Alec Völkel (51, Boss Burns) and Sascha Vollmer (51, Hoss Power) will release their tenth album with their band The BossHoss on May 5th. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Völkel reveals what the fans of “Electric Horsemen” can expect and why the two can still work together harmoniously after 20 years. In addition, the singer tells how they reconcile music and family, why the band would not compete at the ESC and what the duo has planned for their participation in the game show “Schlag den Star”.
Alec Völkel: We will be celebrating the anniversary throughout the year. It’s not only the tenth album, we’re also celebrating 20 years of The BossHoss – frightening, but true (laughs). In fact, we played the very first small concert in 2003, a good year before we signed a record deal. The first album came out in spring 2005 and now we’re on our tenth, you have to get there first. Neither of us thought that The BossHoss would ever last that long. Of course we will celebrate that properly when the album comes out and of course also on the tour in autumn.
Völkel: Overall, we have of course matured over the past 20 years, I hope so (laughs). A lot has happened musically as well. From the first cornerstone and the basic idea of just trying country and covering a few songs to creating a completely original sound and a band that has been established for so many years now. We consciously tried to push ourselves forward because after the first album it was clear that you can’t repeat that often. The joke is over and it has to remain exciting for us too. At the same time, it was always the big task to remain typical of The BossHoss and to be recognizable, also visually. Cowboy is cowboy, but there are many inspirations, from road movies to westerns, on how to tell the story over and over again.
Völkel: There are always two sides of the coin. On the one hand, of course, it’s total independence and recognisability, it’s what people know about you and what people find cool. But of course in the 20 years you also have the thought: I can’t see it anymore. But that’s the art of always doing something different and appearing a bit different on every tour without completely discarding everything.
Völkel: Luckily it’s holding up great. I think we’re well past the point of concern. We’ve known each other for 23 years, were best buds for over three years before The BossHoss came up with the idea. We get on very well together, know each other really well and have a good division of tasks. Sascha is mainly a producer and songwriter, my job is more the graphic design and the video shoots, i.e. the whole look. We complement each other very well and everyone knows that we can rely on each other. We’ve never had a tough conflict or a phase where we couldn’t take it anymore or were fed up. We now know, as in every relationship, when we need a little distance.
Völkel: It has become very diverse. It offers the typical The BossHoss sound, but also a lot of songs that open up a different facet and are a bit calmer. With Ilse [DeLange, ed. Red.] we also have the rather pop song “You” with us. We did a pre-listening for the album with our fan club. The feedback from the fans is important because it’s totally honest. More is not possible. We can sit down 100 times and discuss with the record company and with experts what the right choice of song is. In the end, the fan is the hardest barometer you can have. That’s why such a meeting is really good and this time it worked out great again. There were actually some who were skeptical beforehand and worried that the record would be too electronic, but we were able to calm them down and pick them up.
Völkel: Going on tour and being on stage is the coolest thing ever. That’s what our hearts beat for and that’s why we became musicians. I want to have people in front of the stage, I want to see reactions, I want to go crazy. The distances between the tours are actually much too big. We are always really happy and after the last two years, of course, all the more, where we weren’t allowed to.
Völkel: We’re not gone as much as we were at the beginning, sometimes we had 150, 200 concerts a year. Now it’s the case that a tour lasts six to eight weeks and we’re back home for two or three days a week. The family has to cut back a bit, but when we’re not touring we’re at home a lot. We are not the typical fathers and husbands who have to go to the office Monday to Friday, but when we are there we are really there a lot and can enjoy and help shape a lot of family life, take the children to school and pick them up and do something in the afternoon . We have a very flexible schedule and even more family time than many others.
Völkel: Depending on the age group, of course. With Sascha, daughter and son are already very big, with me they are still very small. Of course, the two-year-old doesn’t even know what’s going on. She sees pictures and videos and thinks: Dad, is that you? (laughs) Our seven-year-old, on the other hand, knows exactly what’s going on. He also attends a concert here and there and really celebrates it and is happy that dad makes music.
Völkel: We’ve calmed down. After what feels like 1000 parties, it’s not that exciting anymore. When we’re on the road, it’s still like a boys’ school trip, but much more professional and not as intense. It used to be: Get in the small tour bus on the Autobahn, cans of beer, play a gig in the evening and on we go. Today, a tour like this takes a long time to prepare, a lot is built up, a lot depends on it. There are a lot of fans who pay money to see a really great show and they deserve it. Going on stage hungover is not appropriate. It also has to do with respect for the fans. We have to deliver 200 percent, every night. After the tour, there will be a real celebration.
Völkel: She is a great woman, a great musician and an excellent singer. Musically we are close in many ways because she also embodies and loves this country sound. You in Holland and we in Germany were able to establish ourselves with music that doesn’t really exist and many believed that it didn’t work in Europe. In 2015 we already worked together successfully for “Jolene”. We don’t do a lot of songs with other artists because with two singers and a third voice it’s difficult most of the time. But in this case, a female voice did the song good again.
Völkel: We thought about it. But I think it’s a very difficult event. You have totally seldom established acts, not only in Germany, but in general in Europe that take part. The drop is high. On the one hand, musically it is a special spectrum, there is a certain musical color that runs there, with a few escapees like this year’s German act. On the other hand, the Germans are very envious in love. When an established act gets their fingers burned, you can expect buckets of malice to be poured out for weeks. The risk is just too high, you can lose more than you win, so we prefer not to do that.
Völkel: I think they’re great. Musically, of course, it’s much closer to me than pop songs, and optically they’re also an eye-catcher. In any case, it’s good for Germany that we’re showing that we’re not so snoring and that we can sometimes come up with something that’s at least different. Foreign countries always think we’re just incredibly dull, humorless and all gray mice. That’s why I think it’s cool that they hit it hard every once in a while. I think a good midfield is definitely possible, they don’t make the last place.
Völkel: On the one hand, it’s exciting because it’s a double duel for the first time. We find that challenging and much better than if we had to compete against each other. Teamwork suits us. On the other hand, it’s just a cool show, we’ll also perform a song, that rounds things off for us. However, the show is also incredibly long, which will be very tiring, so we have a very healthy respect for it. I often think about how we can make a good impression, although winning isn’t everything, especially on this show.
Völkel: You can’t prepare properly because the games are totally random. We still have to get fit and do a bit more sport so that we can definitely hold out. But the skill and knowledge matters are in the moment or not, you can’t plan anything. We are also curious to see how we complement each other.
Völkel: We didn’t know them personally. But we had a shoot with them in preparation, where it quickly became clear: They will have the largest share of the speeches. They talked non-stop, it’s genetic for them as comedians (laughs). They crack jokes all day, we look old in terms of quick wit. So we have to score differently, at best in a sporty way.
Völkel: How long we will continue to do this is completely open to me. What I wish for is that we can continue what we do and that people still want us. It’s not about getting bigger and bigger and even more successful, it’s about continuing for a few more years with what we have set up. And that we have enough inspiration and creativity to keep reinventing ourselves and keep making good new songs
