12 Dec 1998

Nice days for P, C & C new team (I): Rox forthcoming album


Something changed after recording "The world according to Gessle" (between September 1996 and January 1997). Per Gessle and Clarence Öfwerman, of Roxette, began working with a new team, including Brainpool's members.

It has been quiet around Per Gessle's most successful project, Roxette on the international music scene since their hits collection Don't bore us - Get to the Chorus in 1995, but they will be back next month with a new single, Wish I Could Fly, taken from the forthcoming album Have a Nice Day .

Roxette's modernisation includes changing members in the team around Marie Fredriksson, Per Gessle and Clarence Öfwerman. Michael Ilbert, previous producer of Brainpool's hit Bandstarter, has joined in as a co-producer after having already taken part in Gessle's She doesn't live here anymore, The Lonely Boys and the last new songs of Gyllene Tider in 1995. Christoffer Lundquist (from Brainpool) plays several instruments (including cittra!!). Remember that both Michael Ilbert and Chris Lundquist have worked in the "The World According to Gessle".

It has been a long journey yet: the recordings began in January 1998 in Marbella, Spain. During the next six months, Roxette will be doing promotion around the world, except for the USA where the album Have a nice day is supposed to be released before earliest autumn 1999.



1998.12.22 Roxette in an Interview in Swedish TV

'So it's (finally? ) time for a new Roxette-album. We have recorded 19 songs from the 42 songs written. The work on this record started in January 1998 and the album was ought to be released already last autumn (1998). I blame my son Gabriel. I never thought that children and family would take that much of your time. It's hard to focus on the music when there's so much else around. Marie and I also thought that we had written all songs for the album when we started recording, but we were totally wrong. We scrapped most of those songs and wrote new ones while recording. According to the happy mathematician Clarence Öfwerman, we've spent over 200 days in the studio and one grabs the red Gretsch guitar as a reflex when he hears this album.

Our ambition has been to preserve all the 'trademarks' of Roxette, but at the same time to give you new freshness and an update of production and arrangement. We used to be a guitar band, but the guitars are almost gone now. We tried to make an album that sounds really up-to-date and therefore have we built much on modern technology and programming. Since there are also many strains used. This album sounds more up-to-date. We're trying to update our sound all the time. It will become unimaginably great. There are many more recording tricks nowadays than there were in the past. One can do almost everything. It's hard to hit the stop buttons every now and then. Still, this is no record that you can just program, the production work was very tough.".
Per Gessle

11 Dec 1998

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.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket 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.

5 Sept 1998

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.

1998 Urasa Festival (Plastic Soul)


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