METAL MAIDEN OF THE MONTH
Interview done by NICK
Names : Britta Goertz
Home : Hanover, Germany
Myspace page: myspace. com/cripperthrash
Metal
Pit:
At what age did you decide you wanted to be a singer and how did you get into
Metal?
Britta: I have always been an active member of any kind of scene I
was in. Not only as a singer. Be it as a musician or more in the background as a
photo artist, model or whatever - so my creative output was not always focussed
on metal and/or singing.
I started singing metal with Cripper, that was when
I was 26. So pretty late for starting with that - but who cares? I have a
passion for strong, extreme and intense music. Metal, especially thrash metal is
my first choice.
Britta: Clean vocals are a little bit harder than the growls and screams. I am
practicing both a lot, so my skills are becoming better.
When we recorded our demo "Killer Escort Service" in
2005 I used clean vocals and growls for some of the songs. Since then we did not
do that again, even though I can sing a lot better now. Our style has developed
and clean vocals don't seem to fit in. But who knows? I wouldn't say that we'd
never use clean vocals again.
Metal
Pit:
When I saw the video for the song "Wake up Dead" for the first time,what jumped
out at me was your intensity at the microphone, is singing a way for you to
channel your aggression?
By the way – the video of "Wake Up Dead" was shot at our demo-release gig in a friend's living room. We thought that the police would show up immediately and so we played a very short set at first. But nothing happened, not even the neighbours were complaining. In the end we played two sets and even another present band performed!
Metal
Pit: You also have vids on your Myspace page for the songs "Shortcut" and a live
version of "Attention defict",is it cool making the videos or is it alot of work
and something that is a necessary evil?
Britta: Attention deficit is a live video, we did nothing more (or less) than just play and being filmed at the same time. It was only one shot. Shortcut was a totally different thing. This project was Jonathan's diploma project. He (like Christian, too) is a graphic designer and so he did the whole thing on his own. We put up a green screen, filmed each other several times from different angles and then Jon put it all together. He also did the drawings you can see, it is no ready-made effect he used – he did the about 1000 drawings one by one on his own. That was perhaps the only "necessary evil" about it :-) But he's well again and we're already thinking about which song off the next album to pick for another vid.
Metal
Pit:
Can you tell us about your bandmates and what makes Cripper stand out from some
other bands?
Hmmm, let me try to give a short description of each one... Christian (guitar) is the king of understatement and also very skillful in any kind of negotiations. He also wins most of the wordplay-battles. Although we don't have a bandleader in the proper sense, Jonathan (guitar) is our bandsheriff and quite sceptical about everything, especially about new songs and songwriting in general. And I bet that when he reads this interview he will be thinking that HE wins most of the wordplay-battles :-) Dennis (drums) is a split personality sometimes :-) On the one hand he is our nonsense-detector and often brings disussions to the point. On the other hand he can be very unorganised and forgetfull. Bass-T (bass guitar) loves bananas. On our last tour he wore bananas in his dreadlocks all the time. He is a very kind person and I have never experienced him being mad at someone or acting rude. We also share a flat.
Our guitarists Christian and Jonathan are also very talented graphic designers. Dennis is a programmer, Bass-T a sound engineer and my profession is advertising and marketing. So through our jobs and skills we sometimes have certain advantages over other bands. We don't have to worry about artwork, website etc. That saves a lot of money and nerves, cause you don't need to explain your taste and thoughts to someone who is not in the band. That makes things a lot easier :-)
Metal
Pit:
As a strong woman in a Heavy Metal band have you ever encountered any negative
people who dont understand or support what you do?
Britta: Hmm, I can't really remember someone being negative about what we're or I'm doing... So far I haven't experienced any disrespect for being a girl in a metal band or crap like that.
Metal Pit: Cripper has played at the "Thrash till Death" and also "The Queens of Metal" festivals,can you tell us about those experiences?
Britta: Thrash till Death was the first festival we played. And also the first open-air
show. It was a great experience and I remember feeling really good on stage. I
also went crowdsurfing on our own audience for the first time. I think it's very
sad that this festival does no longer exist – it was small and felt like being
with friends and family.
The Queens
of Metal festival is organized by some bandmembers of our friends of the band
"Hatred". It's a great festival atmosphere there, the festival is neither too
small nor too big. We felt very comfortable on stage and on the campground. It
has been our second time that we played in southern Germany, so there weren't
that many people who already knew us. But they liked our show and more and more
people stopped and watched.
Metal
Pit:
The crowds had to be insane,how many fans do you think you performed
for?
Britta: You mean all in all? I have no idea... The biggest crowd we played in front of
so far must be Metalcamp Festival 2008 I guess. There weren't thousands of
people, but enough to call it a "real crowd".
Metal Pit: You seem like a natural on stage,is that where you think you and the band excel?
Britta: That might be an aspect, yeah. We all prefer natural acting. Our music comes from our hearts and there's no use for us to add something extra that's just not us.
Metal Pit: Being the only female in a band I am sure at times is a little awkward,especially when touring , have there been any crazy road stories you can share with us?
Britta: We're always on the road in a car, five people jammed together in a
fiveseater... that might be worse than a tour bus :-) I have this incredible
skill to know any bandmember by tone of snoring, body odors and breathing rhythm
;-)
But not only men sweat on stage,
even girls need to change their clothes from time to time! The funny thing is,
when I change my clothes backstage and sometimes am wearing only bra and
panties, all boys and men in the room don't dare take any looks at me and
suddenly start to pretend that even the wall or a coffee cup is more interesting
:-) I really appreciate being treated with that respect, but it's sometimes a
silly situation.
Metal
Pit:
The band has a 6- song demo called "Killer Escort Service" and the current cd
"Freak Inside" (Which I personally think is a Thrash Metal Masterpiece),can you
tell us how you as a vocalist have progressed with the two cds?
Metal
Pit:
Can you tell us more about "Freak Inside" and what that cd represents to the
band?
Britta: It's what we always wanted to do, produce an album. It feels great to go to a
store and see your baby, your piece of hard work and fun sold there. As I said
before, the experience of listening to your own playing and singing is really
satisfying. You hear each and every mistake you make, each detail. That makes
you get better.
Metal
Pit:
Are there any new tours in the near future for the band?
Metal
Pit:
Who are some of your musical influences and who would you most want to play live
with?
Metal Pit: What is the best Metal show you have seen (Besides yourselves,haha)
Britta: Unfortunately we have never seen us playing live, only on tape but that doesn't really count. I'd really like to see a show of us! The best show I've ever seen was Opeth in Berlin in december 2008 It was amazing, I remember the gig like I was in a trance. Down in Hamburg, also last year I saw a Great show, Phil Anselmo who is a great singer and entertainer.
Metal Pit: I have talked with several other German Metal bands and it seems to me the scene has exploded over the last few years in Germany, can you explain this?
Britta: After all the crap music of the 90s people seemed to have found their good taste in music again :-) I think it's the same with everything – trends come and go.
Metal Pit: Are there any plans to tour the States someday?
Britta: Oh we'd love to come and tour the US, but there are no realistic plans so far. I
have never been to the US and I am very curious.
Metal Pit: What is your opinion on women in Heavy Metal today?
Britta: Musicians, no Barby dolls.
Metal Pit: Do you consider your self a role model for any young women wanting to get into Metal and if so what would your advice be to them?
Britta: No, I don't see myself as a role model. Nevertheless it sometimes happens that someone (girls and boys) come up to me or one of the other bandmembers and ask us for advice or tell us how much they like the show. If someone would ask me for any kind of advice I would say: "Follow your heart, never stop learning, work hard on your skills and have fun no matter what you do!"
Metal Pit: Where can fans pickup your music and are there any plans for a third cd in the works?
Britta: Yeah, even the recordings are already in progress. European fans can get our stuff in their local record store, fans overseas can go to our website (which will be released in English, too with the new album) and get it there. We are taking care of our internet shop ourselves, so you may also just write an e-mail and get in contact with us.
Metal Pit: Any idea when the new cd it will be finished?
Britta: We are planning to release it in early summer 2009, in the mid of June.
Metal Pit: Can you tell us something about yourself that maybe your fans do not know?
Britta: What I think is really strange is that most of my boyfriends were drummers. I don't know why. I never knew on the first date, I always found out later... Hmm, well - not very interesting, is it?
Metal Pit: What does it mean to you to be Metal Pit's Maiden of the month and to be
representing women in Heavy Metal?
Britta: Nick, thank you and the Metal Pit for this interview. It was very nice talking to you. Hope to meet you one day! Cheers to everyone and take care!
Horns up Brothers and Sisters............NICK
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