Interview with Iron Kongo of Leaded Fuel

Sweden's Leaded Fuel recently released their album "Inhale and get pale" and it's certainly one of the best hard rock releases of the year so far. I recently got to interview drummer Iron Kongo to find out more about this band and their upcoming plans


MM-You recently released "Inhale and get pale". What has been the response to the album so far?
IK- So far the responses have been good, from magazines and fans.

MM-What was the recording process like for the album? How long did it take and was it much different than you thought it would be?
IK-We recorded the album in one week, and we mixed it in one week. It was pretty easy because everybody know what to play. And the guy who recorded/"produced" us (Jorgen Svensson) was very professional, so things went very smooth.

MM-Tell us a little about the history of your band?
IK-It started out with Liz and me (Iron Kongo) searching for a guitar player, and one night Liz bounced into Priest. At first they didn't get along at all. But after 10 minutes they were talking about starting a band together. Priest had three songs written that he wanted to try out. We only had to find a lead guitarist and a bass player, and those guys was found at Crazy Nights (A glam/sleaze bar in Stockholm). In April our first demo was released, with those three songs that Priest had written.The response was overwhelming and we where asked to be on a glam/sleaze compilation called "Glamnation 1". And we contributed with the song "Leaded Fuel". And through Myspace our named grew bigger and bigger. Some people from Germany and Italy came to Stockholm on vacation, and they wanted to set up a rehearsal. We didn’t know that one of them was working for a Italian record company. And she liked what she heard, and later on we signed a record deal with that company (Costaovest records) that she was working for.

MM-How do you think that your music has progressed since you first formed?
IK-In the start we had three songs, now we have more songs, ish.

MM-In what areas do you think your band still needs to improve?
IK-Well, stay sober before the shows is a hard one... or really, just to stay sober.

MM-There have been a lot of 1980's style glam bands coming out of Sweden in recent years. Why do you think that is?
IK-It is kind of a hype I guess, and a towards reaction to all that nu-metal that stinks.

MM-Do you think that the younger glam bands of today are doing anything that the bands of the 1980's didn't already do? If so then what?
IK-No, I guess the most of them just try to copy what’s already done. But Leaded Fuel have their own way, you could say it´s like a fresh wind of lead. Hehe.

MM-With a number of bands of the same style coming out of country, what do you think sets you band apart from all of the others?
IK-Listen to our music, and you´ll understand...

MM-Has it been difficult to emerge from this scene with a lot bands doing a similar style of music? How have you been able to do it?
IK-We don´t feel that we have to fit anywhere, and we are not really a part of the scene, we play rock´n´roll, more sleaze then glam.

MM-Have you played many shows outside of your home country?
IK-Yeah, we just got home from a tour in Italy. And two long European tours are waiting for us, this year! So keep your eyes open, even when you sleep!!!

MM-Do you have many tour dates lined up over the next few months? Any chance that you will play any festivals in the summer?
IK-Same as the question before... we don´t know the dates or the countries yet. This summer we don't know about festivals. But next summer we sure gonna play at every festival!... I hope, hehe.

MM- Judging from your band name and the album cover I am guessing that you are big car fans. Is that true or is it just part of the image?
IK-Liz is a big car fan, but I´m really scared of his driving. He drives like he sings. Fast and uncontrolled!

MM-On your Myspace page under "sounds like" it says "A -70 Ford Mustang with four strippers hitting a truck full of Budweiser in central Stockholm 2.30 on Friday Night". Who in the world came up with that description?
IK-Liz... he was drunk. hehe. But he meant it!

MM-Pick the band from the following pair that you prefer and tell why.
IK-
Crashdiet or Vains of Jenna
Crashdiet: They are both good bands, but Crashdiet first record "Rest in Sleaze" is really hard to beat.

Poison or Ratt
Ratt: They are more aggressive, and that's the way we like it.

Ramones or the Stooges A tough one... impossible to decide...next question please.

Guns and Roses or Hanoi Rocks
Damn!!! Two tough questions in a row! But if I have to decide, I say Guns´n´Roses and Hanoi Rocks.

MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band or your music?
IK-If you want rock´n´roll, it spells Leaded Fuel!!!

http://www.myspace.com/leadedfuel

***Thanks to Iron Kongo for doing the interview.