If you're curious about those Tiger Lou pics from the show on Sunday, be sure to scroll down to yesterday's postings.

Sorry that I didn't get around to posting reviews this weekend, but other things came up. Things are busy busy busy over here these days and the day is more than overwhelming. However, I did manage to catch Tiger Lou last night and took a couple mediocre pictures that I'll try to post later. The venue was a little out of the ordinary, but the show was great. It was a pleasure meeting Rasmus, too.

Electronic pop band Statemachine (if you didn't already know, lead singer Mårten's brother is Tiger Lou) will touring Germany in January with And One supporting the release of their most recent record ""Short and explosive" on SubSpace Communications. Dates:

01/16 - Alter Schlachthof, Dresden (GER)
01/17 - Stadthalle, Rostock (GER)
01/19 - Ringlokschuppen, Bielefeld (GER)
01/20 - Stahlwerk, Düsseldorf (GER)
01/21 - Markthalle, Hamburg (GER)
01/23 - Haus Auensee, Leipzig (GER)
01/24 - Factory, Magdeburg (GER)
01/25 - Spot, Erfurt (GER)
01/27 - Alabamahalle, München (GER)
01/28 - Capitol, Hannover (GER)
01/29 - KUZ, Mainz (GER)
01/30 - Columbiahalle, Berlin (GER)

Here's an article from the Richmond, VA Times-Dispatch giving preview to Tiger Lou's impending US solo tour which kicks off next week. As mentioned before, updated tourdates are available on tourmate Rachel Jacob's website.

Tiger Lou reports that he's finished recording his new album, to be named "Is My Head Still On". Ten brand new tracks that Rasmus says "sound like everything I've ever done and nothing like it at all. Go figure." He'll mix it when he returns from the upcoming US tour which begins next week. For up-to-date show details, go to tourmate Rachel Jacobs' website.

Go here to check out some live video footage of Tiger playing live with his band at Mono in Stockholm.

Tiger Lou's third installment in his 7" trilogy, "The Third Tiger From The Sun", has been sent to Black Star Foundation for release. There's no official shipping date yet, but I can confirm that it will contain three acoustic tracks and will be available in a limited run of 500 copies, all on white vinyl. In other news, Tiger reports he's completed six songs for his upcoming record which he says "have vague similarities to the recent "Trouble And Desire" EP," but is definitely not all mellow acoustic stuff.

Tiger Lou - assaulted by skinheads or just pics from the recent video shoot? You decide. And here's an updated US tour itinerary, too:

11/24 - Washington, DC @ American University Tavern
11/25 - Richmond, VA @ Betsy's Coffee Shop (Benefit for LadyFest Richmond)
11/26 - tba
11/27 - OFF
11/28 - Tallahassee, FL @ tba
11/29 - Gainesville, FL @ Wayward Council (tentative)
11/30 - Pensacola, FL @ End of the Line Café
12/01 - tba
12/02 - Austin, TX @ Monkeywrench Books
12/03 - tba
12/04 - Tucson, AZ @ Skrappy's
12/05 - San Diego, CA @ Che Café
12/06 - Thousand Oaks, CA @ House Show (mid-day matinee)
12/06 - Santa Barbara, CA @ House Show
12/07 - tba
12/08 - tba
12/09 - Portland, OR @ tba
12/10 - Seattle, WA @ tba
12/11 - Boise, ID @ tba
12/12 - Denver, CO @ tba
12/13 - Lawrence, KS @ tba
12/14 - Milwaukee, WI @ Pierce St. House
12/15 - Cleveland, OH @ University Show, tba
12/16 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Univ. of Pittsburgh
12/17 - tba
12/18 - tba
12/19 - Boston, MA @ House Show
12/20 - Easthampton, MA @ tba
12/21 - New Brunswick, NJ @ House Show
12/22 - tba

Tiger Lou will be filming a video for the song "Sam" on October 12, utilizing the same folk behind recent clips for Hell On Wheels, José Gonzalez, Bobby and more. No word on when it'll be ready, but I'll let you know.

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

01. Bo Kaspers orkester - Vilka tror vi att vi är
02. Per Gessle - Mazarin
03. Lasse Stefanz - Det här är bara början
04. Carola - Guld platina & passion - det bästa
05. User - User
06. Pauline - Candy rain
07. Fred Åkerström - Freds bästa
08. E.S.T. - Seven days of falling
09. Mustasch - Ratsafari
10. Bad Cash Quartet - Midnight prayer
11. Anna-Lotta Larson - Tidlöst
12. Lars Winnerbäck & Hovet - Söndermarken
13. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
14. Bubbles - Bless
15. ABBA - ABBA Gold - greatest hits
16. Robyn - Don't stop the music
17. Pugh Rogefeldt - Pughs bästa
18. Eagle-Eye Cherry - Sub rosa
19. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
20. Kent - Vapen & ammunition

Parasol is now the official US outpost for all things Startracks. That means Tiger Lou (US tour in November/December), Kristofer Åström, Christian Kjellvander, Starmarket, Moneybrother, The Lost Patrol, Fireside and more we be readily available for purchasing domestically come mid-October. Jim, why don't you tell me these things before posting about them on the Parasol blog?

Italy's Wain Records is releasing a new comp in late October called "Breathing the Static" that features quite a few Swedish bands. The tracklist:

01. Last Days of April - Angel youth
02. The Bigoz Quartet - Rita hayworth under a three
03. Face Tomorrow - Worth the wait
04. The Stereo - Tell your football dad no!
05. Seed'n'feed - Romeo & juliett
06. That Very Time I Saw - The wave not the stone
07. Leiah - Untitled
08. Hillside - Maladjusted and jaded
09. Hot Water Music - It's hard to know
10. On When Ready - Talk a lot
11. Amical - Procon
12. Lights at Amber - When it's gone
13. 7 Years - Every action, every word
14. Starmarket - Mexico summer
15. Estrich Boy - Saving the end of summer
16. Favez - Someday all this will be mine
17. The Miles Apart - Safer
18. Tiger Lou - When I was a kid
19. Buck - Tamara
20. Four Square - Mistreated
21. And the Winner Is - No horse, no gun, no wife... poor guy
22. Ariel Kill Him - Lepantra
23. Nitrojuice - 20 seconds alone
24. The Ordinary Me - Running in circles
25. Solea - Apotheke (live)

Tiger Lou reports that he's just about to enter the studio in Stockholm with engineer Rolf Klinth to start work on his debut full length album. He hopes to have it done before he leaves on tour for the US in late November. He also reports that he just got a flat-coat collie named Fille, after his late grandfather. Remember, positive reinforcement and regular outdoor visits make for quick housetraining. I've dealt with so many peeing foster puppies in the past year, it's not even funny. Ah, parenthood...

I posted the tracklist for the new Startracks comp way back on 06/24 but this message from label mainman Fredrik Holmgren is too good to pass up:

"Ok, I said for years it will never happen to me. Now I'm down at the level of Bad Taste and Burningheart...
I'm sorry, I am really!
The first label compilation ever is to hit the stores 24th of September. It had to be done and honestly I find it of healthy quality. It's priced as a single (even lower then Universal dared too go ! :) ). Here are the final set list, even a exlusive one with Mr. Åström. And yes it even by the bands on it looks like yet another Burningheart comp. Kids I found those artist, launched them some I even invented and then BHR cashed in. I'm for real kid!"

That tracklist again, to refresh your memory:

01. Fireside - Throw it away
02. Christian Kjellvander -Broken Wheels
03. Kristofer Åström & Hidden truck - One good moment
04. Tiger Lou - Nova Lee
05. Loosegoats - Days of black (nights are light)
06. Kristofer Åström - 8 long years (previously unreleased)
07. Songs of Soil - Page
08. The Lost Patrol - Stating the obvious
09. Revolvo - Moscow mule
10. Jaffa de Luxe - Don't forget about Raquel
11. Candysuck - Popcorn
12. Leiah - Cover Discover
13. Starmarket - Mexican summer
14. Moneybrother - Thunder in my heart
15. Buck - Rock dream
16. Monster - Don't answer the phone
17. Refused - Pump the brakes

Added a new mp3 today from up-and-coming singer/songwriter Tiger Lou. I think we'll be hearing a lot more from this guy coming up as he seems to keeping quite busy with putting out new records and touring a lot. And speaking of touring, don't forget that he's coming to the US in November for a big string of dates with Kadd Stevens aka Homage To Catalonia. The complete tour schedule:

08/30 - Herrgårn, Linköping
09/06 - Faulbaum Festival, Tantogården, Stockholm w/Fire Fox, etc.
09/11 - Kägelbanan, Stockholm w/Josh Rouse
09/12 - Pustervik, Göteborg w/Josh Rouse

US Tour:
11/24 - Washington, DC
11/25 - Richmond, VA
11/26 - Asheville, NC
11/27 - Summerville, SC
11/28 - Atlanta, GA
11/29 - Gainesville, FL
11/30 - Pensacola, FL
12/01 - Little Rock, AR
12/02 - Austin, TX
12/03 - El Paso, TX
12/04 - Tucson, AZ
12/05 - San Diego, CA
12/06 - Los Angeles/Ventura/Santa Barbara, CA
12/07 - San Francisco, CA
12/08 - Portland, OR
12/09 - Olympia, WA
12/10 - Seattle, WA
12/11 - Boise, ID
12/12 - Denver/Colorado Springs, CO
12/13 - Lawrence, KS
12/14 - Chicago, IL
12/15 - Toronto, CAN
12/16 - Ottawa, CAN
12/17 - Montreal, CAN
12/18 - Portland, ME/Burlington, VT
12/19 - Boston, MA
12/20 - Brooklyn, NY
12/21 - New Brunswick, NJ
12/22 - Philadelphia/Allentown, PA

Black Star Foundation reports that the Tiger Lou "Second Time Around" 7" is sold out and no repress will be made, however the label plans to release a CD compiling all of Tiger's previous vinyl output plus a few new songs sometime this autumn. There's also a new 7" in the works from him, too.

In other BSF news, the label has signed the new Umeå band Koma and will release their debut album "Tsunami" in November or December or something like that. The band features ex-members of bands such as Cult of Luna, Plastic Pride and Scared and sound kinda like the Deftones or Linkin Park to my ears. But don't take it from me - download some demo mp3s from here.

The Monstera booking agency is presenting a free festival called Summersmithy songs at Radermachersmedjorna in Eskilstuna, Sweden on August 22-23. Bands set to play include The Concretes, Cdoass, José Gonzáles, Le Mans, Tiger Lou, Jettie, The Legends, The Search, Kristina Carlsson, and Ellis the Vacuumchild. More info: etrea.tripod.com/intro.html