Helena Josefsson is a bandstarter too (IV): ewing.1 - rehearsals

We have no news about Plastic Soul, but Helena Josefsson seems to be a "bandstarter" again. According to its web, ewing.1 , a new group from Lund, Sweden, has been formed.

ewing.1 has been formed in the fall of 1998 by members of amongst others Plastic Soul, The Pang and Sideshow Bob. Helena Josefsson, Magnus Tingsek, Marten Dahl and Johan Svensson, have long wanted to play together, and have decided to start a band. Magnus have already written a couple of songs, straight forward pop-songs with some influences of american country music. Since Magnus mostly plays acoustic guitar it feels natural to ad an electric one to boost it up a little. With this, Jens Hellgren, also a former member of Sideshow Bob, has joined the band, now known as ewing.1. Being a huge Dallas-fan, Magnus came up with the name, that originated on the licenceplate of JR Ewings car.

The Pang has been a "powerful melancholic guitar-based rock" band of Lund. Its members were Mattias Friberg (guitar and vocals), Mathias Olden (guitar), Mårten Dahl (bass) and Rasmus Liedbergius (drums). They have played since1997 and they were reported by the Skandinavian Indie Review in October 1998, after recording live in late 1997 some demo songs in the Klubb Indigo of Lund with other bands as Plastic Soul.

Sideshow Bob was Tingsek's first project in Lund, with Gustaf Kjellvander (lead vocals and guitar), Stefan Isaksson (bass), Jens Hellgren (electric guitar), Peter Eriksson (drums). They have played since 1996, released a single (Bored beyond belief, 1997) and published their debut album this year (Invasive Confusion, 1998). It seems Gustaf Kjellvander - maybe thinking about Oasis and the Gallaghers - has decided to work with his brother Christian (from Loosegoats and producer of Invasive Confusion) and is not by the side of Sideshow Bob anymore. Magnus' brother, Anders Tingsek, is other member of Loosegoats. Sideshow Bob seems the brother-band of Loosegoats. But without the lead-singer, the band seems to have finished its story.

Sideshow Bob in 1996

The Pang and Sideshow Bob met in some Swedish summer festivals (Sideshow Bob played Emmaboda, Hultsfred, Arvika, Tullakrock ...) This was the beginning of ewing.1. Helena Josefsson, from Plastic Soul, another band from Lund, joined then. Magnus, Helena, Mattias, Marten and Johan were born in 1978 and grew up in Lund.

This is ewing.1:
- Magnus Tingsek (from Sideshow Bob) - vocals, acoustic guitars, pedal steel.
- Helena Josefsson (from Plastic Soul) - vocals, tambourine
- Mårten Dahl (from The Pang) - bass guitar, harmony vocals
- Johan Svensson - drums
- Jens Hellgren (from Sideshow Bob) - electric guitar

Magnus Tingsek (vocals, guitar)

I was born 19th of december 1978 in Lund, Sweden. I play guitar, Pedal steel, Drums and bass. Born and raised in Södra Sandby outside Lund with a beatiful family. Dropped out of school when I was 16 because I wanted to dedicate more time to my music.

Helena Josefsson (vocals)

Helena Marianne Josefsson. I was born in Kalmar, Sweden (1978.03.23). My parents divorced when she was 7 and they moved with mom Margaretta and her new love to a village called Björnstorp (outside of Lund, Skåne County, southern Sweden) when I was ten. I have got four sisters. I am left-handed and can play keyboards, tambourine and harmonica.

Marten Dahl (bass)

Born in 5th of june 1978 in lund, sweden. Ever since i was a little boy I've always dedicated lots of time for music. I did three years gymnasium, music-class and i was involved with lots of different bands but have now put my main intrest in ewing.1.

Johan Svensson (drums)

Born 18th of november 1978. I was raised in the country with mom, dad, my brother and my sister. I was innocent and free until sometime during... when I was struck by lightning out of a clear blue sky. It was Metallica that had elctrocuted me, and I felt an urge to start playing drums. And so I did. I didn't have any drums or even sticks, so I hit my legs until my fists bled.

LJdM

Helena Josefsson is a bandstarter too (III): Plastic soul's Summer Gigs

Plastic Soul, the new indie band from Lund, Sweden, has began to tour this summer. Helena Josefsson (singer), Fredrick Whitling (leadguitar and keyboards), Johan Duncanson (guitar), Olof Martinsson (bass) and Per Blomgren (drums) were at the Urasa Deluxe Festivalex, in Urasa Air Base (Växjö), on 14th August 1998. This autumn they are supposed to record some material for a new album or EP.

The final line-up bands at Urasa included The Ark and Tambureens.

LJdM

Helena Josefsson is a bandstarter too (II): Jive with Clive? No, Plastic Soul, man

"Plastic soul" is a phrase coined by an unknown black musician in the 1960s, describing Mick Jagger as a white musician trying to sing soul music. Paul McCartney heard the comment and later said that the name of the Beatle album Rubber Soul was inspired by the phrase "plastic soul". In studio conversation recorded on 14 June 1965 after take 1 of "I'm Down", McCartney says "Plastic soul, man". David Bowie also described his spate of funky, soulful songs released in the early-to-mid 1970s as "plastic soul".

But Plastic Soul is also a new band from Lund that has been formed this year, with four boys and girl from this city of Sweden. They are:

• Helena Josefsson - singer
• Johan Duncanson - guitar
• Fredrick Whitling - lead-guitar and keyboards
• Olof Martinsson - bass
• Per Blomgren - drums

Yes: Plastic Soul is the new name of the band Jive with Clive that played last automn 1996 in some clubs of Lund.

After some rehearsals, yesterday (1997-11-29) Plastic Soul got their first important gig at Klubb Indigo, the Friday club in Blekingska Nationen (Province of Blekinge student community in Lund). The performance in front of 250 guests has been called Demogala #1 and included four Swedish indie bands: First Floor Power (from Malmö), Shallow Soundwave (from Göteborg), The Pang (from Lund) and Plastic Soul (also from Lund). The Demogala #1 was also the Blekingska release party of the indie demo compilation "First Harvest - Greatest Unsigned 1997". The compilation includes songs from the four bands.

LJdM

Are Per, Clarence and Christoffer gonna start a new band? (VIII): a band with diapers

Last August 5th Gabriel Titus (GT), the first son of Per Gessle and Asa, was born. Congratulations!

The third single outtaken from the album The World According to Gessle has been also released in August. Stupid? Wish you the best? No: I want you to know.

Without any promo efforts, the single has been a real flop in the Swedish sales charts where it has stayed for only two weeks, peaking at no. 48, . Made in The Netherlands for sales all across Europe but even the CDM has been deleted after its release due to a lack of success.

From Le Journal des Mouches, I have no hope to see the Stupid single, although I disagree with the mistaken election of the TWATG single.

It seems Per Gessle stopped thinking about a new solo band from the summer and changed it for Roxette and diapers. This is what he said on 11th August:

"I have written lots of fantastic, hilarious, award-winning mega songs for the new Rox album (to be recorded in Spain and Los Angeles). But you don't get any titles from me at this stage for copyright reasons. Clarence Öfwerman and Michael Ilbert will be co-producing together with Marie Fredriksson and myself. New demos sound great. Future's so bright I gotta wear shades. After all, I'm probably the musician/artist in the world who doesn't wear shades very often. I'm too polite... I only wear them when I have a blistering hangover. I learned this from Marie. I talk to Marie Fredriksson at least once a week, since we've a lot to talk about; diapers, the USA recordcompanies, new music, new album, re-releases, birthdays."

After August, there have not been many news from Gessle's last project, The world according to Gessle.

Gessle just has two performances at Swedish Television.

- 1997/09/07 TV Huset, Stockholm, Sweden

Per Gessle performed the song I want you to know playback and did an interview at the TV-show 'Söndagsöppet'. Broadcasted live by the Swedish television station SVT1.

- 1997/10/24 TV Huset, Stockholm, Sweden

Per Gessle performed the song I want you to know playback, did an interview, and answered telephone calls from money-donating viewers at the benefit gala '[En kväll för] Världens barn'. Hosted by Kattis Ahlström and Hans Rosenfeldt. Organized by Radiohjälpen and the Swedish television station SVT. Broadcasted live by the Swedish television station SVT2.

It seems there are no more plans about TWATG and that the promising collaboration between the Roxette members (Gessle and Öfwerman) and the Brainpool members (Lundquist and Jansson) is paused.

Elena Martin (EMI Hispavox), said last October 26th: "It seems Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle will start recording their next album in Spain from January, 1998. I don't know where yet, last time Per was here we gave him some information about a very nice studio in Málaga, by the sea, close to the mountains, where they could spend some time with their families as well, but I don't know anything yet."

On 27 October 1997 a remastered edition of Roxette's debut album Pearls of Passion was re-released most everywhere on both CD and MC, enriched with eight bonus tracks. According to Niklas Fjäder, last November 2nd, the football club Halmstad BK from Roxette's hometown celebrated their championship in the Swedish soccer league at Stora torg, Halmstad, Sweden. Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle joined the party together with a lot of other citizens.

Today we want to remember one of the best Swedish bands of the nineties (together with Eggstone and Brainpool.

In 1991, Magnus Börjeson, Calle Håkansson, Anders Mildner, Benjamin Peetre, Jakob Peetre and Daniel Sandström, from Lund, Sweden, formed the indie pop band BEAGLE.

1985, Lund - Photo by A. Mildner

They signed a record contract with Polar in Stockholm and released 2 albums in all Europe and Japan.

• Beagle's SOUND ON SOUND (1992) - Singles: A different Sunday (1991), The things that we say (1992), Turn your head around (1992), This time (1992)
• Beagle's WITHIN (1993) - Singles: Nine out of ten (1993), When I speak your name (1993), One layer down (1993).

1991 - Calle Håkansson and Magnus Börjeson -
Demo recording at Daniel Sandströms appartment, Lund. Photo by A. Mildner

In 1992, Beagle was nominated for best new popband in Swedish Grammies and The things that we say became a hit in Sweden. They have many gigs in 1992 and 1993.

1992 - Beagle performs at Mejeriet, Lund in 1992.
From left to right: Calle Håkansson, Jakob Peetre, Benjamin Peetre,
Magnus Börjeson, Anders Mildner and Daniel Sandström.
Pic. by Gunnar Svensson

In 1994, Beagle transformed into Favorita and starts recording. The leader, Magnus Börjeson (bass and vocals) and Benjamin Peetre (keyboards) decided in 1994 to transform Beagle into a new band, Favorita, with 4 members: they plus Fredrik Blank (guitar) and Conny Stade (drums).

Favorita signed a contract in 1994 and played support for the famous band PULP in their gigs in Sweden during 1996. They also released their first single, Seven Comforts.

Many people were waiting for the new album from Favorita, that was recorded in 1994. According to Magnus Börjeson, it seems the album is permanently put on ice after longlasting trouble with the record company. Magnus has begun to work in other projects (he has worked in a musical, Leonard Pläd, this year). It is a pity that this interesting band from Lund did not release a new album.

LJdM

Are Per, Clarence and Christoffer gonna start a new band? (VII): Christoffer Lundquist, Jens Jansson and David Birde, this is Brainpool now

What are they looking for? A new lead-singer? Are the "bandstarters" thinking about an end?

Photo: D. Birde, J. Kask, C. Lundquist and J. Jansson

Micke Rehnstrom, from The Scandinavian Indie Digest (Vol. 4 # 32, August 17th, 1997), tells the news:

Janne Kask has left Brainpool. He confirmed this in the TV-program "Z-TV pa vag" a couple of days ago. The others, in the band, have discussed continuing without him but the future, both for them and for him, is uncertain at the moment. According to Kask it was a mutual agreement, no internal wars in the band. He just didn't think it was fun any longer.

Janne Kask has been the lead vocalist of Brainpool a pop music group from Lund, Sweden. He is from Genarp, a small village of Lund. Brainpool have been known mostly in Sweden, and do not really make it abroad. The band was discovered by Per Gessle, who signed them to his music publishing company Jimmy Fun Music.

The members of the band are (or were?): Janne Kask (vocalist), Christoffer Lundquist (bass), Jens Jansson (drums) and David Birde (guitar).

Brainpool - Bandstarter

They have released three albums together:

- Soda (1994)
Singles: At School / Pop Star (1993), Every Day (1994),
Girl lost (1994), In the countryside (1994), That's my charm (1994)

- Painkiller (1995)
Singles: Bandstarter (1995), We aim to please (1995), Tomorrow (1995)

- Stay Free (1996)
Singles: Sister C'mon (1996), In a box (1996)

Brainpool - Girl lost (Live Göteborg, September 1996)

They were known thanks to having been the supporting band during the Roxette Crash! Boom! Bang! European Tour in 1994. Janne Kask said in an interview in 1996: "We played with Roxette and it hurt our underground statement but if we hadn't played with them you wouldn't have heard of us."

So Janne Kask has left the band to pursue a solo career and has formed The Jan Kask Sound System. Why? Maybe it wasn't fun any longer. But other sources say that Kask, previous student of "praktisk filosofi" in the University of Lund, wanted to do more social and political lyrics.

The remaining members could stay together because there is a contract to record a new Brainpool album. Christoffer Lundquist (bass) and Jens Jansson (drum) has also played this year in the new Gessle's project, The world according to Gessle. Read Per Gessle's words about the band below.

LJdM

I have always thought that Brainpool is the best Swedish Pop Group of the 90's. Their records seemed to capture the mood of the day, while recapturing a lost innocence -which made them sound both timeless and contemporary. “Soda” was an irresistible debut, a pop album that sounds just as fresh today as it did in 1994. A year later the confident follow-up “Painkiller” rightfully took them to the upper region of the charts. “Invisible to her” is still out of this world (who’ll be the first to cover it?). And who can forget “Bandstarter”? such a great song.

They were equally convincing on stage. I saw them live at the tiny Tre Backar in the beginning of time, and they gave us a brillant cocktail of The Who meets The Jam - all served with nice splashes of bubblegum, power pop and just the right measures of surf. We all love that!

Every band/artist stand or fall with their songs. Janne and David were - and still are - exceptionally good songwriters. But that’s just half the story. Brainpool was also a band of inspired musicians, all playing with the combination of energy and creativity that makes you want to press the “repeat” button.

Now that I’ve had the opportunity to work with Christoffer and Jens on my solo album, I realise what a complete unit they were. Brainpool truly was a band without any weak link - even Christoffer’s peculiar glasses seemed to make sense.

Brainpool was the first band that arrived in the safe harbour of my music publishing company, Jimmy Fun. I was over the moon after hearing their cheeky demos, and one sunny day Ben Mariene, who was in charge at the time, signed them up. I then managed to make two humble achievements apart from shouting encouraging “yeah yeah yeahs”:

• 1. Tip them about producer Michael Ilbert.
• 2. Decide the running order on the “Soda” album, since the band had four different suggestions and couldn’t agree...

The opening track on “Soda”, “That’s my charm”, rocked my little world for a while.

Per Gessle

I had my own band when I was in high school, we played prog-rock, loooong 20-minute songs which I wrote and forced everyone else to play.

David Birde was a friend of mine from high school, he had Brainpool going, the bass player was to go and do this army service, so I just joined as a replacement for him. But it turned out that the four of us got along very well and we liked each other, so when his army was over, he was no longer welcome I am afraid, it’s a bit harsh, but it’s the way it was. That was I think 91. It took a few years until we got a record deal and released our first album.

Per Gesle had just started this side of Jimmy Fun Music which was going to release other music, besides Per’s own. We were one of the first bands to send him some demos, just by chance, that’s just the kind of music Per likes. Besides that, our singer, Janne, he sounds a little bit like Per, a little bit of this childish voice if you like, a bit high pitched, so he just fell for it. Back then Per used to listen to all the demos which had to do with Jimmy Fun, later he got a bit tired of it, and didn’t care so much, but in the beginning he was really into it. It was actually Per’s decision to publish our music. His and Ben Marlene’s, the guy he had hired to run Jimmy Fun Music. We were the first band he signed.

You normally collect the best songs from many years and put them on the first album, so that’s the way it worked with us in Brainpool’s debut, Soda (1994). The second album, Painkiller (1995), was a bit more difficult because we had to write the same amount of good quality songs in a shorter period of time. Janne and David wrote most of the songs, I helped with a couple of them, and then I was mostly into the arrangement and producing. The style throughout the albums changed quite a lot because we got easily bored. Once we had done something, we wanted to try something else, different.

It is mainly, the three of us who are still in the band, we drifted apart from Janne, so to say. It’s not that we weren’t friends, but we didn’t have that much in common, didn’t spend that much time together. The three of us are like brothers, so I guess that was the reason, he felt it wasn’t fun anymore. I don’t think he coped very well with the fame and success thing, he just didn’t like it so after a couple of years he felt like he didn’t want to do this anymore. But we continue, it’s still fun.

Christoffer Lundquist

Are Per, Clarence and Christoffer gonna start a new band? (VI): TWATG European Promo Tour

Yesterday night ended the first International promo Tour of The world according to Gessle.

Gessle and his band have played in seven countries:

- 1997/05/09 TV-huset, Stockholm, Sweden

Per Gessle performed the songs Stupid and Do you Wanna be my Baby playback at the TV-show 'Pick Up'. Broadcasted live by the Swedish television station SVT2.

Stockholm

- 1997/05/16 Casino Cursaal, Oostende, Belgium

Per Gessle performed the song Do you Wanna be my Baby? playback at the competition gala 'Miss Belgium' with various artists. Broadcasted live by the Belgian television station BRT2.

- 1997/05/17 San Remo Rock Festival, San Remo, Italy

Per Gessle performed the song Do you Wanna be my Baby? singback at the festival 'San Remo Rock'. Broadcasted live by the Italian television station RAIUNO.

San Remo

- 1997/05/24 Presswerk, Cologne, Germany

Per Gessle performed the songs Stupid, Wish You the Best, Church of your heart, The Look and Den öde stranden acoustic at the 'Official Roxette Fanclub Convention 1997'. The musicians were Per Gessle (vocals and acoustic guitars) and Micke Nord Andersson (acoustic guitars and backing vocals)

- 1997/05/27 Lico, Barcelona, Spain

Per Gessle performed the songs Stupid, Stupid, Wish You the Best, Church of your heart and The Look acoustic at a pressconference. The musicians were Per Gessle (vocals and acoustic guitars) and Micke Nord Andersson (acoustic guitars and backing vocals).

- 1997/05/29 TV Studio, Prague, Czech Republic

Per Gessle performed the song Do you Wanna be my Baby? playback at the TV-show 'Nova Na Vlastni Nebezpecí'. Broadcasted live by the Czech television station NOVA.

Prague

- 1997/06/08 Braglia di Modena Stadio, Modena, Italy

Per Gessle performed the songs Stupid and Do you Wanna be my Baby? playback at the 50th anniversary party of the Italian car manufacturer Ferrari.

- 1997/06/21 Olavshallen, Trondheim, Norway

Per Gessle performed the song I want you to know live in front of the King and Queen of Norway at 'Konungagalan 1997', a gala in honour of the 1,000th anniversary of the Norwegian city Trondheim. Broadcasted live by the Norwegian television station NRK1.

Trondheim

Stupid and Wish you the best, recorded by Clarence Öfwerman, Chris Lunquist, Jens Jansson and Gessle, have been two of the most played songs.

Chris Lundquist and Clarence Öfwerman have been in almost all the performances.

Stupid was supposed to be the first UK single outtaken from the album The World According to Gessle. However, due to unknown reasons these plans have been cancelled and the only single outtaken from the album in the UK is Kix instead.

Kix single will be released tomorrow.

LJdM