Doomed Confessionary: Jahn (Molosser Crude)
Molosser Crude is a heavy blues/stoner rock two-piece band hailing from Uråsa, Sweden.
Featuring drummer/singer Tess and guitarist Jahn, the power duo Molosser Crude combine the energy and heavy riffing of bands like Kyuss and Unsane with influences that range from old delta blues rawness to sizzling noise. Add the powerful, melodic vocals of drummer Tess and you might get an idea of what this duo creates with the unlikely set-up of an electric drum kit and a thirties-style jazz guitar run through three amplifiers at once.
Can you say a few words about your band?
Molosser Crude was born from the guitar duo Molosser that Tess and I started a few years ago to make riff-based music on two downtuned acoustic guitars. It was really interesting and challenging to build something that sounded more or less like a whole band with just the acoustics, some minimalistic drumming and a bit of studio creativity. The debut album »Appear« was released in 2021 with a bunch of original tracks and a rather different cover of Soundgarden’s »4th Of July«.
As the music started moving towards somewhat more traditional acoustic music, though, we felt more and more of an itch to make some serious noise again – both of us coming from far rougher and louder backgrounds – and we started playing around a bit with some of the Molosser songs on electric guitar (me) and drums and vocals (Tess). Which worked out surprisingly well. And then I plugged in a thirties-style archtop guitar that we’d got for the acoustic project – which turned out to have this monster sound when you cranked up the volume. »Twin Moons«, one of our songs, was born right in that instant. This set the pace for Molosser Crude’s sound – heavy, bluesy, stoner inspired rock with Tess’ furiously organic drumming and cool, melodic vocals, and my guitar, run through two guitar amps and one bass amp. So far, we have released four singles/videos recorded live in the studio, one take and everything at once for a maximum of direct energy and grittiness. Some noise/hardcore influences à la Unsane have crept in along the way, together with the sixties vibe (Hendrix, mostly) that somehow permeates the whole thing even if you can’t always hear it.
What was the biggest challenge for the band last year?
We’ve had a lot of trouble with technical stuff in the studio, to the point that we’ve wondered if our studio shed (a modified portacabin) might be haunted. There have been some decidedly weird things going on there; the drums have moved and amp settings have changed while we weren’t there, and we’re definitely the only people with access to the place. Plus your standard flickering lights, but that turned out to be the power plug to the cabin shaking loose because Tess is so heavy on the kick drum and, admittedly, there was a bit of rumbling going on from the bass amp as well. But there has been even more computer hassle than what’s really normal – files have gone missing, one batch of recordings had to be scrapped because of weird noises on the drum tracks, the next one was lost in a full-out computer crash – so we have basically been recording the same songs over and over again, adding new ones along the way. Not necessarily a bad thing, they get better each time, but it’s pretty depressing to work your ass off and never get anything out. This time, though… We’re thinking maybe the studio cabin stands on some old Viking burial site, so we’ve moved most of our recording activities to the attic in the old house where we live, in the hope that we won’t wake up any ghosts in this 150 years old building…
What can you be most proud of last year?
Keeping on in the face of adversity. But there’s no choice, really. We know we have a really good thing going, and it needs to get out there somehow. Plus without music, we literally go crazy. OK, crazier.
What was your biggest regret?
Not being able to push out more tracks. See above.
What was the best concert/tour this year and why?
Bomber Fest in Motala was a blast. We played twice with both our bands – the acoustic guitar duo Molosser and the electric power duo Molosser Crude – and got to round off the whole festival. We followed Liv Sin, one of the main acts, it was pretty late and we were worried that people would go home after getting what they came for, but it was a full house and it was rocking like mad – a really great gig all round. And the guys at Bomber Bar are super nice.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
I would say Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean – and the fact that we were served them by the Spotify robots. Amazingly musical killer noise! It’s hard to put the finger on what sets them apart from everybody else, but something does.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
No dates finalized as yet, but we’re been rounding off at Doomed New Year in Stockholm, December 30th, playing along with Blood of Jupiter and Doomherre. We’ll do our best to gig as much as possible around Sweden in 2024, and hopefully some gigs abroad as well.
What are your plans for this year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
On top of the list is getting the final (fingers crossed) recordings of the new tracks out and making an album in some form – on our own Evil Ear label or, preferrably, someone else’s. DIY has it’s advantages, but it also takes a bit too much time from the music making as such – especially if you’re just two people running the whole show.
What were your New Year’s Eve activities like?
We spent most of the day driving home from Stockholm after playing the Doomed New Year microfestival at Gamla Enskede Bryggeri the previous night. Fed our three satanic sheep, our evil chickens and our devillish cats when we got home, then rigged our gear in the rehearsal room and played some more just for the fun of it and to chug in a new year full of music.
How can people best support your band?
Bandcamp is probably the best way, but also subcribe to the Evil Ear YouTube channel, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, stream our stuff on Spotify… you know the drill. And get us a gig at your local music place, of course. A single pub gig in New Zealand might be logistically challenging, but you never know…
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thank you for this year, take care of yourselves and the planet and keep your ears peeled for more Molosser Crude!
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well