As I continue to work on next year’s album release, dear friend Richard G. Lindström has updated the cover art of The Creek And the Carving. I find it more properly suiting the musical content. Go ahead and judge for yourselves, it is now available on Spotify plus the numerous stores online!
Time again to hit the sketching table, this time in a joint effort to arrange the ten-something songs destined for the 2017 album Cross-Word Tears. As suggested by the title, it’ll be a somewhat more mellow release compared to the last one, but surely in the same “vein”. Preparations started officially last Friday in a new place with new ideas and a new starting-point. Follow the progress on social media!
Some music reviewers manage to turn any category of feeling into constructive criticism, overt or subtle. I had a warm feeling and some good (subtle) advice from this lovely little text by Andy at Nordic Music Review. Click the Pick and have a good read on The Creek And the Carving!
I’m about to paint myself into a corner but so be it. Hoping to avoid making circle arguments on the definition, wasn’t the first attraction to the strange category of indie its promise of musical scope, of everything that was not caught up by that big machine? Doing some light research on indie blogs, from the popular to the not so, I can’t help getting frustrated by the over-exposure of synthesized, big, atmospheric soundscapes, the heavy reverberation and electro-acoustic blends that increasingly seem like the one way to be “fresh”, “deviant”, “experimental” etc. Saying this, I do love some electronica and have a long-lasting love for electronic music. But to “go electronic” should not be a quick fix in order to “go interesting” (don’t lose faith in your songwriting, colleagues!), should it? Old dog as I am, I can’t help thinking about my all-time favorite, Beefheart’s Trout mask replica. There’s strangeness and originality for you coming from a traditional rock band line-up. Well,, you may say, that’s just preference (and dangerously close to orthodoxy) but what of conformity in that once promising category? If you brand yourself as a writer dealing with indie bands, why not write about synth pop, the popular blends etc. together with the remaining great manifold of styles? After all, it’s the writers (too) that substantiate the genres and categories by their joint activities. Give back to the performers/artists the romantic belief that indie is an extensive category, indicative of beautiful deviance, musical independence and progressive musical attitudes. Blogs like “Indie is not a genre” already stress the point. I may be naive (hello business-people), childish, or maybe I just don’t want to be in the tumbler-drier. Or maybe just both. Indie is not a machine. Or a genre. And that’s my monthly (?) letting off steam. Discouraged I needed to wine a bit. Boohoo and see you next time.
Thanks to the work of film-maker Per Moritz we are officially a visible band! Lookee lookee, friends!
After a quick vacation we’re back stubbornly promoting The Creek And the Carving, this time at the fantastic Teater Pero together with two brilliant pop acts. Songs not previously performed will be offered to you in the best possible setting. Don’t miss!
Tiresome truths like learning by doing sometimes need to get fleshed out by experience. Hence that familiar sensation after a shit gig! Some of you surely know the score from top to bottom. Band moral high, pep talking, sound checking over and ok, some people starts to drop in (for whom of the three acts, you ask yourself), and then, time for action. Stage sound blurred, sound engineer mysteriously playing Tetris on the sound board giving you quizzical looks at times. Every band member feeling maybe something like Ringo trying to hear what the other band-members are about, only it’s not the audience cheering to loud and no one manages to produce that signature smile whilst frowning inwards. Then you start to talk to the people who actually came to see you, share the shitty experience with the band etc, trying to restore something. In the end you leave with something that you do have, even if it’s not exactly a following or a definite way of communication. I do have a brilliant band presently carving out our stage act, every member making their specific mark. And brilliant friends that do show up. The dramaturgical slope turns into a valley.
We are fortunate to share stage with two pop acts I take the liberty of calling progressive, acts that stretch the formula in very different manners.
AXUM is currently fine-tuning his new EP. Once taking the bold step of switching the vernacular to his native Swedish, AXUM delivers lyrics as clever and humoristic as they are heart-felt (a tricky blend to manage), accompanied by musical quirks and strong hooks.
With diverse musical backgrounds the members of LARM came together in 2013. Also using their mother tongue, LARM balances the dance-friendly with complex song-structures, bordering to jazz and funk. A live act to count on.
The three of us bands warmly welcome you to PSB (Pet Sounds Bar), in the heart of Stockholm, on July 13! Prepare for a night of musical surprises and great company!
Just had to see this chest-warming documentary again. One could take away the legendary artist-status from Bill Wither’s name and still get a film inspirational and educative, life-preserving inside the down-to-earth realistic approach of the protagonist. Some people seem to act out their art in every gesture effortlessly. “Still Bill” manages to integrate a number of themes; American history, songwriting, life-philosophy, the music business, love and friendship, family relations, all seen from the lens of one Great human being. Perspective, watch it and get a fresh one.
Exciting news! We are officially booked to play on the infamous PSB (Pet Sounds Bar) in Södermalm Stockholm on July 13! What is more, we are honored to share the gig with the exuberantly talented artist Axum! We’ll be sharpening our musical utensils during the month to come, bringing you songs never before performed live. Expect more info soon on the specifics, and for now, make a date for a night of music in your calendar, July 13!
Here’s a taste of the evenings entertainment:
Kristofer Axén 