Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal has recorded a solo on the song "Asphyxiate" from Scarve's upcoming CD "Irradiant". The record comes out January 26 on Listenable Records and you can hear a sample of track "Mirthless Perspectives" right here.

The Great Deceiver will release their second album "Terra Incognito" next March throughthe UK's Peaceville Records. The band features vocalist Tomas Lindberg (ex-The Crown, At the Gates, currently with Lock Up, Disfear, etc.) and guitarist Kristian Wahlin (ex-Diabolique, Grotesque) recorded the new CD at Dug-Out studio in Uppsala, Sweden with producer Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, In Flames, etc.) and are currently working on a video for the track "Lake Of Sulphur" with director Patric Ulleaus (Dimmu Borgir, Ace of Base, Transport League). And lastly, as mentioned here before, the band will be heading out on the road with wannabe Swedish metallers Darkest Hour. Dates:

11/03 - Skylten, Linköping (SWE)
11/04 - Kafe 44, Stockholm (SWE)
11/05 - Meeths Unga Salonger, Gothenburg (SWE)
11/06 - Wehrschloss, Bremen (GER)
11/07 - Thannignton Community Centre, Canterbury (UK)
11/08 - Doctor Drakes, Aberdeen (UK)
11/09 - Basement, Leeds (UK)
11/10 - The Star And Garter, Manchester (UK)
11/11 - Flapper and Firkin, Birmingham (UK)
11/12 - TJ's, Newport (UK)
11/13 - Underworld, London (UK)

Trapdoor Fucking Exit has added Tomas on guitar and occasional keys. He's the same guy who played bass on the band's first tour and is sometimes referred to as their 'secret fifth member'. Well, it's a secret no longer. He might also be recognized as the live sound guy for bands such as Hellacopters, Randy or Meshuggah. In other news, the band will be entering the studio soon to record a couple new things including some material for a 7" on Busted Heads for later this year and a cover of The Minutemen's "This Ain't No Picnic" for a tribute comp due out someday on No Idea. They also say that they'll be coming over to the UK again soon, but there's no details available yet. And lastly, check out this mp3 of them playing "Skatterna Faller" live with the "Swedish version of Sid Vicious", DS-13's 138 on guest vocals.

Meshuggah will be releasing a new EP on Fractured Transmitter Records, the label of Mushroomhead frontman Jason Mann. The disc will contain one 20-minute song and claims that it will ""bring the world of extreme music to its knees." Um, yeah. This isn't the first time that people from Meshuggah have messed around with extended song lengths - some of you might remember guitarist Fredrik Thordendal's solo album "Sol Niger Within" which was one long piece broken into 28 sections.

Meshuggah vocalist Jens Kidman reportedly makes a guest appearance on the track "The Dream Is Over" from Mushroomheads's forthcoming album "XIII". It comes out on October 14 from Universal Records.

Meshuggah checks in to report that they've starting writing for the new record, but have been forced to keep a low profile this past summer due to drummer Tomas's wrist problems. If you remember, they had to cancel a few festival gigs because of it. In other news, Tomas and guitarist Fredrik are up in Umeå working on recording "Drumkit From Hell II", a drum sample CD. It's due out early next year and you can read more about it here.

Darkane recently put together a video for the track "Chaos vs Order" from 2002's album "Expanding Senses" using live footage gathered from their Swedish tour with Meshuggah along with shows in France and at the Sweden Rock and German Rock Hard fests. No word on where you'll be able to view the clip in the near future, but it was just sent to their label, Nuclear Blast, for distribution.

Red Harvest is taking over Meshuggah's vacated slot at Norway's Quart Festival on July 5.

Meshuggah has cancelled their scheduled appearances at the Quart and Arvika festivals because "Mårten [Hagström, guitar] is sick and Tomas [Haake, drums] still needs to rest to be fully healed." More details when I get them.

Meshuggah has finished up their contractual obligations with Nuclear Blast, according to this lengthy interview with KNAC.com and are currently weighing their options for the future. "We’ve got like three or four offers right now, one of which is from Nuclear Blast, because they want to keep us. We’re thinking that we’ll do this tour, go home, and then we’ll sit down and negotiate. There’s really no rush. We’ve got a couple of festivals this summer, we’re going to start writing new material, perhaps do a European tour. But slowly, we’re trying to figure out where we want to go," says guitarist Mårten Hagström. They are also thinking about making their next release a live record. "Nuclear Blast might do it because they already have our back catalogues and they might want to wait a little bit for a new album," Hagström continues, "But if we sign with a new label, they’re not going to want to put out a live album first. It also goes back to us being picky; we have to have a certain venue and set of eight or more nights to cut from, that we know are going to be good venues that will sound good for the recording. Live CDs can be perfect, if the sound is right, but personally, I think 80% of live CDs suck. I mean, I suppose it’s a good thing for die-hard fans to have." Read more.

Another treat from the folks at Chalksounds today - this time we've got a live video from that Carpet People record release show. The song is called "Girl Without a Skin" and you can view it here.

In related news, Carpet People are also heading out on their very first tour in four years! The dates:

05/16 - Umeå, Kamenski w/Perishers
05/17 - Sandviken, Kungen w/EP's trailer park
05/18 - Stockholm, Kafe 44 w/Chloe
05/30 - Popaganda Festivalen

Happy Tom of Turbonegro posted a pretty funny indictment of the Norweigan press over at www.scandinavianleather.com today.

JR Ewing has posted some video footage of them playing the Ieper Festival in 2002.

David & the Citizens just put a new photo gallery up on their website.

Spiritual Beggars recently did a session for the BBC's Radio One 'Friday Rock Show' and recorded the tracks "Beneath The Skin", "Young Man, Old Soul", "Mantra" and "Not Fragile" (Bachman Turner Overdrive cover) for a possible future release. Read more.

Sweden's The Leslies has announced an upcoming split EP with Paper Moon of Canada. It's actually one of many new releases planned by Endearing Records for their 'International Pop Exchange' series that will pair two bands from different countries for each split.

Erlend Øye, Randy, Meshuggah, Looptroop, Cult of Luna and Immortal have all been confirmed for this year's Quart fest on July 5.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives have announced a couple new gigs around Sweden this summer:

06/06 - Gothenburg, Ostindienfararen
07/31-08/03 - Storsjöyran, Östersund
08/08 - Hamnfesten, Luleå
08/26 - Slussens pensionat, Gothenburg

Aftonbladet has posted Mando Diao's new video for the song "Sheepdog". You can also view some web-TV interviews with The Rasmus over at there, too. (in Swedish)

P3 reports that Per Gessles will be releasing his new solo album "Mazarin" this summer on June 16. The first single will be "Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång)".

Monastir is heading out on the road beginning in May:

05/01 - Göteborg
05/02 - Hässleholm
05/03 - Lidköping
05/17 - Gävle
06/06 - Uppsala
07/17 - Trästock, Skellefteå
07/18 - Rockawaybeach, Norberg
08/1-2 - Augustibuller, Lindesberg

This week's NME had this to say about Wired for Mono's show at Brixton Windmill:

...Wired For Mono are dirty drone rock boys in disguise and "A Harbour An Anchor" is the loudest thing NME has heard in a dog's age. The sheer volume is comparable to the avant-garde Noo York art attack of early Sonic Youth, while "Colin's Dream" is a disorientating Byrds-type psychedelic-raga freak-out. As brilliant debut single "Travel In Turns" gets twisted from an alt.country groover into a pilled-up Rolling Stones space drone, the vigilant audience takes careful steps backwards: it’s an apocalyptic soundclash between the Charlatans-type canyon-rock and the audio-roar of a 747 taking off. Amazing stuff."

They are playing May 1 at Helldorado in Nyköping with Caesars Palace. Check out a poster for the show here.

I've got a busy workday ahead of me, so updates may tend to be a bit slow. Bear with me. And lots of new links coming soon, too.

UPDATE: I'm finally done for the day and the links page has a ton of new sites on it. Enjoy!

Here's some pics from day one of the Umeå Open. Thanks Magnus!

The Cardigans have been confirmed for the Glastonbury festival which takes place on June 27. More info here.

Interested in the new Nasum album? The band has put up a full preview page with the album cover, tracklist and some samples. Check it out.

Thirdimension has added two of their videos to their site. Go to the 'Pleasure' section to check 'em out. The band admits they're kinda old and maybe not "not among our top ten-list of videos", but they say "the latter one ["Yes Equals No"] is quite cool." Works for me.

Get a preview of the new Moonbabies song "Fieldtrip USA". Like I said yesterday, Chalksounds is putting out some great pop records soon and the upcoming album "The Orange Billboard" is no exception. Good stuff.

On April 1, Burning Heart records will unleash the new Turbonegro site www.scandinavianleather.com where they say you'll find "mp3's, tourdates, bio, photos, video, competitions, e-cards and games." As much as I dig some of their old stuff and respect the band, I find the new album to be a bit too polished and boring. Eh, on the other hand, it's still better than most of the dreck out there I suppose. Those of who just discovering the band, buy one of the recent reissues - that's where it's at.

The nominees for the Swedish Hip Hop Awards have been announced. Check it.

Norwegian/Senegalese kora master Solo Cissokho won the BBC World Music Award for his album "Tretakt Takissaba" which was recorded together with Swedish fiddler Ellika Frisell. Cissokho has worked for many years on his goal of fusing "African griot-tradition with traditional Norwegian folk music," as stated by MIC Norway. For those that are unaware (as I was), the kora (or cora) is a Senegalese string instrument. Read more about it here.

More from MIC Norway:

Despite strong presence of Norwegian artists on the national Top 40 album charts, the sales trend is negative. The February figures from the Association of Norwegian Record Distributors indicate a 21% decline in sales of Norwegian records compared to 2002. Despite this, the mood on the Norwegian music scene is still very positive.

Read more.

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

01. v/a - Melodifestivalen 2003
02. v/a - Fame Factory volym 4
03. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
04. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
05. The Refreshments - On the rocks
06. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
07. Fernandoz - Vem får din kärlek i natt
08. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
09. Wilmer X - Lyckliga hundar
10. Evergrey - Recreation day
11. Emil Sigfridsson - Tillbaka till igår
12. The Sounds - Living in America
13. Kikki Bettan Lotta - Live från Rondo
14. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
15. Anders Widmark featuring Sara Isaksson - s/t
16. Kajsa Grytt - Är vi på väg hem?
17. Rikard Wolff - Du får mig (om jag får dig)
18. The Knife - Deep Cuts
19. Ted Gärdestad - Droppar av solregn
20. Isolation Years - It's golden

The Hives have been added to the bill of the V Festival which takes place August 16-17 at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and Weston Park in Staffordshire. Apparently it will be their only UK appearance this year. Other bands confirmed for this fest include Echo And The Bunnymen, Coldplay and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Tickets are available at www.wayahead.com.

The Concretes will finally be releasing their self-titled album on May 1. The lead single "You Can´t Hurry Love" is already out. The band is also opening for Ed Harcourt on the following dates (sorry, no venue information):

3/31 - Stockholm
4/2 - Göteborg
4/3 - Malmö

The mighty Hellacopters are coming over to the UK in April to do some shows and a live session with John Peel. Pretty cool, eh? Now if they'd come back to America. SUpport will come from The Peepshows. Anyhow, the dates:

4/7 - London Scala
4/8 - Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
4/9 - Live on John Peel, Radio 1
4/10 - Birmingham Academy 2
4/11 - Camber Sands Weekender
4/12 - Dublin Temple Bar
4/13 - Manchester Academy 3
4/14 - Leeds Cockpit
4/15 - Bristol Fleece & Firkin
4/16 - Brighton Concorde 2
And in Europe, too:
4/17 - Nijmegen (NL), Doornrossje
4/18 - Zwolle (NL), Hedo
4/19 - Kassel (D), Spot
4/20 - Erfurt (D), Spot
4/21 - Bremen (D), Schlachthof

Meshuggah has finally got confirmed dates for their upcoming US tour with Strapping Young Lad:

4/25 - Graceland - Seattle, WA
4/26 - Roseland - Portland, OR
4/27 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
4/29 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
4/30 - The Edge - Palo Alto, CA
5/01 - The Palace - Los Angeles, CA
5/02 - The Scene - San Diego, CA
5/03 - Galaxy Theater - Santa Ana, CA
5/04 - Marquee Theater - Phoenix, AZ
5/06 - Stubb's B-B-Q - Austin, TX
5/07 - White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
5/08 - Canyon Club - Dallas, TX
5/09 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
5/10 - The Other Side - Tulsa, OK
5/11 - Headliner's - Louisville, KY
5/12 - Clutch Cargo's - Pontiac, MI
5/13 - The Metro - Chicago, IL
5/14 - Quest Club - Minneapolis, MN
5/15 - The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
5/16 - Peabody's Down Under - Cleveland, OH
5/17 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA - New England Metal & Hardcore Fest
5/18 - Birch Hill - Old Bridge, NJ
5/19 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA w/Hate Eternal
5/20 - The Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
5/21 - Village Underground - New York, NY
5/22 - North Six - Brooklyn, NY
5/23 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
5/25 - Les Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, QUE
5/26 - Club Rocket - Toronto, ONT

Swedish dis-core band Skitsystem are finally heading out on their first European tour. For those that don't know, the band is fronted by ex-At the Gates/The Crown, current Great Deceiver singer Tomas Lindberg. He plays guitar in this band, too. Fellow crusties Victims are opening. The dates:

4/21 – Hamburg, GER - Rote flora
4/22 – Potsdam, GER - Archiv
4/23 – Mülheim, GER - AZ
4/24 – Bielefeld, GER - AJZ
4/25 – Stuttgart, GER @ TBA
4/26 – Amsterdam, NETH - Villa Friekens

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.

The mail form on the contact page managed to get broken for some reason, but I fixed it. Sorry about that.

Want some more info about the various bands playing the upcoming ExMS Swedish Showcase gigs? Read this.

Nasum has booked a number of Finnish dates with Rotten Sound. Check it:

4/23 - Helsinki @ Nosturi
4/24 - Jyväskylä @ Lutakko
4/25 - Turku @ Säätämö
4/26 - Tampere @ Klubi

Going to see Nicolai Dunger open for Calexico in SF tomorrow. I'm pretty excited as it'll be my first time seeing him play. He's also got some new European dates lined up:

3/22 - Växjö, Momento - fiket/baren på muséet
3/28 - Rotterdam, Dutch Motel Mozaique Festival
4/01 - Köln, Gebäude 9
4/02 - München, Orange house
4/03 - Berlin, Knaack

Word has it that Union Carbide Productions will not be releasing a new single to coincide with their upcoming reunion at Hultsfred Fest as originally thought. Instead, they'll have a free single with a track from the first album "In The Air Tonight" along with an unreleased b-side. I guess the label doesn't want to try to sell an old song - can't blame 'em. So yeah, if you want the single, you gotta go to the fest.

Isolation Years got a couple upcoming gigs lined up:

3/5 - (S) Stockholm - Munchenbryggeriet w/Flaming Lips
5/8 - (D) Berlin - Knaack
5/15 - (CH) Bern - ISC Club
8/7 - (CH) Pully/Lausanne - For Noise Festival
8/9 - (D) Haldern - Open Air

In other Isolation Years news, Triggerfish.de recently did a phone interview with Jacob. Listen here. So much broken English! Anyhow, they talk a lot about the new record and it's a good listen.

After finally completing their new album, Logh will be heading out on the road across Europe starting March 20. They're a great band, so be sure to check em out. The dates:

3/20 - GER Hamburg, Prinzenbar (Docks)
3/21 - GER Berlin, Magnet
3/22 - GER Dresden, Starclub
3/23 - GER Köln, Gebaedue 9
3/26 - FRA Nantes, La route du rhum
3/29 - ESP Madrid, Sala Moby Dick
3/3 - CH Luzern, BOA
4/4 - ITA Pinarella di Cervia, Rockplanet
4/7 - A Wien, Szene Wien
4/8 - GER Munich, Orange House
4/9 - GER Wiesbaden, Schlachthof
4/10 - GER Heidelberg, Schwimbad Musik Club
4/14 - UK London, 93ft East
4/15 - UK London, Club Fandango @ Dublin Castle

Looks like there's even more to-do over that Haunted vs. Earache Records flap! Timo Isoaho of Kaista who did the original interview in Finnish has posted mp3s of the conversation proving that the report was indeed NOT a fabrication. Listen for yourself! (from Blabbermouth)

mp3 #1: Includes Marco's (The Haunted's frontman) claim Earache told the band they sold only 1,000 CDs in the U.S.

mp3 #2: Marco on the subject of "Entombed vs. Earache"

mp3 #3: Marco talks about The Haunted having inherited At the Gates' old contract.

mp3 #4: Marco talks about the "Caught On Tape" DVD

Like I said before, complaints against Earache's business dealings are nothing new. I think it's a shame Marco isn't standing behind his words, especially since he was recorded.

Darkane will be supporting Meshuggah on their upcoming Scandinavian tour. The dates:

3/17 - Stockholm, SWE @ Göta Källare
3/18 - Malmö, SWE @ Kulturbolaget
3/19 - Göteborg, SWE @ Sticky Fingers
3/20 - Oslo, NOR @ Betong
3/21 - Gävle, SWE @ Nivå
3/22 - Örebro, SWE @ Contan
3/27 - Helsinki, FIN @ Nosturi
3/29 - Umeå, SWE @ Umeå Open/Äpplet

You snooze, you lose. Kent's upcoming show at Stockholm Stadium on June 6 is sold out. All 32,500 tickets are gone.

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