PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
@louelladeville_ @planetmosh interview with Lukas Paulsen of @LonelyKamelBand to accompany review of ‘Shit City’ released via @NapalmRecords last month.
Whose idea was it to form the band?
Thomas and Stian.
How did you choose the name?
Named after a song that was written before the first record. The only cool thing about the song was the title.
How did you arrive at the current line-up?
I answer that in a later question. Only thing is that the first drummer moved to California, so I recommended the best rock drummer I had seen in Oslo. He gave it a try and we have had the same line up since the first album came out.
Who writes the lyrics/music?
All music is done by Lonely Kamel as one. We’re all free to present music that we think will fit the band, but the riffs and melodies on Shit City are written by Thomas and me (Lukas). Most songs are based on stuff Thomas has come up with, then we mould it until we’re all happy with it.
Thomas writes the lyrics.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Stuff that other human beings have made. the weather. Stuff that affects your mood.
Where/when was your first gig?
Lonely Kamel did 3 small local gigs before I joined the band. For one reason or another I attended all of them, and they were quite bad. They had a guitarist who really sucked live, and it looked like a hobby thing. This was back in 2007 I think. Then they got a real gig opening for orange goblin so they called me and said they needed a decent guitar player. I tried to play with them and there was such a pleasant vibe that I stayed ever since. That Orange Goblin gig was the first real Lonely Kamel gig. For me at least.
To someone who has never heard of Lonely Kamel how would you describe the band?
If you like hard rock bands like Pentagram, Led Zeppelin, Kyuss, Clutch, Deep Purple etc. there is a really big chance that you would enjoy a Lonely Kamel gig.
Which up and coming bands would you recommend fans of Lonely Kamel to listen to/go and see?
I’d rather recommend Granicus: Sir Lord Baltimore (Kingdom Come), Buffalo (start with Volcanic Rock and Only Want You For Your Body), Free (the first records), and Night Sun (Got a Bone of my own). Really old dead bands.
If you could open for any act, past or present, who would it be and why?
Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley or The Beatles. No reason needed.
You’ve just released your fourth album Shit City how has your music evolved since your first album?
That’s up to the listener to decide.
We have always delivered varied stuff, and we have never moved in any totally new direction. We are comfortable with the direction we”re heading. Everyone evolves though, so I guess you can say we are better musicians.
Is Shit City based on a real city and if so which one?
Most people will think of Derby when they hear the words shit city, but it’s actually not about a specific city. Read the lyrics and decide for yourself.
Why did you choose Shit City as the title track?
We had decided to call the album shit city, and then Thomas wrote some lyrics to a song we already had.
I have to ask who wrote Big Fat Dolly and was it written after a Bon Scott Whole Lotta Rosie moment, is it about an oversized blow up doll or what?
Big Fat Dolly is a totally different version of a piece we did while we where drinking booze In a cabin some years ago. Bottle neck blues with stomping and hand claps. After some time Thomas played with something similar and developed it into a song. Then after a couple of years he rewrote it and then we changed it a little bit more while rehearsing it. But it’s definitely a “Thomas-song”. I never asked him about the meaning cause I really don’t wanna know…
Who designed the album artwork?
Vance Kelly
How easy do you find writing songs in English when (I assume so correct me if I’m wrong) your first language is Norwegian?
Writing English lyrics is easy. We read English every day, we learn it at school.
You’re out on a European tour with The Order of Israfel how is that going?
The tour has been wonderful so far.
What do you like most about touring?
Meting cool people, performing on stage, going to new places and get more experience.
What, if any, are the disadvantages?
Bad facilities in some of the venues. Like a fucked up shower, no towels etc.
Have you ever seen the film The Story of the Weeping Camel?
Nope.
Has the Lonely Kamel got one hump or two?
Lonely Kamel’s got 3 humps.
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
Lonely Kamel are:
Thomas Brenna – vocals & guitar
Lukas Paulsen – guitar & backing vocals
Stian Helle – bass
Espen Nesset – drums
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/lonelykamel
PlanetMosh Review of Shit City: http://planetmosh.com/lonely-kamel-shit-city/
