Goat- Live Ballroom Ritual (Rocket Recordings Launch 062)

I quite liked the Goat record and thought I would give this double live album. Goat is a band from the Gothenburg Sweden area. This double live record, recorded at the Electric Ballroom, Camden, London features all the songs from the record and the two from the Dreambuilding 7”/12”. The record starts off with the instrumental Diarabi and while the band stretch it out a bit, that is almost all the jamming you get. The Golden Dawn is next and the guitar does an extended psyched out solo and then back to the main theme. Disco Fever is played very straight up with the hand drumming mixed quite up front as well as the afrobeat like guitar, with the vocals a bit further back in the mix. The guitar solo comes late. Stonegoat is very short and ends the side with another uptempo track and the intense female vocal. Sounds a bit like she is getting tired of screaming already though and it is early in the concert.. Side B features 4 songs starting with Let it Bleed, which is slower and more groovey and features the saxophone. I had never heard this track Dreambuilding and it is a bit more mainstream and dreamy and the vocal is more relaxed and not so much in your face. Cool drumming. The track Run to your Mama kicks up the heat again but I was a bit disappointed they did not do anything interesting in the mid-section, just a simple guitar riff and drumming (maybe there were some special dancers or something going on that we can’t see here..), when it could be some cooler guitar or something. Goathead ends the side with another quick track but with a cool wah solo at the end. Side C starts with a straightup version of Goatman and after some feedback from the end of that track, Goatlord is a very short and leads into the long spaced out  instrumental track, Det som aldrig Förandras- Kristallen den fina.  Some of this will remind you of the way Hills space out. Side D has the sole track, The Sun and The Moon (6mins). Again, I get the feeling there are a lot of dancers or something going on as they have this killer groove going but the guitar is not really going for it, he is really holding back most of the time.. If you are a fan you will dig this record for sure..

http://www.rocketrecordings.com  http://goatsweden.blogspot.dk/

Purson- The Contract 7” (Rise above Records)

This was a limited edition 7” sold at the Rise Above Records 25^th anniversary concert in London in December 2013. It features the song The Contract from the bands last studio record and the unreleased song, Blueprints of the Dream. The leftover copies are still available from the Rise Above web store (green vinyl only).  The Contract (written by Cunningham) is a sort of beautiful spooky track with a driving bass line and lots of layers of instruments and then a dramatic change and upbeat section and then back to the more spooky stuff with mellotron, strings and then back again. Nice song. Blueprints starts with some organ and bells and then another pretty spooky but lovely track begins and it has a nice fuzzed out guitar for the short solo. If you like the band, this is worth getting… There are still some for sale at the Rise above web site.

http://www.riseaboverecords.com

Trondheim Calling Live 2014- Jan 30th- Feb 1st

I was invited up to play with a great new Norwegian band called Black Moon Circle, who I just released their debut EP on my Space Rock Productions label, as well as played on. This festival is mainly a showcase for new bands from all music genres and mostly local acts. You get a wristband and then you can go to any of the clubs (10) where the bands are playing in Trondheim. There were a few very cool bands playing like Spider Gawd (features the rhythm section from Motorpsycho) and High Priest of Saturn, but I did not recognize any of the other names. Spider Gawd played two shows but we missed them both due to rehearsing on Friday and them playing just before us at another venue on Saturday. After rehearsal on Friday though Vemund and I went out to see High Priest of Saturn, a local doom band at a club called Blæst. I had seen them before and was hoping to hear some new material and they did play a new song, which I shot a video of called Serpent World. They only had 30mins like all bands so only played 4 tracks. The sound needed to be much more massive and the drummer was just too laid back so when you also have a laid back vocal, it just lacked intensity. It was a bit disappointing considering that I liked the record they made on Svart quite a lot.

               The next day I saw part of the band playing before Black Moon Circle and they were called New Brian. They were young kids all dressed up to the max with ties, perfect hair and looks playing 80s like music, something like Wham! It was not for me and the small crowd seem to like it but I just don’t understand the point of doing stuff like this… Ugh..

               We hit the stage right at 23 and played 32mins. We opened with Jack’s Cold Sweat, a track that will be on the band’s first full length record later this year. Øyvin (singer and bass player) has been fighting a cold the entire weekend so his vocals were quite harsh at times but he really sang with intensity and gave it his all. We had a nice spaced out section on this track. American Eagle, which is on the EP, was really extended with two different improvised sections and quite different from the record. We really had it together on this track and I had come up with some cool spacey sounds, that are not on the record. Plains, also from the record really let Vemund play some amazing guitar parts as we took the psychedelic space rock to another level. Sound was great on the stage (and also the audience recording). Short, powerful show..  We quickly packed up and headed back to the rehearsal room as we were going to have a studio recording session the next day. It was a great concert. I feel like I have a special musical connection with these guys that I have not had with all the bands I have played with, so early on. Awesome.

Black Moon Circle

http://trondheimcalling.no   http://www.facebook.com/blackmooncircle

Death Hawks- BETA, Copenhagen, DK 1/23/14

Sue had arrived from London this afternoon and I really wanted to go see this new Finnish band that my friend Santtu had recommended. I had not yet received their new record but had seen a couple of videos (Black Acid) on you tube and liked what I saw. Anyway, we arrived about 10 and completely missed the opening band, which my friend Ole, said was very average and nothing special at all. Met up with Anders, Nanna, Rhona, and Jens. The band hit the stage like 22:10 and played about 45mins or so. I don’t know how to describe them, a bit like Wolf People maybe. It is a bit bluesy, but with a lot of space rock like synths giving it a special psychedelic flavour. The keyboard player also played short saxophone pieces in a few tracks. The singer and guitar player (also in the band Seremonia) has a great voice but plays very little lead guitar, which I really missed on the longer tracks. They played a really killer long slide guitar track (Holy Water). They ended the set with Black Acid. The audience really wanted more so finally after like 5mins, the singer came out and played the old blues song, Death don’t have no Mercy by himself and that was it. I spoke to the band to get the set list and they were really cool guys. I filmed the last three songs of the show so check them out and enjoy!

Set List: Night Children, Death has not Reprieve, Cain go Home, Shinning, Quiet Sun, Holy Water, Black Acid, Death don’t have no Mercy

Black Rainbows- Holy Moon (Heavy Psych Sounds HSP012)

The very cool Italian band, Black Rainbows is back with a new album. It features 5 tracks including an amazing version of the MC5 song Black to Comm. This is a band that just keeps getting better and making really cool stoner rock songs with an awesome psychedelic flavour. The CD has 6 songs in 38 mins. The opening song, is the title track and it really has an awesome slow groove and cool guitar as it slowly builds up. Monsters of the Highway reminds me of a more psychedelic version of Nebula with a vocal delivery like Fu Manchu!  Chakra Temple is nearly 9 mins long and starts with a strange droney vocal before the bass and guitar slowly creak in. Some spacey synth or guitar effects is also mixed in as a track that might remind one of Colour Haze develops. The Hunter is next and no it is not the old Willie Dixon song that Free and Gov’t Mule of done great versions of but a really good rocker with a catchy hook and hard riff. If I was a Bird is a really cool acoustic song and the perfect lead into one of the best versions (16mins!) of the MC5 song Back to Comm that I have ever heard. Damn… Great album….

http://www.theblackrainbows.com http://www.heavypsychsounds.com

Spelljammer- Inches from the Sun/Vol II (STB Records)

Spelljammer are a great new four piece Swedish band. They had previously released a really cool record on the US label (STB). This tape was released in 2013 in a limited edition of 100 copies (I have number 87) in a cloth bag with two stickers and a pin. As with the first record, this one was mixed and mastered by Billy Anderson! Aun’s Mountain starts things off with some heavy doomy stuff.  I like the long delays on the vocals.  It does not stay all slow though; there are some faster parts as well. Electric Ground reminds me a lot of Sleep but the sound is not as massive. Space Reefer is the most melodic of the tracks on this side but still with a really heavy bass sound and an awesome wah guitar solo. Mountaininside is one of the most doomy tracks on the tape and quite psychedelic at times.  Witcher starts with a slow bass line and guitar feedback before the monster riff kicks in.  This one has some really cool spacey guitar in it. Nine is also a cool number with some really intense drumming at the end. Rise of the Sonic Surfer ends the cassette in a heavy doomy fashion and vocal and groove that is very SLEEP inspired. Overall, this is a really cool release and one I have enjoyed a lot and heard like 5 times in the last couple of weeks.

http://www.stbrecords.bigcartel.com

LYNRYD SKYNRYD/BLACKBERRY SMOKE- LIVE 12” VINYL SPLIT LP (Southern Ground Artists 2013)

I am big fan of Southern rock and especially Blackberry Smoke. Since I actually got to see the concert that the three Lynryd Skynryd tracks were taken from, I thought I would buy this one. LS starts off side A with three tracks live from the Sweden Rock Festival 2012. It is a pity that they pressed these 1000 records and no one noticed that the Swedish town, close to where Sweden Rock is held was misspelled. The proper spelling is Sölvesborg, not Slovesburg. On the backside of the record it is also misspelled differently. Anyway, it is all about the music, right? The LS side is just as disappointing as the concert itself was. This is a band that basically sleep walks live. These are great songs (What’s your Name, That Smell and Simple Man) but damn the band plays with so little emotion now. Johnny nearly just speaks the words, hardly sings them and the guitar players have no fire at all. It gets much better when you flip the record over. Blackberry Smoke have a great set of songs, sing very passionately and are having fun. All three of the tracks here are from the band’s latest album, The Whippoorwill and Six Ways to Sunday and Pretty Little Lie are played nearly identical to the record but Ain’t much left of Me has a great Led Zeppelin- When the Levee Breaks interlude, which is really cool. A fun album. It is pressed on 180gm vinyl and has excellent sound. Enjoy.

http://blackberrysmoke.com  http://lynrydskynryd.com

Monster Magnet and Church of Misery- Lille Vega, CPH 1/20/14

Guitarist, me and singer in Church of Misery

I arrived at Lille Vega around 17 and the folks from Church of Misery were out at their van. I came up and had a nice talk with them and told them we could hang out later. They had flown in from Japan the night before but seemed fresh and in a great mood. I found the tour manager, the super nice German guy and he said I would be on the list +1 and we would work out the backstage passes after the show. 

COM bass Player

I came back at met Nils at 20:15 and we waited for Tom and Sven and had a chat with Tatsu’s girlfriend who was working the Church of Misery merch stand. They had a lot of stuff including the new DVD. COM was to start at 20:45 and play for 45mins. The show was nearly sold out, which is great for a Monday night. I met up with the super cool Swedish lady that seem to hang out with Dave whenever they are in Malmo or here. We talked a lot and had met at Vista Chino also. I saw my old friend Julie and Nik from On trial, and many others. 

COM, this was the first time for us to see them with the new guitar player (tall guy for Japanese) and they really played a killer set with a lot of spacey sounds from the MS-10 by the singer. I am not sure what the set list was but they for sure played at least two from the new record but not my favourite tracks. They did a long jammed out version of Born to Raise Hell. I think most of the people here had not seen the band and quite liked them. Great set.. 

It took them a while to get the MM stage in order and this was the first night of the tour so all the gear was newly rented and had not been really tested. The band said they soundchecked for hours today. Anyway, a bit after 10, the show started and the band played the entire new record from start to finish, which I was not expecting. The opening song (I live behind the Clouds) is just a strange one for opening an album, much less a concert. Then the band played the totally killer Lost Patrol and that was so intense… There was no way the band could peak like that again. I filmed Paradise and Hallelujah. The mindless ones and End of Time were just killer high energy space rock songs. This record really has a lot of Hawkwind feel to it when they play it live and Dave gets plenty of chances to play around with his effects pedals to make spacey sounds. They ended with Stay Tuned and did not play the bonus tracks from the record (Strobe Light Beatdown or One Dead Moon). They took a 5min break to smoke a cig and played Dopes to Infinity, Look to your Orb for the Answer (Not a long whip it fuelled version), Tractor and Space Lord.. End of show. Great.. night. 

I hungout backstage for a bit with the band, the owner of Sex beat Records and said goodbye around 01:00….  Always nice to see and chat with Dave and the band.. Great people… Oh yeah, they will be back for shows in the summer (maybe Copen Hell) and Atomic Bitchwax have a new record in the summer and will tour in August. Riotgod have a new record out in Feb in Europe, March in the USA but no plan to tour Europe… Peace..

Amon Düül II and the Birth of Kraut Rock Book

Swedish author, record collector and label owner (Kommun2), has written a pretty cool small book on the history of Amon Düül II from their early origins in different hippie communes in Germany in 1968 up until 1972. This is probably the only book in English that really describes the early days of the band in such detail. The majority of the book is taken from articles published in a lot of different sources but all put together here in a very nice manner. Tobias also describes each of the album tracks made by the band from the debut up until Wolf City (1972). There is also a detailed discography describing the singles and LPs from this period. Sadly, the book had to be severely edited after some members of the band complained about material that was included from interviews with different band members that Tobias had managed to track down. If you are a fan of the early ADII, then this is a fun read for sure. I learned a lot of stuff I had no idea about. I was lucky enough to get the author to answer a few questions so here you go:

What did you get interested in Amon Duul II?

I have been interested in music from the late 60s and early 70s for a long time and when I heard Amon Düül II and some other acts from West Germany I was really intrigued by their distinct sound. I know that most Germans think that Krautrockis a derogatory term - which might be true - but nevertheless I would say that there is a certain teutonic sound. As well as a Scandinavian sound, a Brittish sound (i.e. Brittish invasion, Meresybeat etc), a West Coast sound in USA (Blue Cheer, Jefferson Airplane and so forth). This distinct sound is of course more or less prominent, but definitely present in Germany on the early albums released by Liberty, Ohr and Pilz in and around 1970.

Did you ever get to see them perform in the 70s? Did they play in Sweden?

No, I never saw them perform back then. Their first gig in Sweden was in Vimmerby in 1977. I have the concert poster, although it is outside the scope of the book.

Was there any sort of culture like this in Sweden at the time period like what you describe in the book?

The situation in West Germany had many similarities with the situation in Sweden at the time, but was much more extreme. Sweden never experienced losing two world wars nor having to make up with its past in the same way as the Germans.

The book is an unauthorized biography. Did you try to make an authorized version with the consent from the band?

Initially I wanted to make the band happy with what I wrote, but after a while I noticed that it wasn't possible. I also read Anders Tegner's unauthorized biography about Yngwie Malmsteen last year, and I thought that it would not have been that great if Yngwie himself had authorized it.

How long did you research and do interviews, etc.. for this book?

About four years. But not full time as I have three kids a day job. So I could only work with the book during weekends and holidays.

Thanks for making his historical book. Do you have any other comments?

I would like to thank everyone that buys the book and reads it. And listens to this astonishing band!

You can purchase the book at the link below for 18€. It is a hardback, 159 pages printed in only 500 copies.       http://www.motljud.com/

Domovoyd- Oh Sensibility (Svart Records SVR231)

This is a new psychedelic Finnish band. This album was recorded live in the studio in July 2012. This album is a true psychedelic trip so be ready when you put side A. The album is split up into 6 parts, with four of them on side A and 2 on side B. Introduction starts things off and is a really psychedelic intro before entering into Incarnation! The incarnation starts with a very heavy low end bass. The sound is a mix of low fi fuzzed out guitar, tripped out vocals but quite high definition on the bass, which really pushes through the sound in a very cool way. Very cool lyrics as well.. After the short vocal section it is all about a psychedelic freakout with the guitars and then a major change occurs as it slows down before building back up with multiple changes in the guitar riffs and sound but always totally out in psychedelic space. Often the drums just disappear completely in the haze of sound. of cool guitar solos and effects. Very inventive. Lots Very trippy stuff. The track Lamia ends side A and starts with a slow building guitar solo that slowly morphs into the monster doom riff and the vocals come back in a very angry way (but they are mixed quite low so it is hard to understand what he is saying but you can read them in the LP).  Intense. Sit back, smoke some more and then take on side B. It starts with the instrumental track, Eifluvial Condenser. Slow and spacey delay guitars build up the track and over and over he says electric fuse.. and then the psychedelic guitars take over completely as the track builds over a repeated slow doomy bass and drum groove. Argenteum Astrum is the last track that builds out of a really spaced out section with lot of sounds and drones and effects and then the guitars come as it all slowly grows, crawls along the mossy forest floor, oozing it’s way into your mind, until the silence is broken with the return of the huge riff and bass once again taking the psychedelic experience to a higher level. I was really impressed with this record. Wow… and the album sleeve artwork is some of the coolest this year. Great job guys, now come down to Denmark and space us out!

http://www.svartrecords.com

Tidsgæst- Tidsgæst (Afd O Records AFDO-201302)

Tidsgæst (Time’s Guest) are a new Danish band playing experimental psychedelic rock music with many influences. Most of the songs are instrumental but some like I det Hinsides have long sets of lyrics all sung in Danish. The opening sequence of Portal into Onironaut reminds me a bit of Aron, that sort of spooky low fi but also beautiful melodic music. I det Hinsides is a strange psychedelic track with a ska riff at times and pretty far out at other times. Dødsridt keeps the theme dark and features some nice dual layers of lead guitar while the drummer and bass player keep the rhythm uptempo. It is really tripped out with a like theremin otherworldy stuff happening. Cool…Ondt Blod ends the side A. Side B starts with the title track, which has a lot of lyrics and reminds me a bit of SEID (one of the tracks they did for the Lord of the Rings movies). Khronopompos starts as a trippy soundscape with some metallic sounds and effects and later piano. It slowly grows over the 5mins and leads into the very short Søndagsmesse. Hver Søndag is another longer track with a lot of lyrics but all delivered in a slow spoken word phrasing with a simple drone organ and other keyboard line. At the end a dark demon presence enters the track. Be scared! Far out stuff… Now for side C. Uopklaret Sag nr. 2431-b which is a pretty long trip, around 10mins and features a long police report from 1933 being read! The band creates a dark mood also in this one with two interweaving guitar, bass and drums. Forkert Messe follows and is instrumental and is like music that might accompany a 1920’s or 1930 silent film. Pretty cool with a spacey organ starting the track Den Forkerte Dor. It develops into a very cool song. I love the guitar hook and lead guitar line. The vocal has a funny effect on it.. Side D starts off with Den Blaa jomfru and this reminds me of Aron’s solo material (he was a sort of advisor on the record!). Slow, plodding and mysterious. The last two tracks are both instrumental (Gravmaernens Val and Evighedsglimt) and the first has an excellent jazzy guitar solo and the last a long organ solo. These are some fantastic tracks. That is the end. This is not music for everyone, you need to be in the right mood and be ready to open up your mind, then you can enjoy this quite a lot. Understanding Danish would also help a lot. There is almost no information on the record about where it was record, when, who plays on it, etc.. so this must remain a mystery for now.. This record is a double vinyl in a nice single sleeve and made in only 250 copies. Check the link below.

http://records.afdo.dk/

Sophie’s Earthquake- S/ EP (Private Release)

Sophie’s earthquake is a three piece German rock trio. This EP features 3 long songs that developed out of four years of the band jamming. Pressure Soul (8:41) starts slow and spacey and then the main bass and guitar riff kicks in with an ominous feeling and maybe a slight Eastern feel at times as it is builds in both pace and tension. It gets quite heavy before comeing down again and heading into the main guitar solo section. Great song and dynamics. Checkless (5:54) is led by a cool bass line and Janosch’s vocal comes in pretty soon after the start of this track.  The theme is dark and mysterious. Reminds me a bit of Soundgarden at times. Excellent song. La ira de los Tres is a very intense track with a more metallic feel at times and a quite heavy riff towards the end and very intense guitar solo but it starts off with some acoustic guitar. Reminds me a bit of the German band Trigon. Actually, if you are a fan of Trigon, you will dig this band as well.  Check this band out.. They were nice people as well when I met them.

http://www.sophies-earthquake.com http://sophiesearthquake.bandcamp.com

The Cosmic Dead/Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs-split lp (The Old Noise TON001)

 I have never heard of the Pigs x 7 before but this was pretty cool and psychedelic. Each band plays an LP side long track. The Wizard and the 7 Swines starts things off with a nice catchy guitar riff before the hypnotic bass line kicks in and the singer starts to have a good time, with small vocalisations and then his anger and energy really drives the music. The intensity of the guitar also changes and builds along with the wildness of the singer. Reminds me a bit of Roque Male (if anyone remembers this cool band). This song is pretty intense all the way through from the spacey start to the end with some cool guitar parts and riff changes as well. They get more heavy and almost doomy at the end. Great stuff. The Cosmic Dead, well, they do their Cosmic Dead thing and take you and wrap you up in their comfy pillow arms and safely move your mind to the next dimension. Very cool trip. Got to love the Dead, as Alice says….. Enjoy..

http://www.theoldnoise.co.uk/  http://thecosmicdead.blogspot.com/‎

Svensk Psych Night III- Dæmonen’s Port, København Dec 13th, 2013

This was the third event organized by Sven and the folks from Kildemose Festival and Levitation Records and it was a great success. 5 bands for 50 kroner. I had only ever heard The Hills from Göteborg who also played at the first Svensk psych night with Flowers must Die. Anyway, Nils and I rode our bikes in the wet cold drizzly weather over to the venue around 20. I had made a very spicy goat curry with naga chile and we shared 3 beers and heard the Somethings in the Water (Rise above Records) compilation and a side of Domovoyd as well before riding out. 

 Met up with quite a few people we knew right away as Agusa was soundchecking. Sven wanted me to record the night so I tried to find a place to put up the mics but this was not very successful for the first band as way too many people in the back were just talking and not at all interested in the music. Agusa, a new instrumental 70s prog style band from Malmö kicked things off with a fantastic 70min set. The band is lead by Tobias (SKL) on bass and Michael (SKL) on guitar. A fantastic young organ player named Jonas and a solid drummer. We were up front and really enjoyed the set but the organ was mixed way too loud for most of the show. Check out the short video clips. Most of the songs-jams were really long journeys. Cool band.

Myreskær

               The place was pretty filled up by the time they finished and incredibly smoky. I could hardly breathe and often had to go stand by the open door. A lot of friends were here including, Tom, Sven, Rene, Morten Aron, Nik (ex-On trial), Nik the photographer, Jan from Kildemose Festival and his friends, lots of folks from some of the young bands around town, so that was cool and actually quite a few women! Anyway, Myreskær (Formic Cut) are a young five piece punky garage rock band. They played a pretty simple and quick 35 min set of passionate songs all sung in Danish. The vocals were the only thing coming out of the PA and they sounded terrible. So dry and harsh, they badly needed some EQ and reverb (it would also continue like this until Magnus fixed it for Hills, who had the mic so low you could never hear them anyway!). The singer was very passionate as where the rest of the band. They really were into their songs. People were having fun and starting to feel the effects of the smoke and alcohol now as the place was pretty lively.

Doublestone

Another quick set change and local stoner-70s rock band Doublestone were up. I have wanted to see them for the past year but have always missed them. Very nice guys when I spoke to them and I tried to encourage them to do some jamming or improve, but I failed. Anyway, Nik (OnTrial), he was up in the front and really rocking and this helped suck all the energy right to the front and Doublestone rocked the place. They did not do any psychedelic stuff at all or try to jam or space out but just played their songs straight up, heads down, ROCK…. Cool band with some great songs, some stoner, more bluesy hard rock with some short guitar solos.  The band is still a bit afraid to step out of the box and to take their songs to the next level although the last track was a bit extended.  Great band and this was a just what I and the crowded needed.

It took 45 mins for Hills to set up. The band has now expanded to a five piece, which is a great thing. The addition of a 2^nd guitar player was a good idea. The female drummer, she just totally rocks and the bass was really pummelling the groove into the room. It was not after midnight and some people had left after Doublestone but this was the highlight for sure. The band played a few shorter tracks off their Hills Sleeps record but mostly they just spaced out with long winding jams with spacey keyboards (a bit too low in the mix), cool groovers and intertwining psychedelic guitar solos and riffs. People were in a trance and really liking it. One thing we really missed was some cool lights or projections tonight. All the bands just stood in white lights the entire night. This would have made the entire experience so much better. I think they played for about 70mins. The last band was from Århus Narcosatanicos, playing a sort of psychedelic DOOM. My friend Jens was very disappointed I was leaving but the smoke had just done me in and I could not be trapped inside the ashtray any longer. I was getting a head ache, my lungs hurt…. I hope they were great. They were trying to set up some visuals but it was going to be late. It was nearly 2 now.. A very successful night. Thanks Sven, Kasper and Jan for arranging this.

HILLS

http://www.kildemosefestival.dk

The OSC- Mantric Muse German Tour November 2013

Tuesday Nov 26^th

21:45 I met up with Peter and picked up the huge Mercedes Sprinter (6.95m long and 8 seats and huge space for the gear). This is by far the best van we have ever toured in. IT was very hard to find a place to park it and I had to park it illegally so I hope I don’t have a ticket in the morning. The back left tire is looking a bit low but Peter did not seem to be worried and just said we should check it in the morning and add air. He had checked the entire van etc.

Weds Nov 27^th
7:10 I woke up at 5 this morning. Too much on my mind. I was a bit anxious about getting a ticket. I hope the Swedes are on the way soon…

8:40 No ticket.. Phew.. The packing is going slowly and we had hoped to be on the road by now. The back tire is really looking low. It must have a leak. Søren is still not here yet but we are packing all the MM stuff now. It is wet, cold and this is not good for all the boxes with the merch but we try to protect it.

8:50 We are packed but we all agree we have to deal with the tire. Søren is not here, he is stuck in traffic.

9:41 We had no choice to but to get the tire repaired. The tire had a nail in it! I called peter and it was all cool and they agreed to pay for the tire repair (250kr). Now, we are delayed about an hour. People are in a good mood and relaxed despite the set back. We only have to get to Hamburg and we have a GPS on søren’s phone so we are less likely to get lost.

12:03 We just reached the ferry now.

13:03 The ferry trip is over and we got some food. Schniztel is the usual band favourite except the vegetarians. We bought a case of coke and two cases of beer. I did some stretching of my back (I have really bad lower back problems). Jocke is driving and we are listening to the new Taylor’s Universe- Evidence CD. everyone is really liking this one..

13:55 We are about 75km from Hamburg. Weather is not very nice. Cold, windy and light rain. We are hearing the new Korai Öröm 2013 CD. Cool stuff.

14:51 We missed the exit and went 5km too far. We are finding the right way but it is small roads and lots of traffic. Should be at Sabine’s house in 20mins. We will eat, bring in our sleeping stuff and relax for an hour or so. So far we have heard Papir- Studum, Scorpions- In Trance, Funkadelic- S/t, Sasquatch IV, Robin Taylor- Evidence…..

16:30 We had some very nice Indian food at Sabine’s and everyone is in a good mood and having a beer. Today is Sabine’s birthday and I bought her a small gift and we sung her Happy birthday. I am also lying down and got a massage which is really helpful. Tak Sabine.

17:00 We are stuck in terrible traffic and listening to GONG-Live etc..

17:55 It was tricky to park the van but we made it and are setting up. The stage is a very strange shape and this DJ booth thing takes up a lot of the area. We will manage. The Sound guy and club people are really cool here at Guner Jager. The room is quite small so even if there are only 30 people it will feel like a good crowd.

19:15 People are coming now. We did a soundcheck and it will be an intense show in this small place. The bass is really massive and modulates like crazy in the small rooms so people better be in the main room. A guy named Jan gave me some money to burn him copies of the previous Hamburg shows. I will include this one as well.

20:50 Wow.. Mantric Muse played a great set and people really seem to enjoy it. I guess there are about 35 people here. Sounds was very good but a lot of bass. I recognize quite a few people from the last Hamburg show including one of our biggest fans, Kirsche and his wife.

Set List: DMU, Nanoid, Wobbegong Wookie, Cinope, Sinbad Søfareren, SFunx

Mantric Muse

23:30 My back is killing me. I think the concert was pretty cool and people really liked it. Room was totally full of people (44 paid) and we had some good dynamics, starting quite slowly. Magnus played both synths and guitar. Seems we sold a few copies of the new record, etc.. Michael did not play the bass tonight, maybe tomorrow.  It was a really cool concert and we all had a good time. A good first start for the tour...

Øresund Space Collective

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Day 2

8:30 I woke up at 8:15 to charge the batteries in my recorder and get some water. Some of the guys stayed up quite late after we got back to Sabine’s smoking and drinking. Klaus, Michael, Sabine and I are all up now. Totally grey and cold and people are outside having coffee and smoking. I slept like a rock last night and my back is feeling better so far today but I quite stiff. I hope I can get a massage before we have to sit in the van for 5 hrs to get to Koblenz. We need to try to leave by 11.

10:15 We heard the Great Khan record and everyone is up now and in a good mood. We sorted out the money and merch from last night. We also discovered that the entire band on this tour are left handed except myself!

10:55 We are about to take off now. We had a great breakfast with coffee, tea, juice, bread, cheese, meat, etc.. We will start the drive off with me as the driver and we will hear the Carolina Funk- First in Funk 1968-1977. A great compilation. In fact, the entire series Florida Funk, Texas Funk, Midwest Funk and California Funk are all great.

14:15 We are near Osnabruck now and still at least 2-3hrs to go we estimate. We heard the new Shpongle, Lynryd Skyryd’s first and now the new Rovo-System 7 CD called Phoenix Rising. It is great.  My back is aching. Magnus took over as the driver now. The drive has been pretty smooth but it took nearly an hour to get out of Hamburg.

15:50 This drive is really taking much longer than we had expected and we had originally said we would go to the local promoter’s house for some food and then to the venue but we might have to go straight to the venue. We will see. It is very foggy on parts of the drive but good when we listen to Frank Marino- Tales of the Unexpected. A great record.  Magnus is driving as fast as he can. People are going to be really hungry and we have no time to stop and buy some food. We picked straws (cigs) and Sebastian lost so he is the driver after the gig tonight. One has to stay sober. The only non-drinker, Michael, also does not drive! What luck!

16:50 We had to stop as people were too hungry. We heard Irish Coffee in the last drive. Cool band from Belgium from the early 70s. Traffic is still very heavy. This drive is going to take like 7hrs to go 450km. Just too many people on the roads in Germany. It was not this bad 10 years ago when I toured with Gas Giant. We could do a drive like this in 5hrs max.

18:15 We arrived at Andreas’s finally in a suburb of Koblenz, cool small old village, dropped off our sleeping stuff, ate some pasta with gorgonzola sauce and then we had to go pretty fast to the club. Sound check was supposed to be at 18. Show is supposed to start at 20.30 so it will all be quite a rush tonight.

20:30 Everything has been a huge hassle today. Turns out we could multitrack record the show so that was great and Mantric Muse will play a bit longer set as well. No many people yet (maybe 15?). We had to park the van like 500m away from the club. Andreas is a very cool guy and relaxed, which is good as it has been a rough day.

21:05 I did an introduction for Mantric Muse. There were only 7 pre-sale tickets and 21 total tonight, it seems.

22:00 Mantric muse are such an amazing band. Wow.. what a set. They changed the set a lot tonight and blew me away. Audience seem to like them as well. The sound is very good and loud in this club. Sound guy was great and super helpful with everything.

Mantric Muse

Set List: Sinbad Søfareren, Wobbegong Wookie, Nanoid, Deep Sea Cheaps, Azur, Gnoxience, Dr. Tit’s Kittel, DMU, Armh

01:00 Far out show.. People were pretty tired and I had some issues with my modular synthesizer. I will need to check it out. The small crowd seem to really like it a lot. I think we only played about 100mins tonight. All seem to go well with the recording. Jocke was killer on the bass today. Sebbe seem to be off today and stuggling but still played some cool stuff. magnus just blew the roof of the place with super psychedelic and awesome guitar. Ola was also cool and I could hear him tonight. 

01:40 Was a late night. We sold about 140€ in merch. It was only 21 paid people, so we will have to take a reduced fee. We can’t do this every night or we will be screwed at the end.

Listen to this concert!

Day 3

10:00 Sabine and I seem to be the first people up. I suspect that when we got back at 2 that people were smoking and drinking until late. I had a shower. It is totally gray again. No sun for the 3^rd day now. It will be about a 5hr drive to Jena. Get in at the club is at 17. We need to hit the road by 12 at the latest.

11:15 We sorted out the money with Andreas.

12:51 I start off the driving everyday which is good for my back, etc.. so… We just had some lunch, as there was no breakfast. I had a couple of muesli bars and some juice and tea. We had to go back to Andreas’s house 2 times after we had driven away. First we left a box of records and then Magnus discovered he forgot his guitar after we were 1km away a 2^nd time. Shit….

16:00 I drove for like 4hrs. We heard Causa Sui- Pewt Sessions, Buffalo-Volcanic Rock, Antibalas- Dirty Money, and ØSC-The black tomato as we discussed trying to have a jam on Black Tomato Pt 3 at one of the gigs. We will see. It is cold out and there has been some valleys with massive fog and snow on the hills. People are in a good mood after a joint. Seems we are about an hour away and people are in a good mood and joking around a lot. I will have a beer now since someone else is driving the rest of the way.

17:30 Black Night in Jena is a cool club and really nice people. Mark is super cool and this gig tonight is there 2 year jubilee and he is so happy we are here to play. We were able to get the backdrop up again tonight and Mark has some cool projections as well. We did not have any lights or projections for the first two gigs.

18:15 All is set up for soundcheck now and the soundman is setting up all the mics. We got some fresh fruit, 4 cases of beer, water, etc… we joked we can’t leave until we drink it all! They allow smoking in the club and backstage room (no window or ventilation at all so I basically can’t be in there, as nearly everyone in the band smokes!).

19:35 Soundcheck is over and the sound is good but really loud in this club. Wow.. Mics are set up and they will also do multitrack recording. Sabine video taped the show in Hamburg and will also do this show (only OSC). People are in a good mood. I got a back massage and feel much better.

Mantric Muse (Ola and Michael)

20:15 The food came quite late and people were really hungry. The 3  lasagnes (meat and veggy) were really good. Show must start at 20:30 and end at 23:30. Mantric Muse will play for 1hr tonight. Sebastian is drinking and smoking a lot but seems in control. He had a great sound on stage tonight so I think he will be on fire. Not a lot of people here yet but mark said they usually come just before 20:30..

21:30 About 40 people and I met Favio from Brazil who is an artist who says that ØSC inspires him a lot. Cool to meet him. I will dedicate a jam to him later. Mantric Muse played a killer set again. Massive sound tonight. Soon space time…

Set List: DMU, Sinbad Søfareren, Sfunx, Azur, Wobbegong Wookie, Cinope, Encore: Nanoid

Dr Space and magnus

00:05 Wow.. what a killer crowd and we played the best show of the tour so far. People were really into it. Michael played bass for the first two jams and we started off with this Black Tomato pt3 jam but Sebbe had not remembered the parts at all so it was a bit of a mess but still a cool riff to jam on. Søren was so intense this night and working really hard. Michael misses jamming in Mantric Muse since the material is so sequenced and computerized these days. I hope they can find the balance and introduce some more improv into their set like the old days. I am sure they will. Great concert and the heaviest one this tour.

Søren on the drums

01:00 Very fun night. Backstage people are really getting blasted and super high. We only have to walk 50m to the sleeping place but the guy is passed out at home and we can’t get in now. We only have 3hr drive tomorrow.

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Day 4

10:00 We did not get into the apartment until 02:15 and the guy was really sorry. It was their 2 year anniversary and it all got a bit carried away. We left the gear locked in the club so we could load it in the morning. We agreed to meet at the club at 10:30. Still totally gray. No sun for the 4^th day. I think the gig last night was very intense. Both guitar players were awesome. Magnus is always amazing. There were some issues with the multitrack recordings though. The high hat mic is missing for two songs of the MM set and they had to replace it. Not a big deal as I am sure you can hear it on some of the other mics. For ØSC it is a bigger problem though as the kick drum mic died so half the concert it is missing. Unlikely we can do much about that.  I am curious how the audience recording is. I just had a shower am pretty relaxed but did not sleep that well compared to the night before.

11:25 We stood outside the club for 45mins for the owner to show up (11:15). It is cold out but we are finally loading up the van and then we will do all this GEMA stuff and have some lunch (breakfast) and hit the road.

Mantric Muse and ØSC in Jena

Papir with Nik Turner

12:52 We are finally on a real highway after all these small roads and some construction. We heard the new Hawkwind- Spacehawk CD, which is basically a cool compilation of new and old stuff, different mixes and rerecorded tracks. Pretty cool. We are now hearing the Taylor’s Universe-Evidence CD again. Good way to easy into the day as people partied pretty hard last night. I think tonight will be the highlight of the tour for sure. Café Cairo is so cool and the crowd at the Psychedelic Network is amazing. A short pee and smoke break and we are on the road again. GPS says 1hr 10mins.. This means we are there about 14 and can maybe hear some of the Papir set! 

18:00 Papir played a killer 2hr set and Nik Turner joined them for the last jam. People really seem to like them as well. I have seen them many times but never play for hrs.. Kozmik Klaus’s visuals are amazing!

20:00 I am a bit stressed as we only have about 1hr to set up all the gear and soundcheck before Mantric Muse and OSC start. Camera played a cool set, very hypnotic stuff.

Camera

21:15 Mantric Muse is playing now and it sounds great. Massive huge sound. I am mostly resting up so I can give it all during our show. I have been sharing Nik Turner’s backstage room where there is a couch that I can lay down on. Sabine gave me a massage as well which really helped me out. I spoke to Nik about a lot of different things and he will come out and join us at 23:00. We talked about the current Hawkwind issues with Dave Brock and himself. It is all pretty sad. I think he wishes they would just call him up and talk to him. Anyway, it is not my business. He is a very nice person. I also chatted a lot with the guitar player from Space Invaders (either Dirk or Tipi). Nice guy. I have talked with a lot of the fans as well and spent a lot of time selling merch, etc..  Now that I have heard the gig, I think we played a really cool gig and Nik fit in very well on all the jams except the last one, he was dominating a bit too much and was in his own world. Great people and Awesome festival and thanks Nik...

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Day 5

What can I say, just a totally amazing festival. I think we played a strange and very spaced out set. Magnus played a lot more synthesizer than at any of the shows, leaving Sebastian alone on the guitar but he was pretty creative. The crowd was into and as usual it took a while but then we really played pretty cool. It was strange when Nik appeared as I did not even see him and then there he was! He played with us for about 50mins, which I think was too long but people seem to like it and said he played his best of the entire festival with us. We will see. It was a bit to short only playing less than 2hrs but that is the way it goes.

Anyway.. a great tour and despite my back issues I also had a great time and we are all such good friends for so many years how and playing music together on and off for nearly 10 years. It will be 10 years in April this line up started jamming!

Nik Turner

The line up on the tour was: jocke and Michael- bass, Magnus- Guitar and Synths, Sebbe- Guitar, Søren- Drums, Ola- synths, Dr. Space- Synths, Nik Turner- sax and flute (only Würzburg gig)

Thanks to everyone who came out to see us and bought merch, etc… See you again one day… Peace..

http://www.mantricmuse.com http://www.oresundspacecollective.com

http://www.sapphirerecords.de (Nearly all photos by Sabine!)