indieBerlin interviews Better Strangers and Gavriela playing at the next Basement Bash
They were strangers to each other once but Jan, Karel, and Chrissi are anything but strangers today.
Together they form a band called Better Strangers who entered the music world with their single Rest Your Bones, perfect for rainy days that lie ahead. We were curious to know a little bit more about them, after all, they will be performing at this months Halloween edition of Basement Bash, 26th Oct. at Marie Antoinette.
indieberlin: Tell us a little bit about your musical background
Karel: I come from a classic rock background thanks to my dad, later I started to discover different areas such as Funk, Soul, but also my favorite Prog Rock or harder Genres. All these styles come in handy when your bandmates listen to slightly other stuff because the music becomes an interesting mixture.
indieberlin: How did you get together as a band?
Karel: A few years ago, we all moved to Berlin to become a part of a bigger music scene. We tried various projects before we ended up playing together.
indieberlin: Where do you get your inspiration from?
Jan: I mostly write unconsciously, singing and playing anything that comes naturally. While I’m writing I start noticing what I’m actually trying to express.
indieberlin: What music do you listen to when you’re touring?
Jan: I mostly listen to recommendations of friends. I will listen to only one song or album until I get bored of it.
indieberlin: What was the last concert you went to?
Chrissi: Probably the last concert I went to was Alice Phoebe Lou in the Michaelis Church in Hamburg. That was a very special experience for me not only because it took place in this enormous church but also because it was so intimate.
indieberlin: What was your biggest stage fuck-up?
Jan: For me, there is no such thing as a stage fuck-up. Everything that happens is part of the experience.
Karel: At the age of 12 at one of my first concerts, I threw a stick in the air. I still remember my smiling drum teacher giving me thumbs up from backstage when I dropped it.
indieberlin: Do you want to greet somebody ;-))?
Chrissi: I would like to greet my little niece Lotta!
Make sure to check out the Better Strangers FB page
Meet G Λ V R I E L Λ, this Peruvian-Austrian beauty is not your average girl. She draws inspiration from everything, from dreams to nature, from her heritage to theater.
She is one in tune with the world, growing up with ethnic rhythms and world music, G Λ V R I E L Λ combines it all and creates wonderful, authentic music. She will soon be releasing her debut single Creatures and will be gracing the Basement bash stage as an opener for the night.
indieberlin: Tell us a little bit about your musical background
G Λ V R I E L Λ: When I was pretty young I entered the classical music world, playing the violin (unfortunately I wasn’t really good at it), singing in choirs and solo in several productions; I was always close to orchestral music and opera. That’s where my love for huge orchestral sounds has been planted. I can remember, being in a hall with hundreds of people playing and singing at the same time – may it be Mozart’s Requiem or Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana – it always gave me goosebumps and I would feel highly energized. It’s so powerful!
Besides that whole universe, I used to sing in funk/jazz bands as a hobby. It’s where I could experience another feeling on stage and within myself. So, after school I actually went to study opera singing for one year and then realized that this wouldn’t be my way, it was a tough time. Anyways, I would get to listen to all sorts of music at home, having a strong affection for ethnic rhythms and world music early on. So now I’m doing my thing, which is a melting pot of everything I have experienced musically as well as emotionally.
indieberlin: How did you come up with the name G Λ V R I E L Λ?
GΛVRIELΛ: It’s my name – no big deal – normally it’s written with a B, but I took a V instead since there’s not much of a difference between them in Spanish pronunciation. Besides that, I like the aesthetic of the straight letters Λ V, and we are actually 5 in the band, which wasn’t on purpose, but still, it fits.
indieberlin: If your music was a movie, which genre would it be in?
G Λ V R I E L Λ: maybe “Epic dark fantasy” … I just googled film genres – that sounds the best fitting – but anyways, it’s just a capture of the music I’ve written so far.
indieberlin: If you had to describe your music to a deaf person, what would you say?
G Λ V R I E L Λ: I wouldn’t say anything – obviously – the person can’t hear me, but I could draw a picture or dance for that person.
indieberlin: Do you see your songs in color or in black and white?
G Λ V R I E L Λ: Most of them in colors, each instrument line can have its own color, but then there can also be one color palette representing one mood of a whole song and there would be only different shades of it. There is one song in specific (“Mother Moon”), I only see in black and white, but for me, it’s more of a play between light and shadow.
indieberlin: Where do you get your inspiration from?
G Λ V R I E L Λ: There’s so much surrounding me that inspires, as long as I’m open to see, feel or experience it. May it be dreams, which I always write down when I’m able to remember them or relationships of any kind. People that affect me in a way; may it be someone close or just an inspiring interview. Emotions and feelings (even more when they are related to sadness, and hurt or melancholy), certain situations or hardships, life stories, characters, movies, theatre (plays), NATURE, ancient cultures, music that is haunting, soundtracks, the universe, stars, extra-terrestrials, Peruvian legends and their pieces of wisdom, concerts which leave me fulfilled and thrilled, crying or even disturbed, the list is endless…
indieberlin: What was the last concert you went to?
G Λ V R I E L Λ: I think it was the “Peanut Butter Beats Hip Hop Takeover” in Berlin, our friends from “Lexodus” and “Elpenor” played and performed there. They truly got me in a trancy dance… I really enjoyed it. And they’re also gonna play on Thursday, I’m excited to share the event with them.
indieberlin: How does the songwriting process work for you / in your band?
GΛVRIELΛ: So far I wrote all of the songs and pre-produced some of them, and then within the band, we took the arrangements and changed some things and rearranged some structures for the live versions. I like when the idea of the song is already there, however in a live context, I like making space for everyone to bring in their ideas and naturally create the sound together without losing the main idea. The songwriting process itself always works differently, there’s no one-way, one song I just dreamt and there it was.
indieberlin: How do you feel about covering a song?
G Λ V R I E L Λ: we haven’t done it yet with my band, however, I enjoy listening to bands or solo artists who do that and make the song truly theirs and create something new and authentic out of it. If I feel like certain lyrics just really speak my mind or if there’s just a song I really love that has accompanied me throughout time, then yeah, why not … if I’m feeling it.
indieberlin: Tell us a secret about yourself.
GΛVRIELΛ: well, if I would do that, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore.
Check out Gavriela on Facebook!
Don’t forget to see them perform at Basement Bash tommorow
