Anyway, after coming in the right mood we got together and wrote some really good stuff. At this time there are several smooking hot new songs on our setlist!

We thank Simon Reinikainen from the great band Fristad for filling in on the vocals when Therés wasn’t available. We also wrote some tunes together and made a gig at the cosy festival, Ingbofestivalen. Simon really did a great job and we had a lot of fun.

Last week we performed at the Uppsala International Guitar Festival. Which was a kind of experience in it´s own way. Therés was unable to attend so we had a substitute, so far so good. But when I woke up in the morning of the concert day I got a message from Errka, our organ player, telling he was sick in pneumonia…well, I have to admit I became…a bit distressed. After some phone calls very fortunately Andreas Hellkvist came to rescue!

Many thanks to Lovisa Hellsten who did a great job learning all songs, rehersing and finally performing with us! And many thanks to Andreas Hellkvist who did a great job in not rehersing, not learning any songs but playing with us nevertheless. I don´t think I need to say that Andreas did a glorius job on stage, which Lovisa did as well, and we had a great time together.

Thanks to all of you who came to see us at Ingbofestivalen and Uppsala International Guitar Festival! We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we, it was a joy playing for you.

Finally, we have a lot of exciting news going on and will come back to you with an update rather in the near future. Please stay tuned, talk to you soon…

/Gabbi

This is what a rockstar looks like when he’s sleeping.

Tour final

Well, what else can we say, but…what a amazing tour final! Uppsala´s Hijazz was crowded and the spirits were high. Thank you everybody! You can read a review of the concert here.

Day 13

Today we drove the 500 kilometers back to Uppsala. The wheather conditions were awful, with a thick layer of ice on the roads. Due to the circumstances the traffic partly stood still and we decided to take an alternative  way around Hudiksvall. So, we drove out in the dark forrest on small, empty roads and could’nt first see nearly anything but mere desolated darkness. Then suddenly, on the other side of the road, Santa Claus where standing there waving to us! I can tell you he scared the shit out uf us, a killer santa in the woods in the middle of nowhere in January…

Day 12

We arrived to Örnsködsvik today after driving 450 kilometers from Luleå. Örnsköldsvik is the city for our last gig in the north of Sweden for this time. Since we’ve been out on the northern snowy, windy roads for some days by now, today´s journey was a tired one. Besides, to Ante´s annoyance Daniel won today´s football game tournament…again. We had a wonderful evening and, as every night, received a great response from the audience. What a crowd, thank you everybody who came and made this night awesome!

/Gabbi

In our lodge we had a space ship…though somebody claimed it was a shower.

Day 11

When we woke up this morning Simon and Ante told us about a practicall joke of theirs last night. Some hours past midnight they woke Therés up and told her that we had slept over time and that we were in a hurry heading for the next city. Therés more or less JUMPED out of bed and started packing her things together…discovering after a few minutes, when coming into conciousness, that it was still dark outside! Tonight we played in Therés hometown Luleå. We had an awesome night with a great audience.

Day 10

Now we’re cooling down in a cosy little cottage in Skellefteå. When we arrived Skellefteå earlier today we discovered a huge article about us in the local newspaper. We also discovered that, very unfortunately, there was going to be an important ice hockey game in the evening, simultaneously with our gig. Still, we had a great time, the gig was wicked and the audience wonderful. It was truly warming to experience that there are people in Skellefteå choosing music prior to ice hockey (even though our drummer is a big fan of ice hockey)!

Day 9

Well, we had a slow day today…or some of us anyway. The guys were sleeping whole day while I was running around Umeå making new connections and meeting some music- and showbizz people.

Day 8

After a few hours in the tour bus we finally arrived the Concert Hall in Umeå. We had a great time and did an awesome gig. Lots of people in the audience, it’s so delightful to make concerts like this. After the show we had our compulsory tour party. As you can see on the picture below, we had a fun and crazy night.

This is for real! Simon is sleeping.

Being the one with the odd instrument you constantly get to hear these really funny comments like “bazooka höhö”.
It may have been fun the first, second or even seventh time but not the seven hundred. Last night though we had this wonderful sound engineer that coined the ultimate name. Because of that I would hereby like to make an announcement. From now on my Bouzouki will be referred to as The Ten-stringed Mandolin Of Doom.

/Bouzouki-Simon of doom
—
As usual I’m one day late with the blog update. And of course the time is past midnight, but for me it’s still Monday. Simon, Daniel and Ante are playing a football game, Therés is sleeping and Errka is doing homework.

Here is the radio program with us talking about the tour and playing acoustic versions of two songs. If you listen to the program that was broadcasted 15.00-15.30, our part is starting after about 12 minutes. And here you can read about us and our tour in Uppsala’s local newspaper, UNT.

Day 7

Today we had a slow start. The weather was wonderful, it was like heaven to lie in a warm, soft and big bed and looking out over the frozen lake. But nothing lasts for ever. We had to pack the tour bus and head for Örnsköldsvik! What a great gig! I’m worried, are’nt bands supposed to do bad gigs sometimes..? The stage was cool with an extra platform even for the organ, leslie and keyboards! Thanks to everybody who came and made this night a great time.

Day 6

Today we have one day off. We are just going to have a great time together. We’ll hang out in a castle at Svanö, that’s on the way to Örnsköldsvik were we’re going to play tomorrow.

Thanks for today, tomorrow we are going to rock in Umeå!
/Gabbi

Day 5

Today we slept a little longer than usual. After breakfast we packed our tour bus and went straight to Hudiksvall! The whether is bad, it’s cold and snowing all the time so we had to drive very slow and carefully. We had a solid dinner at the local restaurant and entered the stage like rolling stones. But what a gig! If we’re going to keep this speed of progress through whole tour the finale in Uppsala will really be something to remember. We had a great time today.

Day 4

Today we did have our tour opening in Gävle! After a day from hell with a broken tour bus, a final rehearsal with all tour equipments and no food at all, we finally got ourselves a meal (breakfast) on the bus during our way to CC-puben. We did a great gig, we played better than a tour opening gig should be played.  The feeling on stage was great! I feel sorry for all of you who didn’t have the possibility to come and see us, but there will be more chances to see and here us and then we’ll be even better! After a great job from 08.50 o’clock on the morning to 03.30 o’clock after midnight we finally got some sleep. A new day tomorrow in Hudiksvall!

Sleep tight!

/Gabbi, Simon and sleeping Mad Artwork

Today we’ve done the last detailwork, backing vocals and soundengineering. Besides that, Simon, in some remarkable way, found time to perform a concert with his choir down town. I haven’t any idea of how he managed to do that concert and then come back rejoining our rehersal after a long day’s hard work. Let’s hope he’s alive tomorrow!

It’s time for me to organize my pedaltrunk and pack my personal stuff. Tomorrow it’s touropening in Gävle! Enjoy todays photografs until tomorrow, when we see you at CC-puben!

And ofcourse I did’nt succeed to post the blogentry before 12 am.

Good night,

/Gabbi & Mad Artwork

Instead of telling you how great the band sounded at todays rehersal, I will give you some pictures from todays Mad Rehersework. Since I’m the man behind the camera someone is missing…

Now it’s time for me to enjoy my well needed beauty sleep.

/Gabbi & Mad Artwork

Yesterday (monday) the whole band arrived to the studio in Uppsala. We are happy to have some time together and create some wonderful music!

We can also announce that Erik “Errka” Petersson will be our organ- and keyboardplayer during the I Still Breathe Tour. This cooperation feels very promising and he’s doing a great job. It’s a cool feeling to play with a real organplayer…when you feel the vibrations from the leslie in your stomach, you just know it sounds good!

Today we started our rehersal week, both with some new tunes and some old ones. It just sounds great. After this weeks 9-17 work, we will be prepered for a rocking 2011!

Today we have been doing a whole lot more than just rehersing, we are like eager beavers… We had a long chat with a reporter from the local newspaper in Uppsala. The article will be published on friday. As soon as we finished the interview we went straight to the local radiostation and had a long interview. Earlier this morning we acctually did some acoustic versions on one old song “The Magic Sun” and a fresh composion that remains untitled, these songs will be aired on friday after 15.00!

This is it for today… We will give you some more updates about anything and everything tomorrow.

Sleep tight (I will certainly sleep tight…),
Gabbi & Mad Artwork (who is already sleeping)

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