Interviews: Shipwrecked

Hey, Breathing The Core fans, here we bring you another interview of the Metal/Hardcore band Shipwrecked from Bosnia And Herzegovina, so here you can see and give a like their FACEBOOK PAGE. All these questions were answer by Ensar and Ben two of the four members of the band. Enjoy it!

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

ENSAR: The idea for the name actually came from listening to a Parkway Drive song - “Karma”: “Shipwrecked bones carry my seasick heart home.” It got me wondering about the term shipwrecked and the meaning of the word fit perfectly with what this band was supposed to be, a survivor, a fighter, a man who prevails no matter the weather!

BEN: It all started from that Parkway Drive verse, it just seemed to fit perfectly. It’s also such a universal concept which we’ve been drawn to instantly. We are all shipwrecked in a sense. Everyone experienced that feeling of being lost, without a clear path for the future, without a chance to move backwards. We all just ended up here, in this world, in this life. No one had the option to choose whether to be born, or where to be born. No one can choose their parents, race, religion, ethnicity. We’re all part of the same, but people still find a way to draw some arbitrary differences and barriers.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?  

ENSAR: The only thing we WANTED was to PLAY. Style and genre comes with playing, with getting to know each other musically and finding something that everyone can relate to and be happy with doing/playing just that. So basically it’s about the playing, the fun we have doing it, genres are more/less insignificant.

BEN: At the start we had some ideas about what we wanted to do with this band and the sound.  I already had some riffs and ideas, but the real shit started happening once we actually started jamming and playing together. Our EP “Ghost Ships is all about capturing the sound and atmosphere from the first months of playing together. At that time we wanted to play our own blend of metal and hardcore, a mix of various elements from both. The beauty of it is that you never know how a jam session will end; genres are irrelevant in the practice room.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?  

ENSAR: We did and very well I might add. We became friends because of the love for this type of music, because of the love for playing. I knew Ben from way back when he was living in a different city and we always said that we will make something music-wise when he moves to Sarajevo. I also knew Chenga, our drummer for years, and we went together to almost every metal/HC show in Sarajevo so it was only a matter of time before we started jamming together.

BEN: I knew Ensar from way back as you can see from his answer; Dino (our first bass player) and I knew each other since we were babies and used to hang out as kids, but we lost touch as teenagers. We started hanging out again when we both moved to Sarajevo; shortly after that I joined Duat, where Dino already played bass. I actually met and came to know Chenga through this band, we didn’t know each other before Shipwrecked. So to us it’s so much more than just playing music.

4. Each band member’s favorite band?  

ENSAR: Let’s put it like this we can all agree on: MASTODON!!! Meshuggah, Madball and every other band that starts with M.

BEN: I was never good at choosing only one thing, there’s too many bands I love. I’ll go with Tool, Mastodon, Rosetta and Intronaut but that’s really just a small portion of all my  favorite bands.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?  

ENSAR: Basically life with everything that it brings, everything we go through, see, hear, feel. Inspiration lies in everything, the question is what or when will it be awaken to that point that we start creating.

BEN: As Ensar put it. It’s mostly just the brain figuring and sorting out all the stuff that’s been absorbed. Inspiration is so weirdly random. Sometimes it hits me late in the night, sometimes as soon as I open my eyes in the morning. Sometimes it’s just one riff, sometimes it’s a whole song.

6. Where was your last gig?  

ENSAR: Hometown gig, opening for First Blood, which is btw another band we all like, a great band as well!!!

7. Where would you like to act?  

ENSAR: Anywhere and everywhere, we all like to travel we believe that is one of life’s best thing, to travel meet other people, cultures, see things… wherever the opportunity is we will be there!

BEN: Wherever we get the chance to. A festival gig in front of thousands of people would be both a dream come true and a complete mindfuck. But even if there was only one person at a show, we’d still be having fun.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?  

ENSAR: For me it would have to be a vocal collaboration with ex Hobson’s Choice vocalist Sale, one of the first hardcore bands in our country and Sale one of the best guys and vocals here so that would be kickass!

BEN: Totally agree on this one. I would have loved to work with Ena Groteska, a dear friend of ours that passed away too young. She had a great and unique voice, a very talented musician, so I can’t even imagine what a collaboration with her would have sounded like.

9. Whom not?

ENSAR: With the drummer from another Sarajevo band Festival of Mutilation, I can’t stand that fucker hahaha

BEN: Yeah, someone so lovable deserves only hate haha

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?  

ENSAR: I wouldn’t call it stage fright, I would rather say I get excited and nervous at the same time but basically can’t wait for that first crash of the drum, than everything goes away and “feeling alive” begins!!! The only tip is to be yourself, people will see through anything else! Believe in yourself and don’t be afraid of mistakes, shit happens but keep goin’!!!

BEN: Not really stage fright, but there’s definitely that thrill before every show. Once I’m up I shift into this playing-mode and usually after every show I just think about how fast it all went. I agree with Ensar’s advice; be yourself and don’t play music for any other reason than loving the music, otherwise you might get disappointed and frustrated. If you love the music you and you’re friends are playing and the whole experience fulfills you, that’s the most important thing, everything else is a bonus. Thus, no stage fright if you absolutely love what you’re doing, only excitement and joy.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?  

ENSAR: Not enough space to name them all music aside when I have the chance to see the band live, maybe meet them, or at least watch a DVD (documentary like Parkway Drive DVDs) I get a whole other respect for a band and that inspires me on a whole new level.

BEN: Again, too many to name them all. But it’s definitely not difficult to spot the hard working ones, those that keep on reinventing themselves, always trying to make a next step, not just when it comes to music, but as a band, as a live experience, as a whole package. Intronaut, Rosetta, The Ocean, Jakob, Fallujah, Meshuggah, Converge, Mastodon, Lamb Of God, Periphery, Animals As Leaders and countless more great bands.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?  

ENSAR: Damn… I wouldn’t even say we have fans…maybe people who like and support what we do since it’s such a small scene we have here. I cannot recall anything weird, but as soon as something happens I’ll let you know.

BEN: No weird questions so far. Usually I’m the one asking weird shit.

13. What do you think of your fans?  

ENSAR: Like I said in the previous answer, we don’t consider people who support us fans, it’s more of a friendly kind of bond and we are thankful for every ear that listens to our work and for any kind of support we get we are humbled and vey very thankful for! And we think that those guys have a good taste in music.

BEN: There’s really no words to describe the feeling when someone likes and appreciates something you’ve made and done. Nothing but love, respect and gratitude to all those who support us in any way.

14. What do you think of our site?  

ENSAR: Everyone who gives any kind of space, promotion or whatever to a band like us and supports the global scene is a fuckin giant in my book, so like the site, like your work and keep it up!

BEN: Word! Exactly what I was thinking. Massive respect for having the energy and love for promoting bands from all over the world!

15. Something to add?

ENSAR: Keep yourself!!! But literally “keep yourself”, don’t let your surroundings, your job, “friends”, even your family change you into something you are not!!! Keep doing what you love, what completes you and do more of it!!! Never be afraid of failure, keep pushing on!!! Listen to metal/hardcore or whatever makes you happy but basically listen to metal/hardcore. A big THANK YOU for contacting us and giving us space, everyone check us out on facebook or youtube and if you like it spread the word!!! Stay positive!

BEN: Thanks for doing this interview with us. We really appreciate it! Our first EP “Ghost Ships” will be finished sometime during the next few weeks. After that we’ll immediately start working on our first full length album. Just having a great time and trying to create some meaning in life. We’ll be trying to play as many shows as possible, so let’s see what the future will bring us.  Thanks again and keep it up!!