Interview with Kissin’ Dynamite lead vocalist Hannes Braun
INTERVIEW WITH KISSIN’ DYNAMITE LEAD VOCALIST HANNES BRAUN
Date: June 29, 2018
Interviewer: Olivier
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT GERMAN ROCKERS KISSIN’ DYNAMITE HAVE ALREADY BEEN AROUND FOR OVER TEN YEARS AND WILL BE RELEASING THEIR SIXTH STUDIO ALBUM TITLED ‘ECSTASY’ ON JULY 6, 2018. AND WHAT AN ALBUM IT IS! KISSIN’ DYNAMITE HAVE TRULY CRYSTALLIZED THEIR BRAND OF “STADIUM ROCK” AS ‘ECSTASY’ HAS TO BE CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS OF THE YEAR TO DATE. SLEAZE ROXX CAUGHT UP WITH KISSIN’ DYNAMITE’S LEAD VOCALIST HANNES BRAUN TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM ‘ECSTASY’ AS WELL AS SOME OF THE BAND’S HISTORY.
Sleaze Roxx: Congratulations on your new album ‘Ecstasy.’ I have to say that I was really blown away with how good it is. It’s got the perfect mix of sleaze rock with melodic rock. Do you agree and is that something that you set out to do?
Hannes Braun: Hi man. Thank you! We don’t care too much about genre names anymore. We write music because it feels good. That’s why our albums have somehow different vibes from time to time. We wrote ‘Ecstasy’ in a time when actually we didn’t have pressure to do a new album. We felt just like doing it. And I strongly believe that in any kind of situation in life, it’s the same — without pressure, the result gets better!
Sleaze Roxx: You describe your sound as “stadium rock” which I find is a great description. How did you come up with that term?
Hannes Braun: It’s more out motto, our vibe you could say. We just love bands like Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Scorpions, etc and we experienced those bands as artists who play in big stadiums. Of course, every musician’s dream is to play in a sold out stadium once [laughs]. So we will see if sometime we can reach this level!
Sleaze Roxx: What are your favorite songs off ‘Ecstasy’ and why?
Hannes Braun: Hard question! All of the songs are kind of our babies. But I guess I love “You’re Not Alone” and “Heart Of Stone” the most, because the emotion that’s inside those tracks is intense and very touching.
Sleaze Roxx: Your “Ecstasy” track featuring Anna Brunner is phenomenal. How did you end up collaborating with Anna and how was it?
Hannes Braun: I co-produced the band Exit Eden’s debut album ‘Rhapsodies In Black’ so I also had Anna in the studio. She blew me away with her unique raspy voice which you do not hear so often. As I wrote “Ecstasy”, I remembered her and thought it would be a cool idea to make a duet with her for this track. She felt like doing it and she did a great job in the end! She rocks!
Kissin’ Dynamite‘s “Ecstasy” (featuring Anna Brunner) song:
Kissin’ Dynamite – Ecstasy (feat. Anna Brunner) (OFFICIAL)
For US and Europe buy here: http://www.metalblade.com/kissindynamiteFor Germany, Austria and Switzerland buy here: https://kissindynamite.lnk.to/ecstasyKissi…
Kissin’ Dynamite‘s “I’ve Got The Fire” video (from Ecstasy album):
Kissin’ Dynamite – I’ve Got the Fire (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
For US and Europe buy here: http://www.metalblade.com/kissindynamiteFor Germany, Austria and Switzerland buy here: https://kissindynamite.lnk.to/ecstasyKissi…
Sleaze Roxx: How did you come up with the title for your new album?
Hannes Braun: Since all of our new songs on ‘Ecstasy’ are songs that deal about peoples’ intense and sometimes extreme emotions, it was very clear for us to choose ‘Ecstasy’ as the headline for this album.
Sleaze Roxx: Your new album has a cool cover but I can’t exactly figure out what it’s supposed to represent aside from an attractive woman on the cover [laughs]. What’s the idea behind the album cover?
Hannes Braun: The lady on the cover is a model we have chosen because we think she’s got it all that’s important to represent our new album. If I look at the cover, I feel totally comfortable and kind of silently excited. That’s what she says with that photo in my opinion. As if she would have understood Kissin´Dynamite’s inner vibe and the ecstasy we feel. I love that cover!
Sleaze Roxx: Kissin’ Dynamite’s latest album is being released via Metal Blade Records. How did you end up with Metal Blade Records?
Hannes Braun: Brian Slagel and Tracy Vera from Metal Blade US were very excited about Kissin’ Dynamite and they really wanted to work with us. For us, it was really cool to see that such a big label from the US is interested in a German band like we are. So we started a collaboration between Sony Music in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and with Metal Blade for the rest of the world. If feels very good with this big team surrounding us.
Sleaze Roxx: How did you guys hook up with Powerwolf for your fall tour?
Hannes Braun: We met Powerwolf a lot of times on different festivals the last two years, so we got to know each other better and better. Last year, we finally shared the stage together in Osnabrück [Germany] and we all realized after that night, that musically and personally, we matched very well. So we talked about doing a tour together! We really look forward to this massive tour!
Sleaze Roxx: How did you come up with your band name Kissin’ Dynamite?
Hannes Braun: It was Andi’s cell phone that was ringing almost 12 years ago when we had a rehearsal but still no [band] name. The ringtone was AC/DC’s “Kissin’ Dynamite” and we all knew that this would be the perfect name. It describes the hard and the soft side — the power songs and the ballads. In the end, you could say our essence.
Sleaze Roxx: Kissin’ Dynamite have actually been around for over ten years. It appears that the group has had the same line-up since day one or at least the debut album ‘Steel Of Swabia.’ What’s your secret in staying together so long without any line-up changes?
Hannes Braun: I think the secret is that we are not a bunch of professional musicians who met to do a band. We were just school kids and we got to know ourselves as fans from rock music. And we shared the dream to become big rock stars. That’s how we founded this band and after all this time, we not just feel like close friends but like brothers.
Sleaze Roxx: I’d like to go through your discography if you don’t mind. Your debut record was called ‘Steel Of Swabia’ and was released in 2008. What’s the idea behind the album title and looking back now on the record, what do you think of it?
Hannes Braun: You can hear on that album that we were just kids — quite good on our instruments — who loved different bands like AC/DC, Iron Maiden or Edguy. So basically there is no red line in the music. But anyway, good songs in my opinion.
Sleaze Roxx: Next up was ‘Addicted To Metal’ in 2011. That album title is pretty straightforward [laughs]! What do you think of the album at this time?
Hannes Braun: This was kind of our most metal era. We had also a feature with Udo Dirkschneider [ex-Accept, U.D.O] and it was the final proof to the scene that we were serious about what we had in mind.
Sleaze Roxx: ‘Money, Sex And Power’ was next and released in 2012. What was the idea behind the album title and what do you think of the record now?
Hannes Braun: This is still one of our strongest records in my opinion, because it includes songs that we still play live! We felt the ’80s spirit so much that we even spiked our hair up for that tour [laughs]. Good, good times!
Sleaze Roxx: ‘Megalomania’ is next in 2014. What was the idea behind the album title and what’s your feelings about the album at this time?
Hannes Braun: ‘Megalomania’ was the most modern album we did so far. We experimented with electronic dance elements because we wanted to widen our horizons and have more possibilities to write music. Looking back, this was a very important album because we could check out our limits. In the end, it was maybe a bit too much for the fans at this time [laughs].
Kissin’ Dynamite‘s “DNA” video (from 2014’s Megalamonia album):
KISSIN’ DYNAMITE – DNA (2014) // Official Clip
Kissin’ Dynamite – DNA (2014) // Official ClipSuscribe here for more: http://bit.ly/1wZm3dRYour place for official Videos, Live Clips, Videoblogs, Making Ofs…
Sleaze Roxx: ‘Generation Goodbye’ was released in 2016. What’s the idea behind the album title and what are your thoughts on the record?
Hannes Braun: ‘Generation Goodbye’ goes more back again in the ’80s era with a touch of bombastic moments. That comes along with partly very critical lyrics about society, etc. I think it sticks together more with ‘Money, Sex And Power’ than with ‘Megalomania.’ Also a lot of songs that have a good “live” feel.
Kissin’ Dynamite‘s “Hashtag Your Life” video (from 2016’s Generation Goodbye album):
KISSIN’ DYNAMITE – Hashtag Your Life (2016) // Official Music Video // AFM Records
To connect with Kissin’ Dynamite, use the following hashtags!#kissindynamite #hashtagyourlife #generationgoodbyeSubscribe to AFM Records: http://bit….
Sleaze Roxx: I love that you guys released a live album last year. I wish more younger bands would do that. What prompted you to do that?
Hannes Braun: Fans kept on asking us over the years why we wouldn’t have a live record since we are a good live band. In the end, we said to ourselves, ‘We only do that by the time we can sell out a hall.’ So we did in 2016 and that’s how ‘Dynamite Nights’ was born.
Kissin’ Dynamite‘s “She Came She Saw” video (from 2017’s live album Generation Goodbye “Dynamite Nights”):
KISSIN’ DYNAMITE – She Came She Saw (2017) // Live // AFM Records
KISSIN’ DYNAMITE – She Came She Saw (Live) // official clip // AFM RecordsSubscribe to AFM Records here: http://bit.ly/1Ag5sAWTaken from the Live DVD “Genera…
Sleaze Roxx: Here’s a perhaps tough question for you. Please rank the Kissin’ Dynamite records from your favorite to least favorite, and explain your rationale.
Hannes Braun: Don’t be mad, but I don’t wanna do this.
Sleaze Roxx: Alright. I’m not mad [laughs]!
Hannes Braun: Every album has its own very important story in our lives and I don’t wanna rank them, because in the end, I don’t wanna miss a thing of that.
Sleaze Roxx: North Americans tend to view Europe as the holy grail for people that appreciate hard rock and metal. How is the rock n’ roll scene in Germany?
Hannes Braun: I guess pretty much the same like everywhere else. In Germany, rap, electronic music and pop music are the big deal. Rock and metal are just a niche. But anyway, that can’t stop us from making rock music.
Sleaze Roxx: What’s next for Kissin’ Dynamite for the rest of 2018 and 2019?
Hannes Braun: Now we release our new album ‘Ecstasy’ and then we go on a huge tour this fall. Next year, we will surely release some headline dates too, but this is still something that’s in the making.
Sleaze Roxx: Is there anything that we haven’t covered that you’d like to mention?
Hannes Braun: I don’t think so [laughs]. I wanna greet all you readers! Keep the flame alive!
Kissin’ Dynamite‘s “You’re Not Alone” song (from Ecstasy album):
Kissin’ Dynamite “You’re Not Alone” by Metal Blade Records
Kissin’ Dynamite “You’re Not Alone” from the album “Ecstasy”