TwinEarth

1. Give me a quick run down of  your life story. Where from etc.

 I was conceived in dec. -75 on the beautiful Åland Islands, which are situated right in between Finland and Sweden.
2. How long have you been playing bass?

I wouldn't say I've been playing seriously for more than 5 - 6 years.

3. What made you start?

I've always had a fascination for deep and heavy tones, you know when you get the right sound and your body starts to shake, it's magic!
4. What kinds of basses have you played and owned?

Not so many, I started out with a jazz-bass copy, than a -79 Rickenbacker 4001, and now I use a -74 Rickenbacker and an Epiphone 5-stringed SG-type bass.
5. What do you play now and why?

Now I mostly use my Epiphone, because with the fifth string I get a much better tonal quality in the lower register compared with detuning the Rickenbacker.
6. Can you tell me what gear you use? Like from your amp to your strings and effects.

The only amp I've got right now is a small 1974 Italian hybrid called sbass50 (50W) with a 2X10 cabinet. I prefer using GHS bass boomers, they match my style and sound great, as far as fx I only use an Ibanez Wah-Fuzz pedal and an original Big Muff pedal.
7. When did you start playing in bands? What other bands have you been in?

I started playing in bands about 13 years ago, just small local bands of course. Now I play bass in  Twin Earth and in a Deep Purple tribute band called Strange Kind of Purple, I play guitar in the thrash metal band Broilers Of Death; and bouzouki and percussion in the early music ensembles A Austrvega and KVEKETH. Let's just say I enjoy most music.

8. How did you get hooked up with Twin Earth?

I met Oscar in school in Norway, and one day he sent me a mail asking me to join and I liked the idea of playing good music in a serious band, so here I am...

9. How would you explain your sound compared to the sound on Black Stars?

I think I would describe my sound as a bit more aggressive and a bit rawer, I like power and low-pitched noise.

10. On Black Stars Oscar wrote all the songs. Will you contribute songs on the next album?

On the upcoming album with the working title "South Of the Border" Oscar and John wrote the songs, but who knows what will happen in the future.

11. When you write do you write only on bass or do you use a guitar also?

I write on guitar , I've always used guitar only when writing songs.

12. Now that you've had time to learn the bass lines in all the songs do you play them exactly the way they are on the album or did you add your own style
to them?

 I've tried to use the bass-lines on the albums as guidelines, but I'm trying to make them my own, I'm not playing them exactly, but not changing everything either.

13. If you weren't in Twin Earth what would you be doing?

I would probably just be playing in other bands or trying to find a band like Twin Earth to play with.

14. What's your occupation besides playing bass?

I am an educated Piano- and Cembalo builder and about to start a small piano workshop and currently working as a carpenter and musician.

15. What's in your CD player right now?

There has been a lot of Pantera lately...

16. What bass players do you respect the most?

I don't know where to start, Les Claypool, Geezer Butler, Glenn Hughes Roger Glover to mention but a few.

17. What bands are your favorites?

 I like everything from early music to Bulgarian folk music to death metal so it's hard to pick out favorites but I'll have to mention Black Sabbath, Pantera, Hoven Droven.

18. What can we expect to hear from Twin Earth in the future?

 Hopefully more of the heavy, groovy ass-kicking music which is us.

19. Any final thought's?

I shouldn't go politic on you but why doesn't anybody care about the starving civilians in Iraq or Afghanistan ?!?!?!