P, C & C become Party Crashers (VII): The Party Crasher Tour Rehearsals

Since the first days of April, Per Gessle and his band (he calls them "The Heavy Metal Kids") has been rehearsing at Stockholm for The Party Crasher European Tour. Gessle will be supported by Martinique, aka Martin Josefsson. Martin is also the husband of Helena Josefsson who sings in Per's band. Helena, Christoffer Lundquist and Magnus Börjeson answered some questions about working with Per Gessle to Elena Lenghel (aka mixella) , from ROxette.ro.

Martinique Josefsson joined Per Gessle's band (this time: Magnus Börjeson, Clarence Öfwerman, Helena Josefsson and Pelle Alsing) for a TV show: Babben & Co. - The Party Pleaser - 21-3-2009 (SVT)

Meanwhile, Per has said to the Swedish radio that he and Marie recently picked up some acoustic guitars and sang some of Roxette songs together… to see how it felt. Apparently, it felt good for them both. There could be plans for Roxette at the end of this year.

Christoffer Lundquist has been working in his studio with the artist Brandur. Brandur Enni is a singer and a songwriter from the Faroe Islands, located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. But he decided to start his career in Sweden – for instance he took part in Swedish Melodifestivalen the last year.

LJdM

I am the man from Roxette. People don't know who I am. This tour is my 50th birthday present to myself. I'm not going to plug 'Party Crasher' to death, I'm going to play a compilation of what I've been doing for the past 30 years. Roxette? I'm sure something will happen soon.

Hey you gals & guys out there. I'm in the middle of rehearsals and having a blast trying out songs I haven't played live before!! Just for the fun of it, would you mind requesting a couple of tracks you want us to perform? 3 per person would be great! I won't promise we'll play your favorites but you'll never know. The band is certainly in a good mood and we all look forward to this trip!!!! Thanks so much for your participation. Lots of luv from Mr Gee & The Heavy Metal Kids

The Party Crasher concert in Copenhagen has been moved from Vega to Pumpehuset. March 17 - London show has been moved to O2 Islington Academy (formally the Carling Academy). These venues were changed because i prefer to play smaller venues (500-800 ppl) on this tour of mine. that has been my intention since day 1. shepherd's bush holds 2300 (way too big for someone like me!) and "large" vega takes about 1300 incl the balconies. "small" vega wasn't available so we set our eyes on pumpehuset. Now i'm happy!

Per Gessle

We always talk with Per. When we rehearse, we think about what the fans want to hear. I will tour with Per Gessle again, this spring. Touring with Per is very comfortable since it's all so high profile. And he's very relaxed to work with. Not all touring is like that for sure, it can be very rough. I've always enjoyed playing live a lot, at least after having gotten over the crippling shyness that stopped me from ever playing anything to anyone, not to mention singing, before the age of 22 or so...Life on tour is also strange. You are so cut off from reality and time and space seems to take on a different - or no - meaning. I really like it but it takes a while to adapt back to normal life when you get home. I'm always weird for a week or so after a tour. I don't do it so much these days, only with Per actually. Since I have kids I wouldn't want to be away so much.

Christoffer Lundquist - AGM Studios

I did some music for series and ads. And last year I did music for a Swedish movie, some kind of Star Wars, space anti-hero. Kenny Begins, directed by Carl Astrand and Mats Lindberg (premiered in Sweden, 25.03.2009). I made the music for this film, with a big orchestra and Kjetil Laukholm. You know, big Hollywood feeling.

Clarence Öfwerman

I was offered a bass for 125 SEK from an older guy in my neighbourhood. I was a drummer but my best friend had a larger drum kit so I thought... go for it! Turned out I got the bass for 80 SEK. What a bargain! I was 10 years old. Now I'm a bald guy with long hair.

How is life in a tour? It's all fun and games. I'm the bass player live. I guess I'm adding something. What it is? I haven't the faintest... In the recording sessions it’s mostly Christoffer Lundquist and Clarence Öfwerman. Until they run into Mac-problems. My favorite song from Per’s Party Crasher album is “Doesn't make sense”.

The last couple of years I've done a lot of music for film and TV. I really enjoy that. Making music that is not about you and yourself can be very liberating :-) My favourite time of the year is late summer and early fall. Sweden is cold and nice.

Magnus Börjeson

Happy Easter! I think I have to run to the concert after singing lullabies to my little boy and I will probably run to the hotel to get some sleep before he wakes up really early.

Helena's view:

It is exciting for me to go abroad and sing! I have been to Poland, Germany, Denmark and France with my own music and with Sandy Mouche. And I think it has been enormously exciting. I think Party Crasher Tour's setlist now is very good. Even though I got a little disappointed that there are very few songs from the latest album. But the guys thought they didn´t fit a club gig. Too soft, too discoish.

Hard to work with Per Gessle? No the opposite! He is like a child at play in the studio when no one is around looking. I look up to him because he keeps doing what he loves.

One funny thing about Per Gessle is that he bought a jacket from Prada in Italy. When he came home, he found the excact same jacket in his closet, wrapped up in plastic and never used. He forgot he had bought it already!

I do not read Roxette forums, reviews or articles where I participate either. It is not for me!

See you from stage though!!! I hope you like our show!

Helena Josefsson - H.J.

The first session in Aerosol Grey Machine Studios was for one week in March - I stayed in a little house on the prairie one kilometer away from the studio...the snow was still on the fields and on the trees, there was just a great vibe to it all. These were probably the most intense days of my life. We've recorded everything on tape machines from the 60's to get the old warm sound - recordings used to have. It all was a whole different way of working, since I'm used to recording digitally, it was weird not being able to edit each take as much as I'm used to. But then that's why we chose this studio. I knew I couldn't fix things in the afterwork - which apparently gave me an extreme kick - the fact that it was now or never and I gave it everything throughout the takes - I was surprised to find how less editing can leave you with so much more feeling in a recording. I guess there's some kind of red line in the phrase recorded from beginning to end and when you don't stop in the middle of everything. The producer Christoffer Lundquist had to go on a tour with Per Gessle, so we are going to wait 6 months to finish the album.

Brandur Enni