Profile: Schtimm
Name: Schtimm
From: Trondheim, Norway
Sounds like: Haunted, Lynch-ian chamber pop
Listen: IDIOTsong
Discography:
2006 - Time, space & other stories (Clearpass)
2004 - Featuring... (Clearpass)
2002 - Plays Mrakoslav Vragosh (Clearpass)
2002 - Sun/sun EP (Clearpass)
2000 - The alcoholovefi collection (Clearpass)
Links:
www.schtimm.com
www.myspace.com/schtimm
It's truly an indication of how many exceptional bands there are in Scandinavia that a band like Schtimm should find themselves at the lower end of the visibility scale. They don't get writeups in the major music mags, they haven't been mentioned yet in Scandi-head David Fricke's column in Rolling Stone and they don't appear to even be close to a US distribution deal yet. But Schtimm are a sublime, alluring band with an aura of mystery and two captivating vocalists, one of whom, B, is among the most subtly compelling female singers in Norway. Other members AE, P and K (the band members only use first initials in their publicity materials) contribute wholeheartedly to Schtimm's off-center sound and aesthetic. Their music is quite pretty and rather minimal at times, but there's a spookiness to it, something that conveys they know more than you do about the darker side of life and love, but aren't necessarily keen to share. Schtimm's a refreshingly private, introspective band, leaving the listener to draw their own conclusions from the sometimes shadowy recordings. Of the four full-length CDs released to date, "The alcoholovefi collection" and the brand new "Time, space & other stories" are probably the most consistently listenable. Here's hoping these classy Norwegians grow their audience with their latest release.
- Kevin Renick
Who are you and where are you from?
That's the One question all of us more or less spend our entire lives figuring out. But to stick to the more prosaic sides of the matter: Schtimm is a Norwegian band consisting of four people originating from the small Twin Peakish village, Saltdal (situated approx 70 km north of the Arctic circle), but now the members live in Trondheim and Oslo. Since 2000 we have released 4 albums, some videos, been touring Norway and parts of Europe, and done the things that bands often do. And we like it.
What makes Schtimm special, or how would you say you are different from other bands?
We have little experience in being other people/other bands, so we are not going around feeling especially, uh… special. No artists sound totally detached from the rest of music history, and that goes for us as well. But our attitude is that we try to keep the focus on expressing ourselves, rather than looking to what other people do. So we prefer to leave such tough questions to the audience.
You keep a lower profile than many other bands in Norway. Is that by choice or is it just how things have gone?
Listening to bad advice, and the lack of business-talent and winner instinct, maybe? In Norway we have so far released the records on our own label (in Central Europe and Russia, and some of the ex-Soviet States we have labels that we are working with), and the artistic aspects were always a priority. First you make a record, then you try to figure out how, and on what premises to sell it. We are of course working hard and seriously with these things as well, but we're more successful in art than in business.
If a band is labelled a "doesn't sound like the rest" band (as we very often are), that can really be a double-edged sword: People might assume the band in question is an original-sounding band with integrity and interesting perspectives to offer, and is really worth checking out. Or they might conclude that the band must be some kind of weird, inaccessible, arty outfit, and just discount it before they even listen to it. For us it wouldn't feel natural to elbow our way into fame and fortune, so until someone finds out they want to put us on the hype, we're pretty happy lurking in the shadows of the underground scene in our little corner of the world, doing own musical thing.
Has anything changed for the band now that Scandinavian music has gotten so much attention in the last few years? Do you feel a kinship or connection with any of your fellow musicians in Norway?
No, not that we have noticed, anyway. We have never felt we're part of any scene or movement. The Norwegian music scene is quite diverse, with a few strongholds (the black metal scene, the Scandinavian Rawk scene and so on), but we don't feel the urge to define ourselves in a certain category (I guess people might do that for us). We hang out with just as many social workers, dentists, lawyers, postal office clerks, fishermen, primary school teachers and factory workers as musicians, so our identity as a band is more limited to what happens between the four of us and the people we work with, than what is happening on a national basis. The great Norwegian writer Agnar Mykle said: "Love is a lonely thing." In our case, you can twist that into something like: "Music is a rather unsocial happening."
What's the significance of the big star on all your CD covers?
I guess the star is a symbol that has quite a few meanings, in different cultures and eras (so looking it up in a good "encyclopaedia of symbols" would probably give you many, and conflicting descriptions). We have often been mistaken for being a communist band. But you find stars everywhere: Heineken bottles, the flag of the USA... practically everywhere.
What do the members of Schtimm do when you're not working on music? Any unusual hobbies or things you do to relax?
There is some studying, some working, some drinking, some rowing in wooden boats, some knitting, some underwater swimming, some sleeping, some horseback riding, some mountain hiking, some smoking, some fishing, some eating - in general trying to cope with life and all it's twists and turns. What relaxes us as a band... when we have carried out a good rehearsal, or managed to be at the soundcheck on time, paid our bills, finished a tour, finally delivering the answers for an interview, maybe?
Let's say you suddenly have the ability to travel through time, but only for 24 hours. When/where would you go? And would you change anything?
There's a saying that goes something like: You shouldn't wish for something you don't understand... one shouldn't mess with the concepts of Time and Space, you know? But it would have been interesting to take part in some of the events that really have changed and shaped the course of the world history. To witness all that Biblical stuff that allegedly happened, would of course have been rather special. And sitting in a comfortable chair on the moon to welcome Armstrong and Aldrin with a drink and a cigar, could have been nice. But to narrow it down to one specific event, attached to music: Being at, for instance, Woodstock. Putting ourselves as headliners would be a quite an intriguing scenario.
What depresses you and what makes you joyful?
That depends on the levels of serotonin in the brain, what kind of day you are having and quite a few factors like that. But in general, I guess the highest highs and the deep down belowers tend to come from out of nowhere. Great works of art have a tendency to bring about the first, and the latter: Hell, you never see them coming.
Finally, what do you hope the future holds for Schtimm?
Serenity, happiness and a spiritually prosperous life, maybe? It would have been quite nice to earn enough money to be able to just concentrate on what we are already doing forever. If that happens through selling piles of records or winning a lottery, isn't that important. We'll keep on doing what we are doing, and see where that brings us.