Interview with Ramaskri
Rezine: Who is playing what in the band?
Erik: Wille plays bass and sings, Pontus plays drums and I play guitar and sing.
Rezine: How did the band started?
Erik: Me and Kaveh started the band in 2009 but had some difficulties finding a bass player until Wille joined in 2012. Kaveh left the band in 2015 and was replaced by Pontus
Rezine: What are the bands that influences your music?
Erik: Personally I don’t listen much to music nowadays but second wave black metal and the almighty Amebix have always been huge influences. Different kinds of jazz as well.
I think that, in order to make interesting music, you should never limit yourself by listening only to punk or metal or whatever. Some Ramaskri riffs are in fact borrowed/stolen from other bands but since those bands doesn’t play punk or metal, no one will notice
Rezine: What inspires the lyrics for your music?
Erik: Our anarchist views on everyday life in this capitalist, transphobic, classist, racist, homophobic and sexist society as well as current political events, locally and globally. Other lyrics deal with more personal matters such as alienation, anxiety and depression.
I’m somewhat inspired by hip-hop in Swedish in the sense that I try to write my lyrics in the same way I speak, by using slang and singing with my typical Stockholm dialect. A lot of punk bands with Swedish lyrics tend to use a pompous language which I try to avoid.
Some lyrics are inspired by/borrowed/stolen from other songs. Sometimes as a reference or homage and sometimes just because I’m lazy
Rezine: You have S/T out have been working long on this release?
Erik: Hell yeah! Some songs were written in 2009 and some riffs and lyrics are even older. We recorded it in three days in 2014 but had problems finding someone to do the mixing. Finally we asked our friend Tom Brooke and he did an amazing job
Rezine: What's coming up for the band?
Erik: Right know we rehearse and make new songs as often as we can. Hopefully we will record them in the autumn and have them released, maybe as a split with another band. We haven’t played much outside of Stockholm so a North- Western European tour would be fun. No concrete plans though
Rezine: Do you have other projects?
Erik: Yes. Pontus plays guitar and sings in political circus punk band Eftah and also makes music for films. I have a space war themed noise/drone solo project called Mass Drivers.
I also put up DIY shows so if Canadian bands want to play in Stockholm, send an e-mail to oneeyedpunks@gmail.com