P, C & C have a party in their heads (I): new plans, good plans

The year ends and we can remember some old news related to Per Gessle, Clarence Öfwerman and Christoffer Lundquist.

The huge event was Gyllene Tider’s recording of a new album and 25th anniversary tour. This long-awaited reunion took Sweden by storm. Almost half a million people saw the boys back on stage, performing their evergreen songs to sold-out arenas and a multitude of new fans.

In October, Per received “Lyricist and/or Composer of the year” award at the Musikförläggarnas Pris (Music Publishers’ Prize) and “Best Nordic Male Artist” at the first Swedish version of Kids Choice Awards. Later that month Gyllene Tider won a Nordic Music Award as the “Best Swedish artist” and Per was awarded by the Swedish Performing Rights Society (STIM) with a platinum STIM Guitar award for his career. According to Visa Kopu, from TDR, "probably the only award Per didn’t win this year was the “Halland Resident of All Time,” which went to “Beda Hallberg, the woman who came up with the idea almost a hundred years ago of selling small paper flowers on May Day to raise funds to fight tuberculosis.” I guess selling paper flowers to fight tuberculosis does beat selling Gyllene Tider DVDs to buy a new Ferrari."

During the last months, a new records company has been created in Sweden. The members of the project are well-known by LJdM: Christoffer Lundquist, David Birde, Jens Jansson (Brainpool), Magnus Börjeson and Anders Mildner (Beagle). They are trying to release digital music. We will have more news very soon. They could have their own website in Spring 2005. The first album by this record company was Brainpool's rock opera Junk, premiered in August.

Per Gessle has said in interviews with the Swedish press that he is tired and will release new solo material in 2006, but he told The Daily Roxette “there will be an album in 2005” because he just can’t rest. In fact, since a few days, P, C & C are in the Aerosol Grey Machine Studios again recording some new songs, probably in English.

LJdM

He-he-hey!!! Just a quickie from jolly Halmstad to wish y’all a splendid 2005!! 2004 made us very happy indeed with a great album from Marie as well as a quite successful album/tour from the old fellas in GeeTee. You can always rely on homecooking! Hope all of you are making progress in life’s neverending goobledegook and that we might bump into each other some day soon. Who knows what 2005 will bring? Lots of luv and happiness from

P.H. Gezzle

Per Gessle

Sandy Mouche's White Lucky Dragon (IV): interviewed from Canada

Here is the info to the 20 online questions that I did with Sandy Mouche on the www.itsatrap.com website which talks about Scandinavian music in general.

Sandy Mouche is a breath of fresh air from the Swedish music scene. They've put out a few demos, a number of singles, an ep and an album called "White lucky dragon" which was one of my favourite albums of 2004. Sandy Mouche sing in both English and French, sometimes even in the same song. I asked them 20 questions that will hopefully explain what makes Sandy Mouche tick... we'll see if they consider themselves more "pop" than "rock", why they sing in French and what inspires them.

a little side note: vocalist Helena has also worked on Per Gessle's (Roxette) new project.

01. Where does Sandy Mouche come from? name? concept? meaning if any?

The name was born on a Greek island when Martinique, Helena and Per were there on vacation. They decided to start a band. Per played with the sand and came up with Sandy and Helena saw that all three of them had Mouches (brown Madonna dots in the face). The result was the band's name Sandy Mouche. We have realised that it's not just a name but a person as well. A person who lives in every member of Sandy Mouche and who helps them when time seems pointless and grey. We're all together on a journey to make the world a better place. (See website for fairytale version).

02. Do you prefer to be described as pop or a rock band and why?

Pop. Our music is a bit softer than standard rock and it's not all based on loud guitars.

03. What Swedish bands have most influenced you?

None. Only Fairytale music for films of the Swedeish writer Astrid Lingren.

04. What band (outside of Sweden) would you all agree is a big influence on the band?

The French singer Joe Dassin, France Gall, Cindy Lauper, The Twin Peaks music, Beatles, Michael Jackson, Type o Negative.

05. Besides music, what influenced the band to start making music? movies? books? media? sex???

Some movie music is just great. We have all grown up with fairytales and music to the fairytale movies and that is very powerful. Besides that it's the fact that we just love to create music and play together. We have always had a dream about music being our daily job.

06. What movie would best describe Sandy Mouche if you had to pick one?

Astrid Lindgren's "Bröderna Lejonhjärta"

07. Why did you choose to sing in French and English? Is it popular in Sweden to sing in your native tongue nowadays? why not sing in Swedish? Did you make a conscious decision to sing this way?

We like both the English language and the French language so we do a combination of the two. French is beautiful. Martinique has relatives in France and he went there every summer when he was a little boy. So he has great memories and inspiration from that time. We want our music to fly over the borders of Sweden and reach the whole world so therefore we don't sing in Swedish. But if you want to break in Sweden, Swedish is probably the best way.

08. How has technology influenced the band?

We can do simple demos at home very easily thanks to computers, so that is great.

09. Do you prefer analog or digital? for recording, gear and aesthetics?

"White lucky dragon" was recorded in an analog studio. We liked it. But it's not a must for us. I think you can create magic digitally as well. When were playing live it's a mix of vintage and digital stuff.

10. How does Sandy Mouche fit into the Swedish music scene? Are you considered underground or outsiders?

Hmmm... We think we fit in perfectly but we need more money (for promotion) to break through the fog of all mainstream radio hits that torture the Swedes every day. At the moment we are somewere between underground and overground we think.

11. What are the other cool bands in Sweden these days?

Logh.

12. Describe an average Sandy Mouche fan. What kind of person would dig Sandy Mouche?

Maybe a person who needs a little more love in life? Maybe a really macho guy with bad self-confidence. Or maybe the average person with a 9-5 workday that enjoys life. Hmmm, I think all kinds of people actually =)

14. How does art affect your daily lives if at all?

As in paintings it doesn't affect but maybe plays at the theatre or ballets. Everything that makes us react.

15. If you would describe the band in only 3 words (no more no less) what three words would they be?

White lucky dragon (It has nothing to do with rasism I assure u =)

16. In your opinion, who is the most famous swedish person? (alive or dead, musical or non musical)

Abba or Alfred Nobel maybe?

17. What is the coolest places in Sweden that most Swedes don't know about?

An island called Valö with orange cliffs and a big bird.

18. What does the future hold for Sandy Mouche? (keep in mind these questions where answered in December 2004...)

We have just finished the video for the song "Papillon" and it will be out in Sweden in the beginning of January. In February we return to the studio to do our second album. We will try to get a deal with a major company here in Sweden so that they can help us reach other countries.

19. Since I'm from Canada... what do you think of when you think of Canada?

We think of a calm beautiful place where you can speak french and where there is snow. Calm in the sense of more calm then USA where it seems that everyone must own a gun to feel safe and so on. Maybe a place more down to earth. Icehockey! We like Canada =)

20. Since I'm French I have one last little question: What would be your favorite French word or phrase? (each member please list at least one)

Helena: Tarte au pomme

Martinique: Planche a voile

Per: Révolution

Ola: Amour

Marc Xavier Leblanc, from Canada - DJ Bones