Tag: Gbg
As regular readers know, Saturdays in 2008 are devoted to the music of Göteborg. This week's guest: Max Hansson from Cut City/White Knives.
How long have you lived in Gbg? What brought you there and what keeps you hanging around?
During a drunken haze back in the year 2000 while stuck in my hometown, I threw a dart at a world map and figured that chance could have its way with me. Though aiming for internationally consensus-proven cool cities like New York, Berlin and Paris, I fell short and took the bus up to Gothenburg and started delivering mail with a disgruntled grin. In my bags I had a band lacking any basic nuance of ambition along with an appetite for spending more time on stage than off. It was an unhealthy equation, but by ditching (read: being ditched by) some of the members, I started Cut City with David Hagberg and it led me to fulfill some modest goals of mine. That was six years ago and though many of the people I know have since left town, I stay put. I'm too old to move and my wonderful girlfriend makes life tolerable here. Gothenburg can be quite abysmal at times, mostly during the fall, winter, spring and the majority of summer. There are things here that makes it worth living though: Koloni put on a whole lot of wonderful shows and pushes a healthy experimental climate; Release The Bats put out some amazing music as does Ideal Recordings. Without them, Gothenburg would have you jump for the Xanax bottle.
How do you deal with bandmates living in Malmö? Don't you know they barely speak Swedish down there? What's keeping you from ditching David and getting someone local? Or why don't you sell out Gbg and move south?
Rehearsing less than once a month is what we do and it's how we define work ethic. I've got a small studio (a grand euphemism for old computer) set up in a tiny walk-in closet and that's what keeps me sane. I'm from the south myself so the language barrier is easily broken down. I can't move to the south because I'm banned there and we can't give David the boot because he's a machine and we all know that machines will take over the world and we really, really want someone to be on our side when that day comes. To be honest, Sweden's such a small country that you run into friends pretty much without effort.
Do you feel any connection to the Swedish post-punk scene of yore or do you draw inspiration from elsewhere? Do you ever consider your city's musical heritage at all? Do you think there's any such thing as a Gbg sound?
I merely play the music I do because I lack the musical prowess to play metal. And that's the honest truth. When you read this I'm either at the Iron Maiden concert with 60,000 other heshers or discussing the grandeur of a mummified Eddie with everyone who failed to get a ticket. Post-punk is too broad of a term to stylistically distinguish band A from band B. But I do know what you mean my dear friend. I'll tell you this: my favorite guitarists among many are Roger Mcguinn, Richard Lloyd and Robert Quine - the triple R - and they inspire me in many ways. Trying to copy them while lacking the talent I make my style my own (oh, the hubris).
I moved here being totally oblivious to what this city had spawned band-wise and I knew next to nothing about what it had to offer with the exception of its metal scene and its very distinct Gbg sound. I would say I feel a whole lot more affiliated with the city now after befriending many of its contemporary musicians. I feel a kinship with the likes of Alarma Man, Silverbullit, Dieter Schöön and a slew of other bands that know better than to sing off-key.
How does the city inspire you? How does it stifle you? How do you think people could make it better?
I like to take long, long walks from one end of the city to the other and see how it transforms from big anxiety-provoking concrete blocks to huge beach mansions soon-to-be engulfed by the sea; from rich ghettos to poor ghettos. I like watching people hitting the bars on Avenyn; I like watching the young kids clubbing; I like seeing the contempt erupting from both sides of the coin. This city could mean everything to me and at the same time nothing. I can't say I could tell if it makes me or breaks me. I think people could make it better if they drank more. Juice.
Going to Way Out West this year? Anything in particular that you're looking forward to? Or dreading?
Yes. Deleted Art has two bands playing there this year: The Mae Shi and No Age. I'm amped up and ready to surf the crowd. Then there's Sonic Youth of course, as well as The National and they're both bands I love. Had only Journey been there playing the entire "Escape" album with Steve Perry holding the mic instead of some poor replaceable cover band member, I would literally be bawling. That's not going to happen though, so I might as well just sit back home watching "Frontiers and Beyond" or "Live in Houston". Dreading? I don't want to run my mouth off and take a piss on bands that probably deserves it because that would be rude and I'm not a rude person (Mando Diao). I dread queuing to the unsanitary toilets, shit and piss on the floors.
Lastly, got a song to share? Either from one of your own bands or another, it's all good. Tell me about it!
I don't know if copyright laws prohibits you from sharing "Bastards of young" by The Replacements with your frequent visitors. I would love for you to have that up there instead of being elaborate and unscrupulous enough to exploit this offer and have people listening to my own band. I know the answer to this and will offer you the second best thing to the Mats themselves: "Replacement". It's our own ode to Westerberg et al and a deliberate attempt at stealing the best things in music history.
Thanks!
No, thank you! Still they ride, on wheels of fire. They rule the night. Still they ride, the strong will survive. Chasing thunder.
Cut City - Replacement
Saturdays in 2008 are devoted to the music of Göteborg. This week's guest: Patrik Bengtsson from The Kid. The band's new album "Transient blood" is out now on Hybris.
First off, the standard question: how long have you lived in Gbg, what brought you there and what keeps you around?
Johan is born here and the other three of us are from Småland and moved here to exchange the rich soil and the pine trees for education and nightlife. Then we found friends and love and decided to stay. Frida moved here in 1996 and me and Maja came in 2000.
I hear a strong lineage in The Kid's music that connects it to the Gbg post-punk scene of yore, bands such as Cortex (obviously), but it's more than that. Do you think that's an extension of living in the same city or is it more predetermined? Was that the sort of thing you grew up on or did you discover it later?
Freddie Wadling is an icon, all the things he has been involved in is great such as Blue for Two, Liket Lever, Lädernunnan, Rukorna and Fläskkvartetten, the original punkscene of Gbg was great with bands like Göteborg Sound and Slobobans Undergång. We were listening to punk and post-punk long before we moved to Gbg. The Swedish post-punk scene was great, with bands like Commando M Pigg, Brända Barn and Reeperbahn. As a new Gothenburger you become proud of Gbg when you understand what this town has giving the world in forms of music and bands, but our taste in music was already formed when we all moved here.
Do you think it's important to keep that musical heritage alive?
When it comes to pop music, no.
Putting aside nostalgia for the moment, how would you say The Kid looks toward the future? Are there any current movements/scenes/happenings in Gbg (or elsewhere) worth paying attention to, whether you are personally involved or not?
We will continue struggling with the band trying to combine the sound of the early 80-ies with the sound of the new new wave/the new new romantic. Make some shows and some new songs. No big plans, just nice to have the possibility to do this and get paid for it. We've been around for a couple of years now and we are quite bored playing for stiff students. It's time for the new Gbg-scene with people in their 20ies to do the studentclub-mayhem. I think the new Gbg pop-scene is some form of an antiscene. They frown at the old Service glory days. They spit on electronic stuff like laptops and iPods, they play instruments and wear hats and love Håkan Hellström instead of The Embassy and Claes Ohlson-stroboscope. And they've got authentic good self-esteem; that's good but it's the total opposite of the classic Gbg scene.
Don't think that I'm a silly old fart, I love changes. And some of these kid are guests at my monthly 77-punk club and they know the lyrics to all the old Gbg punk songs. So the future is saved. They know their heritage.
I understand that a number of you are involved in other art projects besides The Kid- what else are you currently working on?
We are constantly working with other art(y)/music projects.
You will find a couple of them on our myspace–site under top friends. Otherwise, we are still working as Artists and Architects, and when we run out of money we take care of old people, trees and flowers. You can also visit www.mermermer.com and click on Frida Sjöstam and www.patrikbengtsson.com for some aesthetic-experience.
Would you say that Gbg is an artist-friendly city?
I'm sure that Gbg is the best music-friendly town in Sweden. All the interesting bands from the last 10 years are from Gbg.
And the mood between the bands is nice and friendly.
Lastly, have you got a song from the new album that you'd like to share?
I think "Let's go kid" or "Bloodmoon" are two nice songs, you could use one of them.
My personal preference is demonstrated below...
The Kid - Bloodmoon
If it's Saturday you know that means we're due for another entry in our ongoing Göteborg Spotlight Series. This week's guest: Robert Samsonowitz, esteemed web developer, graphic designer and musician. Chances are high you've seen his work before as he's done artwork and/or websites for a number of high profile Swedish artists -- just check out his portfolio at rbrt.org for examples. As for his own music, he did time with Satanic Surfers back in the day and has just recently resurfaced with We Live in Trenches, a band that takes the sound of "Damaged"-era Black Flag and runs with it. In other words, old-man hardcore. You know I'm all about it. Anyhow, Robert was kind enough to answer a few questions for us and here's what he had to say:
First off, the standard: How long have you lived in Gbg, what brought you there and what keeps you there?
I've lived in Gothenburg for nine years and five months (since January 1999). I moved here to study web design. I got a job and a new band, so that pretty much kept me here. Nowadays I have a new job and a new band and that pretty much still keeps me here. And also Gothenburg is a pretty rad city to be in at the moment with a lot of nice people and some great things happening, music and otherwise.
You're involved in a lot of different artistic endeavors - which one currently takes precedence? like if someone asks "what do you do?", how do you respond?
Right now I'd probably say "play music", because that's where my heart is at the moment. I think I'm currently in some kind of work-denial state. Like acting really busy on work hours while making plans and stuff for the band, which probably isn't that good in the long run as I'm self employed.
I know there's a lot of other Swedish musicians who double as visual artists, but are there any in particular that you admire? Or what about visual artists who dabble in music?
One of the artists I admire is my old friend Johannes Heldén (www.johanneshelden.com). He's a visual artist (MFA, Valand Academy of Fine Arts, Gothenburg) a writer and a musician. His work is truly awesome. I give him credit for bringing Sci-Fi and mysticism into art and music. Well done, my friend!
How does the city of Gbg influence you and your art? Could you ever see yourself living somewhere else? What benefits does Gbg offer and on the flipside of that, what are the city's detriments?
Hard to tell how this city influences me. I don't even know if influences me at all. Or maybe it does more than I'll ever know. I can't really see myself living in another Swedish city. I've spent a lot of time in Malmö, I have a lot of friends there. There is one specific area there ("Möllan") which consists of... I don't know... maybe 8 blocks of houses and a square, and that area is fantastic. But the rest of Malmö is a terrible, aggressive, cold, cold place to be. They can keep it. If I'd move I'd probably go abroad, maybe Berlin or Barcelona (all my friends reading this are going "yeah, that'll probably happen..." haha), or Montreal, one of my favorite cities. One of the benefits with Gbg I guess is the size, both in people and area. It's not too big and it's not too small either. It's big enough for great things to happen, and it's small enough to actually notice them.
Tell me about the new band - how did you guys get together and what are your plans? Did you form with any particular goals in mind?
My new band is We Live in Trenches and here are all the boring details. Me and David Augustsson (drums, ex-C.Aarmé) formed the band in February 2007 after having played together in the brief punk adventure Haveri, which had broken up due to too hot weather and the fact that the other guys needed more time with their other endeavors (Cut City and Alarma Man). I was also on drum duties in Satanic Surfers, but we had a break at the moment (a break from which we never recovered, we broke up in March 2007). We initially formed as Trenches and I guess it sort of was the second coming of Haveri at first, only I'd switched from bass to guitar. As only two wrongs don't make a right, we needed some more humans to help sink the ship. I met my old friend Ulf Stöckel on a tram and convinced him to jump aboard as I knew of his screaming skills from previous bands (Comatose, Blå Ångest, The Virgins). We later got Oskar Karlsson on bass in May (also in Icos, ex-Last Security) and the Trenches line-up was finally complete. We recorded one song for a hardcore comp on Deleted Art (still not released) during the summer. Oskar turned out to be too busy with Icos as well as being a busy live sound tech for bands on tour (Burst, Red Sparrowes etc.) and he decided to quit the band a couple of months later. During the time without a bass player we started to record all of our songs in our rehearsal space. Anna Knutsson joined our merry bunch in November, halfway through the recording session, and we changed our name to We Live in Trenches shortly after. Now we finally have a booking agent and some upcoming shows, and we will promote ourselves in search for a record label to work with. Our plan is to rock as hard and often as possible, and our goal is to avoid a normal way of life as much as possible.
Lastly, got a song you'd like to share? Either from one of your own band(s) or otherwise? Something that's reflective of Gbg perhaps?
Yes. "Autonomy clinic" by We Live In Trenches. Because self promotion rocks!
We Live In Trenches - Autonomy clinic
I had two very different Broder Daniel experiences while traveling in Sweden. The second is the one I will tell you about first because it was near-perfect: late night, at the party for Magnus Öberg's wedding, the song "Underground" came on the soundsystem and the crowd was instantly drawn to the dance floor. We had a similar moment earlier in the evening when The Pixies kicked things off, but it didn't compare. Maybe it was the booze or the joyous atmosphere, but it felt absolutely beautiful. "We are underground and we don't care, we don't care what you say about us" It's an anthem -- I couldn't help but sing along. For anyone who ever felt like the underdog, it's a revelation.
My other experience however, was far more downbeat, but just as moving. Gustaf Kjellvander (The Fine Arts Showcase) and I shared an afternoon when I was in Malmö discussing the importance of BD (among other things), especially the album "Broder Daniel Forever". It's the perfect soundtrack to the downtrodden and the fuckups/the fucked up -- the mood is far darker, but no less celebratory. It revels in the pain and ugliness of life in a way that no other band can do and Gustaf and I agreed that it's a beautiful thing. If your heart aches, if you've ever felt absolutely crushed by life, this is your soundtrack. It's more than teen angst, it's a struggle that continues every day for those who feel like they can't/don't/won't fit in. In other words, an album for everyone. Now just wait until you hear Gustaf's new record. Gbg's #1 antiheroes bow out one last time at Way Out West in August, but The Fine Arts Showcase carries the torch onward.
This one's for you Gustaf, take care of yourself man. I hope we meet again soon.
Broder Daniel - Love doesn't last
I didn't actually get a chance to talk to Shiloh while at Hultsfred, but I did conduct a short interview with them before I left for Sweden for this week's entry in our ongoing Göteborg Spotlight Series. Read on...
How long have you lived in Gbg? What brought you there and why do you stick around?
Myself and Markus Tiljander (guitar) have lived here for nearly two years now. Jesper (drums) and Staffan (bass) have lived here their whole lives. Me and Markus wanted to get a fresh start somewhere and we ended up in Gbg. We moved from Karlstad, Värmland to find some new interesting people to make music with. Personally, I found Gbg a quite mellow and easy living city. The summertime is great but the winters sucks, the rain just keeps pouring down. But you got to have black to have white, Yin & Yang etc.
What makes Gbg such an artist-friendly city?
Is it? No but actually Gbg is a cool city with loads of great bands/artists.
I think that since there is a great tradition of good music and fascinating artists, people are always hungry for
new good music. It is interesting that the music buisness just goes worse and worse, but still people are making more
music than ever and some of it are really good too. But there isn't any "one for all - all for one" feeling here, it becomes
what you make of it, but so far most people we've meet have been extremely friendly.
If you could change 1 thing about Gbg, what would it be?
Nothing really, the weather during wintertime maybe, but that is a hard nut to crack.
Shiloh's sound isn't immediately comparable to Gbg bands of yore - how do you fit in the current local indie scene? Is it hard finding acceptance?
We just want to make music that we like and are satisfied with ourselves. If others like it we become very happy. But we don't seek any acceptance, who will accept us? Promoters, bands, ordinary people? We just want to do our thing and if others like it we get very happy as said before.
Since you moved to Gbg from elsewhere, how would you say the city has influenced or changed you? Is it reflected in your music?
I would say that the city has influenced us for sure. Personally I have met loads of cool people with great taste in music and life that I really wasn't aware of before. It's a great thing to move somewhere, then you leave the shit behind you and open your eyes more.
Of course it has influenced the writing and feeling of the music.
Finally, got a song you want to share? Tell me about it.
The name of the song is "The ship". It is a song that we wrote about two years ago, we still like it a lot. It is quite dreamy and saga-like with powerful contrasts.
Shiloh - The ship
It's Saturday, the final day of Hultsfred, but I won't let that stop me from posting a new entry in our Göteborg Spotlight Series. This week's guest: Erik Londré from Bonnie & Clyde and The Spurts.
First off, the standard question: how long have you lived in Gbg? Where did you move from and what keeps you there?
I have lived in Gothenburg all my life except for short stints as a chef in France and a mod in London. Now I got myself so tangled up in everything it would be impossible for me to move or even take a vacation. At least that's how it feels like.
I play bass with Bonnie & Clyde and The Spurts. I run my own managing company No Good Productions who take care of both my bands as well as the best band in the world; Ram Di Dam. I organise club nights and gigs under the name No Good Club. Now I'm planning on starting a record label as well that would be called No Good Records surprisingly enough.
I tend to keep busy.
How healthy do you think the local Gbg indie scene is nowadays? Good bands? Good venues? Is there enough diversity? How do you think it compares to the scene of 5/10+ years ago?
The Gbg indie scene in is dead! Long live the Gbg indie scene!
It's brilliant right now and it's getting better! There is a new scene on the rise with a couple of bands that I'm pretty sure will make it big. Bands without any ironic touch, silly gimmicks or iPods on stage. Bands that really know how to play and write fantastic music: The Fume, Bye Bye Bicycle, Ram Di Dam and I really hope for B&C and The Spurts as well of course.
There you got it! Gothenburg's soon-to-be legendary new indie scene. Remember where you heard it first!
Speaking of diversity, how much crossover do you see happening between various music scenes? Or does everyone stick to their own niche, more or less?
Well, basically none. It might sound harsh, but right now we are not so interested in what's happening on the other scenes around the city or anywhere else. We are to busy doing our thing. Or inventing it more or less.
What does Gbg have to offer that no other Swedish city can compete with? On the flipside, is there anything it lacks?
My father, who is musician as well, has written a song where the lyrics, translated from Swedish, go: This town is too small to live in but much too big to leave. Thats pretty much how it is and not even Henrik Berggren could have said it better.
We love our city as much as we hate it. It feeds us as much as it feeds on us. It's not always a healthy relationship but we like it that way.
Since you play in both the Spurts and Bonnie & Clyde, this may be difficult, but here's the deal: pick a favorite, give me a song to post and tell me how you came to your decision.
Bonnie & Clyde - I guess there's no one
It's the first track on our brand new EP ("The great tram robbery") and I'm really proud to be a part of it because I think its a great song. We had our release party yesterday (7/6), it was fantastic! Lots of sparkling wine!
Right now I am waiting for the painkiller to kick in so I can go buy some breakfast. I hope I made my point?
Bonnie & Clyde - I guess there's no one
Our guest for this week's Göteborg Spotlight feature: Lisen Rylander of Midaircondo and The Splendor. On to the questions!
How long have you lived in Göteborg? What brought you there and what keeps you hanging around?
I've lived here for all my life except for two years in Skurup studying improvisation, and two and a half years in Stockholm. I really enjoy living here now, I think it's a good music climate and I play with many good musicians. Of course I'm sometimes thinking of moving to another city for a while when I think Göteborg is too small. For example New York would be nice, but not right now. Actually, I often like the small size of Göteborg, you always meet someone you know on the street and it's easy to get everywhere.
I'm touring internationally a lot and Göteborg is a nice city to have as a base.
Do you think there's a particular Gbg sound or attitude? If so, how would you describe it?
Yes, maybe... I think there's a very relaxed music atmosphere here, not so much competition between musicians. Since media in Sweden are very focused on what's going on in Stockholm, musicians here have kind of the same situation in fighting for attention. Most Gbg musicians I've met are also very musically open minded. Göteborg is kind of an industrial city, rough in a way, and that sometimes shows in the music. A lot of interesting bands and artists are coming from here. For example, an artist like Håkan Hellström could probably not come from another city than Göteborg...
How does the city inspire you? Is it the people? The geography? Weather? Other artists?
I'm inspired by the way many Gbg musicians are open minded and do their own thing irrespectively of what other people think.
One thing I appreciate about the Gbg scene is that it seems to foster a collaborative attitude - do you find this to be true as well? How do you think it compares with the scene in Stockholm and/or other Swedish cities (or elsewhere)?
I agree that there's a collaborative attitude among musicians in Gbg but I can't really compare to other cities... Maybe this attitude comes from that the city is quite small and everyone knows one another. Also, musicians here often mix genres. But on the other hand, I think this is quite common everywhere these days.
In my interviews with Petter Ottosson of Fang Bomb I bemoaned the lack of a female presence in the experimental music world. Would you agree that this is the case? What do you think can be done to change the situation?
Yes, I agree that there's too few female artists in experimental music but I think it's about to change. For younger female musicians to have role models in experimental music, it's important that the one's working in the field today are encouraged and exposed.
Lastly, do you have a song you'd like to share with our readers?
Sure! Here is "Canary Islands" with The Splendor. It's a track from the new cd "Sound of Splendor", released in April.
The Splendor - Canary Islands
The Göteborg spotlight series continues! This week's guest: Mattias Carlsson, ex-drummer for The Smackdown and current member of Dead Vows, The VIII Arms Around You and Anchor.
How long have you lived in Gbg? What brought you there and what keeps you around?
I've been living in or close to Gothenburg all my life. It's a beautiful city. Small enough to make me feel like a human and big enough to not bore me out.
What's the current punk/hardcore scene like in Gbg? Is there much interaction with other indie music scenes or is it more insular? Is DIY culture alive and well? What about sXe, veg*nism and other related issues?
Yes, I definitely think Gbg is a city where people live their projects and make things happen. It's very inspiring. Unfortunately there's a lot of division though. The edge-kids support their thing, the indie-kids know where to go and the crusties go to their shows. It's a bit depressing when all of these kids are doing cool stuff, but don't get the attention or credit they deserve for their efforts. But that's what it's like everywhere, more or less.
There's there's a good amount of vegan and straight edge-kids around at the moment which makes me very happy and generally a lot people engaging in important stuff. Gbg is traditionally a working class city and politics have always had an important role in alternative music.
How does the legacy of Gbg's musical history affect you, if at all? Do you ever stop to consider the kids coming up in the scene now who may take your place in the future?
I don't really know. Even though Gothenburg has got a massive history of alternative music the only band I feel like I have some sort of relation to at the moment is At the Gates or Skitsystem. My sister and brother played a lot of Gbg punk-bands to me when I was a kid and all of them have meant very much to me, but I could probably not name many of them at the moment.
Since I hear you do a lot of booking, who are the bands to watch these days?
In my eyes there's quite a few new bands around that are awesome. Maybe not specifically from Gbg but in Sweden in general.The Cutting Edge are incredible, Scraps of Tape have always been unique and amazing. Repoman are awesome and Another Year too. Loads of things to be discovered!
Got a track you'd like to share? Either from one of your own bands or one you admire?
My projects can be found at myspace.com/deadvows, myspace.com/theviiiarmsaroundyou and myspace.com/xanchorx. Dead Vows are recording a full-length at this very moment. Should be out around August in time for our European tour! A band I admire, that'd have to be Scraps of Tape. Check myspace.com/scrapsoftape out. Amazing band!
However, seeing as how Mattias didn't bother actually sending a track, I'm forced to go with something from one of his bands whether he likes it or not. Here's "Guilt ridden" from The VII Arms Around You.
The Eight Arms Around You - Guilt ridden
This week's entry in our Göteborg spotlight series has been a long time coming - I first sent The Tough Alliance questions back in late February, but it was only this past week that the stars aligned and their responses formulated and delivered. Here goes...
Why Göteborg? Why not Stockholm? Or London? Or Paris? Or anywhere else in the world? What keeps you there and what makes it special?
Gothenburg gives us enough quiet and peace to focus on our expression instead of drowning in impressions. We don't need to be where "it happens", there's enough happening inside of TTA. In addition to that, our families and almost all our friends live here. And it's by the ocean.
Do you think there's any sort of prevailing sound or attitude in Gbg that differentiates it from other cities? If so, how would you describe it?
Yeah, I know there is. I wouldn't try to describe it though. It's not my job as an artist to do those things, the deeper things that I can tell about Gothenburg is told in my art. It's up to journalists to analyze it if they feel a need to.
Are there any ways that the city directly influences your art? The geography? The weather? Or how about the people, or by extension, the labels, venues, publications or other ventures they run? How does it all come together, for better or worse?
Of course, our art is not an island.
Yes, but you also record and release your own records -- in what ways do you collaborate within your community? For example, your work with The Embassy -- how would you characterize that relationship? Is there any artistic competitiveness between you or is it purely inspirational? Furthermore, are there any local visual artists that you work with/are inspired by?
Not because they are from Gothenburg, but because they are our friends and our expressions seem to entwine anyway. Everything is a competition for us though, art especially. We have certain visual bonds with Frida Meuller, Louise Elmén and Johan Düfke.
Is there anything that Gbg lacks? If you could change one thing about the city, what would it be?
I'd like a proper Ralph Lauren store and a nice place to do illegal parties.
Are there any particular TTA songs that you feel are a direct reflection of the city? If so, please explain.
No, not direct.
Okay, so you have no songs that are directly reflective of Gbg, but what about indirectly? Is there a particular piece you feel would be a proper soundtrack to the city?
No, sorry. It may sound high-flown, but I couldn't chain our art to a geographical place like that. It's the soundtrack to a place we dream about, a place where diamonds never fade away. A soundtrack to reality.
The Tough Alliance - Neo violence
If I had the time or money to put together a new compilation, chances are high it would look awfully similar to Fang Bomb's "Gothenburg 08". The particular scene it explores is one of big reasons I started this weekly Gbg-spotlight series, so naturally I'm very excited to have the opportunity to talk to label-head Peter Ottosson about the comp, among other relevant subjects. Read on!
So you're putting out this new compilation, "Gothenburg 08" - what's the inspiration? What is it about the current scene that merits this sort of documentation?
The idea of putting together a compilation with only Gothenburg based artists, was initially born from a feeling I had about what is going on in the city, the sense of something great happening, a unique scene that deserved to be compiled and documented. It's been growing for a number of years now, with a lot of great artists, labels such as iDEAL, Kning Disk, Release The Bats, and ourselves, galleries and vital concert bookers. It feels like Gothenburg has risen again, in a way. The cultural climate now quite similar to what was going on 20 or 25 years ago. Free, experimental, deep.
And that takes us to were I went to complete the concept. To 1984 to be specific, when Radium 226.05 released a compilation LP entitled "Gothenburg 84". This is now a legendary record, showcasing the fresh talent connected to the Radium organization at that time. CM von Hausswolff was on it, and so were Jean-Louis Huhta, Zbigniew Karkowski and Freddie Wadling - all of whom today are busy people, well respected and regarded as pioneers also from a worldwide perspective.
My conviction is that the Gothenburg scene once again allows for such a manifestation. And that is what "Gothenburg 08" is supposed to be.
Of the musicians you have selected, what is it that they have in common, beyond their chosen city of residence? A sound? An attitude? Can you put a label on it?
There is a sound and there is an attitude. But there is not only one style – rather, I think there is a kind of "anything is possible" approach going on here, and that can be heard in most of the recordings on "Gothenburg 08". For instance, when Anders Dahl mixes bird sounds with elements of noise, it fits! This attitude creates some unique artists. I guess we could call that attitude "punk", if the word hadn't already been used too much.
The thing is, many of the artists know each other well and have done so for a long time. They have collaborated, released records on each others labels, toured together, performed together. That binds it all together, that is what creates the "scene".
A number of the artists you are working with are active in other artistic endeavors, such as the visual arts- how much connection do you see between these various forms? Do you think that it's important for them to remain connected or can they each coexist on their own?
Man, you ask some tough questions ... No, I don't think that is necessary, even if they do feed off each other. But the same message can be encoded into either one of these media, and Thomas Ekelund of Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, who is also a skilled art director and graphic artist, might be the perfect example. He does most of his own artwork (I think all of it, from now on) and he is incredibly stringent, faithful to his concept to the end. What you hear in his music, you can also see in his graphic art.
One thing that troubles me about the experimental/noise music scene, is that it tends to be very male dominated. Do you find this to be the case in Gbg? What do think can be done to address it?
It is, just as everywhere else. Right now, from the top of my head and keeping the local perspective, I can really only think of one female artist that would fit your genre description - Variam, the solo/side project of Mariam Wallentin of Wildbirds & Peacedrums. And if we want to go a little bit softer, there's always Midaircondo.
I'm not sure what to do about the situation. I guess men are generally more into the nerdier aspects of life, and at least one part of the experimental music scene is synonymous to stamp collecting– hunting for still sealed Industrial Recordings releases from 1979, and brand new releases limited to 8 copies that you buy but never play, that sort of thing... Not that there's anything wrong with that, I do it too.
Also, I suspect that for as long as there are no, or very few, women at concerts, the male-to-female artist ratio will remain virtually unchanged. If something can be done, I'm not sure what it is. Maybe as the industrial iconography develops, a lesser amount of skulls would be a good idea?
Is there a particular song you would like to share, either from 84 or 08? Tell me about it.
It's hard to pick one song to represent the entire "Gothenburg 08" CD - it develops from soft to loud, from noise to dense drones to tracks that are almost "modern classical" in nature - so I've decided to just go with the first one. The track, composed and performed by Viktor Sjöberg and Jonas Lindgren, is entitled "Guldheden", which is also the name of one of the burroughs of Gothenburg. It's a solemn, beautiful piece and unintentionally, at least I assume it is unintentionally, it manages to connect with the very start of electronic and experimental music in Gothenburg, the muffled voices in the background being a reminder of Rune Lindblad's "Party" from 1953, the first ever recording by the city's earliest shining star in the world experimental music. Enjoy!
Viktor Sjöberg and Jonas Lindgren - Guldheden
I was just about to check out of my hotel room and head to the airport when the answers to this week's Göteborg feature showed up in my inbox. This week's guest: Matthias Andersson from Release the Bats, one of Sweden's preeminent underground labels.
How long have you lived in Gbg? What brought you there and what keeps you hanging around?
I moved here in summer 2003 so I have been living in GBG for close to 5 years now. I used to live in a small village in middle of the dark forests of the region Småland, later moved on to the nearest city and then spent one year in Jönköping. I guess I was longing for something more, something else, and eventually decided to go for GBG. In many ways there are only 3 options for young people in Sweden that want to escape the small town boredom: GBG, Stockholm and Malmö. Stockholm was never really an option for me for various reasons and Malmö always seemed a bit too small and boring. Since I already had friends and so on in GBG there wasn't really anywhere else to go at that point. 5 years later I have no intentions on leaving anytime soon, I love this city and for the moment I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I know you work with a lot of int'l acts, but you also seem to always have something going on w/the local scene. Do you see yourself as a regional label at all? How important do you think regional labels are in this day and age?
I actually really didn't release anything GBG-based until last year with the The Skull Defekts album ["Skkull"]. Ok, Tar... Feathers was kind of based in GBG for a while, but has to me always been more of a Stockholm-thing. I never really had the need to cover the music in this town before since other local labels like iDEAL and Kning Disk already did a very good job with that. But recently there has been sooo many amazing things happening here that it has been kind of impossible to not participate in one way or another! So yeah, RTB will definitely be exploring the current activities here a little bit more in the future than in the past with upcoming releases from Tsukimono, Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, The Skull Defekts etc. Is it important with regional labels? Honestly I don't think labels are that important at all nowdays. Still I can see a purpose with regional labels, acting like some kind of centre of the scene with lots of things going on besides just releasing local acts (iDEAL being a way better example than RTB on that with club nights, festivals and so on).
Do you think there's a particular Gbg sound or attitude? Also, how do Gbg artists differ from those in other cities within Sweden?
GBG is known for having a very distinct sound when it comes to both Death Metal and Pop music for an example, but when it comes to the kind of music that RTB is releasing (whatever you want to call it, it's not like I even have a "typical" sound for the label...) I would say no. In that sense that I don't think anyone would be able to "hear" that a certain artist is from GBG when listening to it, just based on the actual sound. Attitude... I don't think this city differs from other Swedish towns really, but I know that outsiders tends to think that people in GBG are very open minded and easy to be around for some reason? If you should compare GBG to other Swedish towns when it comes to music and related activities, I think it's safe to say that no other town is even close to what's currently happening here! So many shows, new projects, new awesome releases and so on all the time! I also think musicians in GBG are usually a bit ahead of other places in Sweden, it seems like new impressions and ways to do things hits GBG first most of the time.
How's the health of the Gbg scene right now? Any particular artists that you're exciting about? What releases do you have planned? Also, anyone else you want to work with/wish you had signed?
Truly amazing things are happening here right now, I haven't been this excited about the local scene since I moved here, that's for sure. I don't know where to start... One of the best and most promising new acts is definitely the 3-piece Leafes. I put out a tape with them in December 2006 when they still lived in Jönköping and only had been a band for a few weeks. Then they put out a CD-R last year which is really, really good, moved to GBG and now they have just finished their debut album "Seedland" which will be put out on tape only! Kind of folky pretty song-based free jams for most of the time, usually arranged around acoustic instruments with a sparse use of electronics... In the vein of Sunburned Hand Of The Man and the likes, but with more melancholy. I really recommend everyone to check them out, and you will be hearing way more about them in the future for sure! Everything Dan of Sewer Election is doing is golden. Put out a Sewer Election/Altar Of Flies LP on RTB a few months ago. Another amazing project from Dan is White. Filthy lo-fi basement dwellings, disturbing shit. Modorra is great underground metal with my neighbour Jon on drums, haven't heard that much yet but it sure seems promising! Prostitute Finger is another new project, members from a few "famous" GBG acts. Rough feedback-mayhem, beautiful stuff. Relic was probably the most promising new band this town had seen in years but unfortunately it seems like they've just broke up? A damn shame if you ask me, the rehearsal tapes was some scary out there stuff and I could only imagine what this beast would have become in the future. Then there is the more well-known acts that is always doing brilliant stuff no matter what: Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Tsukimono, Viktor Sjöberg, Gloomy Sunday, The Skull Defekts and so on. Plus the whole DJ/club-scene with Studio, Tiedye etc. Current favorite local labels: Harsh Head Rituals and Pillowscars. Upcoming GBG-related releases on RTB this year: Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Lost in reflections LP + 7" (split release with iDEAL, Fang Bomb and When Skies Are Grey, a minor masterpiece!), The Skull Defekts - The drone drug CD (natural follow up to last years "Skkull", minamalistic and nasty drone-filth with an industrial edge, grim sounding stuff!) and the vinyl version of Tsukimono's stunning "Time Canvas" (originally released as a limited CD-R on Kning Disk last year). All these 3 releases will hopefully be ready early summer. Kind of happy with the current RTB release schedule I must say, but it would definitely be fun to do something more with Leafes in the future. While I'm at it, the label Fang Bomb is putting out a Gothenburg 2008 compilation soon with the The Skull Defekts, Anders Dahl, Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Sewer Election, Viktor Sjöberg, Jasper TX etc...
Got a song to share to rep Gbg? Tell us about it.
It has to be "This room seems empty without you", the opening track from "Lost in reflections", the upcoming Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words album! A bit different from the rest of the album, and also a bit different from the previous DLSODW sound. Still one of the most underrated GBG-acts in my opinion, why last year's amazing "Fall, fall, falling" (Kalligrammofon) didn't get more attention is a mystery to me.
It's a mystery to me too, especially since I count it as one of my favorite albums of 2007. And now, listening to this, it looks like there's a strong chance of a repeat. Amazing stuff, to be sure...
Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - This room seems empty without you
When Djembefitta first wrote to me and outlined their treatise of hate with regards to "typical" Göteborg indierock, I knew I had to follow up with them and learn more. This week's entry in our ongoing Gbg-spotlight series does just that.
You guys have declared war on Gbg indiepop. What is it about that stereotypical sound that makes you so angry? What do you have to offer instead? What do you hope to accomplish?
Well, me (Ronny) and Sonny were talking the other day about older Swedish women going to Gambia in Africa to find their toy boys, and we figured out it's the exact same women who enroll into Djembe drum classes. It's probably lost on an American like yourself, but anyone from here would understand what we're talking about. Gross women who take advantage of young guys.
Now that we have a really lousy singer, like all big bands from Gothenburg, we are just waiting for the fucking money to roll right in! People are so stupid!
While your distaste for the sound of Håkan Hellström/BCQ/Broder Daniel/Jens Lekman/etc. is clear, are there any Gbg bands that you actually like? Is there another local scene there worth investigating, either now or in the past?
There's no scene worth investigating really. And when we are done there will be no other scene to talk about except for the new thrash/punk scene! You should investigate older swedish women going to Gambia though. They are really nasty! Is it even legal?
Actually the only scene worth checking out in retrospect is the bay area thrash scene from 1981-1986. We fucking love the big 4. Except for Anthrax with Joey Primadonna. Plus they were really from NY.
So who are you guys exactly? Have you lived in Gbg for a long time or did you move there from somewhere else? What keeps you there? What makes Gbg better or worse than other big cities in Sweden?
If we told you who we are we would have the fucking cops and kronofogden on our asses in a split second! Plus Siewert Öholm would accuse us of being satanists.
Gothenburg is really rainy and windy and it makes us pissed off. It's a good feeling!
Next question!
What other things do you hate that you haven't written songs about yet? Is there anything that makes you happy?
We hate a lot of stuff. Not all of our songs are about hate though. Some are about getting wasted. We are happy when we are wasted. Happy drunks. We might write a song about people who buy records by bands from this city with singers who sing out of tune. They are the ones who are REALLY stupid! And they're gonna love us! Now where's my beer?
Got a song to share with our readers? Want to tell us about it?
We have this song called "Lars Ulrich". He's such an easy target, but we had to do it anyway. It's about how he can be such a lousy drummer, and still be in polls for "best metal drummer". It's almost as funny as saying Håkan Hellström is the best singer in Sweden. I wish he still wore that funny fucking sailor outfit though. He used to be so cute. Håkan that is. A funny sailor dude singing out of tune about how he's drunk and lonely and the masses go: "We love this guy!" Ha, ha! Lars Ulrich is kinda the Håkan Hellström of Metal. A funny Danish guy who's drunk and plays drums like a fucking windmill.
One last thing, what can we expect from Djembefitta in the future? Any chance you'll play live? Or put out a proper record?
If we can stay out of jail and someone gives us a shit load of money we'll do it. We are only in it for the money!
Djembefitta - Lars Ulrich
Another week, another chapter in our ongoing 2008 Göteborg music spotlight. This week's guest: Martin Lundmark from September Malevolence/A TenderVersion Recording.
So what's up with the Gbg postrock scene anyway? Does September Malevolence consider themselves a part of that? Does it even exist?
Well no, I don't really think there's a specific scene for postrock here, the city is too small. There are some bands though, and I guess we all more or less know each other, but scene? Nah.
How would you say the music scene in Gbg compare to other cities in Sweden? What makes Gbg better (or worse) in comparison?
I think it's pretty good, there are loads of bands here. It's also far more diverse than people in general believe. The underground is so much better than the mostly boring bands that get media attention...
As far as TenderVersion goes, do you consider yourself a regional label, dedicated to documenting the local scene? I know you have those shitheads Scraps of Tape from Malmö on your label, but let's forget about them for now, especially that Johan guy. How important do you think it is that there are labels around to do that?
Haha... everybody knows Johan's a dick! I haven't really thought of TenderVersion as being a regional label, and now that Audrey is spread around the country and I've signed Yamon Yamon from Sthlm, I guess it's not the case. It kind of was in the beginning when Once We Were, Audrey and September Malevolence all lived in Göteborg though. The main focus for TenderVersion has always been to get outside of Sweden, that's where the action is.
Jerry Bowman seems to resent me calling him a scenester in an earlier entry of this Gbg spotlight series (see here and here). Was I off-base? What's his deal anyway? Pen Expers are not a good band.
Well, I've only read his blog a few times. And scanning through it now to be able to answer this question, I think you are right. And we don't share the same musical taste for sure. File under: Yawn...
What do you see as the future of the Gbg music scene? Any upcoming trends to keep an eye on?
Hm, that's a tricky one. I hope to see more experimental stuff coming out of Gbg soon. That would be awesome! And that they get some attention mediawise! The 40-year olds at GP write about Håkan Hellström and Kent, the 30-year olds write about Hästpojken... not my cup of tea. What we need now are some passionate kids with a taste for the new and eclectic! Rise above the mainstream, anyone?
And as for September Malevolence, what are your upcoming plans? Care to share a new song?
Well, the new album is released May 30th in Europe and a bit later in Japan. We are hitting the road for three weeks in May/June doing our 5th European tour and are hoping to go to Japan later this year. Basically we want to tour as much as possible... why don't you hook us up in the US dude? ;)
I've attached "Who watches the watchmen?", the first track from the upcoming CD/LP "After this darkness, there's a next". It's a killer!
Indeed it is...
September Malevolence - Who watches the watchmen?
This week's guests in our ongoing Göteborg spotlight series is Samtidigt Som.
How long have you lived in Gbg? What brought you there and what's keeping you from relocating elsewhere?
We're all from the GBG area and all of us has always lived in or really close to the city. We really love GBG and as a band who sings in Swedish, there's really no place else. GBG has been the major city for music in Sweden for several years and still is. It's a city with a strong identity and legacy music wise. The alternative in Sweden would be Stockholm (Malmö doesn't have a music scene worth mention) and it's no point to relocate since Stockholm is cold and soulless. And they have the worst football teams.
Your music reminds me a lot of classic Gbg indierock- is this something that you are aware of? Do you think there's an important legacy of Gbg music to live up to? What other influences do you draw from?
There is no doubt that we are strongly influenced by GBG indierock. For instance, our debut-EP are recorded and produced by old Bad Cash Quartet guitarist Kalle Von Hall. The thing was, when me (Erik Grahn, guitar) and bassist Erik Weiman were beginning to talk about forming a new band together again, things that came up was that we shouldn't try to complicate things, keep it simple and pure and don't be embarrassed of our influences. I think that both me and Erik have strong sense for melodies and even if you can hear that we're from GBG, which we're very proud of, I think you can hear that it is Samtidigt Som. Basically we just want to play fast and loud because it's more fun that way.
How friendly is the local scene? Is it easy for a new band such as yourselves to get noticed?
I think that it's probably friendlier than many other places. There are a few really good clubs where most of the scene hang out. In a way you can see that a new generation is growing and taking more space, it's about time that a new generation steps forward.
With bands like us, Almedal, Boat Club and My Darling You!, I think that our small label Luxury done a great job, and it is, togheter with the club "Svanen" at Jazzhuset, the two most important things for having the good scene we have.
I think that it's quite easy to get noticed in GBG if you're good. I know loads of bands that been playing for ages without getting anywhere simply because they're not good enough, but in contrast, you have us who got a record deal after our first gig. Of course, I'm quite sure playing the way we do helps us, we give 110% when we play live and we do really catchy songs. But that is what we want to do and if people like it, I wont have some pretentious idiot telling me that we get everything for free and that we do brainless music (which we do, but we like it brainless).
Are there any rivalries or are other bands generally happy to help eachother out?
I'm a strong believer in helping each other out. I don't believe you can compete in music and I hate when I hear people trash talk other bands just because they doing better then them. GBG is to small for rivalry and to keep our position as Sweden's music city number one, we should all just try to promote other good bands.
What are the advantages of being an artist in Gbg? Disadvantages? Is there anything that the city is lacking?
The good thing about GBG is that it's small. The bad thing about GBG is that it's small. It's good in that sense that it never gets too elitist, but bad that sometimes it feels like a small group of people have way too much power over the scene. If it was bigger, it would be easier to fight that. But as I said before, a new generation is on its way and it's inevitable for us not to take over.
Got a song you'd like to share?
If it should be a song of ours, I would say our new single "Constant in motion". That one sounds really GBG. And a song from another GBG band would be "No time for us" by Broder Daniel. It's one of my favourite songs ever and still gives me the shivers.
Unfortunately, "Constant in motion" was not available to me at press time, but since I strongly feel that Samtidigt Som is worth hearing, here's "För jag tror att ingen annan kan känna såhär för dig" instead.
Samtidigt Som - För jag tror att ingen annan kan känna såhär för dig
The Göteborg spotlight series continues! This week's guests: Pistol Disco.
How long have you lived in Gbg and what keeps you there?
Alex: All my life, and what's keeping me here is Mikael. But I will probably move to Stockholm soon since my girlfriend is getting homesick.
Mikael: Lived here all my life, too. The idea of leaving has crossed my mind. But not yet.
You guys seem to gain appreciation from both the indie/pop and the avant/experimental scene. Is there any side that feels more "at home" to you? Or are the lines so blurred that it doesn't even matter?
Alex: I guess its so blurred it doesn't really matter
Mikael: Our "home", music-wise, has always changed and scattered (in a good way).
I noticed that you appropriated the Broder Daniel logo on your myspace page - is there a certain Gbg musical heritage that you are trying to play up?
Alex: Haha, no not really. Well, Broder Daniel has always been an exciting band, but we dont really play up any kind of heritage. We really like their music and the logo rip is more or less an homage. We played in France two years ago and the French thought the logo was really funny since "PD" (pronounced PeeDee) in French means "pedophile".
Mikael: Henrik, the singer of BD, once saw us wearing the 'PD' pin. Everyone was drunk, and I tried to explain to Henrik that 'this is a tribute, nothing else'. Of course he didn't belive me. But I was telling the truth, because I like that band, especially at pre-parties.
Are there any other cities in Sweden that you think have impressive music scenes? What about internationally?
Alex: I have no idea, really. But when we toured through Europe I was really impressed with the art scene that seems to be growing like weeds through concrete. Dennis Tyfus and all that stuff, people just going bonkers and doodling down whatever hits their mind. Really exciting stuff! Music wise, hmm, I guess Portugal became more attractive since Panda Bear moved there.
Mikael: I think Malmö has a great music scene, keeping in mind that Malmö is smaller than Gothenburg. Malmö has a number of interesting venues and the people arranging clubs seem a little more unpretentious and laid back than their Stockholm and Gothenburg counterparts. Other than that, I don't really know which place to go in this country, except my hometown. I guess you have to dig deep down the internet, there are different underground-ish festivals happening during summertime all around Sweden.
Alex: Yeah ,what Mikael said, Malmö is really great. The guy who made our latest cover art is from Malmö, His name is Rasmus Svensson (Push the Button) and don't you forget it! Also our dear friend Jason used to live in Malmö, he is now back in the states and is gonna release our next next album on his label Ormolycka. And we have to give a shout out to our label Celebrity Lifestyle Recordings (Stockholm), they are the best.
Do you have a particular song that you feel is reflective of the city?
Alex: Not really, but we have this new tune that is really great, we are recording in a studio now ("wow" I know!). Mattias Persson is the producer and he is a bless from heaven, I never knew we would have such luck to be produced by such an understanding and talented person.
Mikael: I am very happy with the drums in this track. Mattias Persson really knows the art of recording sound.
Pistol Disco - Beat of the tune