Location: Rock Cafe / Postojna / Slovenia
Interview date: 03.12.2009
Singer Mojca Zalar, drummer Goran Ristič, guitarist Peter Pavičič and bassist Dane Lukan are the four-piece that make up Spleen. An active, dynamic rhythm section lays down a great foundation for Mojca’s punchy female vocals, which don’t skimp on power. What stands out in them is an exceptional knack for implanting melody into riffs that are stiff but richly “stretched out”, with a feel for space, building a compact curtain of sound, so you can safely call Spleen a band that couldn’t care less about trends or what’s already been said, and instead drives down and develops its own recognizable “track”. Groove and atmosphere charged with drama vibes are something that really appeals to the younger generation of musicians today. Volume in the bass line, volume in the riff, and a stripped-down drum tempo with tight dynamics. No doctoral dissertations, just an innate feel for submitting to the “groove” energy that drives Spleen!
After the band’s show at Rock Cafe in Postojna, as part of the Epic RockLine Contest on 03.12.2009 (RockLine report HERE), I had the great privilege of having the whole band head backstage with me to say a few words about themselves, how they understand the language of musical expression, how they felt after playing the contest itself, and so on…
RockLine: Why did you decide to take part in the “Epic RockLine Contest”?
Dane: I think it’s important that things like this happen, that bands get a chance to play. We all know what the scene in Slovenia is like, and it’s really hard to land a gig. Especially if you’re looking for a chance to play on your own, as a band. Usually you can’t get in unless you at least know the club owner’s relatives. The other option is to make a pact with a better-known band that brings more people to the event and is more interesting to the organizer from a financial point of view. For us the point is that as many people as possible come to see us and that we get the chance to present our music to the widest crowd possible. Even with this contest, I think winning isn’t important at all. What matters is the impression people get when they come into contact with our music. That you spark their interest to that point. That those people start following you and start listening to your music.
RockLine: Were you at all scared of FlySpoon?
Peter: As far as I’m concerned, FlySpoon are a really good band. I like them a lot and I enjoyed listening to them tonight here in Postojna. But being scared of the competition? Not at all. The feelings tonight were completely different.
Mojca: For us the key thing tonight was the experience that the gig itself gave us. In this case, playing alongside a band as good as FlySpoon. I heard them live for the first time tonight too, and I was extremely pleasantly surprised.
RockLine: What’s the lowest common denominator in music that unites your quartet and gives it a platform to breathe, with its heart beating for the same thing? What drives you forward as a unit?
Mojca: Peter and I have been in Spleen from the very start. You know how it is, you’re 16 and it’s like: “Let’s go shred!”
Peter: At first it was just the urge to play, to create and try out making noise, then we went looking for our first stages. Then we saw things getting more and more serious and dug into writing our own original material.
RockLine: And as kids, what did you listen to?
Peter: Well, actually… I started with the Kelly Family, heh, heh… Right now I’m a big fan of Tool, and that whole alt scene; when I listen to bands I mostly follow how they deliver their energy.
Mojca: At first Michael Jackson, then I moved into rocker waters, and now I’m more open to a wider spectrum again. Emotion is what matters most to me in music, period.
Peter: That thing about emotions, everyone in the band could agree on that.
Dane: Well, as a kid I skated, and we listened to skate punk rock, meaning Offspring, Lagwagon, Pennywise. That carried me through to the middle of high school, then I came to Spleen and broadened my musical horizons even more. It works like this: different members bring different CDs into the band and then you explore new bands, new music. That’s kind of how you get your inspiration, from the people you swap info with and from the music itself that you explore and discover.
Goran: In Spleen we don’t all listen to one band, or the same bands. Everyone has their own taste. And those tastes kind of add up, I’d say they get taken into account, and then that shows in how the music of Spleen is put together. A mix of all four minds.
RockLine: Earlier, when I was listening to Flyspoon and then you, I got the idea that you’d make a winning combination for a mini tour of Slovenia. I already asked their drummer Miha about it in an interview (FlySpoon interview HERE), and I’m asking you too: what do you think of the idea?
Mojca: I thought of that myself too.
Dane: Given that we’re both in similar rock waters, there’s still a ton of room between the bands that sets them apart in expression, but in terms of the vibe and energy we’re maybe still compatible enough.
Mojca: I already asked them about this myself, whether they’d be interested in a joint gig sometime down the line.
Peter: Slovenia really has a lot of very good bands right now. The shame is that people don’t get to know them. That’s why it’s good that these bands get as many chances to play as possible, in clubs like Rock Cafe in Postojna.
RockLine: Have you thought about whether you’re completely happy with the band’s current vibe? Would you add anything to your sound in the future, or upgrade it somehow, or are you happy with where things stand?
Dane: If it were possible, our Peter would have a whole ton of effects and gadgets on stage on top of the guitar. He’d be like that circus seal blowing a trumpet, then a trombone, and so on… ha, ha, ha…
Mojca: We’ll see in the future, when we get into recording, where that can take us and what we’ll want to try out in the sound then.
Peter: I don’t burden myself with how we’ll sound at all, I don’t limit myself by genre. I listen to a lot of different music. Only the music matters, not what form it comes in. Sometimes I really crave listening to opera or jazz, and I don’t generally follow that music much, but there are moments when it grabs me hard and I surrender to it.
RockLine: Mojca, from what I gathered in this chat of ours, Spleen was your band even before Obduction?
Mojca: Yes. I’ve been with Spleen since 2001.
RockLine: I remember your gig on Halloween two years ago in Bled. You played together with Lady’s First (RockLine report, dated 31.10.2007, HERE).
Mojca: Oh, yes. Back then they often took us along to gigs, and to motorcycle rallies.
RockLine: What are Spleen’s plans for the future?
Dane: First things first, we’re short on promo material. So first a photo shoot, and after that we intend to record a semi-studio EP. We’ve got everything we need for that in our own space. The preconditions are in place that meet our requirements for capturing the band’s current beat on recording tape, something that will catch the attention of the masses. We have a few contacts tying us to neighboring Austria, and plenty of people there want to hear Spleen too. So I hope we’ll get to play in Austria as well. But first we need to secure proper promo material.
Mojca: And as many live shows as possible. We need that.
RockLine: One more mildly awkward question. Don’t you feel that your playing sometimes pulls a little toward Obduction?
Dane: Or Obduction pulls toward Spleen.
(all: laughter)
Peter: And actually, what you see here tonight is half of Obduction. Mojca and Goran are members of theirs.
Mojca: The fact is, we in Spleen are beginners. I wouldn’t even compare the two bands, since their approaches are different.
Peter: That’s right. The difference between them is big.
Dane: The music of the two bands on stage also gives off completely different energy, which drives both bands forward.
Mojca: Spleen is a much more direct band that hits you right off the bat. Obduction are more technically demanding, you sometimes really have to concentrate to keep up with them. And they come across a shade darker too.
RockLine: How happy are you with Goran’s work?
Dane: Ever since we swapped out the heart of Spleen, meaning the drummer, and Goran came on board, the bonds in the band have grown and intertwined even more. Especially in terms of sheer honesty, we’re even more open with each other, and the band found even more drive with Goran.
RockLine: Goran, do you agree?
Goran: It must be true if the others say so, heh, heh…
photos: Mojca Perdih
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