With the release of their North American debut coming this summer, I got a chance to sit down with Gulleiv and Oddi of the Norwegian rock band Dreampilots and get some background on who Dreampilots is. I also got to introduce them to just a few things that make the South wonderful.
Wes Brawner/Rock The Cross: First off, what motivated you guys to come to the US?
Dreampilots/Gulleiv: Well, we have been playing together for many, many years. We actually started as a worship band at our church, and then we started this band. We just felt like this was the perfect time . We had been contacted by people from the US who were interested in doing something. We always kind of felt that being a Christian band, you always want to be in the biggest market. Its much harder to make it as a Christian band back home. If you make it in the US, its much easier to make it all over the world. I know it sounds very business oriented, but its the wisest place to start from for us. Then, Darren Bowls of Red Hammer Records heard us on the internet and contacted us. We set up a showcase back in Oslo, Norway and he came over. We had already released the album in Norway, but we removed 2 songs that we weren’t as happy with and brought in 2 songs from the previous record and re-recorded it. After that, we went to Darren’s studio and mixed it in the States. So its actually a new version of the old record.
D P/Oddi: For us it feels like that God has opened up a new door for us. Before Dreampilots, we came out of a project called Salvation Street. That album was released worldwide, but not in the US. And now all of this comes up, and it just feels like the right time for us.
RTC: What has been the most difficult part about debuting in America?
Oddi: The thing that has been most difficult has been the lanuguage. English isn’t our native language, so we had to really work very specifically on the language and lyrics and we have recieved a very positive response. In light of that, its been very interesting to see God open doors for us in a new place with new people. And we really feel like that we have a message that will connect with everyone.
RTC: That is one thing that I did notice when I went to your MySpace. If there wasn’t any location information, I wouldn’t have been able to tell that you guys were from Norway. I also like that your sound is unique, but no so unique that its going to turn people away. How did you guys end up coming together as a band?
D P/Gulleiv: Thats actually kind of a long story. We all grew up in the church. I started being interested in rock music and playing in very early on, but there was no place for it in the church. So I left the church in search of people to play that type of music with. During that time, I fell away from my relationship with God and became involved with this band that hit very big in Norway, like number 1 on all of the charts, sold many hundreds of thousands of records. I was actually a pop star in Norway at 19 or 20 years old. Oddi was actually playing in a band with my cousins, so we were acquainted that way.
D P/Oddi: We weren’t famous…. we were hang arounds.
RTC: Tag-a-longs…
Oddi: Yes!
Gulleiv: I actually had a nervous breakdown because of everything and came to the realization that I was in that state because I had taken control of everything in my own life and wasn’t letting God have control. At that point I turned my life back over to God. (Looking at Oddi) It happened to you at the same time?
Oddi: It’s amazing how similar our stories are. At the same time all of this was happening, I was playing in this rock band and my life was a mess actually. We were going out all nights of the week and just living the life. And then suddenly, one night at this club, this girl came up to me and said “Why have you become like this?”. That was the small bump that tipped me over. I broke down at the club and they nearly had to carry me out of that club. It could have been very embarrassing, but I didn’t feel embarrassed at all. I felt like I was seeing myself in the mirror and I didn’t like what I saw. I cried for 6 or 7 hours and just couldn’t quit. I began to think about how my grandfather had showed me Christ’s love and about what my mother had taught me. At that time I really felt God calling me back to Him. Gulleiv and I actually went to the same church.
G: Yes, before he got saved, he knew me and was kind of a fan of my band. Afterwords, when he would drive into work, he would stop outside my house and pray for me.
O: I just had this feeling that we were going to work together. Thats so strange to think about that now. We had our struggles, and were up and down so much. But its almost like God brought us through those hard times to prepare us for what he had for us now.
G: Then, once we were both saved, our keyboard player, who was a friend of ours, actually had started a church in our town, so that was kind of the natural place for us to attend.
O: And we could actually bring the rock music with us. We took the music that we liked, Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Dylan, etc., and we looked for artists that we could listen to that talked about Jesus, and we started this band.
RTC: Your music sounds like your musical influences are very diverse. Are there any other bands that have an influence on your lyrics, sound, etc.?
G: You know, some bands have like one songwriter in the band, but we have decided that we want to write the songs together as a band. We recognized that when you have four different worlds or ideas, connecting that into to one song makes that song much more interesting, than if its only one world of ideas. Then we all have our own individual musical tastes. So there are a number of different influences in the songs.
O: I enjoy Bob Dylan a lot. Julie Miller also is one of my favorites.
RTC: Is there one specific thing that we should know that Dreampilots is about?
G: We really feel like God has called us to something important. When we pray together, we feel like something special happens. God has brought us together for something special. We never been to the States with this band before, so its a new experience for all of us.
RTC: Well, you are in the south, so there is a lot of new and different foods for you to try, like Grits…..
G: Grits? What are Grits?
RTC: You need to find a Waffle House… and order some grits… and Sweet Tea.
Both: Sweet Tea?
RTC: Oh, I am totally opening up new culinary doors for you guys. Oh, don’t forget Chick-fil-a! You have to go there!
Both to Darren: Where is there a Chick-fil-a?
O: You know, its funny to talk about food, because there are some traditional Norwegian dishes that are very strange. One of them is a piece of lamb that you salt for a few weeks, and then you dry it for a few weeks, and then put it in water overnight. Its very salty and red. Thats a very traditional food. Is Chick-fil-a soul food?
RTC: For me it is. But no, soul food is Greens, Fried Chicken, Black Eyed Peas. There are restaurants that specifically serve soul food. Its typically very greasy and it makes you feel really “good” afterwards.
O: I need to write all of these things down!
RTC: Definitely! Well guys, I wish you a great deal of success and I’m looking forward to listening to more of the album and hopefully seeing you again soon.
