10/25/09

if only tonight we could sleep.

friday nights gig was good fun and intense, but it was also quite clear that it had been a while since we last stood on a stage. the scene at the cave was amaing and the place was great! it was as if debaser went hard rock and moved out to sundbyberg (that last comparasing scentence is not for everybody). we did a set with lingua songs and followed it up with a short and chaotic rövfitta gig. bergman, the fifth member of rövfitta, was there and got to sing a couple of songs as well as harrison reprising his version of 'obama a go go'. we filmed the gig and might put something up here if the quality is better than shite, but 'til then go check out some pics right here.

//misha (who else).

10/22/09

living after midnight.

i remember quite clearly the first time i met patrik, or at least the first time we jamed together. i'd been playing in arize for a month or two and we hosted yet another party at our rehearsal place a friday night. i even think it might have been an after party, but i'm not sure. why we never got kicked out of that place i cannot tell. anyways, there was quite some people there and patrik was one of them. we started talking about good music (as all musicians do on first date) and we connected at bands such as down and corrosion of conformity (among others) and after a few beers and some talk we decided to jam. as soon as we started playing i felt this instant connection with him. we built riff after riff and added layers to everthing we did. i can't really remember a single riff from the actual event, but i do remember it was magic. patrik must have felt the same because after an hour and a half thomas came in and said the neightbours were complainting about the noise and that was the only reason we stopped. we could have played for at lot longer and almost did after thomas admitted his little hoax to get us out of our intruments and back to the party. instead, we started a band. lifer was quickly joined by thomas and sounded a lot like stoner, except this was way before anyone used the term stoner. we just called it rock. we used to go out at night and record our songs on a four track tape recorder. sometimes i dust of my old collection and listen to the material. it was far from original, but we had some good fun making the songs.
lifer was put to sleep after only a year or so and when we started lingua i hadn't been playing with patrik for years. i wasn't even that keen on playing with him anymore because i was way, way, way deep into my tool-obsession at that time and patrik didn't play that kind of drums. in fact, one of patriks biggest idols is tommy lee and that guy play some mean straight forward drums, but not much else. it took me years to accept his style. we faught like hell over a lot of songs and even though i can't understand why we never just went separate ways i am glad we didn't. because it took me years to see that our strength was the straight forwardness in our songs and not the technical. or, to put it in better words, where i stray in weird beats and odd markings patrik keeps it toghether with a straight beat with litte or no over acting. today, it's what i want and expect from him and i am glad he never changed. i am glad he kept his style and put a very big part to the unique sound and style that is ours.

//misha.

10/17/09

on the road again.

well, it was time. it's been eleven months and, to be frank, that's just too long to stay away from what you love. we said that we would focus on the album and to not play any shows, but when our dear friend ludde called and asked us to play at his birthday party, we ran out of excuses not to say yes.

so for all of you who live in sweden and near its capitol city, this is where you want to be friday october 23rd:

the cave, landsvägen 49, sundbyberg.

it starts at eight and ends at one. i feel no need to point out where to put the am and the pm. you figure it out.

//misha.

10/10/09

the meeting.

i was seventeen when i first met thomas. we stood in line for another lousy meal in the school cafeteia as i noticed this loud and cocky young man wearing a machine head t-shirt from the burn my eyes album. i absolutely loved that album (the only machine head album i ever really loved). and as we stand there i see some black ink on his t-shirt. fuck, i thought and had to ask:
- "don't tell me you've met them?"
thomas turns around, looks at me without blinking, making a face or anything and says:
- "i drank beer with 'em too."
i was envious as hell!
it was the beginning of a thirteen year long friendship. and from that day on we used to talk at recess and lunch breaks. i had my metal band called southgate and thomas had his arise (nope, not the famous arise. and after being spelled wrong on a compilation album we kept the misspelling and were named arize before arise released their debut) and shared a common interest in bands such as deftones, tool, korn, fear fctory and sepultura but also in eighties pop music such as depeche mode, ultravox and duran duran. thomas was a bit too loud and wild for me, i was used to geekier frieds, but his self confidence created a fascination i could not rub off.
in my other band i was the only songwriter, as i'd been in all my other bands before as well. so when thomas asked me to join arise and fill the vacant bass spot i quickly accepted his request. i was happy as hell to be playing in a band with so many good writers and innovative musicians. the first year was real good fun. erik (thyselius, now in scarpoint) banged the shit out of his drums. he tried using those drumsticks made of metal but kept breaking those too. he had a china cymbal that, after a year of beating, looked like the wu tang clan w logo. no joke! richard (dahlberg, now in construcdead) was the stiffest guitarist i'd ever seen. if he looked up from his hands to watch the rest of the band, it was enough to give him a stiff neck. but man could he play! i never play solos and never have, i'm a rythm guitar guy, so i was very impressed by richard's skills in both rythm and lead. thomas, he had the lungs from hell. that tiny chest he used to have (wheigting in at 65 kilos back in '96) had an enormous roar louder that anything i'd ever heard. still today when he yells, it hurts my ears. normal pepole yelling are annoying at the most, thomas hurts your ears. anyhow, i tried to keep up with the guys but soon it stood clear that i wasn't really that into metal anymore. so i left. i thought the band would carry on without me but soon they split up instead. after six months of rest from music and just talk about a new direction, thomas and i started lingua together with patrik. this was in july 2000 and that story is a whole other story in itself.
but inbetween bands we've done so much more. accoustic, trance, trip hop and what not to explore all we could in music. we used to take long walks (or drive far with the car as soon as thomas got his licence) and dream about a five record deal with sony. i can't remember how many times we've been drunk together and helped each other out of situations or gotten one another in them. we were kids when we met and grew up together. and now we're men with families, still in the same band, making music better than ever. thirteen years of music, friendship and good memories. for that i am thankful. it don't get much better than that.

//misha.

10/4/09

just a tiny taste will do the trick.

i added some licks and tricks to a new song yesterday and here's how awesome thomas found my unique skills. i'm not anticipating them to pay my bills though.


///misha.