Hederos & Hellberg, the piano/vocals duo of Martin Hederos (The Soundtrack of Our Lives/Tonbruket) and Mattias Hellberg, will be getting back together for a tour this coming February in addition to releasing their 2003 farewell concert as a proper album. I can't remember if it was originally broadcast on P3 Live or what, but I do know that I have a quality bootleg of the show in my mp3 library and, yes, it is quite good.
A new song from Mattias Hellberg off his upcoming album "High in the lowlands".
Esteemed Swedish experimental/art label is now taking preorders for the new Mattias Hellberg album "High in the lowlands", officially released on November 2: http://www.kningdisk.com/index_kd087.htm
Brand new from Mattias Hellberg. Look for his new solo album "High in the lowlands" to be released on November 3 via /.
Look for Mattias Hellberg (Hederos & Hellberg, The White Moose) to release his new solo album "High in the low lands" on November 2. Recorded in a week at a remote cabin, the album is said to be "a sinister and strange collection of songs colored in the same dark blues style of songwriters such as Skip Spence, David Crosby and Syd Barret," but also with an "almost nostalgic echo of Scandinavian soft melancholic folk."
Listen to Mattias Hellberg (Hederos & Hellberg, The Hellacopters, etc.) and Mattias Areskog (Brothers of End, Consequences, Friska Viljor, etc.) perform the song "Black cloud man" together: http://soundcloud.com/hellberg-areskog/black-cloud-man
Apparently the duo of Mattiases will be releasing an album together and this is the first rough mix sample.
After a couple failed interview attempts with artists who shall go unnamed, our Göteborg Spotlight Series is back with this week's guest Mattias Hellberg. For those of you with your heads in the ground, Mattias has been around for many years performing with acts such as Nymphet Noodlers, The Hellacopters, Hederos & Hellberg, The Solution, Nationalteatern besides working under his own name and is now back with a new group, The White Moose. That group's debut album "Out of the frying pan, into the woods" came out earlier this month and so I tracked down Mattias for a few questions...
You're still based in Gbg, right? What's kept you there all these years? Ever considering picking up and relocating somewhere else?
Yes I'm still here. Well one reason is I'm quite happy to have an apartment... some kind of safety thing I guess. I'd love to have a little shack in the Caribbean to go to in the wintertime though.
What makes the Gbg music scene special, if it's even special at all? The people, the geography, the weather... what are the primary characteristics that define the city and its artists?
I dunno if there is a special scene here. Think there's quite a good diversity of scenes/bands/clubs. People tend to say that the music from here is more working-class with a more "rough" touch. Maybe it used to be that way, but I don't think it's a general "tag" to put on the Gothenburg "sound" anymore. Maybe I'm wrong...
So you've started to do shows with Martin Hederos (The Soundtrack of Our Lives) again as Hederos & Hellberg -- why resurrect that project now? Why'd you even stop playing together in the first place?
Well, we were asked to close the Way Out West festival this summer in a big beautiful church. An offer we couldn't refuse. It was a bit scary but great fun at the same time and it was an amazing vibe in a packed church way after midnight. And of course nice to play together again. Then we did a weekend in our old hometown Karlstad and Oslo in November. But now we both got new albums to tour and promote (TSOOL & mine), so now there wont be much time for anymore reunions for a while...
Why we stopped playing together was because the project started to grow out of proportion, we had to say no to some quite good offers (tours) because it would interfere with TSOOL. So it was better to call it off and quit.
And now the new band The White Moose - how did this group come together? Do you see it as an extension of your solo career or it is more of a full band project?
I wrote the songs early this year and had already talked to Ludwig (Dahlberg, The (International) Noise Conspiracy) about him playing drums with me. Then I just asked Olle and Henke (Hagberg, Whyte Seeds and Lindén, Fox Machine respectively) to join in and the band was goin'.
I don't think I've had much of a "solo" career. This is something new. It can't really be a full-band project as I have to consider the other guys got other bands. We'll find a way to make it work though.
Obviously you keep yourself very busy with all sorts of musical adventures - got any more surprises we should look forward to? Anyone in particular you'd really like to worth with?
I'd love to learn how to play the Oud. I also have a dream about going to some foreign country and making music with local musicians.
Lastly, got a song you'd like to share? Tell me about it.
Ok I choose "Why is it so?" from the new album "Out of the frying pan, into the woods". It's actually the first song I wrote after Nymphet Noodlers split up back in '96.
I think I had some plans for a solo album back then already, but I was not much of a songwriter, so it got put on hold for sometime... The original version was an acoustic Stooges kinda "ballad" with different lyrics, same refrain though. This new version is something else... Maximum White Moose Jazz.
Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose - Why is it so?
Mattias Hellberg (Hederos & Hellberg, etc.) and his new band The White Moose will release the new album "Out of the frying pan, into the woods" on November 12 via Playground Music. Samples at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/moozymusic
Hederos och Hellberg, the duo of Mattias Hellberg and Martin Hederos, are getting back together to play at one of the many Way Out West club shows: http://www.luger.se/_nyheter.asp?PK_Id=953
Who doesn't love a kazoo refrain? You've got to be one cold, heartless bastard to resist. Anna Maria Espinosa has been kicking around the Stockholm scene for a long time now, performing with bands such as Morder Jords Massiva, Club Killers and tons more, as well as popping up as a guest vocalist on numerous releases from a vast variety of artists. And this fall she's breaking free with her very own solo release (due out October 8, I believe) and here now is her debut single "Everyday", a great little upbeat pop number that has me super excited for what's to come. It's produced by the always-reliable Jari Haapalainen and written with Theodor Jensen (The Plan), but it's her voice that carries the day, along with that lovely, buzzing refrain I referred to back in sentence #1. Pure joyful exuberance, pure summer bliss! I'm glad Anna Maria is finally stepping out to do her own thing, it's time she had a chance for the spotlight. Not that she's going at alone though, she does have a lot of help: besides Jari and Theodor, she's also recruited Ellekari Larsson (The Tiny), Mattias Hellberg, Andreas Mattson, The Concretes, Nicolai Dunger and others to help out. I guess it was time to call in some favors, eh? Like I said, 'bout time.
Anna Maria Espinosa - Everyday
Bonnier Amigo Music has signed Anna Maria Espinosa (Moder Jords Massiva, Club Killers) and will be sending her into the studio with producer Jari Haapalainen (The Bear Quartet, Laakso, etc.) to record her debut album. As for the actual songs she'll be doing, she's lined up an illustrious cast including Ellekari Larsson (The Tiny), The Concretes, The Plan, Mattias Hellberg, Andreas Mattsson, Moder Jords Massiva, Nicolai Dunger and of course, the aforementioned Jari Haapalainen. Expect a fall release.
Kristofer Åström's new single "Just a little insane" is now streaming on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kastrom
It's a great little country number - reminds me a bit of Merle Haggard or Lefty Frizzell actually. FYI, the gravelly guest vocals at the end are courtesy of Mattias Hellberg.
Check out Kanzeon, a new dub/reggae project featuring singer/songwriter Mattias Hellberg (Hederos & Hellberg + a million other bands) alongside Tobias Danielsson and Christian Gabel (both ex-Mindjive): http://www.myspace.com/kanzeon
New tourdates for Swedish singer/songwriter Thomas Denver Johnsson:
02/24 - Pop Marathon @ Sjöhästen (Hornstull), Stockholm (SWE) w/Jonna Lee, Lars Bygdén, Mattias Hellberg, more
03/08 - Café August, Karlstad (SWE) w/Mark Olson
03/28 - In the Woods, Hollandsche Rading (NL)
03/29 - Velvet (in-store 2PM), Rotterdam (NL)
03/29 - Club 3voor12 (radio show VPRO), Amsterdam (NL)
03/30 - De witte Baal, Assen (NL)
03/31 - Het huis verLoren, Hoorn (NL)
04/01 - Club 4AD, Diksmuide (BEL)
04/02 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
04/05 - What's Cookin, London (UK)
04/07 - Barfly, London (UK) w/Controller / Controller
Mattias Hellberg (Hederos & Hellberg, etc.) and Mattias Areskog (Consequences) have collaborated on a new duo project which they're calling Mattias & Mattias. Check out two new songs at myspace, one of which includes guest vocals from NONS recording artist Asha Ali: http://www.myspace.com/mattiasmattias