Sawdust & Rust on Caroline and Leaving a Memory [INTERVIEW]

Sawdust & Rust on Caroline and Leaving a Memory

12/31/2018

Where are you from and where are you currently based?
I am from Gothenburg, Sweden's second largest town, located on the West Coast. Born and raised right outside the city but with Finnish ancestry, so my second home is in Finland, in the forest by a lake.

How would you describe your musical sound and style?
It's a fusion of styles, embedded in a traditional folk storytelling tradition, with influences from Blues, to Soul to Americana and the common factor being easily listening melodies and thoughtful, 'real life' inspired lyrics. Artists ranging from Crowded House, Lumineers and Mumford and Sons to Tom Petty and James Taylor have been attributed to my sound!

What are some of your career highlights so far?
My song, "Caroline", which is the first song on my first album is in itself a highlight for me. It was the track that started the whole idea of the album, so it has a special place in my heart. I think the process of creating this album was interesting since the songs have been written over quite a long period of time and many of them together with several different co-writers. To pick and choose what tracks to record was sometimes difficult but I think it worked well in the end.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mathias Hammer (@goodhammertimes) on Apr 12, 2018 at 12:32pm PDT

I recorded a lot of the album on the Faroe Islands and that trip and those sessions were definitely something to remember. Also, the album has just been licensed for use in movies and TV, so with a little luck, my voice will be the soundtrack to some scene with guy riding alone towards the sunset. Who knows?!

How would you describe "Caroline" to someone who had never heard it before?
It's a folksy track with a soaring chorus that manages to be sad and happy at the same time. "Caroline" is about a relationship that maybe is about to end but we're not sure. There is perhaps a love triangle - the singer's love interest is about to be married, but is it to the singer or to someone else? Let's just say that it's complicated!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sawdust & Rust (@sawdustandrustmusic) on Mar 26, 2018 at 1:47pm PDT

Take us through the creative process - how did you write the song?
A few years ago, on a songwriting retreat in Greenland of all places, I met singer-songwriter Benjamin Petersen from the Faroe Islands (he is also a solo artist under the name Son of Fortune). We were set to write together one day and we started by walking around the village of Sisimiut (with 6000 inhabitants) and got a feel for the place. This was in April and it is Winter in Greenland. Clear blue sky, icy cold and snow everywhere. Some imagery stuck with us: the bright red church upon the hill, the graveyard with rows and rows of wooden crosses in the snow. It's quite a magical place and the stark, raw nature tends to open you up emotionally.

We started off with Benjamin noodling a riff on his banjo, while I strummed my guitar, finding an alternate tuning. Melody and lyric ideas bounced off each other and in maybe half an hour we had the bones of the song. Of course, we had to sneak in "the midnight sun" in the lyrics as well.

What are your plans for 2019 and what should we expect from you?
I have just moved into a new studio space and will be working on new tracks for an upcoming Sawdust & Rust EP, that will be out sometime during the latter part of 2019. Apart from that, I am finishing up two musicals (yes, I am eclectic, I know!) one of which is set to open this February in my hometown of Gothenburg.

A huge thank you to Sawdust & Rust for taking the time to answer questions from our partner, The Music Elk. Please check out Sawdust & Rust on social media using the links below!