Interview with Longfield & Super Skeleton

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Since this is a six-piece band, the answers here may vary - but for the most part it would be like for any one playing music: started out as an interest when we were quite young, dreaming to be playing on big stages in front of vast crowds.

If we hadn’t gotten into music, we would probably be doing something else.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

We spend most of our free time on our music. Since we do everything ourselves including artwork, photos and videos, there’s always something to keep us both inspired and busy. 

How long has your band been around?

We didn't really 'start out' as a band, as much as we 'stumbled together' as one.

6 years ago we were a small group of friends, and friends of friends, messing around in a studio out in the sticks. After a few recordings and a couple of shows it started turning into something serious, and shortly thereafter we moved our studio to its current location. From there it has slowly, but steadily, grown and changed over the years, to what it's been for the last year and a half.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

The band is scattered along the west-coast of Norway, mainly from areas in and around Haugesund and Stavanger. It would be wrongful to say that the lyrical or musical content are strongly influenced from where the band is based, as opposed to what our personal musical influences are (most of them being from abroad).

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

Dean Christiansen (bass) gave Jarle Langåker (vocals) the name "Longfield" back in the day, which later became an artist name for his solo releases between releases from his other band, Kindred Fever. Later, when Jarle started making songs with a friend on drums, he called it the first and most confusing thing he could come up with at the time, namely Longfield & Super Skeleton. (Longfield is the direct translation of Langåker in Norwegian)

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

We once played a show in a hotel for an event. The venue itself was jam-packed with people that had been day-drinking heavily. So, as you can imagine - the atmosphere was good and rowdy. Later in the evening they announce us and we take to the stage. And 200+ people collectively leave the venue within minutes. All but a handful of people that probably felt bad for us, and an angry guy that gave us the finger for 30 minutes straight. We still think about him, affectionately. 

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

One of our favorites was Flytten in Haugesund, before it unfortunately turned into an afterski-inspired lederhosen beer bar (yes they exist). So, we’d have to say somewhere like Høvleriet (Haugesund), Folken (Stavanger) or Hulen (Bergen). As for places we want to play, nothing specific comes to mind. We’d play anywhere interesting and France!

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Us opening for Boney M and Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show before they cleaned up their act seems like a recipe for success.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

To not trust anyone but yourself, and to not expect anything from it. Play music because you want to, and be true to what you feel is right. 

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

Take the blue pill, it tastes better.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

We would most likely have a new answer for this one if you asked us again tomorrow. All in all, ‘I Never Learn’ was the first song that was written for this band, and it sort of set the tone of what was yet to come. It was a lot of fun recording and mixing that song, and since there were no previous songs to compare it to, there was a sense of no rules and no self-judgement. 

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Right now, I (Jarle) have a big soft spot for performing ‘Suffer’. Since we’re a “rock band”, people who don’t know our music don’t usually go to our shows with the intention of dancing, so it’s nice when they’re nudged (forced) in that direction. ‘Rhinestone Renegade’ is also a fierce groove-number that we all love to play live. That being said, we have a hard time deciding on setlists because we have so much fun playing all of our songs live for different reasons. Except for ‘Whatever’ - which is exhausting. 

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

It starts with someone bringing either a hook or a beat, and we work on it from there. 

We record all our music on our own, so we rehearse and write in our own studio - which makes songwriting as a band and recording demos a lot less complicated. We mostly have a finished demo with lyrics by the end of the day. 

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

Celebrate yourself and don’t be dictated by your surroundings. 

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

We don’t really have any disagreements. The reason may be that we all have our own responsibilities in the group (booking, contact, artwork, video etc.), and we all have a common sense of humor and understanding of how we want to be represented as a band. 

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

We have a new album coming out. ‘Daylight, the Devil’ releases on August 26th, and we’ve just started working on our 4th studio album. We also have a live album in the works whose release date is yet TBA. Other than that we are playing some festivals this summer, and will go on tour shortly after releasing ‘Daylight, the Devil’.