We did an interview with the Swedish cult/horror band The Coffinshakers. Their new album is just released in Europe. We asked Rob Coffinshaker some questions about how they started, the new album and off course about vampires! 


First could you introduce yourself and the band? And what is your role in the band?

Well, I’m Rob Coffinshaker, singer/songwriter of Horror Country band The Coffinshakers. Other members are Fang on electric guitar, Joe Undertaker on bass guitar and Andy Bones on the drums.

How did it all started? How did you get involved in The Coffinshakers?

I put the band together after I got a deal out of a demo-tape I recorded as The Coffinshakers myself in 1995.

When did the band come together and did it change over the years?

I formed the band 2 weeks before going to the studio to record the “Dracula Has Risen From the Grave” EP in early 1996. Our first drummer Blackfist Bill lasted until 2000 when he retired to study the practise of voodoo, other than that our band has been intact.

Was it hard to get attention?

After our first LP We are the Undead in 1999 we got a lot of underground attention from all parts of Europe. But in Finland we've had a couple of fanatical fans that actually do stuff for us, bring us over for tours and release records, that helps.

How do you look against the Swedish music scene?

I guess it's a bit difficult to get attention from the music press if you
don't play or look "right", but good bands often come through if they play
live enough. One problem in Sweden is that there are very few live venues
compaired to the rest of Europe. We have never tried to market ourselves
in anyway, so I don't really know what it takes...

I really like the fact that the band and the music are based on the vampire theme. Why this vampire theme?

The whole idea with the band from the start was to combine country with the gothic vampire themes. I was very much influenced lyric-wise by the horror films from for example Hammer studios, Jean Rollin and Jess Franco, but also by books from Arthur Machen, Sheridan Le Fanu and so on.

Before you started recording the latest album did you already had an idea how it should sound like?

Yes, very much so. I guess you always have the recording finished in your head, but it never comes out the same, but that’s not always a bad thing though…

Where did you get the inspiration for the lyrics from and do the songs have a relation with each other?

I have been very much inspired by old horror movies and book like I said earlier, but lately my main influence has been old American folk music. On our first LP the B-side was a story consisting of 5 songs, but for the new one we haven’t done anything like that.

I think the album would be perfect for a vampire movie soundtrack. Any plans for recording a soundtrack?

Not really, but if anyone asks… We have a couple of videos planned though!

Listening to The Coffinshakers I hear a lot of influences, like a Johnny Cash sound. By what artist’s or music are you and the band most inspired and in what way can this be heard in the music you make?

From the beginning it was mainly Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Lee Hazlewood and stuff like that. The works of Joe Meek and the likes of the Ventures and other 60's music has been influential. I guess that everything we listen to seeps through to our music, but often un-intended.  

What are the plans for the future, any chance that you are going to play in Holland? And what can we expect from a The Coffinshakers live show?

We should start planning another tour soon, and Holland will of course be a possibility. We are a very straight forward Country Rock band live. You can expect a mix of tragic country and explosive rock 'n' roll.

Are there any great Swedish artist you could recommend to us?

Yeah, sure, apart from the already established names like the Hellacopters
and the Soundtrack of Our Lives for example we have a lot of bands that
deserve a lot more attention, like Mellowmen, Fingerspitzengefühl, Dead Man, Witchcraft, Impression, Elope and more...