The Soundtrack of Our Lives "Second Life Replay Reunion" - Sweden's Premier Psych Rockers Return!

Photo by Albin Händig

The Soundtrack of Our Lives, one of Sweden’s most legendary Rock bands, will be getting back for a Second Life Replay Reunion this summer for three festival dates: Azkena Rock Festival in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) on June 16th, Way Out West in Gothenburg (Sweden) on August 11th and Øyafestivalen in Oslo (Norway) on August 12th. This will be the first time the band has played together since they split up in December 2012 and singer Ebbot Lundberg explains, "We all probably felt it was time to try and see what happens if we play together again, and the energy was still there, because the DNA was intact despite some hardships." The Soundtrack of Our Lives were formed in Gothenburg in the mid ’90s as a supergroup of sorts with members from Union Carbide Productions, Nymphet Noodlers, Whipped Cream and Mindjive. The single "Instant Repeater ’99" became a smash hit in Sweden as did their debut album "Welcome to the Infant Freebase" which won a Swedish Grammis for "Newcomer of the Year". The Soundtrack of Our Lives' majestic Psychedelic Rock soon grew beyond the country's borders, a fact that hardly escaped the Gallagher brothers in Oasis who invited the Swedes to tour with them. "Behind the Music", the third album from 2001, led to a breakthrough in the States and earned them a Grammy nomination. Last year, the band – Ebbot Lundberg (vocals), Ian Person (guitar), Mattias Bärjed (guitar), Martin Hederos (keyboards), Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm (bass) and Fredrik Sandsten (drums) – were inducted into the Swedish Music Hall of Fame.

Stockholm Dec 2012 - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Thanks to Ebba at Ebba Lindqvist PR - B&W Photo by Albin Händig. You can join the TSOOL fan community Facebook group here, for up to date news on the reunion, all the band members other projects, along with fan's memorabilia, videos, photos and more... We'll be reporting on news of the reunion as well as digging up some fantastic material from the Retro Man Blog archives in the build-up to the festival dates. So please subscribe, follow, like to make sure you don't miss out!

Retrosonic Podcast Lockdown Lowdown Episode 6 with Ian Person of The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Union Carbide Productions & Pablo Matisse

Photo courtesy Ian Person

In Episode 6 of our special Lockdown Lowdown series we welcome Ian Person into the virtual Retrosonic Podcast studio. We take an entertaining and in-depth journey through Ian's musical life - not only as a guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer but as an enthusiastic music fan. We go back to Ian's earliest musical memories - from the very first record he bought, the first gig he went to and the first band he formed. He discusses his favourite albums, 7" singles and the influences on his guitar playing. There's also some of his own memorable shows and tales of touring with Robert Plant and Oasis and working with Denise Johnson, who we found out had sadly passed away just a few days before we did the interview. Along the way there's some great music from The Who, Black Flag, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Damned, Minor Threat, The Stranglers, Oasis, Ebba Grön and Led Zeppelin to illustrate Ian's stories and choices. We also take a comprehensive look at Ian's own music from being a part of two of Sweden's most influential and important bands - the wild, untamed Union Carbide Productions and Psych Rock legends The Soundtrack of Our Lives. We take in his time with P-Funk innovators Stonefunkers and on collaborations with his ex-TSOOL colleagues Fredrik Sandsten and Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm on such projects as legendary Swedish singer Jerry Williams comeback album to his movie and TV soundtrack work such as Box 21 and The Eternal Road. Then there's new music from his current band Pablo Matisse and we also feature a pick of his own solo music including the superb score to the documentary on his favourite football team IFK Göteborg and his Diamonds In The Rough album. Finally we end the episode with an exclusive unreleased song from his forthcoming solo album, a duet with Swedish singer Alice B.

Full Tracklisting

The Stranglers "The Raven"

Ebba Grön "Hang Gud"

Black Flag "Rise Above"

The Who "Baba O'Riley"

Union Carbide Productions "Golden Age"

Union Carbide Productions "Coda"

Stonefunkers "Mardi Gras Stomp"

The Soundtrack of Our Lives "Instant Repeater '99"

Ian Person "Valencia Theme"

Ian Person & Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm "Theme from The Eternal Road"

Ian Person "Box 21"

Ian Person "Diamonds In The Rough"

Pablo Matisse "Is There Anybody Out There?"

Jerry Williams "Ghostrider"
Oasis "Champagne Supernova"

Led Zeppelin "Good Times Bad Times"

The Soundtrack of Our Lives "Mind The Gap"

Creedence Clearwater Revival "Fortunate Son"

The Damned "Love Song"

Minor Threat "Betray"

Ian Person & Alice B "Forever and a Day

Ian Person photographed by Paul Slattery

Useful Links - Please click on the highlighted link below to explore further

Ian Person - Official Facebook page

Ian Person - Bandcamp site

Pablo Matisse - Official Facebook page

Pablo Matisse - Bandcamp site

Svenska Grammofon Studion - Official web-site

The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Official Facebook page

The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Facebook Group

(for all things TSOOL related including Fan's Forum, Archive & news on all ex-Bandmembers)
Retrosonic Podcast - Special Episode with Ian Person
Retrosonic Podcast - Special Episode with Ian Person & Fredrik Sandsten 
Retrosonic Podcast - Special Episode on IFK Gothenburg movie "Football's Last Proletarians" 
(with ex-IFK & Liverpool legend Glenn Hysén, Directors Martin Jönsson & Carl Pontus Hjorthén)

This episode can be streamed/downloaded directly below or you can check out our Retrosonic Podcast site at Soundcloud or subscribe for free at iTunes or Apple Podcasts.

Retrosonic Podcast · Lockdown Lowdown Episode 6: Ian Person of The Soundtrack of Our Lives & Union Carbide Productions

Retrosonic Podcast has a valid PRS certificate. Podcover photo courtesy of Ian Person. Check out our previous Lockdown Lowdown episodes with Duncan Reid of The Boys, Leigh Heggarty of Ruts DC, Raymond Gorman of That Petrol Emotion/The Everlasting Yeah, Buddy Ascott of The Chords/The Fallen Leaves and Mike & Elsa from The Jack Cades. Retrosonic intro music by Adam Donovan.

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children at Slussens Pensionat and a Reflection on the Importance of the Stunning Venue

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children at Slussens Pensionat

When Sweden's Psych-Rock legends The Soundtrack of Our Lives sadly called it a day in December 2012 there were many things I was dreading losing out on. It goes without saying that I would miss the music and their incendiary live shows but there was also the travel, the social life with the great friends and acquaintances that I had made along the way since I first saw the band. It’s not overstating things to say that TSOOL pretty much changed my life, or at the very least, set it on a different course. After all, they re-energised my passion for music and inspired me to recreate my old-school 1980’s cut and paste fanzine "Out of Step" which I renamed "Retro Man" after my favourite TSOOL song. However, it was the thought that there would no longer be any more gigs at the beautiful Slussens Pensionat that most filled me with regret. TSOOL first started playing at the stunning waterside location run by the lovely couple Vibs and Robert Sohlberg on the island of Orust in 2001 and word quickly spread that these were gigs and a music venue like no other. 

Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

Ebbot at Slussens Pensionat with The Soundtrack of Our Lives by Paul Slattery

The band used these shows at Slussens Pensionat as a kind of summer break for themselves; you could sense they were a release from what was possibly a very stressful time. Their profile was getting higher internationally due to the breakthrough album “Behind The Music” and they had to deal with all the pressures that success can bring - major record labels, PR, management and such like. The Slussens Pensionat shows stripped away all the corporate bullshit and just allowed the band to relax and enjoy themselves. I was to get my first taste back in August 2003 and was immediately hooked, travelling over as many times as I could after that initial mind-blowing experience. It was a fan's dream. The band played sprawling sets that could last over three hours stretching into the early hours of the morning. They would play obscure album tracks, B-sides, cover versions and try out brand new, often unfinished songs alongside their more familiar numbers. Sometimes, they played whole LPs in their entirety, such as the Winter Lucia show in December 2008 promoting the release of “Communion” where we were treated to each song in sequence. 

Ebbot at Slussens Pensionat with The Soundtrack of Our Lives by Paul Slattery

Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

The Slussens shows usually started rather sedately, with the audience enjoying dinner while the band sat on stools playing acoustic guitars. However, the nights would inevitably end in drunken chaos with tables moved out of the way and the crowd getting up to dance. Vocalist Ebbot Lundberg would climb over tables, sending drinks, bottles, glasses (and sometimes people!) flying all over the place. Microphone leads would often get wrapped around people’s legs and necks and mic stands went crashing all over the place. It was always great fun. One year I was there, they were filming the fantasy/documentary “Ebbot the Movie” and I make a fleeting appearance in it. It’s a great film that really captures the true essence of the Slussens Pensionat experience, as well as highlighting some rather suspect acting from the band members themselves. Another year, Ebbot invited my Retro Man Blog colleague photographer Paul Slattery along and he documented the proceedings with some superb photos, which you can see in the archive here. I met other TSOOL fans from all over the world, not just from Sweden or England but also from Norway, America, Scotland and as far away as Peru. I even met the actor Lars Melin, who appeared in one of my favourite Swedish TV shows, “Wallander” and he seemed a bit surprised that his fame had spread over to the U.K. There are many other great memories, for example, I saw Ebbot duetting with the fantastic singer songwriter Martin McFaul and on separate occasions interviewed both Ebbot and Ian Person for Retrosonic Podcast on the terrace overlooking the beautiful Orust scenery. 

TSOOL with Robert from Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

The last photo of TSOOL together at Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

Yes, indeed, when TSOOL split up you can probably now understand why I was so sad at the thought that I might never get the opportunity to return. However, the good news is that Ebbot has continued the tradition and has since returned to play at Slussens Pensionat for his own TV show “Ebbot’s Ark” as well as with his current band The Indigo Children. Therefore, in August I found myself once again returning to what had almost become my spiritual home and the weather was thankfully perfect, it was so great to be back. Since TSOOL split up, Ebbot has become a bit of a TV celebrity in Sweden, appearing in the popular music show “Så Mycket Bättre” and his own show “Ebbot’s Ark”, as well as various daytime programmes and cooking/travel shows and the audience demographic on the night probably reflected this somewhat. Ebbot appears and is in a cheerful and suitably summery mood, wearing a brightly striped nightshirt, shorts, crocs and a Hawaiian flower garland around his neck. 

Albert, Billy & Ebbot of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

Anton of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

There has been a slight change in The Indigo Children line-up again, following last year’s shift from the members of Side Effects to members of fellow Stockholm based band, EKEN. There are some familiar faces from my Retro Man Blog night for Ebbot & The Indigo Children in London last October - Oskar Nylén and Billy Cervin on guitars, Alfred Holmgren on bass and the powerhouse drummer Anton Fernandez. Then, there is the latest recruit, newcomer Albert Lorenz on keyboards. We have already featured the incredible story of Billy Cervin, who was barely in his teens when he started taking guitar lessons off a neighbour who just happened to be TSOOL’s Mattias Bärjed. Under Mattias’ tutelage, Billy quickly graduated to forming his own band, Side Effects (named like this Blog, after a TSOOL song) and this led to him standing in for Mattias at some TSOOL live shows to eventually teaming up with Ebbot in the Indigo Children. Billy was also recruited into the Union Carbide Productions line-up for their amazing reunion gigs last year and has proven himself to be the perfect foil and ally to Ebbot and his musical adventures. 

Ebbot, Billy Cervin (guitar) & Albert Lorenz (keyboards) by Retro Man Blog

Albert Lorenz of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

But back to the new keyboard player Albert, who has a similar fairy-tale story to Billy. A few years ago, I met up for a beer with him at Pustervik in Gothenburg; he was a big TSOOL fan from Spain who had just landed a dream job at ex-TSOOL bassist Kalle’s Svenska Grammofonstudion, now Sweden’s most sought after recording studio. We also went along to see Ebbot at Slussens Pensionat and one of my lasting impressions was of Albert, a few beers down, enthusiastically joining in on backing vocals after an impromptu ‘stage’ invasion! This could have been an early audition and I think Albert was as surprised as me to find out he would end up as an official member of The Indigo Children. Albert admitted to me that he was a bit concerned about following in the footsteps of previous keyboard player Elias, but he did just fine. He brought an energetic stage presence, encouraging people to join in and clap their hands, wading into the audience with his tambourine. 

Alfred & Oskar of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

EKEN by Retro Man Blog

Although I was nervous when I found out that the Indigo Children line-up had changed literally days before my show with the band in London last year – the new recruits did a superb job at such short notice. Thanks in main to Billy’s organisation, they did not let me, Ebbot or the London crowd down and I was really looking forward to seeing them again. However, let’s get back to the Ebbot’s Slussens Pensionat gig, and what followed was a mammoth set crammed full of The Soundtrack of Our Lives songs, yes, this was definitely a night for all TSOOL fans. Ebbot always throws in a few TSOOL numbers into in his solo sets but I don’t think he has ever played so many of their songs at one gig and I am transported back to all those great TSOOL Slussens shows over the years. For example, there’s the classic “Galaxy Gramophone” from the “Homo Habilis Blues” EP along with “Rest In Piece” and “Century Child” and songs cherry picked from every TSOOL LP.

Billy & Ebbot of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

Anton & Alfred of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

Tonight though, there is just the one new unreleased song “Comfort Zone” from the forthcoming Indigo Children LP, it’s pretty much the good old familiar favourites all the way. There is a break half way through and Eken come on and play two excellent songs, I love this band and played a track in an early Retrosonic Podcast episode about my favourite Swedish music at the time. After this nice unexpected bonus, Ebbot then appears on his own with an acoustic guitar and runs through a long story, humorous apparently to those that can understand Swedish! He plays his first solo single “Wishing Well” and we all join in on the Burt Bacharach style-backing vocals. There’s Union Carbide Productions “Can’t Slow Down” and great versions of The Beatles’ “Day In The Life” and Bowie’s “Five Years”. The band come back and run through another set packed full of great songs from all aspects of Ebbot’s career that include the cover versions “Don’t Blow Your Mind” and “Calling From Heaven” which the band have made their own. Of course, there’s the stunning singles “To Be Continued” and “Backdrop People” that all feature on the excellent debut Indigo Children LP “For The Ages To Come”. The set draws to a close with raucous attacks on “Bigtime” and “Mantra Slider” and despite the clock approaching 2am, they still come back for more. The encores are a blur, Ebbot climbs over me to stand on the table, I do remember “Sister Surround”, “Firmament Vacation” and what must surely be Sweden’s unofficial national anthem, “Instant Repeater ‘99”. The show finally draws to a close with an emotional and moving singalong of “The Passover” and it proved to be a truly memorable night that lived up to all those old classic Soundtrack of Our Lives shows at Slussens Pensionat. If you ever get chance to visit this magical venue then please don’t hesitate, you might end up like me, hooked for life.
 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

Ebbot has been busy provided vocals once again for the ‘super-group’ 5 Billion In Diamonds who will be releasing their second alum early next year. The band is masterminded by Garbage drummer and Nirvana producer Butch Vig, James Grillo and Andy Jenks and features Damian O’Neill from The Undertones, David Schelzel, Damon Reece and Helen White among other special guests. Ebbot also spearheaded the Union Carbide Productions reunion last year with Billy joining original band members Patrick Caganis, Per Helm, Adam Wladis and Henrik Rylander and we were lucky enough to see a stunning show in Gothenburg which you can read about in the Blog archive here. There’s also good news that a documentary on the band is currently in production. The other members of TSOOL have been equally as busy. Following one superb album of classic Rock with the band Free Fall, Mattias Bärjed has become a critically acclaimed movie and TV soundtrack composer and has combined this with touring with Refused. Along with Martin Hederos, he got Nymphet Noodlers back with original members Mattias Hellberg, Jesper Karlsson and Jan Martens, who has also recently released his own debut solo LP “Voices”. Martin Hederos has also just simultaneously released two brand new albums, one of piano music “Era Spår” under his own name and another “Master of Fog” with Tonbruket. Ian Person is currently in the excellent Punk Rock band Pablo Matisse with Per from Division of Laura Lee and has also been working on a TV soundtrack with Kalle. Ian also produced and played on the “Ghostrider” album by Swedish Rock ‘n’ Roll legend Jerry Williams along with TSOOL’s drummer Fredrik Sandsten.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives at Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

So, there is plenty of great new music from all the ex-TSOOL members to fill that void left since the band finished. With sincere thanks to Hasse & Liselott, Vibs & Robert and best regards to Ebbot, Albert, Billy, Anton, Alfred and Oskar. You can check out the Retro Man Blog Facebook page for more photos of the show and there are also videos up on our YouTube channel here. Check the Blog archive for loads of Soundtrack of Our Lives related features including the band’s last ever London and Slussens shows. There’s features on the Nymphet Noodlers and Union Carbide Productions reunions and don’t forget our Retrosonic Podcast special editions featuring interviews with Ebbot, Ian Person, Fredrik Sandsten, Mattias Barjed and Mattias Hellberg and much more. Thank you to Paul Slattery for his photos, copyright Paul Slattery or Retro Man Blog where stated.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Update on the Band's ex-members for 2016 with Photos by Nellie Selander

Ebbot Lundberg with The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Photo by Nellie Selander

It's going to be a busy year for fans of The Soundtrack of Our Lives who have been missing the band since their split at the end of 2012. Lead singer Ebbot Lundberg will be releasing two albums, one with his new band The Indigo Children and the other will be a collaboration with Nirvana and Sonic Youth producer (and drummer with Garbage) Butch Vig and various musicians that include members of Portishead and Spiritualized. You can hear Ebbot talking to us about these two exciting projects in our Retrosonic Podcast special here. 2016 will also hopefully see Ebbot playing his first solo show in the U.K. and we will be sure to keep you updated on all the news as soon as possible.

Ian Person is also working on his first solo album via a Pledgemusic campaign and this is due to be released in the Autumn with an E.P. preceding it sometime in Spring. You can join in the campaign here, contribute and get lots of exclusive goodies such as demos, videos and the chance to bid for various packages in the build up to the album's release. His superb collaboration album with Jerry Williams "Ghostrider" is out now and features ex-TSOOL bandmates Fredrik Sandsten and Kalle Gustafsson. The album is a kind of Johnny Cash style reinvention of the Swedish Rock & Roll legend where Jerry performs covers of tracks by bands such as The Stooges and Suicide. "Ghostrider" is available via CD-On or you can download it via iTunes. Ian and Fredrik also talk to us about their work with Jerry, their time in TSOOL and of course what they have been up to since the band finished in our Retrosonic Podcast special edition here.

Martin Hederos has been busy as always, not only as a member of Tonbruket and touring with Ane Brun but he has just released an enchanting Xmas album with Sofia Karlsson entitled "Stjärnenätter" which has been extremely well received in Sweden and is also avaialble to order now from CD-On. He has also played some acoustic shows with Nina Persson from The Cardigans recently and you can see some photos and a feature on the gig in Ystad in the Blog archive here. Nina and Martin will play at the beautiful Södra Teatern in Stockholm on February 22nd, tickets are available here.

Ebbot & fans at Slussens Pensionat - Photo by Nellie Selander

Mattias Bärjed has been touring with legendary Swedish Punk band The Refused while Free Fall has been on hold. He is also establishing a critically acclaimed reputation as a film score composer with work on successful Swedish movies "Gentlemen", "Upp Till Kamp" and "Call Girl". Here's another Retrosonic Podcast special from the archive when we spoke to Mattias before The Soundtrack of Our Lives' last ever shows at the Södra Teatern in Stockholm.

Thank you to Nellie Selander for the photographs. Nellie has a company The Nellie Selander Fusion which covers her main job as a make-up artist along with her great photographic work, you can check it out at the official Facebook page here or at the Blog.

Mattias, Ebbot & Ian at Slussens Pensionat by Nellie Selander

Ian Person: The ex-Soundtrack of Our Lives and Union Carbide Productions Guitarist Returns...

Following the split of The Soundtrack of Our Lives in 2012, things went a bit quiet for guitarist Ian Person for a while. However, the quiet is about to be shattered as Ian is back with a bang in the shape of two new major projects. Firstly, he has started up a Pledge Music campaign to help fund his debut solo album, if you sign up to add your support there will be various packages all at different prices available. From signed advance copies of the finished album on CD or vinyl to the chance to spend a day in the studio with Ian or indeed have him perform an exclusive set in your own front room...there's something on offer for everyone. There are also opportunities to bid on rare memorabilia too including TSOOL tour jackets and Ian's own Yamaha acoustic guitar. Along the way Ian will also be posting clips from the recording sessions, sharing rough mixes, artwork for the album, videos from rehearsals before the tour and all sorts of other goodies. As a taster here's a brand new song entitled "The Infinite Sea". Sign up for the Pledge Music Campaign here.

The second project sees Ian Person take on the role of producer and arranger for the forthcoming album by Swedish Rock & Roll legend Jerry Williams. The album is called "Ghost Rider" and is a kind of Johnny Cash style re-invention, giving the 73 year old singer some unlikely and challenging covers to tackle. A pulsing version of Suicide's electro-drone classic "Ghost Rider" has been released as a single with the album of the same name to follow in September. The record features Ian's ex-Soundtrack of Our Lives colleagues Fredrik Sandsten on drums and Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm on bass and was recorded at Kalle's Gothenburg based Svenska Grammofon Studion. The album also includes a wonderful duet with Anna Ternheim on "Far From Any Road", the theme tune to "True Detective", which oozes a dark cinematic and claustrophobic atmosphere.

There are certainly some unexpected choices picked from acts such as Danzig and there is a pretty faithful and powerful version of The Stooges "Gimme Danger" that picks up on Iggy's talent for crooning. Elsewhere Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" gets mutated into a surprisingly twisted Murder Ballad, and I have a feeling that you'll never listen to the original in the same way again...! Ian will be appearing on stage with Jerry Williams and his eight-piece band at an upcoming residency at Kajskjul 8 in Gothenburg which starts on September 18th and then on each Thursday, Friday and Saturday until December 18th. You can order tickets for the shows at the link here. The release date for the "Ghost Rider album is currently scheduled for September 11th and you can pre-order copies on CD and limited edition vinyl at the Jerry Williams site here. 

Additionally, Ian also wrote the soundtrack to a major Swedish TV series called "Viva Hate" by the "Upp Till Kamp" writer Peter Birro. This was a three part mini-series based around a young band starting out in the underground Indie Rock scene of early 90's Gothenburg. Ian not only wrote the original score and songs for the fictional band, but using his own experiences he was perfectly placed to advise the actors on the finer points of life as an aspiring musician. The Soundtrack of Our Lives' ex-vocalist Ebbot Lundberg makes an amusing cameo appearance in the series playing the role of a music journalist. There is talk going on about releasing an edited version of "Viva Hate" on DVD with English subtitles so we will keep an eye out for news on that. Unfortunately, there are no plans to release the soundtrack as a separate album as yet, but it is available to stream on Spotify.

We interviewed Ian and Fredrik Sandsten for a very special episode of Retrosonic Podcast where they both talk candidly about working with Jerry Williams and of course their experiences with The Soundtrack of Our Lives. Ian also explains in more detail about the Pledge Music campaign for his solo album. You can listen/download for free below or subscribe for free at the iTunes store too.

With many thanks to Ian Person and Fredrik Sandsten. The Retro Man Blog archive is packed full of exclusive Soundtrack of Our Lives features, photographs and videos along with information on what each band member has been up to since the split. All have been involved in various solo projects, new bands, movie soundtracks and much more, so if you’ve been missing The Soundtrack of Our Lives then please feel free to check out the relevant labels in the archive list. We also do the TSOOL fans group on Facebook so please check it out and join in here to share your memories.

Retrosonic Podcast with The Soundtrack of Our Lives ex-band mates Ian Person & Fredrik Sandsten on their new projects

In this special edition Retrosonic Podcast, Steve from Retro Man Blog talks to ex-Soundtrack of Our Lives band-mates Ian Person and Fredrik Sandsten about their forthcoming collaboration with Jerry Williams. The album “Ghost Rider” sees the 72 year old Swedish Rock and Roll legend, backed by a band including Ian, Fredrik and Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm, covering songs by acts such as Suicide, The Stooges and Danzig. The Podcast also coincides with the start of a Pledge Music campaign to launch Ian’s debut solo album and he explains the details behind this and the various options on offer. With Fredrik now working as a cultural ambassador for Gothenburg, we discuss the city’s undoubted influence on their lives and music. Along the way we cover such topics as the importance of Svenska Grammofon Studion, the documentary about the IFK Göteborg football team “Fotbollens Sista Proletärer” and the recent music-related TV drama “Viva Hate”, all based in the city. 

Fredrik, Kalle & Ian photographed by Paul Slattery

As well as discovering the concept behind the new Jerry Williams album, we chat about some other collaborations such as working with the Scandinavian super-star Håkan Hellström and Nina Persson from The Cardigans. Fredrik and Ian also talk frankly about the reasons behind The Soundtrack of Our Lives split and the effect it had on both of them. Generously sound-tracked by a selection of great music, including some exclusive tasters from “Ghost Rider”, the Podcast is now available to listen to and download from our Retrosonic Soundcloud site or via iTunes.   

Soundtrack of Our Lives fans might also enjoy these four special edition Retrosonic Podcasts with Ian Person, Mattias Bärjed, Mattias Hellberg and the “Fotbollens Sista Proletärer” special, where we interview the movie’s director and writer and ex-IFK and Liverpool FC legend Glenn Hysén. All are available to download for free in our Soundcloud archive or at the iTunes store.

Fredrik Sandsten photographed at Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

With many thanks to Ian and Fredrik. Colour photos copyright Paul Slattery.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Exclusive and previously un-seen Paul Slattery Photos Part 1: Slussens Pensionat

The Soundtrack of Our Lives at Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

Ebbot Lundberg, the ex-Soundtrack of Our Lives front-man, has just announced a Scandinavian tour with his new backing band The Indigo Children to promote his forthcoming solo album. The tour kicks off in Gothenburg on March 26th and takes in various cities including Stockholm, Malmo, Bergen and Oslo. For a full list of dates and further information please check out this link.

Ebbot Lundberg by Paul Slattery

To celebrate this news I thought I'd publish some of Paul Slattery's excellent photographs from our Blog reports on the last two nights at Slussens Pensionat in Orust back in 2012. These photos didn't make the features but I think you'll agree they are just too good to be stuck away unseen in the Blog's basement. To see the original features please click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

Fredrik and Ian work out the set list backstage - Photo Paul Slattery

Martin Hederos by Paul Slattery

Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm by Paul Slattery

Ian Person by Paul Slattery

Fredrik Sandsten by Paul Slattery

Mattias Bärjed by Paul Slattery

Ebbot Lundberg by Paul Slattery

The Soundtrack of Our Lives by Paul Slattery

Ebbot amongst the crowd by Paul Slattery

With thanks to Paul Slattery, Hans Selander, Robert and Vibeke and all at Slussens Pensionat. Don't forget our special Retrosonic Podcast episodes with Ian Person and Mattias Bärjed which are available to download for free at our Soundcloud site. We also have a Soundtrack of Our Lives Fan's Facebook group which you can join here to share photos, videos, memorabilia and stories.

All photos are strictly copyright Paul Slattery and may not be copied or shared without permission.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives "Rest In Piece 1994-2012"

The Soundtrack of Our Lives Stockholm December 2012 by Steve Worrall

It’s hard to believe that exactly one year ago today I saw my very last gig by The Soundtrack of Our Lives. As 2012 drew to a close so did the band with six consecutive sold-out nights at Stockholm’s beautiful Södra Teatern. Each night saw them playing one of their albums in chronological order, played in it’s entirety along with relevant B-Sides and encores comprising a selection of singles and obscure tracks. I went to the first three nights only, not just because the first three albums are my favourites, but mainly down to the fact that the cost of such a long stay in Sweden is prohibitive to say the least. It meant I had to accept that I wouldn’t be present at the very last show ever, but so be it, something I have to live with! So, first of all December 17th was the night of the classic debut album “Welcome To The Infant Freebase”, then on the 18th we were treated to the Psychedelic masterpiece “Extended Revelations…” and on the 19th it was the turn of their commercial break-through, the faultless “Behind The Music”. Rewinding to the beginning of 2012 it all started off quite promising for fans of TSOOL as the band released a new album “Throw It To The Universe” which followed on from the creative and critically acclaimed double album “Communion”. 

The Soundtrack of Our Lives Stockholm December 2012 by Steve Worrall

However this great news was somewhat marred by the accompanying press release stating it was to be the band’s very last album. The band then toured extensively to give the fans a last chance to catch them play live but as the dates were ticked off, the realisation started to set in. The “last ever” London show at the Scala was closely followed by the “last ever” Slussens Pensionat show. Then “the last ever” Gothenburg show at Pustervik was followed by the final stand in Stockholm, the “last ever” shows full stop. Then that was it, it was all over. But to me TSOOL were more than just a band, they were an inspiration. Indeed they rekindled my passion for music and I looked back to my old 80’s fanzine days and decided to start up Retro Man Blog. In fact the very name “Retro Man” comes from my favourite TSOOL song and not just because I am a miserable old git always looking back to the past…although some might agree with that last bit..! For someone such as me who had become jaded and cynical about the music industry and tired of the dull Indie scene, seeing TSOOL for the first time just blew me away. They were a riot of energy, colour and showmanship with songs that stuck in your head for weeks after. In my youth, despite being a musician and a huge music lover in general, I had never really been a real “fan” of any band as such, even as a teenager I’d never joined a fan-club, never bothered about collecting records and later, as the days of the internet dawned I certainly never entered the murky world of the internet fan-forum. But all that was about to change, after seeing that very first TSOOL show I wanted to find out all I could about this bunch of mysterious Swedes. 

The Soundtrack of Our Lives Stockholm December 2012 by Steve Worrall

I just had to track down each and every song they had ever recorded and had to make sure I would know when I could see them play again at the next earliest opportunity. So began an adventure full of wonderful experiences, travel and discovery. Sure there were the occasional frustrations and disappointments along the way but generally great fun was had, a lot of alcohol was consumed and great lasting friendships were formed. But of course, above all there was the music. Timeless music. I have never known a modern band with such an impressive back catalogue of high quality song-writing – drawing as they did from many aspects of Rock history. Love, The Damned, Led Zeppelin, The Kinks, The Who, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, sometimes sailing a bit close to the wind with their influences if truth be told, but usually managing to stamp their own unique footprint on well trodden paths. My investigations led me to two of the previous bands that formed the nucleus of TSOOL, and they were the stunning Union Carbide Productions and The Nymphet Noodlers. Then there were also the various spin-offs and the side-projects, not to mention the solo music too. 

The Soundtrack of Our Lives Stockholm December 2012 by Steve Worrall

The Soundtrack of Our Lives were a band made up of very distinct characters; a fact that was noted by the acclaimed Swedish artist and author, David Liljemark, who created the “Cartoon Animals” comic book based on the band. Each member certainly injected their own character, persona and sound into the TSOOL mix. In the beginning there was the enigmatic Björn Olsson and his coastal influenced soundscapes playing off against his ex-Union Carbide Productions colleague, guitarist Ian Person’s raw power riffing. The classically trained keyboard player Martin Hederos could spin out Sixties Psych Hammond organ nuggets or play beautifully minimalist Erik Satie style ballads. His ex-Nymphet Noodlers band-mate Mattias Bärjed, who replaced Björn Olsson, brought in a heavier classic rock influence and with his Pete Townsend Union Jack jacket and unashamed guitar-hero theatrics upped the visuals of the band’s full-on live assault. Drummer Fredrik Sandsten was a blur of energy of Keith Moon proportions, certainly the best drummer I have ever seen. Bassist Kalle was the quiet one, and his songs brought an eclectic and cinematic aspect to the band, somewhat reminiscent of John Barry meeting Serge Gainsbourg, in fact he even drafted in Jane Birkin to guest on the song “Midnight Children”. Then up front was man mountain Ebbot, a kaftan clad force of nature, bursting with unpredictability, a mischievous glint in his eye and a voice that could switch suddenly from a rich baritone to a howl of rage. A man who revelled in confrontation and reaction, in fact a passive audience to Ebbot was like a red rag to a bull. 

The Soundtrack of Our Lives Stockholm December 2012 by Steve Worrall

I have seen many gigs over the years but I have never seen a better live act – the perfectly plotted set-lists and the sense of dynamics all shot through with an underlying air of unpredictability. Following 2008’s decidedly uncommercial yet critically acclaimed double album, “Communion”, things were looking up, the band seemed happy, the fans certainly were so the news that the follow up, “Throw It To The Universe”, was to be the band’s last album came as a shock. It was a crying shame (quite literally for some people in the crowd at the Södra Teatern) that TSOOL were going to call it a day. But that was it, the band said they wanted to go out with a bang, to end at the right time in a positive light and they certainly did that. Those final shows at the Södra Teatern last December, although tinged with a certain sadness, were a joyous and emotional celebration of a truly remarkable band. So what happened next? Well throughout TSOOL’s career each band member was often away doing something or other, whether with side projects, soundtrack music for high profile TV and films or in demand as guest musicians or producers. So it’s no surprise that already 2013 has offered us the excellent debut album “Power & Volume” by Mattias Bärjed’s new band Free Fall, where he teams up with ex-Nymphet Noodlers bassist Jan Martens, singer Kim Fransson and ex-International Noise Conspiracy drummer Ludwig Dahlberg. The band played a quite brilliant debut London gig at Camden Dingwalls back in February, which you can read about here. 

 
Mattias also wrote the score for the critically acclaimed Mikael Marcimain movie “Call Girl” starring Ruth Vega Fernandez. Martin Hederos was busy with the latest Tonbruket album “Nubium Swimtrip” as well as appearing on albums by artists such as Ane Brun and Marie Modiano. Kalle continued his production and engineering duties at Svenska Grammofon Studion and Fredrik took up a post as a cultural ambassador for the city of Gothenburg. Ebbot featured on great records by La Fleur Fatale and Caviare Days as well as resurrecting The New Alchemy with Per Svensson for a new album “The Other Side of Light”. Ebbot is also becoming a bit of a celebrity on mainstream Swedish TV with his part in the music reality show “Så Mycket Bättre” which is being aired on TV4.

 
I heard from guitarist Ian Person recently and he too is busy. “My plans for next year, well, me and Kalle are writing music for a new TV drama series called “Viva Hate”, from the screenwriter Peter Birro, the same guy who wrote “Upp Till Kamp”. It's about a band in Gothenburg in the early 90's, young kids. No, not Union Carbide Productions - could have been - but Peter was more into The Smiths than anything else. So it’s an imaginary band from that time sounding like something in-between Broder Daniel and the sound of Gothenburg. So we are writing the music for the band and most of the score. So far I've done the most writing, and we are also going to work with the actors to make them look as real as possible. I’m, also working on my album as well. Trying to get a good team together and hopefully everything will fall into place in the spring and the album will be out after summer next year.”

The Soundtrack of Our Lives Stockholm December 2012 by Steve Worrall

Parlophone Records will release a 38 track double CD “best of” compilation entitled “Rest In Piece 1994-2012” on January 22nd 2014. It seems a bit of a cynical move from the label to cash in on Ebbot’s current high profile, after all it’s not long since the band released the compilation “Golden Greats No. 1”. But it would appear the track-list has been hand-picked by Ebbot himself and I guess if it generates more interest in the band and increases the clamour for the band to get back together, then job done!
 

Mattias of The Soundtrack of Our Lives Stockholm December 2012 by Steve Worrall

Of course we will keep you updated on any other Soundtrack of Our Lives related news – in the meantime you can search the Blog archive for various features, photos (including some fantastic exclusive Paul Slattery shots), Podcasts and videos. Please click the highlighted links to take you directly to reports on the last ever Slussens Pensionat show, the last London gig at The Scala and background to Mattias Bärjed’s soundtracks to “Upp Till Kamp” and “Call Girl”. There’s also Ian Person’s score to the IFK Göteborg movie “Fotbollens Sista Proletärer” and we even have a special Retrosonic Podcast with the movie’s directors and the ex-Liverpool and IFK footballing legend Glenn Hysén. There are special Podcasts with Mattias Bärjed and Ian Person and a fascinating episode with Nymphet Noodlers singer and long time TSOOL friend and collaborator Mattias Hellberg. There are pieces on TSOOL-linked bands  who all have new records out now, such as Caviare Days, La Fleur Fatale, The Movements, Mattias Hellberg and Side Effects too. So there is still plenty of great music to check out if you are missing your fix

Please do try and take the time to click on the highlighted links and discover lots more good stuff hidden away. I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Ebbot, Ian, Mattias, Kalle, Fredrik and Martin. Not forgetting Robert and Vibeke at Slussens Pensionat, Mattias Hellberg, Kim Fransson, Ludwig Dahlberg, David Liljemark, Daniel Eriksson, Wayne Lundqvist-Ford, Anders Magnusson, Hans and Liselott Selander and all the great TSOOL stalkers, fans and Slussenistas I have had the very great pleasure to meet along the way.