Following the loss of life of Beardfish, mainman Rikard Sjöblom resurrected his outdated band Gungfly in 2017 with their 3rd album On Her Adventure Spherical The Solar. Prog spoke to him on the time to get the lowdown…
In July 2016, the inside track broke that Swedish prog maestros Beardfish had been splitting up after 15 years and 8 albums. Now, Beardfish’s former frontman re-emerges with Rikard Sjöblom’s Gungfly. The Gungfly idea has assumed many guises over time – its present shape is a six-piece keyboard-heavy prog band, however it’s every now and then gave the impression as an influence trio and was once first conceived in 2007 as an outlet for Sjöblom’s musical concepts that didn’t essentially fall beneath the prog umbrella.
“In case you examine Beardfish and Gungfly again within the day when each bands existed on the similar time, I most often left stuff that wasn’t truly within the prog rock taste for Gungfly after which in fact occasionally a prog music or two would slip throughout the radar,” says Sjöblom. “I’d report one thing and also you’d see the Beardfish participants going, ‘Oh wait, what was once that? We will have to have had that music!’ However now all the prog-related subject material is going to Gungfly. Gungfly is converting.”
Gungfly’s marvellous, cosmos-spanning new album, On Her Adventure To The Solar, comprises songs meant for Beardfish prior to the band’s break up, in addition to track conceived for Sjöblom’s solo occupation. “For example, the hole monitor Of The Orb, that was once supposed to move on my ultimate album, The Unbendable Sleep,” he says. “However then Robert [Hansen] and Magnus [Östgren] of Beardfish heard it they usually had been like, ‘Oh, we’ll take that one!’ So I misplaced that one to Beardfish however then I were given it again. And there’s this music known as Polymixia, it’s an instrumental that was once supposed for Beardfish. We rehearsed it however by no means recorded it.”
Beardfish’s creativity was once rooted within the mindset of the storage band, the place the participants would get in combination and broaden subject material via jamming. It was once the trouble of keeping up that operating manner within the face of fixing lifestyles instances that contributed to the crowd’s loss of life. Gungfly marks a departure from that grease, oil and sweat college of music-making.
“That is an album I’ve been doing by myself,” says Sjöblom, who performs lots of the tools at the report himself. The six-piece line-up – Sjöblom, Petter and Rasmus Diamant on drums and bass respectively, keys avid gamers Sverker Magnuson and Martin Borgh, and ex-Beardfish guitarist David Zackrisson – is the onstage model of Gungfly.
“The band goes to be recording stuff in combination someday,” says Sjöblom, “however at the album, I believe we best play two or 3 songs with the entire participants on them. That’s principally the are living band.”
Even the are living model of the band has had other manifestations. For some displays, it’s been a stripped-down energy trio. “That was once in fact out of comfort,” says Sjöblom. “Principally Petter, Rasmus and myself had been enjoying a number of trio stuff in combination over time. When I used to be invited to do Progtoberfest in Chicago, it was once a case of, ‘Let’s make this handy – we’ll simply fly over the 3 people and we’ll play stuff from in every single place.’ Many of the stuff was once from the older Gungfly albums however we additionally did a few songs from the brand new album. It’s at all times amusing to combine it up a little bit bit. That’s why it’s known as Rikard Sjöblom’s Gungfly nowadays as an alternative of simply Gungfly, as a result of I may well be blending it out of bed other setups with the band.”
Whilst it may well be Sjöblom’s title at the marquee, he’s willing to indicate that the brand new moniker doesn’t imply he’s grow to be a prog diva. “It’s no longer a large ego travel,” he says. “Gungfly isn’t the best-known band within the universe however I nonetheless wish to proceed the use of that title. I’ve launched albums as Rikard Sjöblom in addition to Gungfly; the ones two issues have at all times been roughly the similar anyway so why no longer carry them in combination?”
Likewise, with the ability to modify the roster to suit the instance creates new probabilities for arranging the fabric. “For a trio environment, you principally get to play a good deal extra,” explains Sjöblom, “as a result of there are relatively a large number of tools at the recordings however in a are living environment there’s a other power and a distinct vibe.
“I at all times loved that myself, seeing a few of my favorite bands like Frank Zappa or King Pink. I believe the one band that was once truly tremendous constant was once Delicate Large as a result of they had been all at the level each and every time, however taking King Pink as an example, occasionally there have been simply 3 folks on level doing the similar songs however other variations of them. I truly like that.”
One main exchange in Sjöblom’s lifestyles over the previous few years has been turning into a dad or mum and seeking to stability his track occupation with his circle of relatives.
“Being at the highway, doing track generally, it fucks up the entire routines,” he says. “You by no means truly know, oh, I’m going to be operating this Thursday from 4 within the afternoon until 10 within the night time. Balancing that with day care or kindergarten, simply normally being round, will also be difficult. You must paintings in conjunction with the only you created the youngsters with, I suppose, and feature a lovely just right dating, so there’s a giving and taking scenario.
“I had a tougher time coming into making an album, as an example, or writing songs, however when I’m there, it’s like I by no means left or by no means had children. I’ve simply were given as a way to get into that realm of writing and developing as a result of it may be difficult, however it’s attainable. It’s a couple of years of no sleep. I’m going round taking a look like a zombie.”
For many musicians, being on excursion is a marathon in sleep deprivation however, with children at house, it’s the other for Sjöblom. “Once I pass out of the town and I keep in a resort, I sleep my ass off,” he says. “It’s one of the most perks.”
On Her Adventure To The Solar is sopping wet in superb sounds. Whilst the album won’t had been made via a gaggle of musicians jamming in a storage, it sounds natural and alive, that could be thank you partly to Sjöblom’s love of antique keyboards. Living proof, the monitor Polymixia includes a Clavinet.
“It’s an actual Clavinet, the outdated Stevie Marvel, Superstition keyboard and I ran it thru
an entire bunch of guitar results” says Sjöblom. “I had a box day once I recorded that!
“I’ve at all times been a large fan of antique keyboards. I’ve a few Hammond organs, I’ve were given a Fender Rhodes piano, some synthesisers from an outdated ARP Professional Soloist, the one who Tony Banks used at the outdated Genesis recordings. You to find these types of outdated keyboards and pass bankrupt each and every time you buy one, however it’s a large number of amusing. There’s such a lot power and heat that comes from the use of actual tools that you simply lose should you best use Digital Tool plug-ins.”
When inspiration moves, Sjöblom prefers to begin with a melody, fairly than a lyric. “I may have a melody nagging me for days prior to I do anything else about it,” he says. “On occasion that melody will also be impressed via only a line or one thing that I’ve scribbled down on a work of paper however as a rule it’s melodies or chord progressions that do it for me.”
As soon as he has a musical thought, that may recommend a lyric or a theme. “It’s most often a sense. One thing within the temper of the track speaks to me and will get me going lyrically,” he says. “Then occasionally it may well exchange as smartly. You get started writing one thing and then you definately don’t really feel it’s proper and you’ve got to return and revisit the lyrics. That took place a couple of instances in this album. The ultimate actual music at the album, The River Of Disappointment, that modified a few instances all the way through the writing procedure. In the beginning it handled two enthusiasts after which it ended up being extra about dropping pals.”
The place Beardfish used to rehearse at period after which report, with Gungfly it’s a case of recording then rehearsing the band to accomplish the studio creations. Sjöblom is eager to take On Her Adventure… at the highway, even supposing he does have considerations. “I’m a being concerned individual,” he says. “I’m no longer afraid that everybody goes as a way to play the whole lot. It’s extra that I at all times have a sense like, ‘Is there sufficient time to be told the whole lot? How can we get the Hammond organ from the trailer to the venue?’ I concern about small stuff always however I by no means display it so I’m going round twitching.
“I’m simply taking a look ahead to getting available in the market and making an attempt it out. It’s at all times great to peer a music come to lifestyles that means as a result of recording is something, you witness a music come to lifestyles there as smartly, however it’s a distinct beast while you carry it out at the highway.”
