Crimson Moon: How did the band get started?
Ivan: I started Skin Tuxedo as a solo-project in 2012. I had some ideas that didn’t fit anywhere else. And most of the songs almost wrote themselves. It was quite liberating! Jesper Dalsgaard joined the band in 2013 as the second guitarist.
Crimson Moon: What kind of music do you play?
Ivan: The music could be described as alternative rock with a twist of melancholia. But we really don´t want to limit ourselves to one genre if we suddenly feel like doing something else.
Crimson Moon: How has the band response been?
Ivan: Very positive! It hits a wide audience I think.
Crimson Moon: Where did the band name come from?
Ivan: I found a skin tight tuxedo on the internet and thought it was a cool name. My first intention was for us to wear that tuxedo at future gigs. Haha! But we´ll see…
Crimson Moon: Introduce the band members
Ivan: (Vocals, guitar, piano) is 35 and has been writing own material since the age of 16.
Jesper: (Guitar, bass) is 30 years old and has been playing in several bands earlier. Mostly cover bands though.
Crimson Moon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Ivan: So far I’ve been writing all music and lyrics. But hopefully we can collaborate on some of the future songs. That´s the idea!
Crimson Moon: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Ivan: Lyrically I’m inspired by everything surrounding me, ups and downs and psychology in general. Not all lyrics are personal but a lot of them are. Sometimes I also get ideas by observing other people. My life isn’t THAT exciting… Hahaha! I tend to write dark lyrics. We all experience both good and bad times and I think there´s a lot of honesty in writing about the hard times too. Without sounding too pathetic:-) Just realistic.
Crimson Moon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Ivan: The EP “Skin Tuxedo” was released early 2013 and the album “Harlot Of The Night” was released 25/11-2013.
Crimson Moon: Tell me about some the songs on the latest CD?
Ivan: The opening song “With Patience And Sacrifice” is written for my son during a difficult time when his mother and I weren’t getting along so well.. So it´s a very personal song and it means a lot to me. “Left In The Dark” was a very different song for me to write. I kept it more simple and kind of mysterious. It´s about not knowing the answer to all questions and dealing with that, and about personal beliefs. The song “Harlot Of The Night” is about temptation and weakness.
Crimson Moon: Do you have any side projects?
Jesper: I play guitar in another band called “The Peons”. Alternative rock may be the genre that fits best. The latest release called ‘Come – Dance With Me’ was in December 2013.
Ivan: Yeah a couple. I have a solo project called “Colliding With The Aliens” I got a record deal with Sliptrick Records for the first EP called `Through Dust & Memories` The genre is metal/progressive rock. My second side project is “Delirium Cordia” It started as- and still is an internet project. The other member of that band is from Mexico and we’ve never met in person. We released the album called “Mother Of All Sorrow” last year and will be releasing our follow up “Phantom Pain” later this month.
Crimson Moon: Who are some of your musical
Ivan: Led Zeppelin, Maynard J Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle) Pearl Jam and Nirvana to name a few. But I also listen to a lot of metal like Napalm Death, Meshuggah and Textures. Maybe that´s where my lyrical inspiration comes from???
Jesper: All kinds of genres.
Crimson Moon: Which current bands?
Ivan: I really like Kings Of Leon. But there are many good bands out there..
Jesper: Radiohead, Muse, Incubus..
Crimson Moon: What is the band like when you play live?
Jesper: Freakin’ awesome of course:-)
Crimson Moon: What was the best band you played with?
Ivan: We haven´t had a real gig yet with this constellation but we have been rehearsing an acoustic set, and are currently searching for possible gigs everywhere.
Crimson Moon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Ivan: No not yet…
Crimson Moon: What is the scene like over in your country?
Jesper: Despite the modest size of our country I think the music scene is pretty good. There is a lot of good musicians in Denmark.
Crimson Moon: What made you want to be in this band? And if you weren’t in this band what would you being doing now?
Jesper: I think Ivan has a very appealing approach to writing music. There are no boundaries regarding if the music “fits” a certain genre, and it’s not predictable. If I wasn’t in Skin Tuxedo i would probably be sleeping – it’s getting kind of late. 🙂
Ivan: Music is my great passion. I keep writing songs so I guess there must be a reason for that. If I weren’t in this band I would that grumpy man by the counter at the local supermarket. Haha!!! And I don´t want that to happen!
Crimson Moon: What does the future hold for the band??
Ivan: More songs/albums, all the live gigs we can get
Contact them at:
http://www.reverbnation.com/skintuxedo
http://www.facebook.com/SkinTuxedo
