Last year, during a night ‘excursion’ in Zurich we had the chance to listen to the music of the White Stiff Music band, at Abart. White Stiff Music is a young and fresh group from Zurich with five members: Chris (vocal), Bruno (guitar and backing vocals), Fabian (drums), Raffi (guitar) and Sandro (bass). They know how to enjoy the live music and raise the enthusiasm of the audience. We wish them good luck and we hope to see them again!
-How did you meet? How did you come up with the creation of your band?
Well, this isn’t easy to sum up. Let’s start from here: Raffi (guitar) and Sandro (bass) met each other ages ago. They shared the same interests and had similar taste in music. It’s hard to say who made the first step but it wasn’t long before they had their first practise room in a small village in the middle of nowhere. Starting out as ‘Inspired Youth’ and playing rough instrumental rock ‘n’ roll, Raffi and Sandro had their first experience being in a band along with two other friends. Bruno (guitar) was playing in the same practise room and came along to some jam sessions with ‘Inspired Youth’. From that point, everything came together naturally and Raffi, Sandro and Bruno all wanted more. When two members of Inspired Youth left the band, it was time to look for a new drummer and a singer. Zurich’s nightlife delivered Chris. The search for a drummer eventually comes into fruition when the band ran into Fabian, who happened to be a great drummer, and a cool guy. Only two months later, White Stiff Music made their first onstage appearance.
-What’s your aim as far as white stiff music is concerned?
The most important thing to us all is to stay true to ourselves and true to our music. It’s important to be able to do our own thing and to keep things our business but at the same time our main aim is to reach our fans and make a connection with them through our music. Each song has its own message and we want our fans to think about the music.
-You’ve played at lots of gigs. What’s your next plan?
Yeah, we’ve played loads of shows all over the place and although we’ve enjoyed them, naturally we’re aiming for bigger venues, bigger audiences and a greater fan base, in Switzerland and abroad. Our next plan is to record an album, though we’re not 100% sure whether to do it ourselves or with a producer.
-What kinds of music are you listening to?
Well, to be honest, we all have different influences and enjoy listening to different bands and musicians so it would be difficult to say one kind or another. We do have similar tastes in music and all admire the work of bands such as The Strokes.
-Which are your favourite magazines?
NME Magazine, Rolling Stone, Musikexpress…basically just music magazines.
-This issue is a tribute to Zurich. What is your favourite spot to relax in the city and where do you usually hang out?
In Zurich, there’s the right spot for every mood! If you would like to go to a bar, ‘El Lokal’ is a pretty cool bar in the heart of Zurich. The interior is really interesting and there’s a giant skeleton hanging from the roof! Not far from ‘El Lokal’ you’ll find ‘Hafenkneipe’, an old sailors bar. If you like it scruffy and a bit rough then you should definitely give it a try!! It’s certainly got a unique charm, plus the drinks are cheap and the music’s good. For a night out we’d recommend ‘Abart’. If you’re a fan of British rock ‘n’ roll/indie music then this is the place for you! The scene is changing all the time these days anyway, so it’s good to go and shake things up a bit! If the weather’s good then we’d recommend you hang out at ‘Letten’. It’s a really chilled out, relaxed location down by the river ‘Limmat’ and is great to go swimming or just chill out with your mates and enjoy the sunshine!
Interview: Kiriaki-Domenika Chandra
