Le Scrawl (01.11.18)

Le Scrawl is a very unusual and extraordinary band. I met these guys at last OEF, their show was so intense, bright and amazing. Obviously I asked them about this small talk. Due to some delays we finished this interview only today, that why a few questions are not so actual, but that is not too critical. So boys and girls, read, share and enjoy!
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Greetings Simon! How are you doing? Tired after long road trip back home?

Fine, thanks! It was great to be on tour with Le Scrawl again - and really an inspiration.

How did it feel to been on the stage of Obscene Extreme again? What did you feel when you saw all these freaks under the stage?

The OEF was always an outstanding experience. It was the fourth time altogether we´ve played there. Quite fantastic to see all these people who were celebrating with us off and on stage, listening to the music and having a good time. This was a pleasure and we are grateful that we were invited to be there. Thank`s to Curby for that.

Also it was your first gig in how many years? I hope it wasn’t too hard to remember all your riffs and vocal parts.

Yes, that’s right. We didn´t play live for seven years and also had only a few rehearsals in this period. That means we had to refresh skills and relearn the songs of course. For some songs it was just easy. Others needed a little more time. Apart from that we also rearranged several parts.

Well it was a long break but, now you’re active again, so it’s necessary to ask you. Do you have some new songs or just jam material?

At the moment we don`t have any new songs. But there are some ideas and we´ll check them out in the near future.

Boring one (sorry for that), could you tell us the beginning point in Scrawl History? As I know you`ve started in 1989…

Peter and Mario knew each other from school. Both were interested in music and open-minded concerning different music styles. They went to many concerts and particulary the extreme music scene made a lasting impression on them. In addition Mario had attended a guitar school for some years and Peter had played drums. Hence, it arose the desire to form a band, what they did in 1989. In the early beginning “Scrawl” played pure grindcore music. The idea to mix grindcore with other musical styles evolved with the ambition to make the songs more interesting. Later, when keyborder Michael joined the band, he contributed with additional impulses to develope the musical vision.

I know you’ve changed your name to Le Scrawl because you didn’t want to have problems with your US tour. Could you tell us a bit about that?

The originally name of the band was “Scrawl”. In 2002 when we worked closely with the Californian label “Life Is Abuse”, we got to know that there was an indie pop group from Ohio who had the same name. To avoid confusions we decided to add the “Le” in front of “Scrawl”. With this minor change it was possible to distinguish both bands without abandoning our name completely.

Did you know that it’s absurdly hard to find some of your first releases? Have you thought about re-pressing your stuff?

Yes, we know that the very first releases are almost sold out. It`s something like collector`s stuff. That´s the reason why we´ve made the "To short to ignore" - compilation available. This includes all official releases until the year 1999 as well as some live recordings and demo tapes. The CD was published by "Life Is Abuse" and the vinyl edition by "Regurgitated Semen Records".

If I remember it right Scrawl means doodle, hehe. Why did you choose such a name?

It`s always a challenging task to choose a band name. Mario found “Scrawl” by browsing through a dictionary. It was short, clear, interesting and preferably one word. He suggested it and all band members appreciated the meaning, the style and the sound.

Could you tell us a bit about your favourite Grind, Ska and Jazz bands and musicians?

Generally we don´t have one particular band that we would call our favorite band. But of couse there are some bands and projects we often like listening to. These include for example the Disharmonic Orchestra, John Zorn, Lock Up, The Smith, Carcass, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Deicide and The Cure.

I couldn't help but notice that you used a photo of Vladimir Mayakovsky for your release “Too Short To Ignore”, do you like his books? And what about literature over all? What are some of your favourite authors?

The only thing about it is that we like the style of the picture and we think that it matches to our music. There isn`t a special meaning or a message behind it.

Ok - what can I tell you about my reading habits. First of all I`m very interested in lighting and showdesign for rockbands and theater. Accordingly I read many appropriate specialist books about that. Furthermore I like philosophical themes. Some of my favorite authors are Albert Camus, Erich Fromm and Ludwig Wittgenstein.

I know that you`re inspired by old Punk, Grind and Death Metal. Do you remember what was the first tape (or vinyl, CD) that you had back in old days and what drove you crazy and pushed you into this music?

Generally spoken the first influences for Le Scrawl were bands like Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror and Terrorizer. The rawness and energy of these bands was just impressive.

I think the strongest experience for me was the very first tape I got from my brother when I was about four years old. It was “Back in Black” from AC/DC. From that point on I was a huge fan of this legendary band during my youth and it was a door opener for me to all types of Rock-, Punk-, Hardcore- and Metalmusic. Later, when I was fourteen years old I went to one of their concerts in Berlin which struck me completely and made me learn guitar.

At the moment I like listening frequently to the last release of Carcass "Surgical Steel" and the sixth album of Nile "Those Whom the Gods Detest".

I`m out of questions. Thank you so much for this conversation and thank you for your noise!

You`re welcome!

Cheers,

Simon

Contact: scrawlhq@hotmail.com 


Photos by Peter Matthes