The beginnings of the music we now know as Pelhan go back to 2000. Aleš Pelhan, guitarist and singer, formed the band RoXoN at the age of 15. At first they played well-known rock tunes and gathered experience at mostly small local gigs. Early on, the band started feeling the pull to make their own music, and so the first originals, Nov Človek, Pesem Zate and Pravi obraz, began to take shape under Aleš Pelhan’s pen. The band recorded a demo of the new songs. With more frequent playing and bigger, more talked-about shows, they grew their circle of fans across a wider area. In 2004, the band fell apart, short on time and on the will to keep going.
In 2005, Aleš Pelhan put together a new lineup called Fajht. That’s when the songs V zavest and Mrtvo Mesto were born. The band only lasted a short while and soon stopped creating because nobody took it seriously enough.
In 2006, Pelhan then joined the Slovenian heavy metal band Dawn Patrol as a vocalist, where he picked up plenty of experience at much higher-profile shows. Among other things, Dawn Patrol combed the Slovenian club scene from top to bottom and also played bigger stages like the Metalcamp festival and Kino Šiška. The band never officially broke up, but since 2009 it has been practically inactive due to lack of time.
Burning with the desire to create and play, in 2008 Pelhan joined the band Skalp as a guitarist. In 2011 they recorded the album Mars je prodan, with Pelhan writing most of the songs. The album came out in 2012, and a few of its hits climbed to the top of the Slovenian radio charts.
After his time with Skalp ended, a lot of songs piled up over the years that were never officially released. So in early 2012, Pelhan decided to give his old tracks a fresh new look and to record and release them together with some new ones.
First, he invited an old friend, Matjaž Švagelj, to join the new lineup as bassist and producer. Matjaž is an experienced and respected Slovenian musician who works, or has worked, with well-known Slovenian songwriters and performers such as Slavko Ivančič, Kalamari, Prizma, Danilo Kocijančič and others. With the help of his wealth of experience, the songs took their final shape. The keyboard spot in the lineup went to Peter Smrdel, best known as a keyboardist for Divine Illusion and ShadowIcon. He has a distinctive style that gives the band its recognizable touch. Behind the drum kit sat the irreplaceable Miha Nedoh, who had already worked with Aleš in RoXoN and Fajht. Miha is a seasoned drummer who, besides RoXoN and Fajht, has played in many well-known Slovenian heavy metal bands, such as the legendary Requiem, Forgotten Eden and Lene Kosti. His charismatic playing put the final stamp on the band’s music.
In the summer of 2012, the lineup headed into the studio and recorded 12 songs for an album titled V neznano.
Once recording wrapped, a new lead guitarist, Gregor Volk, joined the band. He’s a multi-instrumentalist: besides mastering the guitar, he also plays violin, piano and other instruments. Gregor built up his experience through Volk Folk, Obroč and Forgotten Eden. With him, the band gained even more range and power.
In 2020, Pelhan returned to the stage with a new rhythm section, with Simon Mislej on drums and Matej Likar on bass. Both are old hands on Slovenian and international stages from the bands Odprava zelenega zmaja, Harry and Start at zero. (Source: http://www.pelhan.si/?page_id=106)
Aleš Pelhan! Vocalist, guitarist, lyricist, mastermind of the band Pelhan, a mechanical engineering graduate, self-employed entrepreneur, father of three. An interesting musician from the town where the bora wind calls home. We did the interview in the rehearsal space where the trio Pelhan practices. Aleš drew me in with his down-to-earth, approachable and warm-hearted manner. To me he’s a talented singer who says that through his music he gives us what he feels, what he knows, what’s inside him, and that he hopes as many listeners as possible will like it.
Since the guys from Pelhan come from my hometown, and word got to me that a new album is being recorded, I “tugged Aleš’s sleeve” to get him to spill the details. Simple questions for a simple guy who, through the lyrics of his songs, tells us how he sees the world around him. The other two members weren’t there this time, but all three of them, as a band, definitely deserve wider recognition.
Aleš, so the album is being recorded?
“Yeah, the record is pretty much done. The tracks are being mixed and mastered. Various other musicians played on it too. Before the album comes out, there’ll be a video, which is already being shot. The video is planned for the first half of the year, with the album following later. I’m sure this record will be good. The songs are about real stories. Whoever feels it will like it. If you dig into it, you’ll know what I wanted to say. It’ll be quite varied genre-wise. There’ll also be two ballads on the album. I’ll reveal more about it once it’s finished.
Where does the band name Pelhan come from?
The Pelhan band started out as a kind of project. Now we’re a band that runs on enthusiasm. I’m not the type who wants to be in the spotlight. I never saw myself as the “boss.” We always created together and everyone added their share. But I did want to create something of my own and leave a mark with it. A lot of people don’t know that Pelhan is a surname. The funny thing is that my buddies in the guitar world think the band name Pelhan came from the guitar color “Pelham blue,” that we just swapped the “m” for an “n.” Well, that’s not true (laughs).
How do your songs actually come about, and what’s the deal with a label?
I write the lyrics, show the crew a rough demo, and we arrange the songs together. Simon plays the drums the way he feels the track, and so does Matej. Then we tune it all together. Matjaž Švagelj, who’s the producer, gives it his blessing at the end. Everything we make, we release ourselves. So no sponsors, no manager, we fund everything on our own. As a result, the albums come out as money allows.
And what about support from the folks at home?
My family supports me in my creativity, especially my wife, who’s very understanding, since she’s a musician herself.
Why do you think some bands are at the “top” and others just aren’t? Do you feel that Pelhan belongs among the top of the Slovenian music scene?
Realistically? We don’t, and I don’t know why that is.
You’ve got a great voice. Is it hard to write a hit?
Unfortunately, that’s how the music world is: not everything depends on talent. A lot depends on who’s behind you, who pushes you forward.
Do you feel that musicians from places far from the center of the country have a harder time breaking through than musicians from the bigger cities?
Well … It once happened to us that we were announced as a band from the other side of Nanos. Like there’s some invisible iron curtain at Razdrto.
Do you have your own PR person?
We do now. I’m not into that stuff myself. I don’t want to push myself on people. Our band needs someone who knows how to promote us, so we don’t have to deal with it ourselves.
I’m curious about your beginnings, your first contact with music …
A local guitarist taught me guitar, I never went to music school. I never took singing lessons either, but I was always yelling something around the house. Basically, I taught myself most of what I know. I let my own kids yell too. I never tell them to be quiet. I think it’s right for kids to shout, to develop their vocal cords, to keep their breathing, speaking and singing from the diaphragm. And I’m really glad my parents didn’t stop me from yelling around the house. I don’t force music on my kids. They don’t need it. They just watch. They see the guitars everywhere around the house, they see me practicing. And they themselves said they wanted to go to music school. The guitars are everywhere in the house. Since they’re always “within reach,” I pick up a guitar while watching TV and play along, improvising over whatever’s on the screen in the movie at that moment.
Do you listen to your own songs, and where do you draw ideas for them from?
Yeah, I do. When I’m making songs, I always give it everything. Once I release a song, it’s out there. It belongs to the people. I don’t mess with it anymore. I’m happy when a song is finished, I wouldn’t change a thing. I have no problem listening to my songs and I wouldn’t fix them. I draw ideas for lyrics from everyday life. There’s a story behind it. That’s how, for example, the song Narava kaže zobe came about — it’s about how we humans treat nature like a stepmother. Some things really touch me, and I draw ideas for song lyrics from them.
Do you think people dig into the lyrics?
I think less and less. Everything has become more superficial, from relationships to life in general. And I don’t know the solution to that. As long as we keep rushing like this, it’ll stay this way.
What do you want as a musician?
As a lyricist, I want as many people as possible to hear my words. And if they dig into them, they’ll understand what I want to say. But if you want to be heard, you’ve got to play gigs, your music has to get airplay on the radio and so on.
I can’t skip the clichéd question, which I still think is pretty important, since a band’s influences often show in their music. Who were your musical role models, and how do you define yourselves as a band genre-wise?
I like guitarists Angus Young, Jimmy Page, BB King, Clapton, Gibbons, Stevie Ray Vaughan and singers like Bon Scott, Plant, Halford and Dickinson. I never covered their songs. I listened to them and improvised. Everything I play is based mainly on the blues. I have to say the right hand on the guitar is not to be underestimated. You can do a lot with it and come up with a lot of melodies. I don’t consider myself a technical guitarist. Sometimes I sit behind the drums too. Music has to be whole. I don’t want to “stick out,” and I don’t like solo bits that have nothing to do with the songs. People see us as a hard rock band and they’re right. Besides blues, rock and metal, I like other music too. For example, I also like Beneški fantje with their multi-part singing. And folk-pop too, especially the lyrics. I’m talking about Avsenik, who wrote top-notch songs.
And that’s it. We’ve reached the end of part 1 of the interview. Aleš and I are also announcing part 2, which will focus on the release of the new album and the new music video, both of which we’re curiously waiting for. What form it will take stays a secret for now.
And to close, we’re sharing a brand-new video shot at this year’s Koncert generacij in Ajdovščina:
Written by: Silvija Makovec
