Hi! Can you tell me about TRANSONIC SCIENCE and your previous musical experiences?
We formed the band in 1996/97 and were very young at the time, except for our bass player Gerald, who was about 10 years older than the rest of us and had already gained some musical experience in the German HC punk scene with his band Antitoxin. Before forming Transonic Science, Peter (drums) and Markus (guitar) had played together in a high school rock band.
Why did you choose your band name, how did you form, and what led you to play the genre(s) you do?
Gerald came up with the band name. We were all big fans of the band Motorpsycho - and they sometimes called their fans Supersonic Scientists. We took that and became Transonic Science. Besides Motorpsycho we were into bands like Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Monster Magnet and so on, so we wanted to play stoner rock ourselves. Of course Motorpsycho was an influence, but also indie bands like Dinosaur Jr. or alternative bands like Helmet - and of course 60s and 70s rock and heavy music. In the beginning we had a female singer, which was an interesting contrast to our heavy sound. But it wasn't until Ergün joined us as a singer in 1998 that we found our very own Transonic style, which we have retained to this day.
Can you tell us about Psychobulb?
Psychobulb is our first album in a long time, and we're just really happy with the songs we've written and recorded. As a backstory, unfortunately Gerald passed away in 2018, which was of course a very difficult time for us. After we decided to continue with Manuel on bass in 2020, we realised relatively quickly that something good was going to happen. We had a lot of fun writing the songs and really like the new stuff. There are also two older songs on the record that we wrote together with Gerald back then: "Wildest Frame" and "Satellite Blues". Of course, it's also nice that Gerald has his part in the new album.
What kind of feedback are you hoping to receive for your album?
Of course we hope that not only we like the album, but also other people. The new songs have always gone down really well at the live shows. We just hope that more people will get to know us because of the album and that we can expand our fanbase, that would be great.
Do you plan to embark on a world tour in the future? Do you think touring the world is an option available to every band, or what does a band need to do to achieve this opportunity?
A world tour is certainly too big for us. It would be great to do a smaller tour through 1-2 neighbouring European countries. Maybe we'll be able to do that in the future. I think you also need good organisational skills and stamina when booking shows to do something like that.
Do you believe in a heavy music scene without money?
We don't have any money, so yes, we do. But seriously, we do it all out of a passion for music. Earning serious money with rock music is a bonus that only very few people manage. We earn our money with day jobs and can therefore make our music without any economic or time pressure. Perfectly fine!
What are your thoughts on online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free, and if so, why?
We're also on Bandcamp or YouTube, where you can listen to a lot of our music for free. For bands like us, music streaming is a way to reach people worldwide that we would otherwise never reach. And then some of the people who listen to the streaming will go and hopefully buy our LP or CD, that's the goal. In the end, we as a band put a lot of work into the production, as did the record company, and it would be great if everyone made some money from it in the end, or if we at least recouped the costs. Which we could then put back into the next album and so on. It's different for all the musicians who really have to make a living from their music, I think. For them, the portals have certainly made it more difficult.
Who are your musical influences? Did you ever imagine your band could become as famous as your favorites?
We have influences from all sorts of directions, even if you don't necessarily have to hear that in our music. Mostly it's just about inspiration. Just one example: you listen to a wonderful album by Elliot Smith - it grabs you and you just want to pick up the guitar and make music yourself. It can really be anything, as long as it touches you emotionally in some way. And then you create a new piece of music in your own style. It's not as brilliant as a piece by Elliot Smith, but you're still proud of it. And becoming famous is far too dangerous, so it's better not to ;)
Have you received formal music education? Do you think it's an important factor?
No, not really. A few guitar lessons or drum lessons at the very beginning, but no more. However, I do think that it can help to learn the piano as a child, for example, because you get really solid basics and learn them more easily as a child. But that's certainly not the decisive factor. There are too many brilliant and successful musicians who have taught themselves everything. Maybe formal music education even spoils the joy of music for some people, who knows.
How do you balance your music with other obligations such as family, job, etc.?
We meet for rehearsals in the evening, usually after 8 o'clock, which works quite well alongside our jobs and families.
How do you deal with mistakes during a performance? Do you get nervous before a performance or competition?
Mistakes happen, not so bad. Fortunately, all four of us see it that way. You shouldn't let mistakes spoil the fun, because joy and passion are much more important for the performance than being perfect. A little thrill and stage fright before the performance is also part of it, but luckily none of us are so nervous that we get downright sick.
What's next for your band? Thank you!
In addition to a number of gigs, we're working very intensively on new songs at the moment, we're really up for it and a lot of it is already finished - and again, we like the new stuff a lot and can't stop playing and listening to it. We can definitely start recording a new album this year. We'll keep going.
- Markus from Transonic Science