Interview conducted with Gee Strings guitarist Bernadette
Shock Treatment: Hi Bernadette! Can you please tell me who’s currently in the band and what everyone does?
Bernadette: Hi Jay!
In addition to the long-term survivors Ingenius Pop (Vocals) and me, Bernadette
In addition to the long-term survivors Ingenius Pop (Vocals) and me, Bernadette
(Guitar), we've had the current line up for three and a half years.
Our spanish guy Curtis on Bass and Alex on Drums! Alex also played in German
Our spanish guy Curtis on Bass and Alex on Drums! Alex also played in German
60´s garage punkers The Satelliters for many years.
Great lineup …some people say it's our best lineup ever…you know the rhythm section in a band is really important…its not all about the guitar and singer . We really wanna try to keep this lineup together and record new songs next year.
Shock Treatment: What band made you want to pick up an instrument and learn how to play? How old were you and how did you discover this band?
Bernadette: For me, I got my first records from my older brother, stuff by Status Quo, Alice Cooper, T. Rex…but my biggest influence, as for many others, was The Ramones. During the 1980´s, German television showed Rock´n´Roll High School as part of the children´s program on sunday mornings. As you can believe little Bernadette was quite impressed to see The Ramones instead of Mickey Mouse!
A little later in the 80s I bought my first guitar, a very bad Gibson Les Paul copy, an even worse amplifier and a really terrible fuzz pedal to get some distortion. But it was good enough to try to play along to "I Don't Care" by the Ramones and it got me hooked on playing guitar.
For Ingenius Pop it was Poly Styrene and Toody from Dead Moon who got the whole thing rolling. And not to forget her daddy, who sang all day and could play all instruments.
Shock Treatment: How did you guys meet and decide to form The Gee Strings?
Bernadette: The Gee Strings started in 1994. In the first few months, the band was called Der Gelbe Sack (The Yellow Bag).
We had trouble finding a good band name and Jac, our first drummer (R.I.P.) had a job at the time distributing yellow garbage bags
Jac and Damir, the first guitarist, founded the band and considered who would be a suitable singer. Jac said, "I have an ex-girlfriend who can sing a little." Frau Hansen joined on bass. Ingi initially wanted to play bass as well but Frau Hansen was the better bassist so Ingenius Pop had to switch to the microphone! A short time later the name was (thankfully) changed to The Gee Strings. I joined the band as a second guitarist just in time for the recording of their first LP *The Gee Strings*.
Bernadette: The Gee Strings started in 1994. In the first few months, the band was called Der Gelbe Sack (The Yellow Bag).
We had trouble finding a good band name and Jac, our first drummer (R.I.P.) had a job at the time distributing yellow garbage bags
Jac and Damir, the first guitarist, founded the band and considered who would be a suitable singer. Jac said, "I have an ex-girlfriend who can sing a little." Frau Hansen joined on bass. Ingi initially wanted to play bass as well but Frau Hansen was the better bassist so Ingenius Pop had to switch to the microphone! A short time later the name was (thankfully) changed to The Gee Strings. I joined the band as a second guitarist just in time for the recording of their first LP *The Gee Strings*.
Shock Treatment: You guys released the LP A Bunch of Bugs in 2006 and then you didn’t release anything until the I Will Get You 7” in 2015 but kept playing shows through most of that time. Did you just need a break from writing and recording for a while?
Bernadette: Don't forget the split single with Scott "Deluxe" Drake was released in 2012! But you're right, after the Bunch of Bugs LP, we played a lot of gigs. At some point in 2009 it became too much for Nik Nasty (bass) and Steve The Beef (drums) and they left the band.Then Ingi and me had to find two new Gee Strings!
Bernadette: Don't forget the split single with Scott "Deluxe" Drake was released in 2012! But you're right, after the Bunch of Bugs LP, we played a lot of gigs. At some point in 2009 it became too much for Nik Nasty (bass) and Steve The Beef (drums) and they left the band.Then Ingi and me had to find two new Gee Strings!
From 2010 to 2011 I played a in Sonny Vincent's band and also recorded an album with him. In 2012 I joined Scott Drake's solo band for a European tour. The Humpers were always one of our favorite bands. Check out Scott´s other bands The Lovesores and Guerilla Teens! On this tour I met and played with Buanax and Macst. A brilliant rhythm section from France and backing up Scott Drake on his Euro Tour. We recorded a split single immediately after the tour and I managed to lure Buen and Macst into the Gee Strings.
Buanax and Macst were Gee Strings members from 2011 - 2016. Until the I Will Get You 7 “ and the I'm So Gee !! album in 2016. Since 2022 I got Buanax back to play together with me in The Morlocks! That way everything stays in the family!
Shock Treatment: On your Bandcamp page it says you guys have played over 600 shows since 1994! Is there a city that you guys want to play in that you haven’t yet? And is there a city you played but don’t ever want to go back to?
Bernadette: We're actually happy for every gig we can play. If everyone can manage it, having enough time.
We haven't had that many negative experiences. We're always on the lookout for new clubs and countries. We just finished our first UK tour. This keeps things interesting, allowing us to get to know new places, people, and bands.
It would be cool to play more in Italy or Greece. Southern Europe is always good. Playing more in Netherlands would be nice too; there are some good clubs and fresh bands there at the moment.
Shock Treatment: In the 30 years that you guys have been around, what have been some of the biggest differences in playing live shows back then as opposed to playing now?
Bernadette: In the 90s, it was much easier to play a lot of gigs. Even without a booking agency, it was possible to play every weekend for years on end. I should add that we were young, unemployed or studying for ages, that's changed too. Tours now require long-term planning. Booking agencies and clubs are sometimes booked up a year in advance.
Shock Treatment: 30 years is a long time! What’s your secret to staying motivated to write music and keep performing?
Bernadette: We still love going on tour and writing new songs. Sometimes new band members bring fresh energy and new influences to the band. That makes it exciting too!
Shock Treatment: Tell me about your new record Greatest Shits. Was it hard pulling your favorite 14 songs from all your records and rearranging the track list for this LP?
Bernadette: It really wasn't easy to choose only 14 songs. Initially we thought about a double LP, but our labels weren't too keen on that.
It also wasn't easy to master the songs from six albums onto one. Each record sounds extremely different. A Bunch of Bugs is full of distorted guitars and has very little bass. I'm So Gee!! album wasn't even mastered. We preferred the unmastered version back then, if I remember correctly. But our mastering guy Lolo Blümler did a fantastic job, and the record is now really easy to listen to all the way through, or rather the songs sound better than ever.
It was great going through the whole Gee Strings archive. We found many folders with old flyers, posters, and photos of all the lineups. So many good memories and it's incredible that we kept this going for 30 years!
It was a bit of a shame that we didn't have any room left for singles, unreleased tracks and cover songs. But maybe we can save that for the future vinyl release.
This compilation was intended to be a "best of" album featuring the best songs from all our LPs, which have all been out of print for a long time.
Shock Treatment: What lies ahead in 2026 for The Gee Strings?
Bernadette: We have some upcoming gigs this spring.
On our Greatest Shits tour, we're trying to play only our favorite clubs.
Our friends from S.U.G.A.R. are inviting us to their release show in Berlin. Check them out... their third LP will be released on Alien Snatch Records.
We're playing also at the Cosmic Trip Festival in France. It's one of the best, if not the best, festival in France. Featuring Briefs, Automatic Lovers, His Lordship, Guitar Wolf, and many more.
In the fall we're touring France and Spain, which we're really looking forward to.
We've also finished some brand new songs, which we'll be playing already live at our upcoming gigs.
Shock Treatment: Where can people go to listen to your music and buy your records?
Bernadette: Buy vinyl at our concerts. We also have tapes and a few CDs left.
Our new compilation is available in Germany on Wanda Records, tape version on Tape or Die, in France on Dangerhouse Skylab and in Spain on Ghost Highway Recordings and Take The City Records !!
Also all good mail-order companies should have our record.
If you wanna buy it in the US you should have a look at Dead Beat Records.
Buanax and Macst were Gee Strings members from 2011 - 2016. Until the I Will Get You 7 “ and the I'm So Gee !! album in 2016. Since 2022 I got Buanax back to play together with me in The Morlocks! That way everything stays in the family!
Shock Treatment: On your Bandcamp page it says you guys have played over 600 shows since 1994! Is there a city that you guys want to play in that you haven’t yet? And is there a city you played but don’t ever want to go back to?
Bernadette: We're actually happy for every gig we can play. If everyone can manage it, having enough time.
We haven't had that many negative experiences. We're always on the lookout for new clubs and countries. We just finished our first UK tour. This keeps things interesting, allowing us to get to know new places, people, and bands.
It would be cool to play more in Italy or Greece. Southern Europe is always good. Playing more in Netherlands would be nice too; there are some good clubs and fresh bands there at the moment.
Bernadette: In the 90s, it was much easier to play a lot of gigs. Even without a booking agency, it was possible to play every weekend for years on end. I should add that we were young, unemployed or studying for ages, that's changed too. Tours now require long-term planning. Booking agencies and clubs are sometimes booked up a year in advance.
Shock Treatment: 30 years is a long time! What’s your secret to staying motivated to write music and keep performing?
Bernadette: We still love going on tour and writing new songs. Sometimes new band members bring fresh energy and new influences to the band. That makes it exciting too!
Bernadette: It really wasn't easy to choose only 14 songs. Initially we thought about a double LP, but our labels weren't too keen on that.
It also wasn't easy to master the songs from six albums onto one. Each record sounds extremely different. A Bunch of Bugs is full of distorted guitars and has very little bass. I'm So Gee!! album wasn't even mastered. We preferred the unmastered version back then, if I remember correctly. But our mastering guy Lolo Blümler did a fantastic job, and the record is now really easy to listen to all the way through, or rather the songs sound better than ever.
It was great going through the whole Gee Strings archive. We found many folders with old flyers, posters, and photos of all the lineups. So many good memories and it's incredible that we kept this going for 30 years!
It was a bit of a shame that we didn't have any room left for singles, unreleased tracks and cover songs. But maybe we can save that for the future vinyl release.
This compilation was intended to be a "best of" album featuring the best songs from all our LPs, which have all been out of print for a long time.
Shock Treatment: What lies ahead in 2026 for The Gee Strings?
Bernadette: We have some upcoming gigs this spring.
On our Greatest Shits tour, we're trying to play only our favorite clubs.
Our friends from S.U.G.A.R. are inviting us to their release show in Berlin. Check them out... their third LP will be released on Alien Snatch Records.
We're playing also at the Cosmic Trip Festival in France. It's one of the best, if not the best, festival in France. Featuring Briefs, Automatic Lovers, His Lordship, Guitar Wolf, and many more.
In the fall we're touring France and Spain, which we're really looking forward to.
We've also finished some brand new songs, which we'll be playing already live at our upcoming gigs.
Shock Treatment: Where can people go to listen to your music and buy your records?
Bernadette: Buy vinyl at our concerts. We also have tapes and a few CDs left.
Our new compilation is available in Germany on Wanda Records, tape version on Tape or Die, in France on Dangerhouse Skylab and in Spain on Ghost Highway Recordings and Take The City Records !!
Also all good mail-order companies should have our record.
If you wanna buy it in the US you should have a look at Dead Beat Records.
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