Posted on April 5, 2009 - by Mark Zonda

Only Custers

“I don’t wanna know your name, I just wanna dance with you tonight”

I’ve always been in love with “Your Name”, since the first time I head of “Oh!Cluster“, of course “Yet Another Cloudberry Rec Production“. Just a couple of words and a question mark: “pure joy!”, the perfect anthem for a carefree saturnday night. This Sweden band it’s just like a garage gist of Comet Gain, Beat Happening and My Bloody Valentine on an overdubbed mixtape. They diserved more than a listen: they got an interview!

Mark Zonda: “how did you two decided to start a musical project, and what’s behind the name “Oh!Custer!”?

Esbjörn Kjell: It was back in 05. We went to a festival in the Swedish countryside to hang with our friends and listen to some good bands too. But in the end it turned out we didn’t really feel the line up was that good and we decided that we could just as well start a band and play there next year… it turned out pretty good. I guess we had talked about earlier but the festival became the catalyst.

“Summer, find her. Everything will be ok.
Weekends outside, insect bites and headaches.

Leave town for long nights, sleeping bags and friends
we find ourselves older once again”

- from song Smiles, unrecorded

The name is actually a lot of coincidences. But I guess we decided to stick with a line or a character rather than a name and it sort of sounds like orchestra when you pronounce it in a swedish southern accent… almost. hehe. We don’t have much in common with general custer, he’s to us a mythic character from a land and a time far far away.

Mark Zonda: I started a band for the same reason! Was the festival Emmaboda anyway?

Esbjörn Kjell: Yes it was Emmaboda. We played a morning show there the following year completing the original plan. We should have stopped after that, but we didn’t.

Mark Zonda: How did you came through Cloudberry Recors?

Esbjörn Kjell: Roque, the Cloudberry Boy, found us via myspace and asked us to on a limited 3″ cd. He had a plan of making this with 25 bands he liked and I think we where the first band he asked. But we took our time and became no 9. He later put out more that 25 so I guess it was a sucess. We are currently recording some new songs and are talking to Cloudberry, hopefully you can hear this soon.

Mark Zonda: What about the new material you’re working on?

Esbjörn Kjell: We live in different cities now, even different countries, Norway and Sweden, Oslo and Malmö so there’s been some planning to get together and record. The way we make songs is helpful though. I come up with a basic melody, lyric and beat and then I record something and sends it to Josef who adds a sologuitar to that. Then we go back to me wanting to scrap the song and josef trying to stop me… I’m the responsible one and he’s the optimistic and enthusiastic one. In the end we meet up at my place to record everything again.

That’s how the forthcoming ep has been recorded anyway. I guess we have chnged a bit. Songs are still short, 3 minutes and the beat is simple as always. It sounds like us and the feeling is still dreamy and jangly. Songs are about loss, growing up and leaving places, looking back. Songs are more about what we didn’t do than what we did. But this is more of a summer ep than the others. At least in my mind.

Mark Zonda: “Your Name” is a masterpiece. I loved that song since the first time I heard it. What inspired you the song and why people feels so nostalgic to certain sounds from the ’80s?

Esbjörn Kjell: Thanks! It started with the refrain. The nice melody and then josef added the jangle guitar. It’s a simpe song. Like most of our songs. I come from a punk tradition where 3-4 chords is more than enough and short tunes with a good hook is prefered. Maybe this was also the case in the early ’80s. Some of the big hits from back then are soo clever and easy, they don’t do that anymore. Musicians today are too good and to hung up with being cool. They have to complicate things. Musicians evolve but not always their music.
We are not good, we can barely play, but we try to make up for that with honesty and heart. I think I just tried to make a popsong to praise the weekend and the uncomplicated romances on the dancefloor.

Mark Zonda: Don’t worrie! That’s the best that you can get from music! Music should be meant for people and not for technicians. Which are in your opinion the top pop anthems of the last 5 years?

Esbjörn Kjell: Gee, I’m bad at this. I listen to too much old music. I like swedish artist Robyn. She’s made the song Be Mine which is a fantastic song that we usually play live. I liked Glasvegas record last year but I must say Twilight Sad are the best scots after Arab Strap put up. Best pop anthems… hmmm. I really like Toxic, Britney, and Hey Ya!, Outkast. This is not music I listen to but I appreciate good pop songs and these are exactly that! We like to dance…

Mark Zonda: Most underrated band of the ’80s?

Esbjörn Kjell: I don’t have a good answer. ’80s had a lot of amazing one hit wonders and too me it seems underrated bands don’t get a chance. In the ’80s you don’t had myspace or digital home recording. Who knowes what the music would sound like if we had that. To make it in the ’80s you had to work hard. Today success is not far away. Josef could probably give some names and bands but I don’t know. I like to listen to “Children of the nuggets” a 4cd compilation with great one hit wonders from tho ’80s and early ’90s. Great stuff!

Mark Zonda: What about your trip in US and meeting “The Hermit Crabs” and “Cats on Fire”?

Esbjörn Kjell: Good times. We got an offer to come to New York Popfest. A once in a lifetime chance. We went there with few expectations but everything besides a jet lagged show in Boston was great! New York was big, hot and full of everythning. We met up with Cats on Fire, that we knew from before, and shared living with Hermit Crabs. Or the hammered crabs as we like to think of them. They don’t like the sun, too pale those scots. I made a song about that…

“My skin is much too pale for this, summer sun is much too bright.
Makes me burn up and fall apart. Piece by piece just like my heart”

- from song Summer Skin, unrecorded

The crabs are nice people and we did the tourist thing in NY. The Cats are from finland and look pale and innocent but we know theres a small devil inside of them. But the Crabs called them the twats on fire… hehe. Everyone became good friends. Musically I’d say the show in NY was one of our best. We have a hard time making things sound good live and trying too look good and play in the same time. But there and then I think we got close. Pretty close to ok.

Mark Zonda: Did the crew mates of NY gave a nickname to your band too?

Esbjörn Kjell: Sure they did. But you’l have to ask them. Hehe….

Oh! Custer – “October”

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