Giants, Dwarfs and Black Holes with Tomasz
Interview conducted on December 1, 2020
By Dan Locke
Giants, Dwarfs and Black Holes: from Germany brings 42 minutes of
psychedelic rock, where heavy, acid and stoner riffs intertwine with progressive elements, where doom meets blues, where classic rock structures transform and confuse with long improvised jam parts. Everything is covered with the characteristic and strong female voice, which glides, hypnotizes and above all refines the multi- coloured musical picture even more
Giants, Dwarfs and Black Holes is:
Luzzi – vocal
Roland – guitar
Tomasz – bass
Carsten – drums
How were you brought up?
Tomasz: :Hello. Oh, it was already some time ago hahaha. Already as a child I liked music very much. As an 11-year-old I started to learn to play acoustic guitar. At the age of 13 years I bought my first bass in a second-hand shop in my area and started to play in my first school band.
How did you discover music?
I started to listen to music as an 8-years-old. Then I got from my father his old, still mono, cassette recorder and some tapes of The Beatles and Queen. At this point, I discovered the world of music which fascinates me until today. As soon as I started to receive the pocket money I started to buy more tapes. In 1991 I already had a nice collection of Queen, Metallica, Gun N Roses, and so on
How did you start writing music?
I took my guitar in hand and started to play, it just came out of me. I use this recipe till today hahaha
Describe your music
With Giants Dwarfs And Black Holes we play a sound that might best be described as Heavy Psychedelic Rock. The starting point is the organic, natural sound of the 70s. We assumed that we do not need any musical framework, we simply allow our music to develop and evolve in a natural way. In our rehearsal room we jam and improvise a lot. In our music you will find many different influences and elements from stoner, space and acid, through doom to fusion and blues.
How was the first performance of the band?
Giants Dwarfs And Black Holes was formed back in December 2019, very recently. Although we had plans to start with local concerts right away, the current situation has effectively overshadowed this. As soon as the world gets over this Pandemic and everything comes back to normal (I hope), we will strive to play as many concerts as possible. We all miss the stage!
What made a good songwriter?
I think it is sincerity, the lack of completeness and joy of writing music..
Do you belong to a songwriter organization like the International Singer-Songwriter Association?
No. Somehow I have never had time to get interested in such subjects. We have permanent jobs, families and normal duties. We love our music, but first of all it is a hobby and a change from everyday chores. This whole music business and its regulations are for us quite alien…
What is the title of your first original song?
I was 12 or 13 years old, I knew a few chords and tried to compose a metal song on my acoustic guitar hahahaha. No, I have never recorded it and certainly will not do it, but I remember it to this day hahahaha…
Will you tell me about your LP?
Initially we planned to record a short demo somehow in February 2020 and to start with concerts. Unfortunately, Corona has damaged our plans. However, we have not wasted time. We have polished the songs and in June we have recorded the debut album “Everwill” which will be released in January 2021 by Interstellar Smoke Records / Galactic Smokehouse.
How was the cooperation with Josko Joketovic?
It was amazing. All of us in Giants Dwarfs And Black Holes are big fans of the somewhat underestimated German band Wight. Mastering of their last album “Spank The World” has been nicely done by Josko Joketovic. We like the sound of this record very much, so we have contacted him and asked to also do the mastering of “Everwill”.
Why did the release date changed?
We released “Everwill” as a promotional CD(R) in September 2020. We wanted to promote the name of the band and make first contacts. Although we are musicians with experience and each of us has played earlier in other bands, Giants Dwarfs And Black Holes is a completely new and young band. Anyway, that was only a Promo. The real album I mean the transparent green / black marble vinyl and ecopack digi CD, all professionally mastered, will be out at the beginning of 2021.
What is your favourite title on the album?
I think that it is “In The Circle” – very psychedelic and with a very beautiful, long and improvised jam-part at the end, but sincerely speaking I like all songs. Each is one of kind to us and each has something different and special to itself.
How do you stay healthy while you are on tour?
Uhhhh… I would put it in this way. When I play concerts, I try not to get sick hahahaha…
How do you feel about streaming music?
I am an old school collector and collect mainly CDs and LPs. I have no account either on Spotify or Amazon, although I use YouTube or Bandcamp quite often. I am not an enemy of technology, on the contrary, I use it often. However, when it is about music and first of all about records – I like to hold the albums in my hand, watch the booklets, read the lyrics, etc… Graphics is also a part of art. Besides, I do really like physical contact and not the virtual one… hahaha.
How can people forget about the origin hashtag # Sharp in a musical score?
And why should people forget? Anyway, we are hobby-musicians and neither of us uses neither the scores nor notes. We play mostly from listening.
Their LP is also released on vinyl. What do you prefer when listening to digital vs. vinyl?
Of course, Vinyl. Unless I listen to music in the car hahahaha, there I have only USB, so on that occasion, it is digital. As I have already said, I use the technology and I am not an enemy of it. Anyway, I definitely choose vinyl for the real listening experience!
What is the mental health situation in Germany?
I am Polish, but I live in Germany for over five years now. If I would to compare the mental health of Germans and Poles, they are definitely a lot, a lot healthier in Germany…
Which song from the past is going through your head right now? And what meaning does this song have for you?
Oh… right now? If I look in my mind for a moment, I find “Who wants to live forever” by Queen. Queen was the first great band, which inspired me. Hmmm… That is for sure the song that could be played at my funeral hahahahaha.
Your band was founded in December 2019. On 27 January the first case in Germany was confirmed near Munich. The main focus of the cases was an automotive supplier. On 13 March schools were closed and on 22 March the curfew began. On 20 November 2020 RKT reported 619,089 cases and 11,096 deaths in Germany. How did the virus affect the beginning of the band?
Very drastic. In spring we have already had one lockdown. Now, since November the second one. We cannot rehearse, all concerts are canceled. For musicians and fans of music, it is a really hard time. What to do? We have to clench our teeth and somehow go through this. Anyway, it is good that in the meantime we have managed to record our debut album.
They wanted to have a Highline show at the beginning of this month. Then the virus shut them down. How do you think the Covid 19 virus will affect the music business in the future?
I hope that once the vaccinations are there, we will get rid of this problem. The Virus may not be eradicated and we will have to continue to live with it, but the infections will not take any Pandemic size any more. What I would be more afraid of are other viruses, for which there are no vaccines yet.
How did Luzzi and Tomasz proceed with writing during the lockdown?
For me, it does not really matter whether there is a lockdown or not, when it is about writing both music and lyrics. It comes from me naturally, it arises in my head independently from any external situation. I simply take a guitar in hand and compose. All I need for that is a little intimacy, my own place. Practically all music which I have ever composed has been created within the four walls of my room.
Have you discovered or rediscovered new hobbies?
I have many different interests, I try to read a lot and broaden my horizons as well. However, work, family, duties, and music fill almost all my time, therefore not much of it remains for something else. I like painting very much, unfortunately, for years I didn’t do it anymore. Fortunately, I have been able to specify my priorities hahaha.
95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch TV. This includes people who do not have television and use their computer to stream programs and films. What is your preferred streaming channel?
I do not watch television at all, because I simply do not have time and don’t feel like doing it. Sometimes I go to the cinema with my wife – from time to time I like watching a good movie. When it comes to music, I use YouTube and Bandcamp, because I do like to follow what is happening in music.
Many artists give nightly concerts either via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. In October this will change, at least on Facebook. Facebook is taking tough action against live streaming broadcasts that include recorded music with new terms of use and is preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes unless they have purchased the relevant licenses.
The updated Music Guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] including [Facebook] Live” and state that such content may only be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family.
How do you think this will change the Facebook landscape?
I have heard about this, but I must honestly say that I do not understand anything of it. I use Facebook, but, as in the case of streaming, I am not a big fan of it. Social media are indispensable nowadays and help in promotion, but personally I do not have time to sit at my computer or with my smartphone and watch pictures of pizza, dirty shoes and everything that people publish there… Maybe we will have to play virtual concerts someday. Then we will have to deal with this topic. Anyway, I hope that the world will get over this pandemic quickly and we will be able to play normally in front of the audience again soon.
How can bands keep their fans if they can’t play live in front of the fans and sell them merchandise at the show?
I think, first of all, that music itself keeps real fans with bands they like. If I like some band I buy its records, it’s simple. For example, I bought the last album of All Them Witches in pre-order. One day after the release date I have already had the CD in a letterbox. I put it into the CD-player, pressed the function “Repeat All” and for 2 weeks I listened to this album over and over again. This is how I act as a fan and I surely know that I am not the only one hahahaha…
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means things like the playlist on the internet?
We love music and we love what we do. But above all, we are independent and free. That is the most important thing for us. Of course, the financial aspect is significant as well, but we do not play for, or with the thought of, money.
What about holographic concerts in our living room?
Now you surprise me. I have no idea what a Holografic concert is. I can imagine what it is about and how it might look like, but I have never heard of it..
If you cannot make music, what would you like to do?
I would definitely be a physicist. Quantum physics and astronomy are my second big hobby. In general, I am interested in everything that deals with the beauty of this world in any way. Yes, it maybe does sound a bit crazy but I do not really know how to get bored and I always find an occupation. Maybe that is, why I never have had time for television or social media hahaha.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Thank you for the interview. I invite everyone to get acquainted with the music of Giants Dwarfs And Black Holes. Without any problems you will find us on bandcamp or YouTube. Stay healthy.
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