Falk & Die Wiese are a fixed element in the Berlin indie-folk music scene. People have found themselves humming standout numbers “People” and “Appointments” long after gigs are over and there have been many, many gigs. Falk & Die Wiese have featured at venues in Berlin such as Madame Claudes, Levee Club and Intersoup, to name only a few. After releasing two great albums “Pigeon and Moron” and “Appointments” the band has slowly but surely began working on their third album, scheduled for release at the end of this year.
Being a big fan of Falk & Die Wiese, it would be impossible to pass the opportunity to ask band frontman Falk the 10 questions.
First question! What is the first record you ever bought? No matter how bad.
Okay, the first record I ever bought was a cassette. A cassette? A cassette. You’re that old? Yeah I’m that old. I think it was the first album by Ace of Base. You know this Norwegian band? Yes I do. Or are they Swedish? I don’t know. But by Ace of Base. I bought the official album on cassette.
This might actually be connected to my next question. What band musician did you listen to in the past that makes you cringe now?
Cringe? It means I hate it now? Yeah. Uhmmm…probably this early euro dance techno stuff. I think Ace of Base is one of the better ones [laughs]. Bands like 2Unlimited or Magic Affair. You remember them? Yes of course I danced to it too.
Do you have any funny/dangerous stories from the road?
Oh yeah. When we were in Weimar I tried to climb the monument of Goethe and Schiller. These big German friendship poets. Thomas Mann thought that they were gay, by the way.
I think I was drunk and I wanted to be “the dwarf on the shoulders of giants” so I tried to climb it. I fell down and hurt my knee. It hurt the whole tour and it reminded me not to be too wild [laughs]. Are you sure you want this is the interview? [laugh] I think it’s okay. So you have a wild side? Yes I have a wild side [laughs].
Do you get or have you ever had stage fright?
Yeah. Always. Always? It never goes away, but it’s not really interesting because everybody tells the same story. Do you have a ritual that helps you conquer stage fright? We’re back to [laughs] the alcohol thing. The ritual would be to drink a lot of beer. But that on the other side doesn’t really help to do a good performance. So again the ritual would be to try not to drink too much beer [laughs] and hang around with the band and friends. That always helps.
If you could name one thing that you know for sure as a musician, what would it be?
I have to think of it. [pause] What do I know for sure? [pause] As a human being I would say I know nothing for sure. That’s like the secret of life. To know nothing for sure. Maybe it’s the same with music, but maybe not.
What word of advice would you have for young musicians in Berlin?
Oh no. I don’t have any advice [laughs]. I would say do what you like to do and don’t try to be cool. But even as I say that I think that you have to make mistakes. Find out what you find interesting in music, what kind of melodies you like or what kind of chords and so on.
Many local bands write their lyrics in English.
