Pick my next single!

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

Tell me which song of ‘The Anger’ is (apart from ‘Travel as I wait’) is your favourite and it might be my next single to be released 2009-03-01. Vote below (click “read the rest of this entry” and vote, track listing can also be found under Discography).
Voting will continue until February 1:st!

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Next single? Help please!

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

There are, and have been, a few radio stations out there (and no not many just more than one, hence the plural) playing other songs of my album ‘The Anger’ than the first single to be taken from it ‘Travel as I Wait’. Don’t get me wrong. This is a good thing. I have a meeting with Rob coming up tomorrow and in that meeting we will decide, or at east talk about, what the next single to be taken from the album should be.

I am now asking for your help.

There are a few of you out there who has bought my album, or in other ways gotten it (downloaded, as a gift or whatever) and I’m guessing that an even fewer number both has the album and frequent this site. It is you fewer that I am addressing from now on.

I would like it if you, in the comment field below or as an e-mail, told me which is your favourite song of the album. I don’t want you to think which song, other than ‘Travel as I wait’ would make a good single just tell me which is your favourite song.

I want you to do this since I have no idea as to which song we should pick. So help us please.

Thank you in advance!

Let the scissors rip!

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

I’m sitting here anxiously hoping that my phone won’t ring.
I’ve had my hair cutting appointment postponed due to sickness twice and I don’t want that to happen again. I really need to get my hair cut, which hasn’t happened since the 16:th of June 2008, I really need to get rid of Mats Jonsson!

Just over a hour to go before the scissors rip…

2009 and the truth is provocative…

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

Hello to you all.
I’ve been up since 0814h which isn’t an accomplishment because my alarm clock was set to 0730h. Still I hauled my fat ass out of bed and after a bit of showering and breakfast I got cracking on the reading. The reading for my exam in The Philosophy of Social Science that is. I am now having a bit of a coffee brake and also squeezing in writing you lot a bit.

Nothing more exciting than this though I’m afraid. I get my hair cut tomorrow and that’s about it really. I have some music news but that will have to wait until Wednesday, after the meeting with Rob, because I don’t want to get the facts wrong and Rob sits on all the facts.

If you speek swedish you can watch this fantastic interview. It’s amazing how some honesty and integrity seems refreshing. That says a whole lot about the climate artist work in (and to be fair: really have, over the years, created for themselves). It so funny how the host gets thrown by the fact that here non-researched, dozen-questions gets here no where to the point where she resorts to just being mean. Is this what journalism at large has become? Let’s hope more artist follow in Nordpolens footsteps and do the right thing: Which is to answer a question given to you individually (you’ll be amazed at the staggering number of people having problems in doing so) and truthfully.

For non-Swedish speaking but English speaking people someone really ought to do a transcript in English of this interview.

2009 and the truth is provocative… how sad.

Meeting with Mr O.

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

Yes. Just talked a bit with Rob, Rob is Mr O. Were going to have a meeting on Wednesday. The topics will be:

Release of ‘The Anger’ in other places than on cdon.com (with whom we have an exclusive deal until 20090228).
Which song should be the second single of ‘The Anger’ and how this song is going to be distributed.
The start of the recording of the second album.

So now you know.

One-Nil to The Arsenal!

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

So many weeks over this footballing season in England my dear Arsenal have kept me on the edge of my seat. Not with blinding performances or several goals making it useless for me to get comfortable because the next jumping celebration was just a few passes away. No, this season the seat edge keeper is poor performances. Today was no different.

Ok. They met Bolton. Who are a fantastically boring side.

Still 1-0 to the Arsenal. No fancy win, still, a win. Let’s all, at least all of us Arsenal fans, hope that Vela starts the next game and Diaby (wasn’t he, too, the next Paddy Viera) is left on the bench or left out of the squad. What is his position? How many, if any, passes did he get right this evening? (Just because I write this he will pop up and score 5 next weekend…)

Forced news.

Posted on January 8, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

I’m really struggling to find some music news to give you. I think I do that as much for myself as for you. I want there to be stuff going on. It seems like I’m going places when it does.

The closest I get today is that Lars-Martin and I are going to move two drum kits from our old rehearsal space into my storage space. I can also add that yesterday I got a mail from a guy in Denmark wondering where he could buy my album. That was nice and those two news are about it. I had a bit of a mail conversation with Rob yesterday too. We decided that we should talk about setting up a meeting between us to plan for stuff ahead, not really burning hot news.

In other news I now, for real, think that Mats Jonssons time is up. I have a new hair cutting appointment and I think this one is going to happen. Fingers crossed.

Also Bosse, the dog with the hurting leg, seem to be doing a whole lot better. In hindsight I think he had a strain in a muscle in his chest area. A big load of worry of both Camillas and My shoulders.

Since I’m touching on everything else I might talk a little bit about the weather. We have snow here in Göteborg but the paper says it’s all ready starting to melt away. So we will have silvery and brown slosh to wade around in.
Super.

Is Mats Jonsson a cat?

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

Several pieces of evidence point in the direction that the head line above hints (if it were, and it might be, a rhetorical question). Mainly Mats seem to have nine lives (all though he might have used up them all since he looks dead sitting on the top of my head. This, however, would jeopardise my theory, hence the parenthesise… just ignore it). I had another, or a, appointment at the place where I cut my hair today. My last one was cancelled due to a sick hairdresser. Guess what! She’s sick again. I was supposed to get Mats Jonsson cut today but no. I’ll have to re-schedule again!

This is the sad state Mats is in now:

bild-86

63:rd best single of 2008…

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

… ‘Travel as I Wait’ according to Pop on Paper! (Scroll down past the album chart and you’ll find it.)

That’s nice I guess. Especially since the album isn’t released in Germany… yet. So to all you German record labels wanting to earn big bucks on a super sure thing, a cash cow, contact me or the label and we’ll work something out.

Auf Wiedersehen…

First gig?

Posted on January 6, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

I have played gigs before, not just as Tomas Halberstad (I’ve played in bands). There might be a gig out there waiting for me. I don’t know for sure but I might have been asked to play a song or two at a recording studio house warming party and I might have said yes. We’ll see where all this ends up. If it happens it’ll be one of few gigs I will do. I don’t think it’s my thing.

Sleep tight.

Happy 25:th to my girl: Camilla!

Posted on January 6, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

Yes! Camilla is turning 25 years old today. Happy birthday I say!

There has been cookies and cake and oddly enough also a visit to IKEA (where I had the utter missfortune to run into IKEAs most stupid employer who, I my efforts to find an item, directed me on a long, and warm, de-tour). We’ve just said goodbye to the in-laws and it’s just the tree of us (including Bosse) here at home.

Ok! Once more: Hipp! Hipp! Hurah!

camilla_25

All Things End.

Posted on January 5, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

Camilla and the in-laws are in town. I stayed at home to take care of the dog (who I think is a bit better in his leg today) and guess what!? (Yes I was supposed to study but) I wrote a song! From start to finish, with lyrics and everything! I normally don’t do that; write the whole thing in one go. For example: The songs I have written for my second album; none of the lyrics are finished. (Which is crap.)

So. The song is called All Things End and is a hymn-Americana-Yamaha PSR-6 kind of song.

Ok. That’s really all I wanted to say for now.

Worried about Bosse.

Posted on January 4, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

Late and small post today. The in-laws are here. (Technically there not my in-laws since Camilla and I aren’t married but so what.) I’ve done nothing today. We all went down to a shopping center and then came home. I am a bit worried about our dog though. There seems to be something wrong with his left front leg. He doesn’t have a limp or anything he just retracts it when I want to take a look at it. Thing is when he walks down stairs or down a hill he does it very slowly, some times he just sits right down, fast, like he felt a sharp shooting pain. I have called a vet and the kennel where Bosse is from but still no good answers. He eats as he should, he drinks as he should, his nose is cold and wet…

We’ll see how it goes. I really don’t want another vet bill right now. 7500 sek (about $1000) this fall add Christmas and Camillas upcoming birthday (Jan 6:th) and us, Camilla and I, both being students and you can see why.

Nighters.

Spotify beats the Big Bang!

Posted on January 3, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

Again. Probably the last person on earth to find this out but man: Spotify! The greatest thing since the Big Bang!
I’m going to create a little list for you all as soon as I have time. The Dons favourites or something. It’s a shame my music isn’t on Spotify. It will be. Euphoria Sound has flagged there interest.

Mats Jonsson pardoned?

Posted on January 2, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

Has Mats Jonsson been pardoned? Seems like it. Got a message on my voice mail. It was from the place where I get my hair cut. The girl that usually cuts my hair is sick and I have to call back and re-schedule.
Sux! I honestly look like I’m going for a Neanderthal/Cro-Mangnon-style. Not at all unlike the one below:

burian14

But not to dispair. There are musicians and people working in the music industry with far worse hair-problems than me:

bad-hair-day-indeed

Beautiful kill haircut music.

Posted on January 2, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

January 2:nd and another beautiful day here in Göteborg.
Today I am going to kill Mats Jonsson which isn’t as drastic as it sounds. You see, and as you know if you frequent this blog, Mats Jonsson is my hair. So today I am gong to get a haircut. I got as a Christmas gift (not the haircut but a gift certificate for one: for a haircut).

I have no idea as to what I am going to do with my hair; how I am going to have it cut, since I haven’t had it cut in over six months I have a few options. Yesterday I had an idea of what I wanted to do but then I told Camilla and I no longer have that idea since it was a bad idea. All I now know is that I want it short in the back.

In music news the ball has begun to roll (it needed a little push). My friend KG (and you can find his studio here) came by a few days back. He had bought two new mics he wanted to test. We did a little recording of a version of a song that is meant to end up on my next album. I got the Mp3 of it yesterday and it has gotten me, as we say here in Sweden, a blooded tooth. That meaning that I am excited about this next album. I sent the Mp3 to Rob because he has yet to hear the songs I have written.

That’s it for now but it’s still early hours.
1032h T signing off!

Ambivalence and more…

Posted on January 1, 2009 by Tomas Halberstad

About my next album:
I have a clear vision about how my next album is going to be. I have another clear vision about how my next album is going to be. I also have a third vision about how my next album is going to be. I might just scrap the all.

I’ve always wanted to record, recording one song at a time, seeing where the song takes the recording. Maybe that’s what I want to do, a forth vision if you like.

I also must escape the shackles of conceptual thinking. Music and lyric wise… and I really ought to start writing lyrics.