Interview with Gans Sauvage

I wouldn’t be able to say how I came across Gans Sauvage (English: wild goose) but I am happy that I did. There is something about the guitar sounds drenched in reverb, the relaxing vibe, the humour and switching between languages. The debut EP, 4-Gans-Menü (English: four goose menu) was the soundtrack of my Easter vacation at Lake Constance (Bodensee), I remember listening to the songs at every possible occasion.

I went into the interview thinking there would be more of a crossover between the band and Jean-Michel, an improvised punk band, which features two of the three members (but switching guitar and bass duties between them). In the interview, I would go on to learn that it’s more Samuel Riedo’s project in which he escapes more hectic moments and can reconnect to simpler times.

Before sending the questions, I also discovered that the next EP, Guin Sauvage, will be available soon and David Sallin (Nostalgie Plage, “Tell us about the music scene in Fribourg” interview) has mixed and mastered it. It is also gives me the impression that most of the musicians in the music scene in Fribourg have made music together at some point!

I would like to thank Sam for taking the time to talk about his project! (Also thanks to Nico for transcribing the lyrics for Treppenhaus)

Introduction

Who is in the band (and on which instruments)?

Samuel Riedo – Guitar and vocals (Darius, Jean-Michel, Hook, Line and Sinker)

Pascal Stoll – Bass and vocals (Crème Solaire, Scalpel, Jean-Michel, Dasein, Cinnay & Nova Tones, Gjon’s Tears & the Weeping Willows)

Basil Schreyer – Drums and vocals (Basil Elisa, Polarbären, Personne, David DiAlma and many more)

Tell us about the history of the band. Where did the idea come from to create Gans Sauvage?

I like noise and playing heavy music live. But since quite some time I also write some quieter, more fragile tunes. I met an incredible drummer and even more incredible person at a funk gig and I knew that I wanted to make music with him. After some time (and holidays) I had a handful of psych-folk songs ready to be played. And I instantly knew that for a solo-project I wanted to have Pascal on board, who I admire and love to make music with him for years now.

Since this is a quite personal project (a solo-project one could say), it was more important to me, with who I play, than how often I play.

What are your influences (musical and non-musical)?

For this project clearly International Music and Düsseldorf Düsterboys – quirky, well- thought lyrics over nostalgic and catchy psych-folk-tunes. It was music that comforted me during isolated Covid times and have stuck with me ever since.

How do you find time for Gans Sauvage (despite all of your projects?)

In order to write I need to have time, the space and zero plans and pressure in sight.

The first songs I wrote whilst on holiday with my girlfriend on campsites in Corsica, the second EP mainly near the sea in Italy. It helps me a lot to write.

I think my life is quite stressful and Gans Sauvage always reminds me of sweet lazy days. When I feel well, I write Gans Sauvage songs. And so for me it makes just sense to play this music live with great humans (this counts also for our sound technician David) and to have the feeling again of a little bit of sunny-side psych-laziness in small venues, bars and bistros during the set-up, soundchecks, concert and the Sinalco after the show. The soundtrack for a carefree visit to your favorite local bar, where you sit outside all night, smoke 20,000 cigarettes and have really nice talks.

Writing

You have written a lot of songs with Jean-Michel, what is your approach with Gans Sauvage?

For Gans Sauvage I actually do take time to compose, write, think and re-arrange songs and texts. Jean-Michel is all about speed, jokes and trash, whereas in Gans Sauvage I try to express more of my feelings or my person through sounds and silly lyrics. And yes, we do actually rehearse with Gans Sauvage, which we don’t do with Jean-Michel.

Do you have a particular method to write the songs?

I just need time, calm, no to-do-lists, a bit of wine or tea, good reverb pedals, naps and a funny story to think about.

There seems to be a lot of work put into the guitar sounds and the ambiances created from it. Do you have a specific approach to the sound?

A lot of reverb on everything. But also during a residency in Bad Bonn, we had time to elaborate our sounds with the amps and pedals. David helped us a lot to bring out the right sounds to complement the mood of the songs.

Gans Sauvage songs are bittersweet and lazy, so the guitar and bass should also sound accordingly. Sometimes we lash out a bit, but even then it shouldn’t sound harsh.

The languages of the lyrics change often in the songs, in particular in Kippen. Is it something intentional or rather natural?

« Je fume des clopes, pour faire partie d’un groupe de rock. Je fume du rock, pour faire partie d’un groupe de clopes. » (English: “I smoke cigarettes to be in a rock band. I smoke rock to be in a band of cigarettes”). I think it’s a phrase of a Jean-Michel song I remembered. Basil, Pascal and I are all bilingue and we change quite often the language when we speak, so it came quite natural to also sing like that in our songs.

But, since my mother tongue is German, most of the lyrics are written in German as well because I can express myself better than in French.

4-Gans-Menü

How did you write and record the EP? Where was it recorded and with whom?

All songs were written in Corsica, recorded in a rehearsal room in Fribourg, mixed and mastered with Grégoire Pasquier at le Studio de la Fonderie.

All guitar and bass parts were played by me. Main vocals also by myself and the backing vocals are from Pascal, who helped in general a lot with the melodies and texts. Drums are from a fictional midi-drummer named Hans-Jochen Weidemann-Schultz.

Greg really made everything sound super-smooth and hazy. He really captured the fazed and fuzzed-out mood of the project.

What are your memories of the recordings?

The guitars took the most time – it was just me alone in a rehearsal room. I drank Bilz during the sessions and it took quite some time (because I’m not that much of a versatile guitarist). But I liked this time, because I got to decide all alone what to keep and what to elaborate. Playing in bands is often finding compromises, but for this project it was all about how I like the songs and ambiances.

Questions about the songs

Kippen - (English: cigarettes) « Je fume des clopes, pour faire partie d’un groupe de rock. Je fume du rock, pour faire partie d’un groupe de clopes. » - does this explain why you’re in so many bands?

Haha, I think I like singing about cigarettes because I still haven’t started smoking and it can be quite rock’n’roll to smoke on stage. Since I’m way too embarrassing to ever be a rockstar I like at least dreaming and singing about it. And the best venues are those, in which Pascal and Basil can roll a cig right before this track.

Treppenhaus - (English: stairwell) How can someone get “la dolce vita”?

This song is about an old grandfather - not mine and someone who let’s say was not very pleased about the way I cleaned the stairwell at the house I lived and he regularly cleaned the stairwell a second time after me. He had the chance to go back to his hometown in Sicily, but decided to stay in a dusty old house in the old town of Fribourg. The Dolce Vita is almost all the time somewhere, sometimes you just have to switch the focus to find it.

Stammgast - (English: regular (e.g. at a bar)) What is the most memorable story you have of being in a bar?

I once drank 6 White Russians in one evening.

Enten - ducks (the name of the song), geese (the name of the band is wild goose) and a swan (appears in the photo for Treppenhaus) all appear in the EP. If you had to choose one, which one would it be?

The goose, I don’t want to be a connard (English: jerk).

Guin sauvage/the future:

Tell us about your upcoming EP, Guin Sauvage. How many songs are on it? What’s the story about the name?

3 tracks that we recorded live during our residency in Bad Bonn in September 2024, right before our first show together. David recorded our live-set-up and everything besides the vocals and the schellenkranz (tambourine) were recorded on spot, live.

Guin Sauvage, because we spent 4 wonderful days at my favourite venue in Düdingen.

Guin is the french name for the village in French and since I’m a sucker for bad wordplays. I really like the ressemblance to Gans and Gain.

Were the songs written during the same period as 4-Gans-Menü? Or afterwards?

Korsika was written in Corsica, Gina a bit longer ago and Waldspielgruppe in Italy

What did you do differently in comparison to 4-Gans-Menü?

Everything was recorded live and simultaneously. The first EP I recorded mainly alone, the second one will sound how Gans Sauvage plays live. And also David did a great job mixing and mastering the songs with even more tape echo.

What do you have planned to coincide with the release of the EP?

I don’t know yet. Since I’m a bit stressed right now in general I like to plan things regarding Gans Sauvage when life is a bit calmer.

What are your thoughts about the music scene in Fribourg and in Switzerland?

It’s a crazy versatile and exciting scene and a wonderful time, to live amongst so many great humans who play inspiring stuff every weekend at some random place in this little town. From drone to psych, rap to folk, chanson or hardcore trap, I like regional music as much as I do international music.

Anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for reading

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