"All About The Album" - If you'd like to feature your band/album, email: urban

WHITE LIMO : "Magic Formula"

WHITE LIMO-  working hard on the 'Magic Formula' with their latest 5-track EP release, it's some kind of Swedish hybrid rock act where Weezer meet Foo Fighters meet The Pixies meet Television and StretchArmstrong. Quirky, catchy, melodies in your alternative surf-styled genre which obviously include fuzzy guitar/bass tones and nice harmonies, it's:  WHITE LIMO

How has the reaction to your latest release been so far?

So far so good... I mean it has been really really great, but it seems that no one can put a genre on us, which we like very much. We like to call us an arena rock band and others compare us to Rihanna, never the less we are really flattered to be compared to superstars! People really like our Magic Formula and that makes us one happy band.

What kind of 'sound', production wise, did you have in the back of your mind prior to recording?

We went for a big sound with a lot of room for every instrument to shine, but when things get gritty it’s important that it all glues together and form one solid attack of sounds. The sound is defined by the way the songs are written, and most material is written on acoustic guitars. That makes for parts that can be as intimate as when the song Winter Rain starts off, to the ending that is massive. The magic is in the riffs, melodies and the groove. Not how many guitars you can layer upon each other.

So... what exactly is the Magic Formula to you guys?

Well for starters it´s hard work, add to that an outside the box thinking how to write a song, pour in some good old talent and top it off with passion, a lot of drippin, ouzing passion and love for the music. Oh…….almost forgot the cherry on top, you need to be a little crazy.

Any (weird) experimental miking and/or recording techniques that we should be aware of?

We produce our own recordings in our great studio. So we really have time to experiment. And we love it. The most weird one this time around might be that we placed a tom in front of the kick drum and we simply put a mic inside the tom. It did not get used in the final mix. But I’m sure we will do something similar next time and refine it, because it gave a cool extra dimension to the kick drum. We also had a room mic on top of a cabinet just below the roof in one corner of the room, and that one really helped making the drum kit come alive. Oh and all in all we had 14 mic’s on the drum kit, just to make it sound as big as possible. We always wanna use some odd instrument to every recording, last album it was a kazoo and we also played knife and spoon, that was really fun. This time we used a rattle clap, we stomped our feet against a wall and used planks laying around for the intro to Daylight. We were about to use Chinese chopsticks but they sounded like crap so we broke them in half instead.

Why did you decide to make it an EP?

We had 5 stunningly beautiful songs. And we felt that they had to be on an EP together. The best of the best, crème de la crème. Our songwriting is always ongoing and we have material for a full length album, but we wanted it to be super intense, and we wanted to leave the listener longing for more.

How did you go on about capturing your 'live sound' in the studio?

That is a tricky thing, but we use the same gear as we use live, especially with the guitars. We use a small collection of great amps and these great MXR Overdrive pedals that really has the drive and definition we like. And those pedals are the first thing Nisse and Andy pack when going out to play live. We mic all the guitars, we need and want that feel of an actual speaker pumping and making noise.

Any 'crazy' behind the scenes anecdotes from these sessions that you can share?

Yes! we got a little story about both how we recorded and how we wrote Daylight. It started out in Andy’s apartment with a small piece of guitar lick that was sent to Oliver (bass), who already somehow got a bassline to that lick. We got together in our studio and started to produce the song, but it didn´t sound the way we wanted to. It was something about the chorus that was off. We wrote a new one, and left the studio pretty happy. But by the time Andy had gotten home, he had already written a new better one in his head. And by the time we met the next day, that new one was changed to yet another one. Then we changed it one more time before everything came together and made perfect sense. We were pretty sure that we wanted some kind of clapping intro, so we put two mic’s out in the hallway - (it’s got a great natural reverb out there) and started to clap our hands and stomp our feet to a click track. We put it in the song and there it was, just like we wanted it to be.

Any overall theme of mood that you're trying to capture while writing these particular five songs?

There is a red thread throughout the EP and that is both about love and freedom to be who you want to be and express who you really are and how you feel. The love thing is kind of complicated but to make it somewhat clear it’s about failed relationships. Take the song Black Roses for example, that song is about a really failed and in a way interesting relationship. I (Andy) have a way to always date girls with some kind of issue, but the positive side is that it always makes a good song.

Do you agree with the press release describing you as Soundgarden-ish? I couldn't find much or any of this in your music.

Well that is a quote from the guy behind the music blog Being Blogged and it refers to the song Bleeding Alone from our first release “Secret Sounds”. That was the feeling he got after he heard the song, and we think it’s a flattering comparison.

When and why did you start playing music?

We all come from the punk rock scene in Sweden, as so many of all young kids we started because of the fun of it to play loud distorted instruments that made a lot of noise. And that fun soon turned into a passion, a passion which grew stronger and stronger. That passion finally ended up in White Limo, and the want to be one of the best bands in the world. We were all looking for people that had the will to thrive and that same hunger to be one of the greatest out there.

What's the story behind your moniker? (White Limo)

It’s pretty simple. We had to decide what to call our band, and we all love Foo Fighters. White Limo was suggested and everyone in the band liked it. It also goes hand in hand with the feeling of luxury we want our fans to get from our shows and songs.

What are your immediate plans?

We are looking for some serious representation, and that is our immediate plan. So if you’re a serious act in the music industry and are reading this, give us a call.

If there's anything you'd like to add, say, please do

If you’re willing to take a ride in the White Limo with us we are going to show you how deep the rabbit hole really is
WHITE LIMO

Interview by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
Photos from the band's websites  www.whitelimo.se 
facebook page 

(c) 2015 RockUnited.Com - Contact or simply send your answers to above address.