Interview: Magnus Bjerkert (Adrian Recordings/David & the Citizens)
If you're like me, you were quite surprised to hear the news that David & the Citizens were leaving Adrian Recordings for Bad Taste. Why would they let them go, especially when they're so well-poised for their biggest success yet? I was lucky to get the news before it became public, so I jumped on the chance to ask ARC label bossman and D&tC member Magnus Bjerkert to explain himself. Hopefully after reading his thoughts it will begin to make sense.
- Avi Roig
AR: First, the obvious: why are you letting David & the Citizens go? Have you been thinking about it for awhile or did someone approach you first? what's next then? what can we expect from ARC in 2006?
MB: I'm not letting David & the Citizens go. I will never do that. The band has been a part of my life for so long and I don't think the difference for me will be too big. Now I just don't have to pay the bills for them. I will probably have them on mailout lists from Adrian Recordings in the future as well as on the web page and so on.
We have been thinking of letting D&tC release records in other labels in Scandinavia for quite some time, but for various reasons it has never happened. Main reason is that we are too restless. When we have the songs ready, and the opportunity is there to let them be heard by people. We, by that time, didn't see a reason for holding them to ourselves. Or wait for the right opportunity. We have never been in to this for the money and to be smart economically is not just for us. Unfortunately. BUT we are trying to do this full time, so that means that we are god damn serious about everything we do. But as long as we have our heads above the water we are fine. Sorry to say that that isn't always the case though.
People have always approached us with deal proposals, but we haven't felt that people were serious. We're not looking for much. Just nice people that love our music and are willing to sacrifice sweat, money and sleep for our sake. Until now we haven't felt that that was the case. God knows all people talk so much. Americans are the best (or worst) in that way. I guess there is something in our Swedish mentality that just doesn't fit into the music business and the bragging of it all. The history of David & the Citizens and label deals contains figures like Chris Blackwell and Mariah Carey.
The reason why I'm "letting David & the Citizens go" from Adrian Recordings are various. First of all, it is a personal thing for me. On the next David & the Citizens album I just want to be musician. Deep down, I'm more a musician that a label boss. And David & the Citizens is my main source of getting out my creativity (How odd than might sound when people might look upon the band as David's band, that is not the case, we are a band that happen to have the name of the singer and songwriter). And if I feel trapped in my creativity, nothing will come out of me and that would backlash on everything else.
AR: How do you think it will be good for the band?
MB: Now it will be more people working with the same goal. All the people at Bad Taste, our booking agencies around the world, David's publisher (Big mutherfungin BMG), me and more. More people; more work done.
Bad taste has the possibility to get us on the road in Europe in a good way and we still wanna sleep in cold rooms and eat lousy German sausages.
AND Bad Taste paid a lot of money to me for having the band.
AR: Are there any ways it could possibly backfire? Aren't you worried about what people might think of ARC now? Do you think the general public will understand why you're doing this?
MB: I can't see at all why I should be worried about what people might think of Adrian Recordings now. This spring will be the most intense period in the Adrian Recordings history. We have never had so many good and interesting things going on. And now with David & the Citizens on another label it will just let me focus even more on what I'm doing here at Adrian Recordings HQ:
Familjen
eMiL Jensen
The Fine Arts Showcase
David & The Citizens DVD
And there are even more things that I can't tell you know.
I don't give a shit about if people don't understand why we are doing this. We are doing this because this is the best we can do. And because this will means that we still will continue to do great music. And I think people will understand THAT.
We don't know what the future will bring. But we know this: 1st of March we summarize the career of David & the Citizens in a DVD. And there will be something new released from Bad Taste with D&tC before the summer, but it might not be an album. We will start to record our next album the 8th of Feb. We will keep a studio diary. I suggest you check it every day. We will keep no secrets from you there.
AR: Why Bad taste? Why not any other label?
MB: Nice people. And they are punk. No other label where willing to work with us in the way we wanna work with people.
AR: Did you have a relationship with them before?
MB: Conny (our bass player) and Jonas (one of the owners of BT) occasionally happen to be at the same BBQ.
AR: Did you get offers from anyone else?
MB: Yes, loads of suggestions that in one way or the other all wanted us to wear make-up.
AR: What can we expect from new D&tC material? How will it be different from what came before?
MB: Compared to the former material the new shit is darker, more spot on, no short cuts, less instruments. More electric guitars and more distorted keyboards. Some electronic drum samples. But the songs are very catchy even if they are sometimes longer than the regular 3 minute pop song. I would say that the new songs are more rock than pop. There are guitar riffs.
We are very proud of the sound and songs up 'till now, the former songs required the instrumentation we had before. The new songs need more agony. More black make-up.
We're gonna invent a new genre