Messed!Up
Marathon are a young band from Amsterdam, currently playing their way up through the clubs. They are blending post-punk, grunge, and shoegazing influences into their own sound and have already built a reputation for energetic live performances. Originally started by singer and guitar player Kay Koopmans, drummer Lennart van Hulst, and bass player Nina Lijzenga, they have now grown into a full-fledged five-piece band, adding lead guitarist Victor Pijkstra and keyboard player Sofie Ooteman.
We took the opportunity to sit down with Marathon ahead of their recent headline show in Hamburg to chat about their new album “Fading Image”, song writing, life in a band – and what’s next for them! The interview was almost as energetic as the gig that followed – with the four of them often finishing each other’s sentences (Sofie couldn’t be there that night). The positive energy was palpable…
Welcome to Hamburg, and thanks for taking the time to sit down with us.
Kay: “Yeah. Thank you, looking forward to this.”
Please tell us how you got into all of this, kind of as an intro to this story?
Kay: “Well, yeah, we are just a bunch of friends from high school. Leonard and I are from the same school, we’ve been in the same class, and we started making music together. During that time, we met Nina at a house party of some mutual friends.”
Nina: “I think we were talking a lot about music at the party, then in the end I told them ‘I’m a bass player’. And they looked at each other, ‘Really? We are looking for a bass player!’”
Kay & Lennart: “Yeah!” (laughs)
What are your backgrounds? Did you, like, study music or something, or are you just ‘normal people’?
All: (laughs) “No! Just normal people. Just normal…”
So do you still have ‘real jobs’ that you could fall back on?
Kay: “Yeah, we all have. And it’s good to have something to fall back on, and not only be focused on this, and be independent, because that’s still freedom. It’s the fun we are looking for: Just a bunch of friends – aside from a job – jamming, making music, going on this adventure together. But, yeah: the band is taking more and more time (laughs), and the work is never-ending. So it can be tough!”
Nina: “We are at a tipping point, where it’s just a bit too much.”
Getting started: Day jobs as a means to independence
Marathon didn’t stray too far from music in their choice of day jobs, though: Lennart works as a production manager for a venue in Amsterdam, Kay for a charity that tries to fulfil musical wishes of people with cancer, Victor as sound engineer at a theatre company and Nina is a game developer (and has previously worked at a large music store). Keyboard player Sofie is selling band merchandise and handles grant applications in the music industry. But what made them want to “go pro” with their music?
So the three of you got together and started playing; at what point did you make the decision to have a go at this?
Kay: “It happened automatically, you know. I think at a point we didn’t know where it was going, like: ‘What are we doing here?'”. (Laughs)
Lennart: “Yeah, just for fun, jamming.”
Kay: “And we kept doing that. Also, during Covid, when it was possible, we just jammed through. And then, after a long and wild discussion, we decided to take part in a band contest in Amsterdam.”
Lennart: “Because we wanted to play after Covid.”
Kay: “Yeah, we just wanted a gig. And it was only 20 minutes of a gig (all laughing). And we hadn’t done that in such a long time, you know? So we did this, and it just clicked. People wanted to dance and…”
Lennart: “…it was crazy.”
Kay: “So, the first gig was crazy, and the craziness never ended.”
Nina: “We never thought we would ‘win’. We were, like: ‘It’s just one gig!’”
Kay: “It’s not about winning… but we did win … (laughter). But it was never about that. It was about getting onto the stage again…”
Nina: “…and creating a set of 20 minutes.”
Kay: “So that was a big moment for us, realizing: ‘Okay, people might like it, and we are able to have a set of 20 minutes! What can we do now?’ … and then, you know, you get addicted!” (Laughs)
So that’s the playing live part, but how did you find the record label V2? How did that come about?
Nina: “We played a small gig in a bit of an underground venue, and there was somebody from V2. And he saw us play and just came to us, and was like: ‘Hey, this is very cool…’”
Was this still with the three-piece, or did you already have the other two?
Nina: “We started playing with five for the band contest – and that was just for a couple of songs …so Victor walked on-and-off the stage to play.”
Kay: “Yeah, that was confusing for the crowd.”
Victor: “It might have been confusing, but a lot of the songs were still really made for the three-piece, that’s the reason.”
Kay: “And now everything is made with a five-piece!”
Song writing: Grasping ideas out of thin air
Marathon say they write their songs during long jams (rather than composing songs first, and then bringing them to the band for arrangement). Anyone who has ever tried this knows that ‘jams’ usually end up in endless hours of aimless ‘noodling’ with no usable results – and plenty of soloing no one wanted to hear in the first place. So being able to repeatedly write songs while jamming together borders on the divine.
Let’s talk about your new debut album, which is maybe not really the first, as you had several singles and an EP out before?
Nina: “Yeah – the EP was the first bigger piece. But for us, mentally, Fading Image is the first real album. I think the EP was also getting to know how to work in the studio, the recording of a song…”
Kay: “It was a learning process, yeah.”
How did the songs leap into existence? I read somewhere you are writing by jamming?
Lennart: “Yeah, I think we just jam, and then record, just jam for hours. And then we recorded it.”
Nina: “…just snippets…”
Lennart: “…and then we got some snippets and just…”
Kay: “…copy paste them!”
Lennart: “… and mix it up together, like the best parts of the whole jam.”
I am amazed!
(laughs)
Nina: “Yeah. It works!”
Lennart: “It’s a bit how we work, I think.”
Very ‘Kraut Rock’, isn’t it?
All: “Yeah! Yeah!”
Lennart: “But it’s a long process. Sometimes we’re like jamming for 4 hours…”
Kay: “…and then there’s just this bit.” (indicates something minuscule with his fingers)
The song “For The Better”,
for example. Do you remember how that song was created?
Nina: “Oh – I think at first it was the bassline. And then, I think you wrote (pointing at Kay) the vocal line in the chorus (others going: “Oh yeah!”), but we had a very different chorus at first. It was like a chorus that got very big – it just felt to… ‘on the nose’ (others chiming in again: “yeah!”). And then we just destroyed the whole chorus, took everything out and made it very small. And that’s how it became very big again. Just by taking away the bass maybe.” (laughs).
Kay: “Yeah. But I think the part that was missing was the chorus. The vocals in the first part came to us earlier, but the chorus was something we didn’t know what to do about it. It can be tough for me to find the right singing melody, to get the phrasing and the melody and stuff – and this was one of the few songs where suddenly it was there, and I was like: yeah! And I couldn’t sing it in the beginning: it was too high!”
…stream of conscience?
Kay: “Yeah, it popped up. And I think that was one of the missing pieces in that song. And I couldn’t sing it on the recording. And now every gig, it’s coming, you know…”
Lennart: “…for the better?” (All laughing)
Kay: “Yeah, actually, my voice is now getting used to it. But whilst recording, I was very unsure how it would turn out.”
Nina: “I think “For The Better” was the most difficult song.”
Kay: “Yeah! I think we worked really hard on that one, because it was one of the most “song” structures, but therefore maybe a bit more difficult for us. Because we just like jamming…”
On the record: Getting the music produced and ready
Once the songs are written, the band has to arrange and record them. But even with a record contract, the times of ‘lush’ recording budgets are long gone – especially for new bands. Basically, you have to sort everything out by yourself. Having read that they had a producer for their debut Fading Image and, as the chat reveals, even did pre-production prior to going into the studio, is quite remarkable.
So, you first wrote those songs and then at one point decided you wanted to record them. Did you have a producer, and what’s the role of that producer?
Nina: “I think we decided we were going to record the album before the songs were done. Yeah. So it was really at that time…”
What a ‘sound’ decision…
(Laughter)
Nina: “Yeah, because we kind of need a deadline.” (Laughs)
Kay: “Yeah, we do need it actually. I think for us it’s a good thing to have something to work towards.”
Nina: “Otherwise we would still be writing!”
Kay: “Yeah! Probably: ‘No it’s not good enough, nah – another one!’ But to make this process more ‘concrete’: We, worked together with Iwen Legro, he did the pre-production. He’s often working with a lot of more ‘poppy’ bands from Amsterdam, but we just really appreciate his view on things. So we did the pre-production with him. I think two weekends we worked really hard with him on the ideas we had. And we almost rewrote some songs: Like, really take it apart – and put it back together.”
Nina: “He just asks the right questions.”
But how did you pay for him? I mean a proper pre-production, it’s kind of “the old way of doing things”. Was it V2, the guys with the ‘deep pockets’..?
Kay: “No, no (laughs). We payed almost the whole album by ourselves. So this as well. Just savings from playing a shit-ton of gigs the year before. So all our savings are in this album.”
Nina: “Yeah, all we make goes back into the band.”
So, you decided that you wanted a pre-production process… and once you were happy, then you just went into a studio?
Victor: “We had a good idea who we wanted to pick. We worked with Daan Duurland. He’s a very good recording engineer that has worked with Tramhaus and other alternative bands from the Netherlands. We picked the studio in Amsterdam, which was kind of playground for all.”
Nina: “We recorded the songs ‘Fire’ And ‘Mind’ there…”
Kay: “… yeah, the singles between the EP and this album: We recorded it there and it just clicked! It’s close to our home, we can cycle to the studio – it’s on the waterside. It’s just a relaxed vibe with a lot of possibilities – with amps, guitars, pedals… It’s just a playground! And Daan is like… the sixth band member. It’s not really “producer”, because he’s more like a recording engineer. But he just says when he doesn’t like something, or he has an idea.”
So, with Daan as engineer and “sixth member” you continued on the path that you started with Iwen?
Kay: “Yeah. Of course he heard the songs we finished before we went into the studio, but we just came in…”
Victor: “We also recorded demos in the pre-production, which we listened to in the studio…”
Kay: “Yeah the pre-production were like demos. So he heard them as well…”
How did you record? I mean, did you play to a click, for example ?
Kay: “No. Organically: We got back to the three piece… and with the three of us we, we recorded the core – but the most important thing about these basic tracks was the drums.”
Nina: “Most songs are, like, almost recorded live with the three of us.”
Kay: “I think it was the intention to have the drums at least – but eventually, we used the whole recording. Because if I had done the guitar again, it would not be organic. So I think, like 80% of the lead guitar is from the basic recordings – and the little mistakes are the most fun to listen to now, actually. I can’t reproduce them. Yeah! I’m still trying; I’m trying to replicate the mistakes, but I don’t get it. I don’t know what I played there!” (laughs)
But isn’t that the magic?
Kay: “That’s fun. Yeah!”
Lennart: “That’s also the way to capture, the live energy, with the three of us.”
And no click-track?
Kay: “No, no. We tried, it was horrible!”
Lennart: “I think we stopped with that, after a long attempt.”
Kay: “Yeah, it was clear.”
Victor: “Not too many tempo changes.”
…and the next album is already written?
Kay: “No, no, not at all!”
Nina: “That’s what we were saying this week: Like, we’re really looking forward to getting back to the studio and jamming and writing. We’ll have a bit of time for that after the next festival.”
Kay: “Yeah. We are going to try to make some time…”
How often do you practice?
Kay: “We have the Monday evenings, but when we are playing every week, we don’t practice at all. But when we are in rehearsals for new stuff, or writing, we will do that, maybe even a couple of times a week.”
Nina: “It works really well to spend, like, a whole weekend.”
Kay: “Yeah, a ‘deep dive’.”
Do you all live close to each other, so it’s easy to get together?
Kay: “It’s all cyclable…”
And do you have other projects “on the side” as well? I mean, I saw that Sophie used to have a side-project, like, a punk band?
Kay: “Yeah, Nina’s sister is with us for these live shows now, because Sophie’s playing a show with her other band! So, yeah. Sophie has another project called Honey, I’m Home. But the rest of us, we don’t!”
Victor: “Well, I play at home, for fun.”
At the end of the day, a day only has 24 hours, right?
Kay: “Yeah. That’s right!”
Nina: “I don’t know, how Sophie does it!”
How to make it as a band: Still possible?
Making a living from music hasn’t exactly become easier in the last decade, with smaller clubs closing and touring becoming more and more expensive. This is maybe one of the reasons why there seem to be so many solo artists with laptops these days.
What do you think: To ‘make it’ – whatever that means – as a band these days: what does it take?
Nina: “I think you really have to like it.”
Lennart: “…and also like each other! Otherwise…”
(Laughter)
Kay: “We’ve been playing together for so long already. We have our fights and discussions, not like really hefty ones – luckily – but we know when to say, like ‘It’s okay’! Or just let it be for a second, and then we’ll be fine. And we talk about it later. We just know what we have in each other, and what not (laughs). And I think that’s a big part of why we keep having fun with it as well.”
Nina: “Yeah. If we’re not having fun anymore, we’d stop the band.”
Kay: “We’re doing this because it’s fun, and we give energetic live shows. And if we don’t feel that anymore, I don’t think it’s Marathon. Energy is one of the main things for a marathon! So if we can’t put that fun and energy in it, it’s… yeah, I don’t know.”
Nina: “Yeah, and I think you can ‘feel’ from a band when that’s the reason for making music! It’s maybe different than just ‘because I want to make music’ and more also ‘because I want to make it big’. I think you can feel the difference in bands.”
So do you have any goals, apart from keeping that fun? What’s next for you?
Kay: “Well, at the end of the year, we’re playing in Paradiso, the main hall. And that’s something. You know, one of the first concerts I’ve ever seen was in Paradiso. And as a kid, it was like, ‘Oh, yeah! Someday, someday!’, and now we are working towards our own show in that main hall. And that’s one of the goals, that you’re really dreaming about – and suddenly you’re getting there!”
Lennart: “UK Tour! Our second.”
Kay: “It will be announced next week. So that’s coming up as well in the fall. And album two.”
Lennart: …and also Lowlands festival, one of the biggest festivals in the Netherlands. That was also a goal for us.
Victor: When I was younger, I never really thought about playing, big festivals. It never occurred to me it was even possible!
So again: album two. Do you already have a kind of date set because you said you need deadlines?
All (laughing): No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
On that high note, we closed our interview, as the support band started playing outside on the stage, and Marathon had to get ready for their gig. What followed later was a great performance with the band living up to their reputation as an energetic live band (at one point, it looked like Nina might ram the head of her bass right into the ceiling). Marathon are definitely a band to watch!
*****
Photographer: Niko Schmuck
*****
Marathon pages
