Helena Josefsson, backing singer at Malmö's studios (I): The Ark - In Lust We Trust

The Ark is a Swedish glam rock band from Malmö formed in 1991 by Ola Salo, Mikael Jepson, and Lasse "Leari" Ljungberg, when Ola Salo and Leari were only fourteen years old. Martin Axén officially joined the band in 1997, and Sylvester Schlegel in 1999. Their first album, We are the Ark, was released in 2000, with five singles: "Let Your Body Decide" (2000), "It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane" (2000), "Echo Chamber" (2000), "Joy Surrender" (2001) and "Let Your Body Decide" (2001). After dedicating most of 2001 to touring and promoting "We are The Ark", the band withdrew to prepare the next assault.

The new album, "In Lust We Trust", unleashed today in Sweden, has been recorded with the producer Peter Kvint in some famous Swedish studios: Polar (Stockholm), Sandovie, Jailhouse (Denmark) and 9-Volt. (Malmö) The backing vocals include Helena Josefsson, Gladys Del Pilar , Paris Gilbert , Pelle Ankarberg and Sara Isaksson.

Helena Josefsson, from Sandy Mouche, sings in 7 out of 11 songs: Beauty Is The Beast; Father Of A Son; Tell Me This Night Is Over; Calleth You, Cometh I; Disease; 2000 Light-Years Of Darkness; The Most Radical Thing To Do.

Calleth You, Cometh I, the first single, was released in February 2002. This week we can listen to the second one, Father Of A Son, about homosexuals' right to have children.

LJdM

P, C & C wanna be Ramones' boyfriends (X): Something in Swedish with a small band

Roxette has been recording this summer two new songs and the video of one of them: A thing about you.

According to Judith Seuma, from The Daily Roxette, Roxette is coming out soon with two compilation albums (Ballad hits and Pop hits), but Per Gessle has said today in Swedish newspapers that he is thinking of releasing a solo album too. Maybe in Swedish. The article states that Gessle has worked hard this summer. He has worked a lot with MP Persson in the Tits&Ass studio in Halmstad, to write songs and record them.

Some years ago he released a solo album in English, the report continues, but this time he wants to write it in Swedish, and release it in Sweden. According to Gessle's words, something in Swedish with a small band (he does not mention Gyllene Tider) ... and with the style of "I wanna be your boyfriend". It could be a new album with Clarence Öfwerman, Christoffer Lundquist and Jens Jansson. This "little" band could have its Swedish chance.

LJdM

This new single of Roxette, A thing about you, will be a quite untypical song for Roxette, with acoustic guitars and a cello. I'm actually singing, while usually Marie takes care of the ballads.

I would like to do something in Swedish again, I havent done it for a while. I’m a bit tired of all the German TV shows. There´s something ’cooking’ - something getting ready. I have written for both Swedish and foreign artists. I can´t say anything else now, but I think you will hear them soon.

New songs for a solo project would sound like 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' (my cover version of the classic Ramones' song). The style is so obvious and it would be nice to keep on working with a small band. Some of the songs I have written for Roxette are in that style. Power pop like ’Sleeping in My Car,’ but a bit more ’alive’ or ’pushing.’ However the record company was nagging about a compilation album. We have so many songs and have been aroud for so long that we thought it would be nice to separate the slow from the fast songs. I have written so many songs, and if we had thought about it - organised it a bit - we could have really released a new album instead. I think it’s funny, since in the pop business there are many artists who come and go. It´s proof of a kind of ’substance’ to be able to do such an album and besides be able to divide the two albums. It’s more like knocking on the door to say ’Hello, don’t forget that we’re still here.'

Per Gessle

P, C & C wanna be Ramones' boyfriends (IX): Tres Hombres - 1960s music pictures

According to Roxette Service, Per Gessle, one of the owner of the Tres Hombres Art Gallery at Hotel Tylösand in Halmstad, Sweden, has opened a new exhibition with unique photographs from the 1960s pop world of e.g. the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, that could reflect the world of his youth dreams at his boys' room at Furet in Halmstad.

Both 1960s photographers Robert Freeman, Gered Mankowitz and their documents from the 1960s pop mythology are being shown at the exhibition, together with works by other leading pop photographers such as Anton Corbijn, Rankin and Astrid Kircherr's 'pre-historic' documentation of the Beatles in Hamburg , Germany.

LJdM

These works play an important role in pop history. Simply remove the clothes and they could have been taken nowadays. When I look at this photo of Paul McCartney, I would like to capture the moment, this is how one would like to see Paul McCartney. Most of all I like the Small Face-picture entitled 'Plonk' (named after the bass player Ronnie 'Plonk' who is sitting in the foreground). There are not that many pictures of the Small Faces, although they've been one of the most important bands in London during this period - regarding both music and style.

Per Gessle

The beginning of Sandy Mouche's live sound (II): Sandy June - Stockholm and Malmö

After their May debut gig in a tent in the Lundakarnevalen, Sandy Mouche have played in two important clubs of Stockholm and Malmö. It is their first appearance on the demostage and the beginning of the Sandy Mouche's live sound.

• Helena Josefsson: Vocals and keyboards
  
• Martin Nilsson (aka Martinique Josefsson): Vocals and guitar
  
• Ola Blomgren: Bass
• Per Blomgren: Drums

* Nalen, Stockholm 2002 · 06 · 19

Nalen is an unique historical building (1888) in Stockholm that preserves all its original charm from its golden years (mid1930s to the late 1960s), but at the same time ideal for modern shows. According to a travel guide: "A series of stages, some glitzy and some low-key, make up Nalen, a longstanding, much-loved venue housed in a renovated 19th-century building in Östermalm. It hosts everything from dinner dances to up-and-coming local bands and touring hip hop stars."

* Shindra, Malmö 2002 · 06 · 27

Shindra is a nice night club in Gustav Adolfs Torg, Malmö. Another new band from Malmö, Emerald, has played there this month. With a open stage, it becomes a good place to play small acoustic gigs after a good dinner (Royal India Restaurang, with chef Sanad Chowdhury). Two bands per night.

LJdM

P, C & C wanna be Ramones' boyfriends (VIII): Stupid world premiere

According to The Daily Roxette, Jonas Åkerlund’s feature film “Spun” premiered at the CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas, U.S., last weekend with a Roxette song in the soundtrack.

The movie included “Stupid,” as indicated in the end credits: Written by Gessle, performed by Roxette. However, it was not featured in a prominent position. “Stupid” was playing in the background during one of the scenes while the characters were driving, but you can hardly hear the music due to dialogue.

There will be much comparision by movie critics between this movie and “Trainspotting,” because of similar themes and subject matter. The film had a very grainy look, similar to the “Salvation” video that was shot by Jonas on Super 8 film. There are cameo appearances from porn stars, the lead singer of Judas Priest, and the lead singer of “Smashing Pumpkins.”

“Spun” is expected to be released in movie theatres this fall. Jonas is a good friend of Per and Marie.

The song "Stupid" was originally recorded by Per Gessle with Clarence Öfwerman, Chris Lundquist, Jens Jansson and MP Persson to the album The world according to Gessle (1997).

It seems there is no good opportunity to this great song, not even in a film.

By the way, it is said that since the last days of May 2002, Per Gessle has been recording some new songs in Swedish with MP Persson and Milla Andersson in the Tits&Ass studio in Halmstad.

The short film continues winning many international prizes in 2002.

Music for One Apartment
and Six Drummers
(2001; 9 min 31 s)

• Produced by: Kostr Film, SVT and Film i Skäne
  

• Directors: Ola Simonsson, Johannes Stjärne Nilsson
• Music: Ola Simonsson
• Music productor: Magnus Börjeson

PRIZES

• Aspen Shortfest 2002: Ellen Award to the Most Original Film
• Bratislava Art Film Festival 2002: Silver Key
• Sequence Short Film Festival Toulouse 2002: European Prize

LJdM

P, C & C wanna be Ramones' boyfriends (VII): I wanna be your boyfriend, the single

Per Gessle’s recording of “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” for the Ramones tribute album will be released as a commercial single in Scandinavia on May 27 and to the rest of Europe on June 10.

The single by Per Gessle is outtaken from the compilation The song Ramones The same. It will be also released as a 7' and as a 12' in 1,000 copies.

The vinyl 7” and the CD-single will include Per’s version of “Sheena Is A Punkrocker” and the 12” vinyl will have yet another track; Per’s version of “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment”.

I wanna be your boyfriend was recorded by Per with Clarence Öfwerman, Christoffer Lundquist, Jens Jansson and MP Persson. The other covers were recorded by Per and MP after the success of the first single.

It is the first officially-released single of the team P, C & C.

LJdM