Co-blogging (surfjoint.dk)
Interview with PISTOLA

In 2006 PISTOLA rocked the Surfjoint crowd so hard that during their performance most of the inventory had to be removed from the tent to prevent it from being completely obliterated by the raging masses. Needless to say they hereby created the benchmark from which all future Surfjoint performances have been held up against.
Now PISTOLA is back for Surfjoint 08 to give you the best Rage Against the Machine performance you have ever experienced and just as we are all holding our breath in anticipation, we caught up with the band for a quick interview only a few weeks from the big showdown.
1. You are without question the best Rage Against the Machine cover band we have ever experienced anywhere. The first question that is pushing through is: Why the exclusive devotion to playing Rage Against the Machine?
a. Well, there are several reasons for this. One is that the combined skills of the four “guilty parties” fit perfectly for this particular music. Another is that the music of RATM satisfies all of our sensibilities: great music together with great lyrics and aggressive rock riffs together with an undeniable hip-hop groove. But in the most basic of basics, it’s simply all about LUV! We love this music, and to once again get chance to have the Surfjoint crowd pay tribute to it along with us is a tremendous honor.
2. Almost all of RATM’s music is very challenging instrumentally to play and extremely difficult to get to sound just remotely like the real thing. We are sure many aspiring cover bands would like to know how long time it took you to absolutely nail it?
a. Wow…we lose track of time, but the idea of starting a RATM “cover-up” came out of a jam-session about seven years ago. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to hook up regularly for the past years because we live in different parts of the country. Instead, from time to time, we immerse ourselves in rehearsals over a whole weekend – those are truly good times! But what we can say about our efforts to get it right, is that we decided fairly early on that we wanted to get as close as possible to the original music, both in sound, feel, and in composition. That is still our governing principle.
3. It has been two years since last time you played at Surfjoint. What are your expectations for Surfjoint 08?
a. Surfjoint ’06 was a blast and people really embraced us. We were caught off guard and overwhelmed at the intensity of the positive vibe of the crowd that night. But the crowd was also caught off guard – most of the people didn’t know what we were all about. Now they do, and hopefully all parties can benefit from that. Our expectations are that Surfjoint ’08 will be completely off the chain. We’ll be at the top of our game and we plan to introduce new realms of ecstasy to any and all who joins us.
4) As you know, Surfjoint donates 2/3 of its earning to charity. Do you think it makes any difference to the crowd that they, aside from being a part of a great party, also contribute in bringing happiness and quality of life to people across the world that most probably never have heard the word Surfjoint and might never event get the chance to go surfing? Does it make any difference to you?
a. We’re sure it matters to the crowd, and it most definitely matters to us. With the kindness and generosity that we’ve experienced from the international surfing community, it’s difficult to imagine that too many would chose to keep a fat pocket at the expense of those less fortunate. There seems to be a profound humanity about these people that is really inspirational. And as far as we’re concerned, we’re not in it for the profits – we play for LUV, not for money…besides, being in PISTOLA is just too much damn fun to defile it with simple greed.
5) Your performance during Surfjoint 06 was unforgettably awesome. Any hints on what the crowd should be looking especially forward to when you take the stage of Surfjoint 08?
a. Well we don’t want to give away too much, but beside all the great tracks we played last time around, we are bringing some new crowd-pleasing material to Surfjoint ’08. Other than that, the crowd should just be looking forward to the whole gritty and groovy thing – we sure do!
6) Last year we saw both Surfact and Zulu Souljahs/Universal challenging the waves of Klitmøller before they went on stage during Surfjoint 07. Any chance of seeing you out in the water charging this year?
a. There is definitely a 100% certainty that you’ll catch one if not all of us challenging the rowdy waves of Klitmøller. Alex, who beats the bass in our band, is a border-line fanatical surfer, so the real challenge might just be to drag him away from the beach in time for the showdown.
7) Finally, could you drop a line to the many Surfjoint veterans that are waiting in anticipation for your return?
a. Yeah, we’d love to: what’s up everybody! We can’t wait to come back and tear it up with you! Come to Surfjoint Saturday, if you tune in and turn on, then we’ll blow the damn roof off!!!


