Ravens Brain

Who composes ?...How does it work in the band ?

Fernando writes all the lyrics and most of the songs, but we have worked as a team much more on this album compared to the first one. Jimmy on guitar also wrote some tracks on this album. We wrote some tracks together from scratch at our rehearsal space, also when just experimenting in the studio. We work more commonly in this way nowadays. The important thing is the results of course, and at the end everyone put their own spice to the songs.

Who writes the texts ?..What are they talking about ?..How does inspiration come ?

The lyrics are mostly about love, disappointments and alienation. But as on the first album, never without positive elements. We try to keep a feeling of hope and light. About being honest to ourselves and always try to keep going on no matter what. "The Son I'lll Never Be" is about hope for the future, about searching, and that you are able to change things. But the lyrics can mean different things for different individuals of course. It is an unavoidable and positive thing that the listeners interpret the songs in their own way.

Why the name PRINCIPE VALIENTE ?

It actually means "Brave Prince" in spanish.
The words have a nice ring to it, and also a deeper meaning. The romantic desire that all individuals hope for someone to come to the rescue. The Big Love, a guide, or some other form of security that may or may not ever come. A knight or a prince. Even though most people know that your only saviour is yourself. This sums it up a bit dark in our sound but also simultaneously without losing hope anyway.
It is very true that it's also a comic strip by Harold Foster. The series, however, I have absolutely no awareness of or connection to, but there are of course people who does connect the name with the series now and then. It has however, nothing to do with it.
I also read the book "Le Petit Prince" (The Little Prince) when I was a child and it's still one of the most beautiful books I know.

What are your personal musical tastes and your influences ?

We listen to pretty much of course but mostly guitar pop groups from the 80's and 90's has influenced us. Also some electronic music and experimental stuff.

What's your view on the current music scene in Sweden ?

Actually I lost interest in that a long time ago but now and then I discover new stuff that is really good and inspiring. It can be of different genres of course and not only post-punk/shoegaze/indie-pop just because that's the kind of thing we are in to.

Generally, what's the reaction of the public during your concerts ?

For the most, really really good!

What's your best live memory ? And why ?

I have to say at the WGT Festival in Germany last year in 2013.
We got booked at the last minute and it turned out really good. It was right after we released the single "Take Me With You".
We were received in the best way by the audience and people were even singing along to the lyrics on tracks from the first album in the front rows, it was an awesome atmosphere.

And the worst one ?

Actually at a festival in Germany too in 2012, we've had to go on stage already at 13:30. It was the first show on that German tour and we arrived to the festival area around 12:45 or something and it was quite stressful. We were all wet in sweat already before we went on stage to do the line check and my stage makeup (I used to have more makeup then than nowadays) was completely drawn haha. The actual show went great but I felt like Robert Smith after a really long after party with the hair and makeup all fucked and all sweaty. My legs were shaking the whole set and the keyboard players stands for the synth broke during the show but he still managed to play everything right somehow haha.

What's your ideal concert poster ? (with you of course !!!)

Ah, nice question. Well, maybe us sharing the stage with bands like Slowdive or Cocteau Twins, The Cure, Boards Of Canda, Radiohead or Interpol. Morrissey. And maybe Björk, PJ Harvey and Slayer?
Somehow because I figured out Tom (the singer in Slayer) is also chilean born as me (and singer/bass player too off course), and it would be nice to talk to him. I actually had the chance to do it when they played at a festival here in Sweden some years ago in Gothenburg, and we got backstage passes, but I preferred to go to sleep early that night because we were on our way down to Germany for a tour, perhaps not the best decision :). There's also a great new band called Savages from London which it would be great to share the stage with. Awesome band. And Future Islands. Such an aggressively passionate singer.

What are your future dates ?

We are actually planning some live dates at the moment. We have some things going on in Germany, Holland and Italy, we hope we can manage a tour pretty soon. Besides that, we're having a release party here in Stockholm the same day the new album is released, on June 6th.

In studio, what was the ambiance for the new album ?...etc....

We recorded the album in three different studios, the first one with the producer Niklas Björklund, a really huge one and with awesome possibilities. I think ABBA did some recordings there and other big artists. We had more focused sessions there during some days. In the other two studios we worked more casually, adding bits and pieces and completing the songs in a relaxed manner.

How does it work for the design of the CD ?

Jimmy, our guitar player, had some ideas and we discussed it for a while. We discussed our ideas with an artist, but the results was unsatisfying. So we decided to do it on our own. We wanted to do something different from the artwork we had on the debut album. Something more symbolic. We are pretty happy with the result.

Did you find a label ? If yes, how do you made the research ?

The label is the same one who released the first album in 2011. They contacted us after we released the album in Sweden with ParisMusic in early 2011, and then they re-released it 6 months later for the German and European market.

With Management and booking, how do you work ? And with whom ?

For now we do most of the bookings ourselves here in Sweden and outside Germany. Our booking agency WOD is covering Germany/Switzerland/Austria. But we hope for some new collaborations soon with an european booker and here in Sweden.

What are your projects ?

At the moment we are busy doing promotion for the new album with the label and rehearsing for our release party. We are also planning the release of a third single soon.

What would you like that the future offers you ?

More decent festivals to play at and maybe do some shows in the UK and the US.

Website to remember ?

Facebook
Site

What would you like to say to the readers ?

We hope they love the album as much as we do and hopefully see you soon in Belgium.

And to young people who begin in the music world ?

Well, keep believing in your dreams and find a niche for your music. There's too many bands that consciously try to sound like their idols or some kind of a tribute to a certain era. There's too many of those bands already and most of them are really bad, in my opinion.
When we began with Principe it was my position that we wanted to do something as own as possible in our way. Besides of our influences which always unconsciously will be there of course, but try to break new ground on your own terms.