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BAD CO. PROJECT ROCK!
Straight out of Berlin the band blew everyone's mind with their first album 'Sucker Stories'. If you don't own the album you need to get it. They also have a live stage show that completely rocks. Coming out of the ashes of Oxymoron, Sucker really stepped up his game. I recently got him to talk about the new album...
Introduce yourself…
Okay, my name is Sucker and I’m the singer for BAD CO. PROJECT. My old band OXYMORON has split up in 2002, but most people will probably know it better than the new one… time to change that haha…!
How did the band start?
After the split of Oxys it’s been pretty hard for me since that band meant everything to me back then and something was missing in my life without it. So after a few years I finally got off my lazy arse and went to a studio here in Berlin to record a new album with all the songs left as well as a few new ones. Andy, drummer for MAD SIN, was my partner in crime. When the album came out a lot of people asked if we will play live, too, and so I recruited some mates from other Berlin bands I knew. Since 2008 we’re a gang of five ready to blow your amps up and have played a bunch of shows, mainly festivals. But soon we’ll go on tour in the clubs with the new record released in march.
How did you come up with the name?
Actually “Bad Co.” was the last song OXYMORON ever recorded, so I thought it’s a fitting name to start with again…
Who would you say are your influences?
Years ago I would have answered early 80’s punk & Oi! Bands from the UK mostly, but today there’s a lot more kinds of music that influence me. Basically everything that sounds good to me, has a certain feeling to it that I like. I listen a lot to old rock’n’roll stuff again like Kiss and Joan Jett, but also to Extrabreit (old German NDW band), Motörhead, Gary Glitter, Kim Wilde, a bit psychobilly… depends on my mood.
What was the German punk scene like?
When we started with OXYMORON in 1992 it was as good as dead. No real punk bands around anymore, just Crossover and Hardcore. Nowadays it’s huge again, but it seems to me a lot of older people get bored with it again because they’ve seen every band they grew up with and don’t care about the newcomers anymore.
Describe the song writing process…
Well, a tune comes to my mind (most of the times I’m NOT sober that moment) and is shaping into a song, it just happens. What kind of song it is depends on the situation I’m in. I put down some notes to make sure I don’t forget it and can remember it the next day, then I have an idea here and there and finally I record it at home to catch the structure and the melodies. Sometimes I have a vocal phrase that starts it all, but generally the lyrics come last. The new album I had completely pre-recorded before we went into the practise room to play the songs, so everybody in the band could listen to them before. So there’s my guide lines to start with and the other guys can come up with own ideas but basically the songs are finished already, including every part they need in my eyes - and I must admit they don’t leave much space for the others to contribute haha…
What do you feel caused the end of Oxymoron?
Personal differences in views and mentality and a wrong line-up in the end. It just didn’t feel right anymore at that time, so it wouldn’t have been true and honest if we had kept it going.
You guys completely shocked the world with release of ‘Sucker Stories’, tell us about the album…
Shocked…?!? What do you mean with that?
Your new album is ‘Mission Mohawk’, tell us about the album…
The difference between the new “Mission Mohawk” album and the first one is that the other band members all gave it their personal stamp although it’s all my songs. It’s more “alive” that way if you know what I mean… I like the way it sounds, so it’s the first time I’m really happy with the result. In my opinion it’s the best album I’ve ever done with a band – but you always have to think that of the latest release, don’t you? Listen to it and play it loud – maybe you’ll say I’m right…
Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
At the festivals we played with a lot of bands… too many to name them all. In Spain we played some shows with Bad Bloods, also with the Motherfuckers and Secret Army – great bands all of them! Another good band from Germany we had a show with is Cheap Stuff, and soon we will tour Japan with one of my all time faves COBRA…!
Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
It always depends. Some big venues are cool to play in, but what counts in the end is the athmosphere. If it’s a small club but the audience doesn’t give you the feedback you need on stage it’s not any better than at some huge festival with the crowd far away...
Where have you toured?
With BAD CO. we’ve played in Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Poland and England so far (2010).
Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
We’re doing it in february…
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
No, not really. Would be cool if we made it to the States some day, but as far as I have come to know the scene there is dying and it’s pretty hard to get a tour set up there at the moment.
What do you see is the future of Bad Co Project?
I have no idea – we will wait and see what happens, how the new album is doing and how people react. For me it’s important that they accept us as a individual band. I’ve never had such great line-up!
How can people contact the band?
Write us via myspace or come to the shows and we’ll have a beer together! Prost!
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