With Domkraft's album Seeds due out April 30th via Magnetic Eye Records, guitarist Martin Widholm took some time to talk with Metalhead Money about what makes the band tick. Fans of bands like Monster Magnet, Sleep, and Hawkwind, be sure to check out the monolithic riffage Domkraft is serving up!
From left: Anders Dahlgren, Martin Wegeland, and Martin Widholm
Tell our readers all about your band! Where are you from and when did you get started ? What is your music like?
As friends we go way back. We met in Gothenburg during the late 1990s. We all played in bands back then and bumped into each other in bars and at shows. Two of us (Martin and Martin) played in the same band and shared rehearsal space with Anders for many years. We all come from different small Swedish towns. At that time, you were happy to hang out with people with an interest in alternative music. We grew up listening to punk rock, heavy metal, garage rock and hardcore mixed together. Anything was OK, as long as it meant something. The early years have in many ways shaped our way of thinking about music.
When we decided to name the band Domkraft and release our music in a serious way it was with the intention to explore heavy music. Slow riffs and bass heavy sounds was a core element but still with a variety of alternative music styles as references. Our music is often described as doom metal, sludge metal, stoner doom, or psych rock. We don't consider ourselves belonging to any specific genre though. The important thing is the heaviness, the repetition in the riffing, the psyched out instrumental parts and howling vocals. That is Domkraft.
What are your goals for your band?
To keep on going probably. We've played together for so long it's hard to imagine not doing it. We don't spend much time thinking about the narrative and progress of our music. One thing leads to another and the sound of the band slowly evolves almost with a mind of its own. To play live is our main focus at the moment since the pandemic made that impossible for over a year.
What do you do for a living?
We have really different educational backgrounds actually. One art teacher, one film distributor, and an IT systems specialist in the same band. Works out better than you might think!
How do you balance your work and personal life with the band? It can get tricky from time to time since we all have families and small kids. Days away from work and family while recording or playing live needs good planning. We don't do longer tours because of that.
What do you consider to be the best investment you've made, music-wise?
The best investment was definitely releasing our first EP on our own label. We jump started the band and it's been full speed ahead since then. Money came in from sales of the EP and live show merchandise, which financed recording of our forthcoming releases.
What's the worst or least helpful thing you've ever spent money on as a musician/band?
To be quite honest guitar players and bass players in our genre spend fortunes on effects pedals and new instruments they don't need. Same thing in this band. To put all that money into high end studio time would have been the smart thing to do.
What kind of merch sells the best for your band? And what do you purchase most often as a music listener?
Band shirts sold after shows and online is the main thing in our genre. Everyone does it and for most bands, as in our case, merch sales from gigs are the main sources of income. Shirts, records, and patches in particular. I also like picking up band shirts, it’s like guitars – you can’t really have too many.
If you've been on tour, can you share some tour budgeting tips?
Make sure nothing is stolen! Good planning and making all the bookings and arrangements far ahead is the most important thing. Plus, eat at the venue.
Which online music or social media platforms are most helpful to your band?
Facebook and Instagram are important platforms for communication, newsflashes, etc. Spotify is our main platform when it comes to streaming. Bandcamp is of huge importance to us since we sell vinyl albums and merchandise there.
What does "making it" mean to you, and what do you think a band needs to make it in 2021?
Considering that we´ve spent over a year in pandemic lockdown right now “making it” would probably mean to get out on the road, to do live shows, play festivals and meet fans again! Right now, we don't know anything about the near future and the possibility to get out there again. Positive news about things slowly getting back to normal in the US and parts of Europe is inspiring off course. Hope will see you out there in 2021!
Preorder Seeds: http://lnk.spkr.media/domkraft-seeds
Connect with Domkraft
Band photos by Tobias Ohls, courtesy of Secret Service PR and SPKR Media.
To learn more about budgeting, band finances, and more, order Money Hacks for Metalheads and Old Millennials in paperback and ebook formats: https://amzn.to/3lCsFdq
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