Presents: A short interview with by Fassen Näslund (fassen.naeslund@swipnet.se) after a gig at Café 44, Stockholm, Sweden, 16-Oct-97.

Dryad are: Helena Alsterhed (vocals) Rickard Strand (guitar) Martin Fågelström (guitar) Joel Berg (bass) Fredrik Hultgren (drums)

© 1997 Scandinavian Indie Key: (Q) - Fassen Näslund (RS) - Rickard Strand (HA) - Helena Alsterhed

Q. How did you get the idea to call the band 'Dryad'? (a treespirit in the Greek Mythology)
RS: The band was called 'Cone' at first but we found out that there already existed a band with that name so we had to change. Helena found the word 'Dryad' in a dictionary.

Q. When did the band start?
RS: The band was formed a little more than two years ago under the name 'Cone'. We changed to 'Dryad' about six months later. We changed some members earlier this year so the current lineup is fairly new.

Q. What did you think about the concert at Kafé 44?
RS: It was fun. The sound was fairly good and we managed to get some action both on and in front of the stage. We have been working a lot with our performance lately.
HA: Yes, you can´t just stand still and play. You got to move with the music. You can rehearse the songs until you can play them in your sleep but that will not help you unless you manage to get some personality into the performance.

Q. What songs did you play at the concert?
RS: 'No Pride Aquired', 'Headlights', 'Sleepy', 'Alone', 'Vampire', 'Beautiful Man', 'Seasons', 'Walk Around The Never Corner', 'Rooftops'.

Q. How would you describe your music?
RS: Some kind of rock music... You just have to see us live and form an opinion of your own. A couple of our earlier songs could possibly be described as pop songs, but things have gradually turned heavier towards a genuine rock sound.

Q. Who writes the songs?
RS: It´s a teamwork. Someone comes up with an idea to a song, maybe a couple of chords or some lyrics, and then we spend a couple of hours in our rehearsal room to see if we can develop the idea and create a new song.
HA: If someone else in the band comes up with the idea to the music I try to create a singing melody to match the music and after that I start working with the lyrics. When I get the idea it´s often the other way around. I get inspired by events in my everyday life or in the big world outside and then I try to catch my feelings about these events with the help of the written language. The lyrics then provides the foundation to the singing melody. The next step will be the music. Sometimes I end up with a complete song, sometimes we create the music together.

Q. I know that Helena has worked a lot with amateur theatre. How about the rest of the band? Do you have that background too?
RS: No, but everyone except myself are studying music at Rytmus (a cultural school) so we get a lot of different musical influences.

Q. What kind of music do you listen to in your sparetime?
RS: I like everything from pop to hardcore. It´s the same with the others.
HA: Yes, I listen to a lot of different stuff. I have always listened to different female artists as Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin and Polly Jean Harvey. Other "heroes" are Blind Melon and Heather Nova. But I tend to listen to everything that rocks with a soul and a pure heart. I´m also into folkmusic, for example Noa, and... Well, you get the picture.

Q. What are you doing in your sparetime?
RS: We go a lot to concerts to get inspiration and to feel the energy.

Q. The last question: What are your plans for the near future?
RS: We will be going into a studio in November to record a new demo. After that... Well a recording contract would be nice...

We´ll review that demo as soon as we get a chance. Remember were you read about 'Dryad' first. And do check them out if they come to a town near you.

Scandinavian Indie Dryad interview 16-Oct-97 by Fassen Näslund

This page was last updated Jan 12, 1998 by Erik Söderström You are our Dryad interview visitor 448 since November 2019 .