Kentuckyseven

Trummor & Orgel is intense stuff! Instrumental, darting, heavy. The band smell of a 1965-joint, Hansson & Karlsson, Swedish hammond-psychodelia with a vengeance. It´s a jazz volcano ready to hit the streets.

Their new album Out of Bounds is released today, Sept 21, and we vote for a immediate success. Thanks to the two brothers Anders Ljunggren & Staffan Ljunggren of Trummor & Orgel who took time out of their busy schedule to answer our five Q´s.

Photo: Daniel Olsén.

¤ What are you listening to, right now?
”At the moment we’re listening our own album “Out of Bounds”, haha. No but really, we’re very satisfied with the result and feel that this album is the one you can listen to many times. Otherwise, we have rediscovered a lot from the nineties like The Charlatans and the Stone Roses.”

¤ Best book read in a while?
”Well, we don’t necessarily read the same books, but “Recording the Beatles” by Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew helped out a lot during the making of the record.”

¤ Your hopes for this year?
”A: Well, most of all, with our new record out we hope to reach out to even more people and find new venues and festivals to visit. It is a fantastic feeling to be able to meet the fans and to have the opportunity to actually get more fans.”

¤ Three artists who inspire you?
”Musicwise, at the moment we are inspired by bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Two Door Cinema Club for their immediate melodies and pop tunes. However, in the background you will always find The Cure and My Bloody Valentine mixed with Brian Auger and Small Faces.”

¤ Which artist or band deserves a breakthru?
”There are a lot of great bands out there that makes fantastic music. Side Effects is a young Swedish band which sees huge potential, playing psychedelic pop at its best. I’m sure we will hear more from them in the future. Frantic Sunday is a band from our home town Uppsala which is a great live act. Also, Andreas Stellan (also in The Works) who is currently recording his own Swedish material has a great voice and really deserves some serious attention.”

¤¤¤Check out their first single, Worlds Collide:

One of the best albums of 2011 is My Morning Jackets ’Circuital’. This darling rockband is touring the shit out of it as we speak. Sat 16 th July they gig Latitude Festival and Sun 17 July the gig Somerset House w awesome support of The Head And The Heart.

Kentuckyseven got a minute with mighty drummer Patrick Hallahan, do check it out.

¤ Circuital was recorded in Kentucky, your home-state. Was that special to you?

”Recording an album is always a special time for us, but recording at home took  it to another level.  There’s just a certain comfort when at home…a centering element. And because of this, we didn’t have to focus on our surrounds, just the music.”

¤ How is the music-scene in Kentucky today?

”The music scene in Kentucky is complicated.  On one hand, you have the mindset that musicians should maintain the traditional bluegrass roots.  On the other hand, you have people wanting to invent.  We like to invent…”

¤ We´d love to go to Kentucky and listen to live music. Where to go?

”Renfro Valley.”

¤ Your hopes for 2011?

”Have a healthy baby.  Play as many shows with my friends as possible.  Make more time for my family.  Give back to the universe for all of this positive energy.”

 ¤ Kentuckyseven loves the new album, how do you guys rate it?

”Too close to the fire…I’ll leave the rating to you.  Rest assured, we’re really happy with how things turned out.”

¤ What books or records did inspire you in the making of Circuital?

”Circuital was inspired by life lessons, personal growth, and realization.  There are no direct connections to books or records…they are two of many things that shaped our minds leading up to this point.”

June 4 The Low Anthem´s USA-tour hits our dreamvillage of Louisville, Kentucky. They play Headliners Music Hall (together with Daniel Lefkowitz and The County Line) and it will for sure be a night to remember.

Kentuckyseven had a chat with bandleaders Ben Knox Miller and Jeff Prystowsky when they visited Gothenburg, Sweden. We talked about Pringles chips, the soundtrack of Sweden and the smart kids of Deer Tick.

Welcome to Sweden! Last time you played here were a much talked-about gig at Pustervik in the summer of 2010. You recall?

“Sure, that was one special evening. It was late, late at night, a really rowdy crowd who had their fair amount of Swedish beer.  We started out with all our instruments on stage and I know we looked at each other and didn´t know which way it would turn. But after three or four songs we knew, everything connected and we really enjoyed it.”

You even played to the crowd in line outside the bar who couldn´t get in?

“Yeah, that’s right (laugh). It was sold out and a long line of people stayed outside. It was raining, and we stopped and played a song for them outside. The night was dark, it was very special. “

The song  “I´ll Take Out Your Ashes” is your most Swedish song ever, Ingmar Bergman-style. Beautiful, guilty, sad feeling. Like a soundtrack of Sweden. What can you say about that song?

“Really? Well now for sure we will play that one tonite. The song was written a night after hanging out at a bar with my friend who just told me a story about her mother passing away, about how her family was feuding about how to deal with the ashes. The family was fighting about who should come to the ceremony, and who shouldn’t. Meanwhile the ashes was at my friends house, on her kitchentable. For months. She more or less wrote the song, just telling me the story.”

In our ears you got two different type of songs. One aggressive, direct, rock-style. One slow, thoughtful, folk-style. Why does it come out like that?

”It’s all about commitment. We just don’t play the arrangements. We keep ourselves to a high standard of really being there emotionally in the songs. And whether it’s the loudest, most abrasive song or the most beautiful, inviting rich song, it’s the same level of commitment to it, so I think that is the same about those two styles. I really didn’t look at it as a matter of styles, just a matter of intensity.”

You´re from Rhode Island. What can you say about the place?

”We live in Providence, in Smithsville. There is a wonderful community of artists there, and an artschool, and Brown University, where we went. The schools are very liberal, and the area is very un-American. And also it is very off-the-map, no national music comes there. Which is kinda good.”

Deer Tick is another Kentuckyseven fav-band, also from Rhode Island, you know them?

”Sure, we know them. They are wild, but it is somewhat staged… they are actually smart kids, they are making an effort to look weird you know. They love the artistry, and they are cool like that. By the way, you need to check out another guy from Rhode Island, Death Vessel. And Brown Bird, you need to check them out as well.”

Social Media, such as Facebook and Twitter. Is that important to you? How do you handle it?

“We don´t.  I think it´s pretty boring for the fans with a twitteraccount that some publisher or pressguy takes care of. It´s seldom from the artists themselves, and rarely any personal and interesting stuff.” But we do write all the emails, for the mailing lists and such.”

Finally, the future. Where will The Low Anthem be, say in 10 years?

”Making records.”

Artist to artist:

Q: John Grant:

”How have you managed to keep from having your collective digestive systems destroyed by the ravages of Pringles whilst on the road?”

A: Ben Knox Miller: ”I think that the food at the venues saves us, coz if we were left at our own devices we would probably eat the food from the gas stations, you know those Swedish hot dogs, love em. So we balance the crappy food with Pringles. And ketchup.”

The gig after the interview was amazing, and the guys were as well. We hope to see them again in Sweden soon. And by the way, the played their most swedish song, upon request…

Read the review here: The Low Anthem @ Pustervik

The man is back after a seven-year-break from the musicscene. It´s his first Swedengig in 14 years, exclusive at the grand piano. Yeah – we´re excited.

Martin Rossiter (ex Gene) gigs Gothenburg May 29 at Park Live, Sankt Jörgen Resort. Kentuckyseven got a interview with Mr Rossiter, enjoy!

1. Your old band Gene (1993-2004) sold 2 million records and had 10 UK top-40 singles. How to summarize that time in your life?

”To be honest most of it is a blur, I look back and wonder who the man is who looks like me and sings like me but doesn’t feel like me. If you see him let him know I want a word.”

2. You live in Brighton, how´s the southcoast musicscene right now?

”I’ve never really involved myself in any scene. Scene’s tend not to like me and the feeling is mutual. You’d be better off asking someone young with ’interesting’ hair.”

3. We are really excited by your solodebut, the song Drop Anchor is really beautiful. What can you tell us bout the song?

”If a few people fall in love to it I’ll be happy. It is important as it was the first new song that people have heard and despite sometimes having an ego the size of Gothenburg, I confess to having been a touch nervous that the response would be ’it’s ok Martin but when are you going to play Fighting Fit’. Thankfully it wasn’t.”

4. You´re on tour for the first time in 7 years. Frightened?

”Absolutely not. Why would I be?”

5. You hit Gothenburg May 29, your first Swedengig in 14 years. What can the audience expect?

”Songs, songs and songs. Call me a luddite but I still think the song has more power than any other art form.”

6. Could you recommend some new music to our readers?

”There is such a paucity of new talent it’s hard to think of anything but I am very partial to Villagers and the James Blake album is interesting.”

7. Finally, please mention three artists that inspire you?

”Dolly Parton, Billy Bragg and Sophie Pointer.”

¤¤¤Please check out Martin´s new and brilliant song ’Drop Anchor’.

Gothenburg was cold and crisp, sunny and grand. The gravel from the cold winter still on the citystreet. People wore mittens and thick overcoats. The warmth from the sun thawed our frozen Swedish souls.

We didn´t know what to expect. John Grant made Mojo´s best album of 2010, an album Kentuckyseven more than loved. ‘Queen of Denmark’ is 16 songs of intimacy, self exploration and self exposure. Who was this guy?

He sat relaxed by the great statue, behind some orange sunglasses. An hour later we were friends. No more, no less. We spoke over lunch. We spoke about life, music and everything in between. We spoke in Swedish, Danish and German too.

You live here in Gothenburg, how did that happen?

“I got here to do a record with Andreas Kleerup, hadn’t really heard of Gothenburg before. I couldn´t believe how beautiful it was! I moved in with Petra, a friend I met after my gig at Pustervik. I’ve lived in big cities before, three years in New York, but I do enjoy the small town. I don´t go out any more, not like I used to. I don´t drink anymore, at all. It´s all about the people and the music.”

How´s the record with Kleerup coming along?

“We haven´t come very far, we have no deadline. We have ten tracks, five from me and five from him. When I get back from my tour I´m gonna start doing vocals. We first met DJ:ing at Strand together and just hit it off. When I came to Sweden, Kleerup was one of those guys I wanted to meet.”

Queen of Denmark made Mojo’s number one 2010, how about that?

“I really freaked me out. For me, Mojo is the bible. It’s is a new world for me now. This is gonna keep meaning big stuff for my career for a long time, meaning that many more people will discover my music. Because of my lyrics it won´t become mainstream in a bad way, this is just a good thing.”

What kind of music are you listening to right now?

“I love the new PJ Harvey album. I love her, what she does with her voice. I just discovered a Swedish band called ’Pacific’, I really like the voice of that guy. It´s like electronic based indiepop. I also listen to ’Glasser’, ’Black Devil Disco Club’ and many other bands.

How did you end up on stage?

“I sang at the church quire as a kid. But I wasn’t considered someone who could sing. I knew I could sing, but I was too afraid to really sing out. Alcohol helped me. It was the only way to get on stage.”

Are you working on new material?

“It´s scares me to do a follow up. All you have to do is be yourself, but that is hard sometimes. I have to ignore the Mojo-thing and just do a record.”

“I´ve been writing songs for a while. I got half of the songs for a new album already. This one will be more about anger. I want it to be fuzzy and distorted with lots of beautiful melodies but with a harder edge. I want it to be a big wall of sound, and then down to nothing, very dynamic. I´m recording with Midlake, starting in September. ‘Queen of Denmark’ was no filters, the next record will be the same.

How do you write your songs?

“To me, it´s a long process. I tend to change things all the time. It´s really very strange, I want to be perceived in a certain way, I want people to see me as strong, and not gay. Like a real man, not emotional. Like I wrote about in ‘Silver Platter Club’. One of the things that fascinates me the most, are watching the interviews in the locker rooms after a game, any sport, and you see the look on these men’s faces. It´s total and complete selfconfidence. At least it looks that way. But I’ve never been able to even pretend. I wish I were a better liar.”

Do you see yourself ever becoming an author?

“I would like to see myself that way, but I don’t think I am ready for that yet, the more I read the harder it seems. It´s an amazing talent, like one of my favorite authors Scott Heim, whom I became friends with, who wrote ‘Mysterious Skin’. I do have a huge vocabulary, so I probably could write something, but it wouldn’t be fictional. Everybody has a story to tell. Look at the greatness of Nick Cave and Tom Waits. It could be about anything, this lunch or that wallpaper behind you.

Any other projects, down the line?

“I´m thinking about, maybe an EP or an entire album, doing something that Kleerups girlfriend told me. Her pets, and the accidents they had. I have written down all of them. And it is a lot of pets and accidents.”

“One is about a pony, called Moffe who falls through the ice and then there is the story of the rabbit Fetknopp who was blown up in an explosion, when her mother were killing roots in the garden. It´s Muffin, the chicken who was taken away by an eagle, when he tried to hide in a pile of wood, and just got swept away by the big bird. And you got Plommonsippan, the African Parakeet who flew into the dishwasher and died. Crazy stuff.”

The video to ‘Chicken Bones’, what can you tell us about it?

“It was like my worst nightmare, doing that video, because it was all real, you know. I had to walk around in that outfit, in that neighborhood, being called a fagot from the people there. It took me back to the times when I was younger. I don’t feel comfortable with my body, and wearing that suit made me feel really uncomfortable. The song is about racism and hatred and the video kind of captured parts of my life, parts of me.”

When did you decide to come out?

“It took me a really long time, I was probably 25. And what was painful, was that a lot of people knew and were talking about it behind my back – we all know about him, but he doesn’t seem to know it yet – that’s painful, cause you can´t deal with it. Everybody else knows, but you are having a hard time dealing with it yourself, for a while I was trying to see if I could stop it from happening, I didn’t want to be that way. That’s pretty heavy duty, the total rejection of the self.”

“And it just turns into panic attacks and depression, cause you can´t live like that. I didn’t wanna be hated. There were physical attacks on me, verbal attacks all the time. There was just this hatred in people’s eyes. You knew, you were disgusting to them. I started to believe in them, that they were right, and that’s the worst part of it. At this time, I started drinking heavily, but I still couldn’t talk about it all.”

Did your music help you?

“My music at this time was just about making noise, I didn’t think I could write about myself, I was afraid if I wrote about myself, my family would see that, my father would see that, and then they would reject me based on that.”

How´s the relation with your family today?

“I don’t know if my father has even heard my record, and I won´t ask him. We don’t communicate a lot but he definitely loves me, I know that. We live in different worlds. My father lives in a world where he still wants me to be a missionary in Russia or something like that. But he is proud of me, he is proud of the success I am having in the music business, but I think he´s also disappointed. My parents made it clear that they could never support my lifestyle, but – We love you, anyway. I can live with that, but I guess I have a lot of stuff to work through.

¤¤¤ Lunchtime was over. The room emptied. Outside the window the afternoon sun hit people hard, knuckles, guard down. It was a story to be written and John Grant walked away, down the street. He looked like he could use some shelter from the storm, a place to call home. We watched him go and got back to work. The song ‘Queen of Denmark’ echoed our white office walls.

John Grant gigs Gothenburg tomorrow, April 27th @ Nefertiti.

Born in a small town in the farthest north of Sweden, she was in love with music from the start. Moved to Stockholm as a 20 year old determined artist.

Jennie Abrahamson started her own record company ”How Sweet the Sound” in 2007. Released two albums ”Lights” (2007) ” and “While the sun’s still up and the sky is bright” (2009), while working with a lot of other artists. Nowadays she can be seen in Ane Bruns band, as a multi-instrumentalist. When she finds the time.

Her new and third album will hit the stores April 13. The single ”Hard To Come By” is frequently played on Swedish radio, for good reasons. She will be playing across the country, and will play in Gothenburg @ Pustervik May 13.

We just had to talk to Jennie, to see who this brilliant Swedish pop wonder was…

What are you listening to right now?

– I discovered PJ Harvey’s new album when it was just out and I can’t seem to let it go. I’ve always admired her but haven’t been all to keen on the actual music before, but this album just blew me away. I think it will stay with me for a long time. When I work in the studio I try to not get too much input, and thus listen to music a lot less. Now when the album is done it feels, ironically enough, like I’m returning to music. So I’m digging deep into my lp- and cd-boxes and the Spotify library and dig out a lot of old stuff. I’m so into Neneh Cherry’s “Raw like sushi” all over again. And some old Pat Benatar, and Joni Mithchell, and…

Best book read during 2010?

– Pattis Smith’s “Just kids”. It’s beautiful and poetic, a fantastic read. It will be a classic.

Your hopes for this year?

– On a global level I hope that even if this year started out like shit, we will end it in a more peaceful way. I hope people will be free of oppressing leaders, and I hope Mother Earth calms down a bit. I also hope that people will open their eyes and see what we’re actually doing to her, and start repairing the damages we’ve made. On a personal level I hope to stay healthy and that my new album will do well enough for me to continue this musical journey I’m on.

Three artists who inspire you?

– For me, inspiration is so changeable. Of course I have a bunch of old “idols” from childhood that I still look up to a lot; like Peter Gabriel, Eurythmics, U2 and Kate Bush. And then later discoveries, like Bob Dylan. But that immense feeling of inspiration is often given by what or who you have around you, or a spur-of-the-moment thing. Today, writing this, I’m inspired by:
Ane Brun; great friend, great musician and writer, inspiring thinker and a pioneer.
James Rhodes; English pianist that is tearing down the wall between the classical music and the audience. No suit, no mystery, no stick up the arse. He’s making classical music accessible to a wider audience. I also love hiw view on Bach interpretation.
Robyn; for doing her thing and completely owning 2010. Judging from her spring concerts at Cirkus she has a lot to give this year too. I love how she a re-created herself, in a much more down-to-earth manner than say Madonna. She has worked hard and ambitiously, and it has paid off.

Who deserves a breakthru in 2011?

– The brilliant young Robert Svensson, and also the equally brilliant Swedish band Torpedo.

Kentuckyseven is hoping for an awesome year for Jennie Abrahamson, which we are pretty sure is bound to happen.

Watch the video for ”Hard To Come By”… and take a listen to the magic that is great Swedish pop music at its very core…

There are few persons I know of, that know so much about Bob Dylan as this man. Impressive in knowledge in many areas, but particulary in this subject.

Fredrik Wikingsson is one part of the loved and hated duo that is Filip & Fredrik. With numerous tv-shows and podcasts, they have gathered fans and annoyed people all over our picky country.

We at Kentuckyseven follow the work of the duo in awe. They are witty, provocative and often out on a very thin ice, playing it hard. We love it.

I called Fredrik, in the middle of him being in a cellar, editing, to speak about Dylan, music and ask him how in hell…

First off, how did Dylan enter your life?

– Growing up, I listened almost only to sixties music, my father had a large collection of cassettes with Rolling Stones, Beatles and those bands but by then I never actually knew anything about Dylan. But one day in 1991, when I was 18, Swedish Television aired ”Don’t Look Back”, and I was knocked out, about how he could behave the way he did, he was so god damned modern, even though the movie was recorded thirty years earlier. The song ”The Times are a changing” is very present in the movie, and I thought it was so fucking great that I convinced my father to buy a Greatest hits album with me, and he did. After that, it was just to get on board. I bought all the 60-s records and that was that. I was hooked.

I started to slowly work my way forward, towards Oh Mercy (-89) and ”Under The Red Sky” (-90) and found out that they were also amazing albums, released just a few years before I saw the movie. It felt incredible.

What period would you say, was the greatest in Dylan’s music?

That is  not an easy question to answer, the expected answer, and that what will have to be my answer is of course January -65 to May -66, those fifteen months, what he did during that time, no man has ever done after that. Including himself. It is unreasonable, the things he does at that time. Touring, being ahead of his time, being booed at and doing drugs, almost killing himself, and of top of that releases that music. It is unbelievable.

The ”Freewheeling” period is also an amazing time, when he finds his voice, and the religious period is awesome as well. But concluding, I guess that it would be in that order, ”Highway 61”, ”Freewheeling” and the ”Religious” period.

What about now, as the man keeps releasing music, what is your impression of Dylan of 2011?

– I’ve seen Dylan perhaps fifteen times live, and have never been really impressed. I’d say it is impossible for him to live up to my expectations. The studiorecords, still holds their place, compared to seeing him live, and the bootleg recordings are incredible to listen to. He is an interesting man, his movies and his memoirs are unbelievable. The Chronicles, that is what you should read, if you want to read the best of Dylan.

If someone offered you, to go and have a drink with Bob, would you do it?

– I would, otherwise I would have spent the rest of my life, wondering what would have happened if I didn’t do it.

What would you talk about? Don’t you think he would be a very strange person to talk to?

I think so, he is probably pretty strange, but you would have to talk about strange things, like Confucius and that kind of stuff, not be starstruck and just talk about his work, and be amazed. I read an interview in Rolling Stone, made by a history professor, and the man is educated, and a really well-read person.

Speaking of well-read, how in hell do you remember all of those anecdotes about famous persons?

– I think both Filip and I have a common thing about those things, we love that kind of trivia. Like for instance, yesterday, I saw a two hour documentary about the atombomb, and I probably picked up something about Robert Oppenheimer. I think that I, or we, have a thing for when mythical persons end up in situations where they become more like the average man. The best thing about this, is that you can talk about Albert Speer and end up on Charlie Sheen, in the same sentence. That is a strength of ours.

When you are  in your car, what do you listen to, alone in the drivers seat?

– Right now, I am totally into Lucinda Williams, her latest album ”Blessed”, I have to say that all her records from -98 and up til today is incredible, she is probably one of the best artists there is today. Listen to the opening track of the new album, ”Buttercup”, and there you have the core of what makes me love her music so much.

Would you say that you are looking out for new music, do you keep up with whats up and coming?

– I don’t have the time anymore, working a lot, having kids, the music interest has had to stand back for that. I listen to one new album a month, perhaps. American tv-series, I watch a lot of those.

You need to visit Kentuckyseven, and get your inspiration to new music…

– I will do that (laughing).

Thanks for your time, hope that I didn’t take up time from your editing…

No problem, this was fun. Thanks.

We got an absolute gem for ya´ll = an exclusive interview with singer Nathan Willett of the awesome punksoulband Cold War Kids.

The Kids release their new album Mine Is Yours Jan 25 and you´ll find the review come Monday morning right here on Kentuckyseven.

Until then, enjoy!

Photo: Lucy Hamblin

Congrats on a great new album! Your hopes for 2011?

”We want people to dig deep in this album. It’s not an easy one, but it has a lot to offer. I think we’ll be touring it all year.”

Any books or records that have influenced you in the making of Mine Is Yours?

”Woody Allen – Husbands and Wives. Cassavettes – A Woman Under the Influence. Jonathan Franzen – The Discomfort Zone.”

Track #8 ”Bulldozer” have been on repeat @ Kentuckyseven for quite a  while. What can you tell us about the song?

”It probably embodies the content of this record more than any other song. The struggle of relationships. It’s the band’s favorite song.”

No band opens a song as brilliantly as you guys (readers: check out track #10 Cold Toes On The Cold Floor). It´s like you´re not ready and then it rolls on like a circus in a thunder storm. How does that work in the studio?

”We like to do things live. We like to hear things in the background, or tape rolling or something natural.”

I sense a diffrence in the sound, the lyrics and the approach of the new album. It´s more Cold War Men than Kids, it´s a more mature album if you will. Agree?

”Yes. Lyrically, it’s less fictional character driven, more journalism/autobiographical. Coming from a group of friends who are crossing in to age 30, dealing with relationships and commitment.”

The album is produced by Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon). What´s his input to Mine Is Yours.

”Jacquire put us at our best. He watched how we work, let us exhaust and idea and suggested new ways to think about arrangements. Simple, mystical stuff.”

Any swedish memories you could share with our readers?

”The first time we went to Europe was for the Oya festival five years ago or so. Beautiful girls with great educations.”

In my book your previous full length albums Robbers & Cowards (2006) and Loyalty to Loyalty (2008) are just epic stuff. This is your third one, could you see CWK doing three more albums?

”Absolutely, I think we are in it for the long haul. We try to think of every record as the first.”

I played track #3 Royal Blue to my wife the other day. She couldn´t stop dancing. Is this dance music?

”The guitar line on that song has a certain swing to it that’ll get ya moving.”

Thanks for a great album, take care and hope to see ya´ll soon!

”Cheers!”

¤¤¤Want more of Cold War Kids? Check out this and this.