Interview: Marybell Katastrophy
As a member of the popular Danish band Tiger Tunes (where, as Marie, she plays keyboards and sings), Marybell Katastrophy has already made her mark on the electropop side of Scandinavian music. But it turns out this multi-talented musician is just warming up in her career. Her solo sojourn as MK has produced two amazingly original EPs (one of which, 4 songs, we reviewed here at IAT), a full-length is likely before too long, and MK, as it would sound a bit unsettling to write something like "Katastrophy has big plans"), makes her live debut as a solo artist on July 21 at the Voxhall in Aarhus, Denmark. She was kind enough to answer some questions for us while awaiting that milestone. Fans should check out her music at her MySpace site or her official website, www.marybell.dk. Marybell seems well on her way to a career as colorful as some of the curious sounds she coaxes from her keyboards.
- Kevin Renick
KR: You picked a pretty striking name for your solo persona. How did that come about, especially the built-in contrast?
MK: My sister came up with the name, when we talked about my music and how I would characterize myself. We figured out that my music embodies a lot of contrast and dichotomies struggling with each other. Like the name Marybell Katastrophy, and like we all do: new vs. old, quiet vs. loud, light vs. dark, feminine naïf-ness vs. masculine chaos, innocence vs. evil and sadness vs. aggressive happiness, just to name a few.
KR: Why did you embark on a solo project at this particular time? Had you been thinking about it while playing with Tiger Tunes?
MK: I always knew that someday I needed to get my own songs done. The ideas have just been smoldering for a long time, waiting for the right place and time to get out of the computer... little beasts. Suddenly, I had the time to let them loose, finish them and thereby take them seriously for the first time.
KR: Your "4 songs" EP and those newer tunes posted on MySpace are stunningly original and hard to compare to other artists. How did you develop your sound and what do you consider your influences?
MK: It's so hard to characterize your own music; I never thought about genres or musical styles during the process of making the songs. I just developed the songs and lyrics out of coincidence, drunkenness, playing and thinking a little bit. Of course, I'm always influenced by the stuff I listen to. Maybe it's hard to pinpoint exactly one band I sound like, because I listen to a broad range of musical styles and take little bits and pieces and mix it all up in my music. Sometimes I get directly inspired by a riff or a feeling in another song, or maybe just of an aspect of the production. This usually happens when I cycle around the city listening to music. Then I rush home haphazardly, trying not to get killed during the process, just to get the idea out as soon as possible because I have a very bad memory… little selective beast. This happened when I listened to an old Radiohead song and got a feeling for the chorus of "Slabiak." I also remember listening to "The love that I crave" by The Blow, then I rushed home and made the chorus for "Nightwalk." Every musician gets inspiration from listening to the music they love. Mostly this happens unconsciously, but sometimes it's more tangible.
KR: You seem to have a real experimental streak. Songs like "Hidden" and "Lost ship" are pretty adventurous forays into what's often called "poptronica," as are some of those newer tunes. Do you hear a lot of the quirkier things in your head or improvise in the studio? And how much of the sound is shaped by the musicians you're working with?
MK: The sounds are all shaped by me (except the few beats made by Mr. Q), but I would say that it mostly come out of experiments and coincidence. Of course, I have some of it in my head, but it's usually only a beginning, then the experimental process evolves and the first idea gets lost in the process, bringing life to the sounds you hear. It's all shaped a lot by the tools I use to make music. I like to challenge the correct rhythm and static music-software programs with some detuned old instruments to get a kind of contrast...
KR: You've done two EPs now as Marybell Katastrophy; will we see a full album?
MK: I surely hope so. Right now, I'm concentrating on getting the live show together, but soon after, I'll try to find a way to make a full-length CD and get it out for real.
KR: You said you're a bit nervous preparing for the show in Aarhus, which is understandable. Who's in your band?
MK: I think it's because I'm the center of attention, but fortunately I found three great musicians to play with and help me relax. First we have Julie; she's a guitarist and singer. We have Maria, who's a bassist, and she also sings and plays synth. And last, we have my grand-cousin Emil. He plays with electronic beats and makes a lot of noise, too.
KR: Have the other members of Tiger Tunes been supportive of your solo work, and do you guys compare notes on outside projects?
MK: Very much so. We help each other a lot. More specifically, Mr. Q helped me with some beats ("Lost ship," "Hidden agenda" and "Slabiak") and Mr. H sings with me on "Lost ship."
KR: Tiger Tunes is a popular band; have you considered the prospect of your solo work getting even more attention? Can you do both solo and group things without difficulty?
MK: I really don't think of it as a problem. I do a lot of other music stuff while making my own, and don't just concentrate on one thing. I'm also studying Audio Design at the university, playing for other musicians and making some music for short films. There's a benefit in having more possibilities for making what I love most.
KR: What is most rewarding for you being a member of Tiger Tunes? And what would you say have been the career highlights?
MK: I have so many exciting and rewarding moments with Tiger Tunes, I'm unable to count. That's really a good human quality… you remember all the great stuff, and forget the 2,490,000,394 hours you spend in a car on the German Autobahn doing absolutely nothing! I would say that our "wedding" show at the Roskilde Festival was absolutely wonderful, and the first gig we played with the German band Wir Sind Helden in Osnabrück was so surprising, we couldn't reach the ground again after the show. Mostly because we didn't really know that Wir Sind Helden was the biggest German band at the time, so we didn't expect a crowd of 7,000 screaming Germans that seemed to like us, too! I also have to mention the first big show we played in our hometown Aarhus at the venue Voxhall. To see a filled Voxhall (about 700 people I think, and that's a lot from a Danish perspective) that sang along and danced was just so moving!
KR: Are you aware of the increasing attention that Scandinavian music is getting almost everywhere these days, and do you talk about it with fellow musicians?
MK: Yep, I think we started noticing when we toured Germany with Tiger Tunes, where we got a lot of questions about the Scandinavian music scene. We don't really talk about it at home, but we notice that some bands get a lot of attention and it's just great if we can help each other and ride the wave of the hype together.
KR: How has your experience been on MySpace? Have you gained a lot of new fans through the site?
MK: I've got some great responses through MySpace - I think it's very cool because it helps bands getting in contact with a whole new audience from all over the world. In my opinion, that's the true revolution: that you don't have to go through your home country before you get the opportunity to play your music to people abroad. I think most of my new "fans" found me just by surfing through other artist friends and their friends and suddenly: There I am (you know, the Kevin Bacon Theory in a new perspective).
KR: What's your primary goal in music, and what would make you most happy?
MK: To make myself and others feel something – anything.
KR: And finally, if you had to make a sales pitch for your own music to a listener in America that knows nothing about you, what would you say?
MK: "Marybell Katastrophy is just SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCEOUS!"
.:About the author:
Kevin Renick has interviewed Scandinavian artists for PlaybackSTL, but this is his first exclusive for It's a Trap.