Davis from Autumn Kids can a little bit of
Swedish and that´s fun I think. Here have the
german group answered a lot of questions from
me. May-2022
Please tell me a little bit history of the
group?
Davis: ‘Autumn Kids' was founded in late 2016 by
Adrian (drums) and me (vocals / sampling). We
met through a German musician forum and after a
few months we met Marvin (bass). Through a
friend of mine, our former guitarist Mirko
joined us. We were a group of 4 for a good 1 1/2
years and recorded our first self-titled demo
together. Unfortunately Mirko moved back to his
hometown in Northern Germany together with his
girlfriend and through another friend of mine
the 3 of us met Patrick (guitar) and Basti
(guitar). So since 2018 there are five of us!
Please tell me a little about every member in
the group right now, age, family, work,
interests and something bad about everyone?
Earlier bands? Other bands on the side?
Davis: I think we can all speak for ourselves!
I'm Davis, 25 years old and besides music I work
as a software developer and study philosophy,
literature and history. I played in 2 more or
less known hardcore and metal bands before
‘Autumn Kids’. Besides 'Autumn Kids' I have a
post-rock project called ‘Albatrosses Over
Munich’.
Patrick: My name is Patrick, 29, I work in
retail and I’m probably the most impatient
person on earth. I live in Bamberg with two
cats, a dog and my lovely girlfriend. Together
with Basti I played in a band called “All Is Not
Lost” and I was also in “Kotov Syndrome”.
Adrian: My name is Adrian, I'm 24 and work as a
caregiver / male nurse. Besides autumn kids, my
girlfriend and my 2 cats mean the world to me. I
never played in any bands before so this is a
whole new experience for me. I started playing
drums at the age of 6 and started looking for
bandmates when I was 16 but it never worked out
until I met Davis.
Marvin: My name is Marvin, I’m 22 and currently
unemployed but I will start an apprenticeship to
become a train driver in September. Before
Autumn Kids I only played in the band of my
former high-school haha. Which was actually
quite fun though because our music teacher had a
cool music taste. I started playing bass when I
was 14 and besides Autumn Kids my family and my
girlfriend are super important to me.
Basti: I'm Basti, 27 years old and quite at the
end of a masters program in power engineering.
Besides I have a job at university. Together
with Patrick I was in a band called “All Is Not
Lost”. I'm not that guy that sticks two one
hobby, so they change quite a lot. I sometimes
take stuff to personal haha.
I can hear much different influences but much
emocore and and some hardcore etc? Favorites
from the past?
Davis: That is definitely correct. I think
mainly Marvin and I have an emo background but
the cool thing about our band is that we all
come from different subgenres. One of my first
CDs was Fugazi - In On The Kill Taker from my
dad. But my favorites are acts like Saetia,
Funeral Diner, Inside Out and Black Flag.
Patrick: I’m also interested in lots of
different genres like Mathcore, Deathcore but
also Indie Rock/Pop or general Pop music. Some
of my favorites are Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande
and Biffy Clyro.
Marvin: I don’t really listen to Hardcore that
much anymore so sometimes when the other guys
are talking about Hardcore or Metalcore bands, I
don’t have a clue what they are talking about. I
mainly listen to (Post-)Punk, Indie music,
Math-Rock, Emo and Pop. When I was younger I
listened to more Metal and Hardcore of course.
Basti: If you’d ask Davis, probably he would say
slayer and stoner rock haha. In the end it's
quite diverse and you can find post punk, garage
punk, surf rock, wave stuff, stoner, indie,
metal, hardcore and currently also hip hop on my
playlists. Tbh I'm not the biggest fan of
autotune-sounding stuff.
Autumn Kids are you satisfied with the name? How
did it came up? Are you all born in the autumn
or what does it mean? You weren’t afraid that
some other band would be named like this? Which
is the best bandname you know?
Davis: We often get asked this question and in
fact 'Autumn Kids' has no real profound meaning.
We were brainstorming for a long time when we
started and Marvin came up with the idea of
'Autumn Kids'. We all thought it was cool and we
haven't changed the name since. But for me
personally, autumn is my favourite season. The
best band name is really difficult. But I think
I'll go with 'I Would Set Myself On Fire For
You', a screamo band from Atlanta, USA. The name
is so nice and straightforward.
What´s the best thing with playing live? What is
your strength as a live band? Is it good to be
back on stage after the covidthing?
Patrick: It’s basically everything connected to
a live show. Meeting people, visiting different
cities, presenting the music you worked a lot
on, being able to perform. Performance is
probably our biggest strength. Everyone has his
own style and together there is always a lot of
energy on the stage. Adrian, our drummer, is a
machine live and Davis was just born to perform.
We couldn’t be happier to perform in front of
people again and there are lots of shows coming
this summer!
And where is best to play? And the worst place?
Or isn´t it any worst place?
Patrick: There isn’t really a bad place to play
a live show, but we will probably never play in
Mannheim again. Had two shows there, drove about
400 km to play in front of 3 to 4 people. Still
fun times though.
Davis: One of my favorite shows was in a small
bar in Hamburg probably! fun times.
Marvin: It was perhaps not our “best show ever”
but I really enjoyed playing in Pilsen last
April.
How is to play this sort of music in Germany
right now? Which types of bands do you have
concerts together with?
Davis: We play rather melancholic music. We've
had shows where the audience felt us every
second, but we've also played hardcore shows
where we weren't tough enough for some people.
We played a lot with hardcore, indie or emo
bands the last years before Pandemic but one
band that stood out a lot are our friends from
‘Oakhands’.
How would you describe your music in three words
to people who never have heard you?
Patrick: Energetic, emotional, eclectic
What does punk mean to you, is it only a word or
is it a lifestyle? Have it changed through the
years?
Davis: For me, punk is swimming against the
grain, individuality and going your own way. I
guess I was always the 'black sheep' who always
questioned everything somehow. But from time to
time I turned away from all the punk fashion
bullshit and drinking beer at station squares.
I'm still a rebel at heart.
Which song/album or group was it who took you
into punk/hardcore? And did so you wanted to
play yourself?
Patrick: The Dillinger Escape Plan got me into
„harder“ music and seeing them live made me want
to play live, with the same energy. Still
working on it though.
What shall a young guy do today to shock their
parents as the way we did when we were young?
They have already seen everything ? Or isn´t it
necessary to be shocking your parents?
Davis: Difficult question. I don't think it's
necessary to shock your parents, because that
always happens on its own. For my parents it was
a shock that I grew my hair long.
How is it to live in Germany right now?
Politically? Fascists? The antivaxxers? What do
the german government says about the war in
Ukraina?
Davis: I think in Germany it's just as shitty as
in many other countries in Europe. Too many old
farts are in government, too much corruption,
the far-right is growing more and more every
year, and stop with these idiots who refuse to
vaccinate. These morons are also to blame
because many DIY venues and promoters had to
close during the pandemic. First of all: Freedom
for Ukraine! Destroy Fascism! This country is
being literally massacred by a fascist and our
government has been watching and not reacting
for 2 months. At least they show "some sort of"
solidarity and also say no to the war.
Is there any good bands from Germany right now?
Is the punkscene/metalscene/hardcorescene big?
How is it in your hometown?
Davis: Yeah, the scene is pretty big here in
Germany. But Bamberg can definitely stand a
little more DIY! To name a few good bands that I
personally listen to: Oakhands, Slon, Spirit
Crusher, Maulgruppe and Akne Kid Joe.
Patrick: I love to watch all the bands we are
playing with, no matter how “big” or “small”
they are. Especially in the metal/hardcore scene
some people just attend concerts to see one
specific band and they don’t really care about
the others playing.
Basti: totally agree with Patrick. There are so
many “small” bands worth listening to and it's
always amazing seeing them live.
What do you know about Sweden? Have you been
here sometime? What is typical Swedish? And you
can a little Swedish, how have you learned that?
And what is typical german?
Davis: Ja! Jag talar lite svenska. I was in
Stockholm and my family has some crossovers
there. Swedes are all super friendly in my
opinion, will probably always talk to you in
English when they realize you are not 100% from
Sweden and have super weird eating habits. But
hey that's totally okay because we have them
too!
Have you heard any good bands from Sweden?
Davis: Definitely. DS-13, Refused, Suis La Lune,
Katatonia to name a few. We even covered New
Noise by Refused for a while!
Your lyrics, who does them and what influences
you? Never in german. Please tell me a little
about the following songs
-Sleep
-Monument
-Coma
Davis: I write all the lyrics. Mostly they are
personal experiences or dealing with emotional
conflicts. Lyrically, however, poems by
Bukowski, books by Kafka, Dostoevsky or Hermann
Hesse have influenced me a lot.
'Sleep' describes the first 4 of 5 stages of
grief, a model by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. The
protagonist is confronted with the phases of
denial, anger and bargaining and finally ends up
in a deep depression, which is a one-way-ticket
to deepest remorse and hopelessness.
‘Monument’ is an ode to obsession and
acceptance. Falling in love can sometimes lead
into an extremely unhealthy and toxic construct
without noticing it for a long time. You get so
obsessed with the social definition of ‘love’
and the implausible idea of a conflict-free
relationship between 2 persons that you totally
forget that this sort of pressure is hurting
your partner. The ‘art of letting go’ is
something that we all need to learn at some
point.
‘Coma’ is a very personal love song and is about
the acceptance of not being perfect but to still
try everything to be loveable. ‘I silently
accept that these shadows will stay with me,
because I know you’ll walk this way with me’
describes exactly that. ‘I tried to hide from
myself for so many years but If I could be
someone you used to know It would mean
everything to me’ describes the fear of not
being good enough. ‘The Temptation That Is You’
by ‘The Saddest Landscape’ was a big influence
for the lyrics of this song.
Is there any subject that you never will write
anything about? Or isn´t anything sacred?
Davis: I generally try to pack a lot of
metaphors into my lyrics, so it's not
necessarily hard for me to write about
uncomfortable topics like depression or drug
abuse. If it feels right then I will write about
it.
Politic and music, does it goes hand in hand?
Which is your most political song? Is it
important to get out your opinions in music? Or
is it OK to play music and not sing about
politics? Otherwise it is important as a band to
show where you stand in political questions as
fascism etc?
Davis: I wouldn't say that 'Autumn Kids' is a
band with a lot of political content but we are
all straight up anti-fascists and politically
left. Our most political song is probably
"Retrospektive" which is completely in german
and is about the growing right wing spectrum and
our resistance against it. For me personally
it's totally okay if a band doesn't want to have
political lyrics, but I think it's even more
important that you position yourself
politically. All this trash talk about "being
apolitical" is just lying to yourself as an
artist.
Best political band/artist?
Davis: Body Count!
Do you think that music(lyrics and so on) can
change anyones life, I mean people who listens
to music? Do you have any example?
Davis: Absolutely. Bands like Have Heart,
Gorilla Biscuits, Black Flag and a lot of the
other punk, hardcore and emo bands made me the
person I am today.
Your favorite recordcover alltime? Who does your
recordcovers? And do you have any good
recordstores in your hometown?
Davis: Favorite cover artwork: Joy Division -
Unknown Pleasures. Even after over 40 years of
existence it’s still timeless. My girlfriend and
artist Tamara Grünwald did all of our designs.
Marvin: Good choice, Davis! I also really like
the cover artwork of “Ants From Up There” by
Black Country, New Road.
Is it important to get out physical records of
your stuff? Why or why not? Vinyl, CD, cassette,
what do you prefer if you could choose whatever
? How does your new record come out, is it only
vinyl or?
Davis: Nowadays in times of Spotify, iTunes etc.
I don't think it's too important to release your
music physically. As an artist, however, it’s
important to hold my product in my hands, at
least in the form of vinyl, after years of work
and tons of money that I have put into it.
Otherwise, of course, the usual promo CD's !
Please tell me a funny thing which have happened
during your career and under some gig?
Patrick: Sometimes I fuck up a part during a
live set and i have to instantly check if Basti
recognized it. He always does. But we always
share a smile after it.
Davis: One day Marvin was so drunk that the next
morning he pissed in front of the hotel that was
booked for us. We are still pretty mad at him
for that.
Basti: we're all weirdos you know. And most of
the time somebody is doing some pretty
akward/funny thing. But one of the best stories
is when Patrick and I wanted to drive Adrian to
the train station in Nuremberg. He's not very
talkative so we
How does your audience look like? Which people
do you miss on your concerts? Which is the
biggest band you ever have played together with?
Is there any of your fans who have done any
”crazy” thing as a tattoo with your name or
something like that?
Davis: Mostly a lot of people from the
punk/hardcore/emo spectrum. We would be very
happy if more girls would dare to come to our
shows. Hardcore is not just boys fun so show
them and kick their asses! Nothing really
freaky. We once felt very much like rock stars
when we were supposed to sign a CD. hehe
Patrick: Fun fact, we’re probably our biggest
fans ourselves because we all got the same
autumn leave tattooed (by Davis) on our legs.
Please rank your five favoriterecords, five
favoriteconcerts and five most important things
in life?
Davis: Records: 5. Interpol - Turn On The Bright
Lights 4. Fugazi - Repeater 3. At The Drive In -
Relationship Of Command 2. Lifelover - Konkurs
1. Have Heart - The Things We Carry
Concerts: 5. Earth Crisis - Fluff Fest 2016 4.
Foxing - Café Wagner Jena 2017 3. Raein - Fluff
Fest 2015 2. White Fields - JUZ Domino Coburg
2012 1. Have Heart Reunion - Essigfabrik Cologne
2019
Import Things In Life: 5. My Bookshelf 4. My
Spotify Playlists 3. My Dogs 2. My Friends /
Autumn Kids 1. My Girlfriend
First, last and most expensive record ever
bought? Or do you don´t buy records?
Davis: It's been a while since I bought a record
but it must have been the first press of
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny
Fists Like Antennas to Heaven. Fantastic record.
Marvin: I think the most expensive record I’ve
ever bought was “Blazing Fires And Helicopters
[...]” by the Swedish band Suffocate For Fuck
Sake on Discogs. This record was pretty rare at
some point but to my bad luck it got reissued
some weeks later after I bought it and would’ve
been much cheaper then haha.
Is it boring with interviews? Is it much
interviews?
Patrick: We don’t get interview requests a lot,
so it’s a huge honor for us to share something
about us with you. We would love to do some more
in the future.
Do you care about reviews? Which is the most
peculiar you ever had, with this band or any
other band you have been to? Have you ever
changed anything after a bad review?
Patrick: Reviews are very important to us. It’s
always helpful to get someone's opinion and we
use this , especially after our last EP, to
improve ourselves the best we can.
Which bands do people compare you to, is it
boring that people compare you to other bands or
is it understandable? And which is the most odd
band you have been compared to?
Patrick: We get compared to bands like La
Dispute, Defeater, or Fjørt from Germany and we
can see why, because we are influenced by bands
like this a lot. But there are always just a few
certain songs compared to another band’s sound
and people are telling us that we still have a
unique style to Autumn Kids which makes us very
proud.
If you could choose five bands from the past and
the history and nowadays and both dead and
living bands to have a concert together with
your band. Which five have you chosen?
Davis: Orchid, Hot Cross, Sinaloa, Jawbreaker,
Slint
Is music a good way to get out frustration and
become a nicer person outside the music?
Patrick: For sure! But it’s also about having
fun, being creative and balancing out my
everyday life.
Which is the question you want to have but you
never get. Please ask it and answer it?
Patrick:
How does it feel to headline Wacken Open Air?
Answer: As great as the last few times ;)
One more question….beerfavorite sort? If you did
a beer which sort would it be and what have it
been called?
Marvin: My favourite type of beer is probably,
as we call it in Germany, “Helles”. I don’t have
a favourite brewery in particular, however,
Reckendorfer or Mahrs-Bräu are never bad
choices. There is also a local brewery called
“Bro-Bier” with whom Patrick has good
connections and we sometimes joke around about
having an “Autumn-Kids-Bräu” together with that
brewery. Hey Patrick, make that happen! Haha