Q&A: Norwegian rockers Level & Tyson to play Culture Collide

 
Hailing from the great capital of Norway, Oslo, Level & Tyson are an alternative rock band with an experimental vibe. Their sound stretches from noisy, punky howls to sweet-as-sugar ballads. Their live shows generate energy that gets you through the week, and might even bring a tear to your eye.

We got to sit down with the up-and-coming band and ask them a couple of questions about their music and their sense of fashion, before their shows at Culture Collide this week in San Francisco and Los Angeles; Level & Tyson will be playing at The Chapel this Wednesday.

Your debut album is called Even Faster Still. Why is that, and what does the phrase actually mean?
The phrase is from a course in self-hypnosis. It’s about taking control over sensations in your body, through visualizing a circle going faster and even faster still. And it has an enthusiastic feel to it, doesn’t it?

Norway’s biggest independent music magazine Hissig rated your album among the top 10 of the year in 2012, declaring, “this band has that little something extra.” What do you guys think this little extra is?
That’s really flattering! Maybe it’s our unprecedented child like charm? Haha, don’t really know. We try to do our thang [sic] and to get jiggy with it.

What are your ambitions as a band and what are your dreams?
Our ambition is to continue writing and exploring what we have, to have fun, and to make records that continually keeps us entertained. [But we] don’t want to jinx the dream; [so we’d] better to keep it to ourselves.

What is your biggest musical influence?
We all have different musical influences and there are many, but to name a few, The Ramones, The Pixies, Pere Ubu, and Modest Mouse are big influences for the sound of our band.

From your Instagram profile I get a sense that you are pretty hip band. What are your fashion no-nos?
Haha, well our rule is no no-nos! As long as you have the right attitude you can pull off just about anything.

What is the weirdest thing you guys have seen in SF so far?
Nothing weird has happened yet, but we’ve only been here for one day, so there is still time! However a nice, unusual thing happened with Richard the first morning. He couldn’t sleep because of the jet lag, so he decided to take a walk around town, and ended up drinking a cup of coffee with an old guy named Charles that grew up on the streets of the city. He had some non-tourist-y insights.

Which other Norwegian artist is your absolute favorite right now, and why should we check them out?
A band called MoE. They just released an album (called 3) that brings something really weird and special. And they have a strong female presence in an otherwise male dominated corner of rock music. Nice, noisy, and unsettling music.

Article by Ane Skjølaas