Join us in unlocking the hilariously heavy world of SHvininiai SHarvai, where metal meets mischief! From absurdity to intensity, we promise a wild ride through our unique musical journey.
1. Your band's name, SHvininiai SHarvai, is quite unique and
challenging to pronounce. Can you share the story behind the name and how it
reflects your band's identity?
The name came up as a joke because Shvininiai Sharvai (or Švininiai Šarvai,
spelt correctly) literaly translates to "armor of lead" from
Lithuanian. There's probably no need to explain how absurd and impractical such
armor would be. It sounded funny and overly-edgy, so we decided to stick with
this comedic and absurd name, that would only suit an over-the-top band like
us. We switched over to writing songs in English, to better connect with the
international audience but kept the name because it both reflects our
Lithuanian origin and our past work that brought us to this point in our
musical journey.
2. SHSH started as a group of welders in 2017. How did you transition from
welding to becoming a metal band? What inspired the shift?
None of us actually weld for work, or at least we like to say that we weld a
different kind of metal. We're thinking about singing up for a welding
course/workshop with the guys from SHSH as a team building experience, though!
3. Your music is described as a combination of punchy metal tunes, mental
shows, and comical/obscene behavior. How do these elements come together in
your live performances?
We play welder characters on stage and you can expect all sorts of tomfoolery
from us live. We love to see the smiles on people's faces when we perform, even
if we don't see much through those darn welding hoods! We aim to create
experiences, not just play songs.
4. Can you tell us about your debut album and the themes it explores? How has
your music evolved since then?
The first album came out very suddenly, from a need for our original material
to be heard and played. It was a mix of different sounds and musical styles but
topped of with the recognizable and mischievous SHSH charm. The songs on this
album were about dark themes (the absurdity of war, violence, idiocracies in
politics) but we used a ton of irony and satire so it resulted in a quite
tragicomical represantation of our reality. Since those days, our music has
evolved in many ways - they're certainly more complex musically and more
focused lyrically but most long-time listeners can still feel the unmistakable
SHSH vibe and find some hidden jokes in all our songs.
5. You mentioned that your earlier work focused on absurd Lithuanian themes.
How do these themes influence your songwriting, and do you think they resonate
with audiences outside of Lithuania?
Right now we tend to focus more on global topics. But in the early days writing
about local themes certainly helped us gain a foothold in the local scene. We
have some hope that our older material in Lithuanian will be appreciated by foreigners,
just maybe in different ways!
6. You've recently started creating music primarily in English. What motivated
this shift, and how has it impacted your creative process?
The local metal scene here in Lithuania is not that big, so in order for us to
move forward as a band and keep growing, we decided to switch to English. We
have gained a ton of new fans in the SHSH family since then, so it has been a
very positive change. We've used English in our daily lives from a very young
age, so the change has been quite natural too.
7. Your band has a reputation for its unique and sexy look. Can you describe
the concept behind your visual style and how it complements your music?
It all happened accidentally, when we picked a random illustration of a welder
for the cover of our first single but we decided to turn it into an actual
visual feature and soon added the welding hoods to our band image and live
performances. We feel like these personas add an exciting and playful twist to
the band and complement the music well - sometimes we think of the songs as
stories that these welder characters appear in.
8. SHSH has gained notoriety in the local scene. What are some memorable moments
or incidents from your performances that stand out to you?
Our fans like to bring welding masks to our shows. Now it's just matter of time
before moshpits become welding workshops!
9. How would you describe the SHSH live experience for those who haven't had
the opportunity to attend one of your shows?
It gets hot, intense and the whole thing is over a bit too fast. Won't know
what it's like until you try it yourself for the first time. Sounds weirdly
familiar to something else...
10. Your music is known for its humorous and absurd elements. What role does
humor play in your creative process, and how do you balance it with the heavier
aspects of your music?
Guys with welding masks, heavy music, moshpits, crazy shenanigans and just a
bunch of fun! We feel like the whole formula is so eccentric, that people just
accept that there is going to be some humor sprinkled in. We've been joking
around since the day we started and we feel like now it's just way the way SHSH
is. Sometimes we tone it down a bit to get a message across but we feel like
the comic side is our true nature.
11. Can you share any upcoming projects or releases that fans can look forward
to from SHvininiai SHarvai?
At this time, we can only share a cryptic message that goes like this:
Kill alt indie.
Stay tuned for more!
12. As a band, what are your long-term goals and aspirations, especially in
terms of reaching a global audience?
We don't know where our journey will take us but we want to travel all over the
place and show everyone just how crazy metal can get. We want SHSH to be a
thing of its own, rather than a just some band that played a few songs - and we
feel like we are on the right path towards this goal.
13. How do you approach songwriting and composition within the band? Are there
specific roles or processes that each member contributes to the creative
process?
Our lead guitarist Mastermind is the writer of behind both music and lyrics for
our songs.
14. Are there any musical or non-musical influences that have had a significant
impact on your band's sound and identity?
There are many things that inspire us and these include people, music, movies,
books, articles, videos and other media. It all somehow naturally fuses into
what SHSH is. As far as our metal roots go, we absolutely love Megadeth, Havok,
Carcass and a ton of other metal bands.
15. In your opinion, what sets SHvininiai SHarvai apart from other metal bands,
and what do you hope listeners take away from your music?
We believe that we have a unique attitude and approach towards what a metal
band can be. There is no rule book for SHSH. And we are not writing a rule book
for our audience either - we celebrate individuality and wish for everyone to
be the best version of themselves!
16. Finally, for those who might be new to SHvininiai SHarvai, what would you
say to encourage them to join the "welder nation" and explore your
unique musical journey?
Become a fan today and you will have the hipsterish bragging rights of
"having listened to SHSH before they were famous" tomorrow!
https://www.facebook.com/shvininiaisharvai
Shvininiai
Sharvai (@shvininiaisharvai) • Instagram photos and videos
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