Hello magical friends, and welcome to episode 142 of WZRD Radio! I’m your hostwitch Bess and today I’m delighted to share my interview with Solitary Snape! They had so much to say about the Swedish wrock scene and I can’t wait to dive into it with you.
But first, of course, is our regularly schedule music, so here’s Corky Bratts with “Keeper.”
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That was Corky Bratts from the Gnargles album with “Keeper,” Striking Down Diggory’s “Wizrocklopedia,” and Tonks & the Aurors and the classic “Witches to the Front.”
And now, here’s my chat with Pip and Jimmy of Solitary Snape.
Welcome to the show, Solitary Snape! Magical friends, this is a surprise. Snape is not in fact solitary. I have two guests! So if you wouldn’t mind introducing yourselves, Pip and Jimmy. Yimmy, I remember this.
Jimmy: <laugh>. Ah, yeah, <laugh>.
Pip: Uh, I didn’t include a pronunciation guide for my name because I wanted to <laugh> see how it would be pronounced. And it’s, uh, “Peep.” <Laugh>
Peep. Oh, no!
Pip: But yeah, I, I’m Pip, I’m the founder of Solitary Snape, and I was solitary when we started.
Jimmy: Yeah. And I’m Jimmy or “Y”immy <laugh>. And, uh, I’m the drummer for Solitary Snape.
So this was interesting because I emailed Pip and assumed that it would be just you, but it turns out there’s actually a whole band involved. There’s three!
Pip: Four.
Four!?
Pip: Yeah. And then more, if we are counting every member that’s ever been a member of Solitary Snape.
Jimmy: There’s been a few different lineups.
Pip: I, I think on Facebook on that page, it still says ‘the biggest active wizard rock band in Sweden.’ And that’s because we had like seven, eight members, <laugh>. We’ve been cycling through members, we’ve been like nine <laugh>.
Wow, that’s amazing.
Jimmy: We did one gig where we, I think we were six or seven people, and that’s the most we’ve been, but yeah, that, that didn’t last very long. <laugh> We did a gig where we had a, uh, percussionist…
Okay. I would dearly love to know the difference between a drummer and a percussionist.
Jimmy: A percussionist is auxiliary percussion, like shakers, tambourines, anything that’s not on the drum kit is for the percussionist too.
Well, there’s a fun fact to start us off. Where did Solitary Snape get started? How did y’all get into this?
Pip: I got bullied into it by, I, I think it was Hannah and Li, Li from Pussycat Dolores. I think it was perhaps even at the Deathly Hallows queue for the book. They started bullying me and <laugh> said I should start a band, and I knew one chord on the guitar, one and a half chords on the guitar. Thankfully, I <laugh> quickly roped in much more talented friends. <laugh>.
Jimmy: Yeah. So that was in what, December 2007?
Pip: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jimmy: Yeah. And I joined maybe a year later, I think?
Pip: Sampo joined first.
Jimmy: Yeah. On the keyboards.
Pip: And then Andrej joined after that. Sorta, he was like sorta half joined.
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: Because he walked in <laugh> to the living room, visiting my brother when me and Sampo were, were sitting writing songs. And he was like, “oh, I, I wanna join.” And then I sorta roped you into it because
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: <laugh>, you are the only drummer in Sweden.
Jimmy: Yeah. <Laugh>
Pip: <laugh>, Or did Ch come first on bass and then you, I I can’t remember <laugh>.
Jimmy: Well… Well, Sampo was definitely first, and then… I think we did some rehearsals, just the three of us. And Andrej was sort of in it, but not really. And then <laugh>, and then we had Ch on bass. Uh, so we did a gig, you, me, Sampo and Ch. Um, and then Andrej got involved for real after that. <laugh>,
Pip: Was that the gig where I smashed the ukulele?
Jimmy: Uh, no, that was…
Pip: That was later.
Jimmy: That was the gig where we were six people on stage, yeah.
Pip: Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. <laugh>.
Jimmy: Oh, this was, um, uh, I think it was Wizard Rock Halloween.
Pip: That early. Oh, okay. <laugh>.
Jimmy: Yeah. But, so we were a four piece then, and then Andrej came in for real, and we started working on more material for the first album.
So what took you from being bullied in line by Pussycat Dolores to committing to not just being a wizard rocker, but being a wizard rocker with, I think, the largest collection of group members that I’ve ever heard of in a wrock band?
Pip: I, I don’t really know <laugh>. It just sort of kept happening. <laugh> a lot of my friends, online community, Harry Potter fans, and they sort of just threw together a live gig. I wrote a couple of songs. I could play maybe three chords on the guitar by then? And then I just never stopped <laugh>, really <laugh> because more people kept joining and the more talented people kept helping me make music <laugh>.
Jimmy: And back then there were… events were much more frequent, uh, there in the beginning. So it was easier to have, you know, just a set goal to, to aspire to every, you know, all the time. So we knew that we have to practice because we’re doing this gig then, and then the next one. And so in the beginning there, you kind of just, yeah… <Laugh>
Pip: <laugh>
So with, I think you said up to nine people at some–at one point,
Pip: It’s not at the same time.
Okay.
Jimmy: No, no.
Pip: But over the years we were–
So up to at least six, at one point.
Pip: I, I think seven perhaps, I, I don’t know how many percussionists we roped in, because I think we had two percussionists and the drums in Göteborg (Gothenburg).
Jimmy: Mm.
Pip: I think we had one on the shaker and one on tambourines. <laugh>.
Jimmy: Oh, yeah. But that, um,
Pip: And it was really only because we didn’t want people to get a ride for free down to Göteborg in our car <laugh>. So we were like, you are in the band now.
Jimmy: That was an acoustic gig, I think I–
Pip: No, no, no, no, no, no. It, this is the one where you got a really, really bad drum kit and you were the only one who could fit on stage <laugh> and I needed to be off stage with the microphone.
Jimmy: Oh, that one? Yeah. Yeah. <laugh>. Yeah. It was an all right kit, but they forgot to, to bring the, the bass drum pedal. <laugh>
Pip: <laugh>.
Jimmy: So they had to, they had to go after that, so, but they made it in time, so it was fine. But yeah.
Okay. So with an indeterminate, but surprisingly large number of band members, why Solitary Snape?
Pip: Well, uh, <laugh>, would you believe that I was sitting at the computer thinking about band names, and I was alone at the start, and I was also at that moment playing solitaire on the computer, and I was like, “solitaire, solitary, Solitary Snap, all right.” And <laugh>, that’s, it’s the most boring story, but it was also, I had another band name to choose from, but it was not safe for work and a lot more edgy. <laugh>.
What was the alternative?
Pip: It was Dumblewhore.
Jimmy: Yeah, <laugh>.
Pip: And, uh, I don’t think I would have kept making music that long if I was stuck with that <laugh> band name.
That certainly gives like a black metal energy.
Pip: <laugh>.
Jimmy: I think there’s been a wizard metal band that either were named Dumblecore or said that they played dumblecore.
And to, I’m checking the list now to see if we’ve got them <laugh>. I see Dumbledork, but Dumblecore apparently not a name yet. So it’s available magical friends. So were you like immediately settled on those two or…?
Pip: Yeah, I, I didn’t really think much more about it. I was an edgy teen and I really, really liked Snape as an edgy teen would do. My thoughts and feelings on that have changed over the years. <laugh>. But yeah, that’s sorta where it started.
It sounds like you have some amazing stories. There’s already a stage that didn’t fit the band and a ukulele that got smashed. I would love to hear some of them.
Pip: The problem is, in the moment, I can think of them sorta, but when I was prepping for this show, and I knew that a question like this would be asked, I was like, I just can’t think about any fun things because it’s the mundane things like recording our first album and taping microphones to the ceiling to record the drums while I also held one of the microphones over one of the cymbals so we could record the whole kit <laugh> and a mixer getting caught on fire and smoking like crazy. And then like, just rehearsing every week, like just,
Jimmy: Yeah,
Pip: Traveling out to Jimmy and then playing every week, just jamming and figuring out new songs and everything.
Jimmy: So we would rehearse in, uh, my parents’ garage, and we did that pretty much every Sunday for a few years. We were very comfortable playing together and jamming was, you know, it was just so much fun. And a lot of our songs came from jam sessions. Maybe not lyrics, but, uh, the music.
Pip: Well, uh, I can at least think of a couple where the lyrics came from the jam sessions.
Jimmy: I think maybe “Looking for a–
Pip: “Looking for a Cup”
Jimmy: Yeah, that’s the one I was thinking of, yep.
Pip: Like, uh, “Crabbe & Goyle” I think as well.
Jimmy: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so. I mean, there was probably more.
Pip: A lot of songs that haven’t been recorded or released as well, like, uh, “Fudge (Missing Me).”
Jimmy: Yeah, we recorded that, but it was too slow. And then we didn’t redo it, but we played it live a few times.
Pip: I don’t know if we played it live.
Jimmy: We did when we opened for Harry and The Potters when we played Linköping and Malmö.
Pip: Oh, the only time we played “Fudge” <laugh>.
Jimmy: Yeah. I think maybe we only played it in Malmö. Uh, so it’s only been played one time, but we definitely played it there. But the, the recording felt way too slow. And we had already wrapped up, so we didn’t wanna go through one more <laugh>, one more recording session and set up all the drum mics and stuff.
You performed with Harry and the Potters?
Jimmy: Yeah, uh, we did, they’ve done a Scandinavian tour. They did one back in 2010, but a few years later we joined them as a support act when they came back to Sweden for three or four gigs. And, um, it was because we, we played Leakycon London, and, um, we already knew Paul and Joe at that point since they had done the Scandinavian tour. And, um, they were gonna come to Sweden like maybe two weeks after Leakycon. So they asked us if we were up for joining them for those gigs. And I mean, of course it’s, it’s Paul and Joe, and there’s, you, you just, you do it. They’re such nice guys, so how could you turn them down? But I also, I’ve played with Harry and the Potters. I did that whole Scandinavian tour as their drummer. And, uh, I’ve done a few other gigs as well. I played with them at Snow Ball in Scotland, and I’ve played some Swedish gigs as well, because they couldn’t bring either Mike or Bradley, so I had to step in there.
So, uh, Jimmy, you’ve traveled fairly extensively for wizard rock?
Jimmy: Uh, yeah. <laugh>, I mean, I’ve, I didn’t really play when I went with Harry and the Potters to Norway, but, uh, I’ve played in Sweden, Denmark, England, Scotland, Ireland, and America.
Uh, what about you, Pip? Have you done a grand world tour with Solitary Snape?
Pip: No, only Sweden, London, and, uh, Dublin. It was LeakyCon.
Jimmy: Yeah. LeakyCon London and LeakyCon Dublin.
Pip: I can’t remember anything about that gig. I just remember getting off stage and Brian Ross coming up and hugging me, and I was like, “oh, I, I guess we were at least pretty good” <laugh>.
Jimmy: I, I remember it was a really like, high energy gig overall, but I’ve seen there’s some footage and like, you really went for it. I understand if you don’t remember <laugh>, because you, it was like, you were, you were so into it, it was like you were in a trance.
Pip: I, I, I, I think I was just feeling very, very anxious because the set, it was running behind schedule and I was like, “have to get up there and play really, really fast, really, really hard and just be done with it” <laugh>. So I didn’t really enjoy it, but…
Jimmy: Yeah. But the audience did, so…
Pip: Yeah. But, uh, that’s every gig because I, I had real bad social anxiety and stage fright.
I’m always impressed by wizard rockers who can just get up on stage and perform. It seems kind of like a, a magic skill to me. So did you know all of the, the Solitary Snape performances help with the anxiety thing or…?
Pip: Oh, uh, not really <laugh>. It, it, it’s like I get really, really anxious building up to it because I’m inherently nervous. And then I’m like, “oh, I’m gonna screw up. I’m gonna screw up.” And then, uh, on stage it’s like a powder keg exploding. And then I’m just really, really tired afterwards. So I don’t really think about it anymore.
You know, I hear that a lot too, that, uh, the anxiety never stops. You just sort of do it anyway.
Jimmy: I believe in the saying that if you’re not nervous before performing, then something is wrong. So if you’re not, if you’re not feeling nervous at all, then you’re probably not gonna perform too great because you’re a bit too comfortable. Yeah, I, I really do believe that there has to be some nerve there.
I am so curious about this smashed ukulele. Was this like a punk rock/smashing a guitar thing?
Pip: I’m trying to remember what song it was. Probably “Fenrir.”
Jimmy: Yeah, I don’t know. But…
Pip: During the convent– convention, Expecto Patronum 2009, I think there is a video-
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: –on YouTube. Uh, I think it was “Fenrir.”
Jimmy: Yeah, I don’t remember what song it was, but I, but I remember the smashing <laugh>.
Pip: I think it was “Fenrir” because I had that big wig on.
Jimmy: Yeah, you did.
Pip: And I think we opened with Fenrir, I had the ukulele and then I just smashed it after that. And then we went on with the gig <laugh>, because I was like, “well, whatever.”
Jimmy: I think there’s two videos of it, because Ch did a recording and there was also, I don’t remember her name, but I know there’s another person who filmed it as well. And both of those recordings should be on YouTube. So if you look up Solitary Snape and “Expecto Patronum,” then you can see the ukulele.
So this wasn’t just performing as a band, there were props.
Pip: <laugh>, perhaps.
Jimmy: Well, it, it, it was a sort of spur of the moment thing. There was a wig, um, at the event. It wasn’t ours or anything, and that, so that just kind of happened. I don’t believe we had anything else extra <laugh>.
Pip: Uh, no, I… A lot of the stuff <laugh> you do when you perform with your friends is you try to make them laugh during <laugh> and after and, uh, before and, uh, it was just, um, pretty funny. Uh, it was not Fenrir. I scrubbed through the video.
Jimmy: Oh,
Pip: Erik FahIén had the, had the video on his YouTube <laugh>.
Jimmy: Okay. It was him. I thought it was Ch though. But yeah. Yeah.
Here’s some more music! First up is Miss Parkinson and “For Theo.”
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You just heard “For Theo” by Miss Parkinson, Pussycat Dolores and her “I just say meow,” and Ravenrock’s “This is the End” [lyrics].
Let’s get back to that chat! Here are Jimmy and Pip.
Solitary Snape has come up a couple times in other interviews. As someone who was fun to collaborate with–
Pip: <laugh> <laugh> [confused noises]
It was all good. I promise.
Pip: No, I, I mean, because I don’t remember collaborating with anybody <laugh>.
Oh no!
Pip: I have no clue. <laugh>, I’m sorry. Because I collaborated with the band. I, Erik Fahlén, when he joined the band for a year. Is that a collaboration with Swedish Shortsnouts? Because <laugh> he jumped in on bass for a year.
Jimmy: What I mean, yeah, we’ve, I mean… If you count like sharing the stage with other people or you know, like performing at the same event. And then there’s been some people in, in rotation that we’ve played with through the years. But…
Pip: But I’m truly sorry if I’ve collaborated with anyone and I’ve forgotten about it. That just means that my memories all jumbled up. <laugh>,
It’s been a while. And it sounds like it was an absolutely wild time.
Pip: <laugh>
Are there bands that you would collaborate with if someone approached you?
Pip: I think, I’m meant to say the Swedish Shortsnouts here, but I hate them. So <laugh>, I hate them. They stole my drummer <laugh>
Jimmy: That happened at the, at gig where the organizer forgot to bring the, the bass drum pedal after that gig. ’cause the Swedish Shortsnouts were there too. They asked me if I wanted to play with them. ’cause Expecto Patronum was already booked at that point. And both Solitary and the Shortsnouts were gonna play. And they wanted a full set as well. Um, a full electric set. So they asked me if I wanted to play with ’em then, and I did. And… yeah, I’ve been with them since then. And for a long time, I wasn’t listed as an official member, but I think I am now. But it took like 10 years before <laugh> before that happened, <laugh>.
Pip: But I think we actually discussed collaborating with the Swedish Shortsnouts on an EP before.
Jimmy: Yeah. We thought about doing like a–
Pip: A cover swap.
Jimmy: Yeah. Doing each other’s songs in our own styles.
Pip: Then we, uh, started playing “Battle Cedric Diggory” uh, live–
Jimmy: Yeah
Pip: –at least. Yeah. But we switched it from, uh, major to, uh, minor <laugh>.
Jimmy: Yeah. Yeah. So we, we had one of their songs,
Pip: But they never covered us. So…
Jimmy: Yes, once.
Pip: What?
Jimmy: Once, yes. We played once in Växjö, when I played with the Shortsnouts we did “Fandom Is Might,” and that’s the only time.
Pip: Oh, bad choice.
Jimmy: Yeah. But it was, it, it didn’t seem as bad at the time. So <laugh>, it’s, it’s been so long.
I think the Solitary Snape BandCamp just has one album listed?
Pip: Yeah,
Jimmy: Yeah, that’s right.
But it sounds like there’s a lot more music out there.
Jimmy: There’s three albums and two eps.
Where are those?
Pip: Sounds about right. Uh, the eps are somewhere, I think <laugh> and, um, the first two albums, we only made physical copies. I don’t have any copies left. I sold them all. They might be out there somewhere. I just, um, I really, really enjoy that <laugh> they have become lost media in a way. <laugh>,
Jimmy: I have all the songs digitally.
Pip: Oh, no <laugh>.
Jimmy: But there are no, no physical copies available except, you know, in some people’s CD collections. I think I have my physical copies still as well. But yeah, the, we started the BandCamp when we did the third album.
Pip: Yeah.
Jimmy: And then we didn’t put the old stuff up because the, I mean, partly because we didn’t think of it, I guess. But also there is quite the leap in production quality <laugh>, when we got to the third album,
Pip: I just like stuff being forgotten as well. I, I <laugh> have a deep… it’s alluring the part of being forgotten and just fading away into history without being remembered in a society where remembering and like, preserving everything is so ‘erg’ <laugh>. It’s like all encompassing. So if something falls and just disappears, that’s fine with me. <laugh>, I guess?
I can understand that appeal. But as a rabid hoarder of wizard rock Jimmy I, I will be requesting those from you
Jimmy: <laugh>. I’ll see what I can do. <laugh>.
So you said early on that, Pip, your relationship to the character of Snape has changed. So this next question I think is probably a little bit funnier now. I am forcing you to spend a day with him. How are you spending it?
Pip: Yeah, uh, I, I’ve thought about this question quite a lot and I think I finally settled on either a Most Dangerous Game situation or just an elaborate Saw-like trap for him because he is [an] unredeemable character <laugh>.
Do you have any regrets about naming the band after him then?
Pip: Um, not really. <laugh>
And what would you do if he won the Most Dangerous Game?
Pip: He, he wouldn’t, I couldn’t kick his ass. <laugh>. I’m a real person. He’s a fictional character. <laugh>,
Touche.
Pip: <laugh>. How about Jimmy, how would you spend the day with Snape?
Jimmy: Well, yeah, that’s a <laugh> very good question. I think I would, I would sit him down and just tell him that, Hey, you’re sort of a bad copy of Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights mixed with other stuff, of course. But there’s a lot that matches there. And, uh, yeah, <laugh> maybe give him a bit of a, of an identity crisis.
So Pip is going for just immediate annihilation and Jimmy is feeling more like a, a therapeutic workshop, seeing if you can crush him like emotionally.
Jimmy: Yeah, yeah. Just slow realization. Yeah.
So he’s got Lily in the attic? Oh wait, is that Jane Eyre?
Jimmy: The, yeah, that’s Jane Eyre.
I gotta admit, Gothic not my favorite genre. <laugh>, which may be why I never imprinted on Snape. ’cause you’re not wrong.
Pip: <laugh>.
Jimmy: I mean, when we started, the story wasn’t finished. We had no idea where it was gonna go. We didn’t know what was gonna happen to with him or what his deal was. And I think we all shifted our opinions <laugh> as, as the series went on.
There’s a podcast now, I think it’s called Snape Chat for people who are fans of his. They may not have you all on, but he is still a, a much talked about character.
Jimmy: Yeah, I mean, the Shortsnouts did a song, uh, pretty early on that was called “The Snape Song.” And it’s basically about asking yourself is he good or bad? What is he gonna do? ’cause we’re not sure <laugh>. Yeah.
I’m not sure if you all had a Solitary Snape– Oh, maybe my, my, uh, familiarity with the music is limited to what’s available.
Pip: Yeah. <laugh>. Yeah,
See, pointed. Did you all ever dive into that? You know, is he a tortured hero? Is he a villain?
Pip: Oh, we, we, first album we had the song “Lily, Whiny Love Ballad,” blah, blah blah.
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: We had “Always,” that’s the first album. We had a song called “Always,” I think, I don’t know, uh, “the Silver Doe” was a song we did…
Jimmy: Yeah, yeah.
Pip: [sung] Why must I fight? Et cetera, et cetera. <laugh>
Jimmy: <laugh>, this is the last time the Silver Doe will show. Yeah.
Pip: Yeah. And um, on the second album, we had one of my favorite songs “En Bra Dag.”
Jimmy: Yeah, yeah.
Pip: That’s about just how something could have been a good day. But no, not for Snape. <laugh>
Jimmy: Not for Snape. It’s never a good day for Snape.
That sounds amazing.
Jimmy: It’s one of the few songs we’ve recorded in Swedish.
Pip: I think it has four key changes in it?
Jimmy: Yeah, I think it changes for each verse and maybe one of the choruses or something <laugh>. And as strangely as it may sound, I think that happened organically while we were <laugh> workshopping the song, um, during rehearsals, I think it just happened. I don’t know why, but then again, I don’t play a chord-based instrument, so <laugh>, I didn’t have any influence on that, that choice.
Pip: I think we have did it because we could <laugh>.
Jimmy: Yeah, maybe.
That actually is an interesting point. You said you had very few songs in Swedish. Was this like a deliberate choice?
Jimmy: I’m trying to think if we have any others except that one?
Pip: In Swedish?
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: You haven’t listened to the third album at–
Jimmy: Oh, yeah. The the opening song. Yes. <laugh>,
Pip: The opening song “Glasen Mot Himmelen.”
Jimmy: Yes, that’s right.
Pip: And uh, we also had Swedish song on a sorta recent compilation with Wrock Around the World that’s about, uh, house elves and, uh…
Jimmy: Oh right, yeah! Yeah.
Pip: The Ballad of, uh, the Plight of The House Elves
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: Does it ring a bell, Jimmy <laugh>?
Jimmy: Yes. Yes. I feel kind of bad now because it’s might be my favorite Solitary song. So yeah.
Pip: Thank you, <laugh>. Thank you. I wrote that all by myself.
Jimmy: <laugh>, it’s a really good one. But I don’t think there are any more album tracks.
Pip: Album tracks. I, I don’t know, did we have, uh, first album? There’s a spoken word, uh, song thingy.
Jimmy: Oh yeah, “Allt är väl.”
Pip: Yeah. It’s so embarrassing <laugh> because it’s really, really bad. It is like the one song on that album that I’m like, “this is horrible” <laugh>, “this should be stricken from history completely. Erased.” <Laugh>
Jimmy: But it, at the time it was just kind of honest. But yeah, I can see, I can see why in hindsight, you, you might be a bit embarrassed about it, but…
Is it one of those things where it’s hard to look back on old earnest emotion? You know, having not heard it myself…
Pip: <laugh>, I, I, I think it’s because I’m sort of just yelling through the whole song and, uh, compliment of, um, like what’s happening musically is not very, very well thought out or structured.
Jimmy: No, no,
Pip: It’s mostly just, just noise <laugh>. It’s like we recorded my singing first and then they went in and put the music on it. I don’t think that’s how it happened, but it sounds like it, if I remember correctly.
Jimmy: Yeah. It was basically just a simple jam and the spoken word on top. And yeah, you, at the end there, you <laugh> really started yelling. And I think on the final line, your voice cracks because you’re so loud, <laugh> and you’re pushing so hard.
That’s a, a pretty solid segue, actually. Sounds like y’all have, you know, done a lot, learned a lot, tried a lot of different things. What kind of advice do you have for new wizard rockers?
Pip: Find talented friends. <laugh> No, really just do it. I knew one, one and a half chords if I’m being generous with myself. And I wrote a couple of songs with like E minor and just messing around with the guitar, just making noise. And I think that’s the pleasure really about just making music and especially when it’s this focused and like constrained that you can just make stuff. And it’s…who cares if it’s good or bad, really.
Jimmy: Yeah. And I mean, we always had fun doing it too. So as long as you’re, as long as you’re having fun, I mean, who cares if it’s, if it’s good or bad? Like for instance, we were constantly upping the, the production quality in the studio, but the, there was no need to, but we did it because it was fun and we wanted to. Like, I mean, that’s not necessary. You can just, my best advice is to just do it. ’cause I mean, if you don’t do, it doesn’t happen. So if you want to do it, do it. You gotta start somewhere.
Jimmy, you have fallen for my trap a second time. “just do it” is the advice that I get almost every interview. So I have a second question, which is a really solid bit of technical advice. You know, like a vocal warmup or something that’s really helpful to have in a recording studio or you know, the easiest chords, something that, you know, a newbie can use to like just get another handhold.
Jimmy: I mean, it helps if you can play a chord-based instrument like a guitar or, uh, a keyboard. But music theory is… you don’t really need music theory. I mean, if, yeah, I’m not sure where I’m going with this. <laugh> <laugh>
Pip: Just learn E Minor and A minor and that’s a solid base for a song.
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: I think “The Silver Doe,” which I will not play <laugh>, and you will have to ask Jimmy about getting a recording off. I think we did a no– I’ve thought about, I’ve thought that we did a re-recorded thing with “The Silver Doe” but that was our intention.
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: Yes. But um, “The Silver Doe” is really just D minor, A minor, E and A minor, and that’s a whole song, <laugh> three chord, learn three chords, and you can make like 5, 6, 7, 10 songs without any problem really.
Jimmy: Yeah.
And as you’ve proven Jimmy, uh, a drummer is always in demand in wizard rock. You’ve been part of at least three bands.
Jimmy: Oh yeah, that’s… More than that <laugh>.
Jimmy: But yeah, as, because there were no other drummers on the Swedish wizard rock scene. So I, if someone wanted one for, for a gig, then I, then I usually stepped in. So there was one other guy, but he, he only played on his own stuff really. There was one gig we did where the show ended with a sort of super group situation where people from all the different bands got on stage and played a song together. And, uh, he played drums on that. I didn’t, but otherwise he just played on his own recordings. But I’ve played with Solitary Snape and Swedish–and the Swedish Shortsnouts, that’s the, the main ones. And then I’ve also toured as a drummer for Harry and The Potters. And I didn’t play the whole gig, but I did one song with Peeved when he was in Sweden. ’cause I think, yeah, I think it was… I think it was a Harry and the Potter’s cover and that’s why I joined him on that. But yeah, then there’s been a bunch of one-offs and yeah…
Everyone needs a drummer and there’re never enough to go around. So did you have a, a technical advice?
Jimmy: Uh, any microphone is a microphone, basically. I mean, if you want to, if you want to record stuff or you know, even perform stuff, you don’t need the fanciest equipment. Anything will do and anything is good enough.
I admire you sneaking in a ‘just do it’ at the end there. What are you all working on these days? Anything folks should be keeping an eye out for?
Jimmy: I don’t know how much we want to say really, but we–because we don’t wanna make any promises to ourselves or anybody else. But we’ve talked about doing one last… One last hurrah as it was, doing one last recording. Just record a, a last bunch of songs, maybe some that, that didn’t make it before and doing some new ones, but we’ve only talked about it. There are no actual plans as far as I know, at least so, so I don’t know how much we want to <laugh> to say really.
Pip: <laugh>
Jimmy: But there has been some discussion about doing one last thing.
Pip: Yeah. Never say never, but really, who knows? Because, well, we are all, at least me and, uh, Hedvig are very conflicted about like <laugh> producing songs about Harry Potter at, at the moment. Uh, and I, I would really, really enjoy making a last EP or something, mostly because I could <laugh> finally like, get out some of the songs I’ve had stuck in my head for years and years. “Goodbye Hogwarts” is a song that, uh, was written in 2012, I think? 2011, 2012.
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: When I first thought about like, stop doing wizard rock and wrote a song about it. And then I just kept going until, well I think we haven’t really stopped, really. We’re on like a <laugh>
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: Extended hiatus.
Jimmy: Yeah. Yeah. I mean there’s no, there’s no real opportunities for live gigs. I’ve done a few with the Shortsnouts in the last few years, but I mean the scene is far from what it was and understandably so, really.
Yeah, covid and the author in particular have made it more complicated in the world, but the fandom is still incredibly warm.
Jimmy: We did a livestreamed gig with the Shortsnouts during, during covid. So when, uh, when the situation was that much under control that we could actually meet up, we were supposed to play a small con and they didn’t want to cancel it. So they, they did everything online and we decided that yeah, we’re still gonna play and we’re gonna make it as exciting as possible. So we did a full multicam livestream from my parents’ garage.
Are there non-wrock things people should be looking out for muggle music or other endeavors?
Pip: I would really not say that you should be on the lookout for it because it’s been in the works or like we’ve talked about it for like… How long has Solitary Snape been around?
Jimmy: Next year is 20 years.
Pip: Okay. So we’ve talked about, uh, another project for like 12, 13, 14 years?
Jimmy: Something like that.
Pip: Uh, Kalla oss Ishmael just music in Swedish based on fantasy and like named after the opening line from Moby Dick <laugh>.
Jimmy: Yeah.
Pip: And uh, I’ve been thinking away at lyrics and stuff, but who knows? Perhaps. <Laugh> Everything is a maybe.
Well I think after this interview everyone’s gonna be really excited. So, you know, there’ll be some eyes, there’ll be some anticipation. There’s an audience.
Pip: Perhaps. Or just for Jimmy to release the archives.
Jimmy: Well, who knows, maybe
Pip: <laugh>
Jimmy: I wouldn’t do it, like if you told me not to <laugh> I might not do it, but yeah, who knows?
Pip: I’m fine with you releasing the archive.
Jimmy: I think I have all three albums, both eps, all the songs we’ve done for compilations and also two live recordings full shows. So there, there is some material there.
This sounds amazing.
Pip: <laugh> Hope it’s not consolidated. <laugh> It should be done like tape trading. People meet up in the dark alleyway and <laugh> have burned CDs passing each other. <laugh> tipping the hat.
Jimmy: Yeah, we should do like Harry and the Potters have done in the past and like mail people USB sticks and floppy discs and <laugh>
Pip: <laugh>. I’ve got my cassette deck back there so I can just—
Jimmy: Whip up a bunch of cassettes and–
Pip: <laugh>
Jimmy: Flog them in back alleys.
Pip: Hide them around the world. A treasure hunt for nobody. No, but really you, you can probably have the archive. <laugh>
Our final music break has arrived. This is Muggle Snuggle and “Hermione’s Lament.”
~*~
That break started with “Hermione’s Lament” by Muggle Snuggle [lyrics], Lauren Fairweather’s “I’m Still Waiting” [lyrics], and “Love Song for Professor Lupin” from the Parselmouths [lyrics].
And here’s the last bit of our chat!
Thank you so much for talking with me today. I feel like we barely scratched the surface. I mean, 20 years, there’s a lot that’s happened in there.
Jimmy: Yeah, I mean we’ve played a lot of gigs and and stuff and it’s been, it’s been really fun. It’s been, I mean it’s been on and off for a lot of those years, but… But we’ve done more than a handful of, of gigs and being able to go abroad was, you know, that was crazy. I mean in that first London gig it was really overwhelming. ’cause I mean I don’t think, I don’t think we were expecting that in the <laugh> in the beginning, like at all. And I’m not even sure that was even like a feasible concept, but it happened and it was fantastic. After that we got to go back and do the LeakyCon Dublin as well and it was also really fun. So we’ve had a lot of fun together. Absolutely.
Pip: Yeah. The community – top-notch.
Jimmy: Yeah,
Pip: The author not so much <laugh>, the books… Ah, I can take them or leave them. I have my opinions and I will not be sharing them.
Not until the next album anyway. Where can WZRD listeners find you and your music online?
Pip: SolitarySnape.BandCamp.com and… Jimmy’s email <laugh>.
Jimmy: There’s also, we appeared on one of the Jingles Spells compilations and that’s on Spotify. So we have one song on Spotify.
Pip: Some of the Samplers, I can’t remember which years. Perhaps only one, “Brain Room” on one of them.
Jimmy: Yeah,
Pip: Yeah. And uh, then, uh, “Balladen om Husalfens Lott,” uh, yeah, but I don’t think it’s available for people who did not pay for the subscription because I forgot to answer the email when they <laugh> asked for it to be released. <laugh>
Well if you didn’t, I’m sure they’ll be happy to, um, to add it if you email just whenever.
Pip: <laugh> Yeah, we’ll see. <laugh>
You and your lost media.
Pip: Oh, I do adore being forgotten. Yeah. Do you wanna plug your TikTok Jimmy?
Jimmy: <laugh>
Pip: <laugh>
Jimmy: Well, yeah, I have a TikTok account, but um, it’s in, it’s in Swedish, so <laugh>
It’s one of my top listening groups.
Jimmy: Alright then, uh, yeah, I have a, I have a TikTok account called “Tillbaka till Tablån” where I do shortform content about Swedish TV from, well, basically the eighties up until the naughties. So, but mostly nineties stuff ’cause that’s, you know, that’s what’s my childhood. So that’s, that’s what I feel most nostalgic about. But it’s, it’s basically just milking the nostalgia <laugh>
That sounds like fun.
Jimmy: The videos are kind of fun to do. I mean, I, at least I’m really enjoying it right now, but I mean, once I’ve run out of content, you know, we’ll, we’ll see how long I can keep this up, but at the moment I’m posting three videos a week and they’re doing all right. So, yeah, it’s, it’s been fun so far. I’ve done it since sometime in September last year, so still kind of getting, you know, just trying to get the hang of the format and trying maybe to get a tiny clue of how the platform works. ’cause you know, nobody understands how the algorithms work. Sometimes it just works and sometimes it doesn’t. So you just have to, you know, kind of soldier on and just do your thing and hope for the best.
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And now, magical friends: Solitary Snape!
Pip: Yeah, so I tend to go long, I tend to ramble when I introduce things, but I hope I can be concise with this preamble. This is a song that, um, once were three songs in a planned wrock opera about when house elves find the Communist Manifesto at Hogwarts and organize, unite, rise up and overthrow their masters. I never could work out really how it should be really <laugh>. So when I had to make a song for a compilation, I just took all those disparate lyrics and threw them together, translated some, um, rejigged them. And, um, yeah, I quite like how it turned out. Uh, but I wanted to do something special, so yeah. “Balladen om Husalfens Lott.”
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