Why Community Is Everything (Basti from Melonball)
Basti from Melonball shares how the band went from friends making music together to touring internationally, all while staying true to the DIY punk scene. We also talk about recording their latest album, the reality of rising touring costs, working with indie labels, and why getting out on the road still matters.
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Transcript:
Mike: Hey Basti, how are you?
Basti: How are you?
Mike: I'm doing good, thanks. Thank you so much for being on the show. I really do appreciate it. I'm very excited because I don't often get to talk to a band from overseas.
Especially in the punk scene, most of the time people think of American-based punk, pop-punk, and punk rock music. So I'm always excited to talk to someone from a different country who does it.
Basti: Well first off, thanks for having me. It's awesome. I'm super honored to be on your podcast.
I think when you say you don't get the chance to talk to overseas bands, that's kind of a cool thing because it brings the punk scene closer together. That's something we've learned over time: the punk scene, or scenes in general, are connected all over the world.
I think that's the coolest thing.
Mike: It truly is. In fact, I had the opportunity to speak to a Polish punk band last year, and they were absolutely amazing.
It's always great and an honor to talk to bands that are overseas. Like you said, the more you go out there and reach out to other communities, it's amazing to see how small the world really is.
Everyone ends up knowing each other across the globe when they have the same interests and passion. It really is a tight-knit community.
Basti: It also shows that when we started the band, or even going back way further when I started making music, it was never about becoming famous or taking over the world.
It was just about making music and having fun with friends.
Playing punk rock overseas now is still the same thing. You play music and meet a couple of friends, and that's awesome.
Mike: What was the first instrument that you played?
Basti: The first instrument I ever learned was the flute. That's really common in Germany. Parents say, "Let's put him in a group where he can play flute."
I hated it. I really didn't like it.
The second instrument I started to discover was piano, but from age six to 12 I was struggling to learn it because I never felt like the piano talked to me.
A friend of mine said, "I'm playing guitar and it would be super cool to start a band. You can play bass guitar."
I asked, "What's a bass guitar?"
He said, "It's a guitar with four strings. It's not that hard. My father has an old bass guitar you can practice on."
It turned out to be a 1974 Fender Precision Bass, the real thing, with a neck as thick as my face.
That instrument talked to me. I immediately got hooked.
I had the bass at home for about two years. I played and played and played. I kind of taught myself by listening to records. It wasn't necessarily punk. It was everything.
I started to play by ear.
At one point my mother said, "I think you're really into this instrument. Maybe you should get some lessons."
I got lessons, and I was lucky enough that school also picked up on the fact that I liked bass guitar.
They said, "You can learn bass guitar here at school, but you have to learn upright bass."
So I learned upright bass too.
That was my first real connection to music and handmade music. Bass and upright bass.
Mike: So if you're playing upright bass, were you in a bunch of jazz groups?
Basti: It was an orchestra at first, then a jazz group. I think it was a super embarrassing Dixieland jazz band.
Then a friend of mine asked, "Do you also want to play in a funk band?"
That got me back to electric bass.
Those were my first band experiences. It all revolved around school, but bass was my instrument. It still is. I love to play bass.
Mike: That's amazing. Moving forward to today for a second, Melonball performs over 40 shows a year, which is quite a bit.
I'm curious, especially after performing music for as long as you have, what constitutes a great performance to you?
Basti: First off, I think every musician has to answer that question for themselves.
For Melonball, I would say first: have fun. You always have to go on stage and have fun because that's the best thing you can do.
You don't want to overthink stuff.
At a certain point, you want to make it as fun as possible but also look professional, even though professional is a big word.
When people come to your show and you're honored enough to play in front of them, you want to give them the best show possible: playing-wise, sound-wise, and performance-wise.
I think it's a mixture. You can tell when a band is having fun on stage. You can tell when the band can actually play.
Then it's punk. When the audience gets into the vibe and digs the music, you get that energy back from them.
When that connection happens, that's what makes a great show.
Mike: Absolutely.
Was Melonball your first serious project?
Basti: It was my first real punk band.
It started with a bunch of friends playing together. We were really bad, but it was fun.
We were just playing and goofing around locally.
I had a couple of bands, but Melonball was the first band I really took seriously.
Some of the others in the band also have other bands and projects.
Ollie, our singer, has been involved in jazz, rock, choirs, and all kinds of different things.
All those backgrounds get mixed together into the Melonball sound.
But yes, Melonball was the first band I really took seriously.
Mike: One thing I think is interesting is that a lot of people, especially outside of music, think a band is just a bunch of people getting together and writing songs.
But in reality, there are so many moving parts. There are personalities, different strengths, different weaknesses, and different creative approaches.
How does Melonball divide things up internally?
Basti: That's a great question because I think division of labor is one of the biggest things that keeps a band together.
We all have different strengths. For example, one person is way better at organizing, another is really good at social media, another is better at songwriting, and another is really detail-oriented when it comes to recording.
We figured out pretty quickly that not everybody has to do everything.
You can split things up, trust each other, and let everybody focus on what they're good at.
That's probably one of the reasons we still function well as a band.
Mike: I think that's such a huge lesson because so many bands burn out when one person is doing everything.
Basti: Exactly. If one person is doing all the booking, all the merch, all the driving, all the social media, and all the songwriting, that's not sustainable.
At some point, somebody is going to get frustrated.
For us, it's really important that everybody contributes in some way.
Mike: How did the latest album come together?
Basti: We had a bunch of songs already written during and after COVID.
We spent a lot of time demoing them and figuring out what actually felt like Melonball.
At a certain point, we realized we had enough material for a record.
We went into the studio and recorded the whole thing in seven days.
It was super intense.
We basically lived in the studio, slept there, woke up, recorded all day, ate pizza, drank coffee, and just kept going.
Mike: Seven days is fast.
Basti: Very fast.
But I think there is something cool about working quickly because you don't overthink things.
You trust your instincts.
Sometimes if you have too much time, you start second guessing everything.
Mike: Was that tracked mostly live?
Basti: A lot of it was tracked live.
We wanted it to feel energetic and natural.
We did not want it to sound too polished.
We wanted it to sound like a band in a room.
Mike: I think that's especially important in punk because sometimes if it is too polished, it loses some of the personality.
Basti: Exactly.
Punk is not supposed to be perfect.
It should sound human.
It should sound like there is emotion and energy there.
If everything is too perfect, sometimes it loses what made it special in the first place.
Mike: You've also done a lot of touring.
How has touring changed over the last few years?
Basti: Touring got way more expensive.
Gas is more expensive. Hotels are more expensive. Food is more expensive.
Even printing merch is more expensive.
You really have to think carefully about how to make it work.
Mike: I think that's something fans do not always realize.
They see the Instagram post and think everything looks glamorous.
Basti: Exactly.
They see the picture of the crowd or the backstage photo, but they do not see the ten hours in the van, sleeping on floors, or trying to figure out how to make the budget work.
But honestly, even with all that, touring is still worth it.
You build real connections with people.
You meet fans. You meet other bands.
That is still the best part of it.
Mike: One thing I always find interesting is that, especially now, there is so much pressure for bands to focus on social media.
Do you think social media is more important than touring, or is touring still the better way to build a real fanbase?
Basti: Touring is still the best way.
Social media is important because it helps people find you and helps keep you visible.
But if you want real fans, people who care and show up, touring is still the most important thing.
When somebody sees your band live, talks to you after the show, buys a shirt, and follows you afterward, that is a much stronger connection.
Mike: I think that's true in a lot of creative fields. The people who meet you in person tend to become the biggest supporters.
Basti: Exactly.
It is a completely different thing.
You can have somebody like a post or watch a video, but that does not always mean they are truly invested.
When people have a real experience with you, that is when they remember you.
Mike: You've worked with labels as well.
What do you think people misunderstand most about labels?
Basti: A lot of people think getting signed solves all your problems.
They think a label is going to come in, make you famous, and do everything for you.
That is not how it works.
A good label can help open doors, help with distribution, help with promotion, and help get the music out there.
But you still have to do the work.
Honestly, once you sign to a label, that is when the real work starts.
Mike: I love that because I think people have this idea that signing means you can relax.
Basti: Exactly.
No matter what, nobody is going to care about your band more than you do.
That is true whether you are on a big label, a small label, or completely DIY.
Mike: What has been the best advice you have received?
Basti: Probably just to stay kind.
Music can be stressful.
Touring can be stressful.
The industry can be frustrating.
But at the end of the day, people remember how you treat them.
Be kind to promoters. Be kind to fans. Be kind to the other bands.
That goes a really long way.
Mike: I think that is such a huge thing because there are definitely people who get so focused on success that they forget to be decent human beings.
Basti: Exactly.
And honestly, the music world is way smaller than people think.
If you are difficult to work with or if you treat people badly, word gets around.
But the same thing is true in a positive way.
If you are kind, professional, and easy to work with, people remember that too.
Mike: Before we wrap up, what is next for Melonball?
Basti: More touring, more writing, and hopefully more recording.
We always want to keep moving.
That is the biggest thing.
We want to keep putting out music, keep playing shows, and keep building the band.
Mike: Awesome. Thank you again so much for being on the show.
Basti: Thank you so much for having me. This was a lot of fun.