The Bear Quartet guitarist Jari Haapalainen, singer/songwriter Nicolai Dunger and drummer extraordinaire Morgan Ågren (Mats/Morgan Band, Fredrik Thorendal, etc.) have joined forces in a new fusion project called Vowles and they will be making their live debut on September 9 at Fasching in Stockholm. Entry includes a copy of the group's single "o i a å" and I have no idea what it sounds like, but I intend to find out.
Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal recently spent a few days in the studio with drummer Morgan Ågren (Mats/Morgan Band, etc.) working on a sequel to Thordendal's legendary solo album "Special defects: Sol niger within" from way back in '97. No word yet on what form it will take or when we'll get to hear it, but supposedly "hours" of material has been recorded and I'll be sure to keep you posted if I hear anything further.
Musique Machine on the new Mats/Morgan Band live disc "Heat beats live": http://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=2093
The Silent Ballet on the new Mats/Morgan Band live album "Heat beats": http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1453/Default.aspx
Ever listen to Meshuggah and find yourself wishing that they were just a little bit wackier and maybe just a touch more funky? Friends, if this thought has ever crossed your mind or now seems like a good idea, then Mats/Morgan Band is for you. It's no coincidence that both Meshuggah and Mats/Morgan (keyboardist Mats Öberg and drummer Morgan Ågren) hail from Umeå - there must be something about Norrland that makes people want to push the boundries of freaky music. I don't have the patience to go into M/M's long and illustrious history, but I will tell you this: their most recent album "Thanks for flying with us" is a serious headtrip. Listen to the title track that I've posted today and you'll see what I mean.
Mats/Morgan Band - Thanks for flying with us
Musique Machine reviews the Mats/Morgan Band: http://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=720
Keyboard and drum duo Mats/Morgan Band is coming to the US on tour in September:
09/05 - Progday Festival, Chappel Hill, NC
09/07 - The Attic Bar, Detroit, MI
09/08 - Wilbert's, Cleveland, OH
09/09 - Montage Grill - Prog 90, Rochester, NY
09/10 - Berklee College Of Music, Boston, MA
09/11 - NJ Prog House - Metlar Bodine, Piscataway, NJ
09/12 - Tribeca Rock Club, New York, NY
Drummer Morgan Ågran is known for his collaborations with Frank Zappa on albums such as the 1994 Grammy Award winning "Zappa's Universe" and has toured as a member of the Glen Hughes band as well. The group's new album "Thanks For Flying With Us" comes out soon.
