Band called Giant Rooks is one of the most talented music groups right now. In the band are: singer Frederik Rabe, keyboarder Jonathan Wischniowski, bassist Luca Göttner, guitarist Finn Schwieters and drummer Finn Thomas. They just realised new EP called "Wild Stare". They come from Germany but are ready to make their debut album and play all around the world. They are dreaming about the greatest venues and opportunities to share music with fans. Their show in Berlin is definitely one of my favourite. I hope to see them headlining the biggest shows and festivals next to stars like James Blake and Paul McCartney. Everything what they have already done is a beautiful start of their journey. Under you can find my interview with Jonathan and Luca, before their concert in Berlin.
First of all, you are on tour for something like a few months. You have been in Amsterdam, Liverpool, Manchester and you will be in Italy. So, how does it feel to be more and more popular? Luca : It is good, especially when you can visit new countries. This is as you mentioned, Manchester, Italy for the first time, and it was nice to see that people are coming to the shows and that they like listening to your music. It is crazy to see that they can sing our lyrics. It is intense feeling.
Jonathan: These are going to be our first shows in Italy, so we are a little bit excited how it is going to be, because will our very first time performing for an Italian crowd.
Do you have your favourite part of touring?
Luca: When it ends off. No.. it is a joke. Well, I don’t know. Two weeks ago we were about maybe 10 days in England. It is always a good fun to come there. I think this is my favourite time of a tour - to come to England, but the whole tour is great.
It is the country of the music
Jonathan: Yeah, that is why we like to be there, because it is the country where our favourite musicians are from and some of our favourite bands. So it is even more impressing to be there. Then people from that country are going to our concerts and they are singing along. So, it is very impressive.
Luca: Especially, native english speakers, because we are singing in english and it is nice to see that they like the lyrics.
Did You have any crazy situation during the tour?
Jonathan:The trailer of our bus broke away, but fortunately nothing had happened. So, nobody got injured, nothing got broken but we have to stay through the whole free day in France at the ferry port and wait for a new trailer. Because, I think 3 and the half tons inside this trailer just broke like that away from the bus. But we were lucky because nothing dangerous had happened.
You just realised new album called Wild Stere. How would you describe it?
Luca: Well, it is a hard question. Maybe we could say that most of the tracks which are on the EP we wrote back in our hometown - in Hamm, where we are actually from. We moved to the Berlin last year. Last summer. These are the last tracks we wrote in our hometown. We were looking for seeing new places and to come to the city like Berlin. I think, you can see this on this EP.
Jonathan:I think, it describes a bit this excitement of growing to the next step, going to the next city or play a new shows in very new cities. So, maybe we can also describe it in that way.
Do you have your favourite song to play live?
Jonathan:It is also a good question, because some songs are different to each other and that is why it is fun to play all these different songs during the concert, but for me, myself especially I like to perform very new songs. Because it is much more exciting, like, „Oh yeah what part is next”. What about you?
Luca: My favourite song to play live is definitely „Wild Stare”, because the crowd can sing the whole track of it and there are some parts in it where we can shout some words and crowd does the same. Great feeling on the stage. It is always a good fun to play live.
Jonathan: There is a great intention with the audience especially with that song
When you are after the tour, after recording the album, do you have your favourite place to just relax, turn yourself off?
Luca: Well, we don’t make any breaks, we have this tour now and after the tour we are going back to the recording studio to do a new stuff. I don’t really think, that we need some places to be off. We like what we make, we love doing music. We really enjoy being in Berlin. We are spending the whole day in our house room or in the recording studio. After it we can do whatever we want in Berlin. That is a nice feeling.
Jonathan: When we need time off or free time we are at home in Berlin and everybody can do something on their own and on the next day we are coming to meet again and continue writing songs together.
Do you have somebody who inspires you?
Luca: Definitely. It is hard to tell any names. There are so many influences it doesn’t need to be any artist. Everything influence us. Everyone from us have their own influences.
Jonathan: We love to listen as much music as we can, so every time when we have time off on tour, everybody are listening music on their headphones and exploring some new stuff and music. We like many types of music, either modern music or popular music as well much more older or classical music and jazz music.
Luca: I mean, back in the days, maybe 10 years ago. People were in separated groups. One group who where listen to indie, another group who listen metal. Nowadays, there is no separations. It is what I really like these days and this is the same with us - we listen as Jonathan said, many types of music.
If you could choose anybody with who would you like to share a cup of tea with and why?
Luca: I have two names. It is definitely Paul McCartney. I think he is the greatest musicians alive and I think it would be a lot of to bring a tea with him. Another one who inspires me a lot is Kanye West, he is in some way a genius. It would be also funny, so these two names.
Jonathan: I don’t know, for me it would be maybe James Blake. I really love his music and he is inspiring me a lot and he is also a British guy so drinking tea with British person so like a British tea time at five o’clock. Maybe it would be a cool thing as well. I don’t know, his music is different from popular music right now, nowadays. He is collaborating with so many artists. It is interesting because every hip hop artist want to collaborate with James Blake. It is so interesting how he connects all different types of music. So that is why I would love to talk with him.
Do you have something outside the music, some kind of a hobby to do?
Luca:Yeah, definitely. I love football. Playing football as well going to the stadium. Watching football. I really watch football every day, so it is my biggest hobby after the music.
Jonathan: For me it is more enjoying my free time, so doing some sports, going to the gym with Luca or just going to the park or pub with friends and just hang out, keep my head… having tea.
Do you have time to go to the gym during the tour?
Luca: Sometimes.
Jonathan: We planned to go often but unfortunately we didn’t go often.
Luca:We don’t have time because we are doing the soundcheck.
Jonathan: ..or we are busy with interviews like now (laugh)
Luca: ..or sleeping until midday (laugh)
Do you have some kind of a dream venue?
Luca:Oh there are a lot of good venues.
Jonathan: I have two dream venues. One is Paradiso in Amsterdam. It is an old church. I have been there on the party last year. It was so interesting when the lights flashed through the whole venue and the celling so high. It was impressive how this high building has a such a huge vibe. So I would like to play there and another venue would be Ancienne Belgique, we have plaid there on that tour, in the smaller room of that venue but I would love to perform on the whole of this venue, because it looks like an old theatre with these balconies. So it is a beautiful thing.
Luca: I think that opera houses are very impressive. I think popular or electronic music really fits to this houses. There is very nice vibe. I would choose La Scala in Milan. I would love to play there.
Do you have any guilty pleasure song?
Luca:There are a lot of trashy music. I like Kylie Minogue, but I don’t know if it is a guilty pleasure. I really like listen to her. It is my guilty pleasure.
Jonathan: I don’t know. Maybe it is this trashy 80’s music. I am listening it sometimes, but not that often. I don’t know why some song I should hide.
Do you have any plans for the future?
Luca: Yes as we said after the tour we are going to the studio and we plan to release our first album. It will be release any time, we don’t know when. We want to have very good debut album. We want to be proud of it.
Jonathan: That is why we have put much effort in recording that debut album, because it is very unique thing for a musicians. You can make only one debut album.
Luca: Another plan is definitely to go to more and more countries. Maybe play on the other continents.
Jonathan: Yes, it would be a dream as well.
And come to Poland one day
Jonathan:: Yes we would love to come there. Maybe my family will come.
Luca: We will.
Jonathan: I hope my grandma can come to the concert someday.
Interview and photos : Zuzanna Maja
Editor: Grzegorz Biały
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