January 2014
In 1994, a concert night was scheduled in Klepp. A band suddenly had to cancel, one spot was vacant. That's when Terje, Hans Egil, and Tollak had an idea. "We'll start a new band. We'll call ourselves Skambankt. We'll give it a try and see what happens. It might work." They practiced nine songs in one day and performed them the same evening. After that they released a demo, played three concerts, and quit.
Ten years went by. The guys from Jæren were older, and water had flown under all bridges. Terje Winterstø Røthing played guitar in Kaizers Orchestra, but the old friends were eager to get out their rocking shoes again. The Skambankt material and the Skambankt sound wouldn't leave them alone. They brought out the old energy and paired it with new. The year 2000 version of Skambankt was born.
Right then, a hard rock history started that eventually gave the band a strong position in the Norwegian music scene. Skambankt debuted with their first album in 2004. They quickly gained a strong live reputation, and over the next few years, the band put several records with a strong signature on the table, with hits like "O Dessverre" and "Mantra". Skambankt toured all around, through cities and villages. They played several times at Roskilde and Øya, warmed up for AC/DC at Valle Hovin and for DAD on their big Danish stadium tour.
Skambankt's most ambitious album to date has been elaborated over the course of three years. The quartet had a wealth of material to pick from, and little remained untried. This is the sound of a band reaching further. They turned dark, ripe, and heavy. Less blues than on the predecessor "Søvnløs", more hard rock, and greater sophistication.
The demo for Sirene was recorded at Bore Gardsrockeri, an old potato cellar at home in Klepp, in the course of 2012 and 2013. The album was then recorded at Propeller recordings with Kåre Chr. Vestrheim as producer.
The lyrics are mainly written by Terje Winterstø Røthing. On "Sirene", he writes directly and candidly about people, power, and love. With "Voodoo", which is the album's first single, Winterstø Røthing delivers a strong song about looking the world in the eye:
Ikkje kom te meg med voodoo - Leave me alone with voodoo
Du må gjerne ha di tru - It's fine if you have your faith
Men la vær å misbruk hu - But don't misuse it
Eg e ikkje redd for dommens dag - I'm not afraid of the Day of Judgement
Eg e ikkje redd for den slags ubehag - I'm not afraid of that kind of discomfort
Men eg e redd for mennesket - But I'm afraid of the human
On "Sirene", Skambankt have expanded their repertoire. It's an album with equal parts of catchy rock moments and songs that challenge the listener. The music is unmistakably Skambankt, but the variety is huge when the band from Jæren delivers it all, from the epic relief song "Gamle spøkelser" (Old ghosts) to the powerful doom rocker "Sort blod" (Black blood). Norway's best singer/songwriter, as the band calls him, Tønes, contributes vocals on "Sånne som deg" (People like you).
In 2014, Skambankt will set out on an extensive tour through Norway, and they will play many of the biggest festivals that Norway has to offer. As usual, they will also travel to the largest cities in Denmark.
Biography 2010
Not one man on earth, and even less anyone from Klepp in Jæren, would have bet on it. That a local band, formed almost by chance, would play in the elite division of Norwegian rock some day. Because it wasn't Skambankt who was set to become the "big sons" of the town, it was RIP Undertakers, Failed Abortions, Decibel, Ibu Ubu, Watershed, and all the other bands in which Terje Winterstø Røthing (vocals/guitar), Tollak Friestad (bass), and Hans Egil Løe Abelsnes (guitar/vocals) played in the nineties. What happened one night in 1994 was therefore best regarded as one night stand, actually, a little oddity for the history books. Now, 16 years later, Skambankt's fourth album is ready; "Søvnløs" will be released on September 6.
It didn't take more than a few hours after Close Distance had to cancel their concert at the regular concert nights that were held in Klepp in 1994, until Skambankt had put together nine dyed-in-the-wool punk songs and roared on with their first and for a very long time only concert. Verse lyrics didn't really matter; as long as people could hear what Terje sang in the chorus, that was more than good enough.
All this was a lot about energy and a bit less about technical skills. Not at all about ambitions.
It took nine years and a bachelor party before Skambankt were brought back to life. Someone had dug up a demo tape with the now almost legendary nine tracks up in an attic, and after ecstatic 20 minutes in front of 40 wild, shirtless men, the guys found out that it was quite a bit of fun to play together again. Terje was now established as guitar player in the somewhat more well-known Kaizers Orchestra, and all the others were also involved in their own business. Without any long-term plans, they agreed to record a new demo.
"After we had recorded the demo, we were lucky to get contracts with a record label and a booking agency, and we realized we had to take it a bit more seriously if this was actually released. So we took it a bit more seriously", Terje explains.
The result was the debut album "Skambankt", where the band fearlessly takes on the legacy of for example bands like Motörhead, AC/DC, Sex Pistols, The Ramones and old Norwegian rock. That Dum Dum Boys' singer Prepple Houmb appeared as a guest on the song "KKK" is therefore no coincidence. With a desire to play a combination of good punk rock/hard rock with the devilish madness they had as 17-year-olds, Skambankt dropped like a small bomb in Norwegian rock.
The guys themselves actually say that in the beginning, they played very much for very few people and that nothing came by itself, but the fact that major festivals like Øya and Roskilde wanted them to play probably proves that there really was something brewing.
It wasn't before the sequel "Eliksir" in 2007 that the band got their breakthrough on the radio. The songs "Tyster" and "Dynasty" got rotation on NRK P3. The band started to find and define itself. The lyrics evolved, the vocals improved, and the production got better. More and more people started showing up at concerts, and with the arrival of the drummer Børge Sageng, the group's foundation got more robust and swinging than ever.
The third album "Hardt regn" was recorded in a house in Jæren, where a nearby church was used as drum room. The band moved in there and did everything on their own. The record turned out a homogeneous album and presented the band with three hit songs on the radio, "Malin", "O dessverre", and "Slukk meg (for eg brenner)". One Spellemann nomination, the title for best album of the year (chosen by the listeners of the radio show Sexy on P3), and the title of best Norwegian band of the year on Pyro was the result, a proof that Skambankt had seriously hit a nerve with the Norwegian rock audience. With a triumphant concert at Roskilde Festival and support for AC/DC at Valle Hovin as jewels on the crown, the summer of 2009 was complete.
Not only Norway had taken Skambankt dear to heart. Also in Denmark, the group acquired a solid following that grew further when they were asked to warm up on the anniversary arena tour of the legendary Danish band DAD.
But it's no good resting on one's laurels, and now, a year and a half after the last release, Skambankt are thus ready with a new record and tour again.
"Søvnløs" consists of ten songs and was recorded in February 2010 at Athletic Studio in Halden, with Kai Andersen as technician. Jørgen Træen at Duper Studio in Bergen did the mix together with the band. Terje and Tollak were the producers.
"The title of the album hints, amongst other things, at the fact that most of Skambankt's songs are written at night. I work best when others are already sleeping, and that means there's little sleep at times. It's also relevant for the content of the lyrics. And apart from that, "Søvnløs" looks good in print", Terje states.
For this recording, the band went virtually straight from the tour into the studio. That means a Skambankt in top form. After several demo recordings throughout the year 2009, the band had more than enough current songs ready for a new album. The songs were then polished further and have turned into the diamonds that will represent Skambankt in 2010.
"The goal when we started with this album was to make a record as good as "Hardt regn", and I promise that we have managed that, and then some!"
He's totally right. Absolutely!
February 2010
Skambankt is well underway with the work of their fourth studio album. The trip went to the Athletic Sound studio in Halden, for an efficient two-week stay. All music is recorded, and now the only thing remaining is mixing and tricksing.
The band is currently out with their third album "HARDT REGN", which has received excellent reviews from the paid pundits. The publis has apparently also liked it, as the disc debuted at a solid fifth place on the official Top 20!
September 2009
After a hectic year and success with the album Hardt Regn, which debuted as number 5 of the Norwegian charts, and lots of touring at home and abroad, with the highlights of supporting AC/DC at Valle Hovin and a fantastic concert at this year's Roskilde Festival, Skambankt have already started to look ahead to 2010 and a new album. It will be their first album that is released on Columbia Records / Sony Music.
Skambankt are from Jæren in Rogaland, and the band was originally started by accident in 1994, when another band could not play at an agreed gig. In the course of a few hours, the band members wrote nine songs that they performed the same night. The band played a few gigs as a trio before they disbanded in 1995.
In 2003, again by chance, they began to play together again. This time as a quartet, and in the following year, they released their self-titled debut album, Skambankt. Among others, Prepple Houmb appeared as a guest vocalist on the song "KKK!" on that album. In 2007, the sequel Eliksir was released, followed by a year of touring in Norway and Denmark and festival gigs at for example Quartfestivalen, Øyafestivalen, and Malakoff Rockfestival. In the fall of 2008, they recorded their third album, Hardt Regn, in Bekkstudio at Nærland in Hå. The song Malin was released as radio single from the album lateron that fall, while the album itself was released on January 26, 2009. The songs O Dessverre (with a music video directed by Stian Kristiansen) and Slukk Meg from the album also got many plays on P3. After the release, the band embarked on a long tour in Norway and abroad.
"For us, this is a mark of recognition, and not least exciting to now get the possibility to release music with a bigger company. At the same time, it is very inspiring, and we will try to channel the pressure of expectations into a new and even better album already in the fall of 2010." - Skambankt
Skambankt is
- Terje Winterstø Røthing - vocals, guitar
- Hans Egil Loe Abelsnes - guitar
- Tollak Friestad - bass
- Børge Henriksen - drums
Discography- Skambankt (2004)
- Skamania EP (2005)
- Eliksir (2007)
- Hardt Regn (2009)
January 2007
In November of 2004, a new Norwegian rock hope was born when Skambankt released their self titled debut album. The album came out on Dogjob, a label that had been in hibernation since the release of the first two Turbonegro records.
During the last two years, Skambankt have been touring in both Norway and Denmark (They were in the sales- and radio charts for a long time in Denmark) and contributed songs to the big Norwegian movies "Uro" in fall and "Tommys Inferno" last year.
In 2005, Bones Wolsman took over the drum sticks, which gave the band even more weight and refinement. The frontman is still singer/guitar player Ted Winters, and together with his colleagues Hans Panzer (guitar/background vocals) and Don Fist (bass/background vocals), they deliver wonderful rock.
The new album "Eliksir" comes out on January 29th - and it is an impressive successor! We dare to hope and predict that Skambankt will be known all around during 2007.
Skambankt have recorded a video for the song "Dynasti" which will be ready early in January. A radio single of the same song will also be out for the radio stations all over Norway.
The "radio teaser" Tyster can already be heard on various radio stations.
Of course there will also be a tour accompanying the release.
January 2006
Since their record debut in the fall of 2004, Skambankt have managed to tour in Norway as well as abroad, and their video for the song KKK was played on Svisj (Norwegian music television) frequently. During the summer of 2005, the name Skambankt could be seen on festival posters from Træna in the north to Roskilde in the south, the last mentioned being the highlight up to now - in front of twenty thousand crazy people late on Saturday night.
Skambankt is the sound of thunder and lightning, chapped lips and bloody tanks. It is classic rock'n'roll, punk and hardrock in beautiful unison that can make the most hardboiled egg in the basket shed a tear about lost youth. Skambankt have been compared to bands like Motörhead, AC/DC, Sex Pistols, Ramones and Stooges, and just like these bands, Skambankt sing in their mother tongue.
The year 2006 will be used to record the second album, but this doesn't prevent the band from playing concerts when the public demands it. During February and March, Skambankt will visit the biggest cities in Norway and Denmark. The dates and places can be found on www.skambankt.com.
Fall 2004
Skambankt have already attracted a lot of interest with the mini tour in spring and the concert on the main stage of the Øya-Festival. The radio single and video "Me Sa Nei" ("We said no") has started to rotate wherever rock is played, and the video for the radiosingle number two "KKK" has just been finished. Here we meet PREPPLE (DUMDUMBOYS, WANNSKRÆKK) as guest-singer and main actor.
A lot of press work was done in connection with the release with the subsequent Norway tour.
The album starts heavy and good in order to increase in strength and intensity. 11 tracks in all, filled with passion to rock, punk and hardrock - chemically free from ballads and "softrock". The lyrics are delivered in Norwegian, and Skambankt definitely have a message to convey. Here they head for confrontation about monitoring, capital-imperialism, corruption, religious fanatism and generally hate and treachery. All of this with a little twinkle in the eye, as it should be.
With their debut, Skambankt present an album that - to put it briefly - will leave ALL of those interested in rock in plain enthusiasm!
The promo single "Me Sa Nei" will ge given out FOR FREE to record shops this week, so that they can spread the good news to their clients - SKAMBANKT SKA TA DEG! ("Skambankt will take you over!")
Band history
And this is what Skambankt write about their past - this is a translation of the Skambankt band history that was published on
skambankt.com several years ago:
Skambankt came about in 1994 in the Klepp rock club. At that time, the line-up was Ted Winters at guitar and vocals, Don Fist at bass and backing vocals, and Hanz Panzer at drums and backing vocals. Poltistat! ("Police state") and Systemets Makt! ("Power of the system") are songs that came up during the band's first practice, and they were also presented the night when Skambankt had their first concert.
In September of the same year, the band went into the studio and recorded some songs. The lyrics were written when the backing was recorded, and the result was nine songs on tape. 50 copies of this demo tape were given out and naturally enough went like hot cakes. Unfortunately, there's nobody who knows where those are these days.
In fall of 94 and spring of 95, some live gigs were played in Klepp and Stavanger. After that, Fist went to Berlin to realize his dream of succeeding with Autobahn Fuckas. He managed to give out the 7''-records KOMMSTSIEHIER, HABENSIEANGST and WEITERZUGEGEN. The rest of the band continued with other musical projects, of course, some of which are more well-known than others.
Ten years later, the original Skambankt line-up met at a stag-party where there was a stage with full backline. Some time after midnight, a decision was made that the band should be continued. There and then this lead to an ad hoc-concert, and a week later to a recording in the BekkStudio. Some time later, the demo recording ended up in the hands of Roar at Tuba, and this time it sounded so massive that he immediately understood that it was time to release the first album. Hanz Panzer handed over the drum sticks to Tom Skalle, and found himself at the guitar. New songs were made, and after that, history will probably write itself...
