Love in October

To this point in their career Love in October have made their bones on the all-ages pop/punk circuit and with a strong and largely youthful following on social networking sites like MySpace, their debut EP consisted of the kind of straight forward pop/punk that numerous bands I generally find distasteful have ridden to massive record sales (think Fall Out Boy and their ilk). Had they continued in that vein on their debut full-length, Pontus, the Devil, and Me, you can rest assured I wouldn’t be bothering to write about them (I think there’s enough mainstr-emo to go around these days without me aiding and abetting the cause).

Thankfully, Swedish brothers Erik (vocals/guitars/piano/moog) and Kent (bass/moog/vocals) Widman and bandmates Charlie Abbot (guitars/bass) and drummer Chresten Hyde have decided to take things in a far more intriguing direction. Sure there are still plenty of full-throttle choruses that occasionally verge on the overblown, but overall there’s a sense of adventure here that most slickly produced pop/punk lacks: Erik’s willingness to bust out an awesome falsetto, the inclusion of an incredibly warped instrumental number, a song sung in Swedish, a flat-out crazy amount of moogs employed. With the band already garnering scores of national press attention and charting well on college radio Erik Widman took time out to answer some questions for Reveille just a few days after the release of Love in October’s debut full-length.

Reveille: As a native Swede I'm wondering how you feel the cultural landscape for pop music differs here in the States, and the Twin Cities in particular? Do the Twin Cities strike you as authentically Scandinavian in feel?

Erik Widman: Pop music is very different over here, and I think it's related to music education. In Sweden music class is mandatory from 3rd to 9th grade. Children are introduced to instruments in school, and private classes are readily available and affordable for all students. Here kids seem to learn to play instruments by getting a guitar from Guitar Center and trying to figure it out on their own. I think this results in more riff/lick based songs in American pop rock mainly because many musicians have had no exposure to proper music theory education. I also think this is why there's been a recent surge of Swedish indie bands...it all goes back to what they were brought up on.

The Twin Cities has its own music niche in the country. Things that work here don't seem to work anywhere else...which may be good or bad. But touring has taught me that the Twin Cities is a very artistically rich city and ranks up there with Chicago, Boston and New York. The Twin Cities does have a Swedish touch that makes it feel more comfortable for me. I often go to Ikea just to eat the meatballs and red skin potatoes...I'm a dork. I'm also friends with the people at the American Swedish Institute so it's nice to have that connection to Sweden.

Reveille: Although certainly a number of good things have happened for you guys career-wise in these last few years I still imagine your minds were somewhat blown when Spin selected you as the Artist of the Day recently. When something like that happens does the band take a moment to pause and celebrate or do you try and stay more focused on goals ahead?

EW: Honestly, I wasn't that surprised. I knew it was going to be a good record when we were making it. It was one of those things you could just feel. When I heard about Spin I paused and thought about it for a few minutes and then continued with life. I think I'm always looking ahead and never behind. I'm a dreamer and nothing seems impossible or unreachable to me. I don't think there will ever be a moment for me when I feel like we've "made it." I hate that expression...as far as I'm concerned we've already made it. We're making albums, videos, and writing thought-inducing essays, and that's all I wanted to do. We're just starting to get national/international attention for what we're doing and that's fun.

Pontus, The Devil, and Me

EW: The EP was a very safe collection of songs. I don't think we knew quite what we wanted to do musically just yet, and I think we tried to be something we're not. I wanted Pontus, The Devil, and Me to be very diverse so it would capture the listener’s attention from beginning to end. I wanted it to be one of those CDs you don't get at first play, but when you listen to it 3-4 times it clicks, and you understand the depth of it. I also wanted to do things you don't see on a rock pop CD...like a one minute and thirty second instrumental odd ball song that says so much without words or a song in a completely different language thrown into the mix. I don't consider us a pop rock band...I see us as creators...we just play whatever we feel like. This will be even truer in the future; we've started working on new songs, and the next album is going to be very different from where we are now. 

Reveille: Despite the fact that I'm sure you could be playing trendier venues in town (and do), I see that you're still making a point of playing the non-profit youth center music venue The Garage in Burnsville, which you've played numerous times before. I, for one, think this is incredibly cool on your part. How important has the support of area teens been to the success of the band?

EW: When growing up in Sweden I never had a resource like The Garage, and most places in the US don't. It's a truly fantastic place for kids to learn how to perform, and I really believe in their mission. I don't like it when bands feel like they're big shit and too good to play a venue. We'll keep playing there for as long as we can. The kids there are great, and they need to be exposed to great music. I remembered the feeling of seeing a great band when I was a kid. It's magical...and it's a feeling I want to pass on and share with others. That's my favorite part of making music.

Love in Octonber's Official Website

Love In October's MySpace

Watch the music video for "An Average Idea" directed by Lindsey Testolin

COMING UP: Love in October play the CD release show for Pontus, The Devil and Me on Saturday, January 26, at the 7^th St. Entry with opening bands Ready Goes and Attention. 9 p.m. $5. 18+