LOMM: Can you give a little biographical and historical info; who is involved in the band, and how did you guys meet up?
Mark Blitz: Blitz Union consists of me (vocals), Shodushi (guitar), Governor (drums) and Schtorm (bass). It was sometime in 2017 when due to unusual events that happened to me in my life, I knew what I had to do. I like to say that it wasn’t like “I want to start a band”, but more like “I must start a band”. I needed some kind of ‘mediator’ through which I could share my stories, visions and since I love music my whole life, starting a new band was a clear choice.
Unfortunately, that’s all that I can tell you for now. We’ll be revealing some more details of the overall Blitz Union story continuously throughout the year. So if you check our social media regularly and carefully, you’ll soon get some answers…
LOMM: Pandemic has taken an emotional toll on everyone yet the arts have been hit especially hard. The musicians are vulnerable to financial upheaval. How have you guys been holding up?
Mark Blitz: We took the advantage of the extra time and ran our own „Blitz Studio“ where we spend most of our time focusing on creation of new music.
Obviously, it really s*cks that we cannot perform live, but it is how it is so we try to come up with some alternatives how to entertain our fans, our Union.
LOMM: On the other hand you seem to have had a productive time. Is that right?
Mark Blitz: I guess, yeah! We are still trying to keep things moving as we have the hope that the situation in the world will get back to normal soon. We want to be ready to go full force!
LOMM: Tell us about your genre, what does it means to you, why did you choose this genre?
Mark Blitz: We call it EDM-Rock. We love rock/metal music in general – its energy and diversity is amazing. But we also dig the new electronic, dance and trap wave where you can create a “hook” basically from any kind of sound. So we try to combine these two “worlds” and really enjoy its creation.
LOMM: Are you happy with your product? What aspects of it do you think you guys nailed, and what parts do you think you could improve upon?
Mark Blitz: Every member of Blitz Union has to be thrilled from the final form of the song otherwise we would not release it. It does not make sense to present something with what you are not fully happy about as then you have tendencies to be vulnerable to every small criticism etc.
We always try to do the best we can at the current moment. Not more, not less. I guess we will see what we nailed and what can be improved after some time.
LOMM: Have you ever been on a tour? Given live performances? Is it tough for you not to be able to do so now?
Mark Blitz: The only tour opportunity which we had so far was last summer across Czech Republic alongside the popular Czech rock band “SKWOR” and we enjoyed it a lot. We recruited a lot of new members to our Union there. Then we had some single shows in Germany and the USA.
We cannot wait to get back on stage as for Blitz Union live performances are the biggest passion and reward. They are my personal strongest motivation for doing music. It is like therapy for me. You can go wild, do anything you want and leave everything else behind.
LOMM: What is the next step for you? How is the future looking?
Mark Blitz: It’s simple – We want to play as much as possible and still produce as much music as possible. We will leave the rest to “fate” and our great label “Dreamstart Music and Management”, which presents our music to the world.
LOMM: Could you tell us about the lyrics / themes /concepts you focus on or plan to focus on? How did the ideas come about, and how do they influence the writing process? Who is writing the lyrics?
Mark Blitz: It all started when I got hit by lightning
Lady Obscure: OMG!
Mark Blitz: Yeah I know… pretty unbelievable. After this experience my life turned upside down and the foundation of Blitz Union was inevitable. Ever since, Inspiration for our songs comes to me in waves, which I need to carefully listen to. Then I try to put it into words. Everything that happens afterwards is somewhat of a mysterious process for us, but we as a band have developed a certain “technique” to approach it. We want to reveal the whole story soon, but we need to work on a suitable form to present this to the world. We don’t want to be seen as crazy, therefore we will open up to our Blitz Union fan club first to see the reactions.
LOMM: Who is composing the songs?
Mark Blitz: I usually bring some lyric ideas with a very simple instrumental. If everyone likes it, we do the general arrangements together. Once the main structure of the song is done and agreed, Schtorm (bassist, programer) starts to work on the final production of the song.
LOMM: What bands do you draw your inspiration from?
Mark Blitz: We were all raised on the rock/metal bands which have been popular around year 2000, so for example Korn, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Mudvayne, Limp Bizkit, Rammstein, Static-X etc. The influence of these bands is undeniably audible in our music.
LOMM: Which is more exciting? Being on the road or studio?
Mark Blitz: Definitely being on the road. You know, each show is like a little adventure for me. You meet new people, get to know new locations – and also, I love long car rides. The farther the show is, the better (laughter).
LOMM: What first got you into music?
Mark Blitz: I have loved music in general since I was a little kid. Always wanted to be a performer. Therefore, when I was like 15 years old and there was a chance to become a singer (even though I totally did not know how to sing) in a local band with a couple of friends, I did not hesitate for a minute. Since then I haven’t left the “world of music” for a single year, maybe even a month.
LOMM: If you weren’t musicians, what would you be doing?
Mark Blitz: Music is not the only thing I do, I have other activities, interests. So I would probably do the same just without being a musician (Laughter).
LOMM: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Mark Blitz: Probably what I would like it to change in any industry/sector – Conscious long-term cooperation, looking at the development of quality, potential and trust, instead of “whom I could use to make the most profit from it in the shortest possible time “.
LOMM: What’s more important to you? Catering to the audience or music for its own sake?
Mark Blitz: I like the process of doing music itself and my goal is to be satisfied with the outcome, me personally, but also the other Blitz Union’s members. But since I love coming up with some original catchy hooks, harmonies I think we somehow automatically/unconsciously think about the audience as well.
LOMM: What is the most memorable gig that you have played to date?
Mark Blitz: We had a really great time in “Westand Kultur – und Eventzentrum”, Braunschweig (Germany), where we had a chance to play two nights in a row as a support act for the legendary rock band Oomph!. There were about 2,000 people each night, so it was an ideal chance to shoot a video for our song “TV” there. The friendly vibe and professional organization of both shows made everything easier. And of course the “killer” audience was amazing!
LOMM: When you look back your music career, what do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
Mark Blitz: For me, the biggest accomplishment is the foundation of Blitz Union itself. There were many struggles at the very beginning, but I am glad that we took the extra time and tried to prepare everything right before the official launch.
LOMM: Who would you like to collaborate with?
Schtorm: Miley Cyrus. And I’m dead serious (please send this to her management (Laughter)). I believe we could do an exciting, fresh rock anthem together for young generations. Merging “BU” sound with recent stuff Miley did (or even what she did in the past!). Wish this came ever true.
LOMM: Who would you like to go on a tour with?
Schtorm: I think it would be nice to play with Five Finger Death Punch. It would be a big honor to open for them and we’d make their audience pumped for their show, ha!
LOMM: If you could play any festival in the world, which one would you choose? Tell us why.
Schtorm: Definitely Pol’And’Rock Festival (formerly Przystanek Woodstock) in Poland. This event is more than just a music festival. It is an undeniable celebration of freedom, an unforgettable moment. Own ecosystem, full of pure joy.
LOMM: Name some of your all-time favorite albums? Include controversial ones.
Mark Blitz: That would be “Stone sour – Audio Secrecy” and “Korn – Untitled”. From, let’s say, “non-standard” ones I’d choose “Twin Peaks – OST / Soundtrack”. The atmosphere of the featured tracks there is simply indescribable.
LOMM: What does your collection look like? Mostly Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, Digital? A bit of everything? A total mess?
Mark Blitz: I got a record/vinyl player last Christmas, so my collection currently contains only double vinyl of Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits and our first EP “Revolution” (Laughter).I’ve never been a collector in any way, but who knows, maybe someday in the future…
LOMM: What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
Mark Blitz: Blitz Union is based in Prague, Czech Republic. Prague is a city of great history & culture and so the music scene is quite wide and various here. Many awesome rock/metal bands and clubs are based here, but the situation is probably the same as anywhere in the world. The rock/metal community is getting smaller and smaller and the hip-hop/disco clubs are the most visited ones.
LOMM: What is your weirdest memory in your music career?
Mark Blitz: My weirdest memory is actually the one, which led to the foundation of Blitz Union. But I am not ready to tell you details yet, sorry…
LOMM: What is the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Mark Blitz: I think I haven’t received ANY gift from a fan yet (Laughter). So I guess I’m waiting for some special one. But if anybody would like to give a present/gift to our drummer Governor, bring him some home made chilli sauce! He loves it! (Laughter)
LOMM: If you had one message to your fans, what would it be?
Mark Blitz: “Those of you, who are not afraid to ask themselves unpleasant questions and who have the courage to face their personal but also external problems – are more than welcome in our Union and can contact us directly at any time and contribute their knowledge and experience, Thank you.”
LOMM: Anything else you think your fans should know?
Mark Blitz: We will be releasing the last single of our EP “Not Proud” this April already, but have also prepared a special present for you all which we will be released in the meantime! So stay tuned and loyal to our Union! Thank you!
LOMM: Thank you for taking the time!
Mark Blitz: Many thanks for having us!
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