What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences?
Having worked several years in theatre, we came up with Leo Spauls & The Dramas, but we never used it. Usually, when we go on stage it’s Leo Spauls and band. Since we have one in Sweden, Germany, and the UK, I prefer presenting the musicians like individuals. They also have different artistic influences, and therefore, the bands sound somewhat different from each other. I prefer it that way. Letting the musicians have their own private space and do what they like, to some extent, of course. Most of my influences are probably still from the ’90s when I started writing music, but these days I listen to a lot of different music, trying to explore a new artist almost every day. I also tune in to BBC 6 every night. But basically, I always come back to David Bowie. He’ll always be the most influential artist to me. There was a time when he was so important in my life, so I listened to his music every day. These days, I mostly search for what I haven’t seen or heard before. But in what sense it is influential to what I write, it’s probably easier for others to say.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
There are at least two ways of approaching songwriting, either you sit down and try to write something, or you just let it happen. I rarely force myself in the writing process. Sometimes when I sit down and think I should write something like this or that, I usually come up with nothing. But, on the other hand, when I am open and just let it happen, the songs are generally rather good. Because there are so many myths about songwriting, you need to find what works for you. Mike Garson (David Bowie’s pianist who played on the last album) has a story that you need to act fast when you hear a song coming. Otherwise, it will pass to your neighbour. It sounds a bit ironic, but it’s probably true. I’ve always believed the writing process is something you cannot fully understand, and you shouldn’t. Just let it happen.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
There are at least two ways of approaching songwriting, either you sit down and try to write something, or you just let it happen. I rarely force myself in the writing process. Sometimes when I sit down and think I should write something like this or that, I usually come up with nothing. But, on the other hand, when I am open and just let it happen, the songs are generally rather good. Because there are so many myths about songwriting, you need to find what works for you. Mike Garson (David Bowie’s pianist who played on the last album) has a story that you need to act fast when you hear a song coming. Otherwise, it will pass to your neighbour. It sounds a bit ironic, but it’s probably true. I’ve always believed the writing process is something you cannot fully understand, and you shouldn’t. Just let it happen.
Why do you write the sort of music that you do?
That is a very good question. The apparent reason is that I write the music I understand. Never really been a fan of hip hop, and therefore I cannot write in that genre. However, classical music has always been in my life, as well as pop and rock. So I try to combine it sometimes. These days I’m more into telling stories, so I let the lyrics be in focus. And the rest is just something to accompany it. However, these days I work with loops more than I used to, and I’ve stopped thinking in terms of chords, so that’s a new experience for a trained pianist. And perhaps necessary since songwriting has changed a lot generally the last ten or fifteen years.
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
That will be a big challenge with the songs I have written the last year and a half. I always thought about a band when I previously wrote music, but since we’ve been doing more electronic productions, it needs to be put into a live setting with guitars and drums. I don’t think that will be a problem, but it sure will be interesting once we start playing live again. So maybe this pandemic has changed more than you think, even on a personal level.
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
That will be a big challenge with the songs I have written the last year and a half. I always thought about a band when I previously wrote music, but since we’ve been doing more electronic productions, it needs to be put into a live setting with guitars and drums. I don’t think that will be a problem, but it sure will be interesting once we start playing live again. So maybe this pandemic has changed more than you think, even on a personal level.