Interview with Elina Johansson (Dear Euphoria)

Me and Elina Johansson got to know each other a couple of years ago and we've done some stuff together since then. We've guested on some of each other's shows and Elina sung on two songs on my latest album "The Lake Acts Like An Ocean". Elina's solo project Dear Euphoria has been going on for some time now in different constellations, last year Stereo Test Kit re-released her 2005 debut album, this time eponymous (originally For Everything of Worth) and with new sleeve and bonus tracks (such as the lovely Falling Behind). Later this year they will also release a brand new album. Last autumn, she did a show at The Luminaire in London and now she has just finished a three week's tour (which I wrote about here) in Europe. I took the opportunity to ask her how it went.


* Elina, you just came back after a 3-weeks European tour, what was the weirdest thing happening on the trip? I read you performed in Hamburg television, what did they make you do? Did you notice any differences between touring abroad compared to doing shows in Sweden?

Many weird things happened. How to tell without anybody being exposed..? Mmm.. Maybe taking care of a half-unconcious bandmember in Amsterdam. Or sleeping in a sunchair after a soldout show in Leipzig. Or when the guy who we were the support-act for in Giessen (with whom which we shared a hotel-flat that night) entered our room and I was alone, unaware that somebody had put on porn on mute on the tv and left the room..

We performed 3 songs on a balcony on local tv in Hamburg.

One of the differences is that there is a bigger interest abroad. You get to do silly things such as sign autographs on the albumsleeve, posters etc. Fortunately Swedish music has a good reputation and the fact alone that you are a Swedish band gives you a head start. Other differences is that for example the Germans wants you to play really long sets and after that almost always wants two or three encores.


* I've understood that you're up to releasing an album later this year on the UK-label Stereo Test Kit, what's the news about it?

I guess the only thing I really know about it myself is that it will be released in September, latest October. Will have 11-12 songs on it. Maybe be followed by a new tour in Germany and UK.


* Your music in Dear Euphoria to me feels like a mixture of all kind of things, indie, pop, cabaret, avantgarde, electronica, jazz etc.. How do you label your own music, what bands or artists have been most important to DE and if you would record a cover version of a song, which one would that be?

Funny that you hear so many styles in the music. Hate labelling. Especially since maybe then I really have to accept the gap between what I would want it to be and what it is. But I think I would say it is a mix between Lowfi indie and athmospheric pop. Sigur Rós, Stina Nordenstam, Radiohead and Björk has been dear to my heart for a very long time. Oh covers.. Sensitive topic. According to me, If one do a cover it should be really great and personal.. Otherwise I don’t think one should bother.. So I don’t know if I would.. Can I get back to you on that one?..


* Thanks for singing on my album, you're the best! You have such a special voice, exactly how does it feel to be able to hit those high notes?

Thank you Thomas! It was my pleasure.
They are not really that high.. The trick is to make it look difficult.

White Brus

As I mentioned in last blog, I was recently re-introduced to a guy I've been in touch with years ago. Back then I was singing in Swedish and did horrible music while he made about as great music as now, though maybe slightly simplier. Delicate but rough electronica. I suggested to do music together back then and he was quite interested in that but nothing came out of it. Some years later we both played at Arvika Festival 2005, but didn't meet then. Now when we finally got the chance to hang out thanks to Helena who I wrote about in last post, I can say that Andreas Wallgren aka Brus (Noise) is one of the friendliest persons I know (and as always I measure friendliness in amount of beer given to me without claiming something in return).


* We talked about doing music together around 2000. Last weekend me met for the first time, how long do you think it will take before we make our first rehearsal?

Let's hope it won't take another seven years. Perhaps this summer?


* How would you describe your music? Could you mention some of your influences and what are your closest plans for the future?

My emotional output, and being overly full of positive and negative feelings I'm glad to release them sometimes. My most important influence would probably be OMD. They've meant a lot to me. My closest future plan is to release a CD album in late summer, most likely on my own label. The CD has already been offered distribution and promotion in the UK, so the preparation is hot.


* I'm currently very much into electronica and techno with DiskJokke and Justus Köhncke amongst my latest discoveries. Any of your favorites?

I haven't heard any of them, but I look forward to further introductions to them, Thomas. I myself is pretty badly little up to date with electronic music nowadays, and I often enjoy the same CD:s for years. As for electronica goes, I'm very fond of Autechre.


* You were played in BBC recently, what's the story about that?

The producer of the show contacted me and asked me if he could feature my song in his show. Later on I got to know that he'd heard my stuff through his girlfriend who was actually and old fan and friend of mine.


* Do you also have the feeling that we're two sides of the same coin?

Yes, and that coin is one of those collectable ones, and it's not one of those national coins. We really should duplicate a bunch of them.

trees, cats and panic - The music of Mine to Keep

One new-found friend I've enjoyed very much collaborating with the last 6 months is Helena Sundström who makes music in her solo project Mine to Keep. She lives in the small city Trollhättan and after some correspondence digitally we met up in Gothenburg last year when Helena sung a duet with me on Sticky Finger's stage. We did a show together in February in Karlstad and last weekend we recorded a duet together, Ice Ferns, for Helena's upcoming cd. We will do another show together in just a week and I'd really love to hear her on some stuff on my next album. I liked her first self released EP from last year but the new material is a big step forward, really great. She also has introduced me to other great creative people from her area such as her man, the poet Johan Lindblom and the electro-musician Brus (whom I've been in touch with ages ago, but that's a topic for a future post).


* It was such a great evening when we shared the bill at our show in Café August in Karlstad (where I live). Did the 20 paying in the audience destroy my image as a big local rock star?

Yes, it was great. Thank you for inviting me! But oh no. I just think that people found it hard to believe that such a big rock star would play in their little town! That's probably why some of them stayed home and missed the whole thing.


* I'm also very proud to get the offer to cut harmony vocals on the song "Ice Ferns" from your forthcoming cd. Your music is very delicate and spans over several genres. How would you describe it and what do you count as key influences?

I find it very hard to describe music. Even my own. I would never make a music critic! Various reasons of course... It's in my head and then I try to transform it into tunes and chords. I think I kind of work backwards in a way. I always start with the lyrics, then I come up with a melody, sings it into my dictating machine and then try to find the right chords. My influences so far are people I love, people I don't love so much, loneliness, trees, cats, panic attacks, indifferences, hope, impossibilities, how to construct a life… But the songs are not always about me. I like Patti Smith, Interpol, Morrissey, Bright Eyes, Martha Wainwright, Rilo Kiley, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Velvet Underground to name a few. And the last couple of years I have listened a lot to Arcade Fire and Antony and the Johnsons. I also love the Ramones although you may not be able to hear that in my music. Inspiration also comes from films, art and poetry…It makes me very happy that you wanted to sing with me on "Ice Ferns".


* You have your roots in poetry. Which are the biggest differences between writing poetry and song lyrics?

Not a big difference. I am kind of a word-collector. I do it even when I think I don..t want to. Always run around and write things down. Though I used to write my poetry in Swedish of course and it's a bit of a challenge to write lyrics in a different language like English. But I think it's much better that way. More words to choose from.


* You live in Trollhättan, it's a city that seems to be very proud of it's culture life. Thanks to you, I'll get the chance to hang around a lot there this spring. What are the best things the city has to offer?

Nothing really haha…I like the peace and quiet so I can focus on my songs and recordings right now. But yes, it's really good when it comes to arranging things like gigs or poetry readings and there's a beautiful art gallery in this city. We have a great poetry festival each spring and there's a lot going on in the film industry in Trollhättan. I have most of my friends and family here and I love the water, trees and fields just outside of the city.

Interview with Gustav Haggren

I've been humming on Gustav Haggren's song Devil When You Cry for a good three months now. Gustav - solo or with his backing group The Seasick Sailors - has toured in almost enormous proportions last year when he launched the Indienational tour concept when a core of three artists shared a stage, occasionally with local acts for an in-the-round show. Whilst one artists play, the others is backing him up. In this very democratic and DIY-esque method Gustav last year made over 100 shows in US and Europe together with Helena Arlock and Christian Cuff. On the very last show Christian got to head back to the US, why yours truly got the chance to join Gustav and Helena on stage in Uppsala, Sweden. I had a great time, although it made it painfully obvious how weak a improvisation musician I am. Not the ordinary-fast-finger-finding-the-tune-in-no-time-artist there mister.

I know that Gustav is working on new material as well as working with his label Marilyn Records (with among others Rachelle Van Zanten and Shooting John on the roster). I took the opportunity to ask him a couple of questions to the blog.



Devil When You Cry - single, 2006


* My god, you made over 100 shows last year. Did it feel like a very long or very short year? Which show was the best, worst, strangest?

It was the longest year I have experienced since I started playing music. At the same time I feel I could have done 100 more. I have learned that it gets so much easier to play live when you play a lot. When you play the 5th gig on the 5th day it starts to feel like you go up on stage to spend some time with your friends. I noticed that I started to talk more and more with the audience. It felt sort of an exchange, if they were interested in hearing me play; I was as much interested in who they were and why they were there.

One of the best shows: Café Carnot, Kruibeke, Belgium. October 18

A great small dive bar outside of Antwerpen with the warmest atmosphere. It is run by a couple and they are there everyday until 5am. I’m going back in spring and I can’t wait. You sit there for a couple of hours and you get introduced to so much great music. This was the first show we booked for the European tour so it was nice it turned out to be one of the best.

Worst Experience: Scandinavian Folk Festival. Jamestown, NY. July 20

Don't get me wrong, this show was great, the people were brilliant and people were dancing. A great show but a bad experience. The problem was that we flew over with the seasick sailors to do a one week tour and this show was going to pay for our whole trip but the same morning I lost my voice. It turned out I had bronchitis and a good friend Desmond took me to a witch-doctor. After been drinking silver all day I was good to go…a miracle. I lasted for 50 minutes and so I was relieved I pulled it off. However when we are going down from stage a guy runs up to me and says that we are supposed to play for one more hour! So we did.

Strangest Show: IOTA, Washington DC. March 01

When we were travelling around in the US we paid for buses by selling cd’s mostly and one night we had a night of in DC and decided to play an open mic at this really cool place. I remember we were so broke that night and we were only allowed to play 2 songs. I don’t remember how many cd’s we sold that night night but it totally saved the financial issues for a while. That was very strange and very un-Scandinavian to me.


* You're working on your third album right now. What can you tell about it? After what I heard, it seems like the elements of European folk music is bigger than before.

The new album has been mean and turned its back on me many times. I think I finally got it now. Yes maybe there are some stronger influences from European folk, I have tried to move away from the Americana and focus on Folk as I see it…if that makes any sense. The album is also darker and more personal than anything I have done before. I have produced a lot myself and taken my time to throw away songs and write new ones. I think all of them have been written on last year’s tour. Since I toured a lot without band it might be less of a band-album than my previous ones.


* And now you're off for a new string of shows in Europe. Where do you play and what can the audience expect?

Well this tour is a follow-up from what we did last year. We call it Indienational Tour and it is a tour collaboration between musicians and songwriters. Anyway, this time Gustav and the Seasick Sailors and Helena Arlock and Shooting John will tour together but not with full bands. Me, Helena and Peder from Shooting John perform together with Patrik and Jon - the drummer and bass player from the seasick sailors. 3 shorter sets and the lead mic gets passed around.,.We will perform in Germany, Belgium and Netherlands.

THE SHOWS (29 MAR - 8 APR) GERMANY, BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS: HERE

A cheery wave from stranded youngsters - A talk with Hans Bally

2001, I studied philosophy in Gothenburg. I met Hans Bally there, a multi-instrumentalist who earlier played in bands like The Mole Session, but last 5-6 years has made wonderful and complex music in his solo projects Bally and Po' Lazarus. His music consists of strange tunings and harmonies with twisted themes (such as the arctic and angel moth) that makes one think of giants like John Fahey and Nick Drake added with an indie pop twist. Definitely someone I want to work with, Btw probably the main reason for my blog in the end, to give my favorite musicians the feeling that they owe me something - something that will benefit my next album A LOT harharhar (evil laugh). Seriously though, most of Bally's catalog such as the magnificent two Lazarus-albums In Memoriam and Angel Moth, as well as the lastest Bally-offering From Discard to Derivation can be downloaded here. All of them are big favorites to me and deserve wider spreading.

* You have a collaboration project with Raymond Bally. Can you tell a little about that story? Could you consider collaborating with someone that doesn't have the same name as you?

B: We discovered each other on MySpace and liked what the other Bally was up to. We're not related even if we share the same rare surname. He send me a cd with him playing acoustic guitar and singing and asked if I liked to add a little something to his music. I gave it a try and thought that I could add a guitar or two, but when I got started on recording I ended up with recording everything from drums, bass guitar, electric guitars, backing vocals, organs, mallets and all other kinds of percussions. He liked what I did to his songs and asked me to produce his coming record. So that's what I'm up to right now. Recording more of his songs and having a great time. I love to be able to experiment as much as I like and he really inspires me to do that. The first result can be heard on his MySpace site www.myspace.com/raymondbally. He's releasing a single in the US now and an album later this year.

And, YES, I would love to collaborate more with other musicians, if I like their music!


* I think I've got all the cds with your solo projects Bally and Po' Lazarus and I think you're getting greater and greater all the time (and I really loved it from the beginning). You recently presented a piano piece about angel moth, could you tell a little about your two solo projects and what the plans are for the future?

B: I will release a new Bally album this spring. It will be less folk oriented than my last one. More electric guitars, piano and organs. I'm deeply in love with old 60's organs right now, building up a small collection of cheap organs. My new love is a Philips Philicorda GM752 that I bought last week. Nice! I don't know when I will record some new Po' Lazarus stuff. Everything I record under that name are always improvisations over musical and figurative themes and the recordings are made when I'm in a mood for longer instrumental improvisation. I have an obsession about nature's micro cosmos and arctic life. Moths are really interesting creatures. There are some lovely looking species that we rarely see due to their night activity. The music on Angel Moth was recorded during four or five rainy days and started out as a 17 minute improvisation on piano. That piece became the cornerstone for Angel Moth. Soldier bug, that is the second part of the album, started with a improvisation on acoustic guitar.


* You have a very unique guitar technique, I want to be that good myself, how did you do to learn that?

B: I don't think that I'm so good really. My guitar technique is all made up by myself. I have never taken any guitar lessons, but I had a history of music lessons in flute, violin, trombone and mandolin before I started playing guitar. The sound I create is basically build on me never using plectrums, always finger picking, and experimenting with all kind of odd tunings of my guitar. I'm always looking for new ways to play guitar and love to experiment on ways to play all kind of instruments.


* Which leads me to the last question. I'm currently working on an album about the arctic. I've come to that idea after listening to your cd "in memoriam", which in many ways makes me an idea stealer. Can we still be friends?

B: Ha, ha, I love your idea of recording an album build on the arctic. The world needs more arctic related music! The arctic life and the history of it's explorers are amazing. We will continue to be friends of course and I would love to be a part of your arctic adventure!

* (Hmmm, note to self: must write songs about angel moth)

Poster art of Lisa Bodland

A picture I got tailor-made the other day from Lisa Bodland, whose book I wrote about here. I'm going to use this for a tour poster.




Last weekend, I've visited Trollhättan to hang around with my friend Helena Sundström. I also cut some harmonies for her upcoming astonishing cd. Her project Mine to Keep has a myspace-page.

Datafilm #1

John Fahey - Lion (Live in Hamburg 1978). One of the greatest guitarist ever. The songs was originally on his fantastic album The Yellow Princess (1968) and this song has been my cell phone signal for a year now. If you like this one, you should also check in the album The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death, which definitely makes it to my top20 album list.



Tom Waits - Cold Cold Ground (Live 1987)




Eminem's Åbro Commercial as seen on Fredrik Strage's top 100 youtube-clip list. I love this clip, Eminem and his crew are doing a kind of "commerical film" about the Swedish beer Åbro while being on tour. Of course they pronounce it "Ay' Bro'".