The Pinpricks- German rocker lead by Ronja Kaminsky
Interview conducted on December 14, 2020
By Dan Locke
In March 2020, the “Hunger” successor “Bait” was released.
The first single “Cast off Your Shadow” served as a forerunner and impressively proved which big step the band has made in the last two years.
Eight songs with three music videos make you sit up and take notice. This is how Helder Martins of Guitar Scream writes:
“With crunchy and powerful guitar riffs with room for daydreaming and solos by Ronja, which she vocally equally powerful and sharp accompaniment, showing all her ability as a great Guitar artist shows.
At the end of listening to this album, we had the feeling that we had a boxing match behind us had been kicked in the ass and had to relax a little bit…EXCELLENT!”released March 15, 2020
What is your upbringing?
I (Ronja) was born in Eckernförde a small town near Kiel. When I was 5 years old, I moved with my mother to Kiel, where I also went to school.
Nils was born and grew up in central Germany near Kassel.
Rico grew up in a small village called Schwedeneck near Kiel
How did you discover music?
I (Ronja) grew up with music, my father was also the front man of a band and the rehearsal room was in our house.
Nils’ mother is a music teacher, but Nils only started making music at the age of 30.
Rico has been playing drums since he can walk.
How did you start to write music?
I (Ronja) started writing my own songs when I was 13 years old. I had my first band at the age of 15.
Describe your music
Powerful and above all straightforward Hard Rock with a fat ass kick and without Guns n’ Roses kitsch!
Ronja- How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
My father gave me, I think at the age of 9 or 10 years, a small acoustic guitar, which I still have. On my 14th birthday, I got my first electric guitar, which I sold and exchanged for a better one.
What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model? And does it have a name?
Gibson SG Faded, 2017. No she has no name 😉
Do you still play acoustic guitar?
From time to time yes, but of course not as much as electric guitar.
Any words for Eddie Van Halen?
I did not know him personally, so I cannot say much except R.I.P.
How did you form your band?
I founded my first band at the age of 15. The members changed constantly, except for the drummer and me. Eventually, we decided to rebuild the band and start from scratch, so we changed the name to The Pinpricks. With this foundation, Nils joined the band. But the drummer left the band shortly after. For 2 years Rico is now the drummer of The Pinpricks.
How did your band gets it name?
The name is based on the Pink Floyd song Comfortably Numb. This song has influenced me a lot and I still love it. Pinpricks get under your skin and hopefully so does our music 😉
What was your first performance at like?
My first gig was at a small festival, we play as the first band. I wasn’t excited at all before, that came only on stage. It went quite well, the people have in any case not booed. 😀
What makes a good songwriter?
No idea I am not one haha
Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP?
No.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
“I like” no, there is no recording of, fortunately 😉
Tell me about your EP “Bait”?
We put a lot more work into Bait than we did into our debut EP. We also have a new drummer since Bait and therefore our sound and songwriting has changed. We try
What is your favorite track on the album?
Very tough question, but if I have to choose, I would probably go with “Voices”
Out of all the videos you have done, which shows the band in its best light?
Cast Off Your Shadow
How have your videos changed from No Exit to Voice?
I can’t say that at all.
We are always trying out new things. I think every video will always be different in its own way. we will definitely record the new videos again with the same producer from no exit, because we like the style better.
How do you stay healthy while touring?
we have never toured for a long time, but rather do weekend tours, so we can’t say that at all.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
This is the modern way to consume music. We resisted it for a long time and only uploaded our music to Spotify very late. However, we realized that you’re only giving yourself a leg up and that there’s no getting around it. Nevertheless, we still sell a lot of CDs and vinyl at gigs. Privately, I actually still listen to a lot of CDs and vinyl.
Digital vs. vinyl?
definitely vinyl
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
“Into the light” because I wrote this song for my late father.
You had a record release party, then the virus hit. Did you think the lockdown was going to last as long as it has?
no never. we thought it would be weeks or a few months, then the concerts were postponed again and again. we hope that next year we will be allowed to play live in front of an audience again!!!
Both Pfizer and BioNTech have conclude Phase 3 Study of the Coronavirus vaccine. With the vaccine it takes two shots. How many people do you think will take it and how many will forget to take the second shot?
Phew, that’s a very difficult question.
I think the uncertainty is great, because it is a new inexperienced way of vaccination. On the other hand, the fear of the virus is also great. I think it’s 50/50.
But I think once you decide to do it, you won’t forget the next vaccination, I certainly hope so.
A week ago, you released a stream concert 2020 video how did you arrange that show. Who car was that?
We actually invested a lot of time in preparation. We have rehearsed 2 days light, camera as well as the sound settings. We were lucky to have a great team and everyone was very committed. It was really damn cold and damp that night, so we had massive sound problems especially with the drums because it kept going out of tune. But I think we managed it quite well in the end, that’s just live!
The car belongs to the grandpa of the light engineer. It was actually a very spontaneous idea to use the car, but I think it turned out to be one of the highlights.
Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
I hope that many people will learn to appreciate live music more than before. As a small band, gigs are very poorly paid and most people are hardly willing to spend money on unknown artists. I can imagine that this can change in the future.
I think people are starting to realize that life without culture is just boring and unfulfilling.
We are lucky to have really great fans who have supported us a lot during this time by donating and buying our merch.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
we used the time to write new songs. we did a lot of online promotion and tried to get a lot of podcasts, reviews, etc., and also organized the 3 stream concerts. in October we were in the studio with the new songs and at the moment we are already working on the next new songs.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
haha yes indeed. Nils has started skateboarding again and I (Ronja) have started learning it.
95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. This includes people who don’t have television and using their computers to do streaming of programs and movies. Which is your favorite streaming channel?
Netflix, and yes we definitely watch more movies and series.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained 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 […] This will includes [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?
That’s a real shame, but with us the FB and IG Livestreamen actually never worked out well anyway, so what the heck. on youtube you can hopefully continue to go live, that’s enough.
How can bands keep their fans if they can not play live in front of the fans and sell merch to them at the show?
we tried to offer as much as possible for our fans, that’s why we had 3 stream concerts. even though we just released an ep in march, we wrote a lot of new stuff to release new songs as soon as possible to have always new output for our fans. at the moment we are planning our next music videos and new merch.
How did the sell of the Masks go?
we could only produce a small amount of masks because it was made by a small company here in Kiel, which has very limited capacity. and these masks were already sold out in the preorder.
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means thinks like playlist on the internet?
No, we do not pay to play or to be played
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
that would be pretty cool, let’s see when this is invented.
If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?
no idea, i can’t and don’t want to imagine a life without music
Anything you would like to say in closing.
thank you very much for the detailed interview! stay healthy and keep on rockin
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