Kumm - On The Answering Machine

Left to right: Mihai Iordache - saxophone; Paul Ballo - drums; a skeleton; Eugen "Oigăn" Nuţescu - guitar; Sorin Erhan - bass (he has been replaced since by Alexandru Miu); Kovács András - keyboards; Cătălin Mocan - vocals. Picture by George Florin Stoica.

It's not easy staying together when members of your band keep leaving. It's hard, yes. And it's even more difficult to keep on being one of the most sought after bands on the alternative scene (be it the Romanian one, hence small). But Kumm manage to do so even after all the line-up changes.

It all started in Cluj, in the north-west of Romania, back in 1997. Kovács András and Eugen "Oigăn" Nuţescu decided they should give a new musical project a try after their previous bands had broken up. One that was different: a fusion between jazz, rock and etno. But it took the new born band three years to take out an album, Moonsweat March, with Oigăn singing. Soon, Daniel "Byron" Radu joined them on vocals and together they recorded Confuzz (2002) and Angels & Clowns (2005). The same year Angels was officially released, Byron decided to leave the band and so Kumm found themselves looking for a new lead singer. He was Cătălin Mocan and with him they took out Different Parties in 2006 and Far From Telescopes, last October. And now, the line-up has changed once more… but if you're expecting a new lead singer, guess again.



Leilana: Recently, Kumm changed its line-up again – you have a new bass player, Alex. How did that happen?
KUMM: Our former bassist Sorin Erhan wanted to play with another band. He told us so long ago, and we knew that he was just giving us a helping hand until we found a new bassist. Actually he told Alex some secret bassists' stuff.


Leilana: Alex, how was the first concert you played with the band?
ALEX: I kind of freaked out towards the middle of the set and missed a few notes. Other than that, it was great.


Leilana: Last October you released your fifth studio album, called Far From Telescopes. How would you describe it, musically and lyrically speaking, comparing with the previous ones?
KUMM: It's a lot simpler. Achieving that simplicity was hard work, but also a lot of fun. The hard part was mostly associated with letting go of our own pre-conceptions about rock music.


Leilana: On Pink Balloon you have a guest vocal, Rozie. Who is she and how did she get to sing with you?
KUMM: We met on the beach and played a few songs together – Oigăn was playing the guitar. We liked her voice.


Leilana: And because we're here, is there any artist or band with whom you'd like to collaborate in the future?
KUMM We have a long history of collaborating with other artists, mostly friends. On Far From Telescopes there's also Electric Brother, playing tampura on Beauty Queen. There's no reason we should stop. As for seeking famous people, we won't do that.


Leilana: On Far From Telescopes there are a few lo-fi songs, which were played and recorded in a kitchen. Who came up with this idea?
KUMM: We really don't remember, but everybody liked it. We'd like to record a whole album like that.


Leilana: Is there any song on this album you would call your favourite? Which one and why?
KUMM: No, we love them all.


Leilana: If someone would ask you to describe your music using a single word, which would that be?
KUMM: Unpredictable.


Leilana: Name some artists that influenced you the most, musically speaking.
KUMM: The Beatles – among many others.


Leilana: What do you think about the Romanian musical scene?
KUMM: We like some of the younger bands, some bands who are our age and Timpuri Noi.


Leilana: Let's assume you wouldn't be musicians. Which career would you have?
KUMM: We never thought about it.


Leilana: Do you have any other musical projects except Kumm? If so, would you like to tell us something about them?
KUMM: Oigăn has released his Sex with Onions album a year ago, and it was well received even among people who aren't Kumm fans. Paul is not only a kick-ass drummer, but also a talented electronic musician. Iordache sometimes plays with his self-titled funk jazz group, and he has two records out.



http://www.myspace.com/kummband

Kumm - Mister Superman


You can download Far From Telescopes from iTunes.


*text by Nancy, interview by Leilana*