Serena-Maneesh Interview: SXSW 2010

Norwegian rock troupe Serena-Maneesh are making their second trip to SXSW this year -- four years after they first stormed the festival and came face-to-face with the almighty morning barbecue (more on that later). This year the five-piece heads to Texas armed with a follow-up to their darkly lush self-titled debut that, with its trippy noise tracks, sounds a lot like its title, 'S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor.' Before they head down to show off the new material, we caught up with frontman Emil Nikolaisen to discuss magic mushroom pots, his staunch stance on the Beatles vs. Stones debate and much more.

Please describe your sound in your own words.

It's as if you threw a brick through a rainbow into a wall of glass.

How did your band form?

It's a little bit strange. We have somehow, through crazy adventures [stuck together]. It started during our juvenile years -- My sister [Hilma Nikolaisen] and I have never separated.

And Tommy [Akerholdt] the drummer as well --it's like the family you can never deny. You know this character Obelix of [the French comic book] Asterix? During his youth, Obelix fell into a magical pot of some kind of hallucinogenic -- and gained an ability to always be naturally high. Tommy is like that ... like he fell into a pot of magic mushrooms. He's never come back; he's always remained a free-floating spirit. He never returned to normal but in a really, really great way. [Laughs]

And Aadne [Meisfjord] -- I worked with him in his band 120 Days. Now we are all together a five-piece artillery and I've never been so excited about our lineup.

What are your musical influences?

There are many flamboyant, colorful influences that have stayed with me for a long time -- especially from my Norwegian heritage ... Norwegian composers, Norwegian folk music, German progressive rock pop and noise rock like the Stooges, Suicide and later on the [Jesus and Mary] Chain. So we're basically a crossfire of all these things. When they come together, you'll find us somewhere in the middle.

Are there any bands that you've been particularly impressed by recently?

I've always really loved Jason Pearce from Spiritualized. I know he's not doing a lot lately, but he has always been incredible. And Royal Trux's Jennifer Herrema and her counterpart Neil Hagerty -- his Howling Hex is really, really good -- I really, really love them. I'm so out of the loop! [Laughs]

What's the story behind your band's name?

That's very much for people to have their own way of ingesting it. It can be your own first meeting with the sound [of our band] or the people behind our sound -- it's what people experience while hearing Serena. I don't know if there's a way of saying it. I've tried so many times and made so many horrible attempts [laughs]. But my most immediate, pretentious way of explaining it is that it's the moment when the curtains are being taken away and you see the light for a brief second and then it's gone, but you hold on to that feeling.

Do you have any vices?

People live on the edge in many different ways. People that want and dream about a touring lifestyle, along with the people who have [lived it] -- I think we can all gather around a few key points: Get enough sleep and drink water. You have to keep your balance mentally and physically. Life's going to be crazy anyway, so you somehow need to float the journey and enjoy the ride, because it's going to be a ride. If you go too mundane about things, you'll be exhausted. But [looking at the alternative], you're bound to lose perspective in some way. My advice is don't get too ... let's just say there's something [to be said] about enjoying the the ride. You need to be able to keep afloat. Don't flip off the cliff or get drained.

What are you most looking forward to about going back to Austin?

Oh yeah, oh yeah! One thing I really, really enjoyed about it was when you first get there and you think you're the only one. But then everyone's trying to scream loudest and get heard. Just get in there and ride the waves of chaos ... and do it with confidence. If you do that, it's a marvelous experience.

Beatles or Stones?

'Exile on Main Street,' The Rolling Stones. I have said enough.

Can you share a memorable tour story with us?

I'd like to speak a little bit more about Southby. Last year, we'd been playing really, really late the night before and we had to play this day party -- this morning barbecue. The [whole time you're there], you fly from one thing to another and you literally just lift up with your instruments and arrive at the next platform -- the next stage. And there's no way to find refuge -- just literally floating from one gig to another.

So Vice had a mornign barbecue thing at Victory Grill. We were the first or second band of the morning and to us Norwegians it was the most surreal idea to have a barbecue in the morning. Norwegians literally sit up in their snow cave with their goat cheese spread and some milk. Just imagine if that's where you come from?!

Back in the day, we were really into doing the punk rock show. So we thought the best thing to do on this particular occaision -- the way we interpreted our idea of the perfect Texan barbecue breakfast -- was to serve these people showing up with hangovers a 30-minute complete noise set. We thought of it as a service literally providing something for people to put or cook their steak on. You can just imagine ... We tried to go even more extreme than we have ever done -- even late at night gigs. This was the first impression for us of them and them of us. Everything was literally upside down. It was one of the most fun experiences.