya know.
RockPit: Okay, that’s kind of where I was going. Was it something you guys wanted or was it something like “oh no, what do we do?” so, um…
TINNA: Yeah, no, it was actually… yeah, it fit us perfectly. We wanted to change labels anyway so…
RockPit: Well, listening to you sing I often wondered… any training there, any lessons or is this all home grown, you did this on your own, or… you know?
TINNA: I actually took lessons more or less all my life. I started… I started to school my voice when I was thirteen. And, and, um, I had an opportunity to work with… with great teachers. I had three excellent song vocal teachers. I was…yeah. Taught me everything. I am very grateful. (laughs)
RockPit: Well, it’s nice because you do have… the only reason I ask is you have such a strong voice, um, and you know, you often wonder how much of it’s doctored, but the fact that you’re so strong and whether you, ya know, whether you’re surfing Youtube and find some live clips or not, you seem to have that strength. I was wondering if it was just something that was, ya know, real. So, it’s kinda nice to know that it’s something you worked for and it’s not just something they’re playing with in the studio. So, it’s nice to know, again, as a fan.
TINNA: Yeah, it’s completely real. I promise.
(laughing)
RockPit: No lip syncing. Um, well, listen I know you probably got a lot going on. I know this is the end of your schedule so let me hit you with a couple last questions that I like to close with.
TINNA: Sure.
RockPit: And we’ll get you on your way. First of all, if there was any song in the history of music that you didn’t write or record but you wish you had… Or there was just one album… what song or what album and just music period just resonates with you, just says “That’s me. I wish I had done that.”
TINNA: Um…wow, that’s a hard question.
(laughing)
TINNA: Um…I uh… I always loved, loved since I was… a kid. I always loved “Slave to the Grind” with Skid Row. That’s like my… my… I think that’s my number one rock album. I like… I like the attitude in that album.
RockPit: Okay.
TINNA: And uh… uh, I have my goddess more or less. I love Tina Turner. I think she’s like the best performing artist ever. And I don’t think that there’s gonna be… there’s gonna be someone like her again. So, of course, her songs, the best, Simply the Best.
RockPit: Okay. I’d have to agree with you there. It was a great tune.
TINNA: Yeah. I actually sang that a couple of weeks ago in uh… in a show.
RockPit: Really?
TINNA: Yeah, yeah, I did. I did.
(laughing)
RockPit: With All Ends?
TINNA: No, no, no, no.
RockPit: Oh, okay, I was gonna say that had to sound great with kind of a rock attitude to it.
TINNA: Yeah. (laughing) Yeah, cool. No, but, I love that song. It’s a strong… strong song.
RockPit: And I bet your voice pulled it off well.
TINNA: (laughing)
RockPit: And, finally, according to you, what is the meaning of life?
TINNA: The meaning of life for me is music. Uh… I don’t think I would function as a person if I couldn’t work with music. I’ve been doing that all my life. And I come from… my whole family is all about music, ya know? I did my first show when I was three years old, with my brother. I was standing on this chair and I had… otherwise, I couldn’t reach up to the microphone, you know? (laughs) So, yeah…
RockPit: Three?
TINNA: So, that’s like… that’s my life.
RockPit: Wow, you were three years old and you did your first show.
TINNA: Yeah. (laughs)
RockPit: Crazy, crazy. Well, listen, again I want to thank you. I know this is kind of the end of the interview cycle. So again, I appreciate time and The Rock Pit really appreciates the time because it’s not often we get our website graced with such a great band and especially with such a great vocalist.
TINNA: Thank you very much. I really hope that we can go to the states touring. I’ve been there twice but I… I never toured so… But uh… I like it over there. The last time I went to Atlanta.
RockPit: Well, I can’t wait until the end of the month when that album’s available here in the states and, uh, and I also hope you guys get a chance to get over here and show some of these bands what it’s really all about.
TINNA: Yeah, (laughs) thank you.
RockPit: Thank you very much for your time and you enjoy the rest of your day.
TINNA: Yeah, you too. Take care.
And that was that… after hanging up, I covered my rocker persona with a suit and headed off to the office humming and tune and lightly singing the lyrics, “big lips, fake tits…”
Thanks much to Tinna for taking the time and to Chris Maric @ Riot for hooking us up with the interview