Interview with London-based band Freewheeler

  By Neon Blonde

  October 4, 2002

  website

Q:  I was real excited when you guys contacted me to do a review so I decided to do an interview also.  Who came up with the name Freewheeler and does it mean any thing in particular?   

Sophie:  Well Seb came up with the name.

Seb:  Yeah, an inspirational moment on the toilet.

Sophie:  Quite!  I liked it because it really conjured up that feeling of bikes, you know riding out on the open road, the spirit of independence, which is how I see us.   We very much do what we like and aren’t worried about fitting in with trends and shit like that.

Q:  Seb and Sophie:  It was initially your idea to start a band.  You knew what you wanted and like you said timing is and was everything.  Tell us a little bit about how this came to pass and meeting Russ.

  Sophie:  Well we’d met in another band and had started to pen a few ideas of our own on the side.

Seb:  It was just a laugh really to start with.

Sophie:  That’s it. A few beers and a bash away.

Seb:  But then you start to say, oh wouldn’t it be great to play these live.

Sophie:  That’s when Russ appeared on the scene.

Seb: He was playing with some friends of ours in a Black Sabbath Tribute. They’d been raving about this new drummer they’d found. I eventually saw him and was like wow, this guy is amazing, I’ve gotta play with him. I told Sophie and when she saw him we both decided we wanted to be in a band with him.

Sophie:  We didn’t want to just poach him, but-

Seb:  He was playing in a tribute band.

Sophie:  Exactly! So we approached him with the idea of doing some original stuff. That’s when he told us that’s where his heart really lay.

Seb:  We played him some of the songs we’d been working on and he loved them.

Sophie:  That’s when the three of us decided to turn it into a proper band.

  Q:  Did you guys get discouraged looking for a guitar player?

  Sophie:  Not discouraged, but surprised by the lack of good quality guitar players.

Seb:  I mean human beings would be a start, you know!

Sophie:  We better move on before he gets started.

  Q:  What is the music scene in the UK like for bands such as yourself?

  Seb:  Shit!

Sophie:  You see we’ve started him off.

Seb:  But it is. I mean total crap.

  Q:  Are the pubs/halls/venues pretty receptive?

  Sophie:  We’ve been genuinely surprised how well we’ve been received in front of every crowd we’ve played.

Seb:  Unlike most British bands we make an effort and enjoy ourselves on stage.

Sophie:  Yeah, and I think that really shows through, you know, people get off on it and really enjoy themselves.

  Q: Tell us about your first meeting with Doug Hall (Maiden’s live sound engineer)?

  Seb:  I’m shocked that he ever wanted to work with us after that, I can tell ya.

Sophie:  Not the greatest first impression!

Seb:  We’d just played a gig and were hanging around having a few drinks. Doug came up to me and said “You guys are fantastic, I really want to record you” I was like yeah, yeah whatever. You meet people like this all the time.

Sophie:  He explained who he was and Seb with all the grace of a rhino, promptly told him how shit the sound had been when Maiden had played Earl’s Court a few months previously.

Seb:  It was though. You couldn’t hear Bruce at all.

Sophie:  He gave us his number and told us to call him.

Seb:  I have to say, afterwards, when I realized who he was, I did feel like a right muppet.

Sophie:  That’s when we discovered how cool Doug really was and he’s been great to us ever since.

  Q:  This is to all who want to answer.  Who are some of your influences musically?

  Pete:  AC/DC

Seb:  That’s all you ever get outta him. I won’t disagree they’re great. Guns & Roses are the band that changed my life though. Appetite was fucking superb! Axel may have lost the plot now, but back then, they rocked. Who else – Aerosmith, The faces, The Stones, Pink Floyd, Metallica, The Supersuckers, CCR, ELO, BTO, QOTSA, The White Stripes anyone that rocks and has good songs.

Sophie:  AC/DC, Kiss, The Foo Fighters, Faith No More.

Q:  Sophie, I love seeing women who can really rock!  How have you found it being female in a traditionally male dominated industry?

  Sophie:  I’ve been quite lucky really as I’ve never had any problems fitting in. I’m also not your typical girly. I get drunk, fart, burp, swear and eat Kebabs (lots of garlic sauce please!) same as all the rest of them. No seriously, you do get shit from some people who think that you can’t play or write songs because you’re female, but they don’t bother me because I know that what I do, I do well. And most of all I enjoy it!

  Q:  Any advice you would like to give for young women wanting to get into this industry?

  Sophie:  Just do it. You will always get people trying to knock down your confidence and telling you that you are wasting your time. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you are, male or female, it’s hard for everyone. That’s life. Just be true to yourself and try not to be someone you’re not. 

Q:  Who are some bands you guys would like to work with?  Who are some that you have worked with?

  Seb:  We’ll play with anyone that rocks-

Pete:  Like AC/DC

Sophie:  Yeah, like AC/DC. That would be cool. We’re working on a few good supports, but we really can’t say much more than that!

  Q:  Has Freewheeler infiltrated the US yet?

  Sophie:  Not really, but we’re working on it.

  Q:  If so, what has the response been like?

  Sophie:  The small amount of feedback that we have had from the US has been really good.

  Q:  Do you guys feel like you’re on an underground level?

  Seb:  Yes, but we’re not an underground band.

  Q:  How do you guys enter the writing and recording process?

  Sophie:  Basically, I come up with a musical structure and then give it to Seb to come up with a vocal. Then once we know roughly where the song could go Pete will flesh out the guitar work.

Seb:  Then it’s into a studio with Russ. Play him what we’ve got and mould it all together with whatever ideas anyone brings forward.

Sophie:  It’s a very fluid way of working and a lot less time consuming.

Seb:  We find we actually gets things done this way as apposed to just getting drunk and jamming ideas.

Q:  What label are you currently with?

Seb:  None at present. But we’ve had a lot of interest recently. We just have to make up our minds where we want to go.

Q:  Do you still work out of a home studio?

  Sophie:  Hell yes, wouldn’t be without it!

  Q:  What would you like to accomplish through your music?

Sophie:  Albums of good songs.

Seb:  I want people to stick our stuff on before they go out to get them in a party mood, you know. I do that all the time with bands like-

Pete:  AC/DC

Seb:  You bet!

  Q:  What do you guys like to do for fun when you’re not doing band functions?

  Seb:  To be honest, I love to go out with the band have a few drinks and check out other good bands. Meet people, you know. We really are just a sociable bunch.

  Q:  What ultimate goal have you set for yourselves as musicians?

  Sophie:  To get roadies that can lift gear when they are sober!

Seb:  Yeap! That would be a good start. A bar onstage! You know, like Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood had when they were in The Faces.

Sophie:  How cool would that be? Seriously though, to enjoy ourselves and take Freewheeler around the world entertaining the masses!

The floor is yours!  Thank you very much for doing this interview!  Hails to you!

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