Helena Josefsson in Borlänge

Borlänge, Sweden - 2007/11/30

Helena´s trio (Helena + Martinique + Chris "the Triss")
warms up for
Kristofer Åström
and Christian Kjellvander!

Venue: S2; Address: S2 Stationsgatan 1, Borlänge.

After Borlänge, it seems there are no more upcoming gigs. Maybe it is the last gig from this long "Dynamo Promo Tour". Helena is working in her new album and in the new Sandy Mouche's album, so she has to work too much this Christmas.

Karin Hellström (karinbarin89), a Swedish fan from Borlänge, was there and recorded a small video:

Johanna Billingskog (Johanna.B), a Swedish fan, was also there and wrote an article in her blog .

P, C & C are shopping with mother (VI): Shopping with Mother - released

According to SOAP's website and TDR, Son of a Plumber has released today the new theme song for Swedish TV program "Boston Tea Party", Shopping with mother.

The tune, "Shopping With Mother", was premiered in the season finale of the show two days ago. It has been released as a double A-sided single together with the slightly edited version of "Pratar med min müsli" (from "En händig man") and two remixes of the mother's song by Voz Vibrante: the Voz Vibrante remix and the Mother's Dub by Voz Vibrante.

On November 26, Per Gessle and the show-makers have the launching party for the new musical theme of the Boston Tea Party show - “Shopping with Mother”, about which Per says that “it’s better than 4 Roxette No.1’s put together”! Fredrik thinks that this song “can be considered a new chapter in Per Gessle’s musical career. I can’t place it in a certain genre, but it sounds as you have a crazy speedy limo ride in New York”. Already trying to imagine how it feels?

“Shopping with Mother”, officially launched on November 28, 2007 is actually a Son of a Plumber project. It is an instrumental song, that can hardly be compared to other works of Per, and which is full of beautiful sounds - handclaps, drums, bass and acoustic guitars, saxophone, harp, tambourines; Helena Josefsson is bringing some opera to the song and “someone’s mother” laughter can be also heard. As we mentioned, the song has two other different versions - “Voz vibrante remix” and “Mother’s Dub by Voz Vibrante” (Voz Vibrante is Erik Hjärpe’s pseudonym, member of Damn!)”.

According to Thomas Evensson, from TDR, there will be a video for "Shopping with Mother," directed by Jens Jansson. Per Gessle has been kind enough to share some of his recording info:

• Clarence Öfwerman: distorted wurlitzer, handclaps, celeste, timpani
• Christoffer Lundquist: Gibson bass, drums, Gibson ES-175 el guitar, tambourine, maracas, acoustic guitar, saxophones, wah wah guitar, autoharp, solina string machine
• Per Gessle: handclaps.
• Helena Josefsson: operavox
• Someone's mother: laughter

By the way, the new album of Eva Dahlgren has been released this month. Christoffer Lundquist worked in the album but the songs recorded at AGM Studios were finally re-recorded. Christoffer speaks about it.

LJdM

Eva Dahlgren tried me but she wasn’t happy with the results. I thought it was actually great and honestly thought that what we did was better than what was released in the end. I thought it became a really boring album in the end. I think she strongly felt she hit home with that style, so that was right for her. We recorded two songs, I loved “Äventyr”, I thought we made a fantastic version of that song. I think it became quite boring. But it was very nice to work with her, we had lots of fun, it was nothing personal, she simply didn’t like the music. The album was a long journey. I think she even recorded a full album and scraped all of it, that’s a bad way to make music, you lose spontaneity, recording the same song for 3-4 times. But I think she’s a great artist and has a wonderful voice. I think the collaboration with Anders Glenmark was great, they really complemented each other.

Christoffer Lundquist

P, C & C are shopping with mother (V): Clarence 50th b-day and SOAP as a challenge to your ears

Boston Tea Party, the Swedish TV show, continues. In the show broadcasted on November 19, Fredrik and Filip reach the studio exactly when Per Gessle is threatening to commit suicide! In one of the darkest rooms in his studio, Per is sitting on the floor with a gun in his mouth terrifying the people around him. Even the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet is writing about this episode, under a malicious headline “Per continues to make a fool of himself in the Boston Tea Party show”.

Ivanych (a.k.a. pei99), remembered in R2R forum that this Thursday Clarence celebrates his 50 th b-day.

Clarence Öfwerman: Born: 22 November, 1957. Producer, keyboards and backing vocals. First produced Roxette's album 'Pearls Of Passion' and has been involved in every Roxette album since as producer and keyboards player. Responsible for most of Roxette's string arrangements. Played in groups Uvertyr, Raj Montana Band and Passagerarna.

Clarence is 'guilty' of the sound of LJdM's editor favourite album, Son of a Plumber.

I have always try to explain what I feel listening Son of a Plumber's album. Just today I have read an interesting topic in Son of a Plumber's Official forum. You can visit the forum and add your opinion.

"The nice Kai", from Berlin, thinks that Son of a Plumber's album is different from most albums you can buy in the shops these days: it is a challenge to your ears and maybe too hard for the average music listener. Anyway, according to him, you need to listen to the album very carefully to hear every single detail and to understand the story of the songs. He suggests that we should try to listen to the songs and all the background sounds carefully. I have done it and he is right: we can lose many details if we don't listen to the album again. It's worth indeed.

Other members of the forum seem to have done it too. For example, Christel Johansson (aka Chrissie78 or Baby-C),from Sölvesborg, SE thinks the same: the main problem with SOAP is that the "average listener" don't take the time to listen carefully to any kind of music nowadays. It could be the reason why SOAP is misunderstood: people just don't take the time to sit down and really listen to, and analyze, new music.

But, what make SOAP become such a great album?

René H. Jepsen (aka RJ1976), from Denmark / Flensburg, DE, says in TDR forum these days that he loves Helena Josefsson's sweet voice in SOAP. As other fans, I really believe that Christoffer (Lundquist) really complements Per work in such a great way! My fave song is still I have a party in my head.

Heyoka (aka Akoyeh from Poland) says that SOAP is the best Gessle album since this time. She is sure that with some good promotion it could be a success in Europe. She has taken an hilarious picture of her "soap" ("Per lives in her bathroom"). I have read many bad comments about the album so I wonder: should some Gessle's fans clean their ears with this soap before listening to the album. Heyoka also speaks about the future of Gessle & Co.:

"I am sure about a new SOAP album in 2008, and I feel the good vibrations because the winter is coming, SOAP was made at the same time and I have the strange feeling that the new album will have this same sweet winter melodies inside, little dreamy, romantic and Christmas climate...I would like to hear something like this, it's the best what Per could do now. EHM was made mainly for the Swedish summer tour and now it's time for winter songs, delicate sounds, for cold winter days near by the fire."

We will keep on waiting for a new album, the second challenge to our - your? - ears.

LJdM

My father did kind of the same things that I do, he played piano, jazz, and got into producing Swedish artists and later from all around the world. He always said to me “don’t become a musician, it’s very difficult to make a living on it”, he thought I should study economy, because he actually wanted to do that but never succeeded. He once produced an album with Toots Thielemans and he came down to Rotterdam and they hung out one night together, which was great!

Influences when I was younger? Beatles to start with. We actually had a Beatles night yesterday, we listened to three albums in between the sets. I actually saw the Beatles live in the stadium in the sixties, when I was six. I however don’t remember anything, except all the girls screaming. You couldn’t hear the band, they only had small guitar amplifiers back then. They couldn’t hear themselves, so they stopped I think in 65. But yeah, everybody in this band grew up with the Beatles.

I started to play in bands when I was a teenager anyway. I started playing guitar, then I met a guy who was a lot better than me playing guitar, so I switched to piano. I think that was around 73, 74. I don’t play the guitar now. I only help my daughter to learn some chords. That’s about it.

Clarence Öfwerman

Helena Josefsson, backing singer at Tambourine Studios and Gula Studion (XX): Swan Lee - The complete collection

Swan Lee was a trio based in Copenhagen (Denmark). The members were Pernille Rosendahl on vocals, guitarist Jonas Struck and Emil Jørgensen on drums. Originally no record label would sign them, so they created their own, Gogo Records. Their debut (Enter, 2001) received an impressive 6 DMA nominations (Danish Music Awards) in 2002, and Swan Lee also won The Danish National Radios P3 Prize, the main prize awarded every year to Denmark´s most outstanding musical artist.

The second album, "Swan Lee" (2004), was even more successful and turned the band into one of the biggest in Denmark. It was partially recorded in Malmö, with Helena Josefsson as background singer.

But then, suddenly, it was all over. On 25 September 2005, Swan Lee broke up.Today, more than two years later, they release a greatest hits album. All of the members are busy with new careers.

• Emil Jørgensen runs his own label, Whiteout, and is chair of DUP (Danish Independent Record Companies).
• Jonas Struck is releasing a newly composed soundtrack on DVD/CD for the Asta Nielsen silent movie "Mod Lyset" ("Towards the Light") on Whiteout on 19 November, along with the "Tranberg/Hyhne/Struck/Jørgens" album. He also composed the symphonic score for Ole Christian Madsen's feature film "Prag" ("Prague") and is a member of the band Bugpowder.
• Pernille Rosendahl is currently recording a new album in the USA with her band The Storm, alongside Johan Wohlert. The CD is due to be released in February 2008.

The three members of Swan Lee personally selected the material for this tasty collection, which consists of not only the two albums, but a wealth of bonus tracks, including live recordings, remixes and cover versions that have only previously appeared on various benefit albums and compilations – such as the live favourite "Blue Monday".

LJdM

Ludde, Hella & Göken - Demo CD

Johanna Molander (a.k.a. gessloholic) and her friend Erik, got a demo CD from Ludde, Hella & Göken in Copenhagen, after the Helena Josefsson's gig at Huset. The CD includes these songs (recorded in AGM Studio):

1. Wuthering heights / Kate Bush
2. Disarm / Smashing pumpkins
3. När det blåser på monen / Kent
4. Grace / Jeff Buckley
5. I'll be seeing you / Sammy Fain / Irving Kahal

Ludde, Hella & Göken (a.k.a. Mikael Gökinan Trio) are:

• Mikael Gökinan - acoustic guitar and backing vocals
• Helena Josefsson - vocals
• Ludde Wennström - contrabass and backing vocals.

Mikael Gökinan plays the guitar in many bands from Malmö: The Red, Oomaigoosh Tailfeathers, Markus Murevärn band, Evangelyn, Adrian ....

Ludde Wennström has been playing bass and contrabass with many bands too: HepCat Daddies, Ågrens Orkester, Max Magiska Cirkusvarieté, Stilleben, ...

Helena Josefsson has played with Sandy Mouche and Son of a Plumber.

They play soul and jazz, influenced by Jeff Buckley, Kate Bush and Kent. We can listen to some of their covers in Mikael Gökinan Myspace and talk about them in HJ Official Forum.

LJdM

Comments by fans:

When I saw Helena in Copenhagen I got a record with the songs. I really love Wuthering Heights, it made me cry the first time I heard it

Johanna Molander, SE - (a.k.a. gessloholic)
Moderator in HJ Official Forum and HJ Fanclub Portal

Check out Ludde, Hella and Göken, a project featuring Swedish musicians Helena Josefsson (lead singer of Sandy Mouche, backing singer for Per Gessle), Mikael Gökinan, and Ludde Wennström. They have done some kickass covers (Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights", Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm", Billie Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You", and just added "Grace" by Jeff Buckley.

Ricardo Colmenares (Venezuela)- RC's MySpace

HJ's 2007 Fall (VI): Copenhagen

Helena Josefsson

Huset, Copenhagen, Denmark - 2007/11/17
www.husetmagstraede.dk
Open 20.00 - Show 21.00

Johanna Molander (a.k.a. gessloholic), from Borgholm, was there. And this is her story (and her photos):

The 17th november I and my friend (Billys friend too) Erik went to Copenhagen ... We had some problems to find the place, well we did find the place but not the place at the place (confusing). Then we met helena and she told us where to go. Then we waited some hours. While we were waiting Helena came and talked to us and gave us the record and free drinks in the bar. I don't even drink alcohol. As usually, there were about ten persons there to watch Helena. They started to play about 21:30. She sung "Ghosts", "By your side", "The moon is a grain of sand", "Where does the unused love go", "Never never", "Into the woods", "Waterlily love", "Sleepyhead", "Meadow" and "The pirate king". It was so good, "The pirate king" was really cool live. It would have been worth to go to Copenhagen only to hear that song. Helena thought they made the best version of "The pirate king" ever :) After the show, Helena spoke to us, we discussed Pers voice. Then we went to the hotel and slept. I think I smiled the whole night.

Johanna Molander, SE - (a.k.a. gessloholic)
Moderator in HJ Official Forum and HJ Fanclub Portal

Helena Josefsson's fans keep being active.

• We have a new group in Facebook: The Helena Josefsson Society. Christoffer Strandell and Louise Rees are the president and co-president of this great society.
  

• Emma Sonesson ("Billy"), from Sweden, has updated Helena Josefsson's Unofficial Fanclub Portal. It has been a hard work since last summer. The Fanclub has now some very interesting sections: Forum, Merchandise, Guestbook ... Some others seem unavailable today: Blog, Calendar, Photoalbum, ...But the most interesting section is the LINKS, with official sites, Swedish interviews, members' spaces and videos.
  

• The fans from the HJ Official Forum. have chosen Helena's best background-vocals song: Son of a Plumber's: Hey Mr. DJ.
  

• On the other side, you can find below that Johanna Molander, new moderator of HJ Official Forum and also moderator of HJ Fanclub Portal, is able to draw really well.

• Emma Sonesson has also worked in the new merchandise.

• And finally, Le Journal des Mouches has been included in the list of links in Helena Josefsson's website.
  

By the way, our editor, Alberto Fuente, has made a new map of the world with the members of the the official Helena Josefsson Forum.

Billy; roxetteadina; Stoffe; gessloholic; and Stina (Sweden) ; Nicole; Heike; NightPearl; Kiwein; angeleyes; crashroxer; Kerstin; Michi; and Sverige29 (Germany); Arlanda (Switzerland) ; Iza (Poland); Kreecher (Russia) ; whateveriam (England, UK) ; welshroxer (Wales, UK); marc xavier leblanc (Canada) ; sarah (Netherlands); roxer1986; and spyboo (Belgium) ; Sleepyhead; MissMisery; and Lantartida (Spain); RicardoGCE (Venezuela); Raëlian (Argentina)

He does not want to forget other marvelous fans that write in other pages and forums:

Papillon; and Lina (Sweden); Dominic; and MeMaMi (Germany); María Fernanda (México); Sister of Night (Brazil); Bevispain; and javier (Spain); Frantisek (Czech Republic); Kamila; and Standa (Poland); ...

If you are not "listed" here it does not mean that you are less important. Just tell us and we will include you. And visit the the official Helena Josefsson Forum and the other websites.

LJdM

I have created a new open group in Facebook, The Helena Josefsson Society. Louise Rees is the co-president and I am the president. Inspelningar till det nya albumet pågår!!! Yiiiiiiiippie!!! Fans are welcome to join the Helena Official forum too. My favourite song is Sleepyhead.

Christoffer Strandell (aka Johnny Pierce; aka Stoffe),
from Jönkping, SE - The Helena Josefsson Society

Hello it's nice to see other fans of Helena on facebook, I look forward to getting to know you all.

Louise Rees (aka welshroxer), Wales, UK

- The Helena Josefsson Society

Hey! We're after a long time up again, fresh and new!

We will send out News-mail when something important is coming through.

Emma Sonesson (aka BiLLY) - HJ Fanclub Portal

Drawings of Per Gessle and Helena Josefsson.

Johanna Molander, from Borgholm, SE - gessloholic

Hey Mr. DJ, by Son of a Plumber, has been chosen by HJ Official Forum members as the best song of Helena Josefsson as background singer. The list of songs (only one song per album) was made by Alberto Fuente:

• Air Bureau - Had it with you
• Andreas Johnson - End of the world
• Doug Wyatt - Where you lay
• En händig man (Per Gessle) - Pratar med min müsli
• Fredo - Teenage monster
• Gyllene Tider - Jag borde förstås vetat bättre
• Hideki Kaji - This is Still OK
• Junior Senior - Rhythm bandits
• Justin Winokur - Fly away
• Mazarin (Per Gessle) - Här kommer alla känslorna
• Metro Jets - Jingle jangle christmas
• Righteous boy - Straight song
• Sebastian Karlsson - Words and violence
• Son of a Plumber - Hey Mr. DJ
• Stockfinster - All becomes music
• Swan Lee - I don't mind
• The Ark - Disease
• The Margarets - A farewell to arms

HJ Official Forum

BiLLY (Emma Sonesson) has developed lots of new designs with merchandise about Helena Josefsson. Now we have two related links: the 'old' Merchandise and the 'new' one. You can buy it if you are in Sweden ...

HJ Fanclub Portal

Helena Josefsson has updated her links in the Official website. Now the page includes Sandy Mouche's website, Mikael Gökinan's space, Helena's Official International Forum, Helena's Fanclub and LE JOURNAL DES MOUCHES!!.

It was not expected. I did not even ask Helena Josefsson for it. I am much obliged to you, Helena. I know this blog is not perfect and I will keep on working. Thank you for being one of our few - but marvelous - readers.

I was thinking about changing the black colour in Le Journal des Mouches, but then I read a mail about Blackle, the black version of Google. So we will keep this page.

Alberto Fuente, aka "Lantartida" (LJdM's Editor)

P, C & C are shopping with mother (IV): Son of a shopping mother?

Son of a Plumber is in the studio again. According to SOAP's website and TDR, Son of a Plumber has recorded the new theme song for Swedish TV program "Boston Tea Party."

Fredrik Wikingsson, one of the show's two hosts, says: ""Boston Tea Party" is a show about finding strange things out, like how human flesh tastes like… "Many will see this as a new chapter of Per Gessle's musical career. I can't place this tune in a genre, but it sounds like how it would look when riding a limo through New York way too fast."

The tune is called "Shopping With Mother" and will be premiered in the season finale of the show at the end of November. It will be released as a double A-sided single together with two remixes by Erik Hjärpe (a.k.a. Voz Vibrante, a member of Damn!, The Martelli Tapes, and Krosusork). Erik has remixed "Shopping With Mother" in two different versions - the Voz Vibrante remix and the Mother's Dub by Voz Vibrante.

The directors and the two hosts of the show, Fredrik and Filip have chosen Per to be the composer of the new musical theme of the show. Therefore, along 9 weeks, the two guys followed Per creating the new song, being witnesses of his funny and surprising behavior which might have confused the viewers who have known the Swedish pop-star as a very “quiet” person.

Along these weeks, Per is constantly making fun of Fredrik and Filip who are trying to get at least a bit of the song, but all they find is a nasty Per who avoids them or closes the door in their noses. Surprisingly, on October 22, the two guys meet a very friendly Per in his studio in Skåne, who is willing to hand them the demo of the new song. Short happiness though for them, when they realise that Per handed them the “Gå och fiska!” disc; no new song!

Daniel Alvedahl, a Swedish fan, remembers us that Shopping with mother was a cool title that Per had in his list of cool titles that he wanted to make a song of. (Att Vara Per Gessle, page 220). Per mixes Swedish with English ... but just in theory, because this is an instrumental theme.

According to Thomas Evensson, from TDR: "Voz's style of music is fast fusion and electric funk, while the tune itself can be described best as a cross between a '60s Bond theme with some Star Trek and general '60s pop in it. Does it sound crazy? It is. The double A-sided single will be released November 28, with the slightly edited version of "Pratar med min müsli" from Per's hit album "En händig man" as the other A-side, a little later than expected, but now released to the public."

Per Gessle, his wife Åsa and their son Gabriel feature in Caroline Roosmark's 2008 calendar "The Women and Men of the Year 2008". Per is dressed in a Mozartesque style, with a "guitar" of course. He is in May's picture. You can order the calendar at Caroline's site, 15 SEK of every calendar will go to the foundation of Riccardo Campogiani's memory. Caroline Roosmark said: "Per usually doesn't do things like these, but this time he's been very into it. He spent days picking out a good wig! This year's edition is dedicated to 16 year old Riccardo Campogiani who was meaninglessly killed on the streets October 7, 2007. "

We have a handy man in the U.S., ... and it is not George Bush. Caroline Distribution, EMI’s U.S. independent distribution company, has released today in the United States "Finn5fel!" (originally 2004, by Gyllene Tider) and "En händig man" (2007, by Per Gessle). Last month they also released "Mazarin" (PG, 2003), "Gyllene Tider" (GT, 1980), "Moderna Tider" (GT, 1981), "Puls" (GT, 1982) , "GT25!" (GT, 2004) and "Hjärtats trakt" (PG, 1997). All albums can be found on iTunes USA. These are obviously digital releases only, so no problem to put them in your bedroom. By the way, I could not help posting here the story of René H. Jepsen (aka RJ1976), a fan from Denmark. This is what he wrote in TDR a few days ago:

I am Danish but I've got my second apartment in Germany, because I work a lot in the city of Flensburg also. I've made myself a Roxetteroom like office... Somewhere I gotta put it all. It’s all mixed up my collection, with Gessle, Grape Rock, Roxette and everything else from the God-Like Man Gessle, and Wonder Woman Marie :-)What I wanna know is... how big are you collections ? ... Mine ? I have no idea... I’d guess more than 300 cds, singles, vinyls, different versions of records and and and... Anyone else have made something like an Roxroom ? Instead of hiding it all in a box ? Poster and stuff like that doesn't interest me... That's magazin stuff and has nothing to do with them really... Eventhough I also have a lot of that. **LOL** Before you ask ... Looks quite cool and not like crap... Studio like office *G* ... Im 31 ... Will I ever grow up ? NOOOOOO WAY !!!... My 9 y.o daughter listens also to the stuff now ... Hmm... Thats not good... :-S

LJdM

Sandy Mouche's rehearsals and recordings for a new album (V): getting used to the drill

Hi again. Been in the studio now once a week and we are starting to get used to the drill. The first song is almost finished now after some drastic changes in the structure of the song. We all realised that we could make this song even more clean and honest so Per chopped of some parts (just like Dexter) of the song.

Helena and Martinique sang the lead vocals through the all new AKG C414 XL ll. It did a great job with our voices bringing it to a level that´s just perfect and enjoyable. The vers is sung in the same pitch but in the chorus our voices break apart and create a lovely atmosphere to the song.

Per recorded some percussion, tambourine, egg and an extra snare that let´s you feel the marching band. The song will be dangerous to listen to in a car when your driving.


We ate owen baked pork pancake with mushrooms, leek, butter (new to some but they loved it), lingonberry and a green sallad.

Stick around for more updatetes and photos. HERE are the photos from the latest sessions.

Martinique Josefsson - Sandy Mouche