Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with The Rowels
Dusty rock for the wandering Soul. Emerging from the dim glow of an old barn in the Norwegian woods, The Rowels craft a sound as raw and untamed as the landscapes they evoke. A duo armed with organ drones, drum machines, a weathered banjo, and dirty, reverb-soaked guitars, they weave cinematic spaghetti western moods into a foundation of dusty rock. The Rowels invite you to step into their world—where the past lingers, the dust never settles, and the music rides on like a restless wind.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Very early, maybe when we were 7–8 years old, when we heard legendary cassettes of classic hard rock and rock from the early 80s.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
As soon as we got instruments at home when we were 10–12 years old, we started making our own music.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
The Rowels started when we came across an old barn on a trip in the Norwegian woods.
We heard that there were a lot of old instruments in the barn, which had been gathering dust. There we found a banjo, accordion, harmonica, and various other things.
We got all this from the old farmer who lived there — he had no use for it anymore. We brought it back to our studio and started playing with different instrumentation combined with a guitar and drum machine.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
The Rowels fuse dirty guitars and drum machine beats into a sound that’s both raw and cinematic. Our music paints dreamy Western landscapes with catchy hooks and dusty rock.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
That the magic lies in the riff and the hooks!
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
We work in Logic, combining drum machines with different instruments — both software and old cheap Casio and Yamaha synths from the 80s — and always a Big Muff pedal into the amp for dirty guitar sounds. We also love using instruments that don’t necessarily fit into dirty rock, so there’s often a little addition of accordion, banjo, and harmonica.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Right now we’re listening to the back catalog of PJ Harvey and early Neil Young.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Our personal experiences have shaped both the tone and direction of our music.
They give us a clear emotional foundation that we use to create stories and dream-worlds in our songs, even when they’re not rooted in reality.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
We hope to take listeners on a journey that gives them energy and invites them into a world they can step into — one they can picture vividly, almost like a film.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Being honest with yourself about what you feel is the right thing to do.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Any place with a good atmosphere and vibe, and with an audience that really wants to listen to music.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Maybe Prince?
With Rick Rubin and Quentin Tarantino (!) as producers.
Tight rock with exciting vocals, blended in a cinematic atmosphere.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website, Spotify, IG, links)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6iFqghk5JiryPYEFWQ0MZS?si=l1UX22NXQMao5e8ivnbNeQ
https://www.tiktok.com/@therowels?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
The Rowels – YouTube
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Continue to create catchy music with exciting and unusual twists, which can surprise people and make them want to explore our world together.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
We hope listeners discover our curiosity and our love of storytelling, along with the rock-driven energy that fuels everything we create.
