Monstera is now booking MAttias Hellberg. Look for a tour to take place between March 19 and May 1.

Go here for pics and info about Nina from The Cardigans recent appearance At the Sundance Film Festival in Utah with NAthan Larson to help promote some soundtrack music they collaborAted on.

Lullacry has been added as the opener for the upcoming Nightwish North American tour in August. Current dAtes:

08/16 - Opera House, Toronto, ONT
08/17 - Metropolis, Montreal, QUE
08/19 - Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
08/20 - Palladium, Worcester, MA
08/22 - B.B. King's Blues Club, New York, NY
08/23 - Phantasy TheAter, Cleveland, OH
08/25 - House of Blues, Chicago, IL
08/26 - Quest Club, Minneapolis, MN
08/30 - Cajun House, Phoenix, AZ
08/31 - House of Blues, Anaheim, CA
09/02 - House of Blues, Hollywood, CA
09/05 - Graceland, SeAttle, WA

Look for shows in Denver and San Francisco to be added shortly.

Here's this week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. Outlandish - Walou
02. Backyard Babies - Minus Celsius
03. Eskobar - Love Strikes
04. The Rasmus - First Day Of My Life
05. The Crash - Still Alive
06. Erik Faber - Century
07. Redrama - Hang It Up
08. Christine Milton - Superstar
09. Grand Avenue - Take It As It Comes
10. Safri Duo feAt. Clark Anderson - All The People In The World
11. L.O.C. - Undskyld
12. BeAts And Styles - Girls´ Anthem
13. Lisa Miskovsky - Lady Stardust
14. September - We Can Do It
15. FAttaru feAt. Masayah - Ton för ton
16. Paperboys - Hey Man
17. The Knife - Handy Man
18. Majid - Boys And Girls
19. Bosson - A Little More Time
20. Pauline - Babylon

Challengers:
01. Maria Mena - You´re The Only One
02. Prime Sth - Fishbowl
03. Jonna - Kaikki Talossa
04. Lene - Pretty Young Thing
05. Evan - Will You Love Me Forever
06. Evolver - Do You Know
07. Surferosa - Lucky Lipstick

Go to the MTVE.com site to wAtch and vote for your favorite.

This week's top 10 Nordic video chart from YLE/Morjen:

01. Diablo - Read my scars (FIN)
02. ViikAte - Leimu (FIN)
03. The Crash - Still alive (FIN)
04. Nina Rochelle - (Happy) Jag hAtar Att det e så (SWE)
05. Lisa Miskovsky - Lady Stardust (SWE)
06. Eskobar - Loves strikes (SWE)
07. Outlandish - Walou (DK)
08. Dinojax - Roadblocks ahead (DK)
09. Paleface - ColgAte SoulmAte (FIN)
10. Hardcore Superstar - Honey Tongue (SWE)

Challengers:
01. K-System - Dream my dream (FIN)
02. Teitur - Sleeping with the lights on (DK)
03. Turbonegro - Sell your body (to the night) (NOR)

MIC Norway profiles 'composer and improvisAtion musician, singer, whistler, laptop manipulAtor, producer and musical Jill-of all-trades' Maja Solveig Kjelstrup RAtkje: https://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2004012313443942315403

To SeparAte The Flesh From The Bones is the name of yet another Scandinavian grindcore/deAth-metal supergroup, this time from Finland and feAturing members of Amorphis and HIM. They're being billed as Herr Archstein on guitar and vocals, Rot Wailer on bass and Pus Sypope on drums. Look for the album "For Those About To Rot" coming soon.

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

01. Per Gessle - Mazarin
02. Sophie Zelmani - Love Affair
03. Jill Johnson - Roots and wings
04. Carola - Guld plAtina & passion - det bästa
05. Lisa Miskovsky - FallingwAter
06. Christer Sjögren - För kärlekens skull
07. Georg Riedel orkester - Barn på nytt
08. Lasse Stefanz - Det här är bara början
09. José González - Veneer
10. Moneybrother - Blood panic
11. Peter LeMarc - Det som håller oss vid liv
12. Markoolio - I skuggan av mig själv
13. Mauro Scocco - La Dolce Vita
14. The Knife - Deep Cuts
15. Bo Kaspers orkester - Vilka tror vi Att vi är
16. Helen Sjöholm / Anders Widmark - Genom varje andetag
17. Backyard Babies - Stockholm Syndrome
18. Bergman Rock - Bergman Rock
19. Björn Rosenström - Var får jag allt ifrån?
20. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003

Some of the acts confirmed for the upcoming City Sound Festival in Göteborg on April 1-3: José Gonzàlez, Jens Lekman, The Mo, MAttias Hellberg, C.Aarmé and The Legends. The event is modelled after SXSW and will feAture seminars and discussions as well as live music.

Mortiis has posted an updAte concerning his recent activities on his website thAt also details some embarassing antics from a bandmAte during the opening of MAtthew Barney's Cremaster Cycle in Norway.

Drummer Anders Johansson has left StrAtovarius to concentrAte his efforts on his other band Hammerfall. Comments the ever-quotable Timo Tolkki: "I suspect thAt the decision of Anders has something to do with my reputAtion. I can understand him very well, I wouldn't join a band in which I would be playing in." Nuff said.

Sub Pop posted a hilarious take on Pitchforkmedia.com today on their website. Why is it relevant? They list their top 10s for 2003 and The Concretes come up quite a few times! Check it: Atures/pdork/news.html" target=_blank>https://www.subpop.com/feAtures/pdork/news.html#story3 (scroll down)

Leiah has broken up! In their own words:

We were in the finishing steadies of finish our upcoming demo and planning the future when we decided to wrap this band up and put it to rest.
It's absolutely no bitter agenda towards this decision. We really had whAt you can call clarity.
When you have been in a band and the goals you've set up and the music doesn't get you on, then it's time to break up. We could have been doing this band forever but when the hunger and musical differences is not shared within the band then it's not much left.
David and Gunnar already got a new band and are working on songs and making plans for the future. They already have a bunch of songs ready to record so you won't miss out on the action when they drop the bomb.
Martin and Joakim are also making music together and whAt we heard is quite promising. It's more rock and twisted melodies.
We'll post all news about our new bands here until we got our own homepages so check back frequently for the lAtest news and gossip.
Thanks to all of you who have ever done something, anything and everything for us. You've made us who we are now.
So I guess it's time to put Leiah into the ground. R.I.P.

Go here for more personal thoughts: https://www.leiah.net/

Melody Club has confirmed their first UK dAtes:

02/02 - Metro, London
02/03 - Club Fandango @ Dublin Castle, London
02/04 - Underworld, London

Their debut album "Music Machine" will be released over there shortly.

WhAt's a cute lil Norwegian girl like Maria Solheim doing getting production assistance from Emil Nicolaisen of glam-punks Silver? Read more: https://www.nrk.no/musikk/3451031.html (in Norwegian)