Kissin’ Dynamite was formed in 2006. With all original band members still together, they’re going on their tenth year. Now at the average age of twenty-five, Kissin’ Dynamite recently released their fifth studio album, Generation Goodbye. It’s a great album that’s making waves, full of energy, with thought provoking lyrics, reaching #14 on the German charts and #59 in Switzerland.
The band has shared the stage with many iconic bands of the 80’s that were an inspiration to them growing up.
Music Life Magazine had the pleasure of speaking with Andi Schnitzer lyricist and drummer about the formation of the band, the message in their lyrics about today’s society and taking on the challenge of producing their own album. They have a great future ahead of them.
Hello Andi,
For those who haven’t heard of Kissin’ Dynamite here in the States, introduce yourself. Where are you from and how have you Hannes Braun (Vocals), Jim Müller (Guitar), Ande Braun (Guitar), Steffen Haile (Bass), and Andi Schnitzer (Drums) come together to form this band?
Hi there! We’re a German rock band, in the meanwhile they say we’re doing modern hard rock, based near Stuttgart, BadenWürttemberg in south Germany. We’ve been together since we were school mates and started making music when we were about 10 years old. Professionally and in this line up, Kissin’ Dynamite exists since 2008 when we released our debut named `Steel of Swabia’.
Kissin’ Dynamite has been together for 10 years with all the original band members, releasing five albums: Steel of Swabia (2008), Addicted to Metal (2010), Money, Sex & Power (2012), Megalomania (2014) and recently Generation Goodbye (2016). With each album there was a natural progression different look, different sound. Do you feel that you’ve found your identity as a band with this new album?
You’re right. Because of the fact that we started quite young, it took a while to really find our own style. That’s why sometimes there are quite big changes in the sounds and styles. But album after album, we came closer to what felt right and especially with Generation Goodbye, it feels as natural as it never did before. It was just like:
`Let’s do it, don’t think about it’, which I think is the best way to find your authentic way of making any kind of arts.
For Kissin’ Dynamite, I could describe it as a mixture of our old-school and new school influences. Old school influences are all the old bands we love, like AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Guns n’ Roses and so on. New school influences are the sounds of 2016, which are quite technical.
In 2014, Kissin’ Dynamite chose to leave Elephant Music and Management, to produce your own album Generation Goodbye. Prior to being independent, Hannes pre produced `Kissin’ Dynamite’s’ last album Megalomania that same year. This is a big step. What did you want to accomplish producing this album on your own as a band?
We just felt that the time is right and that we’re ready and that Hannes is ready as producer to produce our next album completely on his own. This brought a lot of freedom in terms of writing songs and especially finding our own relaxed groove of writing songs. It was very relaxed but focused at the same time this time, which are the best conditions to get a good result, I think. Therefore, it was very important to start very early with the songwriting, to just don’t get too much pressure of time. I think we already started writing in beginning of 2015.
Andi, you’re the drummer and write the lyrics, Hannes is the producer and writes the music. Reading the booklet in the CD, I noticed Jim and Ande are credited writing some of the lyrics. Can you describe the writing process; how does it begin?
In KD, everything always starts with a list of hopefully good slogans. Hannes wants them as the first step to get inspired to write some music. These slogans can come from everyone in the band. That’s why sometimes, there are also others than me mentioned in the credits. In this case, they brought the slogans. As a second step, Hannes sends me a demo of a song, where he already sings something which has got the right number of syllables and the rhymes at the right places. But it’s anything he sings, just as a placeholder. Now I’ve got a kind of template. Based on that I write the lyrics with hopefully a good sense and meaning. After this, we’ve actually got the song and the rest is only recording.
You’re very passionate about the lyrics, to send a strong message whether it’s about relationships, current events, the economy, even politics. A lot of artists shy away from politics in their music. Why do you feel it’s important to incorporate this subject in your music? And how has it been received?
I’m glad you noticed this. For me as the lyricist, it wouldn’t be satisfying to write lyrics only so Hannes has got anything to sing. If I do it, I want to do it right and I also want to spread a message which I think is what it’s all about as an artist. And this also sometimes can be uncomfortable, but that’s always been Rock N Roll. To do it right of course doesn’t always mean to have serious topics, but in this case, it was just a need to write about it, because for me, it was something that really was on my mind. I didn’t plan to write about politics, because we’re no punk band, but here and there, this also was an issue and so I didn’t want to avoid it. I think, it’s not enough as a band to just look good and play well. The people need to feel that you really want it and should be able to see why you want it and what you want to spread with the world. It’s been received really well. I talked to a lot of people who said that some songs really made them think, for example `Hashtag your Life’, which really holds up a mirror to everyone.
Generation Goodbye is `Kissin Dynamite’s’ fifth studio album. This was released in two segments, Europe July 8th and the US July 22nd. What has the reception been like in both markets?
I have to admit that I don’t really know how it’s received in the US, I hope well. But in Europe, we’ve got the best critics so far and also had the highest chart position ever, which was No. 14.
Now that we’ve discussed the inner workings of Kissin Dynamite, let’s talk about the album Generation Goodbye. I was first introduced to Kissin’ Dynamite by PR Dustin Hardman, AFM records, when he posted on Facebook the new video for Hashtag Your Life, the title catches your eye. Love the song, fun, energetic makes you want to move. I also can relate to the lyrics. Has the band experienced that type of atmosphere, the sea of cellphones at a show?
Thank you. Yes, of course. I guess, there’s almost no band that has gigs and haven’t experienced this phenomenon. Is already unnecessary to record half of the show, because you still only look on your display instead on the stage, but sometimes there were girls in the first row who wrote some messages during the gig. I think, I don’t have to say more about this.
`You’re caught in your cyber cocoon, while wasting away in your room’ is a strong statement. Describe the message of #hashtagyourlife and the obsession with social media.
Like the girls I just mentioned (of course it could also have been boys), many of us are controlled by their gadgets instead of control them. We don’t say that all this is generally bad, but mostly, a consciousness about finding an end is missing. I say, it’s nothing else but drugs. You’re addicted and can’t live without anymore, even in the first row of a concert. The result is the illusion of having a lot of friends or whatever, but the truth is: You’re alone, wasting away in your room, caught in your cyber cocoon.
Your second video release If Clocks Were Running Backwards, very powerful beautiful love ballad, tugs at the heart strings. I understand this song was inspired by the movie `The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’. Can you elaborate on that?
Hannes came up with this cool slogan after he watched that movie with Brad Pitt. (He didn’t watch it with Brad Pitt, but Brad Pitt’s the main actor in the movie).
It’s a slogan you could use in many different ways, I guess. Then he sent this beautiful ballad, so I knew, it would have to become a tragic love song also lyric wise. Everybody knows heartache and has sometime asked himself: What if clocks could run backwards and everything could be fine again. Luckily I also lived through something like that, so it was easy to write about it.
The third video release Generation Goodbye is the first song on the album, the title track. Who is Generation Goodbye?
This track is one of my faves, if not my favorite track, because in this song the basic theme of the album doesn’t just relate to a concrete topic like social media or a relationship, but just relates to the whole society and the whole world. Additionally, it’s just a great hymn and I like hymns.
The Generation Goodbye could be our generation that’s still living in a world that moves faster every day. I just asked myself: Why are there still more and more burned out, depressive or at least apathetic people in a world where we’ve got so much wealth and technology which we could have heaven on earth? The must be, that the problem lays in our heads, in the inside. Just now, when the world is turning faster and faster, we have to watch out that we don’t get lost in this vortex. For example: Everyone can look up everything at every time which leads to the illusion that he might be missing something, because he saw that his friend maybe experiences something cooler that he does. So he feels like that his situation’s not good enough, which is no good feeling. In the end, that’s why people get addicted to make even more money or gaining even more power, but in the end, there will always be someone who has more money or more power. That’s why we say: Our Generation’s got the chance to be conscious about this and say Goodbye to all that. It’s a great relief. Value what you have and be happy right now! For me, it feels like having beaten the final boss after many weeks of playing a big video game. It’s got some peace and stillness. So, all in all, it’s just about really enjoying your life. Carpe diem, baby!
On June 26th before the album was officially released Kissin’ Dynamite posted an Album Player on Facebook, all eleven songs on the album each playing a minute thirty seconds. Was this beneficial for you? Do you feel we’ll see more of this from artists promoting their new releases in the future?
It was a little teaser, a present for our fans. I’m still a fan myself and I have to admit that I like the fact, that you can listen to a part of the songs before you buy it. Like this, you can check out if it’s good enough for you to buy it. And it’s still only a third of the song, so we didn’t have any worries about it. I could imagine that this could be the regular way of promoting an album in the future.
There’s a bonus track on the CD, and I understand the Digipack has additional tracks. How many songs were recorded for this album?
The regular album contains 11 tracks. On the Digipack, there are 4 additional bonus tracks. Living on the Fastlane, a completely new song, a tender acoustic version of Only the Good Die Young, which originally is on our debut Steel of Swabia, and 2 live tracks which are I Will Be King and Operation Supernova from the Money Sex & Power album, recorded in Colone in December 2015 in front of 12000 people.
Kissin’ Dynamite has toured Germany, Italy, Japan to name a few. For the first time you will tour the Ukraine towards the end of this year. Do you have any expectations playing in front of a new fan base?
I guess, the best is to have no expectations. But of course, we’re really excited to break new ground and hope to convince the people over there.
And will you do anything different at these shows?
We haven’t spoken about that, but I see no reason to change something. We prepare the best show we think we can make and everyone shall be able to see it.
Of course I have to ask, North America. Will there be a tour in the works for the States?
It’s still a big big dream to come to you, but unfortunately there are no concrete plans in the work at the moment. I will take it in my next silent prayer.
Recently you have adopted the phrase `Permanent Vacation’, it sounds like retirement which I know isn’t true, explain the significance of this phrase to you?
Haha, I started to use that term in my everyday life after I got it from an album title of Aerosmith. Soon, it was the new motto in the band. It’s quite inspiring I think, because if you can manage to see your whole life not as hard work with some little islands of vacation, but as permanent vacation, wouldn’t it be cool? It just means: Do what you love and nothing will be that hard work anymore. Hard work for me are only things I really don’t want to do.
Lastly is there anything else you would like to say to your fans?
As I already mentioned, unfortunately there are no plans to play a tour through the US right now, but we give all we got to change this! Till then, I just can recommend our latest record Generation Goodbye. I can say, it’s our best so far. I hope you like it and someday see you on a show in America! Rock n Roll!
Thank you very much Andi for your time. I wish you continued success, and look forward to seeing you tour North America in the future.
Thank you very much! It was a pleasure.
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