Interview: A Camp
The name A Camp might not necessarily sound that familiar but their singer definitely does. She's no other than Nina Persson, the instantly recognizable voice of one of Sweden's most successful bands, The Cardigans. Along with her American husband Nathan Larson, a film music composer and member of 90's alternative band Shudder To Think, they joined forces with Atomic Swing founder Niclas Frisk. Together they make up a very interesting offering that evidently departs from The Cardigans sound, moving towards more traditional, Bowie-esque soundscapes. Eight years after their debut, A Camp are back with a second album called "Colonia" which contains guest appearances by ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, Joan As Police Woman and Swedish singer/songwriter Nicolai Dunger. It's a Trap! met up with the trio in Antwerp and had a long chat about music, politics, the US, and maple syrup.
Nina, you met Niclas about 12 years ago. How did that happen?
Nina Persson: Yeah, that was in 1997.
Niclas Frisk: We were in different bands at the time. Nina was obviously with The Cardigans and I had a band called Atomic Swing. Actually the very first time we met was when I played a gig with Atomic Swing and there was this one girl standing in the front, pointing at me because my zipper was down. [Laughs] That was Nina Persson and that was the first time we met.
How old were you at the time?
NP: Eighteen. I was also messing with his guitar pedals, which I know now you should never do.
NF: And this is my revenge! Here I am messing up her performance every night! [Laughs]
[Elsewhere Nina has mentioned that she met Niclas again in a bar in Stockholm on a night when she was very frustrated with her life. They chatted about music, and soon realized they were into similar stuff and that they both needed a new outlet. Not long afterward they met up and started writing music.]
And how did Nathan join? Where you guys already a couple?
NP: No, we met a while after that, in 1998 or so. That's when we became a couple. We also made music together. Nathan's band, Shudder To Think, asked me to sing a song on a soundtrack they did for a movie called "First Love, Last Rites". And I said yes, so we did the recordings with Nathan in Sweden. But then afterwards he came to a Cardigans show in the US and introduced himself and asked me if I could marry him as well! I said, sure... [Laughs]
Nathan Larson: This is a bit of a truncated version!NP: I know. It was actually me who asked! [Laughs]
How did the idea behind "Colonia" emerge?
NP: Well I guess we started making songs and we talked a lot during the procedure. We were just hanging out and talking about different things and I guess at some point we realized that we were talking a lot about colonialism.
NF: Every time we get together we seem to philosophize a lot; having interesting conversations, lots of fun and making music. The older I get the more I realize that one way to hang out with friends is either make a record with them or go on tour. That's when you have time to hang out. And we wanted to hang out and socialize, I think it's a little bit of that; of course we want to make a good record as well.
NL: What we happened to be reading, the films, the books we were consuming, the kind of information that was coming in, the news, what was going on politically. I think we all filtered that through our brains and then it came out in a certain way.
NF: We get so excited by what we discover, so we want to show everybody.
You said in an interview that the album was inspired by a trip to Africa, colonialism and the decadence of old kings and queens. Does this have any contemporary references?
NL: Absolutely.
NF: What triggered it was the atmosphere in New York and what was happening.
What kind of atmosphere?
NL: The way we define ourselves as humans is constantly changing, we think that we are civilised, in the same way white people in the 1600's though were civilized. It's an illusion based on where the western mindset is at the moment. To some extent everybody who might be in power, the Americans and the Westerners, in the world contemporary scene is doing the same amount of damage and brutality to their fellow humans as they were in the 1600's. If that is an aspect of human nature, how do we make sure that we have the right people controlling the weaponry? How do we move forward, understanding that some people are controlled entirely by their reptile brains, and some people have a moral compass with which to control themselves?
NF: And some people alter between the two all the time.
You supported the Obama campaign. What is you relationship with politics?
NL: In a country like America you have to be involved politically because it's absolutely necessary. In a country like Sweden you are choosing between similar things. It's "a little bit of this and a little bit of that", whereas in America you're choosing between "a lot of this and a lot of that". You really have to fight and it affects the rest of the world in a really big way. So if you want to end a war somewhere, and if you feel that it's important to support a candidate -- let's see what he does! -- then you have to fight for it. That's my relationship with it. It's very personal. Nina understood that and I think she feels the same way. It's sort of a social thing too. In New York we have a group of friends. Nina is involved with the cabaret.
NP: It's called The Citizens Band. It's run by a friend of mine, this woman who is also active in the Obama campaign. It's started eight years ago and I've been part of for the last two years or so.
NL: It's like a song and dance thing in the tradition of Weimar Berlin, the 20's, Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht etc. If you look at those old songs, they are about politics. This is why the Nazis hated them of course. They were about lesbianism and other taboo subjects. This is the sort of group of people that are our friends and they are also very involved with the campaign.
Coming back to the music. Who writes the lyrics?
NL: We all do. The way it actually worked on most of the songs is that Niclas would have the melody and then maybe only one line, or so. And then we take that and work on it together, or Nina will work on it alone for a while and then we all come together and develop it.
In what way is "Colonia" different to the first album?
NP: It's a lot newer.
NL: It's a lot less introverted.
NF: I think it's a little bit more for the mind than for the soul. Just like an urban environment is more for the mind than for the soul. The pace of the lyrics is quicker.
What does the name "A Camp" actually refer to?
NF: We just decided that we would go up to the woods and do some songs, do some drawings, bake some bread and record some music. At some point Nina said that we were having a camp in the woods. And at the same time we were shopping in a supermarket and saw this maple syrup with the name "Camp" on it and on the logo there is a small wooden house on it. It wasn't more than that, we decided; let's call it "A Camp".
How come James Iha is appearing on your album?
NL: He's an old friend. A great guy and a great supporter. He owns the studio were we recorded most of the record. And Niclas independently came to know him and worked with him.
NF: He is a mutual friend to all of us and in some way sort of a remote band member.
Why did you choose Nicolai Dunger to make a duet with?
NP: Nicolai is one of my old favourite male singers and I like his music a lot.
Did you know him personally before?
NP: No, I didn't know him personally before. I actually wrote the song with his voice in mind. We wrote his name in the song and then we had to ask him if he would actually do it. If he said no, we would actually have to rewrite the song. But he said yes.
How long have you been living in the US now?
NP: Well it has been on and off for as long as Nathan and I have been together: ten years. We actually bought a house in Harlem two years ago. So it's been two years more or less that I've been living permanently.
How does it feel to be a European living in the US? Have there been things so far that really struck you?
NP: Nothing ever shocks you really, because we grew up with American culture. All western kids did, with TV and the music. So for me coming to New York was like: Great, it looks exactly like I knew it would. That's the feeling. It's never really like a huge cultural clash. Maybe mentally. I am very Swedish mentally. In social situations I can be a very Swedish person, which means that I can be slightly quieter, more soft-spoken, it might be hard to believe [Laughs], but in an American context I actually am. But I love it, I felt really at home early on in New York. Of course, because I was with Nathan and his family. If I came on my own, it could have been a whole different situation.
Can you compare life in Malmö and New York?
NP: It's very different in a lot of ways. In New York you need to commute a lot. In NY you wake up by screaming kids, in Malmö you don't wake up at all. [Laughs] In NY we have a bunch of friends but it's a much bigger project hanging out with friends, so I guess in NY it's usually me and Nathan hanging out together. In Malmö you can't walk really far at all without running into a friend, which is great. I love both aspects of it. The logistics about New York are quite different, because in Malmö everything is within an arm's length.
Is there something you miss from Sweden and especially from Malmö?
NP: Just my friends, really. Also we do go back so often still, especially when we made this record, I never get to miss anything.
Your first single out of "Colonia" is called "Stronger than Jesus". What is your relation to religion?
NP: Well, none of us is an actual believer, but all of us have relations to religion. I have a strong relation to religion, because I grew up in religious places with an atheist family. [Laughs] I've been around with religious kids in my whole life. And Nathan is of very religious descent.
NL: Yeah, my grandparents and extended family are very religious in a very American way. There's a Mormon side of the family, there's a Baptist side. But then of course my parents grew out of that. The song bears no relationship with religion.
NP: I think Jesus would like that song.
NF: It's a song about love.
NL: That force is more powerful than any person.
Would you ever be tempted to do other things apart from music? You've been flirting with acting for instance. [Nina made her film-debut as a Finnish tango-blond in Amir Chamdin's "Om Gud Vill"]
NP: Yeah, maybe. One thing that I feel that I have not gathered enough outlet for in my life is that I am quite crafty and creative, physically. I make stuff, do the carpenter and so on. I would love to do more of that in my life.
Do you get lots of time off?
NP: Yeah, that's the good thing about this job.
Is it difficult to find work/life balance when you are in the same band with your husband/wife?
NL: For me, I also do film scores and so I am doing that all day and by the time I get home at night, the last thing I want to talk about is music, or listen to it.
Is it easier to express yourself artistically in a band of three rather than in a band of five?
NF: I think it's easier the less you are.
NP: We're much more mobile units now. But the democracy is quicker.
For what reason would you like people to remember you?
NP: I would like people to remember me for my music, especially because I also wrote music.
What are your immediate plans after this tour finishes?
NL: We don't know yet. We will do a US tour after this European tour and then we will do festivals. So it will be like the next fall when we will think about what to do next.
NF: Restoring domestic relations.
NL: I think me and Nina are very lucky in that respect.
Words and picture by Vasilis Panagiotopoulos