Velvet Insane in RMV Studios

Well I mentioned the lads in Velvet Insane the other day and they are actually recording the second album at the RMV Studios (owned by Benny Andersson of ABBA fame) in Stockholm right now. Producer is Tomas Eriksson (Kaipa, Flower Kings etc) and the engineer is Linn Fijal. I think they had the first album in the can for a while so I can see why they are eager to get new music down. Also, this will give them more songs to play once the touring starts.

Good luck chaps.

(Studio images courtesy of Velvet Insane)

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Did the EU just effectively kill this blog?

Wow. They did it. The EU passed the highly controversial Articles 11 & 13 and it is to be implemented in 2021. Looks like the Fair Use concept is pretty much over with to me. Now, each country in the EU will have their own version of this but as things stand it is going to be difficult to blog when the fun goes out of it. If copyrighted material includes all images, including magazine & book covers, CD & LP covers, DVD/bluray covers etc etc, this is going to have a tremendous impact. Certainly on this blog. Then you have some sort of link tax on top of that. I will have to look at where all this will land, but this could well mean that I will eventually have to rethink this blog completely and remove loads of blog posts. I will still have a lot of original content and I can still blog about stuff without showing images, but I think it will never be as fun again when or if that happens. This will also have a major impact on YouTube, facebook etc etc. Not so much for me personally, but for millions of users. This will not go down well.

I have had thoughts about publishing a book or two with the best stuff from this blog. This makes this even more likely to happen now. In the long run, some day, this blog will certainly be gone. I would like to see some of the stuff survive just for fun really. More on this later.

In the meantime, expect changes to creep in, at least I have some ideas on how to move forward.

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Staffan Eriksson Celebrates Life & Music

My old buddy Staffan Eriksson has recorded an album that is to be released on CD/LP later this year. We will come to the details later on but I have heard it and it is absolutely brilliant. I have written a few words for the cover, always nice when you have great music to celebrate. Staffan and I has worked together many years, he was always there for me when I was working on my magazines (DEEP PURPLE FOREVER, SLICE, LUCY IN THE SKY, RETROFUTURE etc). I basically got to know him because of our shared love for Deep Purple and I have seen him take on such a variety of projects over the years. Photography, painting, writing music for a variety of productions (musicals, theater etc). But now he goes back to his roots, to the 1960s. We are talking The Beatles, The Hollies and stuff like that, although all music is original. The album is mixed by drummer Björn Höglund (Hoven Droven, The Summit), whom also plays, and the vocals are handled by Michael Klemmé (The Summit, A Band Called Stanley, Marmalade Souls). Guitarist Anders Kronlund (from Lars Vegas fame) has been involved since day one. Staffan has collected some serious talent from Jämtland County on this album.

Took some snapshots today at the Jamtli Museum grounds in Östersund, at the “Old church” (built a few years ago to resemble what it looked like 500 years ago or so). I picked the location because I love that church and I have shot at least one model there before (Ellinor Nordbakk as Tornado Blaze, one of the western novels I did for RETROFUTURE). I basically just wanted some shots for the blog and I got what I needed in 10 minutes. We were pressed for time, but I like what I got so for now it is OK.

(To be continued)

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Velvet Insane Rising

Swedish rockers Velvet Insane released their debut album a few weeks ago and since they are local boys from Jämtland County (see our local flag inserted in the picture above!) I thought it would be interesting to check in on the general progress. I asked Jesper Lindgren to send over some quotes and information for this blog and so he did. Now I did cut out some quotes in Spanish and Italian, lets just say that the guys have some really good feedback out there, and that things are looking good. Here is a glimpse of what is going on.

QUOTES FROM REVIEWS:

“”Coffee, Jazz and Arts” is truly a beautiful song that will cast you away, and worth the album price on its own” (Powerplay 8/10)

“Much of the music is emotionally fragile and with vulnerable vocals that fit well with the music. Just listen to the beautiful “Coffee, Jazz and Arts”. We also get rockier songs with some fine guitar work, including the smashing “King of the Foolish”. This is a rather promising debut” (Roppongi Rocks)

“Velvet Insane are an amazing talent. The Swedish guys, known more for their ice and snow, have a strong chemistry with each other. The proof is in each and every song on this album. Every song seems to meld into the next as if telling their story, and each keeps you listening intently. Jonas channels his heroes truthfully throughout. The band broadcast their own talents within the harmonies of every song. With the right push, these guys could go far”. (Metal Temple 10/10)

“…which did not prevent the musicians from delivering a classic Hard Rock album with seventies vibes. The sound is unbelievably analog, the songs have soul and variety, so that the almost 45 minutes go by in flight” (My revelations)

“… Anyway score time, I can only give it one score and that’s the top one” (Frame Music)

Velvet Insane segues into “High on Love”, a number I’ve now begun to hear being played on local New York City radio stations. It’s a slick selection which I’m betting that once you hear it you’re going to have a really hard time getting it out of your mind” (Sputnik Music Magazine)

“An upcoming tour in Australia was about to be made and the dreams about making and playing music started to get real. So they started touring in Japan and UK followed by tours that took them to Spain and the United States” (Flight of the Pegasus)

“”Coffee, Jazz and Arts” är plötsligt en lugn och riktigt stämningsfull ballad som inte bara drar ner tempot utan överraskar med en känsla av svensk folkmusik blandad med lite country och sydstats vibbar. Vansinnigt snyggt!” (The Maloik blog 9/10)

“Detta är en harmonisk, mogen och tidlös platta. Ett angenämt tillskott i musiksamlingen” (7/10 Sweden rock Magazine)

“En frisk rockfläkt från Östersund. Rötter finns i rocken när den stavades Mott The Hoople, Humble Pie, det rockigaste av Waterboys och T.rex – fast hela härligheten är lite förfinad, lite mer rock – och det är strålande. Jonas Eriksson är en av vårt lands stora rockröster!” (Ginza)

US RADIO CHARTS:

WEIGHTED RADIO AIRPLAY CHARTS #288 / UNWEIGHTED RADIO AIRPLAY CHARTS #259 / M3 RADIO #1 T30 / M3 RADIO #2 / KLCZ #3 T30 / M3 RADIO #4 / WERU #5 T30 / CHMR #6 T30 / WNMC #6 T30 / KMUD #7 T30 / WXYC #7 T30 / WRRC #8 T30 / KWLC #8 T30 / RADIO CUH #8 T30 / WDWN #9 T30 / KSLU(S) #10 T30 / WXDU #10 T30 / M3 RADIO #14 T30.

# 1 on East Orland, # 2 on KSUA Fairbanks, # 5 on WDWN Auburn, # 14 on CMJ National radio 200 Adds Chart.

GERMANY:

# 24 on Metal Rock Chart.

Check out the latest video “My Way Of Life Is You” on YouTube now.

 

(To be continued)

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Fox Day Countdown

March is coming to a close (one more week to go) and then we have Fox Day, the big day in the magical universe of Babymetal that occures on April 1. This means that they will announce something, whatever that may be. And this year fans have every right to be excited. Do we have a new studio album coming up? New line-up? DVDs? Tours? All of the above? I hope that the key musicians will still be there, like guitarist Takayoshi Ohmura, drummer Aoyama Hideki and bass player Boh. The big question is of course if they have recruited a third girl, if they have actually replaced Yuimetal. The girl that did a few shows in December last year in Singapore and Australia, Saya, seems to have recently joined another outfit. I kind of hope that Su-metal and Moametal will be joined by a third girl though, the concept of the trio is so strong, it really should be cultivated to meet expectations. Having said that though, Babymetal will always come up with surprises.

Well, I think we have reason to be optimistic, and I have to say that I look forward a great deal to this date. Also, by chance, it is the day that I no longer have the old place in the city, meaning that I will officially be living in my new place on the countryside from then on. It has been a long journey, but now it is here. So I guess Fox Day will always remind me of this big move as well, this change in my life. How about that?

I have a hunch that 2019 is going to be a good year.

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Legacy

Bought the “Bohemian Rhapsody” DVD a couple of days ago and I have to say that I enjoyed it very much. It really is quite stunning that they can recreate Live Aid like this, that in itself is rather spectacular right there. I go back to 1974 with Queen so I have been a listener and followed them right through their career. Amazingly, I never saw them perform. Not sure why since I made a point of catching most of the big bands back in the day, not least because I was a freelance journalist at the time. I do regret it now. But the musical legacy of Queen remains iconic and I think they have captured it all from an interesting angle looking at it from the point of view of Freddie Mercury. A movie has to work and he was the guy up front, selling the music with his incredible stage presence and that voice. Then there was the dark side, that we never really saw. His death in 1991 was a blow, but he worked his magic to the very end. A film that can capture the rise and fall of such an enigmatic performer will go down well if treated with respect. I think “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a success on every level, and the praise (Oscars etc) is well deserved. Also, it will capture the interest of a new generation that never got to experience Queen back in the day. I have seen proof up close, a good friend has a daughter that suddenly turned into a massive Queen fan after having seen this movie. Saw it more than once, like we saw with films like “Titanic”. She is surely not alone in this, which proves how a well made film can add a great deal to an already massive legacy. For friends of Classic Rock, this is bloody great.

Well done.

Commando 5211-5214

Commando 5211-5214 is out today in the UK. Just google “Commando comics” should you want to subscribe.

“Hunt That Gun!” features another great Ian Kennedy cover.

(Covers courtesy of Commando)

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The Art of Ian Kennedy

Due out in April from Heritage Comics in the UK, we have a book celebrating legendary artist Ian Kennedy. Titled “The Art of Ian Kennedy”, we will get 160 pages of his work in this Volume.

Nice.

Bernie Tormé is gone

Sad to hear that ex-Gillan guitarist Bernie Tormé has passed away. He died of pneumonia this weekend, sources say. Bernie was a huge part of the success that the band Gillan carved out for themselves (everywhere except for the States) in the early 1980s and he stayed active until quite recently. I have a real soft spot for Gillan and I guess I will revisit the old collection now like many others.

His spirit will never die.

Winter not quite over yet

Just got back from the city after a couple of days of work (slept on a mattress on the bedroom floor in the old place). Everything is white as the snow falls rather violently right now. Visibility low. I guess I will have my work cut out for me tomorrow. Still, I will enjoy a day off and then it is three days in the city again.

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