Thanks so much to Magnus for the interview! I wrote about his band The Paper Merchants back in February looking to learn more about the band. Luckily Magnus got in touch not too long ago and was keen in answering my long list of questions and now we know a little bit more about this great Swedish band! Enjoy!
++ Hi Magnus! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? Are you still involved with music?
++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what your first instrument was? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen to at home while growing up?
An old ABBA record and a Roland Cedermark (Sweden’s most famous accordion player) that I listened to when I was little. Oh and a Baccara record my parents had. I bought a guitar when I was about 13 or so. But I always liked making sounds from when I was very young.
++ Had you been in other bands before Paper Merchants? I know about Little Big Adventure and Penny Century? What about other bands? Are there any songs recorded by these other bands?
++ I’d love to do an interview about your other bands too, I am very interested in them. But I would like to ask you how you would compare The Paper Merchants to them? What is different about The Paper Merchants?
LBA and Penny Century are the same band. I had to change my name because of another band that also called themselves Penny Century started. LBA is kind of lofi and electronic and I wanted to make guitar music with a lot of distortion which is why I began making TPM-songs.
++ One thing I was confused about was by this alias Magnus Lindroos, you are Magnus Sätterström, right? What’s the story behind that?
When I was married, I took my wife’s last name, Lindroos. Before, and after, it’s Sätterström.
++ Where were you from originally?
Smack dab in the middle of Sweden, from a town called Sundsvall. Home of Kjell Lönnå, a famous christian choir leader.
++ How was your town at the time of The Paper Merchants? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?
I had moved to Stockholm at the time of TPM, but I listened a lot to the bands that were playing the same clubs that I was playing.
++ Were there any other good bands in your area?
Dinosaurs Are Still Alive, Tada Tata, De Montevert, Bobby Pinrocker, Stars in Coma, The Baseball Field. All great Swedish lo fi bands!
++ How did the project start? It was just yourself, right?
Yeah, it was just me in my student apartment. I wanted to make guitar songs so I just started I guess.
++ Did you have help from any friends in the recordings? What about when playing live? If so, who were there? Were they in other indie bands?
Nope, I did everything on my own. When playing live I had help from my friends who played drums, guitar, bass and sang. I played guitar.
++ What instruments did you play in the band?
All of them when I recorded it but only guitar when we played live.
++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?
At home. I often play guitar and come up with a song and then I start playing different things and record them into the computer.
++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?
The name comes from the big paper manufacturer that is the heart of the industrial economy in Sundsvall. We made up a story that we all met while working at the paper plant, but that was obviously untrue.
++ The one song I first heard was the one the blog Eardrums released called “The Lovers (In the Face On)”. I remember those years, when that particular blog was very active doing mp3 compilations. How did this collaboration start? Did you record the song especially for this compilation or you shared a recording you already had?
No, I don’t really remember how that came about. I think we emailed back and forth a few times. I didn’t record the song for the compilation, it was for the album A Friend of Mine.
++ Then a friend mentioned to me that there was a proper album that the band released that was called “A Friend of Mine”. I haven’t found much information about it. What year did it come out? How many copies were made? Was it a proper CD or a CDR? And where was it sold at the time?
Um it probably came out around 2009, it was self released, it was a CDR. I think I made 250 copies of which I probably have 200 left at home. I sold it when I met people, during shows and stuff like that. It was published on Spotify but now its not on there anymore, I don’t know why. I don’t think I have the original files anymore so it’s probably lost forever. Aside from the songs that are published on youtube.
++ It was released by a label called Den Manskliga Motsvarigheten. I believe that means The Human Equivalent, right? Was this your own label? And if yes, how did you enjoy doing label stuff like selling, promoting, etc?
Yup, it was our own label, but I was really bad at all the promotion stuff and everything around that, so it didn’t work out that great.
++ The album had 9 songs. I am wondering where they were recorded? Did you work with a producer? Were there any other musicians involved in it?
They were recorded in my apartment by me and I played all the instruments. I think my girlfriend at the time sang background vocals on some songs.
++ Then there is another song on Soundcloud called “So Don’t”. Is that one an outtake from the album? What was the reason it wasn’t included?
It’s called Do Don’t and I made it after the album was released. I had this grand plan that I was going to record a bunch of new songs and make another album and this song was the first one that I thought was kind of good.
++ Why weren’t there more releases by the band? Was there any interest from labels?
There was some interest from different labels but nothing that really came to fruition. I had a lot of plans on releasing more music but I was busy with other things and didn’t feel that great about the songs I actually had recorded. I wanted to sound more like Dinosaur Jr but it just ended up sounding like crap.
++ And are there more songs recorded by the band? Unreleased ones?
Yup, I think I have maybe 10 more songs recorded on my computer that is perhaps 90% done that I recorded sometimes during 2010-2012. But as I said, I wanted it to sound like J Mascis and Munki by the JAMC but instead it sounded like Chumbawamba or something and that made me depressed so I couldn’t finish the songs.
++ My favourite song of yours is “The Lovers (In the Face Of)”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?
Hmm, I don’t really remember what the inspiration was. I think I was fed up with my relationship at the time and I wanted to write a love song from a serial killer’s perspective. In retrospect, kind of silly, but I still like it. 🙂
++ If you were to choose your favorite The Paper Merchants song, which one would that be and why?
Probably “The Lovers” or a song called “I Can’t Walk With You Into Doom.”
++ What about gigs? Did you play many?
No, not very many at all, perhaps five gigs, ten? It was difficult to manage playing live because I had to teach all my friends how to play the songs and a few of them how to play the instruments. So it took a lot of time, and we didn’t really feel that comfortable playing live. But we had super fun rehearsing and around the shows. It was a great time and I remember it with joy.
++ And what were the best gigs that you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?
It was a show we played at an outdoor venue in Stockholm called Lasse i Parken. I remember there were alot of people around, sitting in the grass and we played and people came up to us afterwards and told us how they liked us and our band. It was great.
++ I was told you played at the Cosy Den festival. I wished many times to attend but at the time it was quite difficult to afford for me to go to Sweden for the festival. It seemed really cool, with great bands and a good sense of community. What are your recollections of that festival?
It was a recurring festival and it was great. Alot of my friends were there and we hung out and played in bands and listened to bands and it was just a great time.
++ And were there any bad ones?
We played a gig at a place in Stockholm called Sjöhästen at a club called Club King Kong and there was this other band from Gothenburg there that was kind of “cool” and they started heckling us while we were playing. We weren’t that confident and felt really awkward anyway, so when they started heckling us it was really traumatic.
++ What about DJing? I saw that you did that at Club King Kong in 2012. Was that something you did much? Did you like it? How was Club King Kong? I heard very good things about it…
CKK was a small friend group with really great taste in music that put on shows with all the small lofi bands that I loved. And they were so kind, letting me play a bunch of times, with my different bands and djing.
++ When and why did The Paper Merchants stop making music?
I think around 2012 or 2015 or something, when I realized I would never finish the songs.
++ Was there any interest from the radio? TV?
No we were too obscure for that I think.
++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?
Some different magazines did write about us though, that was fun.
++ What about fanzines?
I think the fanzine No Disco by Martin Sernestrand wrote about us but I might be misremembering. A lot of blogs wrote about us though.
++ Looking back in retrospect, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?
Once at a concert, I saw Johan Duncanson of Radio Dept in the crowd so I went up to him and told him I had recently seen a show of theirs and said “thank you for the good show” and then he told me that he saw us play once and he said the same back to me!
++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?
Hmm, I don’t really have anything other than music, I still play and record a lot of music as much as I can manage. I love it and it keeps me sane and it makes me happy.
++ I’ve been to Sweden a few times but I still like to ask locals. What do you suggest checking out in your town, like what are the sights one shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try?
Umm, I don’t know, really.
++ Anything else you’d like to add?
Fire is the essence of life.
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