Trautenberk: “Humour Is Our Way of Life. The Main Thing Is Not to Lose Your Shit and to Stay Well Fed!”

Trautenberk has long since become more than just a band serving up heavy riffs, mountain poetry and uninhibited humour onstage. Over the years, they have built a world of their own where honest musicianship, exaggeration, improvisation and, above all, a powerful connection with their fans come together. It is precisely because of those fans that the band members stay among the crowd after their shows, sign CDs, take photographs and listen to stories that sometimes go far deeper than ordinary concert memories.

In an open interview for Rebel Sound, Trautenberk reveal why they refuse to give up personal contact with their audience, how their songs are created, why nobody expected "Netáhlo" to become such a huge success, and how much genuine improvisation lies behind their seemingly spontaneous live shows. The conversation also turns to the O2 arena, the difficult beginnings facing young bands, the memory of their late frontman and what they hope people will one day remember when they hear the name Trautenberk.

At Bolka Fest, we saw something that is no longer a given with well-known bands: after the show, you had no problem staying among the crowd, taking photographs and chatting with fans. Is that a conscious decision? What do those encounters give you, and is there a particular moment with a fan that has really stayed with you?

Of course it is a conscious decision. We have done it that way from the very beginning and we still enjoy it. Even more so now that we have reached bigger stages and the distance between us and the fans has grown. We missed that contact, so meeting people after the show allows us to get it back. And while we are at it, we sign CDs for the lads and the ladies' cleavage, which is just a lovely little cherry on top.

And then you also hear stories about how you have changed someone's life. One man told us that when he was completely at rock bottom and thinking about ending it all, our whole "couldn't-give-a-fuck attitude" helped him get back on his feet and take life more lightly. That stays with you.

Over the years, Trautenberk have created their own world full of humour, exaggeration and mountain poetry. Where is the line between parody and the things you actually mean seriously in your lyrics?

There is basically nothing serious in our lyrics. Apart from a few sighs over human stupidity, greed and arrogance, perhaps, but even those are wrapped in humour. The more important question is where the line lies between parody and cringe. Balancing on that line is no joke. We have been looking for it throughout our existence and sometimes we step over it. The important thing is not to shit yourself over it, and that makes the edge less sharp.

When a new song is taking shape, what comes first: a story, a line, a riff or an image you want to lodge in the listener's mind? Take us through the entire process, from the first idea to the live version.

It depends. The chorus of "Potužník senior" existed in sung form first, and the music was added several years later. In most cases, however, the riff comes first. Then we piece the individual sections together and test how they work. The lyrics come next, along with more tinkering with the length of the individual passages. That happens in the studio during pre-production. Then we learn the song and go into the studio to immortalise it as a proper recording. After that, we find the right place for it in the live setlist. Sometimes we also adjust the tempo for concerts, because some songs sound better slower on the record and faster live.

Many bands say that the audience is the best critic. Can you remember a moment when the fans convinced you that a song worked completely differently from what you had expected?

Yes. "Netáhlo". We expected absolutely nothing from that song and originally saw it as a bit of filler for the album. None of us ever dreamed that it would connect with so many people and rack up millions of views.

Your concerts feel spontaneous. How much of the show is prepared, and how much happens purely in response to the atmosphere of that particular night?

Almost nothing is prepared. We improvise. But to be honest, over the years we have built up reliable lines, sketches and moves that originally came about in the heat of the moment, so it is slowly turning into prepared choreography. So yes, we play off the atmosphere of the night, but…

If you could play your fans just one song from your catalogue and say, "This is exactly what Trautenberk sound like," which one would it be and why?

"Himlhergotdonrvetr". That song made us. It got us onto the radio and festival stages, and gave us the identity we had lost with "Obroušova smrt".

You have played countless festivals and clubs. Is there a concert that changed you as a band—not because of the attendance, but because of what you took away from it?

I do not think there is. Progress is a continuous process. I cannot remember a point at which we suddenly started doing things radically differently. Of course, last year's O2 arena show was a huge challenge. More than a year of preparation, and the concert itself, definitely moved forward not only the band but also our entire team, which is an inseparable part of the success of the whole Trautenberk circus.

Your work often balances humour with musical precision. Does it ever bother you that, because of the humour, people may not notice how much work is hidden in the music itself?

It does not bother us. Anyone who wants to dig into it will find it. Personally, I like it when an artist slips a subtle little extra into a song a hidden joke or an arrangement that you may not even notice, although it is there. But there are not many people who obsess over details like that. As a songwriter, you have to accept that even if you come up with something like that, or play an absolutely unbeatable guitar solo, it will simply decorate the whole, while only a tiny number of connoisseurs will appreciate that individual detail.

If you could go back to the very beginning of Trautenberk, what advice would you give your younger selves?

Warm up your voice, for fuck's sake! Stay away from air conditioning! Exercise more! Other than that, everything was fine.

You have built your own identity on the Czech scene without copying trends. What do you think is harder for a young band today: writing good music or holding on to its own identity?

First and foremost, getting attention, because that is today's most valuable commodity. Whether they do it through good music, an interesting concept, extravagance or God knows what is basically irrelevant. Young bands today have it much easier at the very beginning. Everything is available for next to nothing; you can practically record an album in your living room, and you can email an idea to your bandmates during the week instead of waiting for the weekend rehearsal to show it to them in person. But then cutting through the flood of content pouring over potential fans—that is one hell of a difficult discipline today. So my advice would be this: keep trying and be patient.

Is there a song you mainly play because the fans love it, even though your own relationship with it is completely different today?

Probably not. Since none of our songs is meant seriously(apart from "Pán udíren")it is mostly about fun and jokes, and our pack lives on humour, so there is no reason for our relationship with them to change. We play all our shout-along songs with joy. But since I have mentioned "Pán udíren": it is a memorial song for our late frontman. We only play it on rare occasions at concerts in Klatovy and Plzeň. Because of that rarity, it remains powerful for us and, even after all these years, it knocks us sideways every time we play it onstage. So even there, our relationship with it has not changed.

If you were to make a documentary with no filters whatsoever, what should it be about? What would surprise fans most about Trautenberk's life away from the stage?

Perhaps what would surprise them is that nothing would surprise them. The way we present ourselves online and at concerts is simply our life, and humour is an integral part of it. Damn, I have just had an idea. A documentary cut together from the best moments in the van could be pretty good fun.

One personal question to finish: when Trautenberk eventually leave the stage for good, what would you like people to think of first when they hear your name?

The feeling that they had a good time with us.

Finally, we will give you space with no boundaries. What would you like to say to Rebel Sound readers and everyone who supports you, whether they have been there since the first concerts or only discovered you recently? Is there anything you may never say to them during a show or while they are listening to your music, but which should be said right now?

Yes. I think there is something very important that I would like to share not only with Rebel Sound readers, but with the entire nation.

STAY WELL FED!!!

The questions were answered by Luboš, also known as 'Horst'

Luboš from Trautenberk's answers make it clear that behind all the one-liners, parody and wild live energy stands, above all, a group of people who do not want to take themselves too seriously, but who take their music, their fans and the moments they share very seriously. They have no need to build an untouchable rock-star aura around themselves. Far more important is knowing that people had fun with them, forgot their worries for a while and perhaps, thanks to the band's famous "couldn't-give-a-fuck attitude", managed to make it through harder periods in life.

When the Trautenberk circus eventually leaves the stage for good, the band want only one thing: for people to remember the feeling that they had a good time with them. By all appearances, they are already achieving that today. And the final message? No complicated wisdom or deep philosophy. Simply: STAY WELL FED!

Denča