How did you start getting into music?

Pat: Honestly, it all started at home. My parents were deep into music, especially my dad. He had this huge rock collection, but it wasn’t just about the records. He loved the myths behind the musicians, the backstage stories, the chaos, the magic. Those were my bedtime stories.

My parents would take me to shows when I was really young. So, I saw bands like Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, and The Rolling Stones as a little kid.

I began with classical guitar around ten, but electric guitar grabbed me almost immediately. I got my first one a year later and that was it. I never looked back.

Brainholz has been with you since your teenage years. What kept the band alive for so long?

Pat: I was always the kid who signed up for every music project at school. Anything with a guitar, I was there. One of the big projects was a choir concert with The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Queen covers.

That’s where I met our drummer and bassist. We jammed, it felt good, we kept going, and the band formed naturally.

How did you guys from Bad Ass Romance meet?

Pat: Bad Ass Romance is built around former Krokus member Fernando von Arb, and we mostly play Krokus songs. I first met Fernando when I was around seventeen. He was a guest musician in this choir project I mentioned, and I played some shows with him after that.

In 2019, out of nowhere the drummer called saying they needed a second guitarist. I got recommended, went for an audition, and somehow they picked me.

It’s cool: since I was a kid, I listened to Krokus songs and saw Fernando in concert. And suddenly I was playing those songs with him.

How did your studies in composition and film music change the way you approach guitar?

Pat: Funny enough, the guitar came first. I was always drawn to melodic playing. Brian May especially. I cared about lines that sing, not about showing off.

That obsession with melody pushed me toward composition and film music. Studying that world didn’t change my guitar playing as much as my guitar playing pushed me into that world. Melodies were always my centre.

When you write, what starts the idea: the guitar, a mood, or something visual?

Pat: It’s different every time. With Brainholz, a riff might grow out of a jam. But sometimes the universe throws something at you out of nowhere.

For example: some weeks ago, I was driving in my car, completely without an instrument, and a melody just appeared in my head. I pulled out my phone and hummed it before it escaped. When I got home, I figured out the harmonies and built the whole thing.

Other times I’m messing around on an acoustic guitar and a melody falls into place. I like coming up with a full idea, a full story, instead of starting with just a riff.

Your heroes include Brian May, Ritchie Blackmore and David Gilmour. Any other artists influenced you along the way?

Pat: Definitely. Indie bands like The War on Drugs are a good example. They’re not about individual flash, but the way the whole sound locks together is incredible. That speaks to me. Composition over fireworks. Atmosphere over acrobatics.

And in film music there are so many great musicians. I get influenced more by their approach and mindset than by any particular style.

Are there any Swiss artists you really look up to?

Pat: Absolutely. My father had all the Krokus and Gotthard albums at home. Listen to the guitar solo of “Tokio Nights” played by Tommy Kiefer. They called him the Eric Clapton of Solothurn.

And now I get to play that solo live on stage with Bad Ass Romance, with a Krokus member next to me.

You have played everything from club shows to Riverside Aarburg. What moment stays with you the most?

Pat: For me, it’s never just the venue. It’s the moments. The flashes.

You look around on stage and something hits you. It can happen anywhere. Mühle Hunziken has that magic. Riverside Aarburg was my biggest stage so far, and playing after Wolfmother was insane.

But honestly, the moments that stay with me are the quiet ones. That second when you realise, “I’m really here. I made it to this stage.” Those little shocks of gratitude stay longer than any big event.

What is one lesson the music world taught you that you still carry today?

Pat: Carry on. That’s it. If you want to do it, then do it. Don’t stop.

And trust that you can go further than you think. I believe I will. I’m not done.

What is happening next for you and your bands?

Pat: A lot of concerts next year. And I’m writing music for a small theatre production, which is completely new for me. I’m excited about that.

With Brainholz, we’re talking about writing new songs. Nothing official yet, but we feel it coming.

How do you feel about the Swiss music scene right now?

Pat: I’m now 33 years old. So, I’m curious about new music from the youngest generation. I hope that they come up with good stuff. For example: I heard a radio interview with a hip hop crew who had just finished school, and their production quality was insane. Generally I’m hoping for new styles, new sounds, new ideas. Maybe even fresh approaches to guitar. Let’s see.

For your final show, are you choosing full pyros in a roaring stadium, or an unplugged goodbye so quiet you can hear the chairs creak?

Pat: Right now, I’d probably say stadium and fireworks. Who wouldn’t want that?

But if I really imagine my last show… it would be something quieter. Something that means more. I’d want to be on stage one final time with the people I shared music with my whole life.

When I turned thirty and my mom turned sixty, we celebrated together. I organized a concert with a lot of guest musicians. It started quiet with only me at an acoustic guitar and it ended as arock ‘n’ roll party.

So for my last show, I picture something like that. A grand finale built from memories. That would be the perfect goodbye… But when I think about it: Let’s do that on a big stage with fireworks (laughs).

Stay tuned for more Strings Attached interviews!