Trapdoor Fucking Exit has put up the video for the song "Short Term Investment", recorded live at Umeå Punkfest in 2001. Check it out.

Amulet recently filmed a video for the single "Breaking News". They say it "involves a low key gig at an abandoned house and a deathdefying girl in a van who brings terror to the city of Oslo." I'll let you know if they post in online.

Turbonegro's complete festival schedule for the summer:

06/02 - Flippaut festival, Bologna, Italy
06/05 - Ruisrock, Turku, Finland
06/12 - Hultsfred Festival Hultsfred, Sweden
06/20 - Kick off Festival, Wiesen, Austria
06/21 - Southside Festival, Neuhausen, Germany
06/22 - Hurricane Festival, Schlessel, Germany
06/27 - Roskilde Festival, Denmark
06/28 - Open Air, St Gallen, Switzerland
07/05 - London, Meanfiddler (clubshow) UK
07/12 - T in the Park, Kinross, Scotland, UK
08/07 - Nordland Musikkfestukke, Bodö, Norway
08/08 - Öya festivalen, Oslo Norway
08/09 - Wrightegaarden, Langesund, Norway
08/23 - Reading Festival, Reading UK
08/24 - Leeds Festival, Leeds, UK

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Outlandish - Guantanamo
03. A-Teens - Perfect Match
04. Her Majesty - F.U.N.E.R.A.L
05. Jennifer Brown - Weak
06. HIM - Funeral of hearts
07. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
08. The Cardigans - You´re The Storm
09. Melody Club - Cover Girl
10. Darude - Music
11. Mew - Comforting Sounds
12. Kwan - Shine
13. Equicez - Live From Pass It
14. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
15. Elin Sigvardsson - Where To Start
16. Timbuktu - Ett Brev
17. Paragon - Försök Förstå
18. Pauline - Runnin´ Out Of Gaz
19. Surferosa - Neon Commando
20. Homy - Bus Stop

Challengers:
01. Jon - This Side Up
02. Antique - Moro Mou
03. Fireside - All You Had
04. The Concretes - You Can´t Hurry Love
05. Kamera - At Work
06. C21 - She Cries

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

Labrador Records is now distributed by Mortes Nois in Estonia. For more info email mrnois@hot.ee.

Dolores Records has announced they will be releasing a limited edition CD single for the new supergroup Vanessa and the O's on June 10. The band features ex-members of Popsicle along with James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins and is described as electronic pop in French. Crazy, eh? More info soon.

Bad Taste Records is the label of the month over at the Danish radio program New Rocking Sounds which airs Tuesdays at 8pm on 93.7 in Århus. They'll be interviewing Last Days of April, Logh and various others from the roster along with playng tunes from said bands. Be sure to check it out or wait for the clips to hit the online archives.

Listen to "Mattias Alkbergs Begravning" from Planekonomi, another band featuring Mattias from Bear Quartet. More info here. Look for 2 EPs this fall and a full-length sometime next year.

One of my pals over at indieworkshop.com reviews the new Flaming Sideburns album today.

"No one has satisfactorily explained why a country of 4.5 million generates so much music: is it the dark winters? Subsidised music lessons? Rubbish TV?" - John Bungey, The Times (UK)

Norweigan music appears to be making quite a few headways beyond their borders as evidenced in this article from MIC Norway. Turbonegro and Jaga Jazzist might be the first names to come to mind for most folk, but now there's also Beady Belle, Tord Gustavsen, Per Arne Glorvigen, and St. Thomas to pay attention to.

Johnny Bråttom Records will be holding a record release show on May 30 at Kulturkammaren in Norrköping for their forthcoming "Svensk Populärmusik Volym Två" compilation. The bands scheduled to appear are Slagsmålsklubben, recent Dolores-signees Cdoass, Bremen Brotröster GmbH, Björn Kleinhenz, and The Flu. As for the tracklisting of said comp, it is as follows:

01. Cdoass - The Box
02. Niccokick - Run, Run, Run
03. Björn Kleinhenz - How Long Is The Night?
04. Slagsmålsklubben - Filter Fabric Facts (DJ Upperkurt Instrumental Remix)
05. Idiot Savants - Daily Routine
06. Music 77 - Kameror
07. Pete Thompson - Folk Song
08. Lola Barbershop - Ticket To Happiness
09. The Kid - Baton Rouge
10. Junip - Turn To The Assassin
11. The Topeka Twins - Hunting Song
12. Menteroja - Call Me
13. Bremen Brotröster GmbH - Greater/Better
14. The Flu - Golden Hair
15. Celestine - Sunflower
16. José González - Heartbeats
17. Café Polymorf - A Good Time
18. Quit Your Dayjob - Pissing On A Panda
19. Joni - Frank Xerox
20. Ane Brun - Are They Saying Goodbye?
21. Sandy Mouche - A Year

Aftonbladet reports that famed Swedish videomaker Jonas Åkerlund is working with Blondie on the single "Good Boys" in LA. The new album ""The Curse of Blondie" comes out around September or October. Åkerlund's previous credits include artists such as Satyricon, Madonna, Metallica and The Prodigy.

This new album will be 'harder' than the previous one and more guitars. To sum it up: a groovier album!

That's Peter Tägtgren of Pain describing work on the new album. He says he's already finished all of the backing music along with five of the thirteen vocal tracks and should be able to have it out sometime this fall on Stockholm Records.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Robert Wells - Rhapsody in rock the complete collection
02. Alcazar - Alcazarized
03. Eddie Meduza - Live(s)!
04. v/a - Fame Factory volym 5
05. Moneybrother - Blood panic
06. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
07. Timbuktu - The botten is nådd!
08. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
09. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
10. Jill Johnson - Discography
11. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
12. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
13. Antique - Blue love
14. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
15. Monia - Söderns hjärtas ros
16. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
17. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
18. Simson Dupont - Simson Dupont
19. Fame - Give me your love
20. The Sounds - Living in America

Tomas Ledin is going on tour in support of his new live album "I Sommarnattens Ljus" which comes out on June 2. The dates so far:

07/08 - Öja Slott, Öja
07/19 - Bergs Slussar, Linköping
08/03 - Stadsparken, Örebro

The lineup for Sommarrock, which takes place July 10-12 in Svedala, Sweden: Mikael Wiehe, Bubbles, Joddla w/Siv, Advance Patrol, The Ark, Danne Stråhed, Häjkån Bäjkån Band, The Mo and Di Leva.

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(10) Randy "A Man in Uniform"
(11) Solomon Burke "Soul Searching"
(12) Fireside "All You Had"
(13) Magnus Carlson "Jag ber dig"
(16) Queens Of The Stone Age "Go With The Flow"
(18) The Go-Betweens "Caroline and I"
(19) David & The Citizens "New Direction"
(20) Hot Hot Heat "Bandages"

The full details for Finland's Koneisto Festival has been released. Some of the artists scheduled to appear include Björn Torske, Ralph Myerz & Jack Herren Band, Erlend Oye (acoustic set + "magnificent singing DJ set"), Datarock, Jori Hulkkonen, Rinneradio (feat. Dj Slow, Siiri Nordin and MC Paleface) among many others. The acclaimed electronic music festival was the first of its type for all of Scandinavia and the selection of performers "seeks to establish an interesting balance between commercial and experimental music" over the event's 9 stages. It all goes down in Helsinki from July 25-27 and more info can be found from the fest's official website.

Blabbermouth reports that HIM will be touring Europe in support of Ozzy Osbourne and Godsmack this September. I'll keep you posted.

I fixed a typo in one of the Madrugada mp3 links. Sorry about that. They should all work okay now.

Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg will be holding a club three times a week all summer long called, ahem, Sommarklubben. Besides the usual DJs spinning there will also be live music. Scheduled so far:

06/06 - Royal Beat Conspiracy, Sparks of Seven
06/28 - Shout Out Louds, Homy
07/12 - David & the Citizens

More info when I get it.

The (International) Noise Conspiracy report that they are featured on a DJ Spooky mix that comes with the latest edition of Adbusters Magazine. Other artists including on the comp include Fugazi, Bad Brains, Sun Ra, and Public Enemy so check it out.

More entries on the ongoing media blitzkrieg from The Sounds - here's a number of upcoming American TV appearances they have scheduled:

05/22 - Last Call with Carson Daly on NBC, recorded in Las Vegas last week
05/26 - The View on ABC
TBA - Subterranean on MTV, more info to come

The Hellacopters have published their complete summer tour schedule:

05/31 - Donigton (GB) Download
06/07 - Nurburgring (D) Rock Am Ring
06/08 - Nurnberg (D) Rock Im Park
06/13 - Hultsfred (S) Hultsfredsfestivalen
06/14 - Berlin (D) Berlinova
06/15 - Oslo (N) Norwegian Wood
06/21 - Scheessel (D) Hurricane
06/22 - Neuhausen OE (D) Southside
06/27 - Kiruna (S) Kirunafestivalen
06/28 - Bonn (D) Rheinkultur
06/29 - Roskilde (DK) Roskildefestival
07/04 - Oulo (SF) Oluoln Yöt
07/05 - Turku (SF) Ruisrock
07/16 - Helsinki (SF) Olympiastadion w/The Rolling Stones
07/22 - Stockholm (S) Cirkus w/The Rolling Stones
08/02 - Korso (SF) Ankarock
08/30 - Jerez / Cadiz (ESP) Serie Z
09/12 - Stockholm (S) Gröna Lund
09/13 - Vitoria Gasteiz (ESP) Azkena

Burning Heart's latest signees Sparks of Seven have finally updated their website.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. A-Teens - Perfect Match
03. Outlandish - Guantanamo
04. HIM - Funeral of hearts
05. Darude - Music
06. Jennifer Brown - Weak
07. Kwan - Shine
08. Mew - Comforting Sounds
09. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
10. Equicez - Live From Pass It
11. Melody Club - Cover Girl
12. Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck - One Good Moment
13. Timbuktu - Ett Brev
14. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
15. The Jessica Fletchers - Let´s Go
16. Paragon - Försök Förstå
17. Surferosa - Neon Commando
18. Moon Gringo - Buzz Aldrin
19. Homy - Bus Stop
20. Pauline - Runnin´ Out Of Gaz

Challengers:
01. D-Coy feat. Acorn - I´ll Be There
02. The Cardigans - You´re The Storm
03. Charlie´s Magazine - Something That I Missed
04. Her Majesty - F.U.N.E.R.A.L
05. Elin Sigvardsson - Where To Start

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

Project-X will be having a record release show on May 31 for their new album "Modus Operandi" at Ground Zero in Växjö.

Here's the lineup for the 5th Fucking North Pole Festival which takes place over the next three days in Tromsø, Norway.

5/15 @ Driv: Amulet (Oslo), Turdus Musicus (Tromsø), Dominic (Bodø)
5/16 @ Driv: Misvær Ska Forening (Bodø), Lame Ducks (Oslo), Square (SWE)
5/16 @ Tvibit: Gatas Parlament (Oslo), Amulet (Oslo), Drunk (Oslo), Turdus Musicus (Tromsø)
5/17 @ Driv: DK (US), Os Replicantes (Brasil), Drunk (Oslo)
5/18 @ Driv: Mohammed(Horten), Los Fastidios (Italia), Nikkeby Lufthavn (Tromsø)

FNPF is the biggest independent rock festival in northern Norway and takes place twice a year. The next occurance is scheduled for sometime around September/October. More info here.

The German Phono Academy recently awarded Norway's Midnight Choir with a best album award in the rock/pop category for the album "Waiting for the Bricks to Fall". The award is given every quarter by "key industry representatives and respected music journalists" and qualifies the band for the album of the year competition.

This year's Nordic Council Music Award will be granted to an ethnic music artist. The nominees who will be competing for the 47k EUR prize:

Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra (DK)
Outlandish (DK)
Kimmo Pohjonen (FIN)
Gjallarhorn (FIN)
Kári Sverrisson (Faroe Islands)
Sigurður Flosason and Pétur Grétarsson (Iceland)
Steindór Andersen, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson and Sigur Rós (Iceland)
Mari Boine (NOR)
Solo Cissokho (NOR)
Ellika Frisell (SWE)
Ziya Aytekin (SWE)
Anna Thastum Kuitse (Greenland)

Read more. Previous winners of the prestigious award have been Sunleif Rasmussen (2002), Palle Mikkelborg (2001), and Kaija Saariaho (2000).

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Robert Wells - Rhapsody in rock the complete collection
02. v/a - Fame Factory volym 5
03. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
04. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
05. Timbuktu - The botten is nådd!
06. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
07. Simson Dupont - Simson Dupont
08. Jill Johnson - Discography
09. Antique - Blue love
10. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
11. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
12. Moneybrother - Blood panic
13. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
14. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
15. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
16. Gloria - People like you and me
17. The Refreshments - On the rocks
18. Roxette - The pop hits
19. The Sounds - Living in America
20. Mauro Scocco - Beat hotel

Aftonbladet has also published a short article discussing Magnus Carlson's (of the Weeping Willows) forthcoming solo album that he collaborated with Eggstone and film director Lukas Moodysson on. The record is called "Ett Kungarike För En Kram" and it hits stores on June 30. (in Swedish)

The Ark, Dom Galna Hundarna, The Narcissists, Shout Out Louds, Lola Barbershop and P-Danielsa are among the groups now confirmed for the Storsjöyran fest happening in Östersund this summer.

The guys from Looptroop are all hard at work on new projects. Promoe is in the process of doing a new solo album with a single to come in June. The other two guys, Cosmic and Embee aka Casual Brothers, have a new EP that also comes out in June that features a guest appearance by Christian Kjellvander of all people.

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(07) N.E.R.D. "Things Are Getting Better"
(09) Miss Universum "Fertilize"
(12) Millenia Nova Ft. Iggy Pop "Rockicide"
(13) The Knife "You Take My Breath Away"
(14) Radiohead "There There"
(15) Florence Valentin "Allt dom bygger upp ska vi meja ner"
(17) Ed Harcourt "Watching the Sun Come Up"
(18) Audio Bullys "The Things"
(19) Zwan "Lyric"

The Dandelions have added one more date to their upcoming London tour. The full itinerary is now as follows:

05/22 - Gaz's Rockin' Blues
05/23 - Dragon Bar
05/24 - Cobden Club
05/26 - The Beachclub at Notting Hill Arts Club (new)
05/27 - Eyelash at Pop

Lullacry and Naglfar have both announced that they will be making their US debuts at this year's Milwaukee Metalfest which takes place July 25-26. The new Lullacry single "Alright Tonight" comes out May 23 on Spikefarm Records and Naglfar's latest album "Sheol" came out last month.

Melody Club has annouced their full list of summer tour dates. Here's the schedule as of now:

05/14 - Hamburg (D) Molotow
05/15 - Düsseldorf (D) Unique
05/16 - Weinheim (D) Cafe Central
05/17 - Berlin (D) Bastard
05/18 - Kassel (D) K19
05/19 - Frankfurt (D) Cookys
05/20 - Dresden (D) Downtown
05/21 - München (D) Atomic Cafe
05/23 - Göteborg Liseberg / Okej Dagen
05/30 - Eskilstuna Blå
05/31 - Härnösand Högslättens Isstadion
06/06 - Drammen (NO) Working Class Hero
06/06 - Hultsfred Hultsfred Festival
06/06 - Visby Gutekällaren
07/01 - Östhammar Musikveckan
07/04 - Sundsvall Sundsvalls Gatufest
07/05 - Kristianstad Tivolirock
07/11 - Arvika Arvikafestivalen
07/19 - Mariehamn, Åland Rock Off Festival
07/23 - Hedemora Hedmora Parken
07/26 - Karlskoga Stranddagar
07/30 - Visby Gutekällaren
08/01 - Östersund Storsjöyran
08/02 - Stockholm Pridefestivalen
08/06 - Gävle Gävle Cityfest
08/08 - Emmaboda Emmabodafestivalen

Johan Bergqvist has posted all three songs from his new single in RealMedia format over at his (newly refurbished) website. Check em out in the upper right-hand corner.

Billboard reviews the US release of "Living in America" from The Sounds.

Stylus Magazine has named Norway's Rune Grammofon their label of the week.

Massproduktion has announced that they will be reissuing a remastered version of the very first Left Hand Solution seven-song EP "Shadowdance" on CD with five extra bonus tracks, three of which are previously unrereleased. It's been ten years since the recording first came out and serves as an almost-complete document of the era when Kicki Höijertz fronted the band.

The Flicker will be playing Club Clampers in Stockholm on May 17 and the first 25 attendees will receive a copy of their new CDr "Phases". Download an mp3 of the track "Consulation" right here.

DigitalMetal.com interviews the avant-metal band Solefald and black/dark metallers Aeternus.

Samson & Rourke recently published an interview with Anders Wendins of Moneybrother. (in Swedish)

The new Lost Patrol single "All Right" featuring Lisa Miskovsky comes out June 2. For those that don't know, LP is the solo project of International Noise Conspiracy frontman Dennis Lyxzen.

Even more bands added to Popaganda fest in Stockholm: Doktor Kosmos, Isolation Years, Superheroes, Miss Universum, José González, Tiger Lou, Carpet People, Mano & the tears, The Search, Blanka, Callahan, Ebon Tale and Anna Vnuk.

Starting on June 3 Swedish Radio P3 will have a week-long feature on Swedish music. Be sure to check it out and remember you can listen online at their website.

The Caesars recently had the single "Sort it Out" featured during an episode of the UK's most watched soap opera Eastenders. Listen to the track here. Like I've said before, expect big things from these guys. The band has also been confirmed for the 'new bands' stage at Glastonbury fest which takes place June 27-29.

The Ark, Hammerfall, Looptroop, Paola, Her Majesty, Evergrey, Moneybrother and Mando Diao have all be confirmed for Göteborgskalaset on August 8-16.

Mike Wead (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate), Snowy Shaw (King Diamond, Dream Evil, Notre Dame), Sharlee D'Angelo (Mercyful Fate, Witchery) and Simon Johansson (Memory Garden, Abstrakt Algenra) have all teamed up to form a new band called Firegod. Mike's statement on the current state of the group:

I'm more than thrilled to be joined by some of the guys I consider to be the most creative and talented in Scandinavia. Me and Simon [have] been working really hard for almost two years writing and demoing something like 40-45 tracks... These tracks will be the perfect frame for what I'm sure will become a concept album that will stand out among the rest! People into our older bands as well as our current ones WILL NOT be disappointed!

They expect to have an album out around early 2004.

The new Finnish death-metal "supergroup" Chaosbreed has posted a couple sample mp3s from their demo for downloading:

01. Wretched Life
02. Rotting Alive
03. FC/DC (Freedom Corps Death Crush)

As mentioned before, Chaosbreed features vocalist Taneli Jarva (ex-Sentenced, The Black League), guitarist Marko Tarvonen (Moonsorrow), guitarist Esa Holopainen (Amorphis), among others. The band is currently entertaining any serious offers for booking or label support and anyone wanting to get in touch should email them at chaosbreeders@hotmail.com.

David & the Citizens and The Knife are both receiving gold disc awards from Border Music in Sweden for sales of over 5000. It's part of a new initiative enacted by the company to encourage and reward independent labels. The ceremony will be held at Pustervik in Göteborg on May 23.

In other D&tC news, the band's album "For All Happy Endings" was just reviewed in English over at firesideometer.com.

Lovitt Records has announced they will start taking preorders of the new Division of Laura Lee collection "97-99" with songs from before they signed with BHR/Epitaph. Email mailorder@lovitt.com for more info or visit the label's website. You can also download a preview mp3 of the track "Stereotype" if you're curious about their old sound, which they describe as "reminiscent of the DC post-punk sound with a dash of Drive Like Jehu." The record hits stores June 16.

Fresh from the rumor mill is news that Last Days of April will indeed be heading over to America to promote the US release of "Ascend to the Stars" on Crank! Records. No exact dates yet, but I'm hearing they'll be doing something like six weeks, so they'll be sure to play nearly everwhere. More news when I get it.

Scratchie Records recently relaunched their website including a page dedicated to their darlings The Sounds. And in case you didn't know, the band cancelled those rumored headlining gigs they had scheduled before their upcoming Ravonettes/Vue jaunt. Oh, and Rolling Stone recently did a feature on the band, too.

Hell n' Diesel will be holding a release party at Timmerstugan in Falköping on May 30 for their new single "Tears for the Wicked".

Mean Street Magazine recently did a short interview with Sahara Hotnights. They also did a feature on TSOOL for last month's Coachella fest issue.

Some of the recent Norweigan bands added to the Quart festival lineup: Tonka, Gaute Drevdal, Bjørn Berge, Panzer, Splitimage, and Guardians of Time.

The Gatethering recently released "You Learn About It", the first single from their newest album "Souvenirs". They also did a video for the song with 13-year old director Tim Blok. Apparently, he's the youngest music video director ever which is kind of cool, I guess. Anyhow, fans of atmospheric rock music should definitely investigate the album. I know I'm really enjoying it.

America's The End Records has announced that it will reissue a remastered version of Ulver's first demo "Vergtatt" (or isn't it "Bergtatt"? not sure if it's a typo) on 10" vinyl. They'll also be doing quite a few other great releases in this new series which they are dubbing 'Infinite Vinyl' such as "Tommorrow Will Never Come", a 7" from Agalloch that will include two unreleased acoustic tracks from the original "The Mantle" sessions. The full list of scheduled releases so far:

IVS 001 Agalloch - Tomorrow Will Never Come 7"
IVS 002 Ulver - Vergtatt 10"
IVS 003 Katatonia - Viva Emptiness
IVS 004 Emperor - As The Shadows Rise 7"
IVS 005 Samael - Blood Ritual
IVS 006 Arcturus - Constellation / My Angel 10"
IVS 007 Katatonia - Saw You Drawn 10"

The Swedish MIC reports that Swedes seem to prefer their own domestically-produced music versus international imports. The latest charts show a 54% dominance in albums and 52% in singles and that data is significant of a trend that has been ongoing all year.

Moneybrother's new album has been generating all sorts of positive reviews, such as this one from Aftonbladet and yesterday's Dagensskiva review. Personally, I think the single ("Reconsider Me") is fantastic, but I'm not sold on the entire album just yet. Anyway, it's up to you to decide for yourself. Aftonbladet has a couple sound samples for you to hear, too.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. HIM - Funeral of hearts
03. Outlandish - Guantanamo
04. A-Teens - Perfect Match
05. Jennifer Brown - Weak
06. Darude - Music
07. Kwan - Shine
08. Equicez - Live From Pass It
09. Mew - Comforting Sounds
10. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
11. Paragon - Försök Förstå
12. The Jessica Fletchers - Let´s Go
13. Timbuktu - Ett Brev
14. Kashmir - Surfing The Warm Industry
15. Moon Gringo - Buzz Aldrin
16. Nik & Jay - Elsker Hende Mere
17. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
18. Surferosa - Neon Commando
19. Melody Club - Cover Girl
20. Pauline - Runnin´ Out Of Gaz

Challengers:
01. Homy - Bus Stop
02. Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck - One Good Moment
03. Magnet - The Day We Left Town
04. Monastir - Teenage Years
05. Stephen Simmonds & Dilba - For Father

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

Here's something interesting that came to me by way of the pHinnweb list: www.radiofetthode.no. Streaming Internet radio featuring all sorts of various Scandinavian artists + more. Very cool.

Speaking of yesterday's Cdoass signing news, it has been pointed out to me that they used to be a demowebben band. Check out some old tracks from the band right here.

Finland's Amorphis has completed work on a video for the song "Evil Inside", their first single from the upcoming album "Far From The Sun". Taku Kaskela directed. The record comes out in Scandinavia on May 26 from Virgin Records and you can listen to streamed versions of a couple from their web jukebox, located here.

Did you realize that Turbonegro's new album "Scandinavian Leather" went straight to #1 on the Norweigan charts, selling twice as many copies as Madonna's "American Life" at #2? Pretty crazy, eh? They also added one more date to their current tour itinerary: May 30 in Fredrikstad, Norway. For those still unfamiliar with the band, perhaps this e-card will help.

Magnus from The Cardigans reports that "Long Gone Before Daylight" is currently being remixed for 5.1 sound systems at Medley Studios in Copenhagen. So yeah, those of you with home theatre stereo setups will be able to enjoy the record in full surround sound. No word on a release date yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Check out the Nordic Favorites compilation tracklist:

01. Bel Canto - You Rock My World Tonight
02. Eskobar - On The Ground
03. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
04. The Sounds - Living In America
05. Silje Nergaard - Be Still My Heart
06. Funkstar De Luxe W M Mann - Blinded
07. Gåte - Bendik Og År Olilja
08. Luke - Heavens On Fire
09. Grant - Just The Thing
10. Morten Abel - I'll Come Back And Love You Forever
11. Swan Lee - Tomorrow Never Dies
12. The Crash - Star
13. Maria Mena - Free
14. Kristofer Åström - All Lovers Hell
15. Cajsa Stina Åkerström - Himmel Över
16. Junior Senior - Move Your Feet
17. Lordi - Would You Love A Monsterman

Here's another mp3 from Randy's new album "Welfare Problems". The track is called "X-ray Eyes".

Fargo records has picked up Hederos & Hellberg's "Together in the Darkness" for release in the UK. The same label is also putting out the album in France and Spain this month. In related news, Silence is reporting that Mattias Hellberg is planning to record a solo album this summer.

I've already posted some of these dates, but here's a more complete list of the upcoming Gröna Lund shows this summer:

05/09 - Melody Club
05/23 - Dilba, Stephen Simmonds
06/18 - The Sounds
06/27 - Eric Gadd, Kaah
08/15 - Robyn
08/29 - Caesars Palace, Bad Cash Quartet
09/05 - bob hund
09/12 - The Hellacopters

Labrador Records will holding a mini-festival for the label featuring Chasing Dorotea, Laurel Music, Ronderlin plus Dj's: Pontus & Ramo (Douglas Heart) and Henrik Lyngåker (Sonic) at Bommens Salonger on May 9.

Here's an updated lineup for the 5th annual Nordic Roots Festival which takes place in Minneapolis from September 18-21: Filarfolket reunion, Ellika Frisell and Solo Cissokho, Maria Kalaniemi with Sven Ahlbäck and Johan Hedin, Gjallarhorn, Harv and the Swedish trio Nåra.

STIM reports that The Hives made it to #4 on the LA Times list of top 50 bands around today. Iggy Pop, White Stripes and Queens of the Stone Age took the top spots and fellow Swedes Soundtrack of Our Lives came in at a respectable 15.

Blood Music, Björns vänner, CK, Corduroy utd., Dub Sweden, Florence Valentin, Hell on Wheels, Paris and The Danny Says have all been confirmed for the Rundgångsfestivalen in Wämöparken on May 31.

P3 Musikjournalen has posted a whole slew of new confirmations for Kirunafestivalen, Storsjöyran, Spinnrock, Gatufesten. Midtfynsfestivalen and Norbergfestivale.

More on the Mando Diao drama, from Aftonbladet. (in Swedish)

Watch the new video for "On the 54" from The Dandelions right here.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. HIM - Funeral of hearts
02. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
03. A-Teens - Perfect Match
04. Kashmir - Surfing The Warm Industry
05. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
06. Mew - Comforting Sounds
07. Kwan - Shine
08. Jennifer Brown - Weak
09. Surferosa - Neon Commando
10. Melody Club - Cover Girl
11. Moon Gringo - Buzz Aldrin
12. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
13. Whyte Seeds - Slow motions
14. Dub Sweden - Walk Me Home
15. Timbuktu - Ett Brev
16. Empire Dogs - The Dogs
17. Nik & Jay - Elsker Hende Mere
18. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth
19. Equicez - Live From Pass It
20. Pauline - Runnin´ Out Of Gaz

Challengers:
01. The Jessica Fletchers - Let´s Go
02. Darude - Music
03. Outlandish - Guantanamo
04. K Ragnstam - Perfect Vacation
05. Paragon - Försök Förstå

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

Kamera has announced a bunch of new dates for the summer:

05/30 - Fredriksta (NOR)
05/31 - Oslo (NOR), So What
06/01 - Västerås
06/02 - Stockholm, Debaser
06/03 - Jönköping
06/04 - Göteborg, Nefertiti
06/05 - Halmstad
06/06 - Linköping, Platens Bar
06/07 - Karlstad, Arena
06/26-29 - Skellefteå, Skellefteåfestivalen
07/05 - Sundsvall, Gatufesten
07/10 - Arvika, Arvikafestivalen
07/04-12 - Visby, ZTV Sommarstad Gotland
07/13 - Malta
07/19 - Torquay (GB)
07/20 - Brighton (GB)
07/23 - Åland, Rock Off Festival (tbc)
08/08 - Norrköping, Karnevalen

Pitchforkmedia reviews the American release of "C'mon Let's Pretend" from the Sahara Hotnights. Whaddya know? They actually like it.

Moonbabies have got a couple gigs lined up:

05/02 - Fredericia, Ungdomens hus w/The Violet Hour
05/03 - Copenhagen, Huset w/The Violet Hour

Reports are coming in on the big concert yesterday at Gröna Lund with Soundtrack of Our Lives, The Ark and Mando Diao: tsool.tk / Dagens Nyheter / Expressen

In other Mando Diao news, the band has reportedly fired organist Daniel Haglund. Haglund was apparently taking time off to spend time with his family and was given the news when he tried to return.

And the Sound is saying that Niklas and Thomas from Him Kerosene are rumored to be starting a new band. Nothing's confirmed yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
02. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
03. v/a - Fame Factory volym 4
04. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
05. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
06. Jill Johnson - Discography
07. Timbuktu - The botten is nådd!
08. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
09. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
10. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
11. Mauro Scocco - Beat hotel
12. Lasse Tennander - Därifrånochhit sånger 1974-2003
13. The Refreshments - On the rocks
14. Antique - Blue love
15. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
16. Roxette - The pop hits
17. The Knife - Deep Cuts
18. Magnus Uggla - Klassiska mästerverk
19. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
20. Dilba - Revolution

More from Aftonbladet: An article on Marie Fredriksson's (Roxette) recovery from brain surgery.

Don't forget to download the new free Soviac single today. Check it. The song is called "Boogie Woogie" and it's taken from the upcoming album "Triology Sexlife Rodeo Friscotti" due out later this fall.

Carnal Forge has announced that they have extended their contract with Centry Media for another two albums. Look for 'em on tour in America with the 2003 Metal Gods featuring Halford, Testament, Immortal, Primal Fear and Behemoth.

MTV Up North has moved to Thursdays with a new, extended format. Here's this week's chart:

01. HIM - Funeral of hearts
02. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
03. Mew - Comforting Sounds
04. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
05. A-Teens - Perfect Match
06. Kwan - Shine
07. Kashmir - Surfing The Warm Industry
08. Dub Sweden - Walk Me Home
09. Kari - Exile
10. Surferosa - Neon Commando
11. Paola - Interstellar Love
12. Moon Gringo - Buzz Aldrin
13. Melody Club - Cover Girl
14. Whyte Seeds - Slow motions
15. Pauline - Runnin´ Out Of Gaz
16. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
17. Jennifer Brown - Weak
18. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth
19. Equicez - Live From Pass It
20. Thomas Rusiak - Unicorn
Challengers:
01. Empire Dogs - The Dogs
02. Timbuktu - Ett Brev
03. Nik & Jay - Elsker Hende Mere
04. The Knife - You Take My Breath Away
05. Jamie Meyer - Good Girl

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

Besides appearing on MTV Morning Glory back home in Sweden this weekend, The Sounds also have reviews published in US mags Billboard and Alternative Press. I'll try and track 'em down if I can.

Misconduct's video for their cover of Bob Marley's "Iron Lion Zion" will premiere on CTV's new program 'Nöjesnytt' on April 29. Singer Fredrik Olsson and bassist Andreas Wall will be on the show, too.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
02. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
03. Jill Johnson - Discography
04. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
05. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
06. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
07. v/a - Fame Factory volym 4
08. Mauro Scocco - Beat hotel
09. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
10. The Refreshments - On the rocks
11. Roxette - The pop hits
12. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
13. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
14. The Knife - Deep Cuts
15. Fireside - Get shot
16. Buddaboys - Lost people areas
17. Fernandoz - Vem får din kärlek i natt
18. Dilba - Revolution
19. Emil Sigfridsson - Tillbaka till igår
20. The Sounds - Living in America

The Shout Out Louds are hard at work on their upcoming debut full-length which is now scheduled to come out September 29. They also have a new single coming out in May for the track "Hurry Up Let's Go" which will include an unreleased song as a b-side. And that's not all - they're even fitting in some touring:

4/25 - Borlänge, Klubb Desired
4/26 - Lund, Klubb Blender
5/7 - Oslo, So What
5/23 - Umeå Studion, Folkets Hus
5/28 - Örebro, Kåren
5/30 - Uppsala, Stones-festivalen
5/30 - Stockholm, Popaganda
5/31 - Linköping, Rocksensation, Herrgårn
5/31 - Kalmar, Skälby
6/6 - Göteborg, Pustervik w/Marit Bergman

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(06) Jurassic 5 Ft. Mya "Thin Line"
(12) Asian Dub Foundation Ft. Sinead O'Connor "1000 Mirrors"
(14) Sean Paul "Get Busy"
(16) Blur "Out of Time"
(17) Outlandish "Guantanamo"
(19) First Floor Power "Happy Endings"
(20) The Concretes "You Can't Hurry Love"

'Against All Evens' is the name of the upcoming Second Gothenburg Biennale to take place May 24 - August 24 at Gothenburg Konsthallen. The event is being billed as "a resistance against all that which is vapid, indifferent and toothless" and will be curated by artist/musician Carl Michael Von Hauswolff. 27 concerts are scheduled to take place including performances by Tommi Grönlund (Sähkö Rec.) with Petteri Nisunen (FIN), John Duncan, Kim Gordon, Russell Haswell, Florian Hecker, Phill Niblock, Pita, Franz Pomassl and more. More info here.

Get a preview of the new Hell n' Diesel single in RealAudio format: "Tears for the Wicked" / "Rebel" / "Speed Devil"
Preorders are already being taken over at the Shuffle Records website.

Live4Metal is reporting that Enslaved was forced to cancel their show at The Garage in London tonight as the promotor seems to have bungled the job. Their statement:

Only about 65 advance tickets were sold and the promoters could not afford to pay the deposit to bring Enslaved over from Norway and have pulled the gig. Live4Metal were happy to be official sponsors of the event, but we have not even had any official notice from them and are as mystified as the support bands, anybody who bought a ticket and no doubt Enslaved themselves. All I can say is that there is a lesson to be learnt here and budding promoters should most definitely learn to walk before they try to run. Being as we are fair, we are willing to listen to the promoters' side of the story... but we are yet to hear from them.

A little bird has informed me that the new C.Aarmé 4-song 7" and The New Mess 3-song gatefold EP are now done and ready for ordering from Deleted Art.

Glad Påsk! Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Hope you enjoy your holiday weekend!

Watch the video for "Long Beach" from Laakso: high / low

Startracks has announced a new signing - their first since picking up the Loosegoats in '96. And the lucky band is Tiger Lou aka Rasmus Kellerman. He used to be in EM/Music By EM, but has now gone solo. His first show ever with a backing band is at Popaganda fest in Stockholm on May 30, but he's also hitting the road by himself:

4/21 - Lübeck D Cafe Brasil
4/22 - Oldenburg D Alhambra w/Karate, One Man and His Droid
4/23 - Hamburg D Molotow w/Me Without You
4/24 - Köln D Underground w/Karate
4/25 - Wolfenbüttel D Juz Harztorwall w/Karate
4/26 - Konzert Geschlossene Veranstaltung
4/27 - Freiburg D KTS w/NRA, Oil
4/28 - TRIER D Ex-Haus
4/29 - Aflenz A Sublime
4/30 - Wien A Shelter w/Karate
5/01 - München D Kafe Kult w/Karate
5/02 - Leverkusen D Pentagon
5/07 - Stockholm S Lava w/Lova and Dexter's Moon

Look for a 4-song EP in May/June. More info here.

For a limited time you can view the new Fireside video for the song "All You Had". Manne Lindvall filmed it and Leif Andree stars. Very entertaining.

Nicolai Dunger has booked himself a couple new gigs around the UK:

5/27 - Nottingham Rescue Rooms w/Matt Elliott (solo)
5/28 - Brighton Albert Inn (solo)
5/29 - London Union Chapel w/The Frames (band)

NorthSide Records has posted mp3s for two new albums that are coming out June 3. First is "Vettoi" (excerpt) from Hedningarna and their new CD "1989-2003", a best-of collection that includes a couple new tracks. Next is "Mikkel Per / Kus Erik" from Frifot's new album "Sluring". If you're curious about tracing the roots of Nordic music, I strongly encourage you the check this stuff out.

Uppsala Hio-hop duo Allied Forces have their debut 12" coming out soon. It'll be called "Ögon I Nacken" and will feature a guest appearance from Highwon and production from Masse.

The Sounds are now booked to play the outdoor stage at Gröna Lund in Stockholm on June 18. The rest of the acts confirmed so far for the venue this summer are:

4/30 - The Soundtrack of Our Lives, The Ark, Mando Diao (view poster)
5/9 - Melody Club
5/23 - Dilba vs. Stephen Simmond

In case you weren't already aware, the pop group Alcazar worked together with the Pet Shop Boys to write some new songs. Here's an short interview/article from Expressen on the subject. (in Swedish) Oh, and feel free to catch 'em on tour too:

4/18 - Ö-vik, Parken (S)
4/19 - Höör, Jägersbo (S)
4/23 - Stockholm, Company Party (S)
4/25 - Sälen, HC (S)
5/03 - Sölden, Snowmove (Austria)
5/10 - Amsterdam (NL)
5/15 - Nurnberg (Germany)
5/24 - Jönköping, Rix FM (S)
5/27 - Stockholm, Company Party (S)
5/30 - Umeå, Festen (S)
5/31 - Gislaved, Sigges Loge (S)
6/06 - Stockholm, Gröna Lund (S)
6/07 - Eringsboda Brunn (S)
6/08 - Sätela (S)
6/18 - Neubrandenburg, NDR (Germany)
6/19 - Bad Arolsen, Festival (Germany)
6/26 - Ludvika, City Festival (S)
6/27 - Enköping, City Festival, (S)
6/28 - Klagenfurt, Cityfestival (S)
7/02 - Sundsvall, Gatufesten (S)
7/12 - Tidan, Olstorp (S)
7/18 - Sölvesborg, Hanöhus (S)
7/19 - Bergen, NDR (Germany)
7/25 - Borlänge, Rommehed (S)
7/26 - Sunne, Fryksdalsdansen (S)
7/27 - Eskilstuna, Parken (S)
7/28 - Zurich, Pride (Switzerland)
7/30 - Ellös, Parken (S)
7/31 - Bromölla, Dagarna (S)
8/02 - Stockholm, Pride (S)
8/15 - Paris, NRJ (France)
8/16 - Gothenburg, Liseberg (S)
8/17 - Berlin, NRJ (Germany)
8/30 - Östervåla, Parken (S)
9/06 - Pasewalk, NDR (Germany)
11/01 - Bryssels, Company Party (Begium)

Johan Bergqvist reports he has finished up shooting the video for his new single "This Could Be Our Time". And if you look to your right you'll see that you can download an exclusive mp3 of the track right now. But yeah, the video's done and the CD is being sent off to get mastered, so it's on track for its May release. Johan's also got plans for yet another video - on April 26 he's off to shoot one for the song "Lovelace" as he says he "found a nice location with a grand piano." I'll keep you posted.

People in the US - don't forget about Sahara Hotnights on Conan O'Brien tonight along with guest Adam Sandler.

Here's a bunch of pics from the 2001 Avrika fest, including acts such as The Hellacopters, TSOOL, Mustasch, Nasum, and The Haunted.

Problems arose when the grizzly bear appearing in the video went berserk...

Apparently there were some problems onsite at Turbonegro's video shoot for the song "Sell Your Body (To The Night)" which was being filmed in LA with help from the Jackass dudes. Read more at the the band's website.

"Their mesmerising guitar excursions are worthy of early Pink Floyd; the tunes are beyond brilliant; this is, without question, among the most supremely desirable stoner albums you are likely to hear all year" - James Delingpole, Sunday Telegraph, on "Every Time A Bell Rings An Angel Gets Its Wings"

Folks in London get the lucky opportunity to see Logh for free at 93ft East in London on April 14. The show starts at 7:30 and if I was you, I wouldn't miss it.

Been awhile since I heard from these guys, but the Diamond Dogs are going on tour:

4/21 - Monroes, Workingston (UK)
4/22 - Roadmenders, Norhhampton (UK)
4/23 - Markoni Club, Chelmsford (UK)
4/24 - Penningtons Live, Bradford (UK)
4/25 - Baths Hall, Scunthorpe (UK)
4/26 - Cheese and Grain, Frome (UK)
4/27 - Patti Pavilion, Swansea (UK)
4/28 - Camden Underworld, London (UK)
5/02 - Culturen, Västerås
5/08 - El Sol, Madrid (ESP)
5/09 - Stereo, Alicante (ESP)
5/10 - La Casa del Loco, Zaragoza (ESP)
5/13 - University, Granada (ESP)
5/15 - La Nasa, Santiago (ESP)
5/16 - Auditorium Intersecciones, Oviedo (ESP)
5/17 - Azkena, Bilbao (ESP)

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
02. v/a - Fame Factory volym 4
03. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
04. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
05. Mauro Scocco - Beat hotel
06. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
07. Jill Johnson - Discography
08. The Refreshments - On the rocks
09. Dilba - Revolution
10. Emil Sigfridsson - Tillbaka till igår
11. Fernandoz - Vem får din kärlek i natt
12. Roxette - The pop hits
13. Gloria - People like you and me
14. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
15. The Knife - Deep Cuts
16. The Sounds - Living in America
17. Wilmer X - Lyckliga hundar
18. Rikard Wolff - Du får mig (om jag får dig)
19. Anders Widmark featuring Sara Isaksson - s/t
20. Kikki Bettan Lotta - Live från Rondo

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(12) The Donnas "Take It Off"
(13) Melody Club "Covergirl"
(16) Kamera "At Work"
(18) Ron Sexsmith Ft. Chris Martin "Gold In Them Hills"
(20) Lil' Kim Ft. Mr Cheeks "The Jump Off"

ZTV will begin broadcasting a TV version of Hitlisten, Sweden's official sales chart, compiled by IPFI affiliate GLF and published every Thursday.

Magnus Carlson from the Weeping Willows has his new Eggstone-produced solo album coming out July 9. Turns out he's getting even more outside help, this time from film director Lukas Moodysson (Fucking Åmal/Show Me Love, Tillsammans/Together)and Radio Dept. Lukas has reportedly helped out with some lyric writing while Radio Dept. and Magnus played together at their home in Malmö. The first single will be for the song "Jag ber dig", a cover of the Northern Soul-hit "Beggin'" with Swedish lyrics.

Moneybrother is heading on tour in support of his new, forthcoming album "Blood Panic". The dates:

5/21 - Stockholm, Södra Teatern
5/22 - Karlstad, Glada Ankan
5/23 - Oslo, So What
5/30 - Göteborg, Playground @ Pustervik
5/31 - Linköping, Rocksensation
5/27 - Malmö, Trenchtown @ KB

Mobbade Barn Med Automatvapen (MBMA) have a new 12" coming out in May called "Nu Ännu Drygare" with four songs. Breakmecanix and Embee (Loop Troop) handled the production and Timbuktu and Chords make guest appearances.

Here's an interview with Sami Liuski of Rovaniemi, Finland aka 8-Bit Rockers and Bangkok Impact among others. He talks about his upcoming touring activities and the Finnish electronic music scene, among other interesting topics. Those dates:

4/23 - Pianos, NYC, NY
4/24 - Rhode Island
4/25 - Rex Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
4/26 - Touch Supper Club, Cleveland, OH
4/27 - Empty Bottle, Chicago, MI
4/30 - Noise Lab, Seattle
5/01 - Blackbird, Portland, OR
5/02 - Obscura Digital, San Fransisco
5/05 - Knitting Factory, Los Angeles
5/06 - Los Angeles
5/08 - Sin 13, San Antonio
5/09 - The Elysium, Austin, TX
5/10 - Mermaid Lounge, New Orleans
5/11 - Miami
5/13 - Highlight, Chappel Hill, North Carolina
5/14 - Heaven and Hell, Washinton DC
5/16 - Ivy South, NYC, NY, USA

Danish dance duo Junior Senior are heating things up over in Britain. Not only are they in the singles chart at #5 with "Move Your Feet", but they're also planning to do either dates over there in May, starting with Glasgow Barfly on the first and ending with Liverpool Barfly on the 11th.

Division of Laura Lee has lined up a few extra dates around their appearance at the upcoming Coachella fest near LA:

4/21 - Houston, Engine Room
4/22 - Austin, Emos
4/23 - Dallas, Gypsy Tea Room
4/25 - Phoenix, Mason Jar
4/26 - Indio, Coachella

UPDATED: David & the Citizens will be on P3 Pop on April 14 from 10pm till midnight. They'll be playing live and chatting with Hanna in studio. They'll be sure to play the song "Glued to the Light" from the new EP "New Direction" they say, but they'll also be premiering two brand new tracks. As this news implicates, the band is already making plans for their next record - they'll be hitting the studio in May with plans to get it out around September.

In Flames have revealed the details for their forthcoming EP entitled "Trigger". The track listing is as follows:

01. Trigger (single edition)
02. Watch Them Feed (new song)
03. Land Of Confusion (Genesis cover)
04. Cloud Connected (Club Connected Remix)
05. Moonshield (C64 Karoke Version)

Look for it soon on Nuclear Blast. In other news, the band recently returned home from their most recent trek across the US and had this to say on their website:

Hello all, thanx a million for the GREAT support from both old and new fans on In Flames/Mudvayne tour in the US. We had a great time, and as usual we met some really cool people on the road( talking about you, our wonderful fans) and we made some good friends in the other bands- Mudvayne, Grade 8, and Depswa - we really hope to meet up again soon!!!!
On the way home we were forced to make an emergency landing in New Foundland, due to some strange objects on the aircraft that needed closer attention. This of course scared the hell out of us, but luckily it was false alarm, so as we speak we are in Sweden, jet-lagged as hell, but really glad to be on safe ground at home again.
In the end of June we will go back on the road again on a headline spin across the US, bringing some great acts along with us (see soon for official update on this). The tour will take us to places we didn´t hit on the last tour and some that we did play... Hope to see ALL of you out there. Also, watch out for our video/EP for "Trigger" that will be out very soon

Swedish power-metallers Hammerfall have booked themselves a short Czech Republic tour along with the following festival dates:

6/27 - Bang Your Head - Balingen, GER
6/28 - Masters Of Rock, Vizovice, CZ
6/29 - Centre of Town, Jihlava, CZ
6/30 - Hall Lokomotiva, Plzen, CZ
7/04 - Sundsvalls Gatufest - Sundsvall, SWE
7/05 - Töreboda Festival - Töreboda, SWE
7/25 - Karlskoga Stranddagar - Karlskoga, SWE
8/30 - Bloodstock Metalfest - Derby, UK

Transport League has announced that Crash Music Inc. will license their most recent EP "Grand Amputation" for release in the US. It was originally released last year on their own label Hoffa Communications through MNW distribution. In other news, the band reportedly just did some time in the studio with producer J. Reivén (ex-LOK) working on a new demo.

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.

A whole bunch of new music today, including the first half of that Hederos & Hellberg concert. Also, the newest single from Isolation Years "Open Those Eyes". It's a little more uptempo and sunny than older IY stuff, but I'm starting to really like it.

Fireside finally got their new website up and running. Check it out.

Dialog Cet is heading out on the road in support of their new album "Konsumera Era", which was released today:

4/12 - Jönköping, Rocks
4/15 - Uppsala, Genomfarten
4/16 - tbc/tbn (to be not)
4/17 - Göteborg, Gump w/Träd, Gräs & Stenar
4/18 - Lund, Blekingska Nationen
4/19 - Oslo, Café Mono
4/20 - Sandviken, Kungen

Melody Club has posted the video for the new single "Covergirl" on their homepage. Oh, and I also have it on good authority that the bassist also plays in a grind band. Pretty funny, I just wish I could remember their name.

Get a preview of the new soundtrack music from Ulver for the movie "Svidd Neger". Once the site loads, click the 'musikk' tab. I think it all sounds really cool so far, and there's even a little guitar on excerpt 4.

Hemmalaget will be performing at the upcoming Swedish Hip-Hop Awards to be held at Nalen in Stockholm on April 25. Isn't 'Swedish hip-hop' an oxymoron? Oh, but I kid! More info here or here, at the official site.

Those lucky dogs in The Hellacopters get to open for the Rolling Stones at Cirkus in Stockholm on July 22. First the MC5 invite, and then this? I bet those guys are stoked.

It's been hinted at before with the announcement of Logh as an opener, but I can now reveal the extent of the upcoming Fireside tour:

4/16 - Göteborg Sticky Fingers w/Logh
4/17 - Malmö Voltmeter @ KB
4/18 - Uppsala Grand w/Logh
4/24 - Linköping Herrgår´n w/Logh
4/25 - Västerås Village w/Logh
4/29 - Sthlm Södra Teatern/ KGB w/Logh
4/30 - Oslo (n) Blå w/Logh
5/01 - Lund Mejeriet w/Logh & De Stijl
5/02 - Hamburg (D) Molotow w/De Stijl
5/03 - Köln (D) Underground w/De Stijl
5/04 - Dresden (D) Star Club w/De Stijl
5/05 - München (D) Orange House w/De Stijl
5/06 - Milano (I) Transilvania Live w/De Stijl
5/07 - Lausanne (CH) Bleu Lézard w/De Stijl
5/08 - Bern (CH) ISC w/De Stijl
5/09 - Leuven (B) Stuk w/De Stijl
5/10 - Utrecht (NL) Ekko w/De Stijl
5/11 - Groningen (NL) Vera w/De Stijl
5/12 - Amsterdam (NL) Melkwegw/De Stijl
5/13 - Rotterdam (NL) Waterfront w/De Stijl
5/14 - Brügge (B) Cactus w/De Stijl
5/15 - Berlin (D) Magnet w/De Stijl
5/16 - Helsingborg Tivoli w/De Stijl

The new album "Get Shot" comes out April 7.

Opeth frontman Mikael Akerfeldt will be doing a collaboration with Porcupine Tree leader Steven Wilson on a Linda Perhacs cover to be used on a tribute CD. Steven has produced the last few Opeth releases, including the much-anticipated "Damnation" album due out next month. Billed as the 'mellow' counterpart to the recently released "Deliverence", I can tell you now that it's easily the best thing they've done for some time. I've been an Opeth fan for sometime, but have felt their musical progression has gotten a bit stagnant recently. Well, no more - "Damnation" shows a whole new side of the band and proves they are easily one of metal's top acts. And no, I don't get paid to say that. I wish.

Pristine Music has a couple new singles in the works. First up is Johan Bergqvist, a singer/songwriter who I've talked about a little before. He's played with bands like The Virtues and Peter, Björn, and John and will have a three-song release out in May. Next is the hard rock act Hell n’ Diesel. The EP "Asphalt Supreme" came out last June and their new single will be recorded in April, in stores by May. Both new releases will be accompanied by videos.

Amorphis side-project Verenpisara have completed work on their second album "Happosadetta" ('acid rain'). Look for it May 15 on BMG.

After some time off and membership changes, Leiah is once again preparing to hit the road and tour Europe. Joakim can't make it because of new job obligations, but they think they've found a suitable replacement in Martin aka the "wiz kid" and "the unholy driver." The dates so far:

03/21 - Haldensleben Germany, JFZz "der club"
03/22 - München Germany, Kafe Kult
03/23 - Innsbruck Austria, Workstation
03/24 - Off
03/25 - Budapest Hungaria, Red Hole
03/26 - Cakovec Croatia, TBA
03/27 - Koprivnica Croatia, Kuglana 2
03/28 - Italy, TBA
03/29 - Pescara Italy, TBA
03/30 - Italy, TBA
03/31 - Ferrara Italy, TBA
04/01 - Italy, genova, TBA
04/02 - Toulouse France, Caravan Serail
04/03 - Torrelavega Spain, Ave Turuta
04/04 - Madrid Spain, madrid, Ene Ba
04/05 - Castellon Spain, Ricamor
04/06 - Castellon Spain, Kevin's House, exclusive show
04/07 - St. Feliu Spain, Atzavara Club
04/08 - Off
04/09 - Gent Belgium, Gent, Frontline
04/10 - Leuven Belgium, Leuven, Sojo
04/11 - Athus Belgium, Athus, Le Marignan
04/12 - Recklinghausen Germany, südpol
04/13 - Hamburg Germany hamburg, molotov
04/14 - Off
04/15 - Schwalmstadt Germany , Die Bar
04/16 - Münster Germany, Gleis 22
04/17 - Hohenmölsen Germany, Alte Musikschule
04/18 - Frankfurt/main Germany, Exzess
04/19 - Nürtingen Germany, Kuckucksei
04/20 - Schweinfurt Germany, Stadt Bahnhof
04/21 - Prague Czech, 007
04/22 - Berlin Germany, Kato
04/23 - Dresden Germany, Nubeatz

Supersilent has announced a few new festival dates including the Spot 09 festival in Århus, Denmark on May 30 and Øyafestivalen in Oslo on August 9. A full list of scheduled appearances is here.

The New Mess will touring Europe this June. The (very) tentative dates:

06/06 - Hanau (D) Schweinehalle
06/07 - TBA
06/08 - TBA
06/09 - TBA
06/10 - TBA
06/11 - Dresden (D) AZ Conni w/Off Minor
06/12 - Leipzig (D) Zoro w/Off Minor
06/13 - Cottbus (D) Chekov
06/14 - Berlin (D) Ausland

For more info about that new David & the Citizens EP I talked about yesterday, go to the band's website. They've put up full descriptions of what to expect from each song along with the recording information.

Ludwig from The (International) Noise Conspiracy will be filling on drums for The Soundtrack of Our Lives on the US tour in April. The dates:

4/2 - Minneapolis MN, 400 Bar
4/3 - Lawrence KS, Bottleneck
4/5 - Denver CO, Bluebird
4/6 - Salt Lake City UT, Zephyr
4/8 - San Francisco CA, Bimbo's 365 Club
4/10 - Seattle WA, Graceland
4/11 - Vancouver, Commodore Ballroom
4/13 - Whistler, Whistler Mountain Base

In other t(I)NC related news, Dennis has finished up work on the new Lost Patrol album and will be taking it to stage at the upcoming Umeå Open on March 28. Backing him will be members of Randy, Refused, Isolation Years and The Perishers.

In Flames had to cancel their show tonight in Cleveland with Mudvayne because their bus broke down "in the middle of nowhere." However, they promise to make up for it on their just-announced upcoming US headlining tour. Dates so far:

4/02 - Fayetteville AR, JR's Dickson St. Theatre
4/03 - Houston TX, Fitzgeralds
4/04 - Dallas TX, The Galaxy Club

From Rolling Stone concerning this year's SXSW fest:

Best Swedish Band: The Soundtrack of Our Lives beat Citizen Bird [Silverbullit] here in 2002, but this year it was all about the ladies. We give the nod to Maria Andersson and her hard-rockin' Sahara Hotnights over Maja Ivarsson and the New Wave sounds of the Sounds. The Hives' Howlin' Pelle Almqvist concurs -- he's dating Maria.

The Sounds have confirmed the dates for a Swedish tour in April that will coincide with the release of the new single "Rock'n'Roll". The dates:

4/19 - Helsingborg, The Tivoli
4/20 - Malmö, KB
4/23 - Stockholm, Klubben
4/24 - Göteborg, Trädgårn
4/25 - Sälen, Högfjällshotellet
4/26 - Jönköping, Parken

Håkan Hellström, The Sounds, Mando Diao, Meshuggah, Melody Club, and Loop Troop have been confirmed for the upcoming Arvika fest to take place July 10-12. Other international acts confirmed include Björk, Front 242, and Chicks on Speed.

Nü-metallers Blindside have been forced to cancel a number of dates on their upcoming European tour. Those affected:

3/28 - Wolverhampton, Little Civic
3/29 - Glasgow, Cathouse
3/30 - Manchester, Roadhouse
3/31 - London, Underworld
4/2 - Berlin, Magnet
4/3 - Cologne, Prime Club
4/5 - Hamburg, MarX
4/6 - Munich, Orangehouse

The Crown has set "Possessed 13" as the title of their upcoming album, due in September on Metal Blade Records.

It has been announced that Finntroll/Impaled Nazarene guitarist Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta's death on Sunday was the result of an alcohol-related fall. Again, my condolences to his friends and family.

Picked up the guys from KVLR at the airport yesterday. They're a little jet-lagged, but otherwise very excited to head out on tour. Should be a lot of fun! The 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/Mercy Mile, The Yellow Press
3/9 - SF, CA - Club Galia w/Low Rise, Century Schoolbook, Fuck the Hope You Gave Me (ex-Fury 66, Audiocrush, Yaphet Kotto), Science of Yabra
3/10 - Huntington Beach, CA - Liquid Den w/, Taint
3/11 - Phoenix, AZ - Red Room
3/12 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge
3/13 - Austin, TX - Momo's TFT/Better Looking Records Showcase w/Mark Gardner of Ride, Jealous Sound + more
3/14 - Flagstaff, AZ - Soul Kitchen
3/15 - Sacramento, CA - 1020 J w/Sputterdoll, No Avail

One of my favorite bands, Katatonia, is heading out across Europe with some help from Finntroll. The dates:

4/16 - Nachtleben/Batschkapp, Frankfurt, Germany
4/17 - Kiff, Aarau, Switzerland.
4/18 - Terminal Export, Nancy, France
4/19 - Dioxin, Schindellegi/Schwyz,Switzerland
4/20 - Midian Club, Vicenza, Italy
4/21 - Alpheus, Rome, Italy
4/22 - Transilvania Live, Milan, Italy
4/24 - Crockmore, Perpignan, France.
4/25 - K.G.B., Barcelona, Spain
4/26 - Caracol, Madrid, Spain
4/27 - SWR VI, Barroselas, Portugal
4/29 - Republicca II, Valencia, Spain
4/30 - West Rock, Cognac, France
5/01 - Rail Theatre, Lyon, France
5/02 - Splendid, Lille, France.

Some more dates have been announced for the upcoming In Flames/Mudvayne US tour. Here's the current itinerary:

3/08 - Pittsburgh, PA - Metropol
3/10 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre
3/11 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights
3/12 - Pittston, PA - The Staircase
3/14 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
3/15 - Orlando/ Lake Buena Vista (FL) - House Of Blues
3/17 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
3/18 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave / Eagles Ballroom
3/19 - Cleveland, OH - Odeon Concert Club
3/21 - Grand Rapids, MI - Orbit Room
3/22 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Egyptian Room
3/23 - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
3/25 - Kansas City, MO - Beaumont Club
3/26 - Oklahoma City, OK - Coca Cola Bricktown Event Center
3/28 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Amphitheatre
3/29 - San Antonio, TX - Sunset Station
3/30 - McAllen, TX - Villa Real Conv. Ctr.

Finland's The Rasmus are doing a short Swedish tour in support of their new album "Dead Letters" which comes out March 21. The dates:

4/9 - Stockholm, Klubben
4/10 - Göteborg, Valand
4/11 - Köpenhamn, Lilla Vega
4/12 - Helsingborg, The Tivoli

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Emil Sigfridsson - Tillbaka till igår
02. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
03. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
04. The Refreshments - On the rocks
05. The Sounds - Living in America
06. Barbados - Rewind
07. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
08. Kikki Bettan Lotta - Live från Rondo
09. v/a - Fame Factory volym 3 final 2002
10. The Knife - Deep Cuts
11. Melody Club - Music machine
12. Thomas Rusiak - In the sun
13. The Radio Dept. - Lesser matters
14. A Teens - New arrival
15. Magnus Uggla - Klassiska mästerverk
16. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
17. Slaptones - Simplify
18. Björn Skifs - Ingen annan
19. The Haunted - One kill wonder
20. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det

Listen to the new Isolation Years single "Open Your Eyes". Very different from their first record, but still quite good. Can't wait to hear the full album!

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(11) Coldplay "Clocks"
(13) Laakso "Long Beach"
(15) The Dysfunctionals "Payback Time"
(16) Pearl Jam "Love Boat Captain"
(17) Ed Harcourt "All Of Your Days Will Be Blessed"
(18) Caesars Palace "Candy Cane"
(19) Ben Harper "With My Own Two Hands"
(20) Erlend Öje "Sudden Rush"

It's been quite some time since I heard anything about them, but Bad Cash Quartet has now been confirmed for Popaganda fest at Universitetsområdet in Stockholm to take place May 29-31. Other bands confirmed for the fest include The Embassy, Florence Valentin, Crystal Committee, The Junior, The Concretes and Buck.

Melody Club is setting their sites on Germany. Their album will get a release there on May 5 to be followed by a tour:

5/14 - Hamburg (D) Molotow
5/15 - Düsseldorf (D) Unique
5/16 - Weinheim (D) Cafe Central
5/17 - Berlin (D) Bastard
5/18 - Kassel (D) K19
5/19 - Frankfurt (D) Cookys
5/20 - Dresden (D) Downtown
5/21 - München (D) Atomic Cafe

Nine's new album has been pushed back to a August/September release, but Jacob Bannon (Converge) has signed on to do the artwork.

On March 28 The Knife will release the third single from their latest album "Deep Cuts". The track is called "You Take My Breath Away" and it featured guest vocals from Jenny Wilson. The b-sides will be two remixes by Emmon and Puppetmasters. A video is also on the way from Puppetmasters member Henry Moore Selder.

Division of Laura Lee will have a CD of their old material reissued in the US this spring from Lovitt Records. It's gonna be called "97-99" and Chad Clark at Inner Ear did the mastering. In the meantime, you can download a preview mp3 on this page.

Remember that item I posted about The Haunted being upset with their label Earache? Well, it seems that singer Marco Aro is calling that whole interview "total bullshit". Read more. (from Blabbermouth)

Katatonia has put up a third and final sample from their forthcoming album on their website. This one's called "Ghost of the Sun". I managed to track down a copy of the three-song promo they released and can report that it definitely sounds good. I'm excited to hear the full-length when it finally comes out on March 24.

The new video for HIM's "Funeral of Hearts" premieres February 28 on Viva, Viva Plus and MTV Central. TV4 in Finland will debut it March 4 on 4POP along with a 'Making of the Video' program.

Listen to P3 between 8 and 9pm on March 4 to hear The Sonnets perform a few live acoustic tracks and do an interview.

Promopop will be holding a showcase event at Lava/Kulturhuset in Stockholm on April 26. The bands scheduled to perform: Wendy, By Heart, The Alpine (DK), Planet Superfly, The Leeches, and Paris.

a-ha has announced the title of their new double live album will be "How Can I Sleep With Your Voice in My Head". It doesn't come out until March 24, but you can listen to preview snippets here. The tracklist:

CD1
Forever Not Yours
Minor Earth Major Sky
Manhattan Skyline
I’ve Been Losing You
Crying In The Rain
The Sun Always Shines On TV
Did Anyone Approach You?
Swing Of Things
Lifelines
Stay On These Roads
Hunting High And Low
Take On Me
Living Daylights
Summer Moved On

CD2
Scoundrel Days
Oranges On Appletrees
Cry Wolf
Dragonfly
Time and Again
Sycamore Leaves
Video track: tour diary

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Emil Sigfridsson - Tillbaka till igår
02. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
03. The Sounds - Living in America
04. Barbados - Rewind
05. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
06. Kikki Bettan Lotta - Live från Rondo
07. v/a - Fame Factory volym 3 final 2002
08. Thomas Rusiak - In the sun
09. A Teens - New arrival
10. Melody Club - Music machine
11. The Knife - Deep Cuts
12. Slaptones - Simplify
13. Magnus Uggla - Klassiska mästerverk
14. The Haunted - One kill wonder
15. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
16. Helen Sjöholm - Visor
17. Björn Skifs - Ingen annan
18. Nicke & Nilla - Pannkakor med sylt
19. Johannes Kotschy - And that's why I love you
20. Eric Gadd - Life support

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(09) The Cardigans "For What It's Worth"
(13) Fireside "Throw It Away"
(16) Mull Historical Society "The Final Arrears"
(17) Reef "Give Me Your Love"
(19) Eminem "Sing For The Moment"
(20) Her Majesty "I'm Fire C'mon!"

"Sweden's most requested demoband" Florence Valentins will be putting out an EP on April 14 called "Allt Dom Bygger Upp Ska Vi Meja Ner". The band plans to play a number of festival gigs this summer, too.

Gloria has a new album called "People Like Me And You" coming out on March 24. The first single will be a cover of the Talking Heads song "This Must Be The Place".

After touring the US for four weeks together, Cato Salsa Experience and The Soundtrack of Our Lives will play together again - this time in Malmö on March 7 and Lund on the 8th.

Stratovarius has announced they will be filming their upcoming show in Milan, Italy for release on a future DVD. The band also says they will be performing a 'secret' show in their native Finland sometime before their next tour. Look for details to be announced on their webpage.

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