Liv Jagrell of Sister Sin Interview

LIV JAGRELL (SISTER SIN) INTERVIEW:
August 9, 2010

Websites: www.sistersin.com – www.myspace.com/sisterssin
Interviewer: Ruben Mosqueda

As you know, Sleaze Roxx have been raving about Sister Sin for awhile now. If you’re a fan of traditional metal in the vein of Accept, with a tinge of L.A. glam rock thrown in for good measure, then you’ll you love this band and their new album True Sound Of The Underground. Ruben Mosqueda got a chance to speak with Liv Sin as she awoke from a hellacious hangover, not from drink, but from a two day jaunt that took them from Texas to their next gig in Boston. She’s a trooper and answered everything we threw at her. I hope you enjoy the interview.

Sleaze Roxx: Sister Sin has a punk edge with elements of ’80s L.A. glam rock, very similar to what Motley Crue did on their Too Fast For Love album. How would you describe Sister Sin to those that might have not heard the band? Also, True Sound Of The Underground is your second album for Victory Records. How has the band progressed from the first album Switchblade Serenades to True Sound Of The Underground?

Liv Sin: We are a heavy metal band. On past records we have been more of a rock band as you described, but on the new album I think we definitely got a lot heavier. You can hear a lot of Motley Crue on our last two albums, but on this one we went heavier. To me this is the sound that Sister Sin had been searching for on previous recordings but we didn’t achieve until True Sound Of The Underground. We have great bass lines and great melodies in our songs. I’m very proud of what he have achieved on the new album. I think another element that was important was our producer knew what we wanted to do. We are in a great position right now.

Sleaze Roxx: The Motley Crue comparison, is it flattering or is it a cop out by journalists?

Liv Sin: It’s flattering of course, I think five years ago that comparison would have been more accurate than today. Now we’re going for more of a Judas Priest, Motorhead and Accept kind of sound. I think we are aiming for a more ’80s traditional heavy metal sound. Like I said, of course you can hear Motley Crue in there, but now there’s more of a heavy metal influence. I can’t get upset at the press because they have to compare you to somebody to give people an idea of what bands sound like.

Sleaze Roxx: What are three albums that are near and dear to you? That is, albums that have influenced you as a musician?

Liv Sin: (pauses) Wow, good question! I’ll have to think about this one for a minute. I’d have to say anything by Twisted Sister, because they were and are a huge influence on me as a performer. I never get tired of Twisted Sister, I can listen to Dee Snider anytime.

Sleaze Roxx: Any particular record?

Liv Sin: I don’t know. I think I’d have to go with either Under The Blade or You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll.

Sleaze Roxx: Great picks, you can’t go wrong with either of those two records. What else never gets old?

Liv Sin: The next album I’d have to say is Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell. That is a timeless album, it always sounds good no matter how much time has passed.

This might come as surprise to you, and people reading this, but I started playing the flute. I still play my flute now and then (laughs). I’m a huge Ian Anderson fan and he has been a huge influence on me. So I’ll have to add some Jethro Tull in there too. They did this album called Roots To Branches, it’s my favorite album by them. It was released in 1995. I can’t say enough about that album, I never get tired of it. It seems like every time I listen to it I hear new things that I hadn’t heard before — amazing album.

Sleaze Roxx: You didn’t get to tour extensively in North America behind your last album Switchblade Serenades, but it looks like you’ll be here for part of the summer and into the fall. You’re currently opening for Lynch Mob and Michael Schenker, then you’ll be hitting the road with Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society shortly after. What are your thoughts on touring North America?

Liv Sin: So far we have played four shows with Michael Schenker… and you’re right, George Lynch is on the tour too. We have been driving for the last two days to get from Dallas, Texas to Foxboro, Massachusetts! That’s a lot of driving! You get very tired of all that driving, I’ll tell you that. I love to tour whether it is North America or Europe. Like I said, the only downside is when you must do a lot of driving — you get very, very tired of being in a car. It’s worth it when you get on stage, we love performing and winning over audiences. I’m torn, I like North America — I love the scenery, the people and the cities, but I like the food in Europe better.

Sleaze Roxx: How has Sister Sin been going over with the audience on this particular tour?

Liv Sin: We’ve been going over pretty good I think — better than I expected we would. They are more classic rock and hard rock and Sister Sin is heavier, but I feel like we have won over the MSG and Lynch Mob audience. I’m looking forward to opening for Black Label Society because I think we will definitely compliment them and they are heavier like Sister Sin.

Sleaze Roxx: How long is your set and what can we expect in there?

Liv Sin: It varies depending on time. We get at least 30 minutes and in some instances we get 45 minutes. We’d like to play longer of course, but when we are the support act we don’t get the same time allotted to the headliners.

Sleaze Roxx: Can you fill me in on what songs are in the set?

Liv Sin: Sure, we are always going to play “One Out Of Ten” — I love that one. Off the new album you’ll get “Outrage” and “Sound Of The Underground” because they are our singles. The rest of the set varies a little but those are three of the songs that will be in the set each night. The audience’s response to these songs is great so we have to play them. “24/7” — that’s another one people love, I almost forgot about that one.

Sleaze Roxx: Is Sister Sin to bassists what Spinal Tap is to drummers? You’ve gone through another bass player and now you’re looking for a replacement. What happened with Benton Wiberg?

Liv Sin: (laughs) I know! I don’t know what we do with them (laughs)! We have had bad luck with bass players, hopefully we can break that spell. We have a stand-in bass player with us right now. We have some options for a permanent replacement, but we are here in the United States touring and they are in Sweden. So we have to do this audition process through the internet.

Sleaze Roxx: You hope to keep the same guy for the MSG and the Black Label Society tours?

Liv Sin: Unfortunately no, he has his own band in Sweden so he has to go back in a few weeks. I hope to have a replacement in place before the Black Label Society tour, if not we’ll have to use someone else for that.

Sleaze Roxx: Liv thank you for taking some time to answer some questions. I wish you safe travels across America and I hope to talk to you again soon.

Liv Sin: Thank you Ruben and we hope to see you at the show in Portland.

Thanks once again to Liv Sin for spending some time with us when she could have been resting. Thanks to Christina @ Victory Records for coordinating this interview — it was much appreciated.