Mike: We've had this idea since 2002, I think. The goal has been to write enough material to fill out the three chapters and then release it by ourselves without distribution at all. I didn't think that anyone would like this kind of punk rock. My brother and I had this band as sort of a hobby. We didn't give a fuck what others might think and it turned out that as our demos were leaked out, people were really loving these songs, as well as Crypt of Blood Records. So after signing on to Crypt of Blood Records you might think we would polish the sound or trying to make it sound better, but we did just the opposite. We still have backup vocals that are totally out of tune, and for some reason, we love that. It's really funny when people constantly mail to us to say that the back up vocals are out of tune…ha ha ha…like we are deaf morons….ha ha ha

What can we expect from Chapter 2 and 3 and how would you say each album differs from the last?

I can say now that Chapter 2 and 3 will be better than Chapter 1. Since all of the material has already been written, we just have to pick out the songs that will be placed on the albums. We are writing new material all the time so we have enough material to fill at least four more albums at the moment. Here's the thing: We don't want The Spookshow to change at all musically. Even if you buy our 6th album, it will sound just as Chapter 1 does. Some people think that is strange and call the music simple but it is not easy to write forty different three chord songs and a find a "new" melody that is appliable in each song. It is hard to keep it different, but at the same time keep it simple. Some people are talking about rip offs but what can I say? We are playing the music we want to play and how can you be in a three chord punk band without sounding like Ramones or Misfits at some point? I would say that is very impossible. I think it is sad to see punk bands "maturing" and totally changing the way they write songs. This will not happen to The Spookshow. The day we "mature", in which I hightly doubt we do, I will start a new band and let The Spookshow die a worthy death.

Currently the album has two singles- "I Can Kill You in a Heartbeat My Dear" and "A Bloody Knife on a Bloody Body". What do you think makes them stand out as "singles" and what song(s) do you think also have the same potential?

This is how we write songs: After hearing the chorus one time, you should be able to sing or at least remember the entire chorus. If not, then it is not a hit song and automatically it is not a Spookshow song at the same time. We like to write sing-along songs, so they are extremely catchy for everyone. It was very hard to pick two songs as singles since we definitely think all songs on the album would work as a single. We chose "I Can Kill You In A Heartbeat My Dear" since it is "easy listening" and it has a great name that could easy sweep us into the horror market …ha ha ha

I think Psychosexual Chapter 1 is a rather enjoyable listen. What do you think fans of the horror genre would like most about your music?

I think our music is far much better than many other horror punk bands. Our songs are catchier than others and this is what fans are telling us everyday in their writings to us. We are keeping it simplier than many bands and I think we will win on that. Although that is just what I personally think. It is great that people are different. I get so happy when fans send us mail, just to express their love for The Spookshow.

Through the band's brief history, both lead singers have been women. Was that the desired sound you were aiming for or is it just a coincidence?

Rough, simple music with female vocals turns me on, and I think you get much for "free" by having a sexy female as a front figure. The band gets automatically more interesting by having a female lead singer and we all think it sounds better.

Your brother Knife Dungeon is also in the band. What initially brought the two of you together to play in The Spookshow?

We were both equally brought up on bands like Ramones, Misfits, Ronettes and Johnny Cash and we think the same when it comes to writing catchy songs and punk music. We both have a very precise opinion of how a song should be written and sound like which would have to be as simple as it can get. Knife writes some damn good songs and he knows what I love. In my eyes he is one of the best songwriters on this planet. We never write material together. I really don't know if I could write a song together with some one and I am sure that Knife cannot do it either so why try?

Before you decided to dedicate yourself completely to The Spookshow, you were in a hardcore band. What can you tell me about that?

The band was named Subdive and it was my life everyday for eight years. I put most of my time struggling to get gigs. We were great and we toured a lot, but we never got anywhere. We had an excellent live reputation and we were simply a great live band. I had The Spookshow as my little unknown project all the time though and Knife and I always wrote songs. As I grew older my taste of music began to change back to square one again. I totally stopped listening to "harder" bands and I left hardcore a couple of years before I left Subdive. You start a band when you are 17. Eight years later, you are not the same person you were when you started it and the members somehow grew apart. It is like a relationship. It is not that common that you will end up marrying the girl you had when you where 17. Correct? This is how I see it: Being in a band should give you something more than problems.

1. You earn a lot of money and can take all the problems and complications. 2. All members in the band are your best friends and you see the music as a hobby. 3. You really love the music and are willing to take the complications. I did not have any of this in Subdive at the end, so I decided to leave the ship and give all my time and energy to my family and The Spookshow. I really love The Spookshow and I see the band as my life-project. As long as my brother and I think that it is still fun, then we will be around. One album will be out each year as long as we want to, and Crypt of Blood Records agrees to keep putting them out each year. We will take this slow. We will not tour a lot at first. Miss Behave and I have kids and the other members have great paying jobs. That makes it harder to leave for a couple of weeks. When we tour we will really tour, but it takes time for the music to spread and we are not willing to tour that much right now. When we tour, we will tour a lot. That is a promise.

The band's been making some pretty big waves here stateside. Any chances of touring over here and who would be your first choice to play with?

I would say Horrorpops as my first choice. I am a big fan and have been so from the start. Other bands I really love are Calabrese and Left for Dead. I must say Tiger Army as well even if we do not play Psychobilly. It is hard to get good gigs in Sweden. The country is so small and the punk scene is even smaller. Clubs wants to book "big" bands in order to make some money. It seems simpler in the USA. We get mail from clubs that want to book us for a show and most of them do not even know that we are from Sweden. When I tell them that we are from Sweden, they think it will be too expensive to fly there for one show. Wonder why? Ha ha ha

I read in another interview that you feel alone in Sweden regarding the style of music that you play. What about bands like Casket Casey and T-Virus?

T-virus is more rock n´roll but they are great. The best band in Sweden for the moment in our genre is a new band called The Dead Next Door and I hope we will release something together someday, such as a split record.

From what I understand, all the material is written for the next two albums. Does the band still need to go into the studio and cut some tracks or what?

When we enter the studio, we only record the album, as it should be. We record the entire album live, often on the first take. This means that we spend a VERY short time in the studio. We recorded the entire Psychosexual Chapter 1 album in six hours plus the time to mix and master it. Chapter 2 and 3 are not recorded yet, but in May we will demo Chapter 2. I will make sure you will get a copy in time before we release it.

What does The Spookshow plan to do after the final chapter in the trilogy is released?

I am trying hard to promote The Spookshow in the states and the plan is to tour the USA in summer of 2008, only months after the release of chapter 3. By then we hope our music has spread across the USA in some way…lol. We are looking for an American Booking Agency or Production Company that is willing to take us under their wings and help us with the tour in 2008. After Chapter 3 there will probably be an all acoustic "best of" album, including the "best" songs from the three chapters but recorded with piano, strings, and acoustic guitar. I really love "fine" versions of punk songs. A record to have kinky bondage games would be nice too…ha ha ha. Crypt of Blood Records doesn't know about this kinky bondage game yet though…ha ha ha…It will be a surprise to them.

Finally, is there anything you would like to leave us with?

We are aiming high. The plan is to be on the top three list over punk bands in like 5 years. It will take time but we will do it…hopefully. Thanks for the interview! Be sure to check out our sponsors Level 27 Clothing and Devil and Mouse Jewelry! At the current time, you can purchase our debut album entitled "Psychosexual Chapter 1" through Crypt of Blood Records (our record label) directly, Interpunk, Amazon, and many many more online stores and actual stores across the world.

www.thespookshow.net