Richard Sjunnesson

HI!

I know this place isn’t looking all too attractive yet but consider it a work in progress until I get a decent website up. So, the focus will be on the literary content and not so much on the visual appearance... for now.  

SO, WHERE TO START?!

First, let’s take a big munch on the “official band statement” over at www.sonicsyndicate.com, shall we?  

“Today we're sorry to announce that Richard Sjunnesson will not be traveling with Sonic Syndicate on their upcoming tour and the band have issued this statement:

Hello to all our fans! We can't wait to see you all on the We Rule the World tour! However we're sorry to announce that Richard will not be completing the remaining dates with us. He is taking a break for family and personal reasons.”

Not too bad, sounds all fluffy and cuddly, doesn’t it? Well, in the same sense that a blood drenched, rusty chainsaw is fluffy and cuddly then. To me, it looks like a handful of lies wrapped up in even more lies. If I got the opportunity to read it before it was issued, I would have made some small adjustments to it. But seeing that I had no input in the statement, I should set the record straight here instead. If I may steal a minute of your time!

WALL OF TEXT INCOMING:

CLARIFICATION: “He is taking a break for family and personal reasons”... Interesting! Let’s translate to reality: “He is LEAVING the band for their INABILITY to play decent music.” That’s more like it! Harsh? Well, no harsher than being locked up in a band where there is no room to express one’s creativity because it’s simply not the right format for the band anymore. Being artistically crippled because heavy music is the wrong forum for a “metal band,” and having to turn the other cheek pretending to like something that I think is garbage will simply not fly for this crow. There are only so many arguments of the “scary” screaming vocals to be or not to be in various songs I’m willing to take. Seeing how there was even demands to the band (behind my back) of songs without screaming vocals and how they were later obvious downplayed in the mix might very well have been the deathblow to my emotional attachment of the band. On the other hand, that made this decision very easy for me. It allowed me to go on in life with stuff that feels more important, things that actually manage to stir my heart. What about fame & fortune then?! NEVER interested me! I'd tour the world on a donkey's back with a carrot on a stick for 10 years straight if it had been for the music I loved… But not for the music I’m unable to feel anything for, which theoretically would generate an extra penny or two. (Not that it actually did.) PLEASE DON’T WASTE MY TIME and I won’t waste yours--thank you very much! 

With that said, I think it’s pretty self-explanatory why I’m not going to do the tour, and how I simply cannot find it in myself to support the latest effort. Chances are slim to none that I will ever return to Sonic (well, even more unlikely after this statement) because I highly doubt the individuals in the band will ever change back to be compatible with the sound that made us who we are.

Biggest mistake? To me it seems awfully stupid to change musical direction for a band that was on a steady upward trend for every single album release. If we were on our way down, I’d be the first one to say: “Hey, maybe we should try something different here?” (To a certain extent of course.) But it escapes me how a band that is already doing well would risk something like that. The only reason I see why it happened is spelled, “greed!” Like a singer change wasn’t enough of a change? I mean Sonic would have been nothing without our fans. Our music was what won you guys over in the first place, and I think those are very sensitive variables to play around with. And yes, I know a lot of people actually like WRTN, and I respect you for it. So I hope you can respect my decision and musical preferences as well, and be very aware of the fact that they are nothing in the lines of WRTN. However, that’s the beauty of humanity. We are all different and have different taste. Wouldn’t want to have it any other way!

So, let’s hope for their sake that this change is the winning formula, and it will be the key to breakthrough and success. Seeing the turnout from the Scandinavian shows I can’t help myself for being a little doubtful, and that’s not because I’m malicious in any sense. I’m just trying to be realistic. Don’t get me wrong, I do wish them all the good in the world but when it comes down to it, I personally feel life is too short to be wasted on something you don’t have a burning passion for. Especially when it’s as time consuming as a touring band. So, even if they do go sky-high, the fact stands that I sure as hell didn’t start the band to play pop music. And I would never be able to support such a change for all the money in the world. 

And yes, I could write an essay of what has been going on behind the scenes. But instead of dwelling on it, I’d prefer to use my energy on more meaningful things. For example, a new musical project featuring Roger, myself and an old friend who most of you are pretty familiar with. More about that later on! If you have any further questions, feel free to mail me at: [email protected]. I’ll happily answer all your concerns. If they elicit an interesting response, I will post that here as well.

Best regards
/Rich