Interview: Stanfour
We had the honor of sitting down with the guys from Stanfour to discuss their music, their guilty pleasures, and what’s next for them. Here’s what they had to say:
Now I read you guys formed the band 5 years ago in Germany, can you tell me a little about that. What made you decide to just go for it?
Alex: We all knew each other before from working in the music industry, and everyone liked the same kind of music. It was a good connection.
Are you all from Germany originally?
Konstantin: Alex and I are brothers, and we went over to LA about 5 years ago from Germany. My brother was working as a film musician, and I came a little later. We spent 3 or 4 years there. We’ve been traveling back and forth a lot recently between LA and Germany.
Was there an album that you all heard growing up that really changed your lives and convinced you all that your future was music?
Konstantin: Definitely, for me it was Queen’s Greatest Hits album. It was the first cd that I had bought.
Alex: It was Michael Jackson for me that really brought me into music and even music production.
Is there a certain feeling or message that you’re trying to convey with this album? And if so, is there any one song that you feel captures this best?
Konstantin: There’s not just one message. This is our first album, and a lot of the songs that we wrote are about love and relationships… and all the steps that you go through. First, you meet and fall in love. Then, you’re in a relationship, and perhaps you have problems and break up.
Alex: That was the major inspiration for this album. But we have also tried to have certain messages, positive messages like keep believing and fight for your dreams. That’s also part of our song writing.
Is there a certain song you feel perhaps the most proud of? Could you elaborate on that?
Konstantin: Every song is special, but the “For All Lovers” song is doing really well in Germany and Europe as far as people reacting to it. So I think this is a special song for us, many people can relate to it.
Alex: My favorite song is “Sorry”. It’s a song we wrote almost 5 years ago, and it was kind of a starting point for the whole project. So for me, it’s the most important song on the whole album.
What about the crossover of bringing your music to American from Germany? Can you talk a little bit about that?
Konstantin: We’re not trying to make German or European music, we’re trying to make music that we like and that people can relate to. And people in American can relate to our music as well.
Can you tell me what the songwriting process has been like for you all? Is it a collective processes or a chord progression first or what?
Alex: It’s quite different. Usually we sit down as a band, all 4 of us, and just try to write songs. Sometimes it’s not plannable. Sometimes someone has an idea, a hook, or a melody. Then they show it to the other guys. And then it just takes off.
Konstantin: I think it’s very different though, we’ve also wrote with other songwriters. It’s very professional, you sit down and you don’t know these people, and then you write a song. It’s a very strange feeling. But as a band, it’s a process that depends more on inspiration.
Any backstage traditions before you go on?
Konstantin: We just try to concentrate actually. Be calm and concentrate, because there is a lot happening backstage. The last 20 minutes or so we just try to play some good music, and Chris is our DJ. He plays some music to build up the energy, and then 5 minutes before, we are ready to go.
Do you have any current plans to come tour in the US?
Alex: Yeah, I think we’re planning to in the fall. We definitely want to come over. It’s a big country, so there are a lot of potential shows to play.
What’s something that your fans don’t know about you all?
Konstantin: Oh that’s a lot. That’s a good question.
Alex: What do they know? [Laughs]
Konstantin: [Laughs]
Christian: We started the whole project from a really small island in the North Sea. There are so many secrets having come from this island. We spend a lot of the time on this island when we’re not recording or touring. So any secrets there? Every day [Laughs].
Do you have any TV shows that you’re a big fan of personally?
Alex: American’s Next Top Model, we have the same show here in Germany, but it’s called Germany’s Next Top Model. I love that show. I shouldn’t say that [laughs].
Yeah it’s one of those shows you can’t not watch when it’s on.
Konstantin: Yeah it’s like you don’t like it, but you can’t not watch it. If you’ve watched it once…
Alex: Then you’re hooked.
Konstantin: Exactly.
What’s next on the horizon for you all?
Konstantin: Right now we’re on tour here in Germany and central Europe. Right now it’s a lot of festivals. Next week we’re on tour with The Scorpions, they’re another German band. We’re also going to be supporting Bryan Adams in Europe. It’s a great honor.
Alex: And a lot of songwriting is going on as well.
Now speaking of touring, what would be a dream tour for you all?
Konstantin: For me it would be Queen. And I know they’re on tour this fall. I’m a big fan so that would be my pick.
Alex: I would love to go on tour with OneRepublic. They have great music, and Ryan Tedder is a really cool guy.
Now did you guys work with Ryan some?
Konstantin: We did. It was a great experience. It was about a year ago, before they got big with “Apologize”. I think he’s a really nice guy. The song was “How Does It Feel”.
Interview By: Emma Loggins
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