Interview with Markus Öhrlich rhythm guitarist with Konvolted and Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
MÖ: Konvolted is about Thrash Metal. In some ways. But there are Alternative hints as well, especially in the vocals. The music sounds like in the old days, but it’s not typical old school. The reason might be, that I still write the songs like I used to 30 years ago. Maybe this style is obsolete nowadays, but I can’t do any different.
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.
MÖ: Coming from a really small village in Germany my first band was me and two other guys from there. I would have liked to play the drums, owning a small kit, but one of the guys was already experienced with it, so I took the free spot on bass. Later changed to guitar and teamed up with my brother who quit with his own band. That would become a long-time runner: that guy on drums, my brother on bass and vocals, me on guitar. 25 years later we kind of took a break, that’s when I started this other project, turning out to become Konvolted.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
MÖ: Maybe this sounds silly, but it’s music that inspires me: every time I hear a good song, I think about playing that myself, or writing something in the vein of it – I deeply wish to be part of that music family. The lyrics of the Konvolted album deal a lot about being stuck in that band pause situation, struggling to come back to musical life.
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
MÖ: It’s the same since the first album I have been part of: put out albums that I can listen to over and over again. Didn’t always work out that way, but I’ve not given up on that yet.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
MÖ: Maybe when the third demotape of my long-time band Loonatikk was crowned “Demo of the year” from a south american fanzine called Thermonuclear, back in 1993. I knew it don’t really meant anything, but I loved that tape myself, and to have it appreciated like that over there in south america fitted just perfect for me.
PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging from bedrooms
in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
MÖ: For quite some time I liked doing promotion myself, but not anymore. I’m glad there are options these days, of any financial size, to get help with promotional stuff.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
MÖ: I would not say, Konvolted won’t ever play live, but it’s not meant for that in the first place. If really a booker would want us to play, it might be fun to have the other guys flown in from Italy, Poland, Ukraine and Finland.
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
MÖ: I’m fine with downloading. Streaming I only use to check out before possibly ordering or downloading an album – I need to have a physical copy.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
MÖ: Currently it’s “Last Cocoon” of the band Swim Bird Fly (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqKdlf2VhPc). Why? Because I know I will never be able to write such a song.
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
MÖ: I’ve never been really a part of the industry side of music, and so I don’t know how everything is working. It’s hard to come up with suggestions for improvement from my position.
PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?
MÖ: Following this album I would like to release an EP with alternate versions, remixes with a different instrumentation.
I know, this makes no sense: only few people know about Konvolted and our album, so who would like to hear an alternate version of something unknown?
But still… I like reworking the songs, in best cases learn something of it, and use this knowledge for upcoming songwriting.
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
MÖ: If you like, you can download the album here: https://konvolted.bandcamp.com/album/human-reification
Maybe you want to see some videos first, that is possible here: https://www.youtube.com/@konvolted
Konvolted links:
Band/Artist location – Germany
You Tube – Bandcamp –
Check our page for Konvolted
