Kilians Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Feb 23rd 2010 11:30AM by Nicole Barnett
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Who could have imagined the amount of success this young band from Germany would have? Not these five young musicians from Dinslaken, who got together like many young musicians do, by meeting at school. Creative juices started to flow, and the band starting booking major shows all around Germany. In 2005, the indie rock band released its first EP. By 2006, they were the opening act for Tomote. Soon after, they had a Top 3 hit on campus radio with the song 'Jealous Lover.' Spinner recently spoke with Kilians' bass player, Gordian Scholz, about where the group got started -- and what he would do with a million dollars.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Some guitars, drums and vocals perform some melodic, impulsive, dirty but atmospherical sound, most times freshly pressed into structures of popular music. Savvy?

How did your band form?

Part of our band met as schoolmates in our hometown and started out working on material. After a short period [of time], our two guitar players, and me as a bass player, joined in and we started playing more and more gigs.

What are your musical influences?

Actually, a very wide range of styles, from blues to metal. Every one of us has his own music biography, but at last there's a fine intersection [that is] well-grounded on many bands we listen to in common. We all love music that transports nice melodies and brings people to move their bodies. It is a wide section from bands like Oasis, Travis, Queens of the Stone Age, and I Am Kloot, to Kings of Convenience, Justice, Slagmalsklubben or Phoenix, [and] many others not mentioned.

How did you come up with your band name?

Well, our singer Simon read Carl Zuckmayer's 'Hauptmann von Kpenick.' In that book, there is a figure called Kilian who personates a constable of the town. He is a server of the official authorities, but at the same time he is the one who rebels against his chief by imprisoning him. We thought it is a good link to our position as a band, as we predominately are servers for an audience in an entertaining way, but also would never let someone dictate us how we should do our job.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Beer, ipalat, iPod, gumboots and party people.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

Could be a song of the '80s: 'Wild Boys' by Duran Duran.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

Just so many nights without any orientation with respect to time or space, and funny people crossing our ways. [It's] impossible to pick out one single moment as my brain seems to be overcharged.

If there was one song you wish you wrote, which song is that and why?

'Maybe Tomorrow' by Stereophonics. For me, this song works in every moment or situation I could be in. Furthermore, it has always worked in my past life and, as it is described by the lyrics, will also do in any future time. So I wish it was a creation of my mind.

If you had a million dollars and you could do anything with it, what would you do?

Definitely buy a million dollar bass guitar and smash it onstage.

Nicole Barnett is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.