Stockholm’s Foghorn Lonesome has previously been featured on the Rivetheads Radio Show. The band is a music project by sole member Eric Sparkwood and it is an intriguing prospect, combining electro, darkwave and gothic music.John E Smoke caught up with Eric to find out more about the sounds that come from the foghorn.

JES – Thank you for speaking to us here at Midlands Metalheads. How are things with you as we begin a new year?

FL – Thanks for having me and thanks again for playing my music on your radio show. Very much appreciated! Things are alright. My focus is on the music. Seven songs are on SoundCloud now and I have a few more songs left in the works.

JES – It may seem like a stock question but in this case I am genuinely curious. Why the name Foghorn Lonesome?

FL – I’m going to leave the origin of name unsaid. But there are people out there who might know where I got the name from. These people and I share a common interest in a certain something. So I’ll just leave it as an inside joke thing. But I think that the two words fit the music well. Due to my childhood and other things I’ve always felt alone. It’s a constant feeling I’ve carried with me for all of my life. Fog fits well too because I tend to want to hide myself from a lot of things. So those two words go good together. It was the first and only name choice.

JES – Your bio describes your sound as combining electro, darkwave and gothic music. Tell us a little more. Your sound has a strong identity of its own with some great synth work, but if you were asked, what other bands or artists would you use as reference points?

FL – I avoid comparing myself to others. But of course, it’s impossible not to peek over the shoulders of people whose music you admire and see what they’re doing that makes them so good to you. Not so much the actual song writing but also the production. I set the bar very high. I don’t know much about mixing and all the technical stuff. But I’m lucky to be able to mix and work on my songs in a professional studio with a good producer, Tomas Rosenberg, who is very knowledgeable in all areas concerning music production. But to name reference points as you said, Diary of Dreams and Depeche Mode are two of my favourite bands. Great song writing and great production. But inspiration and ideas can come from anything really.

JES – I gather you have been making music for some time in a number of different styles including thrash metal, gothic metal, darkwave and neoclassical before settling in your current guise. Do you feel that these ingredients are still present in your music today in any way?

FL – Some of those genres are in Foghorn Lonesome. Rock and metal was the first music I ever got into back in the 80s. In the 90s I discovered goth, electronic, darkwave etc but my roots have always been in rock and metal. When I write songs I don’t think about genres. I just write the music that comes naturally which at this point in my life is a mix of darkwave, goth and stuff like that.

JES – You grew up listening to ABBA (so did I as they were my mother’s favourite band). Have the Swedish pop legends left any imprint on your sound?

FL – I love ABBA. They might have affected me in some way or another as a musician. They were the first band that got me really interested in music. My parents would often play them when I was very young. I remember being six years old and dancing to ABBA in my room. They actually have a lot of synth stuff in their music. An ABBA museum was recently set up here in Stockholm. 

JES  – You are the sole member of Foghorn Lonesome, citing difficulties in finding other members in your home town of Stockholm. It is impressive that you handle all duties in the band, but are you still seeking other members or writing partners?

FL – I’m not seeking writing partners at this point since all of the songs are done. I’ve always been looking for permanent band members since I started this project in late 2011 but I haven’t found any. My musical genre is fairly small compared to what seems to be the most popular genres to play which are rock and metal. Stockholm is also not a very big city. So finding people who are interested in my music is difficult. So it’s always just been me which has worked out fine I suppose but without more people it won’t be possible to play live. The female vocals on the songs are done by session singers. I have been lucky to find female singers who have been generous to provide vocals on my songs. I’m looking for one or two female singers and at least one keyboard player to join the ”band” on a more permanent basis. I would also like to try to have another bass player. Live I will sing and play bass but I would like to have two basses. I have an idea how it might work. I do possibly have a drummer who might join in live. The drums on the songs are digital and always mechanical sounding which is how I want it to sound. But I’m open to try to combine real drums with pre-programmed drums when playing live. But who knows what will happen.

JES – What can you tell us about your music set up? What are your main instruments, software and hardware choices?

FL – Bass and keyboard are the main ones. I tune down to C on the bass and guitar. I use Logic on Mac at home and the studio where the songs are mixed etc also uses Logic. So things work pretty smoothly.

JES – What is the music scene like in Stockholm? Do you get to see many other bands making similar music to yours?

FL – There are some synth-oriented bands in Sweden but I’m not too familiar with them. When you’re so wrapped up in your own music it leaves little energy to get into other people’s music fully. But lots of great bands have come from Sweden within the alternative, rock and metal scene like Ghost, Opeth, Tiamat, In Flames, Deathstars, Entombed, Meshuggah, Watain, At The Gates, Dark Tranquility, Amon Amarth, Soilwork, Katatonia, Sabaton, Covenant and many more. Sweden has always had a strong music scene.

JES – How is your debut release coming together? Will it be a self release or are you considering a label release? And is a physical release planned on CD/vinyl etc.?

FL – As I mentioned before, seven songs are on SoundCloud at the moment and I’m working on the last few songs. Once everything is finished I plan on contacting labels to see if there’s any interest in taking things further. If there will be a physical release is up to the label but that has always been the goal even though CD sales are what they are today.

JES – Finally, a few short sharp questions if you don’t mind. What was the first piece of music you remember purchasing?

FL – Animalize by Kiss. I was seven or eight years old at the time.

JES – And the most recent piece?

FL – A good friend of mine is the singer in HEX. Their debut album.

JES – Your favourite Swedish band/artist?

FL- I already mentioned ABBA. So I will say Tiamat.

JES – Your favourite film/movie?

FL – If I may only pick one it will have to be Jaws.

JES – Thank you once again for letting us into the world of Foghorn Lonesome. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

FL – I would like to thank everyone who has shown support; the radio stations, blogs and everyone who follows Foghorn Lonesome on social networking sites. See you in the fog.

www.foghornlonesome.com
www.soundcloud.com/foghornlonesome
www.facebook.com/foghornlonesome
www.google.com/+foghornlonesome
www.twitter.com/foghornlonesome
www.instagram.com/foghornlonesome