»I woke up on the floor in the hallway of the hotel with a PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB sign on my nose!«

This interview was originally written for: Daylight Suffering. Made by Mårten Jacobsson and published in April 2002.

For our first interview, Daylight Suffering turned to Michael Håkansson, bassplayer in Evergrey. Michael talks about the last album, touring and the future plans of the band.

Mårre: I really like your latest release »In Search of Truth«. This was your first release with Evergrey. How does it feel to work with the other guys in the band? Do you work on the songs together? How much input does the individual members have on the songwriting?

Michael: We are very pleased with the result of »In Search of Truth« ourselves. The songwriting on this album got a bit hectic, due to the fact that we had to find a new guitarist as Dan left the band in the middle of the writing process. So when we got Henrik Danhage, we decided to start all over again with him so the album was written under the period of a month and a half!

   It was also really nice for me to finally record an album with Evergrey, since I have been in the band for two and a half years now. I think the collaboration between us all works out very good. We're aiming at the same direction with the music and everyone are working towards the same goal.

   When it comes to the input in the music I would say that we all have a certain part and role in the writing. If it isn't the actual riff writing it's in the arrangements. Of course, Tom has always been doing a big part and he still produces most material. He has a good sense for melodies and he writes great music. It's as simple as that.

Mårre: The last album can be quite hard to get into when you first listen to it, but it really grows by every spin. Was that a conscious choice? Michael: No, not at all. When we write we don't have any special thought behind it, not in the way that we plan how the final result shall be. We're writing from our hearts. Yes, I know it sounds like a cliché but that is how it is. I've heard a lot of people who shares the same experience as you and for me that is a really good thing. That means that our music has new things to offer the listener every time he/she listens to it.

Mårre: There have been several line-up changes over the years. Are original members Tom Englund (vocals/guitars) and Patrick Carlsson (drums) hard to work with or are there other reasons for the changes?

Michael: They are absolutely not hard to work with. The reason for the changes are very simple. Some people are made for doing all the things and commitments that a band has and some are not!

Mårre: You did some shows in France recently and you just played in Greece. How do you like touring?

Michael: Yes, we did a couple of shows in France, that was actually our first headline shows in France. They went really well and the crowd was fantastic on both shows. We went there together with Andromeda. They are fantastic musicians and a bunch of great guys, we had a lot of fun with them.

   Touring for me is THE absolute highlight of doing this. Recording is fun, but nothing compares to being on the stage with screaming, crazy people in front of you. I really love it!!

Mårre: I know you are playing Sweden Rock Festival this summer. Are there more festivals planned? How do you like to play places like that?

Michael: Yes we're also playing at 2000 Decibel in Bengtsfors and Wacken. There's a few more that I can't remember and we're waiting for a couple of more dates to drop in. [see below!]

   We haven't done that many festivals but so far it has been fantastic. I love to go to festivals myself, it will be my sixth year at Wacken this year, so I'm happy to finally enter the stage there.

Mårre: Could you describe a typical day on the road with Evergrey?

Michael: It's a lot of waiting, we usually get lost wherever we are - we even managed to get lost together in Gothenburg! (laughs) It seems like as soon as we get together our IQ drops radically! (laughs again) No, but as I said, it's a lot of waiting during the day, then it's time for soundcheck. After that we usually try to eat if it's not too close to the show. After the show it sometimes happens that we party! (huge laugh) That is usually what happens. We like to hang out with the people who comes out to our shows. It's always fun to meet new people.

Mårre: What is the coolest band you have been toured with? Any old favorites you have met on the road?

Michael: Well, the shows we did recently in Greece was fantastic. We played with Candlemass whom I've been a big fan of for many, many years. I didn't had the chance to see them live before they split up. I was a bit too young back then, so it was fantastic to finally see them live. They were a bunch of crazy people, just like us, so we really got a long very well. As it looks now, we will hopefully do some more shows with them.

Mårre: Do you have any fun touring memory to share?

Michael: One funny thing happened when we played at the Progpower Festival in Holland in 1999. After the show we had a blasting party all night long with a lot of friends. We decided to go back to the hotel and the other guys went to their rooms, but I stayed up to finish my last beer. Next thing I remember is when I woke up on the floor in the hallway of the hotel with a PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB sign on my nose! (laughs) That was pretty funny. I can imagine that the ones who put it there REALLY had a good time!

Mårre: Can you make a living on your music or do you have any other jobs beside Evergrey?

Michael: For the moment we cannot survive on Evergrey. I have a job beside the band. Of course it's our dream to be able to live on the music, but it's a long way to get there. I'm very lucky to have the job at Manpower (Swedish workforce solution company) that I have. It's hard for a lot of people to be able to have a job, and at the same time be able to go on tour, and put all the time in the band that is necessary if you want to make it to the top.

Mårre: Do you work on any side projects?

Michael: No. I put all my energy and heart in Evergrey.

Mårre: Are there any plans for a new record? Do you work on new material during the tour?

Michael: We are currently working on our upcoming album. We will start to record the album in September and it will be released early 2003.

Mårre: What are your own influences and favorites in music?

Michael: I really have a wide spectra when it comes to music. I listen to everything from the 70's Rush to today's Black and Death Metal. I can't name one special influence. You get influenced by everything you hear that you like. But a couple of favorites are Death, Pain of Salvation, Symphony X, Cannibal Corpse, Yes, Rush, Paradise Lost, Dream Theater, Ark, Testament...

Michael could go on and on about his favorite bands, but we think you get the picture - he's got a very diverse taste in music, so we'll round off with some final words from the man:

Michael: To the ones out there who still haven't got »In Search of Truth« - check it out, you won't be disappointed!

Many thanks to Michael for being a great guy and doing this interview with us! Make sure you catch Evergrey live at a festival near you this summer: May 18 - 2000 Decibel - Bengtsfors, Sweden June 7 - Sweden Rock Festival - Sweden June 8 - Parkrock - Sandviken, Sweden June 22 - Nummirock - Kauhajoki, Finland June 28 - Skellefteåfestivalen - Sweden July 6 - Graspop - Desselt, Belgium August 3 - Wacken Open Air - Germany Evergrey needs a new keyboard player. If you're in Sweden, preferably on the West Coast, or is willing to move there quickly, or even know someone fitting - contact the band at tom@evergrey.net

And be sure to check out the band's official website: www.evergrey.net