One of the biggest frustrations from my recent trip to Sweden: you can't be two places at once. It's also impossible to see/do everything and nor should you try, but that doesn't mean I'm immune from regret. So, sorry to the friends I didn't connect with! There will be a next time. And howabout Randy playing West Coast Riot in Göteborg? Oops, I was in Stockholm. Cosy Den? Nope, gotta be back in Göteborg that night. The Holy Ghost's live debut at Lilla Hotellbaren? No way, that was actually the day we landed... in Göteborg, naturally. I would've loved to have been at that one too, especially now that I've gone back and revisited The Holy Ghost's 2011 demo tracks -- I've been eager to check them out ever since ex-Trapdoor Fucking Exit/Java/Ashram member Jens Åker announced the project some years ago and now that he's got a full live band together, I'm even more excited about it. Even better: they'll be going back into the studio in a couple weeks to record again and I've been told the revamped lineup w/2nd guitar adds a whole new dimension to the band. So once again, let us revisit that old demo and look forward towards what's to come.

01. Randy - Who's side are you on?
02. TALK 1
03. Randy - Freedom song
04. Far From Tellus - Rosemary
05. Chicagojazzen - 18 år i en ruttnande kropp
06. TALK 2
07. Andreas Söderlund - Hawaii
08. Noisebud - Truck driver
09. Montys Loco - Heavy
10. TALK 3
11. Maim - Maimed
12. Turboweekend - Sweet Jezebel (Efterklang remix)
13. Pearl Fiction - The ruby fever
14. Meleeh - Hells mouth
15. TALK 4
16. Oranssi Pazuzu - Korppi
17. Brutus - Swedish lady
18. Entombed - Something out of nothing
19. Katzenjammer - To the sea
20. TALK 5
21. Robyn - Dancehall queen

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.

01. I Are Droid - Sevenfold
02. TALK 1
03. [ingenting] - Halleluja!
04. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy
05. Turboweekend - Something or nothing
06. José González - How low
07. TALK 2
08. Ison & Fille - Ikväll vi är kungar
09. Arcana - Invisible motions
10. Eskju Divine - Darkness all around
11. TALK 3
12. Murmansk - Silver heel
13. Björn Kleinhenz - HAZ 920
14. David Sandström Overdrive - Songs that maybe won't be forgotten
15. Randy - Evil
16. TALK 4
17. The Bombettes - Oh boy
18. We Are the Storm - Where we used to be heroes
19. Elmo - Young love
20. The Bear Quartet - Volksblues (ft. Karin Dreijer Andersson)
21. TALK 5
22. Mattias Alkberg - Jag bara tänkte, liksom, att

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.

01. TALK 1
02. Small - Highway child
03. Seance - Invocation
04. Halph - New money
05. TALK 2
06. Anna Frank - Directions
07. Kristofer Åström - Me and the snakes
08. The Scrags - Mad passion
09. TALK 3
10. Randy - Who's side are you on?
11. Division of Laura Lee - Violence is timeless
12. Existensminimum - 1993
13. Familjen - Socker
14. TALK 4
15. The Fine Arts Showcase - Lovesick
16. Viola - Cute destroyer
17. Nitad - Nervvrak
18. Penny Century - Just because
19. TALK 5
20. Marions - Another hour
21. BJ Nielsen - Tummen upp
22. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Facelessness erases every trace of humanity

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.

01. Darkthrone - Hiking metal punks
02. TALK 1
03. Ebba Grön - Staten & kapitalet
04. Massgrav - Jävla fittor
05. Disfear - Live the storm
06. Samtidigt Som - För jag tror att ingen annan kan känna såhär för dig
07. TALK 2
08. We Live In Trenches - Autonomy clinic
09. MABD - Kom kom
10. Black Sheep - Crazy world
11. C.Aarmé - Ti ca tu a
12. Sods - Television sect
13. TALK 3
14. No Hope for the Kids - Rainy day
15. Frivolvol - Take it from the beginning
16. Hanna Hirsch - Ingen kommer sakna oss
17. Silver - Drenched in comfort
18. TALK 4
19. Randy - Win or lose
20. Victims - Your division
21. Smalltown - Warning
22. Lögnhalsmottagningen - Bodybuilder
23. M:40 - Sista tiden
24. TALK 5
25. Hebosagil - Cosmic

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XM U. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers. Next week's show (December 28/29) will be all jazz.

01. Theresa Andersson - Na na na (empty heart)
02. TALK 1
03. Soviac - Malorca
04. Agent Side Grinder - Ricocheting memories
05. Svenson - Howlong
06. TALK 2
07. Hello Kinski - Summer is a waste of time
08. Britta Persson - Kill Hollywood me
09. Tredje Mannen - Cul-de-sac
10. TALK 3
11. The Goner - Spirit roundup
12. Liket Lever - Levande begravd
13. TALK 4
14. Paper - Out of it into it
15. Hebosagil - Big sun
16. Murmansk - Vague language
17. Randy - Who's side are you on?
18. TALK 5
19. The Deer Tracks - Slow collision

Reminder: my show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday.

01. Tiger Lou - The loyal
02. TALK 1
03. Karin Ström - Silent night
04. Saft - I do not smoke
05. Caesars - Strawberry weed
06. TALK 2
07. Meshuggah - Bleed
08. Pacific! - Number one
09. Pascal - Längtar efter dig
10. TALK 3
11. Logh - An alliance of hearts
12. Benea Reach - New waters
13. Astrid Swan - Sea/e life
14. TALK 4
15. Lykke Li - I'm good, I'm gone
16. The High Hats - Bitterswede
17. Lis Er Stille - Lorelei
18. TALK 5
19. The Tough Alliance - Leg 7
20. Cosmic Overdose - En av dom
21. The Second Band - The piano machine
22. TALK 6
23. De Stijl - Date times
24. Death Breath - Death breath
25. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy
26. Randy - Freedom song
27. TALK 7
28. Jonas Knutsson & Horn Please! - Snygg Olles polska
29. Moonbabies - Forever changes everything now
30. Kristofer Åström - Conjure me
31. TALK 8
32. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Wedding
33. Anna Leong - Guillotine
34. Convoj - RAMJAC
35. TALK 9
36. Tsukimono - Gloomy Sunday

01. Annika Norlin/Säkert! - Generalens visa
02. TALK 1
03. Downstairs - Legs for arms
04. Dmitry Fyodorov - 1b-1
05. Northern Fields - Never take the beauty
06. TALK 2
07. Barra Head - Undermine
08. Fläskkvartetten - Som glas (ft. Nina Persson)
09. Benea Reach - New waters
10. TALK 3
11. Firefox AK - Winter rose (Tellevika remix)
12. Dansdepartementet - Svarta brev
13. Randy - Little toulouse
14. TALK 4
15. Britta Persson - At 7
16. M:40 - Brännmärkt
17. Mechanical Bird - Martha
18. TALK 5
19. Marvins Revolt - Multiple fractures
20. The Drawbacks - Straight lines & circles
21. Isolation Years - Say-nothing day
22. Christian Kjellvander - Poppies and peonies
23. TALK 6
24. Little Dragon - Recommendation
25. FAP - Sjömannen
26. Cortex - Animals (...looking at me)
27. TALK 7
28. Ulf Ljusberg - Whatever was
29. Mayhem - Deathcrush
30. Alog - St.Paul sessions II
31. TALK 8
32. Tigerbombs - 1000 sparks
33. Mainliners - Bourbon and ice
34. Mando Diao - San Francisco Bay
35. Madrugada - Look away Lucifer
36. TALK 9
37. Matts Katt - Refused was fucking murdered

Frequent readers of It's A Trap! already know that Johndoe are favourites of both Avi and me. The album "Dødvinkel" was one of the best albums released in 2006 and the band delivered on stage as well. Singer Jonas Skybakmoen won't let any language barrier stand in the way of his songs. Their take of singing in Norwegian lifts the songs to higher dimensions, and that's being said from me as a Swede. I have a hard time embracing non-Swedish or non-English speaking music. I envy those who can. In this case however, I absolutely adore the music combined with their lyrics that reek of self-inflicted pain and reflections of an every day situation, it's like poetry really. The indie-/punk rock of this Trondheim-based quartet is similar to The Clash and MABD and even though the focus is on the melodies and not so much on the guitar riffs anymore, it's hard to not mention Randy on the list of influences. The dub sound of "Pyromantikk" and the punk rock in "Konflikt" gave the show the diversity that live shows need. But nonetheless, it's the songs from the latest release that blow me away, especially "Kjøtere". The ferocity of Johndoe live is breathtaking. We who attended are blessed.

Well, even with the risk of being slightly challenged here, Randy was top notch! It is no secret that I rank them as one of the best bands in Sweden and even when they're quite unfocused in their performance, they still kick most bands asses any day. Fredrik, Johan B, Stefan and Johan G are a tight combo and it shows. Seeing that this was a gig outside of any current tour, they still managed to put on an awesome show. Not only are they flawless performers, the songs in the setlist are of such high quality that they would make Jello Biafra or Glenn Danzig (Misfits era) envious. 'Cause one of the trademarks of this band is that they have always stolen with class and, making the music into something their own, something Randy-ish. Focusing on the four most recent records of their back catalogue, they know how to play their cards to the crowd and the crowd swallowed every bit. Hook, line and sinker. The only song not featured on those records was the Lita Ford cover "Kiss me deadly" (from the "The rest is silence" album) with which they closed the gig. And that right there is what makes this band so great; crowd-pleasing, uncompromising AND with great taste in music, all at the same time. The next time I see them (for the 22nd time) I hope they will play "Humanalogism" or "You are what you fight for". I know it's a utopia, but it would be awesome.

Text by Jonas Appelqvist
Pics by Sofia Qvarnström

Touring Japan with Scraps Of Tape for two weeks in June. Probably the best trip I ever been on. Performing in front of 800 Japanese people at the O-East was mind-numbing. Meeting the guys from You.May.Die.In.The.Desert and touring with them. It was special... brothers separated since birth.

Moving together with my girlfriend in Gothenburg, actually realising what a sensible/working relationship is supposed to be like.

The European tour with Scraps Of Tape during spring. Standing at the Croatian border and having to bribe our way into the country with 6 t-shirts and a hoodie... they didn't want our music. Then 2 days later being busted by undercover cops outside of Münich, and Marcus saying "I'm a girl, I'm a girl" over and over to one of the policemen.

Playing live at the Release The Bats Headquarters, a rare occasion and a beautiful yet short evening.

Fritiof Nilsson Piraten and his amazing storytelling.

Jerker Kaj. Forever in your debt, thank you for saving our lives during the spring tour.

Harry Krook. A star is born.

Viktor Sjöberg. A gentleman at all occasions and a friend beyond mere friendship.

Actually, the evening both you and Björn mentioned. Randy and folköl after WoW. Made a good/weird evening into a perfect evening.

Once again beating angst and demons and not burning everything written down or painted or deleting everything recorded this year.

---------------------------
Johan Gustavsson is involved in many, many musical projects such as Tsukimono (see the recent IAT.MP3 netrelease), Scraps of Tape, Conduo Orchestra, Alina, The Colour Black and probably a whole bunch more.
yourson-shine.blogspot.com
www.scrapsoftape.com
www.myspace.com/scrapsoftape
www.myspace.com/tsukimonoswe

]]> Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20145 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20145 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20145#comments Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. The Bombettes - Dating scene
02. TALK 1
03. Leütenhaven - Still life (trompe l'oeil)
04. Dieter Schöön - Warm hearts
05. Kasper Bjørke - Back & spine (Fidel Astro remix)
06. TALK 2
07. Come Sleep - Be the end
08. Promise and the Monster - Trials
09. Immanu El - Home
10. TALK 3
11. Lukestar - Lake Toba
12. Marit Bergman - No party
13. Mando Diao - Never seen the light of day
14. TALK 4
15. Jonas Game - ADHD
16. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
17. Josse - You had a plan
18. The Hives - You dress up for Armageddon
19. TALK 5
20. Randy - Freedom song
21. Ted Gärdestad - Så mycket bättre
22. Motorhomes - Into the night
23. TALK 6
24. Laakso - Västerbron
25. The Bear Quartet - Hunchback
26. Susanne Sundfør - The dance
27. TALK 7
28. New Moscow - Turbonegro must be destroyed
29. The Bell - Target group
30. Vaiping - The great polar expedition
31. TALK 8
32. NEI - City of gold
33. Asha Ali - Fire, fire
34. My Enemy - My time coming (Johan Formeijer remix)
35. TALK 9
36. CS Nielsen - Black spots
37. David Sandström Overdrive - The Fatville Treaty
38. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
39. TALK 10
40. Aerial - My god, it's full of stars!
]]> Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:03:17 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26029-the-hives-the-black-and-white-album-interscope http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26029-the-hives-the-black-and-white-album-interscope http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26029-the-hives-the-black-and-white-album-interscope#comments The Hives have worked with for "The Black and White Album", their fourth album in ten years. It's been Pharrell this, Modest Mouse producer that, and so on. All this talk and the fact that their last album was a bit "meh", really put me off the album, especially the thought of not-so-very-good-in-the-last-few-years Pharrell being involved just felt so like such a tired and uninspired way to achieve something new. I was pretty much set on not liking this offering from the Fagersta boys, and I didn't look forward to hearing it at all (the first single of the album – "Tick tick boom" did nothing for me either), so I was greatly pleased to discover that The Hives have actually made a quite decent record. They haven't started playing rap-metal, or changed their sound drastically, but they have certainly taken on board some new ideas, which I think most of the time work in their favour. The track that stands out from the rest is the Pharrell produced "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." which doesn't sound like The Hives at all, but more like Kraftwerk doing disco. A lot of people don't seem to like this particular song, but I really dig it! For the rest, it's the usual flavour of The Hives and there are some great tracks (eg. "You dress up for armageddon" – it sounds like Randy at their best) and some less so ("Puppet on a string" - very annoying), but at the same time it's much better and interesting than a lot of similar sounding bands and definitely a step forward. After being a fan for 10 years, it's nice to hear that The Hives are still able to come up with some smashing tunes and make me want to go and see them and maybe do a little jig, and have a beer or two.]]> Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28153-mp3-knugen-faller-lungen-favoriter http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28153-mp3-knugen-faller-lungen-favoriter http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28153-mp3-knugen-faller-lungen-favoriter#comments This is kind of a catch-up post since I've been meaning to post about Knugen Faller for awhile, yet somehow manage to postpone it over and over. No more! Anyhow, Nancy's review sums it up pretty well, though I actually like it a lot more than she does. Truth: yes, this is a retro genre piece and as such, it steals shamelessly from acts of yore. However, I'm okay with that 'cuz they do it well. It's all about good songs played with copious energy, not originality and hey, they even get acclaimed jazz musician Jonas Kullhammar to lay down some sax so that's gotta mean something. If you like Randy, Regulations, or even The Hives, there's a damn good chance you'll like this too. 'Nuff said!

Buy it: [click here]]]> Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:13:19 -0700 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/130 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/130 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/130#comments TOMORROW! If you happen to find yourself in or around Malmö, be sure to head down to Debaser to check out the very first It's a Trap! Clubnight featuring The End Will Be Kicks and AHRM! It's gonna be a killer, so don't miss out! Other shows booked this fall:

10/13 - Samuraj Cities and Club 8
11/15 - Death By Kite and Housewife Lovers
12/14 - Randy and Johndoe

How awesome is that? I may just have to fly out for December, if I can afford it.]]> Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/249 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/249 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/249#comments Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Sahara Hotnights - Visit to Vienna
02. TALK 1
03. José González - Down the line
04. Anna Ternheim - Girl laying down
05. The Bear Quartet - The supremes
06. TALK 2
07. New Decade - I guess you ran from something
08. Commando M Pigg - Allt genast
09. Mikkel Metal - Bano
10. TALK 3
11. Johan Hedberg - Nygubbe4
12. Mikko Singh - Toisella puolella
13. Mimas - Thought discuss
14. Fattaru - 100:-
15. TALK 4
16. Sista Sekunden - Jag är aldrig nöjd
17. E.S.T. - Tuesday wonderland
18. Syster Lycklig - Drömgränd
19. TALK 5
20. The End Will Be Kicks - Ass of a friend
21. The Grizzly Twister - Tigers made of paper
22. Samuel Jackson Five - Easily misunderstood
23. Grande Roses - Dead town
24. TALK 6
25. Thomas Dybdahl - B A part
26. Njurmännen - Cold meat industry
27. Tobias Hellkvist - Moment at ven
28. TALK 7
29. David Sandström Overdrive - Here's for summer
30. Randy - Freedom song
31. Kalle J - Vart stack du?
32. The Flaming Sideburns - Bad trip
33. TALK 8
34. The Bell - I am history
35. Lack - Pessimist poetry
36. The State of Floral Beings - Andy
37. Fireside - Problem (to you)
38. TALK 9
39. Firefox AK - Love to run
40. Manes - Cinder alley
41. Lukestar - Untitled
42. TALK 10
43. Oskar Schönning - S]]> Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25710-festival-report-way-out-west http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25710-festival-report-way-out-west http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25710-festival-report-way-out-west#comments Thursday

The day started off well enough. I woke early and had a good stroll around central Göteborg and managed to get myself fairly oriented to city. I also had a surprise run-in with Viktor Sjöberg in an empty parking lot and his dog Douglas suprised me right back, sending my cup of coffee flying through the air. Things were off to a good start! The majority of my afternoon was spent exploring the Konstmuseum (I think I'll be needing an Ivar Arosenius print at some point) and then it was time to meet more friends and start the Way Out West concert experience.

I missed openers Function, but Low exceeded expectations with their set at Trädgär'n. I'm only moderately familiar with their catalog, but what I saw was understated, elegant and quite powerful. Following them was another American act, Woven Hand. Naturally, I came to WoW primarily to see Swedish acts, but since Woven Hand tours Sweden far more often than the US, I made sure to make this show and they did not disappoint one bit. Frontman David Eugene Edwards has an incredibly intense stage presence, on par with Neurosis, easily one of the most emotionally demanding bands I've ever been fortunate enough to see.

Knowing fully well that there would be no way to top Woven Hand, I still set out to Pustervik to catch some more bands for my evening's entertainment. ...And You Will Know Us By Our Trail of Dead was packed solid and admitting no new patrons, so I went upstairs to check out Last Days of April. The wait was slightly longer than expected, but Håkan from Division of Laura Lee/Carcrash Records kept things interesting from his position behind the DJ booth. As for LDOA when they did finally take the stage, they were 100% solid despite a less-than-stellar placement in the lineup. I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. Another time, another place perhaps.
(AR)

Friday

At last, the start of the 'real' festival and the Boredoms set things off right. I was bit hesitant, having been disappointed by a show sometime around the period of "Super Æ", but this was something else entirely. My impression is that today's music was based on (or at least similar to) the recent "77 drummers" performance. It featured a steady onslaught of three pounding drummers and the reappearance of Eye's percussive guitar tree. The meandering psychedelia of years ago was vanquished from my mind and I let myself get lost in the endless hypnotic beat. I still can't say that I'll always be into everything the Boredoms do, but it's undeniable that they are always interesting and this performance certainly lived up to the hype.

I tried my best to avoid Salem Al Fakir's weak Billy Joel impression at one of the many beer tents before securing myself a proper position up front for Hello Saferide. The show was everything I'd hoped for: charming and sweet; equally balancing the upbeat, poppy material with the darker, more soulful (and often far more satisfying) ballads. All of the proper album highlights were played as well as a brand new track and the recent "I was definitely made for these times" single. It wasn't quite the transcendent experience I had hoped for, but it was quite nice to finally hear the songs in-person from the band's own instruments.

After Hello Saferide, it was proper time again for more beer and meeting friends. Finally got a chance to meet up with contributor Simon Tagestam (his SMS: "Hey Avi! You at the festival? Watching rubbish Laleh...") as well as a multitude of other folks. The next band to catch my attention: The Hellacopters. An experience made all that much greater from standing next to Fredrik Holmgren of Startracks who would constantly interrupt himself to yell things like "Oh my god! This fucking song! Yes!". Yeah, they were pretty good. And then The Hives - jeez, now there's a band that know's how to work a crowd of 16,000. Performing a few tracks from the forthcoming "The black & white album" as well as a plethora of classics, Pelle and the boys put on a proper show. Even if said record ends up being a total disaster, they are still a band not to be missed on tour. That's been obvious ever since the first time I saw them blow The (International) Noise Conspiracy off the stage.

Having now hooked up with another IAT contributor, a certain Jonas Appelqvist along with photographer companion Sofia Qvarnström, we decided it was a good time to exit the main festival grounds, seek nourishment from something besides weak Swedish lager and headed up to Sticky Fingers for Juvelen and Laakso. Once we arrived, it became instantly obvious that we made the right decision because the venue filled up right after our arrival. The unmistakable Ebbot Lundberg kept the people entertained from behind the decks as we waited patiently for the show to get underway.

Juvelen proved himself to be a considerably bigger draw than I anticipated and the crowd gushed with adoration as he strutted back and forth across the stage. No backing band, just lights, smoke and a guitar. That's all he needed. The females in attendance didn't seem to mind that he kept shedding layers of clothing as well. Impressive, for sure!

Of course, the big draw of the evening, especially for me, was Laakso and they were absolutely everything I had hoped them to be. Anthemic and glorious, perhaps even a bit cathartic. They played the hits and then they played some more. Annika Norlin came out and joined them for a rousing version of "Italy vs Helsinki". The band performed with fiery vigor and not a single moment was wasted. Some say that Laakso is currently Sweden's best band. I'm inclined to agree.

I should've called it a night following Laakso, but instead I set out on a fool's errand for a proper after-after-party. A wasted effort and a long walk home, but a good way to clear my jetlagged-rattled head and wind down. Lesson learned!
(AR)

Due to a wedding on the Saturday I was only able to attend Way Out West on Friday and I also had to leave early (halfway through The Hives' decent set) which meant I missed all the club nights too. Instead of getting to see Moneybrother, Regina Spektor, Juvelen, Laakso, TTA, Säkert!, Kanye West, Franke etc I was treated to the dire 'talents' that are Salem Al Fakir, Laleh, Albert Hammond Jr and the now questionable lot of The Hellacopters. Salem Al Fakir and Laleh could have been the worse festival combo I've ever witnessed, I was in shock by their horrible performances. Thankfully, Hello Saferide turned out to be a hint of sunshine in the rain, her set was much better than I expected it to be (I'm half a fan). The weather was rubbish, it was humid and rained most of the time, but the festival itself was nice. I love festivals near city centres! I'm definitely coming back if there will be a WoW in 2008, as long as I can go to the day when all the good bands are playing (no weddings then, please).
(ST)

Anticipations for the forthcoming album by The Hives are sky-high worldwide. And by all means, they should be. We're talking about a band putting up with a lot of pressure from, like, everywhere; the media, the record label and, most of all, the fans. And they know it. 'Cause what we saw was a hungry band eager to show off some new tunes and live up to the live rumor they've earned. After being locked up in studios around the globe for a long, long time it was quite obvious that Howlin' Pelle, Chris Dangerous, Vigilante Carlstroem, Dr. Matt Destruction and Nicholaus Arson wanted to kick ass. And maybe that's what made it come off as overkill. Sure, the band is a really tight one; the entertainment is top notch (especially Howlin' Pelle's banters wherein he heckles the crowd while stating that what we're watching is the greatest band in the world) but there's a downside to the enthusiasm. The new songs suffer from the furious tempo on stage. And frankly, those songs were the ones I wanted to hear. The new single "Tick tick boom" is a good choice for the first one out from "The black and white album" with its hooks and easy sing-along, but as a whole, the other new ones tleft me a bit disappointed. The patented Hives-sound was all over and that's what I'm having problems with. Been there, done that. But hey, don't worry; the gig as a whole wasn't a disappointment. It's when these guys from Fagersta play the wonderful "AKA I.D.I.O.T" from my favorite album "Barely legal" the show starts for real! Elegant as always, they deliver punk rock for the masses with crowd pleasers such as "Walk idiot walk" and "A little more for little you" (dedicated to Nicke Andersson from The Hellacopters who was celebrating a birthday). Pelle had the crowd right where he wanted them, following his every move. And guess what?! His voice lasted the whole show. A seldom heard thing.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of electronic dance music, or Prince for that matter. But I can tell when competent music is performed and this was one show that proved me wrong. Performing inside a club and not on a stage at an outdoor festival definitely improved Juvelen since his music is made for the dance floor. And the crowd danced! And that's what it's all about I guess. The live show is secondary in this case and it should be, as long as you have great music to back things up. The hit single "Hannah" is a perfect example of that. Sung in a high falsetto over samples and a hot-tempered distorted guitar, the tune almost gets me down on the dance floor myself. And that is perhaps the best review you can get from me, seeing that I very rarely do such a thing! I have problem with the fact that a lot of the songs get kind of monotonous, but this one man show was a small success. At least if you're dancing.

Entering the stage 1:30 am and what a show they put on! Laakso's "Mother, am i good looking?" is one of this year's best records this far and Avi, photographer Sofia and me weren't the only ones at the venue with that opinion. Right from the first chords of "Worst case scenario", the band kickstarts into a euphoric journey full of Markus Krunegård's lyrical anguish with the added glam touch and disharmonic guitar licks of Bear Quartet's Jari Haapalainen. You could definitely tell that the band really loved this gig as they repeatedly stated that the clock was too much. The wonderful storytelling on "Västerbron", the heavy metal shouts on "In my blood", the reckless drumming on "Hang me in the Christmas Tree" and, of course the duet with Annika Norlin on "Italy vs Helsinki"; all that made this gig a tremendous experience.
(JA)

Saturday

The euphoria of the previous evening must've still been with me because I rose early again, ready and raring to go despite very few hours of sleep. I had some doubts about passing on The Pogues the previous night, but those fears were allayed from friends who declared the performance to be a pathetic travesty of a freakshow. No thank you! So with that, it was off for another long day of performances, starting off with Florence Valentin who were a perfect, rousing way to start the afternoon. The band's ample membership filled the Linné stage and their considerable energy got the crowd moving. That's some classic Göteborg indiepop done right and I'm glad they're back.

From Florence Valentin, it was back to the beer tent for refreshment after a quick glimpse at Shout Out Louds who were just as exciting as expected (read: not very). Caught a few songs from Sparta somewhere in there, then back for more beers to allay the boredom of the mid-afternoon lull. It was quite telling that the random dude Devandra Banhart invited up to perform a song far outshined the man himself. Moneybrother, sadly, proved to be equally lackluster, especially when compared to the full band with strings show I saw at Umeå Open two years ago. Again: no thanks.

Peter Bjorn and John on the other hand, delivered a strong and confident set, no doubt a testament to their endless tour schedule. Seeing as how they are still a small-stage act in their native Sweden, the set was all top-shelf material of wall-to-wall hits. Once again, Annika Norlin came out for a duet, this time filling in for Victoria Bergsman on the ubiquitous "Young folks". Well done! Funny that I had to travel thousands of miles to finally see these guys in the flesh, but I know it won't be for the last time. A small taste here at Way Out West whetted my appetite for the band's forthcoming club tour in the US this fall.

A break now for dinner (including a decent Swedish microbrew! shocking!) and then back in time for Säkert!, yet another festival highlight. Obviously I'm a big fan of Hello Saferide, but seeing Annika with the good folks of Isolation Years (plus Henrik Oya of The Spacious Mind and Jakob Nyström's sister Lovisa on keys/backing vocals) was fantastic. No gueststars today as all duets were aptly handled in-band, not that it mattered. They wrapped up the Parksommar tour here in top-notch style. The driving stomp of set-closer "Allt som är dit" was perfection and the crowd responded in kind. After that, I wandered over to catch the tail-end of The Ark's set, but was driven to seek shelter by the pounding rain. Had I been up front with sympathetic souls, I'm sure I would've loved it, but I opted for the easier (and drier) choice of watching from the safety of the beer tent. Hearing Ola Salo deliver a verse from "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg" during one of their triumphant breakdowns was a nice touch.

Lily Allen replacement Teddybears STHLM proved to be far better than expected. Despite having a softspot for the band's obnoxious early years as a hardcore band, there's no denying the group's reinvention as the new century's biggest hitfactory. Each and every song, another solid gold single. It also must be said that the overwhelmingly surreal experience of thousands singing along to final track "Punkrocker" was a capper. "Cuz I'm a punkrocker, yes I am!" Oh, really?

The spectacle of Kanye West was alluring, even moreso with the promise of a PB&J cameo, but my friends and I opted instead for the elusive Franke. Bad move! Not that Kanye West would've been much better (reports have not been flattering), but Franke was absolutely dreadful. The sound was shit and so was the performance. By far the biggest disappointment of the entire festival. Wisely, we decided to cut our losses and headed back to the Norrländska Generalkonsulatet for late-night Randy and Bruce Springsteen singalongs plus plenty of Norrlands Guld. Now that is a proper way to end an evening and a perfect conclusion to the Way Out West experience.
(AR)

Anders Wendin has been a class act entertainer ever since the days he fronted the sadly missed Monster. Something that's oh so obvious at this gig as well. As with The Hives, Moneybrother also have a new record due to be released and the focus is concentrated on material from that one, "Mount pleasure". Apart from the first single "Just another summer" ,I have not yet heard the record, but what they presented live sounded great and familiar. And that is, as always, a problem. The songs sound a bit too alike live. But when putting on such a live show, you're excused. This, the only Moneybrother festival gig this year, was a pure discharge after just recently completing a summer tour. And with hits like "They're building walls around us", "The pressure" and the marvelous final number "Reconsider me", you just can't go wrong. Too bad the guys (presented by Anders as the most attractive band out there) had some difficulties with the sound at times, but that's a problem I can overlook. I can't wait to see this again in a more intimate club venue some time soon.

I'm sure everyone knows about Annika Norlin's Säkert! by now. But I could never imagine that she'd bring such an all-star team to Way Out West. The fellow musicians were, among others, Mats Hammarström and Jakob Nyström from Isolation Years, Henrik Oja from David Sandström Overdrive and Tonteknik and other studios way up north (he's like the Swedish equivalence to Steve Albini, lots of great records bear his mark)! Aware of this fact or not, the crowd was euphoric and sang along to every song. The feeling in that big tent was a warm and fuzzy one and just what this, in Annika's own words, more outspoken cousin to Hello Saferide deserves. As much as I adore HS, I must say that Säkert! gets to me in a more direct way. And that's not at all just about me understanding the words, the music is more exposed and in your face. This is exactly why this was a really nice experience. With only one record out, the band can only do so much, but what they did was more than enough. Hearing Jakob singing Martin Hanberg's part on "Sanningsdan" is something I will remember as one of the finest things from this festival. The only downside was that Juliette & the Licks drowned some of the more mellow songs with their mediocre rock n' roll. Definitely nothing that Annika can be held responsible for. All in all, one of the finest shows at the festival!
(JA)

What can I say? Way Out West was a smashing success. And I nearly missed it. Who could have thought that this rookie-festival would sell out as fast as it did? With such a strong line up, it was a matter of time really, but several weeks ahead? And with me being quite lazy, well, Friday came and I still had no ticket. I did try though, I even went to the black market, but no. The Hives, Hello Saferide, The Hellacopters, and I wasn't there. Saturday came and I was about to lose all hope when luck finally came about. 200 extra tickets where released on demand and I got one. Off to the festival then!

Even though I couldn't make it the day before, I wasn't all bummed out. Saturday actually held a couple of really good and exciting Scandinavian bands as well. I missed Shout Out Louds due to my ticket problem, but since I've already seen them on just about every festival this summer, I couldn't care less. A little part of me felt sad for not being able to see the Saturday opening act Florence Valentin though. Instead, I arrived right on time to catch the one and only Moneybrother. In 2003 I saw Anders Wendin perform on one of the smaller stages on Accelerator, The Big One. Some had heard of Monster, none had heard of Moneybrother. And the gig was great. The two following records, "Blood panic" and "To die alone" were also great. Moneybrother was here to stay. But things change - sometimes you can only push things to a limit and thereafter it becomes boring. Anders Wendin and his colleagues give their best, but the news songs simply won't stick to my mind. No, more of the old Anders and less of Bruce Springsteen/Ulf Lundell.

Peter Bjorn and John. I've given these guys a hard time in the past, I know. I still think "Writers' Block" is a mediocre record, but live these guys rock! The place is crowded and I even forgive those who wait for that one special song alone. There's no Victoria Bergman on guest vocals today, but Annika Norlin from Säkert!/Hello Saferide still manages to give a golden touch to the indie anthem "Young folks". The gossip of today is, or course, what will Peter Bjorn and John pull off when they are to play with Kanye West this evening? Speaking of Annika Norlin, I was quite sceptical of her new project Säkert! when I heard the first single "Vi kommer att dö samtidigt", but yet again, I'm overwhelmed by the outcome live. It just sounds great. A little bit more raw and intense, exactly how I like my music. Annika Norlin is truly something special.

I skipped Timo Räisänen to get something to get something to eat and a new set of dry clothes (the sky opened up during the Regina Spektor concert, of course). I wasn't that sad about it, you've heard one Timo song, you've heard them all. Come to think of it, having already released two records, with a third on the way, and still getting to play just about anywhere, the guy must be doing something right. But you can't argue with hunger and cold. The Ark played about every festival I've been to this summer as well, but I still haven't been to an entire concert up to now. Why you ask? Well, it tends to become quite static after a while. This time it's different. As Ola Salo points out, it's the almost the end of the summer and soon enough it's back to school or to the old job. And we don't want that. So they play and we sing along.

Lilly Allen had to cancel, say hello to Teddybears STHLM! I've never been too fond of this band either (I know, I sound like a grumpy old man), but you can't argue with the hits. Who can say no to "Cobra style", "Punkrocker" and "Hey boy"? But there's Way Out West for you, bands you didn't expect to do well, did awesome instead.

I really wanted to get in the day before as well, but the Saturday alone gave me the chills. Too bad I was trapped inside a manic crowd during Kanye West (and yeah, Peter Bjorn and John did play "Young folks" again. This time it sucked though), I really wanted to see a couple of songs with Franke. Next time perhaps.
(CS)

Who's who:

CS: Christian Stenbacke

ST: Simon Tagestam

AR: Avi Roig

JA: Jonas Appelqvist

Pics by Sofia Qvarnström]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 articles fest http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27665-mp3-randy-better-than-art http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27665-mp3-randy-better-than-art http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27665-mp3-randy-better-than-art#comments Nothing says summertime to me like some good-time punk rock'n'roll and no one's better at that than Randy. "Summer of bros" is the obvious perennial favorite, but since I've been jamming 2005's "Randy the band" this past week or so, I'm going with "Better than art" as today's mp3. It's an easy choice, especially when you consider that the lyrics spell out exactly why Randy is one of Sweden's best bands.

I don't consider myself all that smart / I've come this far by using only my heart
I wear my intentions on my sleeve / I'm not cynical I'm naïve
I try to be as honest as I can

What you now hear / is the same thing you hear
When you put your ear / close to my heart
And that's why why I like music better than art

It's ridiculous that these guys are currently without a label. Lord knows that if I had money I'd step up, but my fortunes don't seem to be changing for the better anytime soon. For now, I'll just try to abide by these words and try to stem the tide of my own cynicism.]]> Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/674 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/674 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/674#comments Johndoe has posted yet another outtake track on myspace, the latest being "Forsvinningsnummer", a b-side from the "Ord mot ord" single. It was recorded at Gröndal in Stockholm with Pelle Gunnerfeldt and Johan Gustavsson and features Stefan Granberg from Randy on guitar during the choruses. Listen here: http://www.myspace.com/jhnd]]> Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/729 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/729 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/729#comments The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. At the Gates - Suicide nation
02. TALK 1
03. Moving Oos - Stronger
04. Eskju Divine - Hold on
05. Mechanical Bird - Sunday
06. TALK 2
07. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Quiet
08. DS13 - Thrash lifestyle
09. Montt Mardié - Metropolis
10. Junior Senior - Can I get get get
11. TALK 3
12. Niccokick - Love & neon lights
13. Kristofer Åström - I collect knives
14. Death Breath - His protoplasmic worship
15. TALK 4
16. Mob - Ghost track
17. MZ412 - Unhealing wounds
18. Ugress - Manhattan sapphire
19. TALK 5
20. Shining - Låt oss ta allt från darandra
21. No Hope for the Kids - Rainy day
22. Moneybrother - Det blir ingen dans
23. Amandine - For all the marbles
24. TALK 6
25. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle
26. Last Days of April - Aspirins and alcohol
27. M:40 - När bomberna faller
28. TALK 7
29. Espen Jørgensen - The immaculate conception
30. Motorpsycho - For free
31. The Carny - Man under the sun
32. TALK 8
33. Karin Ström - Klaustrofobi
34. Badun - Pulsen
35. Meshuggah - Future breed machine
36. Värttinä - Mero
37. TALK 9
38. Randy - Better than art
39. Closer - Open casket
40. Alog - Buffalo demon
41. TALK 10
42. On Trial - Speaking of witch]]> Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25884-last-days-of-april-might-as-well-live-bad-taste-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25884-last-days-of-april-might-as-well-live-bad-taste-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25884-last-days-of-april-might-as-well-live-bad-taste-records#comments Karl Larsson finally found his home musically. This, the 5th album, is simply packed with rawk that has an astounding appeal. The man knows how to write catchy songs, but this collection are his masterpiece. And speaking of catchy, "Who's on the phone?" can possibly be the catchiest song to be released this year. Other favourites are the somewhat epic "Melbourne" and the sensitive and driven "Two ply glass". LDOA is a one-man project nowadays, but never is it a dull project. On the contrary, it is very much alive and kicking, something that the album title refers to. With Fredrik Granberg from Randy behind the drums and Mathias Oldén from Logh on bass, it's a combo that really tightens the sound together. And once and for all; I think we can finally erase that "emo rock"-mark LDOA have been labelled with for so long now.]]> Wed, 30 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1301 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1301 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1301#comments My radio show this week is all about good-time summer jams:

01. TALK 1
02. Junior Senior - Move your feet
03. Tigerbombs - 1000 sparks
04. Säkert! - Vi kommer att dö samtidigt
05. TALK 2
06. Maia Hirasawa - And I found this boy
07. Margaret Berger - Samantha
08. The Knife - Heartbeats
09. The Ark - The worrying kind
10. TALK 3
11. Bamse - Kapten Busters sång
12. Marit Bergman - Adios amigos
13. Last Days of April - Playerin
14. Nic & the Family - Hej Monika
15. TALK 4
16. Basshunter - Boten Anna
17. The Alpine - No I in team
18. Aqua - Barbie girl
19. TALK 5
20. I'm From Barcelona - Treehouse
21. Bertine Zetlitz - 500
22. Eric Prydz vs Floyd - Proper education
23. TALK 6
24. Children of Bodom - Oops, I did it again!
25. Whale - Hobo humpin' slobo babe
26. Kurt Nilsen - She's so high
27. Desert Planet - Return of the ninja droids
28. TALK 7
29. Laakso - Italy vs Helsinki
30. Peter Bjorn and John - Young folks
31. September - Cry for you
32. TALK 8
33. Randy - Summer of bros
34. Ace of Base - All that she wants
35. Sir Eric Beyond and the Avant-Garde - Democracy
36. TALK 9
37. Håkan Hellström - Kann ingen sorg för mig Göteborg
38. Seven Feet Four - Last days of summer
39. Tiger Lou - The war between us (Rupesh Cartel remix)
40. Madrugada - The kids are on high street
41. TALK 10
42. Europe - The final countdown

Download the companion "Summer jam '07" podcast mix right here.]]> Sat, 26 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25692-podcast-summer-jam-07 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25692-podcast-summer-jam-07 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25692-podcast-summer-jam-07#comments DATE ADDED : 05.25.07
LENGTH : 60:30 min
DOWNLOAD : itsatrap_podcast_05252007.mp3 (42.5mb)
RSS : [click here]

Tracklist:
01. Junior Senior - Move your feet
02. Säkert! - Vi kommer att dö samtidigt
03. Maia Hirasawa - And I found this boy
04. Margaret Berger - Samantha
05. Marit Bergman - Adios amigos
06. Nic & the Family - Hej Monika
07. Basshunter - Boten Anna
08. The Alpine - No I in team
09. Aqua - Barbie girl
10. I'm From Barcelona - Treehouse
11. Bertine Zetlitz - 500
12. Whale - Hobo humpin' slobo babe
13. Laakso - Italy vs Helsinki
14. September - Cry for you
15. Randy - Summer of bros
16. Tiger Lou - War between us (Rupesh Cartel remix)
17. Europe - The final countdown

]]> Fri, 25 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700 articles podcast http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1398 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1398 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1398#comments New updated tourdates for Swedish punks Sista Sekunden:

06/01 - Köpi, Berlin (GER) w/Leadershit
06/02 - help!
06/03 - Künstverin, Nürnberg (GER)
06/04 - Archiv, Potsdam w/Asshole Parade, ANS, Cold War
06/05 - Subway To Peter, Chemnitz (GER)
06/06 - AZ, Mülheim (GER) w/Bratpack
06/07 - Quicksilver Bowl Riders, Malmö (SWE) w/Enemy Alliance, Randy, HFOS, Franky Lee, more
06/08 - tbc, Göteborg (SWE)
06/09 - Krafthuset, København (DK) w/Asshole Parade, Ghost Mice, Ripping Headache
09/20 - ERA, Shimokitazawa, Tokyo (JAP) w/I Scream 7 Showers, DSB, Encroached
09/21 - Blue Forest, Kumagaya, Saitama (JAP) w/I Scream 7 Showers
09/22 - Pumpkin, Yokosuka, Kanagawa (JAP) w/I Scream 7 Showers
09/23 - Zion, Nagoya, Aichi (JAP) w/I Scream 7 Showers
09/24 - tba, Kyoto, Kyoto (JAP) w/I Scream 7 Showers
09/26 - Pepperland, Okayama (JAP) w/I Scream 7 Showers
09/27 - Pipe 69, Osaka (JAP) w/I Scream 7 Showers
09/28 - tba
09/29 - Blue Port, Kobe, Hyogo (JAP) w/I Scream 7 Showers
09/30 - ACB Hall, Shinjuku, Tokyo (JAP) w/I Scream 7 Showers]]> Fri, 18 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1505 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1505 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1505#comments As promised, the first of the Johndoe outtakes series is now posted for your listening pleasure on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jhnd
"Skarpe kanter" is the name and it sounds a lot like Randy. Not that I'm complaining.]]> Thu, 10 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1788 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1788 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1788#comments Check out the microsite for the new comp "Ge Fan I Våra Vatten", a benefit to raise money for fish/water restoration: http://www.sportfiskarna.se/gefan/
Many of the contributing acts such as Erik Ohlsson from Millencolin and Kimmo Kirvesmäki of Voice Of A Generation/The Accidents are sport fishermen themselves, so consider this a labor of love. Other contributing acts include The Hives, The Hellacopters, Millencolin, Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Backyard Babies, Moneybrother, Weeping Willows and Randy. It comes out on May 18.]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1850 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1850 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1850#comments Bummer news: Randy has been dropped by Burning Heart. Actually, it's not a huge surprise as the label has been through some rough times recently and I imagine those guys will do fine wherever they end up.]]> Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25927-murder-by-guitar-on-parade-human-audio http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25927-murder-by-guitar-on-parade-human-audio http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25927-murder-by-guitar-on-parade-human-audio#comments Murder By Guitar sound like The Ramones, Kings of Leon, Randy and The Clash, albeit not all at the same time. Most of these tracks are pretty decent, although I can't stand the bluesy "See it in your eyes". There are about three songs on "On parade" that are of very high quality, "Ain't no surfer" being the best one with a chorus that sounds very much like The Ramones and goes "I ain't no surfer, but I hope you can love me anyway". Ahh - how sweet! It's not rocket science but it works very well for me (I'm pretty much a sucker for anything that sounds like The Ramones). You can purchase the album from the band's website for the cheap price of €8, and if you're into sweet and simple rock'n'roll it might be worth doing just that.]]> Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/2939 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/2939 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/2939#comments Pssst! Randy will be a surprise opening act at the Isolation Years releasefest on January 26 in their hometown of Umeå.]]> Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26013-johndoe-dodvinkel-jhnd http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26013-johndoe-dodvinkel-jhnd http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26013-johndoe-dodvinkel-jhnd#comments Knut Hamsun, I've been listening to Johndoe constantly the last week and yesterday I even bought something Norwegian for my girlfriend for Christmas (can't say what, in case she reads this). Johndoe is very much my cup of tea - melodic punkrock that's highly infectious and it sounds like a mix between Håkan Hellström, Randy, and a less "spikier" Mattias Alkberg BD, but sung in Norwegian. Can it get any better? Not sure what the lyrics are about, but they seem pretty normal to me. I'm definitely going to try and catch these guys live if I ever get the chance, I'm sure it's a riot.]]> Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26015-moneybrother-pengabrorsan-hacka-skivindustri http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26015-moneybrother-pengabrorsan-hacka-skivindustri http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26015-moneybrother-pengabrorsan-hacka-skivindustri#comments Moneybrother's Swedish album. It seems idiotic to me, but who am I to judge, huh? Maybe they didn't think it would sell enough or something. The album consists of ten covers, all interpreted by Anders Wedin (aka Moneybrother) in Swedish, and one original song that features the Swedish rock legend Jerry Williams. It's an interesting premise and Moneybrother manages to keep it exciting most of the way through. Being a fan of Operation Ivy, "Jag skriver inte på nåt", with The Hives' own Howlin' Pelle, appeals to me a lot and so does "Under bordet" which is a cover of My Morning Jacket's "Off the record" (one of my favourite songs of 2005), even though these are not the strongest songs on here per se. Most of the tracks have got that Bruce Springsteen vibe that Wendin has embraced and plugged away at since his first single "Reconsider me". Now, I'd like for Broder Daniel's Henrik, Randy's Stefan, etc, to step up and release their own Swedish cover albums. Preferably within the next 3 weeks. PS: The album's title is a Swedish translation of "the moneybrother".]]> Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25644-top-10s-for-2006-jonas-skybakmoen-johndoe http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25644-top-10s-for-2006-jonas-skybakmoen-johndoe http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25644-top-10s-for-2006-jonas-skybakmoen-johndoe#comments 01. "Nicolai Dunger sjunger Edith Södergran" - the best record I've heard in years

02. Johndoe at Kvarteret in Bergen - so much love from so many people is addictive

03. Listening to Peter Bjorn and John's "Roll the credits" extremely loud when I was drunk in October

04. Watching the making of before mentioned Dunger-album on Swedish television - the part with the lake, the northern sunset and "Glädjen Är En Fjäril" playing in the background

05. The West Wing - Santos for president!

06. Hearing Harry Nilsson's version of "Many Rivers To Cross" for the first time

07. "Ut og stjæle hester" (book by Per Petterson, which I read again this year, and it's even better the second time)

08. Jason cartoons, especially "Hemingway"

09. Recieving MySpace-comments from Fredrik in Randy, reminding us of good times at Galjonen in Stockholm

10. Hearing the alternative mix of "Throwaway Style" (The Exploding Hearts) and realizing it's the best song ever


---------------------------

Jonas sings and plays guitar in the Norwegian band Johndoe. Johndoe released their third album "Dødvinkel" in September this year and is currently trying to play as many gigs as possible.
www.johndoe.no
www.myspace.com/jhnd

]]> Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27867-mp3-randy-you-are-what-you-fight-for http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27867-mp3-randy-you-are-what-you-fight-for http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27867-mp3-randy-you-are-what-you-fight-for#comments It's Friday again and I'm feeling overworked, so Simon Tagestam gets this week's classic post:

The infectious poppy punk stuff that Randy played on their first couple of EPs was what made me love this Swedish band in the first place, but their angry and political lyrics helped to cement my total devotion to them. "You are what you fight for" is from Randy's third album "You can't keep a good band down" that was released in 1998 and probably my favourite album of that year. Stefan Granberg might not have perfected his American accent at this stage (and he might not have done so as of yet), but I don't care since I'm a very strong advocate that this is nothing that really matters - foreign accents in music are charming and should never be frowned upon! The lyrics to this song always make me want to shape up and fully embrace my half-forgotten pseudo-ideals, perhaps after another 1,000 listens this will finally happen. Here we go...]]> Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4067 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4067 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4067#comments Ny Våg reports that Knugen Faller's new album "Lugna favoriter" is done and set for a late November release. Also on the way is The Vicious' new album "Alienated" which should be out in mid-November. Further in the future look for new 7" releases from Randy sideproject Stefan and the Problematix (this was supposed to be out years ago) and The Most, a "super retro mod band from Umeå." Samples of the latter here: http://www.myspace.com/themostsweden]]> Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4319 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4319 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4319#comments Randy invades the French-speaking part of Canada:

10/13 - Spectrum, Montreal w/Les Vulgaire Machin
10/14 - Centre Recreatif, Thetford
10/15 - Nord Ouest, Trois Rivieres
10/16 - tba, Fredericton
10/17 - The Attics, Halifax
10/18 - Paramount, Moncton
10/19 - La Coudée, Rimouski
10/20 - Cégep, Sept-Iles
10/21 - Secret Show, Chicoutimi
10/23 - Dagobert, Québec
10/25 - Le Richelieu Metric, St-Jean Sur
10/26 - Le Vestiaire, Montreal

All dates with Hope and PMX except the first and the last three which include Mute, but no Hope on the last two. Got it? Good.]]> Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25612-profile-franky-lee http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25612-profile-franky-lee http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25612-profile-franky-lee#comments Name: Franky Lee

From: All over Sweden

Sounds like: Catchy, punky rock'n'roll

Listen: Solitary

Discography:
2007 - tba (Burning Heart)

Links:
www.frankylee.com
www.myspace.com/frankyleeband

It's only natural that someone who's been in the same band for many years will begin to feel like branching out. Such is definitely the case for Millencolin guitarist Mathias Färm, so it should come as no surprise that he's decided to branch out and front a band of his very own - Franky Lee. So far there's only one song been made public (see link above), but considering the involvement of ex-Peepshows guitarist Magnus Hägerås and Randy drummer Fredrik Granberg, one can surely expect greatness. Burning Heart thinks so - the band's already been signed with the debut album due out early next year. Mathias was kind enough to answer a few questions:

Why start a new band? What made you decide you wanted to do your own thing and why did you choose those two particular dudes to play with?

Well, I have a lot of songs just laying around so why not do something useful with them! I always wanted to try to sing in a band and now when I had the opurtunity to do it with Magnus and Fredrik, I thought I'll give it a go. Magnus is a great guitar player and also my guitar tech with Millencolin and Fredrik, he's just one hell of a drummer...

I imagine you guys are all pushing 30 or thereabouts now - do you still consider yourself a punk-rocker? how has your opinion of punk changed over the years?

I've never really considered myself punk (well, maybe as a teenager I tried to be one). For me punkrock has always been a way to to what you wanna do with no rules. That's why I respect all kinds of music even if it's Madonna or Sex Pistols.

It seems to me (at least here in the US) that a lot of people get into pop-punk when they are teenagers and then grow out of it. Is it the same in Sweden? Or do you think that your audience has aged with you?

Hmmm, our crowd is younger than us, especially here in Sweden. Outside of Sweden it's more accepted to be into pop-punk (or what you wanna call it). Since Sweden is such a small country everything is very trend-oriented here. If hip-hop is the new cool, all the kids are into hip-hop or if the new thing is punk everyone is into that. I've never grown out of the music I love, hope I'm not the only one.

You've got a lot of tattoos right? What's your most embarassing one? Who's got the worst tattoo in the band?

I got my first tattoo back in 93', It's a tattoo that I named "my grunge compas." It looks terrible, but now it's hidden inside my other stuff...puhhh!

What's the best thing about being in a band?

Well for me it's always been when you're up on stage and are having a good gig, also that I get a lot of time off!!!

If you weren't playing music, what do you think you'd be doing?

No idea, maybe working in my studio recording and producing bands!

Tell me about the last book you read.

Last book I read was "Stalingrad" by Anthony Beevor, life wasn't easy back in those days. I'm really interested in WW2, terrible stuff that happened in a terrible time... not that long ago!

What's the future look like for Franky Lee?

Great.. We're gonna start with a couple of secret gigs around Sweden. The album will be released early next year followed by massive touring around the world!!!!

]]> Mon, 18 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 articles interviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4688 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4688 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4688#comments Read a reposted punkmeup.com interview with Randy at the band's website: http://www.randytheband.com/?NODE=225]]> Wed, 23 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25602-interview-jonas-skybakmoen-johndoe http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25602-interview-jonas-skybakmoen-johndoe http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25602-interview-jonas-skybakmoen-johndoe#comments It used to be that bands singing in their own native languages (ie, not English) were doomed to obscurity. Of course there's been a few exceptions here and there over the years, but they're almost all nothing but novelty acts. But the times are a-changing and there seems to be growing acceptance of that fact that we live in an increasingly international world full of wonderful multilingual music. If freak-folk from Finland can catch a break in the States, why not a Norwegian rock'n'roll band? It could happen! And why not?

I had seen the name Johndoe here and there for awhile and had even started reporting on them as early as March 2003, but I must confess that it wasn't until Fredrik from Randy cited them as his new favorite band that I really started paying attention and actually gave them a listen. The music of Randy is a good reference point, too - both bands play similarly energetic rock'n'roll, very much rooted in punk-rock, but way more than just mohawks and safety-pins. Grounded in tradition, but not bound by it. It makes perfect sense for them to be fans of eachother and, subsequently, to tour together as well.

When I saw the news that Johndoe was coming out with a new record I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to catch up with the band and hopefully (re)introduce them to a new audience that appears to be more receptive than ever. Singer/guitarist Jonas Skybakmoen was more than happy to oblige.
- Avi Roig

Tell me about the new album - how is it different from what you've done before? What's that title mean?

I guess the title "Dødvinkel" could be translated into "blind spot". Word-by-word it would be "dead angle" - so in Norwegian the title has another bleak twist to it. We wanted that. This is by far our most depressing record yet. It wasn't really intentional, it just happened. And somehow it's a very Norwegian record. It's about living up here in Trondheim, about things we know. Roots, love, agony, and longing, maybe. And musically... This isn't exactly the rock'n'roll capitol of the world, you know? We admire musicians that are able to tell people where they're coming from. Björn Olsson got this incredible Swedish thing going on. Same with Nicolai Dunger and his latest album "...sjunger Edith Södergran". We wanted to make something honest, simple and believable. Something from Trondheim. It's probably old fashioned, I don't know - songs about heartache and running away is pretty classic stuff. But we wanted this to be a manifold record as well - we wanted a bit of everything in there. There's a lot of piano and background vocals going on, and only one guitar solo. That's pretty bold by our standards. We spent almost two years writing songs for this record - and then we recorded 11 of them live in the studio and that's "Dødvinkel".

I know it's the standard dumb question, but why sing in Norwegian?

When we first started back in 1994, Swedish punk was the big thing in Trondheim. BirdNest-bands like Charta 77, Dia Psalma and DLK. They used to come here and play UFFA or Veita and there would be total madness. I even remember a riot in the street after a Charta 77 show. One of our mates had "Ebba - the movie" on VHS. It was the best thing we had ever seen. We played some Ebba Grön songs and then we started to write ourselves. In Norwegian, of course. I mean, we didn't even think it over. We have seriously never considered singing in English. I guess it's about wanting to communicate. It's hard to write in Norwegian, though. We gotta be ten times better than all the English-singing groups in Norway 'cause they can get away with any dumb lyric. We can't and that's a big challenge. Personally, I enjoy Norwegian and Swedish lyrics the most. It just feels closer to what I know and what my life is like.

Do you consider yourselves to be punk anymore? What does it mean to be a punk band in 2006 anyway?

I don't really know if we are a punk band. I know that punk rock has shaped us in many ways - and that it probably shows in all from stage presence to song writing. But we have a kind of laid-back relationship to the whole punk thing. Yeah, we love the Misfits, but we also love Bruce Springsteen. Talking New Jersey, Ralphie from "The Sopranos" is the worst punk ever! And "Dødvinkel" isn't a punk album. We are breaking way too many punk rock rules. What's up with all those rules, really? I mean, you can't still consider 999 to be the best band on earth. They visited Trondheim recently, they're extremely old. Maybe the punkest thing a band can do nowadays is to have complete control over their own music - a thing which even The Clash struggled to achieve. But it's probably easier now, with the Internet and all. You don't really need major labels, do you? You need Clear Channel and MySpace, though. I like the old-school punk thing, releasing 7"s and LPs and sounding like 1983. But that's not us, really. People should check out the Ny Våg-label in Umeå, Sweden.

What's up with the new label? What happened with Sony? How much of the work are you taking up yourselves?

We decided to release the new album ourselves - and Sony was happy to let us go. Our last album "Pyromantikk" didn't sell enough copies the first two weeks to make us a priority within the Sony system. We toured a lot and practically pushed the album all on our own. At the same time, Sony and BMG decided to join forces in Europe and a lot of the people we had been working with were simply afraid of losing their jobs. And suddenly they had all these Norwegian Idol artists on their roster. They sold far more than us, of course. We didn't want to whine about it. We wanted to do our thing and make it fun to release records again. So we started JHND. We got in touch with Sonet, which is a branch of Universal Music. They are gonna sell our record. We have always been doing almost everything ourselves - from day one we've been managing Johndoe together with our best friend. Another friend helps us with album covers and web design. My old schoolmate is making our new video. I guess we are pretty demanding people to work with. We want things to be done right away - and that's why we often end up doing it ourselves.

How important is DIY to you?

We've always been doing a lot of stuff ourselves. Not everything - we've got a booking agency in Oslo and Sonet is helping out with promotion and sale. We pay them and call them every day. And the rest is pretty much up to us. I think every band has been through a DIY-phase at some point. You know, putting up posters, calling the local newspaper, spreading the word through the Internet. Our DIY-phase seems everlasting. We want things to be done our way. It's fun - you can design a poster one day, and then go on to make a song the next. I personally like the creative work the most. And we're all about the music, really - the songs are our main focus. But there's still more to be done, you gotta be pretty structured and focused. I guess you need a plan from square one, and stick to it. There's always people calling, wanting to do something with Johndoe - be it a gig at some mall or an interview on summer fashion - and then you gotta ask yourself; Is this a part of the plan? And if not, well, you won't do it. We started our own label this January. It may sound like a big step, coming from Sony and all. But it really wasn't. We don't longer have to call up some A&R, try and convince him that we need to do another video, and then sit back and wait for an answer for four weeks. We've been in the game for a while now, we know people, we can make this happen on our own.

How does the Trondheim compare to the hyped Bergen scene? Is there the same sort of cross-genre camaraderie among bands? How does it compare to cities like Oslo?

Trondheim is different from Bergen and Oslo in many ways. First of all, we don't have the same amount of high quality studios and producers up here. The "bigger" bands in Trondheim often record their albums elsewhere - we actually went to Bergen to record our first album. Trondheim don't have a single functioning booking agency for rock artists. We've got a few people doing management and a couple of indie labels. Bands from up here need connections in Oslo, really. And yes, the Bergen scene has been the centre of attention for a while now. It seems to me that they're very focused on melody down there - while Trondheim has always been rock-country. We're catching up, though. We've got some great bands, like the Lionheart Brothers, Desperado and New Violators, to mention a few. Thomas from Desperado released one of our EPs on his Dead Letter label a couple of years ago. Marcus from Lionheart produced a single for us last year. Everybody drinks beer at Blæst on fridays. So yeah, we're connected in many ways.

How does the Norwegian scene compare to Sweden?

I tend to fall in love with almost anything coming from Sweden. It seems to me that the Swedish artists have got this amazing sense of melody - be it The Knife or Mattias Alkberg BD or Dungen, you know? Something that in a way connects them to the same place. A northern twist, or whatever. The Swedes seem so open-minded when it comes to music - the audience kinda embraces extremeties and strangeness, especially when it comes to artists singing in Swedish. And they like new music as well as old. The media in Norway keep talking about the four big bands in Norwegian-language rock - Jokke, DumDum Boys, Raga Rockers and DeLillos. They all started out in the 80s, and they are doing huge comeback tours now (except for Jokke, who sadly died in 2000 and who probably is the greatest of them all, some kind of Alf Prøysen for his generation). We need some young folks too, we need something new.

Ever have any international aspirations? Do you think there's a potential market for Norwegian-language rock outside or Scandinavia? What's your take on the success that Kaizers Orchestra has achieved?

Maybe we got some international aspirations in the back of our heads. We've been focusing on Norway all the way, but we went to Sweden last year together with Randy. Only four gigs, but it was great, and we got some nice feedback as well. We need someone to put out our record over there! What Kaizers Orchestra has done is simply amazing. I think it's about their massive live shows - that kind of showmanship is universal. Our friends in Nullskattesnylterne have toured Germany a couple of times, singing in Norwegian dialect Trøndersk and all. So it's definitely possible, although I think Great Britain would be a hard nut to crack.

In the first question you talked about pain of growing up in Trondheim and how it's reflected in your music. What was growing up there really like? Any stories from your childhood that exemplify the experience? What do you get out of it when you capture these emotions in song? Do you think it can resonate with people who have never been to Trondheim or do you consciously try to make things more universally applicable?

I don't necessarily mean that Trondheim is a shitty place to live, Trondheim can be nice. Personally, I grew up some place between the suburb and the city. A lot of people - I suppose both working, middle and upper-middle class - came to live in these brand new, but cheap terraced houses in the early 80s. My childhood wasn't painful or anything. Some kids started doing drugs, and some didn't. I often bump into people I grew up with downtown and it's pretty clear to me who made it and who didn't. Sometimes it's totally surprising and that's kinda depressing. We've tried to capture that feeling of chance in a couple of our songs. There's a bit of dreading the future, you know. Anything can happen. That disturbes me.

I guess Trondheim functions as a backdrop to our songs - Trondheim is what we know. There's portraits of nature and landscapes, there's actual street names and landmarks and such. I don't think it's excluding, it's rather the opposite - I can read a Richard Ford short story from Great Falls, Montana and still relate to it, right? Not despite of, but rather because of all the depictions of farms, motels, mountains, cars. It makes the story come alive, I guess it wouldn't be so good without it. And I think our stories are understandable, they're pretty universal. We've got this one song that mentions an old German bunker situated just outside my childhood home, but it's really a song about fearing the unknown to the point of mindless patriotism. It's kinda gloomy. At the same time - this is probably our most poppy record. We've fallen in love with simple melodies, straight-forward arrangements - you know, songs, rather than just riffs and poses.

What do you do when you're not playing music? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

We play a lot of soccer, usually indoors. Then we watch soccer on TV. We also play FIFA 2006 and Pro Evolution Soccer 5. Some of us even play the flash-game "Play for your club" on the Internet. Ten years from now? I don't really wanna think about it.

Okay, so you don't want to think about 10 years down the road. What's Johndoe up to for the next couple of months then?

The album will hit the stores on September the 18th. We will start our national tour in early October and probably keep going until Christmas. The whole thing is being planned right now. We're designing the cover, making a video - basically getting the Johndoe machinery ready for the fall. I'm really looking forward to playing these tunes live, I can't wait! We're hoping to go to Sweden again in early 2007. Time will tell.

]]> Mon, 21 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700 articles interviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27930-mp3-johndoe-kjotere http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27930-mp3-johndoe-kjotere http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27930-mp3-johndoe-kjotere#comments Want more exclusive content? Of course you do. Not only do I have a great interview posted today with Jonas Skybakmoen, the frontman of Norway's Johndoe, I've also got an mp3 of their brand new single "Kjøtere". The track comes from the band's forthcoming third full-length album "Dødvinkel", to be released this fall on the band's own JHND label imprint. As you can see, this is a Norwegian band that sings in their native tongue, but don't let that scare you off. One would hope that you're reading this site because you are openminded about such things. Good upbeat pop music like this has universal appeal, despite the language barrier. Highly recommended, especially if you're at all into bands like Randy, the Buzzcocks or Håkan Hellström. Think punk energy with tons of hooks. I'm really proud of the way our talk turned out, so download the song and get to reading!]]> Mon, 21 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25601-video-mix-acid-house-kings-hello-saferide-the-hives-meshuggah-randy-rough-bunnies-more http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25601-video-mix-acid-house-kings-hello-saferide-the-hives-meshuggah-randy-rough-bunnies-more http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25601-video-mix-acid-house-kings-hello-saferide-the-hives-meshuggah-randy-rough-bunnies-more#comments Week #3 and still going strong...

Acid House Kings - 7 days
This pretty much sums up their live show. Fun, light-hearted and brilliant. (MG)

Laakso - Aussie girl
This is my favourite band to come out of Sweden in the last few years, and nothing they have done has disappointed me. Here's looking back to the first record in hopes that many, many more will come. (MG)

Hello Saferide - The quiz
Hello Saferide was always going be a hit for the heart for many with such songs as "Long lost penpal" and "San Fransisco" - but it took "The quiz" to really dispell any doubts there may have been: Hello Saferide is quality. The video is lo-fi - did MTV show it? Doubt it - hence why this is a smashing chance for you to enjoy. (JC)

The Hives - Main offender
Despite being considered by many to be hasbeens nowadays, I still believe The Hives are a great band and dammit, this is a great song. Oh, and a ridiculously good video, too. (AR)

Meshuggah - New millenium cyanide christ
Not all extreme metal bands take themselves 100% seriously. Despite making some of the most heavy, precise, intense music ever, Meshuggah still knows how to smile and laugh. The perfect low-budget video. (AR)

Randy - Shape up & Human atom bomb (live)
Dudes in skeleton suits bash out two great songs in under four minutes. Makes you understand why many consider 'em to be Sweden's greatest live band. The picture is pretty damn dark unfortunately, but the sound quality is pristine. (AR)

Rough Bunnies – Poppy Eye
This video could have been made by someone wanting to satirize Rough Bunnies being so lo-fi and twee, and the video is almost too cute and lo-fi, but I still love it. (ST)

Röyksopp - What else is there?
There is something in this decaying mess of a video that is just gorgeous. It just makes me want to daydream all day long. Here's to floating. (MG)

Sigur Rós - Untitled 1
This is the greatest music video of all time. Seriously, nothing can top this. It's the most purely beautiful thing I have ever seen in cinamatic form. (MG)

Silverbullit/Citizen Bird - Joy
Is it art? Or just an advert? Either way, it's still eye candy. (AR)

.:Who's who?

JC: Jason Christie
MG: Matt Giordano
AR: Avi Roig
ST: Simon Tagestam

]]> Thu, 17 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700 articles videos http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4788 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4788 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4788#comments Randy is working on booking dates in Spain and Canada.]]> Wed, 16 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27947-mp3-the-vicious-its-all-a-lie http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27947-mp3-the-vicious-its-all-a-lie http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27947-mp3-the-vicious-its-all-a-lie#comments Got a new mp3 today from Umeå-based punk-rockers The Vicious from their latest 7" "Obsessive". If dig classic snotty singalong punk like Randy or Regulations (with whom they share a member) then you'll definitely love this too. A lot of times this sorta retro-sounding sound comes off as forced, but somehow the Scandinavian punks usually seem to pull it off. No detached irony, no snide winks; just 100% quality rock'n'roll. The other point of interest concerning The Vicious is that this is the new band of Sara Almgren from The (International) Noise Conspiracy. Sorry to those of you hoping that she'd return to her moshcore roots (she was in band Doughnuts way back when), but it looks like it ain't gonna happen. Yet. C'mon, isn't it about time someone started a Chokehold tribute band or something?]]> Thu, 27 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6306 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6306 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6306#comments Millencolin frontman Nikola Sarcevic will be releasing a new solo album on Burning Heart later this year, his follow-up to 2004's "Lock-Sport-Krock". In other Millencolin sideproject news, guitarist Mattias Färm is fronting a new project called Franky Lee also featuring Fredrik Granburg from Randy on drums and Magnus Hägerås from The Peepshows on guitar and bass. They'll be releasing their debut album this fall and some samples should hopefully be online soon.]]> Wed, 05 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6391 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6391 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6391#comments Download a live video clip of Randy playing "Rockin pneumonia and the Punkrock Flu" in Hamburg: http://hem.bredband.net/fredgr/rockin.mpg]]> Thu, 30 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6639 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6639 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6639#comments Randy's much-improved new website is finally online: http://www.randytheband.com/]]> Mon, 13 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6690 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6690 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6690#comments Randy on tour in Europe:

04/01 - Lokomotiv, Trollhättan (GER)
05/23 - Ekko, Utrecht (NL)
05/25 - Waterfront, Rotterdam (NL)
05/26 - Tanzhalle, Hamburg (GER)
05/27 - Rocco Schalocko, Saarbrucken (GER)
05/28 - Underground, Köln (GER)
05/30 - Backstage, Munich (GER)
05/31 - Szene, Vienna (CH)
06/01 - Kaserne, Basel (CH)
06/02 - Remise, Wil (CH)
06/03 - A. Stadtbahnhof, Schweinfurt (GER)
06/04 - Trpticon, Munster (GER)
06/05 - Pfingst Open air, Essen (GER)]]> Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6790 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6790 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6790#comments Randy has posted some new jams on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/randytheband]]> Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6885 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6885 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6885#comments New tourdates for Randy:

03/25 - Umeå, Umeå Open (SWE)
04/01 - Trollhättan, Lokomotiv (SWE)
05/23 - Ekko, Utrecht (NL)
05/25 - Waterfront , Rotterdam (NL)
05/26 - Knust, Hamburg (GER)
05/27 - Rocco Schalocko, Saarbrucken (GER)
05/28 - Underground, Köln (GER)
05/30 - Backstage, Munchen (GER)
05/31 - Szene, Wien (AUS)
06/01 - Kaserne, Basel (CH)
06/02 - Remise, Wil (CH)
06/03 - A. Stadtbahnhof, Schweinfurt (GER)
06/04 - Trpticon, Munster (GER)
06/05 - Pfingst Open air, Essen (GER)]]> Thu, 23 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7589 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7589 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7589#comments Photo: Henrik is updated with newish pics from Convoj and Randy.]]> Tue, 10 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7593 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7593 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7593#comments Nominees for this year's Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative to the Grammy:

Hip-hop/r&b/soul:
Form One - Meet Johnny Rhino
Hearin´Aid - The Boom Lucy
Jaqee – Blaqalious
Looptroop - Fort Europa
Timbuktu – Alla vill till himlen men ingen vill dö

Electronica/post-rock/synth:
Folie – Eyepennies
Midaircondo – Shopping For Images
Ola Bergman – The satellite city
Tape – Rideau
Thermostatic – Joy-Toy

Pop/Rock:
Embassy – Tacking
Jenny Wilson – Love And Youth
Blood Music – Sing a Song Fighter
El Perro Del Mar - Look! It’s El Perro Del Mar!
Lucknow Pact – A Few Drinks- A Few Laughs

Jazz:
E.S.T. - Viaticum
Jeanette Lindström – In The Middle Of This Riddle
MUSICMUSICMUSIC – What´s a good boss anyway?
Bobo Stenson trio – Goodbye
Ulf Wakenius – Notes From The Heart

Singer/songwriter:
Lars Bygdén – Trading Happiness for Songs
Frida Hyvönen – Until Death comes
Hello Saferide – Introducing: Hello Saferide
Christian Kjellvander – Faya
Billie the vision and the Dancers – The world according to Pablo

Dance/techno:
Hundarna från Söder – Troika
DK7 – Disarmed
Skugge & Stavöstrand – Humla
John Dahlbäck – Man From the Fall
Dibaba – Songs For Good Lives

Hardrock/punk:
Randy – Randy the band
Disco Volante – Blood On The Walls
Witchcraft - Firewood
Regulations - s/t
Grand Magus - Wolf’s return

Folk/world-music:
Sofia Karlsson – Svarta Ballader
Harv – Polka Raggioso
Ellika och Solo – Abraka/Tack
Svenska Akademien – Resa sig opp
Simone Moreno – Samba Makossa

Best live act:
David Sandström Overdrive
Frida Hyvönen
Jenny Wilson
Robyn
Timbuktu

Best newcomer:
The Tough Alliance – New school
Timo Räisänen - Lovers are Lonely
Frida Hyvönen – Until Death Comes
Montt Mardié – Drama
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names – #3

Best unsinged act:
She
Insert Coin
Anagoes
Intohimo
Loney, Dear

Winners will be announced on February 9.]]> Tue, 10 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7631 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7631 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7631#comments Randy has posted the b-side to the "Razorblade" single on their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/randytheband
The band's latest album "Randy the band" comes out in the US tomorrow via Fat Wreck Chords and you can listen to a streaming preview here: http://music.aol.com/songs/new_releases_full_cds (scroll the album selector the right)
Buy it so the label brings the band over on tour. Oh and Randy were also the 'band of the day' over at spin.com recently: http://www.spin.com/features/band_of_the_day/2006/01/060106_randy/]]> Mon, 09 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25532-top-10s-for-2005-navy-keophan http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25532-top-10s-for-2005-navy-keophan http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25532-top-10s-for-2005-navy-keophan#comments 01. Knugen Faller - Inte Som Ni (Ny Våg): I loved the first 7-inch. I love this one even more. More catchier and fun to play at loud volumes in your home as kids wander by trying to figure out what language it is. I can't wait to hear the full-length.

02. Regulations - s/t (Havoc): The return of early-'80s L.A. punk. What's with the water in the north of Sweden that makes bands like Regulations so awesome? I'd go on about it but I know Avi wants to keep this short. [ed: fine, blame me! be that way.]

03. The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Origins, vol. 1 (Universal): I know it got released in Europe last year but I managed to pick up the U.S. release earlier this year. Another fine release by these gentlemen and a testament to their pyschedelic-pop-rock that is just amazing and beautiful.

04. Randy - Randy the Band (Burning Heart): Seriously, everybody needs to know how great these guys are. They're great live and this album is a great follow up to 2003's "Welfare Problems". Fifteen tracks of catchy punk that has their trademark sound but with a sense of growing up. Plus, who doesn't love harmonies?

05. Sir Henry Fiat's Bastard - Your Mom Is A Fucking Mongo (Pandacide): The frontman of Henry Fiat's Open Sore embarks on a solo side project that is more snarling and rock 'n' roll-based. You can't help but sing along with him on the chorus of "Senorita, I'm In Spain".

06. Turbonegro - Party Animals (Burning Heart/Abacus Recordings): This is the album "Scnadinavian Leather" should have been. Over-the-top, cheeky and my guilty pleasure.

07. Six Finger Satellite discography: I know it's not Scandinavian but these Providence, Rhode Island-based Chrome and DAF worshippers came back onto my radar this year. This is the stuff I wished I had listened to when I was in high school.

08. Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo (Crunchy Frog): It's just so happy.

09. The Juan Maclean live: One of the best shows I've been to all year. Even with the bad joke he told, never have I seen such a diverse crowd dance into the wee hours of the night.

10. Made In Mexico - Zodiac Zoo (Skingraft): More Rhode Island madness. Former members of Arab On Radar and La Machine and a lead singer who could give Karen O a run for her money. Noisy, hypnotic and good enough to make me sleep after a hard night of work.


---------------------------

Navy Keophan only hopes 2006 can live up to 2005.
(Navy is a regular contributor to IAT)

]]> Mon, 19 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8054 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8054 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8054#comments Norwegian punkrockers Johndoe will be doing a couple gigs in Sweden next month with their pals Randy:

12/13 - Kafé 44, Stockholm
12/14 - Debaser, Stockholm
12/16 - Pusterviksteatern, Göteborg
12/17 - Arenan, Falun, Arenan]]> Mon, 05 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26351-eastpak-antidote-tour-live-the-astoria-london-12-02-2005 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26351-eastpak-antidote-tour-live-the-astoria-london-12-02-2005 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26351-eastpak-antidote-tour-live-the-astoria-london-12-02-2005#comments Randy always blow me away when I see them play live and I'd recommend everyone to try and catch them if they happen to come to play anywhere near where you live. Their show on this night was no exception to above statement (even though the crowd participation was pretty "tame"). It's the first time I've seen Randy play songs from their last album, hopefully they'll come back soon to do a proper headline gig. Whereas the people watching Randy didn't seem that interested, in Millencolin's case it was Nikola Sarcevic – their singer – who appear quite aloof (the kids didn't seem to care though and went nuts, as always when Millencolin are in town). This didn't bother me too much though since when I walked into the venue I bumped into an acquaintance of mine, whose company combined with some beers made the whole night (Millencolin's show included) a fun experience.]]> Sun, 04 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8161 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8161 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8161#comments Randy has a new album that just came out, but I'm not going to post a track from it. It's not because it isn't great, because it is (Simon Tagestam reviewed it here), but instead I'm going to reminisce about the record that got me into the band: 2001's "The human atom bombs". Every couple years or so, just about when I'm about to totally give up on punk-rock, along comes a record that breathes new life into the genre. Refused did it to me in the late 90s and Randy did it again with this record. It's not even that they were doing anything all that original - it's that they were doing it with such enthusiasm and vitality that it was impossible not to stand up and take notice. "The human atom bombs" is fun and funny, energetic and entertaining and just all around amazing. So here's a track from that record that'll hopefully help brighten up your Friday.]]> Fri, 25 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28086-mp3-randy-i-dont-need-love http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28086-mp3-randy-i-dont-need-love http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28086-mp3-randy-i-dont-need-love#comments Randy has a new album that just came out, but I'm not going to post a track from it. It's not because it isn't great, because it is (Simon Tagestam reviewed it here), but instead I'm going to reminisce about the record that got me into the band: 2001's "The human atom bombs". Every couple years or so, just about when I'm about to totally give up on punk-rock, along comes a record that breathes new life into the genre. Refused did it to me in the late 90s and Randy did it again with this record. It's not even that they were doing anything all that original - it's that they were doing it with such enthusiasm and vitality that it was impossible not to stand up and take notice. "The human atom bombs" is fun and funny, energetic and entertaining and just all around amazing. So here's a track from that record that'll hopefully help brighten up your Friday.]]> Fri, 25 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8276 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8276 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8276#comments Randy finally has a new website: http://www.randytheband.com/]]> Tue, 15 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8297 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8297 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8297#comments This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (02) Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet U Look Good on the Dancefloor"
02. (03) Tiger Lou - "The Loyal"
03. (NY) Franz Ferdinand - "Walk Away"
04. (04) Christian Kjellvander - "Drunken Hands"
05. (01) Test Icicles - "Circle Square Triangle"
06. (07) Saïan Supa Crew - "La Patte"
07. (09) David Sandström Overdrive - "The Crotch of a Saturday"
08. (10) The Pipettes - "Dirty Mind"
09. (15) Kristian Antilla - "Paul Weller"
10. (16) The Sunshine - "Simon Le Bon"
11. (06) The Embassy - "It Pays to Belong"
12. (13) Röyksopp - "What Else is There?"
13. (14) Pharell - "Angel"
14. (20) Loveninjas - "Keep Your Love"
15. (NY) Le Sport - "Business Girls"
16. (NY) Karl Larsson - "Devil Strings"
17. (NY) Sophie Zelmani - "I Can't Change"
18. (18) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah "Is This Love?"
19. (ÅT) Bloc Party - "Two More Years"
20. (ÅT) Architecture in Helsinki - "Do the Whirlwind"

Leaving the chart: Katie Goes to Tokyo, Queens of the Stone Age, Randy, Sophie Rimheden, The Strokes and Willowtree.]]> Mon, 14 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26385-satanic-surfers-taste-the-poison-bad-taste-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26385-satanic-surfers-taste-the-poison-bad-taste-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26385-satanic-surfers-taste-the-poison-bad-taste-records#comments Millencolin, Randy and now Satanic Surfers, it feels like I'm 12 years old again. Fortunately, none of these bands sounds like they did in the beginning of their careers, which is cool since it means that I can think of myself as 'mature' instead of 'old' (I hope that makes sense; perhaps you need to be 25+ to understand). Anyhow, aging paranoia aside, Satanic Surfers' new album is not as emo, poppy, or sugary sweet as their last great album ("Unconsciously confined" from 2002), but it's still as good as Satanic Surfers always have been. If you've never heard SS, think of something like As Friends Rust at their best (early EPs), but less hardcore and more melodic (it's basically melodic punk rock). It's very comforting that that a lot of these Swedish (melodic-) punk veterans that I've sort of grown up with still got what it takes, without me having to shield myself behind some dire nostalgia while listening to them.]]> Sun, 06 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8426 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8426 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8426#comments This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (03) Test Icicles - "Circle Square Triangle"
02. (08) Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet U Look Good on the Dancefloor"
03. (04) Tiger Lou - "The Loyal"
04. (05) Christian Kjellvander - "Drunken Hands"
05. (17) The Strokes - "Juicebox"
06. (NY) The Embassy - "It Pays to Belong"
07. (06) Saïan Supa Crew - "La Patte"
08. (04) Queens of the Stone Age - "Burn the Witch"
09. (07) David Sandström Overdrive - "The Crotch of a Saturday"
10. (NY) The Pipettes - "Dirty Mind"
11. (11) Katie Goes to Tokyo - "Moving From This Town"
12. (09) Willowtree - "Attention Ms"
13. (15) Röyksopp - "What Else is There?"
14. (NY) Pharrell - "Angel"
15. (01) Kristian Anttila - "Paul Weller"
16. (NY) The Sunshine - "Simon Le Bon"
17. (12) Sophie Rimheden - "Can You Save Me?"
18. (NY) Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah - "Is This Love?"
19. (18) Randy - "Razorblade"
20. (20) Loveninjas - "Keep Your Love"

Leaving the chart: Architecture in Helsinki, Bloc Party, Princess Superstar, Thåström and Tiga.]]> Wed, 02 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8468 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8468 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8468#comments This week's top artists for the It's a trap! Last.fm/Audioscrobbler listening group:

01. The Decemberists
02. Franz Ferdinand
03. Sigur Rós
04. Broken Social Scene
05. Interpol
06. The Cardigans
07. Kent
08. Sufjan Stevens
09. Death Cab for Cutie

Top tracks:

01. Håkan Hellström - Ge mig arsenik
02. I'm from Barcelona - Treehouse
03. I'm from Barcelona - We're From Barcelona
04. The Decemberists - Leslie Anne Levine
05. Animal Collective - Grass
06. I'm from Barcelona - The Painter
07. The Mopeds - Refused Demo Land
08. Animal Collective - Did You See the Words
09. Randy - Better Than Art

If you listen to music on your computer, join us and share your playlists! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/]]> Mon, 31 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8482 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8482 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8482#comments This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (01) Kristian Anttila - "Paul Weller"
02. (05) Tiger Lou - "The Loyal"
03. (NY) Test Icicles - "Circle Square Triangle"
04. (NY) Queens of the Stone Age - " Burn the Witch"
05. (07) Christian Kjellvander - "Drunken Hands"
06. (14) Saian Supa Crew - "La Patte"
07. (04) David Sandström Overdrive - "The Crotch of a Saturday"
08. (NY) Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet U Look Good on the Dancefloor"
09. (03) Willowtree - "Attention Ms"
10. (05) Tiga - "You Gonna Want Me"
11. (06) Katie Goes to Tokyo - "Moving From This Town"
12. (19) Sophie Rimheden - "Can You Save Me"
13. (09) Bloc Party - "Two More Years"
14. (NY) Architecture in Helsinki - "Do the Whirlwind"
15. (12) Röyksopp - "What Else is There?"
16. (NY) Thåström - "Fanfanfan"
17. (NY) The Strokes - "Juicebox"
18. (ÅT) Randy - "Razorblade"
19. (15) Princess Superstar - "My Machine"
20. (11) Loveninjas - "Keep Your Love"

Leaving the chart: Acid House Kings, Brakes, CDOASS, Paris, Pharell, Pete Philly & Perquisite and The Rakes]]> Fri, 28 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8624 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8624 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8624#comments Just like I suspected, Fat Wreck has licensed the new Randy album "Randy the band" for release in the US and will put it out on January 10. This isn't the first time they've worked together: if you remember that recent 2xCD Burning Heart comp featured a duet with Randy and Fat label honcho Fat Mike (also of NOFX). Hopefully this means the band will finally get the attention they deserve when it comes time to promote the damn thing. But what I really wanna know - when's the tour?]]> Mon, 17 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8714 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8714 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8714#comments I don't normally post tourdates for bands playing shows within Scandinavia, but the pairing of Randy and Johndoe is too good to pass on. Dates:

10/19 - Garage, Oslo
10/20 - Byscenen, Haugesund
10/21 - Kvarteret, Bergen
10/22 - Coffee Annan, Isak, Trondheim
10/22 - Blæst, Trondheim]]> Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8730 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8730 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8730#comments This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (01) Kristian Anttila - "Paul Weller"
02. (02) Tiga - "You Gonna Want Me"
03. (08) Death Cab for Cutie - "Soul Meets Body"
04. (13) Bloc Party - "Two More Years"
05. (03) Acid House Kings - "Tonight is Forever"
06. (07) Röyksopp - "What Else is There?"
07. (05) Hard Fi - "Hard to Beat"
08. (06) Svenska Akademien & Promoe - "En varning"
09. (09) Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - "Loop Duplicate My Heart"
10. (04) Kanye West - "Golddigger"
11. (14) Alf - "Sött/salt"
12. (ÅT) Weeping Willows - "I'm Gonna Let Love Find Me"
13. (17) Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
14. (NY) Pharell - "Can I Have It Like That" (w/Gwen Stefani)
15. (NY) Audio Bully's - "I'm in Love"
16. (ÅT) Turbonegro - "City of Satan"
17. (ÅT) Panthers - "Thanks for the Simulacra"
18. (11) Jem - "Just a Ride"
19. (12) Franz Ferdinand - "Do You Want To"
20. (NY) Tegan and Sara - "Speak Low"

Leaving the chart: Embassy, The Greatest Hits, Hello Saferide, Randy, The Legends and They Live By Night.]]> Tue, 11 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8790 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8790 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8790#comments The video for the new Randy single "Razorblade" is now online: http://www.burningheart.com/videos/search.php?bid=3]]> Thu, 06 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8840 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8840 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8840#comments This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (NY) Kristian Anttila - "Paul Weller"
02. (NY) Tiga - "You Gonna Want Me"
03. (01) Acid House Kings - "Tonight is Forever"
04. (05) Kanye West - "Golddigger"
05. (NY) Hard Fi - "Hard to Beat"
06. (NY) Svenska Akademien & Promoe - "En varning"
07. (04) Röyksopp - "What Else is There?"
08. (02) Death Cab for Cutie - "Soul Meets Body"
09. (08) Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - "Loop Duplicate My Heart"
10. (ÅT) Embassy - "Some Indulgence"
11. (09) Jem  - "Just a Ride"
12. (06) Franz Ferdinand - "Do You Want To"
13. (NY) Bloc Party - "Two More Years"
14. (NY) Alf - "Söttsalt"
15. (NY) Randy - "Razorblade"
16. (07) The Greatest Hits - "Give it to Me Baby (med Jesse)"
17. (NY) Stars - "Ageless Beauty"
18. (10) Hello Saferide - "If I don't Write This Song, Somehone I Love Will Die"
19. (13) They Live by Night - "Truth or Dare"
20. (14) The Legends - "He Knows the Sun"]]> Mon, 03 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8846 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8846 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8846#comments This week's top artists for the Itsatrap Audioscrobbler/Last.fm listening group:

01. Mew
02. Sigur Rós
03. Franz Ferdinand
04. Death Cab for Cutie
05. Randy
06. Architecture in Helsinki
07. Of Montreal
08. M83
09. I'm from Barcelona

I'd like to encourage all regular readers of this site who listen to music on their computers to join up so we can get an even better idea of what everyone is listening to. Go here for more: http://www.last.fm/group/itsatrap/]]> Mon, 03 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8847 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8847 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8847#comments The latest Scandinavian music reviews from the German webzine Sellfish:

Club Killers - Two nights with...
Randy - Randy the band
Satanic Surfers - Taste the poison]]> Mon, 03 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26437-randy-randy-the-band-burning-heart-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26437-randy-randy-the-band-burning-heart-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26437-randy-randy-the-band-burning-heart-records#comments Randy are back! Bring out the dancing shoes and dust them off! They're also back on form, after 2003's "Welfare problems" which was alright but still a puny follow-up to the masterpiece that "The human atom bombs" was (just thinking about that album gives me goosebumps). When I tried to go through the album and list the best tracks I realized that all songs here are excellent, but if I have to handpick a bunch, it'd probably be "Better than art", "Going out with the dead", and "Teenage tiger", although if you'd ask me tomorrow I'm sure I'd list three completely different ones. "Randy the band" isn't a great step forward for Randy in terms of further developing their sound, in fact the album contains very strong elements from their last three releases, so it almost plays like a "best of" even though it isn't one. Randy is my favourite band, so it feels really reassuring that "Randy the band" is a journey into that top-notch punk rock that I've come to expect from every new Randy release since their debut album came out 11 years ago. Now, please bring on 2007 and another Randy album!]]> Sun, 02 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9004 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9004 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9004#comments The Refused movie finally had its premiere in Umeå last night and, sad to say, the reports are not good. It's a shame that something so many people have waited so long for has turned out to be a pretentious, laughable mess, but I can't say I'm terribly surprised either. So it goes. On the brighter side, the movie they showed immediately afterwards "Umeå the hardcore city" is supposed to be much, much better. The film covers the Norrland punkscene and features bands like Step Forward, Garbage Pail Kids and Randy as well as interviews with many people active during the height of the scene in the 90s. Of course I suspect I'll have to wait three years for a subtitled version on DVD, but who knows?]]> Tue, 20 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9044 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9044 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9044#comments Stream some tracks from the new Randy album "Randy the band" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/randyband
Why these guys aren't properly appreciated outside of Sweden I'll never understand. The new stuff sounds killer, as always.]]> Fri, 16 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9092 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9092 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9092#comments Randy played a secret show at Debaser in Stockholm this past weekend where they a did a set of ten of their own songs followed by six Misfits covers featuring Howlin' Pelle from The Hives on vocals. See pics: http://www.rockfoto.nu/intSpelning/409/intBand/101]]> Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9195 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9195 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9195#comments "Razorblade" will be the first single from Randy's new album "Randy the band". A video was shot over the weekend.]]> Mon, 05 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9259 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9259 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9259#comments Stream the brand new Randy track "Evil": http://www.antidotetour.com/jukebox
The band's new album "Randy the band" comes out October 10 via Burning Heart.]]> Wed, 31 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9289 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9289 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9289#comments Randy's new album "Randy the band" has been confirmed for an October 12 release in Sweden, October 10 in Europe. Dates for North America, Australia and elsewhere should hopefully be coming soon.]]> Mon, 29 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9378 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9378 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9378#comments New European tourdates for Randy:

10/31 - Academy, Glasgow (SCO)
11/01 - University, Leeds (UK)
11/02 - Astoria, London (UK)
11/04 - Academy, Birmingham (UK)
11/05 - Academy, Manchester (UK)
11/07 - AB, Brussels (BEL)
11/08 - 13, Tilburg (NL)
11/09 - Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen (GER)
11/10 - Le Bataclan, Paris (FRA)
11/11 - Le Transbourder, Lyon (FRA)
11/12 - Apollo, Barcelona (SPA)
11/15 - Xtra, Zurich (SWI)
11/16 - Gasometer, Vienna (AUS)
11/17 - Landshalle, Erlangen (GER)
11/18 - Messehalle, Trier (GER)
11/19 - Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg (GER)
11/20 - Trägårn, Gothenburg (SWE)]]> Mon, 22 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9409 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9409 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9409#comments Check out the cover artwork for the new Randy album: http://www.randytheband.com/?NODE=40]]> Fri, 19 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9829 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9829 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9829#comments Norrland punks Randy report that their new album "Randy the band" is 100% finished and set for release in October. Check out the song titles here: http://www.randytheband.com/?NODE=126]]> Wed, 13 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9923 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9923 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9923#comments Randy will start mixing their new album on July 2 and hopes to have it all wrapped up by the ninth. Expect a fall release?]]> Thu, 30 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10030 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10030 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10030#comments Swedish Burning Heart acts Randy and Millencolin will be teaming up with Americans Flogging Molly and The Unseen for the "Eastpak Antidote Tour" in late October. Dates:

10/31 - Academy, Glasgow (SCO)
11/01 - University, Leeds (UK)
11/02 - Astoria, London (UK)
11/04 - Academy, Birmingham (UK)
11/05 - Academy, Manchester (UK)
11/07 - AB, Brussels (BEL)
11/08 - 13, Tilburg (NL)
11/09 - Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen (GER)
11/10 - Le Bataclan, Paris (FRA)
11/11 - Le Transbourder, Lyon (FRA)
11/12 - Apollo, Barcelona (SPA)
11/15 - Xtra, Zurich (SWI)
11/16 - Gasometer, Vienna (AUS)
11/17 - Landshalle, Erlangen (GER)
11/18 - Messehalle, Trier (GER)
11/19 - Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg (GER)
11/20 - Trägårn, Gothenburg (SWE)

Tour site coming soon: http://www.antidotetour.com/]]> Tue, 21 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25481-podcast-feel-good-summer-mix http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25481-podcast-feel-good-summer-mix http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25481-podcast-feel-good-summer-mix#comments DATE ADDED : 06.14.05
LENGTH : 34:16 min
DOWNLOAD : itsatrap_podcast_06142005.mp3 (24.1mb)
RSS : [click here]

Tracklist:
01. Desert Planet - Breakout button
02. Randy - Beware (feat. Fat Mike)
03. The First Miles - Baby baby baby baby baby baby baby I love you
04. Moneybrother - My lil girl's straight from heaven
05. Double-O - Call of a lifetime
06. Caesars - Get off of my cloud
07. Monkeystrikes - Let's go to Hawaii
08. The Fine Arts Showcase - Galveston
09. Tigerbombs - 1000 sparks
10. Eric Beyond - Step off
11. Giant Robot - Boys and girls

]]> Tue, 14 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0700 articles podcast http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25480-top-fives-2005-so-far http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25480-top-fives-2005-so-far http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25480-top-fives-2005-so-far#comments Avi Roig's top five across the board, plus one more for good measure:

01. Three EPs that prove Swedish indierock is still as strong as ever:
Convoj - s/t
Seven Feet Four - To kill is easy
Torpedo - Declare despair

02. Best single, hands down:
C.Aarmé - We are the world
Don't you know who we are? You do now.

03. The two best live sets I saw:
Silverbullit @ Umeå Open - Absolutely transcendent. Not only did the band give it their best, but the crowd was amped too.
The Ark @ The Troubadour in LA (ExMS Swedish Showcase) - Where did all those gayboy Ark fans come from? I was probably just as shocked as the band. Well worth the six hour drive each way.

04. The top four albums I can't stop listening to:
Isolation Years - Cover the distance
Logh - A sunset panorama
Desert Planet - Mario built my hot rod
Det Gamla Landet - s/t

05. Three reasons to keep an eye on Denmark:
Lack, The Psyke Project and The First Miles
I don't know why, but those Danes kick ass when it comes to both hardcore and Americana.

06. Two best non-Scandinavian albums:
Dredg - Catch without arms
Jesu - s/t
Two amazing albums from two of the world's best intelligent heavy rock acts.

Simon Tagestam:

01. Randy – Beware (song)
If the forthcoming album is as good as this (I doubt they got Fat Mike on any of the songs though), I'll forgive them for their last album (their only non-amazing release to date, according to me).

02. Robyn – Robyn
How would have thought it? An ex-soulpop girl making an album better than anything that inspired her to make it (i.e. The Knife, Kate Bush etc)

03. Frida Hyvönen – Until death comes
A colleague of mine thinks Frida can't sing and tries to get me into Joni Mitchell. Unfortunately Joni will never appeal to me as much as "Until Death Comes" does.

04. Mattias Alkberg BD – Jag ska bli en bättre vän
I haven't had this album too long, but at the moment it feels as it might be a contender for "album of the year"! That's right!

05. The Tough Alliance – The new school
This was not as good as I wanted it to be, but it's still crammed with excellent songs.

Navy Keophan's top five injuries sustained at shows for the first half of 2005:

01. Broken glasses, Millencolin show May 21: My eyesight is pretty bad (apparently, even worse than I thought) so when I took a hit from some crowd surfer that knocked them off my head, I was surprised I even made from Hollywood back to Long Beach safely.

02. Bruised shins, The Chinese Stars @ Koo's Feb. 6: Being in the front to take semi-decent pictures of one of your favorite bands = good. Having the crowd behind you push you into the shin-high stage for over 30 minutes = bad.

03. Bruised shins (again), Death From Above 1979 March 26: Again, much like the CS show, I was up front. Combine the thing that happened at that show with unexplainable moshing, another two weeks of pants-wearing.

04. Sore shoulders, Millencolin show May 22: Fist-pumpin' fun equated to arm cramps for the entire week.

05. Sore elbow, Millencolin show May 21: Damn moshers.

Kevin Renick:

01. Ephemera - Monolove
Every music lover should have one band they worship, one band that truly makes a difference in their life. For me, it's Norway's girl-pop trio Ephemera. I regard them not as mere musicians, but absolute creative Goddesses.

02. Bol - Silver sun
This jazz-poptronica trio from Trondheim have made a masterpiece with their second CD, a formula-defying journey up a river of humanity where heartbroken souls line the shore. 47 minutes of incandescent musical brilliance.

03. Hanne Hukkelberg - Little things
What a stellar debut! Norway's brightest new chanteuse delivers a rhapsodic set of tunes with constantly surprising arrangements, sterling production and her delightfully exuberant, upfront singing-which seems to reflect not only a zest for life but a playful "I'll try anything" approach.

04. Schtimm - The alcoholovefi collection
Although "Featuring" is actually their 2005 release, "TAC" is probably the best album by this mysterious Norwegian band, and I only heard it recently. Something about their music makes me think of haunted houses, as if you got trapped in a spooky mansion but found that the spirits of the place were only too happy to make music for you.

05. Efterklang - Tripper
The cutting-edge electronica from this Danish band has earned them rave reviews. Technology makes their intricate music possible, but they aspire to such a heaven-bound sound that you end up not thinking about the glitchy, twitchy elements in the mix at all, only the reverence you feel for the emotionally stirring, organic flow. Efterklang are one of today's most important and distinctive new bands, showing the uninitiated that there are sparks of magic shooting through the skies of Scandinavia.

Honorable mention: The State of Floral Beings - We know you love us and that's why we do this

Matthew W. Smith:

01. The Lionheart Brothers - Colour contrast context EP
Understated, bittersweet symphonic pop from Norway, featured on the "It's a Trap! Reader's Companion Vol. 1"

02. Kings of Convenience live at the Iota in Arlington, Virginia, February 2005
A no-frills, quiet performance that showcased Eirik and Erlend's guitar plucking, tight harmonies and sense of humor in front of a packed, respectful Iota.

03. Sharif - Lost causes, causes lost
Melancholy in both mood and lyrics, this well-constructed album signals a welcome return for this Swedish quartet.

04. Loopy - Smile back home
Leiv Aasen's vocals and a subtle blend of guitar pop and shoegazer on this debut make this tri-national band one to watch.

05. The Raveonettes - live at the Black Cat in Washington, DC, May 2005
See my review for more details, but the Danish outfit oozed 50s cool and blasted supersonic levels of guitar fuzz; the cover of "My boyfriend's back" provided a nice contrast to "Attack of the ghost riders".

One wish:
- I hope that Jennie, Johanna, Maria and Josephine from Sahara Hotnights have already recovered their missing gear and guitars or will soon!

Five things to look forward to for the rest of the year
- A new album quite soon from Icelandic band Leaves.
- The third album from Norway's purveyors of lowdown garage rock, Cato Salsa Experience.
- A successful trip to Connecticut for Tiger Lou, who will mix his sophomore album there with Peter Katis (Interpol, Denali) and hopefully release the results in the fall.
- More Danish success in North America, as The Blue Van continue to tour and Loopy has its album released stateside.
- Another new record from the rejuvenated Cardigans, who have already finished recording the follow-up to the fantastic "Long gone before daylight".

Simon Thibaudeau's top Scandinavian five:

01. Det Gamla Landet

02. EST - Viaticum

03. The Now

04. Spacious Mind – Rotvalta

05. Sayyadina - Fear Gave Us Wings

Per Apelqvist:

01. Moving back to Europe after 11 wonderful years in the US

02. Moneybrother live at the Barfly

03. David Fridlund - Amaterasu

04. 2 friends turning 30 and inviting over a hundred people to High Chaparal, the country western theme park in Sweden

05. Kent - Klaparen

Jason Christie:

01. [ingenting] - Allting ni gör
By way of "Songs we have learned to sing". Quite clearly the best I have heard in an age – still to learn though...

02. Sharif – You don't know
This track arrived at a tricky time, and then time tunnelled me back to the Basement club, Brighton circa 1995. Trust, that’s enough.

03. Pelle Carlberg – Oh no! It's happening again
A great writer, great vocalist and father of 4!

04. Café Alhambra – Clapham Common, SW4
Serving some of the finest

05. Chelsea Football Club
Where were you when they were rubbish?

]]> Thu, 09 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0700 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10489 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10489 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10489#comments The new "My brain is rotten" EP from Umeå's Rabid Grannies will be released on May 20 via the always-excellent Wasted Sounds. The band is influenced by 80s punk such as Negative Approach, Gang Green and Black Flag and also shows their roots with a touch of DS13 and Randy thrown into the mix. Check out some samples:

01. Thrashlife
02. I'm Degenerating]]> Tue, 17 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10520 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10520 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10520#comments Swedish punks Randy will begin recording their new album at Decibel Studios in Stockholm on May 30.]]> Fri, 13 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25471-interview-peter-ahlqvist-burning-heart-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25471-interview-peter-ahlqvist-burning-heart-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25471-interview-peter-ahlqvist-burning-heart-records#comments Way back in mid-March I took a roadtrip with my friend Kelly down to LA for the Export Music Sweden Swedish Showcase. As has already been posted, I got the chance to sit down and talk with Anders from Moneybrother before the show. Well, I also got a chance to sit down with Peter Ahlqvist, big cheese for Burning Heart Records. And I do mean big, dude is like eight feet tall. Anyhow, we grabbed a table in the barroom while Deportees finished up their soundcheck nextdoor and had ourselves a little chat. Here's how it went:

(note: Kelly was mostly busy sending text messages to her fake boyfriend, but she does chime in towards the end)

Avi: So let start with congratulations on a #1 record.

Peter: Yeah, it's good! Actually had one before, but it was in Norway and doesn't really count the same way.

A: Oh? What #1 in Norway?

P: Turbonegro

A: Oh, right right.

P: Three weeks in a row or something. Big band over there.

A: Oh yeah and they have that new one coming out. That's probably going to be a big record...

P: I hope so. It's good. Better than the last one.

A: So how is Moneybrother doing now with that Kent record out? Is it still holding on?

P: No, uh (laughs). They released it the last day of the week because they wanted to have a #1 that first week and the next week. They said they sold like half a million records on the last one.

A: So like how people are there in Sweden and how many records?

P: It's great actually how big they are.

A: Right.

P: I'm not sure actually that that's just Sweden, I think that's Scandinavia total, but they're still big in Sweden. But it's good, we're happy we're #2 at least. So that's good, as good as it can get.

A: But still y'know, you look at the cover of Sonic and see Anders is on the cover and Kent is down a ways.

P: But still they are such a mainstream popular band.

A: I don't think they're quite the talk as much as...

P: But you like them personally?

A: I haven't heard the new one yet, but I thought the last one was kind of mediocre.

P: Uh huh, that's the biggest one of course. But I like some of the old stuff.

A: Oh yeah, me too. I mean, the last one isn't bad. I'm curious about the new one, but in no rush to hear it.

P: No, same here. (laughs)

A: So now that you have this big success, what's next? What are you working on?

P: We're always working on tons of records, not just big ones.

A: You're not just concentrating on the pop stuff?

P: No no, I think the majority of our bands are punk bands in one or another. There's always a punk angle to the bands we are signing. Even Anders was in punk bands and Monster. I think everyone has some punk thing going. We're doing Turbonegro, we're doing Millencolin, new Looptroop. And that's all coming out in spring.

A: Right, all pretty big records.

P: Yeah, all big. And then we have Lost Patrol Band and Club Killers which is a cool band. Have you heard of them?

A: I think I've heard the name.

P: It's basically three of the guys from Moneybrother. They're all here actually, but not the trumpet guy.

A: Oh, were they on the comp? That live track, that's right.

P: They are a live band who are like a project... they're a real band now. Basically they play a club in Stockholm - Debaser - every second week or every month. They play ska, rocksteady; only covers. And they have fifteen people in the lineup and then they invite a lot of guests like Håkan Hellström, someone from The Hellacopters, Sahara Hotnights, Weeping Willows, everything. They have guest vocalists for all the songs.

A: So that's what the recording's gonna be like?

P: Yeah yeah, totally. It's like Buena Vista Social Club, but more indie/ska and in Sweden. It's started to become pretty popular - they have some great festival gigs last summer. This will be the first release, live at the club. It was recorded live during several nights or whatever and then put together.

A: Is it all ready to go?

P: Yeah, it'll be out in May.

A: So actually will be appearing on it then? The people you mentioned already?

P: Yeah, Håkan Hellström, Magnus Carlsson, Maria from Sahara, some hip-hop guys, Moneybrother's on two tracks. Then they have their own singer which is a girl, Anna Maria EspinosaModer Jords Massiva.

A: Kind of the all-stars, eh?

P: Yeah, I hope they're gonna develop into a real band.

A: And actually tour and everything?

P: Uh-huh. And write their own stuff. Which they want to do, but I don't know if they can get the time because of Moneybrother.

A: Are they going to do any festivals this summer?

P: Yeah, but they are also subject to what they can do because of Moneybrother. The drummer is also from Weeping Willows, the horn section is from a lot of bands.

A: Of course Moneybrother will in-demand this summer I imagine.

P: Yeah, right. It's gonna be tough for them. It's an interesting thing and of course if Moneybrother plays a festival they might also play the same festival.

A: Yeah, as long as none of the other bands are doing anything else?

P: Yeah. So that's what we're releasing this spring. And we've got tons of new stuff in the autumn actually.

A: What else you working on?

P: Sara from INC, a new band called The Vicious. We're doing that. That's more the Dead Boys kind of punk-rock.

A: So not going back to like the Doughnuts metalcore thing?

P: (laughs) no no... So that's a good one. And then we have a band called The Accidents.

A: Oh yeah, I have their record.

P: Yeah, it's more rock n' roll.

A: Yeah, that's another kind of all-star band in some ways.

P: Yeah, but some of the band members are from Voice of a Generation who just broke up. So now they have the bassplayer from VOAG and it's totally his band.

A: So they're going full-out now? Not like a side-project?

P: Yeah, also because one of the guys from VOAG who left and split up the band - he works for Burning Heart. That's why he wanted to quit. And he's still in The Accidents as well, but he's only gonna be on the record. He's not gonna tour.

A: Right. Now what does he do at Burning Heart?

P: He's running the publishing. He works for the publishing company which is part of Burning Heart in a way.

A: Right.

P: It's a different company that does the publishing for Refused, The Hives, whatever, a tons of bands.

A: Yeah, it's a lot of work I would imagine.

P: It's a lot of work, so it's tough.

A: Right. So how do you go about discovering new bands then? Do you go out to a lot of shows? Demos?

P: It's not demos really, it's more recommendations and usually we sign bands that already have a reputation.

A: Yeah, all those bands seem to have people that are already established.

P: Yeah, and live shows - yeah, I go to live shows, but not that many. It's hard - I don't travel a lot. If there's a band I really want to see and want to sign, of course I go. Usually I hear about a band through others and then go to the show. But it's not often you see a band that blows you away.

A: Has that ever happened to you?

P: Yeah. In a way I see that sometimes. Like I saw Flogging Molly on the Warped Tour a couple years ago. I really liked that because I thought it was excellent live and then we licensed them for Europe. But otherwise, thinking about it - it's not often I see a band live and go wow, this is something I have to work with. It's more like I heard about the band and then I see them live.

A: So nobody out of the blue then?

P: Not really. Flogging Molly I would say is the only one.

A: Is that different from the way you used to do things when you first started the label?

P: Of course, that was more demos actually at the beginning. And we started to sign a few bands that developed into others or started new bands or people recommended.

A: Well and Fredrik Holgren might accuse you of stealing his bands.

P: Ahhh yeah, but he was not involved in doing that deal with Refused. But that's the way - it's hard in the beginning. We signed the demos for a lot of the bands like No Fun At All, Millencolin. I did the first Refused EP which was basically me and Fredrik had around the same time, but he - initially he had a deal with the band and then I put out the EP. But all these bands, the early bands Millencolin, 59 Times the Pain, Breach and so on, that was through demos. Lately, it's not the same way now. That was part of the punkrock, hardcore way. And that was what Burning Heart was at the beginning, sort of a more punkrock hardcore thing.

A: Do you consider yourself a different kind of label now?

P: In a way. It's a more established label. It's not the same way. We don't pick demos with bands, there's not the same amount of good new bands around. It's not the scene. It's not something happening at the moment that you can relate to in the same way. On the other hand, I mean, sometimes you hear stuff like I heard a demo from Regulations I wanted to do. I dunno if you're familiar with them?

A: I've heard the name.

P: It's punkrock basically. It's gonna come out on Dennis' own label. Dennis and Stefan from Randy are gonna put it out. And maybe hopefully I'll be able to work with it later on. Vicious also, but that was also because I know Sara was in the band. You always have something. In the beginning it was different. I think we are still the same kind of label, though we are more established and we can work with more bigger bands.

A: So you think the scene has changed then?

P: Totally.

A: Do you think the DIY thing isn't going quite as strong or?

P: It wasn't much of a DIY thing at that point. It was because everyone started their punkrock label, but no - I wouldn't say it's as strong these days. It's definitely not as strong as it was when Refused and all those bands came. Then there were a lot of smaller Swedish punkrock labels established. And they were all gone after a few years, but a lot of them started and managed to do some okay things. A lot of indie labels sold a lot of records. Today there aren't that many.

A: Why do think that is?

P: I think there was an over-establishment at some point, in a way. But now... I think there was a boom in the scene and something new that came with Offspring and Green Day that totally changed. The kids were totally into it and there was a lot of new things about snowboarding and skateboarding.

A: The pop-punk explosion?

P: Yeah, it was - and the hardcore explosion followed. It was the same kind of thing. But now I don't see the same explosion in any scene. Y'know, for many years we had a lot of Swedish bands that wanted to sound like the Hellacopters and Backyard Babies. A lot of new bands started with that. And then if you go into that, maybe you have your own scene in a way, but you don't start booking shows. You don't bring bands from... It's a different thing. When the punkrock thing came a lot of people did their own thing with bands. That is pretty much gone. I would say of course there are many left, but it was such a big thing back then. I don't see any Swedish bands like that. There are mostly indie ones and very few hardcore ones.

A: So what do think's gonna happen in the future? Where do you see it going?

P: I don't know. I've been doing punkrock since 1980 when I did my first fanzine. I've seen so many changes, but it's always - I think there will always a place for something like harder music or extreme music. I don't see it as going away, but I don't see anything happening now that I can say oh, that's gonna happen in two years or Labrador Records is gonna be huge or whatever. They're a label that's got some cool things going on, even though they don't sell that much.

A: Yeah, they're very well known. Even here in the States you hear a lot of people talking about them.

P: Yeah, but otherwise I don't see any hardcore coming back. I see a lot of punk bands coming up. A lot of the bands, especially up north and so on - a lot of people are going back to playing punkrock. Everyone plays in a punkrock... as opposed to hardcore, they play punkrock influenced by all the American hardcore like Black Flag or Circle Jerks and also early Swedish punk or early English punk or whatever. And then there's a lot of oi! bands. That scene is also happening in a way. You never know, maybe there will be something.

A: Have your tastes changed as you've gotten older? Are you still into that stuff and following it?

P: I think I listen to the same type of music now. I mean, you get a little bored with only listening to punkrock. I don't pick up tons of new records and fall in love with them, but every now and then something comes along that I really like. For me, I think I've heard most of the good punk. I think it's been done in the past. I think there's always some good bands. I try to pick up good new bands I hear on other labels every now and then, but really - I'm not that excited about it. I'm still excited if I put on Minor Threat or if I put on...

A: The classics?

P: The classics, totally! I still listen to old oi! and that stuff and of course all the hardcore as well, or maybe some Hatebreed or something like that, but I don't pick new hardcore angry bands or melodic skatepunk bands or whatever. It's just not interesting anymore. I mean, there's always good bands.

A: So what do you listen to then?

P: I listen to everything. It's a lot of punkrock, a lot of indie bands. I still buy a lot of records.

A: Name some names that you've been hearing

P: Isolation Years is a great band. I like a band like Anti-Flag. Once more, I don't listen to that much new stuff I don't think.

A: So are just listening to more like the oldies?

P: No, really I buy a lot of stuff, but I'm not that really...

A: Nothing's been too terribly exciting?

P: I like Bloc Party. It's good. I like Libertines a bit, but it's not the classics. I like the old bands. I'm into stuff I've heard before, like Radio Dept. - I rather listen to something old like Ride.

A: You'd rather listen to the original?

P: Yeah, in a way. But still, it's hard to say that. Yes, it sounds sad, but... I like Koma. You know them? I like that record.

A: Yeah, they're on my comp that I put out.

P: Great band. But I don't see anything special that I really, totally am devoted to. My main preference is old ska. I listen to a lot of old ska, but it's hard to get new stuff in that genre that is good.

A: So then let's switch gears here...

P: It sounds bad, I want to be able to say "ah, this band's fantastic." But of course it's hard to be excited about music. I tried to put out good new stuff, but I can't say that I have to check out the new electro-punk scene from this place. It's not like that. I'm not into a special genre. I try to stick with what I really like. Before I could maybe buy everything on Revelation or everything on this label, but it's not like that anymore.

A: Right. So you're bringing Moneybrother over to the States. Do you think you have a good chance of getting him a break over here?

P: I hope so. I don't know - it's so hard to say. From a business point of view, I think he's a great artist and if people saw him live I'm sure he would be enormous. He's a great live act. You never know how things will work out in the US. There's already a lot of interest. If that's real interest, I don't know. I hope people check him out.

A: Are you hearing it from industry people or from like, the streets?

P: I would say only industry people so far because we haven't really done anything on the street market. He's such a new artist. I mean, it's only happening in Sweden. A few people know about Burning Heart, but maybe it's a bit out of the... it's a little bit different from what we used to put out so maybe, our original audience maybe doesn't...

A: Well you're not going to be licensing it to Epitaph then I guess?

P: No, I don't think so, but you never know. They're here, they're gonna listen. It could be something for Anti, but they usually only work with established artists. I don't want to say it - I hope it's going to work in the US. I can't say this is an American-style artist or this is something that will definitely go down in the US, but at the same time, no one thought that The Hives would work in the US and no one thought that this and this band would work in the US. It's all a matter of timing or whatever happens.

A: Are you really pushing on it? Do you think it's worth it?

P: We're over here, so yeah. We're trying to get something going. It's so hard to get things established in the US, it's such a big market. But I think every Swedish artist, since we are such a small country and only have a home market of 9 million people; every Swedish artist wants to go here. They sing in English because they have to to get over here and go to England and make it. We'll see. We're not depending on it. Of course it's everyone's dream to make it in the US somehow.

A: So, anyone else on Burning Heart you thinking of maybe bringing over? Or that you would like to?

P: Yeah. Of course Millencolin is doing their thing.

A: Well they're doing the Warped Tour this summer right?

P: Yeah, they're doing their thing. It's been running for what, 10 years or whatever. And Turbonegro is probably gonna come over and tour a lot more on this record. They are more, um, in-shape these days. (laughter)

Kelly: So they won't be so hard to look at?

(laughter)

P: Hank?

K: I don't know - it was just a naked man with a big bushy mustache was on my living room wall.

P: Yeah, that's Hank. Actually, on the new CD there's an extra added DVD with a workout video with Hank. So he's fit now.

(more laughter)

K: That's hilarious! Does he have a lot of enthusiasm like Jane Fonda on his workout tape?

P: No... I mean, I don't know if it's even funny, but it's cool to have it. (laughs) I would say that people who train for real will go "Oooh, he doesn't do anything right." It isn't exactly strict and all that stuff, so we'll see.

A: Yeah, I remember when Turbonegro played at Punx With Presses... that must've been like '96 or '97. That was ages ago.

K: I vaguely remember.

A: I remember when they came through and was like "Turbonegro? That's a funny band name." I missed the show, stupidly. Everyone else the next day was like "You missed the best show ever!"

P: It's a funny band. They were supposed to called - they changed it after a week of something- their first name was Nazi Penis. They took Turbonegro instead.

K: Flaccid penis?

A&P: Nazi.

K: Anyway...

P: Yeah, it's a funny band. But they are going to tour.

A: So you think there's a good future for importing bands over?

P: It's tough of course because of the cost of touring and of course bands, if really want to make it in the US they have to dedicate a lot of time. A lot of the bands that old don't have that time. They have their families. But we trying some newer bands that I really hope we can do more - we're signing a lot of "baby bands", younger bands. Hopefully we can get them over here. At the same time they need to develop in Europe as well. It's more important for us to have them touring in Europe than to come over here.

A: Have you ever thought of establishing a Burning Heart office in another country?

P: Not in the US. We were thinking of it before when we started to work with Epitaph. They were some plans to maybe have someone work for Burning Heart, but it hasn't really turned out that way. We haven't really pushed it either because it demands a lot of work.

A: Would it worthwhile for the benefits you'd get out of it?

P: Not now, if it was done five, six years ago maybe it would've been something. But then you would've needed some person who's really working it over here. We have an office in Germany. It's just one person actually, but he does the markteting and promotion there. We tried to sign a German band, but it was failed in the very last minute. They were on a label and their manager had the label and then he was picked up by Roadrunner, the whole label.

A: Which band was that?

P: Days in Grief. Has a bit of a Refused thing going, but more melodic maybe. At the Drive In, Refused with more melody.

A: So are there other bands outside of Scandinavia that you've thought about picking up?

P: We're talking to a band called Hell Is For Heroes.

A: Aren't they from New York?

P: No, they're English. They used to be on EMI in the UK. They sold a lot of records over there, but now they left EMI and want to do more of a Dischord thing on their own.

A: Oh, they're starting their own label then?

P: In the UK. They put it out in the UK, but then we're going to come along and do it for the rest of the world.

A: So you're going to license it not just for Scandinavia, but for everywhere?

P: For everywhere. And on the next record we're probably doing to do everything, even the UK. They are more of a post-hardcore, Fugazi/Refused/emo, but it has both the old and the new in there somehow. That's a band we really think is good and we're going to try to work hard and also try to get over here.

A: You've never limited yourself to local bands?

P: No, but still - the majority - it so much easier to be closer to your band. We try to sign American bands amd license American bands to do them over in Europe. but most of the time it's hard because they only want to sign for one album. They want to have a major deal over here and then we are out of the picture. So they say "You can only do one record."

A: Who have you been interested in?

P: Well we did Flogging Molly and then they started their own label. We only did one record and we wanted to work with them more and then they did their own, their label here started up in Europe and so they got a very good deal. We did Midtown. We did Give Up the Ghost, but they broke up.

A: Yeah, I do remember that. They broke up like right before they were supposed to tour?

P: Yeah, their second. What else? We still do Samiam.

A: I forget that they're still around. Living in the Bay Area, that's a band I grew up with.

P: They're actually in Europe now on a tour.

A: They do pretty well over there I'd imagine?

P: I don't know - it's been three or four years. I hope it's good, but the last record didn't do as good as the others. I think if they could do a another great new record I think they could do pretty okay because there was a lot of excitement for the tour.

A: Yeah, it's strange because over here, Samiam are hasbeens. (to Kelly) Would everyone even show up if they played you think? Do you remember them?

K: I remember them from like 10 years ago, but I haven't heard anything. I think that people would go.

A: I dunno. It's hard to say.

P: It's hard, I understand. They've done some really good records.

K: I feel like their records are always in people's record collections.

A: I see them along the same lines as J-Church - they're a band that people kind of don't really appreciate, but they persist. And they keep going and people go "Oh? Is that band still around?"

P: Yeah, maybe here. In Germany...

A: Yeah, that whole genre just seems to do a lot better in Germany.

P: Yeah yeah, but they were too early with that stuff. They're too old. If they were a little bit younger and nicer looking they would be really...

A: That is true. They aren't necessarily posterboys.

P: Yeah (laughs)

]]> Sat, 30 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 articles interviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10746 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10746 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10746#comments Swedish punks Randy have posted a demo version of a brand new song called "Evil". Check it: http://www.randytheband.com/?NODE=113]]> Fri, 29 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/11553 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/11553 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/11553#comments The video for Johndoe's latest single "Ord mot ord" is now available for streaming: http://www.johndoe.no/video/
The track comes from the Norwegian punk band's most recent album "Pyromantikk", a recommended favorite of Fredrik from Randy who says it's "the best record i´ve heard since .... well I dont know." Definitely worth checking out.]]> Fri, 25 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12207 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12207 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12207#comments Randy reports that they've recorded demos for nine new songs this past weekend and will probably enter the studio in May to record their next album, tentatively set for an August release.]]> Mon, 10 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12293 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12293 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12293#comments Randy's website is back up and running again: http://www.randytheband.com/
If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out the two exclusive tracks I have posted on the right. It's great stuff, just like everything else those guys do.]]> Mon, 03 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25448-top-10s-for-2004-fredrik-brandstrom-starmarket-the-crystal-committee http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25448-top-10s-for-2004-fredrik-brandstrom-starmarket-the-crystal-committee http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25448-top-10s-for-2004-fredrik-brandstrom-starmarket-the-crystal-committee#comments Top 10 best places in 2004:

01. Berlin. You never get tired of Böölin.

02. Midsommarkransen. My new hood.

03. Lofoten. Bird frenzy.

04. Sahara. I got there on my trip to Tunisia.

05. Autobahn. The only great thing Hitler did.

06. Luleå archipelago. Much better than the one in Stockholm.

07. Björkliden. Skiresort where I played with Randy. Great until I broke my hand while skiing.

08. Norr Mälarstrandskrogen. Pub/pizza joint next to our rehearsal space.

09. Catalonia, Spain. Shiny happy people.

10. East germany. It was more mysterious before the wall came down.


---------------------------

Fredrik sings and plays guitar for long-running Swedish indierockers Starmarket and also showcases his mellower side with The Crystal Committee. Starmarket recently released what I believe is their sixth album "Abandon Time" on Germany's Strange Fruit Records and will be touring Europe beginning in February.
www.starmarket.nu / www.thecrystalcommittee.com / www.strangefruit.de / www.chalksounds.com

]]> Tue, 28 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25444-live-report-turbonegro-house-of-blues-12-19-04 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25444-live-report-turbonegro-house-of-blues-12-19-04 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25444-live-report-turbonegro-house-of-blues-12-19-04#comments The day I found out that the mighty Turbonegro were returning to our shores, I knew there was no way I was going to miss their spectacle this time around. I had made a promise to several people (most of whom were involved with the Turbojugend) that I would not miss this for the world. The day the tickets went on sale, I was selling my soul to Ticketmaster and its ridiculous fees.

For three long months, the tickets sat on my printer and taunted me.

Then, the day finally came. On Dec. 19th, I got ready for some darkness.

The drive to Hollywood from our neck of the woods wasn't that bad for a Sunday. It took only 45 minutes but that was enough time to come up with a plan. My brother and I found some decent parking and experienced the Sunset Strip before heading towards the House of Blues.

I won't get into details about what happened to me before the show but I'll say one thing: full metal wand searches and a "no camera" policy are not cool.

After the airport-level search at the door, we made our way inside. It was a good mix of jugend members and people just there for a good time. If I remember correctly, there were some members who came from as far as Boston and Baltimore for both nights. I think I saw Scott Ian from Anthrax but I'm not too sure. Anyhoo, once the crowd settled in, the first band opened up.

What can I say about Van Stone? They're from Palmdale, CA (a fact that was beat into the audiences heads through delightful little in-between song banter) and they're like a cock-rock redux band but fun. Their songs were hilarious, ranging in topics from the incident with a MILF and some after-show action ("$25 Blow Job".) Their stage presence was magnified by these ridiculous costumes that were a throwback to the old heavy metal days. Don't even get me started on their guitars. Shaped like axes and other types of sharp weaponry (one guy even had a mace swinging from the neck of his guitar). If the audience couldn't get the joke, they weren't a sharp as the band. A lot of tongue-in-cheek behavior with some good sounds and songs. They even played a couple of Black Flag songs ("Wasted" and "Six Pack"). The highlight of their set had to be the giant prosthetic penis that sprayed liquid on the crowd.

After a bit, Mondo Generator came on. I've heard of them but never actually had gotten my hands on any of their stuff. This is the side project of exiled Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri. He tore through what seemed to be a good ten or so songs that were ferocious and tender at the same time. Lots of good rock that had the heads of the kids and even the jaded punk rockers nodding along with. I was pretty impressed and his voice sounded great.

Then, the mass of humanity got themselves ready for some deathpunk. I, much like a good number of people, were anxious to see them play. They were like an early Christmas present that I couldn't wait to tear open. After 11 p.m., we got our presents.

The screen rolls up and the crowd lets up this big cheer. The stage goes dark and the curtains roll back. "The Blizzard of Flames" begins and the crowd goes NUTS. One by one, the mensch come out from the side and prepared to dazzle. When Happy-Tom came out, he was wearing a sailor suit. That got the crowd really amped. After the intro, the band broke into "Wipe It 'Til It Bleeds" and out comes Hank von Helvete. Hank looked great: he had slimmed down considerably and wore this great white furry cape thing with this weird bondage-strap-esque thing over his torso that I couldn't help but be reminded of Lord Humongous from Mad Max. For 15 songs, Hank gyrated, shook, danced and sweated on stage like a man brought back from the dead. The crowd was really awesome in making the show a great one. They sang along and surfed and were really into it. Their fists and arms pumped in the air for emphasis during choruses and other sing along parts of the songs. The Doctor and I sang to every song we could and pumped our fists in the air until both were sore. At one point, Tom threw his sailor cap out to the crowd and some lucky bastard got his sweaty cap.

Hank's in-between song banter was great. At one point, he drank some water and tossed it at the crowd. He also spat beer at them but that was cool. The band looked great. Tom in his sailor suit. Chris Summers looking all gangster in his denim and bandanna beating the hell out of his drums. Guitarist Euroboy channeling the ghost of Johnny Thunders in his hat. Rhythm guitarist Rune Rebellion looking like he just came from the prom in his blue ruffled shirt, bowtie, top hat and blue velvet suit. And then there was Pål Pot Pamparius.

Pål came out in his usual garb but without his scarf. He also shook the hell out of his tambourine and played the piano and guitar with unmatched fury. He also blew kisses to the crowd and stumbled around drunkenly on stage. At one point, he handed the mic to some dude to sing into. He pranced on stage with his fingers to his lips like he was awaiting an anxious lover or sucked his thumb. He got real close to Hank at one point and then went back to his mic. He shook his hair, he screamed and sang, Pål did it all.

Euroboy made lots of suggestive movements and winked at the crowd. At one point, during "Prince of the Rodeo", he stopped playing and egged on the audience to give him more. He stood at the edge of the stage with his arms akimbo until he got the result he wanted. He also got carried by the crowd for a solo.

After the last song, they left the stage and the crowd started singing the chorus to "I Got Erection". They came back for the encore and Hank came out in a Santa suit. He starts talking about how excited we get when we receive our Christmas presents and how we want to take it to bed with us. He then joked about how they were our Christmas presents and asked how many of us wanted to take them to bed. The crowd roared at that part. He also dedicated one of the new songs off the upcoming "Babylon Forever" album to the girls (It was called "Blow Me (Like the Wind)".) They played three new songs and amused us with some classics, such as "Self-Destructo Bust", "Denim Demon" and "Get It On".

After the encore, the show finished and the band left the stage. Pål grabbed a bottle of champagne that he spent the entire set nursing and drank some. He then threw some on the crowd, poured some more all over himself and then spat out some more to the crowd.

The show was over but the memories of the men of Turbonegro will be burned into our memories, along with the numerous people we met that were kind enough to talk to us. We took that uphill walk and headed back to the car around 20 after midnight with our sailor caps on and the songs in our hearts. I also wanted to dry-heave all over the street for some reason. I had this incredible urge to vomit everywhere. All that walking didn't help the day after because we were both sore leg- and throat-wise. We also got lost on the way back to the freeway but that's another story. The new songs were awesome and Turbo was awesome.

Here's the set list (as written on the back of a Jim Beam ad):
The Blizzard of Flames
Wipe It 'Til It Bleeds
Self-Destructo Bust
Back To Dungaree High
All My Friends Are Dead*
Sell Your Body (To The Night)
Ride With Us
Denim Demon
Are You Ready (for Some Darkness)
Wasted Again*
Get It On
Fuck The World
Prince of the Rodeo (dedicated to Euroboy, who turned 30 on the 17th and was dubbed Euroman by Hank)
---------
The Age of Pamparius
Blow Me (Like the Wind)*
I Got Erection
(new songs denoted by *)

All in all, it was the perfect ending to a pretty awesome night. It was also a great way to close out the year. We opened the year with Randy at Alex's Bar and closed it out with Turbo at the House of Blues. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to seeing them live again.


---------------
Navy Keophan is a freelance writer from Long Beach. She's allergic to watermelon, of all things. Drop her a line here.

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