Exclusive Interview

Justin St. Vincent from Xtreme Music received responses to an e-mail interview with Steven Tolkamp from Fake No More (The Netherlands-based tribute) on April 11, 2005.

Xtreme Music: How did Fake No More first start performing together?

Steven Tolkamp: My opinion was to be a Faith No More cover band would be first-class blasphemy if not done right. Although I had been a fan for years, it felt kinda weird. Basically, it is the drummer’s fault that we started this.

Xtreme Music: Which Faith No More songs are your personal favourites to play live?

Steven Tolkamp: That depends on the mood I am in. Mostly I tend to like the louder songs like “Caffeine”, “The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies”, “What A Day”, and “Collision”.

Xtreme Music: Could you tell us about the other songs you’ve covered by Faith No More?

Steven Tolkamp: Surely most Faith No More songs all have a different character, and all need individual treatment. So it is quite a challenge to give these songs the right attitude.

Xtreme Music: How have your live performances been going & what has the crowd reaction been like?

Steven Tolkamp: Well, our number of gigs has increased lately, so we play every week once or twice. We get to work with steady sound engineers, so that saves us a lot of sound-on-stage trouble. Our audience is quite diverse. We have some die-hard Faith No More fans, some people who want to check us out, and a lot of people who just happen to be there. The last ones reactions are a pleasure to watch as we play the louder songs. Overall, we don’t really care what reaction we might cause, as long as there is a reaction.

Xtreme Music: Please tell us about your experiences with “The Clash Of The Cover Bands” live showcase.

Steven Tolkamp: The first round was held in De Rijnhal, in Arnhem. We only wanted to do the gig to get a manager (also the man behind The Clash), but we went home with both 1st place as well as the Public’s Favourite. The second round we faced some tough competition, but still took 1st place. The final gig in Paradiso, Amsterdam was absolutely stunning. The audience was fantastic, as well as the sound and lightshow. It was absolute magic we made that night, especially while Faith No More played there years ago themselves. Really awesome!

Xtreme Music: What can you tell us about the “The Clash Of The Cover Bands” DVD?

Steven Tolkamp: “The Clash Of The Cover Bands” DVD is a compilation of all the bands that played in the final in Paradiso. Audio and video are very good, as well as all the bands performances.

Xtreme Music: When was the best experience in Fake No More’s performance history?

Steven Tolkamp: The Paradiso gig was an absolute highlight! We did have some other interesting incidents during other gigs.. A topless lady on stage was trying to do some kind of rain dance [Photos available on FakeNoMore.nl]. Usually we attract freaks, I wonder why?

Xtreme Music: Could you tell us about the latest news with Fake No More?

Steven Tolkamp: Our first single will be released soon. It’s quite a cheesy ballad, but it rocks its way to the end. We got some heavier stuff coming up as well. We already mix our own stuff in the live set and get good reactions.

Xtreme Music: What other music projects are members of Fake No More currently involved with?

Steven Tolkamp: We all have something besides Fake No More. Raymond and Marius are involved in another cover band called “Jonesz”. We stole Alex from the band “Snatch”. Maus is currently recovering from a heavy accident, he is our original guitar player, temporarily replaced by Alex. Peter and I have a rock meets dance musical experience, from Goth to 70´s disco, from Techno to Industrial.. We will link that band on FakeNoMore.nl as soon as we feel ready to give birth to the child.

Xtreme Music: Apart from the members of Faith No More, who would you say are your main musical influences & how have they shaped your musical direction?

Steven Tolkamp: David Bowie, Mr. Bungle, The Sparks, and Slayer are the main ones. Most of the mentioned bands have a good thing in common: To see music in a wider perspective. Music is the ultimate freedom, you can do whatever you like! If someone likes it, it’s worth it. If someone buys your it, that’s even better! I can listen to commercial or alternative music, as long as it has a good vibe or mood. It’s too bad the record companies invest only in things they know will sell. I mean, if Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” can be a hit.. then so can Mr. Bungle’s “Goodbye Sober Day”!