Simon, Matt, Francesco, Christian & Tristan are newly-formed Berlin rock band called 4 Minute Mile.
indieBerlin: How did you come up with the name 4 Minute Mile?
Simon: I came up with the name of the band whilst listening to a radio documentary on the late great Dr. Rodger Bannister who in 1954 ran a mile under 4 minutes. The name of the documentary was 4 Minute Mile and I thought shit man that’s it! That’s the name of the band!!
indieBerlin: What was the nicest compliment you once got?
Matt: I don’t know about nicest but it was definitely weird… I played a show in Sweden with a jazz trio and afterwards, some chick came over and told me that she loved my farty bass sound… Oh, thanks. (Laughs)
she loved my farty bass sound
indieBerlin: How does the songwriting process work in your band?
Simon: The songwriting process started off with me bringing songs to the band but has since then progressed to writing sessions with Matt and Christian. It normally starts with a musical idea and then I spend days pondering over lyrics.
Christian: We inspire each other, during the writing process and when playing songs together. Once a song is more or less written, we will play it, and this is often when nuances will find their way into the songs. It’s a kind of reciprocal thing that I think is the most important part of writing together. It plays a key role in actually writing the songs and makes the whole process fulfilling.
indieBerlin: What was your biggest stage fuck-up?
Christian: The old reading the setlist wrong trick.
Matt: forgetting to turn the volume knob on my bass on at the start of a tune.
forgetting to turn the volume knob on
indieBerlin: What was the last concert you went to?
Matt: Prophets of Rage, I’ve always been a massive Rage Against The Machine fan so naturally I’m into pretty much anything those guys are part of.
indieBerlin: How do you feel about covering a song?
Matt: It totally depends, I would say if you’re going to record a version and release it then you 100% better make it “your own”. Some of the best songs are covers. It’s always cool when you come across the original of a famous tune and you go “oh shit that tune was a cover!” but also some songs just shouldn’t be touched. RATM for example. If you’re going to cover Rage I’ll be expecting you to be Tom Morello.
Christian: Yes, I suppose if you have your own deep understanding or relationship with a particular song, then that is a good start.
If you’re going to cover Rage I’ll be expecting you to be Tom Morello.
indieBerlin: In ten years you look back to today and think:
Simon: Terrible fucking haircut!!
indieBerlin: How did you get together as a band?
Christian: This bar in Neukölln with cheap Guinness acted as the catalyst for the formation of the band.
Matt: Yeah It was kind of a gradual transition from Simon’s solo acoustic/folk project. One by one the line up changed and along with that so did the sound.
indieBerlin: Do you prefer to play big festivals/stages or smaller club gigs?
Matt: Is there backline? (Laughs) I’m pretty happy avoiding setting up and packing down all the gear.
indieBerlin: With whom would you never share the stage with?
Christian: Tiesto.
Matt: The National haha.
Simon: Come on man The National are a great band I love The National.
Check out 4 Minute Mile on FB here.
