I’m not really a car guy.
This isn’t really a car blog.
I’m not really that into SAAB.
But:
If these are the new SAABs I’m glad the company seems to be saved.
If these are the new SAABs I hope I come into some money when they come out.
If these are the new SAABs I really hope the interior is as cool.
via Autoblog.com and SAABsUnited.com.
I have been talking about my newly formed band for a while now. But fact is that up until this last Friday, the band; who would play, was not set in stone. We held the first two rehearsals in honor of our drummer: Chrille. He had not played with me or did not know me prior, so he wanted a couple rehearsals to get the feel of it and see if it, playing with us, was something he’d like to do. It was!
So, now I give you, the band:
First up there is Kristofer Göransson. He plays the guitar. When he does not play with me he plays in Navid Modiri & Gudarna, Hanna Lovisa, his own stuff, Kris Gordon and many, many more… He is also a talented recording and mixing technician. Most recently recording, mixing and also playing on the next Gentle Act Incident record.
Then we have Martin Hall. He plays the keys. When not with me, then, live or as a permanent musician and/or songwriter, with Hell is Other People, Hanna Lovisa, Fibes, oh Fibes, Form One and a lot of other stuff, jazz stuff. (He also does a lot of things on his own but has no website for this stuff yet…) Martin, as well, is a talented recording, mixing, producer guy. His most recent worked with the Thrash Metal Band Zombiekrig.
Thirdly there is Brandt. He is a guitarist turned bass-player for this project. He is most known for having played guitar with Lok and Kneget but he also does his own stuff and he plays with Martin in Hell is Other People, among other things.
We now come to drummer man Chrille. He plays with Kristofer in Navid Modiri och Gudarna also with Hanna Lovisa, he does his own stuff, and plays in a lot (at least from what I have gathered) of different Jazz-type groups.
Apart from these four gentlemen you have the usual suspects of Rob and I to conclude the team doing this record.
I used to feel that I did not have anything to do with the music scene in Göteborg, in Sweden or anywhere for that matter and even though I still do not feel directly connected, the links provided above make me feel some what entangled…
There you have it: The band!
In my never ending quest to find news, happenings and more, for you I have today dug deep into my soul to bring you a shocking truth and at the same time something really cutting edge; so fresh, no one has ever heard of it.
I am down to two lumps!
What that means is that I have switch from three lumps to two lumps of sugar in my morning coffee. Now, you might think that two lumps is, even that, too much but let me tell you, my morning coffee cup is so big, it probably can contain all the coffee you drink in a day.
So, two lumps it it!
Now, aren’t you glad you stopped by? I mean, how would you cope without this vital piece of information?
Yesterday saw the second rehearsal of my newly put together band, trying to get an album done. It, the rehearsal, went well and in two days we have had the chance to take a brief look at no less then seven songs.
Yesterday went a little bit like this:
Martin picked me up, a bit late, in his skubb-Volvo, and we were off:
We arrived at KGs place and Martin, dare devil that he is, decided to park his car next to the containers of trash, not knowing which of the following scenarios to fear most: 1. The parking guards comes and gives him a ticket or 2. The trash-men come and confuse his car for trash:
So, a bit late. Chrille the drummer and Brandt the bass player were chilling. Talking to KG:
Not many in-action pictures for you but KGs place is an inspirational one, at least when the sun is out. Check out the view from our rehearsal space:
And that was it for the day. Chrille and Brandt went home. Martin and KG went to Florens for some Spaten and I hooked up with Camilla at Liseberg where we watched A Camp [Spotify link] in concert (must say that Niklas Frisk is a really underrated guitarist, he pulls of some real stunts with the strings during the show) and then won 3.3kg of Daim-candy.
In 1982 my mother, my sister and I moved from the deep woods of Orust and in to the small town; the collection of houses, of Svanesund, also on Orust. We also got a VCR.
We had a video-tape of the full length version of Michel Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video. The one almost like a short film. A scary short film. That video is my earliest music, or music related, memory. I remember sitting on the couch with a pillow in front of my head, too scared to watch. I was three, maybe four, years old. When he turned into the monster; the werewolf, I had to turn it of. I still, to this day, get the creeps when the speaker voice, in the and; at the very end, breaks out into evil laughter.
I hope Michael Jackson passed away without feeling pain, but somehow I doubt it…
The King is dead. Long live the King.
So, first rehearsal with new band today.
It went well. We did not sound great but first rehearsals never do.
We managed to struggle through four tracks, which is good I guess. I mean, I’ve never played in a band where we’ve managed to get a feel for four tracks in one rehearsal. We kept it rather short, only about three hours with a break in the middle. to Keep things fresh and not get tired I guess. One song got the full Sonic Youth-treatment with a 10 minute (or so) long free, noise, ending.
Tomorrow it’s back in the saddle. More songs!
I will also have to have a bit of a think. I will think about how we should best plan, and execute, these rehearsals, to get the best out of the songs. I will think about what songs will fit this band. Of the four tried out today at least one felt really out of place.
We’ll see, we’ll hear, we’ll speak…
Don’t worry.
These no-post days, there not going to become a habit, a habit of no-posting. Not now anyway. I will always have something to say, no matter how mundane.
The reason for the poor effort today is an 11h shift at work. Driving around, all day, with the weather being clear, sunny and 26°C. In the car it was some what warmer. Yes, I had an AC. Yes the windows worked. My throat is a little rough, a bit soar. The AC and the wind did not help it, so I tried to keep both of them to a minimum. Why? Rehearsal with the new band tomorrow! First rehearsal for the new album. Official music kick-off!
So, naturaly I’ll be back tomorrow with pics and stuff!
Seems like somebody has made a ringtone of my song ‘Travel as I wait’.
I’m not sure what this site is. If you know: Go ahead, use it. If you don’t know: educate yourself. Don’t want your computer or phone to crash because of me!
Last Monday my dad died. At least to me he did. The actual time of his death was, as I got it, the Monday before; on the 8:th of June 2009. He was, as I now have checked, 61 years old. He died of pancreatic cancer. His name was Mats Jonsson.
The fact that I am writing this here and the facts that I have written should explain most things to you. Still, I am going to ponder this for a bit more.
I have three memories of my father, or, and this is written without any form of animosity; ill will, the man with the ascribed title: my father.
It’s cold outside. I know this because I remember wearing a warm overall. I do not remember the cold itself. I am around three years old. My father is, for some reason, taking me to kinder garden, so it must be morning. He leans in over me and pulls up the zipper on my overalls all the way up. I guess he does it because he does not want me to get cold, or for me to be as warm as possible. As he pulls the zipper upwards the skin on my cheek, ur just under it; perhaps on my neck, gets caught in it and a sharp pain shots from that point.
I have no real clear image of this encounter, nor of the situation as a whole. I just know it all happened, because of the pain.
It’s the day before my 10:th birthday. For some reason I am to go to my grand mother and grand father’s, on my fathers side, place to celebrate my birthday, a day ahead, there. I remember my grandfather, Anders, taking a nap, I think. I remember coming home from the event, my father driving me, with someone else in the car. I remember getting a skateboard.
I never celebraited anything with him, or that side of the family again, nor did I, as I can remember, prior.
The year is 2002 or 2003. I am waiting for a tram with my friend Thomas Brandt. My cell phone rings. It’s my mother. She says that she has someone who wants to talk to me by here side. My first thought was: Ok, my brother is at here place, I wonder what he wants, so urgent. Then a voice says (in Swedish): Hi Tomas. It’s dad. I immediately said I had to hang up. Then I took the first tram over to my mothers apartment.
I do not know what I was thinking of on that tram ride but I’m sure my head was all over the place.
When I arrived we sat down and talked for about two hours. In all that time the man did not ask a single question about me, nor was I especially eager to tell him anything. After he left I rather quickly decided that if he wanted to have any part of my life it would have to be on his initiative. What that place would be had me puzzled for a while.
A week later or soo, he called. Saying that now that contact was established we shouldn’t ever loose it again. I told him that he had my number and that he could call anytime he wanted.
He never called again.
So, last Monday, his girlfriend, or whatever, called me with the news. It’s been a week with a lot of thinking. Not so much about his death but about other stuff. Should I attend the funeral? Should I accept the inheritance? And so forth.
I’m sorry I did not know Mats. I’m sorry he died.
Other than that, I can never be finished with this since it was something that never got started. It’s non-dramatic, it’s non-existing.
I’m ok.
I am ok.
It was my intention to get up at 0800h today.
It was my intention to get up and go out for some exercise before breakfast.
Having gotten to bed at 2300h I saw no difficulty in this.
At 0950h I woke. Rested, but already running almost 2h late, at least in my mind.
I did close to nothing until 1800h when I went out for a bit of a walk.
I do not like these days. The days when nothing is accomplished, nothing is done, when the energy to do something just isn’t there. So tomorrow I will try this little thing again. Get up at 0800h, go out for some exercise before breakfast.
It might help if I set the alarm. I’ll do that tonight.
Hope you all had a pleasant Sunday!
No big one today.
Just a PhotoBooth pic.
No energy.
Today could have been a another lazy one. A little kitten made sure it was not.
It all started with Camilla taking out the Boo for his morning stroll, in the meanest rain of the year. (They say that we, here in Göteborg, has gotten as much rain in one day as we normally get in a whole month.) At 1040h I got a call from Camilla: Come out and help me get the Boo in, I have found a cat and the Boo is freaking out.
The Boo loves cats. We’re not just sure in which way. We think he loves them in the: Oh so tasty and delicious way.
So I went outside and helped the Camilla in with the Boo and the cat. Now, this was not just any cat. It was a kitten. A very small kitten. It had come crawling along a trail in the woods where Camilla walked with the Boo. All wet and no cat mother in sight.
So Camilla left the cat with me and went up looking for more cats. None to be found.
Another reason for taking it in was because it is not uncommon in Sweden (and I would guess in the rest of the “civilized west”) for people just to leave cats and kittens out in the woods when they can’t, or won’t, take care of them.
Camilla couldn’t find any more cats so she headed back home. I had dried the cat and kept it warm snuggled up in a towel. The Boo jumping around me and panting like a mad… well… dog. We decided that we needed to feed the little thing so Camilla went to the pet store to get some kind of kitten milk. Parallel to this we also needed somewhere, or someone, who could take care of the kitten; who could take it in.
After a couple of calls we found a women who ran a cat-shelter an hours drive away. We packed the cat in a towel insulated shoebox and then we were on our way. We left the little thing there. The women had several cats there and one of them had just given birth so we just placed our finding with the rest of them. Turns out it was only a little over two weeks old. Poor thing.
All’s well that ands well.
We named her, we think it was a she, Myran, which means the Ant in English. We thought the name fit.
The laziest of days is upon me. Up at 0930h to walk the dog. Then breakfast. Then Scrabble. Yes, Scrabble (for iPhone). I’m completely hooked. Bought it a couple of days ago. Played 11 games so far. Won once. It’s hard to play in your second language, especially when the computer comes up with words which I do not know. I mean; Qi, what the hell is that… (I’ve since looked it up an know its the 22 letter in the Greek alphabet, also the twenty second star in a constellation; Chi Ophiuchi.) Scrabble has now beat Wild West Pinball as my favourite game app.
Just to complete the account for how lazy this day has been; I’ve taken a nap! Yes, nap. Really nice. Could really get used to these slow days… at least for a day or two.
Tonight I am off to dinner with folks from my work. It’s a diner for people who have worked 10, 20 or even 30 years at the company. I have worked there for 10 years. Granted it’s now only my summer job but I’m still an employee. Can’t believe it has been ten years… nothing else to say on that matter.
Hello everybody and welcome to the summer season here over at the Halberstad blog. Summer season means not much is going on. It means long mornings, late nights and not much happening in between.
The two big events of the day was my nephews 9:th grade graduation, 0ff to upper secondary school for him, and we, Camilla and I, went to the vet with the Boo, again. Just a check up. All’s fine, sort of. 10 more days of meds. Then back to the vet, again.
No music news at all. Which kind of sucks. My song, ‘Travel as I wait’, is getting airtime on Swedish radio, I know that much. What I am supposed to be doing is recording guitar and song demos of the songs for the new album and sent them out to the band. I’m not. I can’t decide which song to begin with. I feel it’s of great importance, it probably isn’t but that doesn’t change my feelings. The right song needs to go first, or this whole project could go lopsided before it even begins.
Let’s see what tomorrow brings.
Hello folks!
No post yesterday. I was at work and then after that I drove to Orust. Something like 13 or 14h of driving in total. (I know I’ve covered this on my Twitter thing but n ow I’m covering it again.)
I am on the Island of the Orust to watch cats and watch cats I have done. I have been up every hour, on the our, the whole night through. First the cat wanted to go out, then he wanted to come in, then out, in. Just ignore him you say!? He scratches the front door with his paw. A sound that drives you mad!
Soon I’m off to the small, small, small town of Henån. It’s small but still the biggest (or maybe second biggest now that the town of Svanesund has been bulking up with rich city-folk for some years) on the island. I am going there to visit the bank. To look at all my millions and millions of money. To take a bath in them.
No.
I am going to get a new security thingy because my old security thingy is broken and I need a security thingy to access Internet bank services.
After that I’m off to Anna, Andreas, Elin and Klara in Varekil to have dinner. Nice. If it wasn’t for the fact that Orust lies 100 km from the center of everything I could really see myself living here again.
Have to go; guess who’s scratching on the door?
Done my duty… maybe not, If it’s a duty can be discussed, still I’ve voted. Camilla, The Boo and I went. The Boo could not vote. How could he. Trying to grip the ballot with his thick paws.
- Which candidate are you going to vote for the Boo?
- The one who will fight for free minced meat all!
That’s about it for today really.
Got up at 0610h and went to work. Been driving around like a madman. Had some good records with me. Records witch I haven’t listened to for a while. The unholy combo of Tool, Efterklang, Stina Nordenstam and bob hund. I’m sure there’s a red thread there somewhere, apart from me and stuff in the me-fashion, too tired to see it now tough.
Now I am going to pack an overnight bag. I’m going to work in the morning but after that it’s straight to Orust, Flatön for som serious cat watching, and when I say serious cat watching I mean playing Civ 4 on my old PC. My sister has it, it’s her cats, in her apartment.
So… Yeah… yesterday The Boo had his name day. I forgott. I hope I make up for it with this post.
Sorry Boo.
Happy name day!
Three things of importance, or something like that, happened today.
It’s been a bit empty today. I really had no reason to get out of bed. Schools out… for the summer. No work today. Sooo, what to do, what to do. Well, I went grocery shopping. Then I left the Boo at my mothers and hooked up with Camilla in town. In town I saw upper secondary school kids doing their, in Sweden, traditional graduation thing; riding around on the back of a big flat bad truck, with an over-sized sound system – pumping bad music – screaming and singing. Everybody who’s not a upper secondary school kid hates this ritual. Still we allow them to do it. But, I guess it’s not more than right. I mean the clueless little bastards are coming out to unemployment and hitting there head in walls. They need some fun.
So yeah, Camilla and I went around town for a while. Here’s my thoughts on that:
I am totally amazed how the fashion industry keeps fooling people to think that they are unique and original but still get everyone to dress exactly the same, without seeing it! I mean, kids, come on, roll down your pant legs. Please?
My cranky mood may be caused by my tooth ache. The right hand side of my face is almost numb. Yeah. Tomorrow I’ll be nicer.
Still hating the rolled up pant legs though.
I really should write about interesting stuff. About stuff that matters. About perception and the ideas I have about the so-called supernatural. I should mention my ideas on gender neutral surnames, and really need to talk about death.
But I won’t. Not now.
All I can say is that today my song ‘Travel as I Wait’ was played on the radio.
But remember what Daft Punk sang: We are human after all.
