Strayfolk - Rushed farewells (video)

Something new from Göteborg-based country/folk act Strayfolk, long overdue indeed. Direct link: http://vimeo.com/22025709

Wailin' Henry - The water (video)

Wailin' Henry, the solo project of Henrik Thorén from Swedish roots act Strayfolk, has a new video for his song "The water": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlj-Vpj99tQ&fmt=18

Sirius playlist week #6

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Franke - Exil riktas inåt
02. TALK
03. Cut City - Ulyssian widow
04. Montt Mardié - Names not forgotten
05. Strayfolk - I thought I had it down
06. TALK
07. Halph - New money
08. Kaizers Orchestra - Kontroll på kontinentet
09. Wardruna - Kauna
10. TALK
11. Dieter Schöön - Mary Jane
12. Holiday For Strings - Two of you
13. Menfolk - One is all
14. Lama - Raha
15. TALK
16. Bitch Boys - Sighsten H.
17. Regina - Saanko jäädä yöksi
18. Entombed - Parasight
19. Gåte - Snåle mi jente
20. TALK
21. Dyno - Emotional

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Swedish alt-country act Strayfolk has a nice and simple new website: http://www.strayfolk.com/

The playlist for this week's radio show, an all-winter theme:

01. Ricochets - Cold outside
02. TALK 1
03. Shining - Winterreise
04. Britta Persson - Winter tour
05. Svenson - In the snow
06. Weeping Willows - Christmas in prison
07. TALK 2
08. The Tiny - No money (for X-mas)
09. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Blikktztunddonner
10. The Knife - Reindeer
11. TALK 3
12. Hello Saferide - iPod X-mas
13. January Jaunt - Stuck in glaziers
14. Darkthrone - Too old, too cold
15. TALK 4
16. Sällskapet - Nordlicht
17. E.S.T. - Strange place for snow
18. Sort Mel - Det grønne flesket
19. Notre Dame - A scrooge tale
20. TALK 5
21. Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck - Winter moment
22. Syster Lycklig - Bilden till snöstorm
23. The Book of Daniel - 3rd of December
24. TALK 6
25. Samuraj Cities - Cold feet
26. Amandine - Silver bells
27. Logcabin - View of frost
28. Silverbullit - Winter coat
29. TALK 7
30. In Flames - December flower
31. Viktor Sjöberg - On a winters day
32. The Bear Quartet - Blizzard
33. TALK 8
34. Brick - Gray day
35. Laakso - Merry Christmas
36. Strayfolk - Another year before the mast
37. TALK 9

Don't forget to vote for Sirius Blog Radio at the Plug Awards! Vote here: http://www.plugawards.com/general_vote.php
We are nominated under the category "Media (Obsessive) > Specialty Show Of The Year (Commercial Radio)".

This week's playlist for my show on Sirius:

01. Kristofer Åström - The dark
02. TALK 1
03. Amandine - Better soil
04. Christel Alsos - What you gotta do
05. Tarantula - Two arrows
06. TALK 2
07. Kristin Asbjørnsen - I'm on my way
08. Thomas Denver Jonsson - Dreams at the film club
09. Tenderloud - Texas down
10. TALK 3
11. Hyacinth House - Ghost town
12. Strayfolk - I'll be a-goin'
13. The First Miles - Bottle, don't let me down
14. TALK 4
15. Hello Saferide - I was definitely made for these times
16. Hederos & Hellberg - I can't hold myself in line
17. Two Times the Trauma - I fell in love with an ocean
18. David Sandström Overdrive - The Fatville Treaty
19. HGH - Stupid song
20. TALK 5
21. Gorgoroth - Procreating Satan
22. Enslaved - The voices
23. Invocator - Breed of sin
24. TALK 6
25. Seance - Post mortem
26. Watain - Underneath the cenotaph
27. Dark Tranquility - Icipher
28. TALK 7
29. Eucharist - The Eucharist
30. At the Gates - Slaughter of the soul
31. Wolfbrigade - EU (European Union)
32. TALK 8
33. Katatonia - Had to (leave)
34. Bloodbath - Soul evisceration
35. Cult of Luna - The revelation embodied
36. TALK 9
37. Finntroll - Slaget vid blodsälv

Strayfolk
s/t
self-released

There're currently more unoriginal alt.country artists from Scandinavia than tortillas in Mexico. Strayfolk, from Göteborg, is another one of these bands to put on the pile. Their self-released album from late last year is a very ordinary affair with slide guitars, lyrics about "been down every road that's around here" and being stuck in a small town, plus all the other ingredients that are meant to give you that feeling of driving on Highway 66 clad in blue jeans and a fleece shirt, sipping on a Bud. The problem is that even though I love country music very much and Strayfolk do country music pretty well, I wish they'd make it their own. It would be so much more interesting and personal if they'd been able to convey feelings about life in Göteborg, instead of drowning themselves in tired clichés, but somehow I doubt that this is what they've set as their goal or purpose.
- Simon Tagestam

MP3: Strayfolk - I thought I had it down

The two musical genres I find myself listening to the most are generally considered to be two of the most reviled: country and metal. I'm sure some of that is due to my steadfast, contrarian nature, but I make no apologies. I am what I am. If having Slayer loaded on my mp3 player and Strayfolk in the car stereo seems at odds, that's too bad. Good music is good music.
I've been covering a few things from the heavier end of the spectrum recently, so let's switch sides and talk country. Strayfolk is the kind of band you are amazed to discover is from Scandinavia - they're the kind of band I expect to run into at the local dive, playing an extended set for a group of indifferent drunks. There's a touch of The Pogues in their sound, but their roots are most definitely in classic Americana. Let me put it this way: if you enjoyed Bruce Springsteen's recent Pete Seeger tribute, you'll love this. It's rough and tumble at times but, as you'll hear on today's mp3, also capable of being laidback and gentle. It's those latter qualities that appeal to me most as I find them to be the most elusive. Anyone can play tough and act like a drunk, but tapping into the other, softer side of country proves to be far more difficult and is harder to fake. You can hear it in the way the performers lay behind the beat, in the coo of the steel guitar. Very well done.
Listen to more tracks from the band's website: www.strayfolk.com

Strayfolk - I thought I had it down