MUEN: WHEN DID YOU FIRST FORM THE BAND AND WHO ARE ALL THE MEMBERS OF THIS BAND?
Outshine was formed by the guitarist Jimmy Norberg in the deep woods of Smaaland (down south in Sweden), but at that time it was more of a studio project. It was in Gothenburg actually, that Outshine got it�s solid set of members, although we have been through quite a few bass players in the past years - they are a tricky bunch of musicians;-). With these new members the sound has changed a lot, but we still manage to keep the basic heavy, dynamic and dark sound that was the Outshine sound from the beginning. The current band is: Erlend Jegstad (Oslo, Norway) on vocals, Jimmy Nordberg (Smaaland, Sweden) on guitar, Fredrik Kretz (Smaaland, Sweden), the drumma and David Malm (Nossebro,in the middle of nowhere) on bass.

MUEN: WE ARE INTERESTED TO HEAR YOUR OPINION OF THE BANDS/ARTISTS AND THE MUSIC SCENE THERE IN SWEDEN... WE NOTICE ALOT OF GREAT METAL AND GOTH BANDS FROM THERE ESPECIALLY.. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
Well, it is no secret that the Swedish (and northern) metal/rock-scene is floating on a wave right now and are getting a lot of credit all over the world, and I think it is because they dare to go new ways and have a good solid base in making music.

MUEN: HOW DO YOU LABEL YOUR MUSIC? I SEE YOU HAVE GOTH LISTED.. DO YOU SERIOUSLY CONSIDER YOURSELVES GOTH AT TIMES?
I feel it�s hard to label us in a specific genre because the musicians in the band are influenced by so many different styles, and we all use those influences in the making of a song. We are heavy dynamic rock as a basic starting point, but all our songs are mixed with bits and pieces from other genres. I know that it says Rock / Metal / Gothic on Myspace, but that�s just because you can�t specify in smaller details on that site. The Gothic part is because we feel we have some dark gothic vibes in some songs. We are melancholy, dark and heavy rock with elements of�. ah, I think everybody should just listen to the songs and make up their own mind. All I know is that we have created our own sound that is Outshine!

MUEN: YOU ARE GETTING READY TO TOUR FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THE U.S. THROUGHOUT MARCH AND APRIL... HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE THE FIRST TIME HERE IN THE U.S., AND WHY DO YOU TOUR MAINLY THE MIDWEST U.S. VS. THE SOUTH OR WEST COAST?
He he, well, to correct you there, this is our 3rd U.S tour, But the first one (not knowing anything about touring in the U.S, and planning and booking everything our self) was in many ways a lesson for life in how not to do it. Don�t get me wrong, it was a fucking hilarious tour! We met tons of cool people, drove around in a car that could kill us at any minute (no breaks), drank, played, drank.. slept in hallways, drank, slept in the car, drank, slept in a barbers chair, played bars that almost didn�t even have space for the band, got fucked on money because we didn�t make contracts, ...drank, met the coolest people in the world and are still laughing about all the strange things we experienced. You get the picture. The mid-west was kind of a coincidence. Our drummer imports American muscle cars, and one of his contacts live in the mid-west. So when we planned the first tour, we had that connection as a starting point. Getting so many connections on the first tour really helped us when we planned the second tour. The band Carbellion from Sheboygan, WI has become great friends that we are doing many shows together with on this tour and releasing a split Ep as well. The plan is to also do the west coast in the fall when the record is finished.

MUEN: WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE ON "OUTSHINE" FOR THE NAME OF YOUR BAND?
The name Outshine came by a fluke browsing through the dictionary and then remembering that Soundgarden had a song called the same thing. Band names don�t always have to mean something, if you sound good in peoples ears.. then the band�s name will too. Like Korn.

MUEN: WHAT IS THE SONG "BAD THINGS ALWAYS END BAD" ABOUT?
Well, its basicly a morning-brake-up-song where the hidden secrets of the girlfriend has been revealed after a heavy night of drinking. The guy understands he is in a shitty relationship that is not worth mending, because: "Bad things will always end bad".

MUEN: THAT SONG "IT�S OVER" SHOULD BE ON THE RADIO.. ANYTHING GOING ON WITH THAT?
"It�s Over" is the first song we wrote together after I joined the band, and we feel it�s close to being perfect, but just don�t feel we have gotten the sound on it that it deserves. We don�t really have the money to record it properly and we�re still looking for a producer that fits us... I still think about the possibility to re-record it when we go into the studio after the U.S tour. It kicks ass live and is a true hit. Hopefully people will discover it when we have toured more.

MUEN: WHY DID YOU NAME THE TOUR "UNTIL WE ARE DEAD?"
The tour is called "Until we are dead" because.. well we based it on a song we have called "Until I�m Dead," where I tried to imagine what was going through a students head who goes on killing-sprees in schools... It is not recorded yet, like over half the songs we are playing on the tour have not been recorded yet. The plan is to record the full length album in the summer and come back to the U.S in the fall.

MUEN: YOU HAVE A VERY UNIQUE VOCAL STYLE, WHO WERE SOME OF YOUR INFLUENCES?
Thank you very much, some people think I�m just strange! I�m a do�er and have always enjoyed singing myself rather than listening, but when I listen to music, I focus more on the vocals or lyrics.. that�s what really catches my interest. In that way I have never really listened to any special genere in the music world. My playlist would be a mix of Jeff Buckley, Edith Piaff, Bruce Springsteen, Jim Morrisson, Tracy Chapman or different musicals.

MUEN: AFTER THE TOUR, WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED?
Heading into the studio and recording the album of 2008 (if we find the right producer) and touring the U.S in the fall again. Hopefully we land a record company or get a distribution deal. We are now on our own label: Dead Tree Music

MUEN: ANY LAST WORDS?
Love for the music keeps us hanging around...

Interview by G. Cataline