“If you gonna sing a song about drinkin’ wine you might as well drink some wine”, 73-year old Seasick Steve says, gulping from the bottle and grinning his bearded wry smile. He takes a stroll down to the crowd, shaking hands with the front row people. Then, the blues starts rolling in and man it’s down low heavy, dirty, groovy! It’s time to shake, shiver and roll. Man, he is good! Together with a crazy drummer from Åmål, Sweden, and his self-made guitars, the feet stompin’ show owns the afternoon. He invites a girl upon stage for Walkin Man – beautiful and warm. Self Sufficient Man is hip as a snake tail in Desert City. Let’s keep on keepin’ on!
Annika Norlin
5/7
”The sound of a hug”
Photo: Annika Berglund
Annika Norlin aka Hello Saferide aka Säkert! got the tent of Linné all by herself on Saturday night. Well, not all by herself cause the circus room was totally packed with people who wanted to share her blue magic. Norlin has written some of the sadest songs I ever heard, and her presence both on record and on stage is plain beautiful to witness. Too bad the sound is scrubby and very low tuned, but the warm feeling takes over. It’s the sound of a hug. Thanks for the lyrics on the big screen on stage, I loved it, and too invite the audience to sit with her on stage – brilliant!
Robyn & Röyksopp
7/7
”A real star!”
Photo: Olle Kirchmeier
This is as good as it gets. Robyn has gone from great to the greatest. In my book, Robyn could be the only real superstar in Sweden right now. The way she performs, takes the stage, owns the audience. It is perfection in its core. The mix between swedish greatness and norwegian awesomeness, with Röyksopp and the outstanding Susanne Sundfør, just melts into a boiling pot of joy! We, the amazed audience, had no other way out than to dance this last act out, way out west.
The ragged, smelly Stay Out West-crowd entered the Opera house of Gothenburg and the rest is history. Kurt Vile made it a night for the ages. The Pennsylvania longhaired slacker dude slammed his guitar into bits and pieces, an absolute epic display that bubbled into cosmos and back. Divine, heartwarming, bone-chilling. The crisp and pitch perfect sound of the opera chamber made the Vile night almighty justice.
Conor Oberst
5/7
”Up for the fight”
Photo: Olle Kirchmeier
All the way from Omaha Nebraska…Mr Oberst in his wide-brimmed hat. Behind him, folk-rocker band Dawes, and the front man is up for the fight. The combo Dawes+Conor is a perfect match and I sure hope they stay together. Oberst sits down at the keyboard, he spins and turns with his acoustic guitar, and beautiful Americana songs as Zigzagging Towards the Light and Artifact #1 gets under our skin.
I Break Horses
6/7
”dark and powerful”
When Maria Lindén enters the dark stage @ GBG Filmstudios, the anticipation is super high. Wearing a veil she delivers just what everyone came for. A dark and powerful night of sounds and vocals that seem to be close to perfection. Only some technical errors seems to bother the singer. No one else hears any errors, just magic. I will keep this night close to me for a long time.
Sometimes I hear a song, or some kind of songwriting, that surrounds my soul in a special way. It’s always hard to know why these minutes of music affect me this way. Maybe I don’t even wanna know.
I do know that the mighty Gothenburg duo of Castlewoods hit that nerve deep inside of me, that emotional epicenter of severe satisfaction. I’m officially moved and enjoying the ride, to say the least.
Castlewoods are Sofia Assarson and Maja Fredriksson, both freakishly talented singer/songmakers from Sweden. They make folky indie music that surges from the green treetops and down below ground. Songs light as a feather and heavy as the black rain of a revolution.
Try these songs below, a demo called Little Black Sparrow (just imagine this one fully produced…) and a cover of the Springsteen tune I’m On Fire.
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PS: I can’t help of thinking of First Aid Kit, the breathtaking Swedish duo who is (well-earned) conquering the world. Castlewood is the next big thing. Are you reading this and owning a record label? Well, sign them up.
You dig great outlaw-garage-fuzzers as Jeff the Brotherhood, Tweak Bird and Jacuzzi Boys? We sure do. But you aint seen nothing yet. Check out our new fav band Natural Child from Nashville, Tennessee. These guys got the vibe, let WE telleth YOU. Groovy shit for sure.
I was born in the 70´s and this is the American decade experience. Mr Young, Mr Dylan, Mr C Heat; behold. You´ll never ever sit still.
Check out their outstanding 2014-album Dancin’ With Wolves and by Lord, don´t miss the 2012-gem Hard In Heaven. Down below, listen to the almighty live version of Blind Owl Speaks and new song Firewater Liquor. Exit doors!
Monday morning! We bring you Northern Swedish (yay-Jämtland) americana by the ever so cool Lumberjack and the Suits. This is a red-hot fury of boot-stomping stuff!
The bands debut-EP is on the go, check out their fine song: House of Cards.
No Sinner is a awesome Canadian bluesrockband heading right back to the roots. Self-described as ”hard-singing, hard-loving, hard-drinking and hard-working” you got the blueprint.
Singer Colleen Rennison is a regular powerhouse, a rocker on a mission with the voice knocking me down and out. Check out the song Boo Hoo Hoo, and have a good one.
I met a great alt-country band down in Copenhagen. Sink Ships are two Australians, one Swede and two Danes with the darling ”rocking chair on the porch”-vibe . They got a low-key colour impossible to resist, with the pitch-black violin by Emilia Olson being way out wonderful.
Sink Ships are even better live. They deliver the goods; very impressive, very lovely. The bands debut EP Half The Boy (2012) was followed by Sink Ships (2013). Do check them out, start out with songs On My Way and Woke Up Laughing below and imbibe the brilliance.
It´s a monumental Tuesday back at Kentuckyseven-quarters. We´re chillin out with the angel of country, the beautiful, warm and Dollied-up voice of Ashley Moore from Knoxville, Tennessee.
Check out her song Monroe Suede and don´t miss the 2013-album Like a Rose.
