Captain Poon; One cool guitar slinger who plied his trade as band leader for Norwegian rockers Gluecifer now going it alone with his new band Bloodlights who will be tearing concert venues a new hoop with their no nonsense brand of rock 'n' roll and playing tracks off their brand new album, 'Simple Pleasures'.

Captain Poon, band leader, singer, guitar player and now producer! Is there anything he can't do? If you love your rock 'n' roll with guitars turned up and influences from Motorhead, AC/DC, MC5, The Stooges and peers like The Chelsea Smiles, The Hellacopters and Backyard Babies you can read on and see what the man himself had to say when questioned by Über Röck about his life in music. He definitely fits into the category of what an Über Röcker should be about and respect to him for giving us his time to chat. Over to you Captain and chocs away!
 
 
 
 
Firstly, just before Gluecifer broke up who decided to call it a day? How did it come about?

Initially we were supposed to take a little break in 2005, from the road and the studio, in order to charge our batteries. Just a few months into the same year our singer and the other guitarist had made their decision about leaving the band. They said they were done with a life based around Gluecifer and wanted to do other things. I have to admit I had a feeling that this would happen, so I wasn't too surprised. But, of course, I was still kinda bummed out in the beginning. Gluecifer was a huge part of my life on many many levels, and it was a little sad to see it go the way it did.

Do you still keep in touch with the rest of Gluecifer?

No, I don't. It's not that I hate the guys or anything like that, I guess we just grew apart and today we live very, very different lives.

Do you think there will be any chance of ever doing any shows again as Gluecifer?

No, not really. I mean it's always difficult to predict these things, but I see no good reason why it would happen to be honest. We had a good thing going for quite some time but the chemistry is no longer there, besides I think it would be kinda sad to come back as a weak version of ourselves and what we had. I see so many other bands do that these days but it's not for me.

After the decision to break up did you go straight into Bloodlights knowing who you wanted in the band or was it something that was suggested to you? Why not just go solo under your name?

In the beginning I didn't know who I wanted in my band, but I talked to several people I respect and took my time to choose the people I thought were right. We've all had to learn from trying and failing along the way, but today I'm really happy to have such  solid guys as Howie B, Ron Elly and our brand new drummer Woody Lee by my side. I've always been the band leader in both previous bands and in Bloodlights but I strongly believe in the importance of making everyone feel that they are playing a unique part rather than being musicians for some solo artist.

Is there a favourite territory you like touring? You do mainland Europe and Japan often, is there not much in the way of offers for you to come to the UK? What about North and South America?

Hopefully we'll expand our territory as we grow as a band but through these first early stages of the band's career we have to go after the places where there's some genuine interest for the band and our type of music. I've never taken anything for granted, and after working like a dog to get Gluecifer in a decent position I know that you can't just pick and choose your audience or your territories. We did get some great things with Gluecifer in the USA and sometimes I truly miss touring places like that. But as I said you need to start from the bottom and build a fundament before you go expanding. South America is very different according to the little I know, it would have been a dream come true for us to get the ball rolling there. I've never been south of the border into South America - everyone I know say it's like Spain but ten times rowdier. I love playing Spain and the fans I have there, so from that I'd say I'd love South America.

Do you find a difference in the record buying public back in your home country to say Germany or the UK or Japan?

Not really. From my experience the fans of rock 'n' roll are kinda similar wherever you go and play. Of course, the crowds in Japan are a bit different from what I'm used to in Europe, still they're all basically the same and have many things in common. Rock fans in general seem to care a lot about the substance of the music. Their taste in music is almost like a religion - I mean that in a good way of course. This is also one of the main reasons why you have to work extremely hard as a band to get their attention.  Rock fans don't really care about what's the flavour of the month and you need to impress them time after time to earn their respect. Of course this is hard in the beginning, sometimes it feels like you're up to an impossible task. The brightside is that in the end you will have a loyal fanbase especially in the rock genre rather than a bunch of people who don't give a shit as soon as the NME tell you you're yesterday's news.

You've always released your music on vinyl as well as CD, is that your choice? What is your take on the current health of the music industry? Is it easier to get your music out there through the internet or doesn't it have a great deal of effect on you?

I just think vinyl is such a cool format, and a lot of people still swear by it so why shouldn't you give them what they want? About the health of the music industry in general, I don't really know what to say there but what I do know is that money in the industry is very tight these days. So tight that it's extremely hard to have anyone paying for anything. A lot of kids think that downloading music for free is a big 'Fuck Off' to the corporate music industry but unfortunately this ain't really true - it's the artist who ultimately gets fucked. Recording a proper rock 'n' roll album such as 'Simple Pleasures' is more expensive than it was ten years ago, just like anything else studio time has risen. When no-one wants to pay for the product you released, the record companies won't pick up the bill and it goes on a vicious circle. The maths is actually that simple!

Have you toured with any bands recently we should look out for?

Not really. I hope I can come up with some suggestions next time we speak after we hit the road. But right now my mind is kinda blank.

You handled the production on 'Simple Pleasures' - is it something you'll do again? Is it easy to keep focus when you're both the player and producer? Did any of the band disagree with the decision you took? Are you a hard task master?

I´ve always felt that the need for a producer comes in handy whenever you want to explore some new directions or to boost the level of creativity. In this case I felt that we had become so much better as a band compared to the debut, both the songs and the confidence were already there. Second thoughts upon producing this record myself didn't really cross mine or anyone else's mind (I think.....).  No doubt it might be great to collaborate with someone in the future, but at this point it feels like were getting closer and closer to finding the sound we're looking for on our own.

Is it something you might look to follow for other bands if approached to produce their album? The final sound of 'Simple Pleasures' is superb by the way - you did a great job! Anyone you'd love to produce?

Thank you very much, I appreciate that! I've never thought too much about producing other bands cause I've always been busy with my own things. I'm not too much of a studio rat in general, of course if someone I liked wanted me to get behind the wheel I'd definitely be up for it. This may sound both extremely foolish and cocky, even if that's not my intention here, but when I heard the last record from Velvet Revolver a couple of years ago I was like, poor guys, here are some of the coolest rockers (in Duff and Slash) to ever walk the planet and they are stuck with songs I could put together in a couple of days, man I'd love to produce their next record and help them out ha ha ha! On the other hand I don't think they'll be looking for my number anytime soon, I won't wait for that call ha ha.

What next for the band? Touring touring touring (the Ramones said it's never boring) or do you like the routine of album-tour-album-tour?

We'll see what happens. First we do our own tour starting in May, then some Summer festivals. Hopefully we'll get some good support slot in the Fall to help us break new ground. I know staying on the road as much as possible is the only way to give Bloodlights the recognition we deserve and a fighter's chance. We're already working on new songs but right now we need to be out there playing as much as we can.

Check Bloodlights out at their website and tell 'em that Über Röck sent you!

http://www.bloodlights.com/bloodlights/