Swedish No Nonsense Rockband THUNDERMOTHER
Back With A Vengeance
The star of Swedish high energy rock ‘n roll band Thundermother was rising after two albums when in 2017 the complete band left, leaving founding member and guitarist Filippa Nässil all by herself. But, instead of sulking she started looking for new members and was back in no time with the album ‘Thundermother’. Now there is the 4th album ‘Heat Wave’ and the band sounds stronger then ever before. Reason for HeadBangers LifeStyle’s Ron Willemsen to contact the talented musican for an update.
Photo by Franz Schepers
When you started the band in 2009. Was there a plan or idea?
,,Yes, music has been my passion since I can remember, and I always wanted to play in a band and making high energetic music!”
In 2017 the whole band left. Did you see the whole turmoil coming?
,,Not really. I learned along the way that not everyone like to share my visions of what a good band is, and what I want to do and what I want to achieve. People are different and you need to accept that, that’s just how It is. I am very proud of Thundermother and where we are right now and I am more than happy that I kept on going and followed my vision and dream.”
What was for you the last straw if there was any?
,,We just had different visions and dreams. Not all people can work together and write together. That was the case here. Enthusiasm was missing and people wanted different things. We also had trouble between some individuals in the group.
With the new Line-up it is how it should be, and music is super fun again! Playing music is about fun and having a good time, that’s the most important thing and that should always be the first reason for playing in a band!”
Ever doubted to continue with Thundermother?
,,Never!”
Was it easy to find new like-minded musicians for a second time?
,,I was very lucky that I found, more or less straight away, new musicians who shared my enthusiasm and my vision. There were a lot of coincidences involved so I believe it was meant to be like everything happened!”
Photo by Franz Schepers
Was it a no-brainer to look for female musicians again?
,,Yes, but that came along with the years. I think the power of Thundermother is about female power and Rock ‘n Roll and that’s what we are all about. For us, Rock ‘n Roll is not just a music style, it’s a way of living! It’s about doing whatever you want and don’t let anybody stand in your way. And Thundermother is all about that, we live and breathe Rock ‘n Roll! And we believe that everyone loves Rock ‘n Roll and needs it!
And its also time for a female classic rock band to take place among the other great bands on the top [smiling]”
Ever thought about looking for male musicians?
,,Back in 2009 I had a guy on drums. I just found it easier to convince females to actually like the idea of this band and to really dedicate themselves to the level I wanted.”
How did you find the new members?
,,Guernica [Mancini, singer] wrote me on Facebook that if I ever needed a singer she was up for it. And I was already a fan of her and her band and had played together a bit, supporting my blues band in Lund. We hooked up the week after, had some rehearsals and it was done! It took more time to find Emlee [Johansson, drums], but I was happy I did wait and didn’t rush! A girl at a AC/DC fanclub party reminded me of who she was, and I called her up. We actually met before 10 years ago and I remembered I was truly impressed of her drum skills. Majsan [Lindberg, bass] joined the band recently after playing on a tv show with my boyfriend and he was insanely impressed by her playing, that’s how I got to know of her…”
What were you looking for in the new members?
,,Good musicianship. Pro-girls who have the same vision and dreams as me.”
Who is your biggest inspiration as a guitarist?
,,Jimi Hendrix, but I listen to a lot of music.”
And as a musician in general?
,,Doyle Bramhall 2, Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr, AC/DC’s Malcolm Young, Angry Andersson, Ritchie Kotzen and Keith Richards for example.”
What would you’ve become if not a musician?
,,I would probably work in gardening or as a real estate agent in a warm country haha.”
Photo by Ronald den Dekker of WACON-Images
What are the ingredients for a good Thundermother song?
,,A good solid guitar riff, a good melody and heavy 4/4 DRUMS.”
Has the way of writing songs changed over the years?
,,Yes, I am more into complex harmonic changes in the melodies and floating lyrics nowadays. I never stop learning and songwriting and being creative is what I love to do most in the whole wide world.”
Pretty soon after you had the new line-up together you released ‘Thundermother’. Was that done to make a statement? Like saying ‘we are still very much alive and kicking’?
,,Yeah sure, that album meant a lot to me. To prove to myself and everyone what this is, what we are all about. It’s a pretty personal album that speaks for it selves with all the good musicians recording it live together. I put a lot of work into the songs.”
What is the biggest difference between the previous line-up and the current line-up of Thundermother?
,,It’s no bullshit, it’s only about playing and follow our dreams!”
July 31st is the release date for ‘Heat Wave’. In a perfect world you would be touring after that. That won’t be possible for a while. How do you deal with the situation?
,,We will hit radio stations and play some car shows I think. We have several exciting plans in the pipeline! We will also do more live streams and I might pop up in a Swedish Tv-show haha.”
Photo by Franz Schepers
There is a tour already booked for September / October but I think it’s fair to say that it is questionable if this tour will happen. Is there a back-up plan?
,,Well, first of all we really hope we can play. If it won´t be possible the tour will be postponed and we will play the tour as soon as we can! Besides, we have other many plans in the pipeline, also back-up plans yes.”
How do you keep the band in the spotlight and in contact with the fans in times like these?
,,We have a good crew and a plan every week how to do stuff. We keep it going and do a lot of funny things on social media.”
A short while ago you played a 45 minute show on the Internet. Is there anything more like that to be expected?
,,We have some really cool plans, yes!”
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Header photo by Franz Schepers
KEEP UPDATED:
Thundermother Facebook Page 
Filippa and Majsan – Photo by Ronald den Dekker of WACON-Images
#thundermother #headbangerslifestyle #hbls #awayoflife #afmrecords #rocknroll
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