We've recently claimed our Apple Music artist account, and they had a few questions for us to answer.
We could only fit 250 tokens per question, so here are the complete answers, all provided by Jozz:
Question 1: Describe one of your earliest musical experiences in detail
When I was 12 and dreaming of becoming a guitarist, my parents ordered a budget guitar set by the brand Animal, complete with a tiny amp, from a catalog shop like Wehkamp or Conrad.
I was so excited while waiting for the guitar to be delivered that I started practicing chords on a piece of wood where I had drawn strings, just so I could dive right in as soon as it arrived.
My uncle generously gave me an old chord blues book, which helped me learn the shapes I needed to practice.
When the guitar finally made its way to my house, I played every spare second I had and immediately began sketching posters filled with band name ideas for the future band I was determined to form.
Question 2: What are your top 3 all-time favorite albums on Apple Music, and why?
1. Floodgate - Penalty
One night, I found myself unable to sleep, so I decided to head downstairs and catch some MTV. I think it was a Monday, which meant Headbanger's Ball was on—something I absolutely loved!!!!
Usually, I would tape it on VHS since it started past midnight, and being in school at the time meant I had to wake up early. But, as fate would have it, I just couldn't nod off that night...
That episode featured Type O Negative on tour, along with their support band, Floodgate. Having been a fan of Type O Negative and already familiar with their music, I was completely blown away by Floodgate. Their heavy riffs and soulful vocals really pulled me in. I later had the chance to meet their singer, Kyle Thomas, when he was touring with Alabama Thunder Pussy, and he had such an amazing vibe, just like the rest of the band—Steve Fisher on guitar, Kevin Thomas (Kyle's brother), and drummer Neil Montgomery.
The next day, I rushed to my CD collection, remembering I had a song of theirs on a compilation album. I played it on repeat until I finally got my hands on their full CD.
I even grabbed the special edition with bonus tracks that came out later, and I've always stayed a fan since then. The band mentioned they had a second record in the works, but unfortunately, it was never released because Roadrunner Records dropped their interest after the whole nu-metal hype!
Shame on you, Roadrunner!!!!
When I started feeling a bit weary of Grunge, given that a lot of the lyrical content wasn't exactly cheerful, I found myself in a bit of a rut. Most of the heavier music I knew back then seemed to tackle pretty heavy subject matter.
Even so, I’ve always had a love for the metal bands from that period between 1995 and 2000. After that time, quite a few stellar bands emerged, but there was just something special about the vibe from that era that I haven't experienced since.
It was 1998 when I attended Dynamo OpenAir, which was sponsored by Samson tobacco—those ads were everywhere! I remember wandering through the CD shops and coming across this quirky tent nestled among a bunch of hay, which was definitely needed since the weather was less than ideal.
Outside the shop, there was a massive stage under construction. Suddenly, I heard this incredible fuzz guitar sound, and I dropped everything to see who was on stage.
Not having a clue who they were, I pulled out the lineup flyer I had in my pocket to figure out when and where I should be. The flyer had “FU MANCHU” listed. I vaguely recognized the name but wasn't sure if they would be to my taste—oh, how I was mistaken!
I was completely blown away and became an instant fan. The heaviness and those ominous, pounding songs captivated me. And what was Scott Hill singing about? Muscle cars, girls, skateboarding, surfing, and science fiction—topics that had me hooked even more, as they were exactly what I craved at the time. Those heavy fuzz grooves sounded wickedly cool, but the lyrics were about such fun stuff!
After returning from Dynamo, I went and bought "The Action Is Go," and I was thrilled to recognize all the songs they played live.
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3. Nirvana - In Utero
When this album first came out, I didn’t really pay much attention to it. I caught a listen or two since my older brother owned it.
With everything that happened with him, it wasn’t exactly a recommendation for checking it out, and there were all those drug-related stories... The news surrounding the album wasn’t particularly positive at the time.
I genuinely wasn't a big fan of Nirvana, but one day I stumbled upon their live album in a record store and decided to give it a spin—Nirvana: From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah.
That album absolutely blew me away! The intensity of the recording felt like it was on the verge of exploding at any moment.
It really sparked my interest to dive deeper into Nirvana’s discography.
So, I ended up picking up Bleach, Incesticide, and In Utero. I always liked the songs on Nevermind, but I never quite connected with the production of that album.
Over the years, I’ve found myself increasingly fascinated by the sound of In Utero, and I’ve naturally become a fan of Steve Albini.
The album feels raw and serves as a desperate cry that’s so intertwined with all the controversies in the music business, making it a cult classic that raises more questions than it answers.
Though I’d rank this as a top three album, I have to mention that Soundgarden's Superunknown deserves a spot up there too. Honestly, three just isn’t enough, but there you have it!
Question 3: Find a song of yours on Apple Music that you love and tell us what makes it special
The song I love the most on Apple Music has to be "The Grass" from the Live In Almería album!
When we released the Blues Weiser Live in Almería album, I was genuinely thrilled with "The Grass" and really the whole album, too.
I was ecstatic because it sounded so fantastic on Apple. We’ve never been fans of Spotify's sound quality, so when we heard it on Apple, I was completely blown away.
Another interesting part is that I mixed the record, and I honestly thought it wouldn’t sound good at all since we faced some technical challenges while recording it live.
We had bad grounding, a DI that made strange noises, and no hole in the kick drum skin. We opted for the house kit with our drummer... and trust me, kids, never use the house kit!
There was a lot of bleed into the vocal mic, and it felt like a disaster when we listened back to the raw recordings.
But after a lot of tweaking, I finally got the right sound, and it turned out awesome.
The song "The Grass" on that record really reflects this journey. We initially thought it might not sound quite right, but that version is actually the closest to how I envisioned the song should have sounded on the album.
In contrast, on our album Obey the Booze, it sounds completely different!
Question 4: What's one of the most memorable moments in your career so far?
That's actually a Floodstain story! If you're interested, you can check out the full story, complete with photos and videos, on our Floodstain blog:
https://floodstain-band.blogspot.com/2010/06/gig-pub-leyendo-19-06-2010.html
Here’s a little summary for you:
We had a Floodstain show in Castellon, and when we arrived, the owner surprised us by pulling out posters and CDs for us to sign!
As we started setting up our gear in an empty venue, I got busy with my equipment. When I finally looked around, I was amazed to see the place was packed with people shouting our band's name!
After the show, the whole crowd took us out for food and drinks—it was the longest table I've ever eaten on, and yes, we got hammered! haha
That moment really stuck with me; even as an unknown band on tour, sometimes you can connect with people in the most unexpected places.
Question 5: Is there anything left on your bucket list as an artist or band?
That's a tough question, but I think it would be really exciting to have our music featured in a film, commercial, or even a video game!
And playing at one of the world's biggest festivals, like Rock in Rio or Glastonbury, would be an amazing experience. Other than that, we’ll just keep going because the music world is quite a unique place, especially these days.
Well, that wraps up all the questions!
We hope you had a great time reading the interview!
Love, Blues Weiser
