By Keith Walsh
With their driving beats, cool guitars, sweet melodies and passionate vocals, it’s easy to get excited about Pink Turns Blue, their recent releases and their entire catalog. Last autumn, they released the outstanding Tainted LP and now they’re releasing their Tainted -Tour 2022 EP that includes more of their great music.
I’m very happy to have the opportunity to ask frontman/guitarist Mic Jogwer a few questions about the band’s music, how it’s a reaction to the current state of the world and how music encourages solidarity.
Popular Culture Beat: There’s a consistent attitude of guarded optimism in the catalog. How has that been kind of a legacy of Pink Turns Blue?
Mic Jogwer: “I am not sure…. Maybe the common thread is ‘rage’. When I started writing songs they often had some gloominess or unhappiness in them. So for sure, I seem to sing about the dark side of life – my songs are sad, lost, melancholic for sure.
At the same time I am a very active and solution-focused person. So if I describe my general sadness and disconnection I do it with an inner drive to change things to the better. Also, my songs are very often an effort to share my thoughts and my soul state to likeminded. That way I might find others who feel the same and might be interested in doing something about it.”
“As a songwriter you have to make a decision. Am I just entertaining? Or am I part of a group of people who actively try to make this world a better place?”
Mic jogwer, of pink turns blue
Popular Culture Beat: There’s a kind of sadness on the sound and lyrics of “Tainted.” How is this a reaction to the current state of politics and society?
Mic Jogwer: “Very much so. Maybe it is just me but I really think the last 5 years have been very saddening. One reason is that many have realized that we are at the brink of really f*** up everything. See climate change, see the divide between the rich and the poor. Many people just feel lost and hopeless. And at the same time you have this big group of people you just don’t care about others. Who ignore any scientific realization and create their own easy alternative reality. And there doesn’t seem to be a way out. As a songwriter you have to make a decision. Am I just entertaining? Or am I part of a group of people who actively try to make this world a better place?”
Popular Culture Beat: I believe that songs can change society for the better. Do you believe so and is that one of your motivations for writing these beautiful songs?
Mic Jogwer: “Sometimes, music can provide support, strength, solidarity. That way, we don’t feel alone and that again give us courage and vigor to get up and keep going. Ideally, a good song can make us sad, make us cry and give comfort and a positive rage to fight. I am happy with a song if makes me sad because it has some truth and also gives direction. The world was never as complicated as today. Life was never as complicated as today. All is possible but at the same time everything can be questioned.”
Popular Culture Beat: Except for occasional keyboards, it’s guitar bass and drums on Tainted. How is this setup actually the most effective vehicle to convey ideas?
Mic Jogwer: “We don’t actually think about it. I guess we just love guitar, bass and real drums. The classical rock / punk-rock setup. And keyboards help a lot to convey emotional landscapes and help to extend the emotional palette. So when we think we have a “song” we record the basics – actually the instruments we play live on stage – and then look for keyboards that support the feel and message of the song. If it adds something, intensity, dimension or depth, we are always happy to keep them.”
Popular Culture Beat: How has the band changed in members since 1985 and how has that affected the sound?
Mic Jogwer: “Oh dear, there is a long list, especially on drums. You are the first asking and today is the first time I am thinking about it. With hindsight I think that the main reason for member changes were the incompatibility of my thirst for adventure and trying new sounds and setups and the personal situation of some members. For me, writing songs and trying to create music and words that have a relation to the things that happen around us is crucial. And if that means that I move from Cologne to Ljubljana to London to Hamburg to Berlin and find people that seem to have the same attitude and spirit and make new musical friends that often also leads to a change in band members.
The sound was mostly affected by either my new musical friends (Janez Krizaj in Ljubljana (LAIBACH)) or Louis Pavlou and David M. Allen (CURE, The Sisters of Mercy …) in London or the state of the musical scene we were surrounded by (Hamburg/Berlin).”
TAINTED 2022 – TOUR DATES
SEP 2 Seattle, WA – Funhouse
SEP 3 Vancouver, Canada – Rickshaw Theatre
SEP 4 Portland, OR – Star Theater
SEP 6 Garden City, ID – Visual Arts Collective (VAC)
SEP 7 Salt Lake City, UT – The Urban Lounge
SEP 9 San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
SEP 10 San Diego, CA – Casbah
SEP 11 Los Angeles, CA – Part Time Punks, Echoplex
SEP 15 Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
SEP 17 Dallas, TX – Cheapsteaks (aka. Cheap Steaks)
SEP 18 Austin, TX – Sunny’s Backyard
SEP 22 Tampa, FL – Crowbar
SEP 23 Miami, FL – Gramps
SEP 26 Atlanta, GA – 529 Bar
SEP 27 Richmond, VA – The Camel
SEP 29 Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit
OCT 4 Toronto, Canada – The Garrison
OCT 5 Montreal, Canada – Bar Le Ritz PDB
OCT 6 Rochester, NY – Photo City Music Hall
OCT 7 Cambridge, MA – The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub
OCT 8 Brooklyn, NY – Market Hotel
OCT 9 Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
OCT 10 Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA
OCT 14 Pinto, Spain – DarkMAD Festival Madrid
OCT 28 Rüsselsheim, Germany – These Days Festival 2022
DEC 15 Glasgow, UK – Ivory Blacks
DEC 16 Manchester, UK – Night People
DEC 17 London, UK – Electrowerkz
More about Pink Turns Blue:
Pink Turns Blue dot com
Pink Turns Blue Official Facebook
Pink Turns Blue Official Instagram
Pink Turns Blue Official Twitter
Pink Turns Blue YouTube
Pink Turns Blue On BandsinTown
Pink Turns Blue On Spotify
Pink Turns Blue On Spotify
Pink Turns Blue On PunkRockBeat
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