Category: REFLECTIONS
The Swedish Metal Convention 2013 (recap)
Still in Melbourne, Australia – decided to stay an extra week after the Firewind-gigs. It’s been absolutely crazy the past two weeks, to say the least. And it’s only now that I’m getting a chance to sit down in peace and quiet and write about it.
So, let’s get in the time-machine and set it to October 25, 2013. The Swedish Metal Convention was taking place that weekend (Oct 26-27) and the guest of honor was Gus G (Ozzy, Firewind).
He was to arrive on Friday and the convention promoter Pontus and I went to pick up Gus, and Andy from the management, at the airport in Copenhagen.
Gus’ flight was slightly delayed so we went to Starbucks to have a coffee and just chill. The topics of conversation were bands and tours, and we got so much into that whole discussion that we somehow managed to miss Gus arrival (ooops…!). He found us – and off we went, across the bridge over Oresund and to Malmo, Sweden.
We dropped them off at the hotel – I went back home to just relax a bit until it was time to drive the gentlemen to a photo-shoot and then later on, to dinner. As it turned out, I didn’t have to take them to the photo-shoot as the guy picked them up himself – so suddenly I had spare time on my hands.
I get bored pretty quickly, so I called Sweden Rock-Mark who I knew was setting up the Sweden Rock-booth at the convention. Figured he might need some help or use some company. He was done and on his way home though, so I called Pontus – and he needed help to set up the VIP room as nobody really had time for that. Perfect. I went over there to make myself useful.
These events are funny, because I always meet people I know. It’s home to me.
The convention host – Anders Johansson (drummer for Hammerfall, Rising Force among many others…) was setting up his drums while talking to Jonas Hansson – who is mostly known as the guitarist for Silver Mountain here in Sweden (Ander’s first band, or at least one of his first…). He was one of the first guitarists to play in the technical / neoclassical style, a style that also made Yngwie a superstar.
Anyway – I’ve known Anders since ages. His mom used to work at the same magazine as me, and she liked me, so she would always help me set up interviews with either Anders or Jens and even with Yngwie himself. Back in those days I had access to some really exclusive stuff, and I owe it all to her. She was a tough, intelligent and cool lady, I’m guessing the guys all thought of her as “mom”. :)
Anyhoo… We were going out for dinner later that evening, so once I had finished yapping and setting up the VIP room, I went to pick up Gus and Andy to take them to the fancy Michelin star-rated restaurant we were going to.
The evening didn’t last long for mr Paul DiAnno (first voice of Iron Maiden) though…. The snobby restaurant wouldn’t allow guests to wear caps in there so Paul pretty much told them to go *beeep* themselves and was out the door before anyone even had much of a chance to react.
Apart from THAT little incident, the rest of us had a great evening. Drove back to the hotel, and since it had been such a good chemistry between people, we decided to continue the evening in the hotel bar. So Jorn, Gus, Andy, Pontus, Stanley (ex-Nasty Idols drummer), me and later also Tallee Savage (known to some as Yngwies teenage love – nowadays as a talented makeup-artist and photographer) hung out till pretty late. It was nice, a very relaxed and laid back way to finish the day.
Next morning, I drove to the hotel 11-ish to pick up Gus and Andy again, as the plan was to start the signing around 11.30. However, once we got there, it was obvioius that the rockers of Malmö hadn’t crawled out of bed quite yet, so we ended up at Starbucks instead. God knows we all needed the caffeine…!
When we got back, Pontus ran over and said that several people had already been asking for Gus, so we got him out there to his assigned table.
It was nice to see fans getting their stuff signed, looking very happy about it – and getting their pics taken with their guitar hero. :)
That’s the beauty of conventions – it’s a relaxed environment where fans and artists get to meet under organized circumstances.
Apart from the signing – and people getting their pics taken with Gus by leaning across the table – there was also a more organized version where fans paid a small fee to get their picture taken with Gus by a professional photographer.
After the signings and the photos, it was time to get down to business: Guitar Clinic and a Q & A session, hosted by mr Anders Johansson. That turned out to be a great, relaxed and funny part of the 2013 convention that was appreciated not only by the visitors but definitely also by the participating musicians – Anders and Gus, who have a history of touring together – wayyy back in the early days before Gus even had a name with Firewind.
Check out the talk (the first part of it, before I had to change memory card) and Gus clinic-part:
Q & A + CLINIC AT SWEDISH METAL CONVENTION 2013 in Malmö, Sweden, [Saturday, October 26, 2013]
The clinic went so well that the time was extended – people loved it, you heard people giggle every five minutes, a perfect unpretentious conversation between two musicians (quite different from a conversation musician-journalist actually – in a good way).
We were all starving, there had been all work and no breaks, so the Crucified Barbara-girls who had the table next to Gus, asked if they could tag along if we decided to go someplace to eat. I started calling a few restaurants to book a table, but it turned out to be nearly impossible.
It was Saturday evening, and people just got their salaries, so it was fully booked everywhere. One girl even laughed a little when I asked if I could book a table for 7 people. “Oh, haha, you’re optimistic aren’t you!”
Gus getting a present from the Crucified Barbara-ladies, a t-shirt:
In the end, we just had to give up and realize that the restaurant-thing wasn’t happening, so Andy’s idea to try the hotel restaurant, was brilliant.
It certainly wasn’t fully booked, it was convenient (no searching for parking spots), people could just go straight back to their rooms after their meal and the prices weren’t any different from anywhere else in town so it was settled.
Gus and Paul DiAnno:
Tallee and her sister joined us, super nice ladies. It’s just so refreshing when you meet new people and the chemistry is so perfect that it feels like you’ve known eachother a very long time. Just a great conversation, lots of fun and a funny waitor. ;)
Once again, it was such a good evening that nobody really wanted to call it a night, so we made a last minute decision to go to the official afterparty at Club Distortion. It was sold out and Crash Diet was playing – but a few phone calls took care of it and they got us all in the back way.
It wasn’t just the convention afterparty – it was also a Halloween-evening so you had all kinds of weird creatures of the night down there in the dark, hot and sweaty, crowded club. It was jam packed. I thought I was gonna pass out, it was just SO freaking HOT and combined with my lack of sleep, I didn’t need booze to feel dizzy. Gus somehow managed to find a spot right under one of the air conditioning-things, which saved us all.
Everbody had a good time though, and that’s the main thing. :)
It got pretty late – or should I say early – and we didn’t get back to the hotel until maybe 2 am. Wouldn’t have been a big deal if it wasn’t for the fact that we were supposed to go to the airport at 4.30… I didn’t sleep at all that night (either). Just stayed up uploading videos and pics before I went back to the hotel to pick up Gus and Andy. Might as well make good use of that time.
There was no traffic at all so we made it to Copenhagen airport in no time. I was absolutely beat but I had to go home and pack and try to clean the apartment the best I could. Once again, not too much sleep. And a trip to Sydney – Australia lying ahead the next day! Phew. Nobody could ever accuse me of not doing stuff to make the days of my life count. :)
No rest for the wicked – I got my little carry-on packed in the last minute and it was time for the next adventure! Firewind in the land of the koalas: AUSTRALIA….
(stay tuned….!)
Anders Johansson (Hammerfall, Rising Force) – fan and Gus in the VIP-room
Firewind in the land down under
The Firewind tour here “down under” in Australia, finished two days ago in Melbourne, and I have to say that the guys, without a doubt, left a lasting impression on the Aussies. The shows in Sydney and Melbourne had the largest venues and crowds, but even the smaller gigs in Brisbane and Adelaide were memorable because the crowds were very enthusiastic. Great audiences everywhere – a very good rating considering that this is Firewind’s first visit here.
There are so many things to write about and I still haven’t quite landed in normailty – there’s been stuff going on 24-7 ever since I got here, would get anyone’s head spinning, not to mention a jetlagged Swede..!
It wasn’t that bad though – I just went on my Blue Mountains/koala tour straight away when I arrived in Sydney, and kept myself busy ever since. The real jetlag hit me after about 3 days when I just felt sick and not even my caffeine chewing gum helped much. It was the same with the guys in the band – they were all hit by that jetlag at different times.
There’s photos, videos, memories, stuff to tell enough to last for a WEEK, but I’ll just have to get back with all that and just share a few of my favorite pics this time. I’ll have like 16 hours on my way from Melbourne to Dubai to write more about this Australian trip, so – it’s all coming!
Swedish Metal Convention and Australia up next
Last day at work today – and now the fun begins! :)
I’ve started to pack a little for my Australia tour. People drop their jaws when I say that I will be travelling to the other side of the globe with only a carry-on that weighs a maximum of 7 kilos… ;) I hate carrying bulky stuff around. The less shit I have to drag around, the better. And I know how to make it work by now.
Might have to rethink my present to my Melbourne-host possibly, weighs too much, lol. But other than that, I’ve got all the essentials: Energy gum (survival kit #1!) , travel-adapter, camera, extra batteries, memory cards, sunglasses, sunscreen, makeup, clothes and an inflatable pillow. I’m good to go!
The reason for this light packing is that I will be flying from place to place once I get there and I have no patience standing there at the luggage carousel watching people’s suitcases go round and round and round forEVER….! Drives me nuts. I just want to grab my stuff and go. Hence the carry-on solution. :)
My first plan in Sydney was going to be a wildlife-tour to the Blue Mountains, about 45 minutes outside of Sydney. A day-trip out to see wild animals (been dreaming about KOALAS for weeks!) but… the wild fires there might stop THAT plan. Maybe it’s just as well, I might be dead tired, who knows.
Then the first Firewind show in Australia, out of 4. Here are the venues!
MANNING BAR – SYDNEY:
SECOND SHOW – IN BRISBANE, AT THE HI-FI:
THIRD SHOW – FOWLERS LIVE – ADELAIDE:
AND FOURTH – AND LAST AUSTRALIAN FIREWIND SHOW – THE CORNER HOTEL IN MELBOURNE:
I will be blogging as much as I can of course – providing I’m not so jetlagged that I just want to crawl into the nearest bed and pass out, but shame on me if I do!!
THESE will be the places I’m about to see, and I’m very very excited about it!
ADELAIDE:
BRISBANE:
MELBOURNE:
AND of course…SYDNEY:
Hopefully at least one of these too!
The trip starts on Monday… but there’s a bit of cool stuff happening here BEFORE that too.
The Swedish Metal Convention – with a bunch of great artists and metal-related exhibitions!
GUS G – JORN LANDE – ANDERS JOHANSSON (YNGWIE, HAMMERFALL) – CRASH DIET – CRUCIFIED BARBARA – PAUL DIANNO (EX-IRON MAIDEN)
I remember the first convention, it was ambitious but rather small. Still, not bad at all to get SEBASTIAN BACH to visit, among others.
My interview with Baz from that convention:
The second year, I was shocked to see how much the convention had grown – as were many others. People who are now in as participants and sponsors, biggest online-record store in Sweden GINZA and of course, SWEDEN ROCK. Last year had people like DORO, UDO, MIKE TRAMP and Jesper from D.A.D visiting – plus the largest IRON MAIDEN collection in the world. It was interesting for sure.
And this year – let’s see how it goes, they say that third time is always a “win or lose”-situation so I’m hoping that it will be a major success!
If you’re in Malmö this weekend, here is the schedule for the convention!
*** PROGRAM 2013****
Saturday conference room
15.30 – 16.30 Guitar Clinic Gus
16.30 – 17.00 Q&A Gus
17.00 – 17.30 Q&A Crashdiet
17.30 – 18.00 Q&A Jorn Lande
Saturday photo-sessions
12.30 – 12.50 Crashdiet
12.50 – 13.20 Paul Dianno
13.20 – 13.40 Jorn Lande
13.40– 14.00 London Based Hellfire
14.00 – 14.30 Gus G
14.40 – 15.00 Crucified Barbara
——————————————–
Sunday conference room
12.30 – 13.00 Q&A Nicki & Ida
13.00 – 13.30 Q&A Paul Dianno
14.00 – 15.00 Fashion show
Sunday photo-sessions
12.00 – 12.20 Paul Dianno
12.20 – 12.40 Ida & Nicki
12.40 – 13.00 Jorn Lande
13.00 – 13.20 Crashdiet
13.20 – 13.40 London Based Hellfire
CRASH DIET
The true love for rock’n’roll
This kind of got me thinking of exactly how much I love rock’n’roll.
Was talking to a guy the other day and he said he was into “all kinds of music“, and was trying to convince me that Ultravox (new wave band from the 80’s, playing electronic music) were far better than any metal band – and he was going to make it his mission to make me realize that.
I thought he was kidding, but the dude was dead serious. :) Oh boy. Talk about wasting time and breath for nothing. :)
I can see and appreciate the qualities in other kinds of music, for whatever it may be. It could be good musicianship or a taste for well produced albums or just memorable sing-along songs or whatever. But my HEART is wherever rock’n’roll is. That’s something that people who aren’t IN it, will never understand. Especially not those who say that they listen to “all kinds of music”. I think most of us do, but rockers will always state rock as their favorite music when asked, as opposed to people who don’t passionately love anything, they just listen to “everything”….
Rock’n’roll touches my heart simply because it’s genuine. And I’m not just talking about heavy metal, I’m going back to the 60’s in my trail of thoughts right now. There was all that rebellion going on back then, that paved the way for pretty much all artists today. You had John Lennon – the rebel, you had Stones, Hendrix, Janis, Morrison, The Who… You name it. Mentioning Ultravox in the same breath as those people is just ridiculous. :)
When I listen to Janis Joplin for instance, it’s almost as if she’s transferring her thoughts and emotions directly to the listener, it’s that intense. She was just so amazing and definitely a rebel and a pioneer as no women were doing what she was doing back then. It’s impossible to listen to her sing and feel indifferent.
As far as metal…. It’s got everything that I love about music. It represents strength, power, truth, sex, love, passion, freedom, living life to its fullest (yes I know there are bands in the genre that represent the exact opposite, but generally speaking).
When I first heard Judas Priest, it just knocked me off my feet. There were loud, screaming guitars, loud screaming vocals, pounding bass and drums that just punched you in the face in the most amazing sort of way, the whole combo grabbed my heart and it’s kept that firm grip of it ever since.
The reason why people love bands like Motley Crue for instance, is because they didn’t care about anything, they just did whatever they felt like doing, regardless what was considered tasteful or acceptable.
I’m not saying I agree with all their choices in life but a part of me admires their absolute disregard of what an “acceptable lifestyle” is. Most people are stuck in their everyday lives, being told what to do by their boss, their spouse, their government…whatever other authority you can think of.
Everybody dreams of being able to tell all those authorities to piss off, but most people are not in the position to do that. So, Motley Crue were kind of doing it FOR them.
Societies all over the world also usually tell you to surpress your sexuality, Motley Crue (and most hard rock/metal bands I can think of) are telling you the exact opposite. Embrace it, live it, love it.
It’s YOUR life, nobody else’s. Do whatever you want, as long as you’re not hurting anyone else. That’s why they’re still around. The bad boys dared to just not give a rats ass.
Having said that, I still don’t agree with a lot of shit that they’ve done, but that’s a different story.
The feeling I get from a really great live-show or a crazy good song/album, is almost indescribable. I can’t think of ANY chemical drug that could do a better job. Not in a million years. It’s the same type of euphoria that you experience when you have a crush on someone. That short period of time when you’re up in the pink clouds, can’t eat, can’t sleep and you just walk around with a silly smile on your face. THAT’s what good music does to you.
I’ll never forget that Whitesnake-show at Sweden Rock Festival a few years ago when David surprised everybody by bringing out Bernie Marsden on stage – and then also Adrian Vandenberg…! THAT, combined with the music, oh my god, I was crying like a baby! It was just so incredibly powerful, so touching, I couldn’t stop the tears for HOURS after that…!
One of my colleagues from Sweden Rock still remembers that, he met me right after the show and I looked like Alice Cooper cause my makeup was smeared all over my face from the tears.
I had the same reaction when Rob Halford was playing in Malmo many years ago, at the local rock club KB with his band HALFORD. When he sang “Victim of Changes” something just burst inside and I was just bawling my eyes out. I could not believe that my hero was that close, on a club stage, singing THAT song!
A friend of mine met me outside after the show and I was still crying. She thought I was sad, I had to explain that I was just so goddamn happy that crying was the only way to get it all out of my system.
[Not Victim of Changes, but another one of my fav Priest-covers, Diamonds and Rust!]
I’ve been walking around with Tony Martin’s various recordings in my Motörheadphönes for days now. After all these years….I could listen to that voice over and over again, every day, for 30 years, and I would STILL not get sick of it. In my book. Martin is the embodiment of vocal perfection!
I just feel that “high” every time I hear him. Jesus, he was unreal. He’s always been compared to Dio, but as much as I love and respect Ronnie, and think that he was outstanding, he just didn’t have the same range as Tony. If he did, he wasn’t using it the same way. Tony Martin has this HUGE masculine voice that suddenly just takes detours out into the stratosphere. That voice had a spell on me since 1989 when I first heard him with Black Sabbath.
[Tony belting it out with Mischa Calvin, fantastic album!!]
And lately I’ve been picking up Apollo Papathanasio’s extensive back catalog as well. Vocally, he’s like a Swedish/Greek equivalent to Tony Martin, he’s got the same kind of wide-range voice, deep and sensual, while also being able to hit you with those powerful, strong vocal lines that so few singers have the ability to do. When this song comes on, with one of his many projects, Sandalinas, I just want to kick back, close my eyes, listen and let that voice take me to foreign lands..! :)
Metal is of course also about aggression, which I guess is the one part of it that most non-metalheads have picked up on (and focused on).
But it’s the best way to get all those aggressions OUT. You don’t need expensive therapy or Prozac when you’ve got MEGADETH for example. This is what I wrote right after their show in Aarhus, Denmark back in 2011:
“It feels so frikkin’ great when that heavy, aggressive music, the pumping bass and angry, distorted guitars hits your eardrums – it’s like a spring-cleaning for the soul. Whatever might be stored in there, whether you’re aware of it or not, it just goes away. Amazing.”
Dave Mustaine is an angry man and I love him for it. I love his sarcasm and his grumpy face, I love his fuck you-songs, especially when he has a very intelligent way of approaching whatever issues he’s got with politicians or society. He’s got something to say and he’s certainly not afraid of voicing his opinion, loud and clear.
Megadeth calls to the absolutely most primal sides of us all and hearing those pissed off, aggressive songs is like fucking ANGEL CHOIRS in MY ears! There’s another “high” that metal brings, no doubt.
Rock’n’roll is the love of my life. I’ve pretty much dedicated my whole life to it. I’ll let Lita Ford express it with this song – Rock’n’Roll Made Me What I Am Today.
To have some random dude thinking that he will get me to think that ULTRAVOX is better than rock… lol!
I wouldn’t count on it. ;)
Gig-time in Greece again
Spiritual Beggars playing two gigs in Greece this week. I wasn’t gonna go.
I did check flights last month just to see if I could make it a weekend-getaway maybe, cause I haven’t been anywhere since my dad passed away, and it’s time to do something soon.
Australia is coming up, but, I figured maybe something smaller and closer.
Unfortunately the routes were hopeless – three stops, long waits, sometimes up to 28 hours (!), absolutely stupid flights going to Stockholm, Riga (in the OPPOSITE direction of Thessaloniki!) then to Istanbul in Turkey before finally reaching Thessaloniki. No way. And silly expensive. I could go to the STATES for those prices. Forget it.
I was sitting on the bus this morning, tired and bored, on my way to work – and just decided to check those flights again, out of habit. I wasn’t on a mission, just killing time.
And there it was – the PERFECT flight! Only ONE stop and 50% cheaper! I got so excited, forgot about how tired I was, immediately texted my boss to check if I could leave work a little earlier on Friday, got a “yes of course” and went to book that flight. Then the f**** cell just freezes…! It NEVER does that – but of COURSE it had to do that right then…! F***k.
Got to the office – RAN up the stairs, 4 floors, turned on my PC – went online…. and THAT ticket, for that price, was – of course – gone…. Only those expensive tickets left. Oh well.
I had to check just ONE more time about an hour later. Just out of curiosity.
And THERE IT WAS!! The cheap and short flight! I grabbed it as quickly as I could and it was all mine!
I was so excited, so glad, haven’t felt that way since my dad passed.
Eventhough I’ve been trying to continue living life as normal, I haven’t been 100% the same since dad had to leave this world for the next.
The most important person in my life, who’s always been there for me, is missing and it takes time to get over that – at least “get over” it enough to focus on what I’ve got instead of mourning what I don’t have.
Travelling, planning a journey, the atmosphere at airports, the takeoffs, watching the clouds from a round little window and getting to new destinations, meeting new people, entering a new hotel room – I LOVE all that, it truly gives me my greatest kicks in life.
That – and music. So, combining those two is the best way of living life. At least for me it is. :-)
I was walking around like a ray of sunshine all day! Just because I haven’t been out anywhere for several months – which is a bit unusual for me. I’ve missed it.
So it feels like life is getting back to some sort of normality again, back to what I’m supposed to do before it’s my time to “move on” so to speak. Hopefully it’s not quite yet – but I’m going to do my best to live each day as if it really was my last.
I love Thessaloniki – it’s such a beautiful city, love the vibe and the nice, friendly people there. That and a cool gig – and October just got a whole lot brighter! :)
[Spiritual Beggars in Hamburg, Germany, back in April]
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR 