Inbox News | Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I.

Are you in the mood for some Swedish soul inspired by Jazz, Hip Hop and RnB? Then you should take some time and get to know Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I. They have been creating music together since 2005 and recently released their second album Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I.

Personally i feel that their single Even Though could be a future radio hit, it stays with me all day :) I sent Paul and Björn some questions about their work and you can read their answers below.

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When did you (Paul) and T.B.O.I start to make music together, and how did two you meet?
T.B.O.I. (Björn) and I first met when he was sharing a rehearsal room with my singing coach when I was 17. We didn't really get to know each other. It was mostly hi and bye as we finished and he came to rehearse. Then some years later he is asked to join and play saxophone in a Live Hip Hop group that I was a part of.

It is really here we discover we share a similar love and taste in music and we figure we should write together. So we start writing in sometime in 2005.

On the website you list soul, hip hop and gospel as your main influences, is there anything in particular, in these genres, that you recommend the readers of this blog?
No Doubt - Donny Hathaway's work. The mans voice is pure soul and the music is beautiful.

I have as long as I remember loved soul music, I used to listen to my dads Stevie Wonder records growing up, and as most people in my age, I could not avoid loving Michael Jackson and Prince music. So those are my first strong soul influences. My love for soul music grew passionate, I could be in the record shops for hours, searching for and listening to new music.

When I found Donny Hathaway in the shelves I was blown away! That was SOUL! I am Influenced by so many, the above mentioned, Marvin, Curtis, Aretha, D'angelo, Maxwell, Bilal, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill and many, many more. Hip hop and Gospel have also had huge impact on me.
T.B.O.I. is inspired by many of the same artists however being a sax player that has spent much of his life in jazz, he brings that influences he mentions the following as strong influences Jim Pepper, Eddie Harris, Miles Davis (all of it but most early 80s), David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, Keith Jarrett, Chaka Kahn, Mary J Blige, The Roots, Common, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Faith Evans… so there is also a lot of Jazz influence in our music.

Do you have any Swedish influences and who might they be?
I'm sorry to say I don't have many clear Swedish influences. I really used to listen to Per Erik Hallin. He is definitely a soulful man and had a early influence on me.

Why do you think Sweden has so many more talented musicians per capita than the rest of the world?
This is a commonly asked question. I think it is that we have great opportunities through our school/culture school. We are offered to learn instruments at an early age. There are also a lot of places for young people to rehearse. I think this has been very healthy for the music.

Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I. - Even Though


Press photo by Pamela Cortés Bruna

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To get more information about Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I; check out their Myspace and official website
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Fever Ray

Earlier this year, Karin Dreijer released her solo project Fever Ray and has since then been hyped all over the world. This summer she is taking her new music on the road to the festivals of Europe, with impressive visual effects by Andreas Nilsson.

Despite her mystical aura, she is a person who gives interviews from time to time... and here is a good one from Pitchfork ---> Fever Ray feature

Fever Ray - Triangle Walks


Fever Ray - When I grow Up


PS. I'm sorry about the fact that i can't make the videos fit, Bloggers templates are too narrow and my editing skills are limited.

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Check out FeverRay.com for more information about the tour.
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Inbox News | City

Björn Nilsson [Slagsmålsklubben] and Tommi Levin [The High Fives] have started a new electro pop band together called City. They have been playing live during the spring and is visiting festivals during the summer. The music has been described as a mixture of Håkan Hellström and Slagsmålsklubben. Listen and decide for yourself!

Their debut single called Tack För Denna Sommaren is available for download at iTunes and Amazon from July 29th.

Press Photo

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Find out more and listen to their single on Myspace.
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New Feature | Inbox News

Through this blog i receive music news from different artists and bands, often new bands that are unsigned and unknown to the public. Therefor i will start a new feature on the blog that i will call Inbox News. New Swedish talented artists that deserve a break in the world.

Hopefully you will find a new favorite or two among the stuff that comes into my Inbox :)

Keep a look out for Inbox News in the future!

Street Music in Gothenburg

From July 1st street music is regulated and banned in certain central parts of Gothenburg during business hours. A political decision that has been met with both anger and sympathies. Personally I understand the annoyance of people but find it disturbing that our public spaces is getting regulated by politicians. Aren't the streets suppose to be free for everyone?

The Local's article about the ban [English] ---> Gothenburg's new rules strike bum note with street musicians

The decision has been criticized by many and several of Gothenburgs musicians and public figures stood behind the debate article in GP [Göteborgs Posten] earlier this month [read it here, use Google Translate].

A lot of people also used civil disobedience on the first day of the ban, and never has Gothenburg seen so many street artists in the same time, playing in every street corner.

What do you think? Give me your opinion in the comments.

Hello Saferide | Arjeplog

When the summer is in full bloom outside my window, its hard to believe that this Hello Saferide video was made in the same country... but its a reminder of whats to come.

Is it just me that find it relaxing to watch Annika in her skiing pants, taking a walk next to the skiing tracks and the pines trees on a sunny and snowy day? Maybe I'm just very Scandinavian :)

You: Oh but Annika what is it about?
HS: It’s about the north of Sweden, about going to the city and missing the countryside, and about going to the countryside and missing the city. It’s about love, and it’s about spooning without one arm getting numb.
You: Oh but Annika will there be a video?
HS: Yes, be patient child. There will be a link for the video in the end of this post.
You: Oh and Annika, where is it filmed?
HS: We filmed it at Vittjåkk. Time spent: 5 minutes. Budget: 0 Skr. I love it.
(From www.hellosaferide.com)

Hello Saferide - Arjeplog


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Find out more about where Hello Saferide is playing live this summer, or download her Spotify playlist at HelloSaferide.com
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GBG Belongs To Us

The song GBG Belongs To Us is part II in a three part love letter to Gothenburg, made by the duo Air France. The track was made together with Christina Roos from Cat 5 [another electronica duo from Gothenburg].

Air France is a Gothenburg based duo with Joel Karlsson and Henrik Markstedt. The music has a summery aura, with light tunes, mixes of sounds of nature and sweet female voices [I find resemblance to Australian The Avalanches]. Air France have released two EPs so far, but The Love Letter to GBG feels like a teaser of more to come. I'm hoping for more collaborations and great mixes soon.

Check out the love letter to GBG here ---> GBG belongs to us
Also, an interview made by Pitchfork here ---> Air France feature

Photo by: Teresa Jaksectic

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More information about Air France can be found on their Myspace.
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Kristofer Åström & The Rainaways

Last night me and my friends went to see Kristofer Åström at Liseberg. Liseberg is the oldest amusement park in Sweden and every summer they have a full schedule of live concerts for their visitors. Since the amusement park is close we can drop by for some music and an ice cream every week.

Last night Kristofer and The Rainaways came to play for us on the little stage. It was a sunny and humid summer night and the songs played are mixed with the sound of the visitors in the park. A lot of iiiih and aaaaaah from the rollercosters. That's the charm of going to concerts at Liseberg; the sounds, the smell of cotton candy and the great mixture of people in the audience [hipsters, teenagers, Moms with strollers, seniors and German tourists].

Kristofer has always been a very productive artist, he was a member of one of the best rock bands in Sweden, Fireside, for ten years. After that he has been recording a new singer/songwriter album almost every year since 1998. Most of them has been recorded with the band The Hidden Truck, but the last one, Sinkadus, was made together with The Rainaways. He also recorded a song with his friend Britta Persson [see below].

You can find Sinkadus at Spotify.

All Lovers Hell


The Wild [featuring Britta Persson]


Conjure Me


One Good Moment


Poor Young Mans Heart


Until Tomorrow


Press Photo

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Check out his Myspace for more information!
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Poor Jens!

Off topic news! You might have heard that Jens Lekman picked up what is commonly known as the Swine-flu when he went to South America to play live. In Jens's own words: "I picked home one last souvenir from South America, it's called the H1N1 virus."

He is now recovering in quarantine and hoping that he will get well soon! Jens: "I can see the summer through my window and it's just perfect. Summer is always best through a window."

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More information about Jens is found on his website.
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Moneybrother

Moneybrother [aka Anders Wendin] is a energetic indie artist who combines rock, pop, soul, punk and reggae into his own unique sound. He already has six solo albums under his belt since 2002. Before he went solo he used to be a part of the indie group Monster who had a great deal of success during the 90ties.

Anders named his solo project after the only two words his little brother could say in English :) In 2006 he made a 180° turn and made an album in Swedish called Pengabrorsan [Moneybrother in Swedish]. Hopefully he will come back to singing in Swedish in the future.

The latest album Real Control was released earlier this year with some help from a friend and a great deal of tomato soup! Anders and his friend Maximilian Lundin tried out a new marketing/merchandise idea and is selling the ecological and bio dynamic soup at concerts. Anders also said goodbye to his group of old friends that has played with him from the start and started a new collaboration with Johan Brändström [Randy] and Mikael "Vigilante Carlstroem" Karlsson [Hives].

Moneybrother - Born Under A Bad Sign [2009]


Moneybrother - Dom Vet Ingenting Om Oss [2006]


Moneybrother - They're Building Walls Around Us [2005]


Press photo

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Find out more about Moneybrother on his official website Moneybrother.net
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New Video & Article | Maia Hirasawa

This week we can read an interview with Maia Hirasawa made by The Local [Swedish news in English].

Maia's second album GBG vs STHLM was released here in Sweden earlier this year by Razzia Records and now she is touring Sweden over the summer [Starting with the Hultsfred festival tonight]. According to Maia the album will be released in the US later this year. For you who can't wait, check out Bengan's online store.

Maia Hirasawa - The Wrong Way


Press photo

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Check out MaiaHirasawa.se and the Razzia Records website for more news about Maia.
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Broder Daniel Forever

On July 2d the documentary about the legendary rockband Broder Daniel had its gala premier at the Draken movie theater in Gothenburg [Broder Daniels hometown]. The band was there, meeting all of their fans together with the creators of the movie, Kristian Bengtsson, Fredrik Wenzel and Henrik Hellström. The movie will be shown in a few theaters in Stockholm and Gothenburg and then tour over the country during the rest of the summer.

Few bands in Sweden get to be as popular as Broder Daniel has been for the past ten years. They still have a religious status among some of their fans, even though their golden era was in the turn of the century. After the bands guitarist Anders Göthberg tragically took his own life in march 2008 they decided it was time to put the band to rest. Their final performance was made at the Way out West festival in august the same year and the movie is portraying the time leading up to that final moment. Read more about the movie at the SF website.

"If anything rock history taught us, it is that we should be ourselves and be proud of who you are. We should not wish to be someone else, or that it we were from another country or time. We are the ones that others may wish that they would be. We are the golden age"

Translated quote by Henrik Berggren, Broder Daniel

Broder Daniel Forever [official trailer]


Press photo: Carl Hjelte

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Listen to their music at Myspace.
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The Sound of Independent Sweden [new article]

A few days ago i stumbled on an article that is focusing on the Swedish Music phenomena. David Coleman of noripcord.com is publishing his own guide to Swedish Independent music in a two piece feature, divided by city of origin instead of alphabetical. Read the first part here, and stay tuned for the second part.

Its been mentioned many times before. Why does Sweden have such a high density of great artists in such a small country? I didn't have a good answer for that but some people have tried to explain it (someone was mentioning the water in the comments).

In a dutch article published recently they mentioned both the climate (stay inside all winter and write great music), the Swedish public radio, SR, is very good and focus a lot of their attention on new talents and Swedish music in general (especially P3). Plus our high taxes is giving the government a chance to sponsor youth organizations that focus on music and gives the kids somewhere to practice.

It all seems very likely to me :) but what do you think? Write your thoughts in the comments.

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Also check out Swedish Public Radio and the Scandinavian music blog Its a trap! for more info about Swedish music.
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