This interview was done at Oslo Spektrum 30th November 2013.
It’s Saturday morning, and I’m on my way to Oslo Spektrum to meet Jon Larsen, who plays drums for Volbeat. Later in the evening, his band is going to perform at the aforementioned arena in front of 8000 people – it’s a sold-out show, which has been the case for quite some time now. We only need to go back five years when Volbeat played at the smaller John DEE, which holds 400 people, and it wasn’t even sold out back then. So, you can call it a meteoric rise in recent times, as it’s quite unusual for metal bands that emerged after the millennium to achieve such success. However, I’m not so surprised, and I’ve mentioned it before in Scream that Volbeat was going to make it big. They have what it takes – an original sound, good melodies, and tremendous energy on stage.
Jon Larsen is an original member of Volbeat and comes across as a friendly and down-to-earth person. The first thing he points out is my The King shirt before we sit down. He seems somewhat tired, but that’s not surprising after a very long tour.
This is the second-to-last concert of this tour. How has it been for you, and how does it feel to be on the road for so long?
It’s been very long. We’ve been playing non-stop since mid-February, and I think we’ve done 136 shows by the time we finish tomorrow in Copenhagen. So it’s been quite hectic and a long time on the road. On the other hand, it’s actually been very good, especially here in Europe, where we’ve played at some of the biggest arenas. Like tonight, Oslo Spektrum. Who would have thought that a few years ago? So it’s been good, but also very stressful, so it will be nice with a vacation now.
That’s understandable, and many artists have burned out from long and intense tours. On February 15th, the band is heading out on tour again, this time to Japan before moving on to Australia.
Not many metal bands sell out Oslo Spektrum. So what do you think is the formula for Volbeat’s success?
Hmm, I have no idea. If I knew that, I would probably have quit the band a long time ago and become a manager. I really don’t know, but we must have hit something right for the Norwegian audience. Norway has actually been quite difficult for us. We’ve played here many times. We’ve played at Sentrum Scene a few times and that little club. What’s it called again?
John Dee?
Right! We’ve played there a few times, and we’ve done some festivals here. But we’ve never really managed to break through here before. Until this year when we were told that Oslo Spektrum was going to be booked. Really? This is where Metallica used to play. They assured us that it would go well, and suddenly ticket sales went through the roof. And as you said, it’s sold out tonight, and I have no idea what we did right. We’ve just done what we always do and played as much as possible.
You now have Rob Caggiano from Anthrax on guitar. How did he end up as a member of the band?
It was a bit by chance, actually. When it was time to make “Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies,” we needed a guitarist, apart from Michael, of course. We knew Rob from before, through Anthrax and The Damned Things, with whom we toured. Rob wondered if he could do something for us, produce or something like that. So when the time came, we felt that we needed to step out of our comfort zone. We needed to try a new studio. Jacob Hansen is still with us, of course. We can’t get rid of him, and we don’t want to. But we thought it might be a good idea to have someone with fresh eyes this time. So we contacted Rob to see if he was available, and he was. He came to Denmark, and it was actually him who chose the studio. We started recording, and we did the drums first, as we always do. He was getting a bit crazy during the recording because I couldn’t understand what he wanted. He kept saying, “play it again! Play it again!” and after 17 or 18 times, I told him that if he said “play it again!” one more time, I would beat him up. But we eventually finished the drums, and then we could start working on the guitars. He had some ideas for the guitars – some harmonies and guitar lines. As well as the overall guitar sound. So he and Michael really clicked with the guitars, and I work well with him too. Suddenly one day, he told us that he had left Anthrax. “You did what now?” was our reaction. “Yep, I’ve left Anthrax and want to focus more on producing,” he said. We told him he was an idiot and that Anthrax is one of the big four, and they’re doing well again. But he was determined to focus on being a producer. So Michael asked him if he wanted to play some bass guitar and do some solos on the album. So, he seemed to click well with the guitars. So, Michael called me one evening and asked if we should maybe ask Rob to join the band since it was going so well. I replied that I doubted he would want to, but Michael wanted to ask him anyway. Rob’s reaction was “wow! I have to sleep on that one.” So he came back a few days later and said he would love to be part of the band. We went into the studio as a trio and came out as a full band again.
Did he contribute a lot to the new album?
Well, as I mentioned, he did some melodies and such. He ended up playing quite a bit, actually. Normally, Michael plays almost everything himself. But Rob ended up playing a lot because he understands the way Michael plays. It has always been a problem to find someone who can play the way Michael does because he is self-taught. Michael plays things in a slightly different way than someone who, for example, has taken guitar lessons. But Rob understood his playing style and managed to play in the same way. So that helped a lot.
How did your producer, Jacob Hansen, feel about working with another producer?
It was a new experience for him too. Jacob mainly did all the vocals. This is because Michael trusts him, and they know each other so well. So when it came to the vocals, Jacob definitely wanted to do all of them, while Rob focused more on guitars and some bass. But I think they worked very well together.
Volbeat often has many guest musicians on their albums. Why do you do that, and do you have any highlights from the guests you’d like to mention?
Well, why not? Hehe. It adds something different, and some of the guests are people we are big fans of. Take “Evelyn,” for example; we needed someone who could do that type of voice. Well, Michael can do it, but he didn’t want to. So he said there was only one person in his book who has that voice, and that’s Barney from Napalm Death. We know them and are good friends with Napalm Death. Barney’s girlfriend is actually a big Volbeat fan. So, she forces him to listen to our music. Hehe. So we contacted him and asked if he would contribute. “Sure,” he replied and asked us to send him the song so he could get started as soon as possible. There have actually been several guests who have been like that. King Diamond was the same, and it was initially quite nerve-wracking just to ask him because he hardly ever does guest appearances. He has done a few, but not many. Michael and he are good friends, so Michael asked him if he could come up with the right ideas and the right type of song, and he would consider participating. “Sure, I’d love to do it,” he replied. Other times, we needed a certain type of voice for the different songs, and then we had to see who was available and who we could get. For example, with the song “The Lonesome Rider,” Michael said he could hear a female vocal, but he wasn’t sure what kind of female vocal. But suddenly, it occurred to him; Sarah Blackwood from The Creepshow! We found out where Sarah was and contacted her. She asked us to send over the song and get back to her. We did, and she wanted to do it. So it’s about which bands we become friends with over the years, and other times, the song needs a different type of vocal, and we have to find the right fit.
But how is it to play the songs live when the guests can’t be present, like “The Garden’s Tale”?
Of course, it’s not quite the same. For example, we don’t do “Evelyn” without Barney present. But if he’s there, for example, at a concert or a festival, and he wants to do it, then we play it. But apart from that, we won’t do “Evelyn.” “Room 24”; I think we’ll never play that live. Maybe if King Diamond were to be present, but King lives in Dallas, so it would be a huge coincidence if it happened. Well, maybe if we’re in Dallas, and King is there and wants to do it. But it’s a song you can’t do without King. His voice is so unique. I mean, maybe Stu from Iced Earth could do a good job with it, but it just wouldn’t be the same without King. We’ve played “The Lonesome Rider” quite a few times in the USA, where Michael handles all the singing. It works, but without Sarah, it loses that special touch. Last Sunday when we played in Denmark, we had Pernille Rosendahl present, who sang on “Mary Ann’s Place,” so we asked her if she could handle that on the concert, which she thought she could, and she did. We can also do “The Garden’s Tale,” and then Michael does all the singing. It’s not the same – but it works. I would say most of the songs work with just Michael.
So “Room 24” was written specifically with King Diamond in mind?
It actually was. As soon as we got a yes from King Diamond, Michael needed to come up with something suitable. I mean, it would have been pointless to get King to sing, for example, “The Lonesome Rider.” We needed to have something, not a complete rip-off of Mercyful Fate or King Diamond, but definitely the vibes and the feeling of it. So it opened up something new for us to do. To be able to do something in the same style as Mercyful Fate/King Diamond was a new challenge. And modestly speaking, I think we managed to pull it off. Hehe. I love that song.
Yes, it’s one of the best songs on the album.
Yep, in many years.
You often do several good cover songs, but often of older artists. This time you’re covering a newer song by Young The Giant. How did this idea come about?
It came about when Michael took a taxi somewhere in the USA, and this song was playing on the radio. He wondered who it was and found out that it was this new band called Young The Giant. So he went out and bought the album and called me, saying he had a great idea. “Go on YouTube and find this band called Young The Giant and a song called ‘My Body’ and listen to it. I think we can do a good cover of it.” We had talked about it beforehand, whether we should do another cover song or not. We had already done a Misfits song, we had done a Dusty Springfield song, a Kitty Wells song, so if we were going to do another cover song, should it be something completely different? Should it be something from the 50s and 60s? Or maybe something more 80s music? We hadn’t practiced or discussed it so much, so “My Body” by Young The Giant came up, and Michael thought we could make a good version of it, and I agreed. So we learned it, practiced it, and recorded it. We then sent a recording of it to Young The Giant to get their approval of our version of the song. They replied, “yeah, go for it,” and I’ve heard a rumor, which I’m not sure is true, but their vocalist has apparently said something like he wished they had done it like us. Hehe. So that’s a good thing. It was fun to do a new song as a cover, rather than going back to do the obvious. There are still people who come up to me and ask when we’re going to do an Elvis song. Never! Don’t touch the king!
Do you have any favorites among the cover songs you’ve recorded?
Hmm. Not really. I like our version of “Angelfuck,” but mostly because I’m a big Misfits fan. And I know that Jerry Only likes it. He got a big kick out of it. But I don’t really have a specific favorite – maybe one will come someday.
But now you have more than enough of your own songs, so how does it feel to play other people’s songs live?
Yeah, I don’t really care. As long as we don’t play too many cover songs, it’s fine. It seems that when we, for example, play “My Body” or “I Only Wanna Be With You,” the audience goes wild. They go crazy. So we’ll keep playing those two. At least for a while. We’ll probably switch them out eventually. We used to play “Angelfuck” very often for a couple of years, but it has now retired. Maybe it will come back; it’s simple, and Rob knows it too.
You’ve been going for twelve years now. What do you consider the highlight of all these years?
Possibly that again we can make a living playing our music. If you had asked me that a few years ago, I would never have believed you. If you had said that in a few years, we would sell out Oslo Spektrum, I would have scoffed and said, “yeah, dream on buddy.” So being able to make a living from our hobby is great.
How long have you been able to do that?
It’s been a few years now.
And there’s little doubt it will be a few more years.
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