In case you missed it, I had a guest review published on Dagensskiva on Saturday.

The Rasmus have now been confirmed for both the June Rock im Park and the June Rock am Ring fests in Germany on the 6th and 8th respectively.

Puffball has a new 7" coming out on Stereodrive! Records, the label of record store Green Hell Records in Münster. "Outlaw" is the a-side title track and "Hornet Rider" is the b-side along with a cover of Merle Haggard's "Momma Tried". And from Southspace webzine, here's a short interview with the band.

Via the band's webiste, here's a review of Logh from NME written by James Jam:

..."Every time..." is a record so fucking dull, so fucking uninspired, that nme finds itself looking for a chainsaw and pricing up cheap flights to Sweden. In the words of the high priest of rock'n'roll fun, Iggy Pop, seek out and destroy.

Logh's response? "James has been bought a planeticket to Sweden. we´re waiting anxiously." Brilliant. In other Logh news, the band reports they are finishing up work on the new video and should have it done next week.

The Norweigan paper VG recently published a long interview with Morten from A-ha. Here's a nice English synopsis plus a link to the article itself.

St. Thomas will be putting out a limited vinyl edition of "Hey Harmony" in mid-May. 300 copies, 180 gram vinyl. He'll have it for sale at the May 10 Rockefeller show in Oslo. He'll also be playing quite a few shows around Europe coming up soon, with more to be announced for June:

April 30 Ålesund - TBC
05/01 - TBA
05/02 - Trondheim Blæst
05/03 - TBA
05/07 - Molde, TBC
05/08 - Sogndal, Meieriet
05/09 - Hønefoss, Alfreds
05/10 - Oslo, Rockefeller
05/14 - Stavanger, Checkpoint Charlie
05/15 - Kristiansand, TBC
05/16 - TBA
05/17 - Skien, Brekkeparken
05/21-23 Sweden, TBA
05/24 - Hamburg, Echochamber im Phonodrom
05/25 - Berlin, Roter Salon
05/26 - Muchen, Club Zwei festival in Atomic
05/28 - TBA (Frankfurt or Koln)
05/29 - Roskilde Gimle Cafe
05/30 - Copenhagen, Loppen
05/31 - Århus, Spot festival
07/18 - Feierwerk Festival, Munich August 8 or 9 Øyafestivalen

Here's some pictures from Randy's show at Groez Rock in Belgium on April 26.

Johan Bergqvist along with Crying Bob Records is putting together a new festival tour called Bobbyfest. The established goal of the tour is to "give you the best independent music there is, for a good price." Sounds good to me. The line-up is Leftlane, The Virtues, Johan Bergqvist, Moody Alan, and Moll Flanders and so far there's just two dates set for May with more set to come in the fall. Details as of now:

05/03 - Mondo, Stockholm
05/17 - Diezel, Halmstad

A day in the life with The Ark: http://www.thearkworld.com/day.htm

It's about friggin' time. Startracks in association with Simba Records has put out a Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck compilation in America called "Plastered Confessions". Five songs from the previous albums, plus a Steve Earle cover. Better than nothing, I guess. More info here or here.

Green Carnation's upcoming album will be called "A Blessing In Disguise" and it comes out June 16 in the UK, June 17 in the US from Seasons of Mist. In case you were wondering, Green Carnation features various members of In the Woods along with Tchort who did time in Emperor.

Burnitblue.com reviews Jaga Jazzist - "The Stix". It's been out for awhile in the band's home country of Norway, but comes out May 6 in the UK.

DigitalMetal.com reviews Opeth's new album "Damnation".

Sweden's Centinex has announced they will enlist the help of Per Gustafson from Cult of Luna to do the artwork on their new CD "Decadence - Prophecies Of Cosmic Chaos". Timo "The Eyeless" Ketola will handle the layout. Recording begins June 23 at Black Lounge Studios and they expect to have it sometime in October on Candlelight Records.

NRK has finally made Immortal's performance from the Inferno festival available for viewing: http://nrk.no/magasin/upunkt/musikk/inferno_2003/2713354.html

Sweden's buzz-band of the moment Radio Dept. release their debut 7" for "Liebling" b/w "We Would Fall Against The Tide" in the UK today on Rex Records. They'll also be playing their first shows over in London this weekend:

05/02 - The Spitz, 109 Commercial Street, Old Spitalfields Market, E1. w/Apples In Stereo and The Loves
05/03 - The Arts Cafe, 28 Commercial Street, E1., w/Kicker and Sportique

Norway's Sondre Lerche got himself a short feature interview on CNN: 'Sondre Lerche: Sunny sounds from Norway'

Mattias Alkberg of Bear Quartet is working on a solo project called "Begravning" and you can download a sample here.

Here's the winners of this year's Swedish Hip-Hop awards:

Best Album: Looptroop - The Struggle Contuines
Best Song: The Narcissists - Fanatik R.I.P.
Best MC: Timbuktu
Best Producer: Embee
Best Vinyl Release: Highwon - Beats, Rim & Gendish
Best DJ: Confuze
Best Download: Snook - Mognare Än Oss
Best Newcomer/Demo/Self-Released: Frotté - Den Stora Daldansen
Hip-Hop Culture Award: Aerosol/Graffiti: Unik
Hip-Hop Culture Award: B-boy: Hammer Hill B Boys
Crossfade Video Award: Ison and Fille - Fakka Ur
Lifetime Achievement Award: Ken

And speaking of Swedish hip-hop, the latest edition of Sounds Norway (SoNo) is a special on the subject: "everything you need to know about it; and meet a couple of old-timers who think hiphop is the perfect way to air all their grumbles." Check it out.

Some of the new bands confirmed for Avrika fest: Gåte, Kaizers Orchestra, Ralph Myerz & the Jack Herren Band, Shout Out Louds, Paris, JmyHaze Beatbox, Homy, Ricochets, Sparks of Seven, Peter Dolving Band, Thulsa Doom, JR Ewing, Alice in Videoland, Totalt Jävla Mörker and Slagsmålsklubben.

Sunride has confirmed their upcoming tourdates in support of their new album "Through the Red", out May 19 on People Like You Records:

05/01 - 45 Special, Oulu, Finland
05/03 - Pub Bastun, Mariehamn, Åland w/Endstand
05/08 - Klubi, Tampere, Finland w/Dozer
05/09 - Stella Star, Helsinki, Finland w/Dozer
05/10 - Lutakko, Jyväskylä, Finland w/Dozer
05/14 - Kino, Pori, Finland
05/16 - Bar 15, Seinäjoki, Finland
05/17 - Torvi, Lahti, Finland
05/24 - Mikrokosmos, Magdeburg, Germany
05/25 - Knaack, Berlin, Germany
05/26 - Rosenkeller, Jena, Germany
05/27 - Paradox, Ingolstadt, Germany
05/28 - 013, Tilburg, The Netherland

Cult of Luna reports that they have a new drummer - Thomas from The Perishers. I can't confirm it for sure, but my assumption is that Marco Hildén has accepted a permanent position with Logh and moved on. In case you didn't know, Marco has been filling in for them since their drummer Kristofer left recently mid-tour. As reported earlier, Cult of Luna just recently completed work on a new video and is now putting together plans for a full European tour this fall. Details when I get 'em.

It's not exactly new, but here's some pictures and captions from the Avanto '02 fest with Pan Sonic, Erkki Kurenniemi and more.

Burning Heart won't release the new Lost Patrol album until June 2, but you can download a preview mp3 now: Lost Patrol - "Going Going Gone"

Read a short, gushing review of the new album "Souvenirs" from the Netherland's The Gathering. As mentioned in therein, the album features guest appearances from Mathias Elk of Jaga Jazzist and Trickster G (Kris Rygg) of Ulver, and yes, I agree that it really is great.

Reviews and samples of new releases from Ulver, Katatonia, JR Ewing and more from Aquarius Records. Mailorder, too.

As already reported, Arve and Jarle from Supersilent will be appearing solo and as part of the Tord Gustavsen Trio on May 10 at the Maijazz festival in Stavanger, Norway. It's not confirmed that Supersilent themselves will also be playing the fest on the day before. In other news, Arve makes a guest appearance on the new Jørn Simen Øverli album "Pengenes Oppmuntrende Virkning" along with Stian Carstensen from Farmers Market.

Mustasch is entering the studio on April 22 to record a new album under the tutelage of producer Jacob Hellner (credits include Rammstein, Clawfinger, and Fläskkvartetten). They expect to have it out around fall.

Here's an interview with Ebbot from TSOOL talking about touring the US among other things. (in Swedish)

25 years ago the first Swedish punk single "Vårdad klädsel" from Kriminella Gitarrer came out. There's gonna be a show celebrating this event at Vågen in Göteborg on October 4 featuring Brända Barn, Asta Kask, Attentat, Stry Terrarie and Freddie Wadling plus more to be announced. Tickets go on sale April 11.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Mew - Comforting Sounds
03. Kwan - Shine
04. Kashmir - Surfing The Warm Industry
05. A-ha - The Sun Always Shines On TV
06. C21 - You Are The One
07. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
08. Roxette - Opportunity Nox
09. Winta - Emotions
10. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth

Challengers:
01. Left Lane - Walk after you
02. HIM - Funeral of harts
03. Ralph Meyrz & The Jack Herren Band - Think Twice
04. Whyte Seeds - Slow motions
05. Don Diego - Min lat

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.

Lotta will be playing Tavastia in Helsinki on April 15 with Buddaboys. Even better, Yle Radio X3M will be broadcasting the show live.

Orange Crunch has a new EP coming out on Dead Frog in May. They play Alcazar in Stockholm tomorrow night, too.

The Svensk Rockarkiv will be making a roadshow appearance at Hultsfred fest this year. The archive was started in 1993 as a place to keep documentaries, photos, records and so on from all sorts Swedish artists through the ages.

The winners of the 2002 SAMA awards have been announced:

Best newcomer: Melody Club
Best song: Melody Club – Electric
Best album: Covenant – Northern Light
Best artist: Apoptygma Berzerk

Read more about the SAMAs here.

Download an mp3 of Randy's new single "A Man in Uniform". The new album "Welfare Problems" comes out April 14 on Burning Heart.

Hedningarna, Radio Dept., Tyskarna från Lund, Colony 5, Kamera, Interlace, Stairland, Magenta, Necton and The Celophane Flowers are few of the new Nordic bands confirmed for the upcoming Arvika Festival. Other new bands confirmed include Ministry, Mono and DAF.

The final list of nominees for the Swedish hip-hop awards has been announced. Go here for the full list. The ceremony will April 25 at Nalen in Stockholm. Performing live will be Spotrunnaz, Prominent, Don Diego, Peshi, DJ Confuse, Narcissists, Ison & Fille & Hemmalaget, Ken & BB Entertainment, Sam-E, and Timbuktu.

Speaking of Timbuktu, he'll be hitting the road in May along with Chords, DJ Amato and the live-band Damn!. The dates:

5/6 - Stockholm, Göta källare
5/7 - Göteborg, Nefertiti
5/8 - Göteborg, Nefertiti
5/9 - Malmö, KB

Here's a short interview with Jocke Ahlunds from The Caesars talking about the filming of the video for "Jerk it Out" in Havana, Cuba. You can also view the video from that page, too. (in English)

Check this article on up-and-coming Swedish pop groups Franke, Laakso, José Gonzales, The Embassy, Radio Dept., and Her Majesty from Dagens Nyeter. (in Swedish)

Ulf Lundell is hitting the road this summer:

7/4 - Varberg, Fästningen
7/5 - Sundsvall, Gatufesten
7/6 - Leksand, Sammilsdal
7/8 - Visby, Kneippbyn
7/11 - Christinehofs Slott
7/17 - Stockholm, Skansen
7/19 - Karlstad, Mariebergsskogen
7/22 - Borgholm, Slottsruinen
7/24 - Karlskrona, Bastion Aurora
7/25 - Västervik, Gränsö Slott
7/26 - Halmstad, Brottet
7/29 - Fjällbacka, Hamnen
8/1 - Uppsala, Fyrishovsparken
8/2 - Mariestad, Folkets Park
8/8 - Norge, Wrightegaarden
8/9 - Norge, Fredrikstens Festning
8/10 - Norge, Oslo, Rockefeller
8/15 - Linköping, Slottsparken
8/16 - Göteborg, TrSdgsrdsföreningen

Finnish electronic act Mr. Velcro Fastener will be playing at The Egg in London on May 9.

Finland's Amorphis has signed a deal with Virgin Records to release their new self-produced album "Far From The Sun". It will come out May 20 with the first single "Day Of Your Beliefs" coming later this month. Guitarist Esa Holopainen comments:

Having had to go through all the contractual differences in the past, the future does really look bright at the moment. The process of making the album was easy and the schedule for the summer and autumn live dates is developing steadily. We aim to play European festivals over the summer and hit the road on our own in the fall.

Despite the recent death of guitarist Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta, Finntroll has decided to soldier on with their upcoming European tour with Katatonia. The official statement:

We do this with heavy hearts, as the sudden loss of Teemu 'Somnium' Raimoranta, a close friend and one of the leading forces behind this band, gave us a blow from which the recovery will take a long time. We feel that dropping everything now, canceling the tour and all the plans we together agreed for this band, would be an insult on Teemu's memory. Going back on the road was also the particular wish of his family and close ones. We feel that this is the best way to honor our friends' memory, taking the music out to the fans. On the following gigs the second guitar will be played by a long-time friend for all of us, Mikael Karlbom (The Seventh Planet), who has played as a stand-in guitarist for us several times in the past.
During the tour, we wish some courtesy on the part of fans, members of the press and others concerning questions about Teemu's departing, future of the band and such. We will share information in due time.
Thanks to all those who have contacted us, expressed their condolences and honored our brother's memory.

Christian Kjellvander will be playing the opening of the Handikappåret 2003 at the Kulturhuset in Stockholm on April 11.

The Caesars are heading back to the UK in May with the French Kicks. The dates:

5/11 - Oxford, Zodiac
5/14 Manchester, Roadhouse

The Swedish pop group Natural scored a number 2 position on the Japanese radio charts last week with the tune "Put Your Arms Around Me".

Charlie's Magazine will release their new album "Traffic" on April 22. The female-fronted band previously enjoyed a taste of success with the single "Sweet Alibi" back in 2001.

I put up a bunch of the pictures that were taken on the KVLR tour up at Indie Workshop. Kind of a tour diary, more of a photo journal. Anyhow, there's some dece pics worth checking out. Also be sure to check out this site for some great pics from the Flagstaff show. A digital camera just can't really compete with true quality B&W photography.

Umeå Open, the first big fest of the year starts tonight. I'll try to get reports and photos as soon as I can.

Mattias from The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be on 104.3 FM in NYC on March 30 at 9pm. More info and streaming information can be found here.

Word has it that "You're The Storm" will be the next single from The Cardigans. Apparently the band has even re-entered Tambourine Studios to record some brand new b-sides for it to be included along with a few earlier versions of the song.

Arve from Supersilent will be performing solo on 5/10 at Mai Jazz, an international jazz festival in Stavanger, Norway. More info here. In other Supersilent-related news, Helge aka Deathprod has finished mixing and mastering the new album from Shining. The band is a jazz quartet from Norway led by Jørgen Munkeby (ex. Jaga Jazzist) and the record will be out 5/12 on Jazzland.

Sahara Hotnights are going worldwide! They'll be playing in Australia with The Datsuns beginning in late April/early May and also hitting Tokyo, Japan on May 6. The details:

04/24 - Brisbane Australia, The Waterloo
04/26 - Sydney Australia, Metro
04/28 - Melbourne Australia, Hi Fi Bar
05/01 - Adelaide Australia, Enigma Bar
05/02 - Perth Australia, The Globe
05/06 - Tokyo Japan, Astro Hall

Kristofer Åström has hinted that he might be doing another EP this summer and definitely a new album next year. Nothing definite yet, as he says it's mostly up to Startracks, his label.

The Legends will be featured on the May single from Labrador Records. They are described as "C-86 and northern soul influenced punkpop" by the label and they put up a preview mp3 for the track "Make It All Right". Check em out this Friday at Klubb Instant Feelings in Stockholm.

The new single from Carpet People was sent out to Swedish radio today, so be sure to call in and request it. I've got a promo copy of the album and can confirm that it's really, really good. Lots of good stuff coming from Chalksounds in the near future, so pay attention! The album hits stores April 11.

Here's some video footage of Surferosa playing at So What in Oslo. The band will be opening for Turbonegro with JR Ewing on the upcoming big Norweigan tour. I think they sound kinda like the Norweigan version of The Sounds, but whatever.

Monastir is hitting the road in support of their new album "The Modern Sound For A Loser Generation" which comes out Monday. The dates so far:

3/28 - Lund, Blekingska Nationen
3/29 - Oslo, Mono
4/10 - Stockholm, Tantogården
4/31 - Göteborg, Sticky Fingers
5/2 - Hässleholm, Perrong 23
5/3 - Lidköping, Nätverket
5/17 - Gävle, Musikhuset
7/19 - Norberg, Rockaway Beach
7/18 - Skellefteå, Trästock

The details for this year's big Kalas tour have been announced. And yes, the rumors are true: scheduled to perform are Håkan Hellström, Lars Winnerbäck, Timbuktu & Damn, Magnus Carlson, Marit Bergman and Her Majesty. One local band gets to open each show, too. Here are the dates:

7/10 - Norrköping, Folkets Park
7/11 - Kalmar, Kalmarsundsparken
7/13 - Visby, P18/Visborgslätten
7/17 - Örebro, Brunnsparken
7/18 - Skövde, P4/Heden
7/19 - Lysekil, Pinneviken/Gullmarsvallen
7/24 - Malmö, Mölleplatsen
7/25 - Varberg, Varbergs Fästning
7/26 - Göteborg, Bananpiren
7/31 - Säter, Skinnbo Udde
8/2 - Stockholm, Universitetet

In Flames, Mando Diao and The Sounds have been confirmed for the Piteå Dansar Och Ler fest which will take place July 23-27. More info here.

The two HIMs of the world have apparently come to an agreement over use of their names. The 'evil' H.I.M. of Finland (which stands for 'His Infernal Majesty') has finally settled with the Chicago band of the same name and will now be able to release records in the US under their acronym. The details of the deal have not been released, but you can read a touch more of the back story here. (from Blabbermouth)

So that Nicolai Dunger show was, uh, 'interesting'. I know the guys doesn't like playing live, but he really showed a large amount of disrepect to the audience. It's hard to explain exactly, but I felt kinda cheated. He just seemed to be messing around a lot like he didn't care. There probably weren't too many people there just to see him like I was, but I felt let down anyways. I'd say 'maybe next time', but I'm not sure I want to chance it. Oh and for what it's worth, Nicolai was accompanied by a woman on violin and a guy on lead electric guitar and 12-string.

A new song on the right for you this week - this one from David & the Citizens. I don't know too much about these guys, but their album "For All Happy Endings" is just a great pop record. Check 'em out.

www.thearkworld.com just posted some video footage of The Ark's performance on the MTV program 'The Fridge'. Check it: "Calleth You, Cometh I" / "Disease" (requires RealPlayer)

Continuing proof that they're poised to become the "next big thing": Dave Grohl will sport a t-shirt from The Sounds in the new Foo Fighters video "Times Like These". The Sounds also lined themselves up with another show in NYC on their first sweep of America: March 12 at Mercury Lounge.

Watch the video for "Slow Motions" from the Whyte Seeds right here. (requires RealPlayer)

Peter LeMarc got himself a new record deal and will be heading into the studio in April to work on a new album. It will be his first since "Nio Broars Väg" from 1997.

The performance of Sahara Hotnigts doing their new single "Keep Up The Speed" on the Carson Daly Show will air March 7.

Snowy Shaw reports he's back from the recent Dream Evil tour and ready to work on a new Notre Dame record. He promises to have something ready by summer.

The final word on the new Fireside album is out! It's finally finished and it's gonna be called "Get Shot". Look for it on April 7 from Startracks. Frontman Kristofer Åström will also be doing a video for the track "One Good Moment" from his forthcoming solo EP "Dead End". He reports it will be animated and should be ready in about a month.

Askil Holm will be traveling all the way to LA from Norway to attend the "Cody Banks Secret Agent" movie premiere on March 8. He's got a song in the film, in case you were wondering. In other news, his album has been moved up to a March 17 release with a concert to follow the next day in Oslo.

Rune Grammofon has gotten themselves a new subsidiary label called Rune Arkiv to rerelease material from Fra Lippo Lippi, Rune's founder's old pop duo. First up is "The Early Years", a CD that will include the albums "In Silence" (1981) and "Small Mercies" (1983) plus a couple instrumental b-sides. Then there's "The Best Of Fra Lippo Lippi", a compilation of material from 1985-95 including their biggest hit "Shouldn't Have To Be Like That" and more. Read more here.

Timbuktu's new album "The Botten Is Nådd" comes out April 28. The first single will be for the track "Ett Brev", a song about the current world situation directed towards State Minister Göran Persson.

Just in case you weren't paying attention, GSL Records recently released the new JR Ewing album "Ride Paranoia" worldwide. Distro is being done through Mordam for most of the world, so it shouldn't be too hard to track down. As you should already know, the band recently lost the Norweigan Grammies, but says they "got to drink with all the lame Norwegian celebrities, and got a good laugh out of it." Hard for me to even imagine a band like that at the US Grammies, but whatever. Oh, and they also got a bunch of new shows lined up besides that Turbonegro tour (see 2/26). The dates:

3/07 - Bodø @ Samfundet w/Amulet
3/08 - Bodø @ Kulturhus w/Amulet
3/09 - Tromsø @ Blå Rock w/Amulet
3/28 - Namsos, Norway @ Namsos Rock Festival
4/12 - Andøya @ Rock Mot Rus w/Amulet
4/15 - Hannover, Germany @ Korn w/Seven Feet Four
4/16 - Tilburg, Netherlands @ 013 Club w/Seven Feet Four
4/17 - Stuttgart, Germany @ Smith Wigglesworth Festival w/Seven Feet Four
4/18 - Vienna, Austria @ Tuwi w/Seven Feet Four
4/19 - Nurnberg, Germany @ ... (TBC) w/Seven Feet Four
4/20 - TBA w/Seven Feet Four
4/21 - Koln, Germany @ Underground w/Seven Feet Four
4/22 - Berlin, Germany @ SO31 w/Poison The Well, Seven Feet Four
4/23 - Braunschweig, Germany @ Drachenflug w/Seven Feet Four
4/24 - Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Waterfront w/The Hanson Brothers w/Seven Feet Four
4/25 - Leiden, Netherlands @ LVC w/Seven Feet Four
8/03 - Augustibullar Festival, Sweden

The Moonbabies are currently working on their new album "The Orange Billboard". They say they're going for a bit more or an organic, subtle sound comparable to "Sgt. Pepper[-era] Beatles, Wilco and Kate Bush." Look for a single in May, the album to follow in September from Chalksounds.

Dark Funeral has revealed they have found a replacement guitarist for the recently departed Dominion. "It looks like we finally have found the 'right' guy for the job," says Lord Ahriman, "But there's really no hurry to reveal his name as of yet, but we will give you all a full presentation on him shortly." The band is currently rehearsing, booking shows for late spring and autumn, and starting to think about their next album. When the dates are confirmed, I'll post 'em.

Drummer Hellhammer has left black-turned-goth metalband Kovenant. The new album "S.E.T.I." (Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) comes out March 31 on Nuclear Blast. A limited edition version will include two bonus tracks: "The Memory Remains" (Metallica cover) and "Subtopia".

Øyvind Hægeland (Sprial Architect) has joined Arcturus as a replacement for singer Kristoffer Rygg (aka Garm, from Ulver). In somewhat related news, Spiral Architect/Borknagar drummer Asgeir Mickelson will be filling in for Jon Allen of Testament on the band's upcoming European tour. Jon has family issues which prevent him from joining the band on the road.

Entombed has annouced the following shows for the near future:

3/22 - Esbjerg, DEN @ TBA
3/28 - Björkliden, SWE @ Fjällanläggningen
4/17 - Oslo, NOR @ Inferno Festival
4/20 – Groningen, NETH @ Noordshock
4/21 – Nijmegen, NETH @ Doornroosje
5/02 - Durban, RSA @ TBA
5/03 - Johannesburg, RSA @ TBA
5/07 - Cape Town, RSA @ TBA
5/24 – Alingsås, SWE @ Westgothafestivalen
5/31 - Kranj, SLO @ TBA
6/01 - Milano, ITA @ TBA
6/05 - Leipzig, GER @ With Full Force Festival

The band's upcoming album is currently being mixed by engineer producer Pelle Gunnerfeldt for a May 12 release on their own label Threeman Recordings.

In Flames reports they are currently in the studio working on a new EP to come out by summertime. No other details yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Silence will reissue the 1983 album from Per Cussion on March 24. Hailed as the first Swedish rap record, the new version will be remastered and will include seven bonus tracks.

Turbonegro presents the Scandinavian Leather Tour 2003 w/JR Ewing, Surferosa, and magician Tore Torell. Jeez, too bad I'm not in Norway to see this for myself. The dates:

5/27 - Siddishallen, Stavanger
5/28 - Haukelandshallen, Bergen
5/29 - Nidarøhallen, Trondheim
5/31 - Oslo Spektrum, Oslo

Hyped band-of-the-moment Radio Dept. are heading out on a Swedish tour to support their new album. The dates:

2/28 - Stockholm Accelerator w/The Legends
3/6 - Linköping Herrgår'n
3/7 - Kalmar Din Kompis/Folkets Park
3/12 - Växjö Musikmuset
3/14 - Göteborg Playground @ Pustervik w/Douglas Heart
3/15 - Malmö KB w/Comet Gain
3/26-29 - Umeå Open
4/9 - Lund Buster @ Mejeriet
4/20 - Göteborg Klubb Himlen
4/25 - Uppsala Kalmar Nation
4/26 - Norrköping Kulturkammaren
5/24 - Stockholm Pop Dakar
8/7-9 - Emmaboda

Sam-E's debut album "Om ni bara wuisste" comes out February 28 from Streetzone. It was produced by themselves, along with help from El Sheriffo, Ken, Sekken Thautz, Moonshine, and Masse, who all also make guest appearances.

Cold Meat Industry will be holding a label-fest in Leipzig Germany on June 8. The scheduled lineup: Arcana, Brighter Death Now, Coph Nia, Deutsch Nepal, In Slaughter Natives, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Raison D'étre, and Fetish23. BDN also plays in Chicago on Friday the 13th of June.

MNW (Music Network) has announced they will start offering cheap singles for the price of ten kroner a song. The first slew of artists to benefit from this plan are De Stijl, Isolation Years, Satirnine, and Johan Borgert.

Komeda has announced they are working on a new album, their first since 1998's "What Makes It Go". The title has been announced as "Kokomemedada" and it should be out in May. The first single will be for the song "Reproduce".

Marko from The Crown recently posted an apology on the band's website for their cancellation of two shows in Slovakia. Here's the story:

We came to the border and were denied getting into the country. The reason was that we didn´t have documents from the Swedish and Italian government saying that we were the owners of our equipment. Let me tell you one thing, we have played in 17 countries (EU and non EU countries) and NEVER had a problem like this before. So we decided to go to a second border. And we were denied again to enter the country. And this time NOT ´cause of the equipment but simply ´cause they didn´t want us to get in. SO... we decided to try a THIRD border. And surprise surprise, they let us in with no problems, they didn´t even want any documents. But then they decided to not let in the opening acts, and all the backline (drums, amplifiers etc.) were in their bus. So we waited 4-5 hours on the border hoping that they would let them in. We asked our tourmanager to contact the Slovenian promotor and beg him to provide some drums and amps for us. At this point we were prepared to do a show with one cymbal only if necessary. But the reply was that the promotor couldn´t get us any kind of instruments. We were REALLY looking forward to do these two sold-out shows. We even planned to record them on video.
The bottomline is, we had to go back to Italy and cancel these two shows. Very fucking frustrating, but what could we do? The border acted like they could do whatever they wanted to.
And the fucked up thing is that we heard that people had traveled from Croatia and Austria to see us perform.Trust me, we are as sorry as you that we couldn´t play.
This cancellation was TOTALLY beyond our control!!!

Zyklon have set "Aeon" as the name of their new album, due in September on Candlelight Records. It's currently being recorded at Akkerhaugen Lydstudio and will be mixed at Studio Fredman by the ever-present Fredrik Nordström. According to a posting on the band's website, The material is more varied and the song writing in general is much stronger. The new material is also said to be way more heavy compared to the debut ("World Ov Worms"), probably not as intense in terms of actual speed, but aggressive no doubt!"

Solefald's new album "In Harmonia Universali" comes out March 24 in Europe on Century Media. No US release has been set, but you can download a preview mp3 here for the track "Mont Blanc Providence Crow". Fans of avant-garde metal such as Ulver (older), Arcturus or maybe even Tool should check 'em out.

I mentioned awhile ago that The Venue was another Swedish band travelling to the US to play SXSW and elsewhere. Well, here's their finalized tour plans:

3/5 – the Casbah San Diego, CA (with Silver Sunshine & The Stereotypes)
3/7 – Fullbrook Art & Cultural Center
3/8 – Spaceland, LA, CA (with The Out Crowd & Brian Jonestown Massacre)
3/9 – Sea Level Records, LA, CA (in-store)
3/10 – the Now Sound, LA, CA
3/11 – the Echo, LA, CA
3/14 – Friends, Austin, TX (SXSW Bella Union showcase)
3/16 – Lee Ann Atherton's Post SXSW Barn Dance, Austin, TX
3/18 – the Stork Club, Oakland, CA (with Pineforest Crunch)
3/19 – The Lost & Found, San Fransisco, CA (with Pineforest Crunch)

Listen to The Cardigans cover "Das Model" right here. (requires Flash, by way of cardigans.de) The track was originally intended for a Kraftwerk tribute in 2001, but is now available on the "For What It's Worth" maxi-single.

By popular demand, Opeth has added a date in Perch on their upcoming Australian tour: April 14 at The Globe.

Millencolin will be touring the States beginning in April with a West Coast jaunt featuring Rufio and then it's off to the East on 4/30 with American HiFi. The band is also playing the Hurricane and Southside fests in Germany in June. More details soon.

Wow! what a catchy song. It reminds me of all those movies from the 80s about confused teenagers. This is like "Breakfast Club". But in music. Really, really dope! Are they big in Sweden? Doesn't surprise me. They would probably drop like a bomb in the States as well.

That's Pharrell Williams from N.E.R.D discussing "Seven Days a Week" with Aftonbladet, the newest single from The Sounds. I'm not super keen on the band myself, but I totally agree that they'd go over well in the US. Wait and see! Read the article. (in Swedish)

KVLR got themselves a new bassist, a fellow by the name of Joel Borg. Again, be sure to check them out when they tour the US in March. Those dates, yet again:

3/7 - Santa Cruz, CA - Drop-In Center w/Science of Yabra, The Yellow Press
3/8 - Redding, CA - Tag Teen Center w/The Yellow Press, Mercy Mile
3/9 - San Fransisco, CA - Club Galia w/Low Rise, more
3/10 - Huntington Beach, CA - Liquid Den w/The Yellow Press, Taint
3/11 - Phoenix, AZ - Red Room w/The Yellow Press
3/12 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge w/Jelaous Sound
3/13 - Austin, TX - SXSW, TFT Records/Better Looking Records Showcase w/ Mark Gardner of Ride, Jealous Sound, more
3/14 - Flagstaff, AZ - Soul Kitchen
3/15 - Stanford, CA - KZSU (www.kzsu.org)

Those dates are still subject to minor changes, but stop by and say hi if you can. I'll be traveling along with the band and am very excited.

Vintersong reports they are working on their new album. Described as a concept album, they say there will be "a story running through the album's entirety, and with a musical flow that includes small compositions between the "real" songs." The subject is said to concern man's hunger for science and faith. And the music? They say it will range "from mellow prog to extreme metal, to ambient and folky vibes, spiced with a lot of effective contrasts, changing directories but united under a solid musical kingdom."

Soilwork has set "Figure Number Five" as the title for their upcoming album. Look for it in the US on May 5 from Nuclear Blast, April 21 in Europe.

Håkan Hellström has decided to leave Broder Daniel he reveals in an MTVE interview to be broadcast on Monday. I'm really not surprised considering his success with his solo career. "I won't play with them anymore, but we are still very good friends," he says. The Up North Swedish Grammy special will also have interviews with Melody Club, The Sounds, Robyn, The Hives and Caesars Palace plus live performances by Awa, Masayah and Marit Bergman.

BBC's Radio One has chosen DJ Nils Noa to perform on The Essential Mix program in April. He's the third Scandinavian to appear on the program, but the first Norweigan.

Rapper Diaz and black-metallers Dimmu Borgir collaborating? Yes, it's true! Listen to a samples of the track "Smakebit" and hear for yourself. (Windows Media)

Okay, here's the full scoop on those upcoming Export Music Sweden (ExMS) showcase shows in the US in NYC, Austin (SXSW) and LA. The bands scheduled to perform: Lambretta, The $1000 Playboys, Pineforest Crunch, Marit Bergman, The Mo, The Teenage Idols, Prime Sth, Whyte Seeds, The Sounds, and User.

Kent will play Stockholm Stadium on June 6. Tickets go on sale February 28 and will cost 350 kr.

Aftonbladet reports that Ebba Grön is back. Read all about it. (in Swedish) They made an appearance last night at the Joe Strummer tribute at Club Debaser in Stockholm accompanied by ex-Clash member Mick Jones. Pretty cool, eh?

The initial lineup for Augustibuller fest in Lindesberg on August 1-2 has been announced. They are Last Days Of April, The Spitts, Satirnine, Valley Days, JR Ewing, Between Us, Radioaktiva Räker, Mimikry, Spoiler and Piper. More info here.

We're in cold Sweden at the moment making our new record. We've done quite a lot of singles for the album already but we keep changing some things around.

The Hives report that they are working on their new album. In an interview with NME, singer Howlin' Pelle reveals that the new music sounds "like The Sex Pistols meets Detroit Cobras meets Kraftwerk." Look for it around September.

Meshuggah will be doing a Scandinavian tour in March. The dates:

3/17 - Sthlm Göta Källare
3/18 - Malmö KB
3/19 - Göteborg Sticky Fingers
3/20 - Oslo Betong
3/21 - Gävle Nivå
3/22 - Örebro Contan
3/26 - Helsingfors (sf) Nosturi

Okay, here's the winners of the Swedish Grammis:

Best artist: Kent
Best song: Kent - "Dom andra"
Best album: Kent - "Vapen & ammunition"
Best pop/rock group: Kent
Best pop/rock, female: Robyn
Best pop/rock, male: Håkan Hellström - "Det är så jag säger det"
Best newcomer: The Sounds
Best lyrics: Joakim Berg (Kent)
Best composer: Joakim Berg (Kent)
Best producer: Martin von Schmalensee, Zed (Kent)
Best hard-rock: Opeth - "Deliverance"
Best jazz: Oddjob - "Oddjob"
Best folk: Stefan Sundström - "Sundström spelar Allan"
Best club/dance: Koop - "Waltz for Koop"
Best hip-hop/soul: Timbuktu - "Watt's dö madderfakking diil"
Open category: v/a - "Nationalsånger"
Government export prize: The Hives

Jeez, does Kent really need to win any more awards? I mean, c'mon now! Anyhow, for the full list of winners, go here. (in Swedish)

Your Halo Is A Radar have been disbanded. Why? Lack of time, careers, paranoia, creative differences, blah blah blah... The usual crap.

Read the full statement from the band.

In Flames reports they are in the middle of working on new material for an album to come this summer. They also say they're excited about the upcoming Ministry/Mudvayne tour: "We are all getting eager to go out on the road again. After all, we´ve had 2½ months off now, and it´s about time to get out there and have some fun."

Here's some new Peter, Björn & John tourdates:

3/15 - Trondheim
3/16 - Oslo
3/22 - Stockholm, DJing at Debaser
3/25 - Jönköping
3/27 - Linköping, DJing at Herrgårn
3/28 - Hässleholm

Kristofer Åström is heading out on the road for probably the last time in awhile as he will most likely be concentrating on Fireside in the future. Here's the dates and be sure to check out his new EP "Dead End" when it comes out March 10:

3/14 - Helsingborg Tivoli - w/Peter Hermansson on piano
3/18 - Uppsala Katalin
3/19 - Sthlm Nalen
3/20 - Malmö KB
3/21 - Lund Stadshallen
3/22 - Göteborg Bommens Salonger
3/23 - Umeå Stationen - w/Peter Hermansson on piano

A number of new bands have been confirmed for the Emmaboda fest including Cato Salsa Experience, Paris, Björns Vänner, Pamplonas, La Masa and Bring Me The Fucking Riot Man. Paris and Cato Salsa have also both been confirmed for this year's Hulsfred fest along with Cult of Luna.

The winners of this year's Norweigan Alarm awards are as follows:

Best live band: Turbonegro
Best metal album: Satyricon - Volcano
Best pop album: Thomas Dybdahl – That Great October Sound
Best rock album: JR Ewing – Ride Paranoia
Best music video: Kaada – No You Don't
Best hip-hop/rap album: Gatas Parlament – Holdning over underholdning
Best jazz album: Dadafon – Visitor
Best song: Satyricon – Fuel For Hatred
Best electronica/techno album: Jaga Jazzist – The Stix
Alarm prize: Ephemera

Metal-Reference.com recently did an interesting interview with Ulver mainman Trickster G aka Garm. Read it here.

Carcrash Records has set the release dates for Dialog Cet's "Konsumera Era" on March 24 and QGMR's "Quiet Is Not Loud" on March 3.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth
03. User - You Belong
04. Trucker - I Feel So Sick
05. Caesars Palace - Candy Kane
06. Beats & Styles - Smilin´
07. The Raveonettes - Attack Of The Ghostriders
08. Jon - Right Here Next To You
09. Paperboys - Find My Way

Challengers:
01. Kaah -Du Kan Få Mej
02. Freak Kitchen - Nobody´s Laughing
03. St. Thomas -Long, Long Time
04. Winta - Emotions
05. Blues - Gamla Tider

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.

Check out this video of The Cardigans playing live on MTV's Morning Glory.

All the new material is ready and we have also mastered our own pre-production and it sounds awesome in our ears. We rehearse like we are possessed every day and will continue to do so until we go into studio.

That's Silenoz of Dimmu Borgir talking about the band's preparations to go into Studio Fredman on March 3 to record their new album.

Cult of Luna will touring the UK with ISIS in March. If you like heavy music, I highly recommend you check both these bands out. The dates so far:

3/12 – Manchester, UK - Roadhouse
3/13 – Cardiff, UK - Ms1
3/14 – Brighton, UK - Concorde
3/15 – London, UK - Mean Fiddler

Best wishes,
El Presidente for Turbojugend St. Pauli

Check out a profile on Norweigan jazz group 1300 Oslo right here.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Spitts - That´s my girl
02. Jon - Right Here Next To You
03. Last Days Of April - All Will Break
04. The Lungz - It´s Alright
05. Christian - Min Fremtid
06. Madrugada - Majesty
07. Caesars Palace - Candy Kane
08. Kent - FF
09. Bombshell Rocks - On My Way

Challengers:
01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Thomas Rusiak - Spinning
03. The Mo - The Mo
04. Acorn - One Day
05. User - You Belong

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your faves.

Big surprise: Kent won the Music Control Airplay Award for 'Most Played Swedish Artist'.

Randy has revealed that they are finished with their new record "Welfare Problems" and passed the whole thing off to Burning Heart to get in pressed. It's still not due out until April, but here's the track listing:

01. Dirty Tricks
02. A Man in Uniform
03. Bad, Bad, Bad
04. We're All Fucked Up More or Less
05. Cheap Thrills
06. X-ray Eyes
07. Welfare Problems
08. Cheater
09. Ruff Stuff
10. My Heart, My Enemy
11. Devilish
12. Dirty and Cheap

Seven Feet Four have a new album called "Departure/Arrival" coming out on Coalition Records in March, but you can preview the track "Auto Emotion" now. The band will be touring Scandinavia beginning late March and then heading out across Europe in April with JR Ewing.

This time we are heading for the ultimate and so far it sounds very promising. The new material is pretty diverse but in general the songs have more POWER. Hard-hitting and straight forward, with more natural flow. So that the energy and force comes straight back to you.

That's bassist Magnus Olsfelt of the The Crown discussing the songwriting progress on the new album. The band, now reunited with original vocalist Johan Lindstrand after one album utilizing the services of Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates, Skitsystem), have booked time at Studio Fredman in May for their next album. Look for it around early September on Metal Blade Records.

In Flames will be touring the US with Ministry and Mudvayne in March. Dates soon. In other news, Aftonbladet has posted the streaming video of the band's performance from the Rockbjörnen: Real / Quicktime

The Sounds are doing a number of Scandinavian shows before they head over to America for SXSW in March. The dates:

2/7 - Växjö, Kaskad Folkets Park, Popstad
2/8 - Luleå, Kåren
2/12 - Oslo, So What!
2/13 - Sogndal, Mejeriet
2/14 - Bergen, Kvarteret
2/15 - Stavanger, Folken
2/20 - Århus, VoxHall
2/21 - Köpenhamn, Stengade30
2/22 - Roskilde, Gimle
2/26 - Halmstad, Kåren
2/27 - Eskilstuna, Blå
2/28 - Kinna, Överlida
3/1 - Älmhult, Balders Hage

"Batter Check" will the next single from Millencolin, due out in March. The band also has some new dates lined up for around the same time:

3/13 - Stockholm, Arenan
3/14 - Skelefteå, Folkparken
3/21 - Göteborg, Kåren
3/22 - Lund, Mejeriet
3/23 - Oslo, Rockefeller

Esteemed British music mag NME has nominated The Hives for 3 categories in its 2003 Carling Awards. They are 'Best International Band', 'Best Live Band' and 'Best Dressed'. The full list of nominees is here.

The upcoming KVLR tour is coming together quite nicely! Stop by and say hi, why doncha?

3/7 - Santa Cruz, CA - Drop-In Center w/Science of Yabra, The Yellow Press
3/8 - Redding, CA - TBD w/The Yellow Press
3/9 - SF, CA - Club Galia w/Low Rise
3/10 - Huntington Beach, CA - Liquid Den w/The Yellow Press, Taint
3/11 - Phoenix, AZ - Red Room w/The Yellow Press
3/12 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge
3/13 - Austin, TX - SXSW, TFT Records/Better Looking Records Showcase
3/14 - Flagstaff, AZ - Soul Kitchen
3/15 - TBD

Dismember bassist Richard Cabeza recently got married in Las Vegas to a woman he met while on tour with Dark Funeral. The name of the lucky bride and the time of the wedding are unknown, but you can view the proceedings for yourself in its full, Vegas-style glory.

Jean-Pierre De Sade has decided to leave Notre Dame right in the middle of recording their new album. Some of his tracks will remain, but the rest of the guitars will be covered by ND's multitalented mainman Snowy Shaw. Of course, this also means the band now has an opening. If you feel like you've got what it takes, send your pic, bio and demo to:

S.O.S management
gamla tuvevägen 16
417 05 gothenburg
Sweden

The Soundtrack of Our Lives are nominated for a U.S. Grammy! The album "Behind the Music" got the nod in the 'Best Alternative Music Album' category. See the rest of the list here.

Here's some of the nominees for the Spellemannsprisen, the Norweigan version of the Grammies. Read the full list here. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on February 22.

Rock
AI Phoenix - "Lean That Way Forever"
Gluecifer - "Basement Apes"
JR Ewing - "Ride Paranoia"
Madrugada - "Grit"
Vidar Vang - "Rodeo"

Metal
Immortal - "Sons Of Northern Darkness"
Red Harvest - "Sick Transit Gloria Mundi"
Satyricon - "Volcano"

Pop
Dadafon - "Visitor"
Ephemera - "Balloons And Champagne"
Minor Majority - "If I Told You, You Were Beautiful"
Popium - "Permanently High"
The Margarets - "What Kept You?"

Electronica
Biosphere - "Shenzhou"
Kim Hiorthøy - "Melke"
Salvatore - "Tempo"

Open Class
Mari Boine - "Eight Seasons"
Sidsel Endresen and Bugge Wesseltoft - "Out Here, In There"
Jaga Jazzist - "The Stix"
Nils Petter Molvær - "nP3"
Ulver - "Lyckantropen Themes"

Song:
"Forever Not Yours" - a-ha
"Mysteriet Deg" - Bjørn Eidsvåg
"My Lullaby" - Maria Mena
"Barcelona" - Paperboys
"Remind Me" - Röyksopp

Black metal-turned goth-electronica act Kovenant has their new album "S.E.T.I" (The Search For Extraterestial Intelligence) coming out in Europe March 31 on Nuclear Blast Records.

Northside Records reports that Mari Boine and Frifot will both have new records coming out soon in the new year.

Dagbladet's top 10 Norweigan artists for 2002:

1. Jaga Jazzist - "The Stix"
2. Dadafon - "Visito"
3. Thomas Dybdahl - "That Great October Sound"
4. Jim Stärk - "Ten Songs and Hey Hey"
5. Satyricon - "Volcano"
6. Gåte - "Jygri"
7. Salvatore - "Tempo"
8. Tungtvann - "Mørketid"
9. Safariari - "Zebra Knights"
10. JR Ewing - "Ride Paranoia"

How about some 2002 lists from the paper VG out of Norway?

Kurt Bakkemoen
1. Odd Børretzen/Lars-Martin Myhre - "Kelner!"
2. Come Shine - "Do do that voodoo"
3. Vamp - "Månemannen"
4. Maria Mena - "Maria Mena"
5. Gåte - "Jygri"

Espen Arnold Hansen
1. Satyricon - "Volcano"
2. The Margarets - "What Kept You?"
3. Big Bang - "Frontside Rock 'n' Roll"
4. Gluecifer - "Basement Apes"
5. Ugress - "Resound"

Stein Østbø:
1. Elias Akselsen - "Hjemlandsklokker"
2. Gåte - "Jygri"
3. Vamp - "Månemannen"
4. Thomas Dybdahl - "That Great October Sound"
5. Tungtvann - "Mørketid"

Hammerfall's latest album "Crimson Thunder" has gone gold in Sweden with sales of over 30,000.

Nostradameus will be releasing their third album "The Third Prophecy" on January 27. Hey guys, it'sreally not that clever.

The Gathering has confirmed their new album "Souvenirs" will come out February 24 in most of Europe on their own Pyschonaut Records. Scandinavia and North America will have to wait until March 12.

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Sun, Dec 22nd, 2002 00:00:00