Audrey Horne

Posted on Jul 11, 2006

by AvNatten

Cold and dark Bergen, Norway has been interrupted by a band of hard rockers that are giving the fans a taste of something unique in this day and age of copycats and clones. Audrey Horne have planted their boots firmly into the realm of  hard rock and metal with their first release "No Hay Banda" which takes you on an exciting ride through their well crafted songs. Sit tight while guitar mastermind Arve Isdal answers my inquisitive questions about the bands present and future and much more!

Hello, how are things in Bergen?

Things are great in Bergen, thank you. It rains a lot here so we're fucking wet all the time. It reminds me how fantastic it is to be dry, so I like it.

Will you please introduce yourself and explain what your role in Audrey Horne is?

This is Arve, one of the guitar players and songwriters in Audrey Horne. A fucked up person who doesn't know his own good. I need someone to take care of me, NOW!!

Please also tell us who your bandmates are and a little something about them if you will?

There is Toshcie on vocals - a crazy punkrocker from a dark place called "os rock city". With lots of tattoos and the shortest hair in the band, this is a man you do not want to upset. We have Tom on bass - With his long black hair and evil mind, this is the scary person in Audrey Horne. Then there is Odd Rock on guitar – he makes Ace Frehley look like an angel. Kjetil "fuck off" Greve handles the drums - always pissed off and drunk. He does more drugs than you can, imagine, not a nice person! Last but not least we have Herbie on keys - don't know much about him. The only sane guy in this fucked up band.

Bergen is known for its more extreme side of metal, what made you as a band pursue a more hard rock sound instead?

Well this is the music that we grew up listening to, so our sound came naturally. Since we all have played in more extreme metal bands, there was no point in starting another extreme band. And hard rock is so much better don't you think?
 
The songs have a dark edge to them, was this an important element for you to incorporate into your music and what makes it important?

No not really. We try to make good music and don't really care about the dark edge. We actually lost the dark edge for a moment but it came back and it just won't let go. Wonder why?

Where did you draw the inspiration for the songs on "No Hay Banda" from?

From our black souls.

Do you believe that the album has been received well by the fans?

I hope so.

How would you describe Audrey Horne's music to someone who has never heard the band before?

It's like a killer machine. And like all killer machines, it will kill you if you don't pay attention.

Can you please explain to us the thoughts and ideas behind the albums artwork and what it means to the band?

I really don't remember. We were REALLY high when we made it and the next day nobody remembered the concept, but we thought it looked cool so we kept it. Or maybe that's only me...hmmm.

Who writes the music and lyrics? Is it a solitary thing or do all the members bring in their ideas and flavors to contribute to the songs?

I, Tom and Odd writes most of the music, and Toshie writes the lyrics. The drummer only brings strawberry flavours and we don't like that so...
 
Your album was mixed and co-produced by Joe Berresi who is pretty well known for his work with Queens Of The Stone Age, Tool, etc., how did you meet up with him and decide he was the man for the job? Was working with him a good experience?

After we had recorded the album ourselves, we wanted somebody else to mix it. We knew that there was nobody in Norway who were good enough to do it, so our record label sent a CD to a producer management in the US. And suddenly we could choose between some of the best producers in the world. We chosed Joe and haven't regretted it. Me and Herbrand (Herbie, ed) flew down to Los Angeles and mixed the album with Joe. He was such a nice guy and really loved the band. We talked a bit about how we wanted it to sound and then he just did it. AWESOME!!!

You had to make a trip to the US to complete the mixing and production, was being in Los Angeles what you expected? Did you find it to be a hassle to have to go such a long distance to finish up the album?

LA was great!! Lots of drugs, girls with huge silicon tits and crazy people. I LOVED IT. I want to live there when I grow up.
 
Your band name is taken from Twin Peaks, why did you choose this name and what does it mean to you?

I am a huge twin peaks and David Lynch fan. I had a huge crush on Sherilynn Fenn when I was young, so that's why we choose that name haha. And we wanted a name that doesn't tell you what kind of music we play.
 
The members of Audrey Horne play in other bands as well, does this cause any problems or interfere with the way you would like for things to go with the band?

No not at all. We got a lot of experience within the band and that's great when it comes to live shows and so on...

Are you able to tour much in support of your album? What are the bands hopes for touring in the future, any places in particular you would like to perform at?

We haven't done any tours yet. Just some gigs in Norway. We would love to play all over the world and hope to do so after our next album.

How have your shows been so far? Do you have a highly energetic rock crowd showing up at the venues or do you see more diversity in your fans?

Our shows have been awesome and all our fans are highly energetic.

You did a show with Audioslave, was that an exciting experience?

Yeah it was great! I am a huge Soundgarden fan so to see them on the same stage later that night was cool.

If you could pick any other bands that you would like to do a show with, who would they be?

Kiss, Tool, Pink Floyd, System Of A Down and other great bands.
 
You recently won a Norwegian grammy, how did that feel?

It felt good haha, we had so much fun at the award show.
 
You have now made two videos, for the tracks 'Dead' and 'Confessions And Alchohol'. Do you enjoy making the videos and will you continue to make more in the future?

Making videos are really hard work but fun at the same time. We will continue to make more videos for the next album.

Where do you draw the artistic elements and direction for your videos from?

We got all the ideas from a book called "fucked up and total insane". One of Toshcie's books.

Will there ever be an Audrey Horne DVD? Is there any chance of having future shows recorded for one?

I hope so. There should be cause we're a great liveband.

Will there be another album in the near future?

Yeah, maybe in the end of the year or early next year.
 
Has the writing and planning process began on new material yet?

Yepp, I'm working on new songs right now.
 
In the future will the albums stay close to the sound on "No Hay Banda" or would you like to experiment with your sound more?

Well there is no point in making the same album twice so it will be different. It will be more dynamic and have better songs. I don't know about the sound yet.

Are there any elements that you feel are missing from Audrey Horne that you would like to incorporate into future songs?

Yes but you just have to wait and see, hehe.

What would you like to accomplish with Audrey Horne?

Sell a million records and play all over the world!!

What are a few of your all time favorite albums?

Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
Kiss – Alive
Faith No More - The Real Thing and Angel Dust
At The Drive In - Relationship Of Command
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dreams
Pink Floyd - The Wall and Dark Side Of The Moon
King Crimson - Red
U2 - Achtung Baby
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Among others…
 
Can you tell us a few musicians that have had the biggest influence on you and why you find them important?

I'm more into bands than musicians. But as a guitar player I remember listening to Slash, John Frusicante, David Gilmour, The Edge and Mark Knopfler when I was young, so I guess they are my biggest influences.
 
Thank you for your time, is there anything else you would like to add?

Raymond of Team Blitzkrieg is nuts... Take care!!

Audrey Horne website

Review of "No Hay Banda"

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