Norwegian Rockers Wig Wam Didn’t Set Out to Make Commercial Record

The hard rock band Wig Wam started as a bit of a farce. In 2001, '80s-style glam wasn't exactly the most popular type of music. Still, fate brought the quartet together to play as entertainment during an '80s-themed party. Naturally, the band dressed the part, had a blast and started making waves in their native Norway.

Fast forward through several albums and Wig Wam are now celebrating the release of 'Non Stop Rock 'n' Roll.' The album is their first available in America via Frontiers.

"It's a bit darker than the first two ones, but that is a result of all the craziness we have experienced," lead singer Glam tells Noisecreep. "We have to get it out somehow. There's a lot of happy songs there too."

Of course, his mother didn't give him the name "Glam." The Wig Wam singer was born Åge Sten Nilsen and goes by his alter-ego during gigs. In fact, the band's three other members also have one-word stage names like 'Teeny,' 'Flash' and 'Sporty.' Recording 'Non Stop Rock and Roll' wasn't exactly easy. Glam tells Noisecreep that the band played 287 shows in 2005 and by 2007 was completely burned out.

"When you're playing 287 shows a year, you get on each other's nerves," he said. "In late 2006, we decided it was about time to take a break and spend some time from each other. We didn't even make a deal to contact each other again. We said, 'We're having a break. As soon as everyone in the band feels ready to get back together and start writing on a new album, we'll get in touch and it will come naturally.'"

It wasn't exactly natural as other job commitments got in the way but in the end everything fell in place. "It was the most fun album to make, the most fun of them all," Glam adds.

It was fun because the band eventually took all the time they needed to create the songs they wanted, ignoring record label pressure to deliver by a certain date. By the time the album was ready for final mixing, the members of Wig Wam revealed the new songs to their label.

"They [the label executives] were pretty much shaking all over," Glam recalls. "They were trying to find hit songs. They immediately knew that [first single] 'Do You Wanna Taste It?' had a strong hit potential."

Of course Wig Wam, like most bands, were not looking to create so-called 'radio hits.' In the end, the band wanted something that defined their sound, would cross-over into America and keep their fans proud.

"This album is created by pure adrenaline and the live feeling that we get when we play together. So rather than thinking commercial, we just focused on making a good album we would [personally] be fans of," Glam concludes.