After getting themselves a good lot of attention here, 70s inspired rock 'n rollers The Have flew the coop and have reemerged four years later with new project Sun and The Wolf. Based in Berlin, they've gained a new member, gotten a bit darker and are set to release debut album White Buffalo here this week. We got in touch for a bit of a catch up in anticipation, here's our email interview with Brodie White...
Hey how’s it going? Where are you writing from at the moment?
It's going good thank you. Currently sitting outside a cafe in Prenzlauer Berg, East Berlin.
So what happened to The Have? When did you put that project to bed exactly?
The Have was never really put to bed as such. 3 of the current 4 members of Sun And The Wolf were also members of The Have. We moved to Berlin and decided to begin writing and recording under a new moniker. A lot of things changed for us and so did the band.
What was the biggest thing you learnt from your experience as The Have? You’ve been based overseas for a good few years now, tell us a bit about your travels and where you are based now?
We're in Berlin. We've been here for just over 4 years. We've toured Germany a bunch of times, gone on a few jaunts to Austria, Greece and Spain. We can speak German.
What have been some of the challenges starting up in a new location overseas...
Moving to Europe put us back to square one. It took us a decent amount of time to get the wheels moving: writing all new material and finding our groove. Doing everything completely independently makes the process a little harder. We started booking shows, gigging around the city and slowly building our profile. It's really been in the last 2 years that we've managed to nail some really good support slots and gather some good momentum.
What do you all get up to when not making music?
We all have different jobs to support ourselves. Peter works at bar, Mike is a chef. Brodie teaches kids how to play the guitar.
How’s the music community where you live at the moment, do you have any bands/musicians hang out with/play with a lot?
There's loads of musicians hanging out in Berlin. Peter's bar seems to be the epi-center of a growing psych/rock scene.
What is the live scene like more generally?
In general the scene has a lot of potential but at the moment seems to be lacking a bit of unity. Loads of musicians and great bands in the city and passing through but there is really a lack of a 'scene' or support network for bands over here.
How does Sun and The Wolf compare musically to The Have?
I think Sun And The Wolf was a natural musical progression from The Have. The music we're writing now is a bit darker, a bit psychedelic. It was never a case of sitting down and asking ourselves "What are we going to sound like now?"
Your first album ‘White Buffalo’ is out here this week but it’s been finished for awhile now, has it been released over there yet and to what reception if so?
After a bit of trouble with an indie label over here, the album was released earlier this year in Germany. It's been generally well received, solid reviews in magazines and online music blogs.
Tell us a little about the writing and recording of the album?
The album I guess is a sort of collection of songs we wrote since arriving in Berlin. We originally recorded our first set of demos in a friends studio in the basement halls of Tempelhof Airport which was a pretty cool experience. We then recorded White Buffalo in a small basement bunker style studio in East Berlin for about six weeks in the summer of 2010. The album was ready to go at the start of 2011, so it's been a bit of a process to get it released - which is the usual story.
Was there a theme or idea you were looking to explore?
Not really, the songs were written over a period of a year or so.. But I think the album definitely has a certain a vibe to it cohesively.
Any plans come back and play some shows?
We would love to maybe early next year but it's a money thing. I think a few of us will be back at the start of 2013 so all going to plan we will be able to do something.
What else have you got lined up for Sun & The Wolf?
At the moment we are writing, demoing more recordings and working on another album. A possible tour of Germany is on the horizon for October and a few more shows in Berlin. We plan to tour a bit more around Europe as well before the year is out.
------------White Buffalo is out Friday 10th August on Banished From The Universe.
