Skew Siskin frikin' rock. And I mean turbo charged rock with enough energy to light the streets of London!! They have toured with Motorhead and Alice Cooper amongst many others...enough said. Now here's the interview with their front lady - Nina!
Dave: Hi Nina, it is a real honour for me to be given this opportunity to interview you. I must admit to having heard of your awesome band, but until recently not actually owning any of your music. Can you tell me about the band and how did you arrive at the name SKEW SISKIN all those years ago? Nina: Hey Dave, my question to you would be now: Why don`t we find any Skew Siskin CD`s in your collection?! ;) But, because I am the one in charge to give answers, lets begin with some activity here.
About the band,…: we are a four piece band, classic line up: Guitar, Bass, Drums and Vocals. We play Rock’n Roll and most of our heroes are from the 70’s and even 60’s. Bands like MC5 , The Who , ACDC , Motorhead , Black Sabbath , Jimi Hendrix , Led Zeppelin, just to name a few. And because I like gambling with words, I am the one that takes all the blame for lyrics…haha.
Jim, guitar of Skew Siskin, is the producer, I am the co-producer, Sansi Janiba plays drums and Gregor Avanius plays bass.
At the moment we are recording our 7thst studio album. While we write songs I am focusing on graphical input and seek visually inspiration as well, until I see my own world of Skew Siskin in full colour to be able to create a new cover artwork and get ready to spread it across the people. We play live as much as we get good offers. And with the word “good” I mean financially realistic and organisation wise. If you have gigs to offer to us, shows, support or headlining anywhere and everywhere mail to: allen@godownbelieving.com CC: eviltwins@monongo.de
I like it if it`s not boring, and Skew Siskin sounds strange. There been lots of discussions about, if we play around with the initials SS like Kiss did but we don’t do that kind of stuff. I found the words in an old dictionary and it means weird bird. Okay, some people have difficulties to spell the name right. When that happens it often sounds like M-m-mmy gggg-ge-ge-neration, which is alright with me. haha
Dave: And for those unfamiliar with the band, how would you describe your music?
Nina: Looking for sweaty hard cracking Rock`n`Roll? Here it is! **drum roll** Straight in your face. We just go on stage and play. We do not try to invent something new here. You know what you get. Having a good time and party until it`s over and start all over again! Loud and raw.
Dave: What got you into the music business in the first place, and what are your influences?
Nina: Wow, you`re asking me to take a look back into my childhood…When I heard Pink Floyd`s `Atomic Mother`s Heart` I was just nine years old and knew that I had to be in a band someday. I`ve started to play drums at age 11, my first band was called “Baby Beats and Rubber Bones”. We covered Sex Pistols and alikes. A drummer of a headlining band saw me playing one night when we did the support in the SO36 (famous Punk Club in Berlin) and told me that I was going to be better than him within 2 years. But that wasn`t enough of a “career” for me then…hahahahah… I immediately became the singer when the other chick got sick. There I was… 16, born to be a singer with big dreams. But first, I became a tap dancer and a contortionist aiming to be hired by some circus. Later on, being a 19 year old, I looked for rock bands to play with. Until I found Jim and founded Skew Siskin with him. My influences are still the same like when I was 9: From Pink Floyd, Beatles, Bowie + Iggy, to KISS Alive II, Led Zeppelin and James Brown and more.
Dave: Can you give me some information about your new 'Peace Breaker' cd and the story behind the songs on the album?
Nina:
You`ll find 13 rock`n`roll songs on that album. Fast and slow. I leave it up to the people to read into the lyrics. We have a few great guests on the album too: Lemmy Kilmister, Wolf Hoffmann (Accept), Ivan Kral (Iggy Pop + Patti Smith). When people buy the CD (at cd baby for example…**hint hint*) they`ll get a bunch of powerful noises up their guts. We made it a hard rocking item, produced by ourselves in our own studio in Berlin, for our own label MONONGO MUSIC. Our distributor for Germany is Soulfood. But…I`d say: let the music do the talking!
Dave: You have in the past toured with some rock icons, including good old British stalwarts Motorhead. What were these tour experiences like?
Nina:
Playing with Motorhead or Black Sabbath or Accept is a real challenge cause those bands have diehard and loyal fans. Better be good and kick ass. I’ve seen that at a show in Stuttgart (Germany), we were the first of two supportbands for Motorhead. The second supportband was booed off stage after the 3rd song. Poor buggers. They were nice people but it was not the right music for that audience who kept shouting our name and Motorhead, so they gave up. Next day we were the main support band for the rest of the tour and the other band was opener. That’s how it goes sometimes but you know what? … and that’s why I like Rock’n Roll … the audience might be hard to get sometimes but when you do the right stuff they are totally loyal and stick with you forever. Once Lemmy said to me: “You are on my stage cause you please my audience and not for friendship. If you do not deliver we still can be friends but you would never be on my stage.” That says it all. To play live means you either die immediately and can pack your bags, or you get strong and learn a lot for the next round. I am lucky and always supported bands I really like to watch. From Overkill to Monster Magnet and Alice Cooper, they are all great musicians and I can be proud to have those names on my list.
Dave: SKEW SISKIN has quite a pedigree, having hit the scene in 1993, when femme rock and metal was more taboo than what it is now. Is there anything now in retrospect you would have liked to have changed with regards yourselves, or would you quite simply just leave it all alone?
Nina:
Joan Jett and Suzi Quatro, Suzi and the Banshees, The Runaways, Lita Ford a.s.o. have opened doors for female rockers. I once wasn`t signed to a label because I am a lady. The other time I got a deal offer just because I am a lady. I am a fighter and I get what I want, I am a hard dealing chick, fuck with me and I fuck right back. There`s always a way to be a happy woman with all these crazy men around ;). Looking back I wish I had the tough shit attitude then which I call my own now. It saves a lot of precious time. I absolutely avoid discussions with men on low levels, because I hate to hurt them and pull their tooth! I am from the newer generation of rock and I have gained a lot of strength over the years and I enjoy the friendships with male musicians a lot. By the way: I can be very macho and a lot of guys find that very entertaining.
Dave: And as a female in what is still regarded in some quarters as a male-dominated genre, and although there shouldn't be, is there ever a problem with you being taken seriously as a musician?
Nina:
I am lady luck as many male fans and also many international male musicians take me very seriously, I get lotsa fan post from singers and other bands that love my vocals. Those who don`t like me: fuck off. That`s fair enough! I don`t make prisoners.
Dave: Have you or any other members of the band been involved with any other musical projects, that you would care to perhaps let us here at Ravenheart Music know about?
Nina:
It happens from time to time. Last year I was asked by famous German artist Udo Lindenberg to compose some rock’n`roll songs for him for his new CD. I was one of several people working with him on his new album and it is still very successful. It went straight to No.1 and sold around 500 000 copies! Our song is called “Von Hildesheim nach Alzheim” and can be found on his Platinum Edition “Stark Wie Zwei”.
Another project I am part of is the first solo album of Stephan Weidner (former Boehse Onkelz bassplayer/songwriter) called “Schneller, Hoeher, Weidner”. He invited me to sing a duett with him called “Bitte Toete Mich”. His cd went straight to No.2 and he also sold a lot of records. Turned out that he also is a longtime fan of Skew Siskin. We will go on tour together in two weeks. Tour Dates: www.skewsiskin.net/tourdates/skew_siskin_tour_dates.htm
Dave: Do you have any tracks of yours that you particularly love, and any that perhaps you are not so keen on?
Nina:
There are always tracks which are good for the album but not so good for playing live and some tracks are made for the live shows. I do love some songs and I do like some songs and I sure have written songs or lyrics that make me go…hummmm, what the hell was I thinking…haha. But a good artist is always very critical when it comes down to pick the best, I just go for what works best with my audience, because without them I`d be a sad one person party and that would be quite boring! I let the fans tell us what`s best!
Dave: The female fronted rock/metal scene here in the UK could be stronger, although it is ok and is growing. What are your expectations of the femme rock/metal scene as a whole in the UK, Europe and across the USA?
Nina:
As I am not a scientist with that sorta thing, I can only do my best and keep rocking and cross fingers that there will be a new generation everywhere picking up on rock music. Let me say this in generel: If you just play in a band to become rich and famous you should become a pop star, because being a rocker chick is so much more than money and style! It`s based on personality and real feelings and that type of thing is hard to find anywhere and everywhere in every business, no matter if you`re a guy or a gal. But be a tough nut and listen to your heart.
Most important: learn to write songs, learn to play better than all the corner pub musicians, find good partners who help you creating the band……said Fraulein proffessor Dr. Dr. Nina C. Alice ;).
I hope we come to UK again, so I can get a better picture. It`s hard to say from here. Maybe it`s not so much the girls that rock, it`s more the business that won`t sign them and won`t build up their acts…that`s where the real work starts: convince the people that spend a lot of money on shows a.s.o.!
As heavy as it might is for the hired people from all major companies that are dying away like whales in the sea, it`s a great chance for small labels like us to roll back to the roots: Just music, fun and the people! A really well known sentence come to mind: Only the strong survive…so, be strong!
Dave: Musically and spiritually who or what are your inspirations?
Nina:
Musically I love everything that`s great Rock’n’Roll music. The early WHO, Thin Lizzy, ACDC, MC5, David Bowie Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, ZZTOP to name a few. Spiritually I am into Wicca, nature, anti-pope, nikoteen and beer, weed, milk and honey, whiskey and fun. I hate dogmatics in everyway, I love anarchy as much as I like to keep control over my own life. I was absolutely into being an atheist but was never satisfied with the thought that there really isn`t anything larger than us. Let it be a monster or something, an alien, but I hate to shut off my fantasy, so I believe in the 8th dimension…whatever you think that is.
Inspiration: great old 6o`s cars, black boots, black t-shirts, sunglasses, men with humor and my best friends and my enemies.
Dave: When you are not making music, what music do you listen to in your spare time, and what bands would you class as your favorites?
Nina:
My fave band at the moment are The Hives. I always listen to Rock’n’Roll music. The Berlin fleemarket is very good and you find a lot of rare stuff. Good stuff. Remember Silverhead? We found the record “The WHO live at Leeds” there. It became instantly Jims favourite Record. He played it that often that I know every note now. No escape. But hey…
Dave: You have toured or shared the stage with some big names, but is there any band or artist that you have never had the privilege of touring with, that if given the chance, you would just love to tour or hang out with?
Nina:
I guess there are a few bands that I`d love to play with…but it needs a good faerie…. I am very careful to wish too much… One of my fave bands are ZZTOP, you can listen to the cover we did of “El Diablo” here: www.youmix.de/content/view/full/404342
Dave: And would there be any plans in the pipeline to tour the UK?
Nina:
There would…..but not at the moment ….but’s it`s about time, really!
Dave: I also observe that a deal was signed last year for distribution across France. Any such plans for the UK? as I feel that given the correct exposure, I think Skew Siskin would go down well over here.
Nina:
We are trying to find a distribution company for the UK but nobody picked up on us so far. We do have quite a lot of people asking us to come over and play in the UK. Hello business-people?!?!!!
Dave: All I can say is good luck in all your furture endeavours. Your latest cd 'Peace Breaker' is an awesome record that I am enjoying immensely, and we at Ravenheart wish you all the very best for the future. Finally is there anything that you would like to say to anybody across the world via this website?
Nina:
Thanks so much, I am glad to hear this. We can always use a big bag of luck ;)! My two cents to the people who read this: I drink you pretty ;), see you on tour or on www.myspace.com/skewsiskin
Cheers!
Dave Smith (Mar 10, 2009)