Mattias Hellberg - New Single "Coffee & Croissant" out now!

 

The new single from Mattias Hellberg, "Coffee & Croissant" is a catchy Rock 'n' Roll celebration of love, lust & hope in it's purest form. An irresistible piece of high energy joy that will put a smile on your face and a wiggle in your knees. It's out now on Mattias Hellberg's very own Moozy Music label, and can be ordered via iTunes. "Coffee & Croissant" is the first single to be taken from the up-coming album "Gurimolla!", due to be released later this year, and features his great and groovy new band The Fur Heads. Here is the excellent new video to get you in the mood...

Karlstad's multi-talented Mattias Hellberg burst onto the Swedish music scene as the frontman for The Nymphet Noodlers, a high-energy rock outfit that featured future Soundtrack of Our Lives members Mattias Bärjed and Martin Hederos and Free Fall bassist Jan Martens. After their break-up in 1996 Hellberg did stints as a live member and recording musician for Swedish garage rock champions the Hellacopters, and eventually began working with a plethora of other acts such as TSOOL, The Solution and Thunder Express, either as a part-time member or session musician.


Mattias Hellberg, Gothenburg 2012 - Photo Steve Worrall

He also made plenty of time for the softer side of his muse, working on folk and decidedly non-garage projects such as the dub-informed Kanzeon and Hederos & Hellberg. This long running and critically acclaimed duo, with Martin Hederos from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, so impressed Ryan Adams that he asked them along as support act for a 2001 European tour. When Swedish Prog Rock stalwarts Nationalteatern reunited in 2005, Hellberg was asked to join them as the singer for a summer tour, and he stayed on as a permanent member. The band's legendary bassist, Nikke Ström, has now joined him in The Fur Heads. Hellberg continued to follow his folkier side with Mattias Hellberg & the White Moose, a psychedelic folk outfit who released their rough-hewn "Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Woods" album in 2008 and toured extensively in 2009. 2012's solo album "High in the Lowlands" was a collection of Neil Young-flavored backwoods indie-folk. This Summer he will also tour as guitarist in Håkan Hellström's band.

Here's a video of "Wait For The Morning" one of the excellent new songs that will appear on the new album, filmed at the Sodra Teatern in Stockholm in August 2012.

The Retrosonic Podcast special with Mattias Hellberg is available to listen to or download for free at the Soundcloud site. Steve from Retro Man Blog talks to the Swedish singer-songwriter about his eclectic, genre-defying career as he finishes off the recording for his new solo album. It's a varied and exciting journey - from his early days in Karlstad putting on gigs in the college canteen for bands such as Union Carbide Productions to forming his own bands including the influential Nymphet Noodlers. Along the way we discover admirers like Wayne Kramer from the MC5, Van Morrison, Ryan Adams and Iggy Pop and his numerous collaborations and side projects. These include The Solution with Scott Morgan from Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Kanzeon, The White Moose, Jaqee, Nationalteaterns RockOrkester, The Hellacopters, The Soundtrack of Our Lives and of course Hederos & Hellberg. If that wasn't enough there are also his two excellent solo albums...The Episode is generously soundtracked with lots of great music from a selection of his many phases. We're also honoured to have some superb exclusive and unreleased songs from his forthcoming album, including a rough mix of new single "Coffee & Croissant".

With many thanks to Mattias Hellberg.

Retrosonic Podcast: Mattias Hellberg Special Edition

Mattias Hellberg & Nikke Ström - Photo Steve Worrall

Our final Episode in the Retrosonic Podcast series on Sweden is a special feature on the Gothenburg based singer, songwriter and guitarist, Mattias Hellberg. Mattias has been a pivotal figure in the Swedish music since the late 1980's, and as he finishes off recording his next album with new band The Fur Heads, he kindly took the time to discuss his eclectic and exciting career with us. Mattias talks about his first forays into the music scene back in his hometown of Karlstad, putting on gigs in the college canteen for bands such as Union Carbide Productions. Then he formed his own band Ugly Jake, which later transformed into The Nymphet Noodlers with Martin Hederos, Mattias Bärjed and Jan Martens. Following the Nymphets' split he went on to work with ex-band mate Martin as the duo Hederos & Hellberg, which was an unexpected success and ended at a sold-out show at the Gothenburg Concert House. He has also toured and recorded as a guitarist with Stefan Sundström, and various bands including The Solution, The Hellacopters and The Soundtrack of Our Lives. In between his collaborations with the Dub Reggae band Kanzeon and working with Ugandan/Swedish soul singer Jaqee on her successful album "Nouvelle d'amour", he has also released two solo albums and one with his Psychedelic Funk Rock outfit The White Moose. As if he wasn't busy enough, in 2005 he was asked to sing with legendary Swedish rock outfit NationalTeaterns RockOrkester for a summer tour, but ended up becoming a full member of the band, touring with them every year. Along the way Mattias mentions some admirers such as Iggy Pop, Ryan Adams, Van Morrison and the MC5's Wayne Kramer. Now, surrounded by a great band including NationalTeatern's bassist Nikke Ström, he seems to be putting all his experiences and eclectic influences together with some fantastic genre-defying new material. The next album promises to be something very special...

Hederos & Hellberg (and friend...) - Photo by Anders Magnusson

The Episode is generously soundtracked with lots of great music from a selection of Mattias Hellberg's many phases. We're also honoured to have some superb exclusive and unreleased songs from his forthcoming album. I'd like to sincerely thank Mattias for his generosity and time. You can download the Episode free of charge from the Retrosonic Podcast Soundcloud site. Many thanks also to Anders Magnusson for contributing the excellent Hederos & Hellberg photograph.

Mattias Hellberg to release new album...

Photo by Josefine Larsson

Mattias Hellberg is currently recording in Silence Studios with his new line-up, The Fur Heads, which includes bassist Nikke Ström from Nationalteatern, working on tracks for a quick follow up to his excellent "High In The Lowlands" album. The demo songs I have listened to are some of the strongest material I have heard from Hellberg so far. They seem to be back to ensemble pieces rather than the more introverted solo-orientated "Lowlands" album. "Minor Me" is a loose and funky number which is split by a squall of guitar feedback. "Heart" would make a great single with it's fuzzed up organ sound and stabbing rhythm. There's a similar sound to the raw psychedelic groove that he captured so perfectly on the White Moose album "Out Of The Frying Pan". "Wait For The Morning" is another perfect single in-the-making with it's bongo led percussion and gospel backing vocals, a wonderful chorus and soulful guitar riff. This is shaping up to be Mattias Hellberg's defining album and I can't wait for the finished product to be released.

Cover Art - Alan Forbes

If you are waiting impatiently for the new album, and haven't yet done so, don't forget to get hold of a copy of the excellent current record, High In The Lowlands (Kning Disk Records). Described as "Sad Souled Songs of Scandinavian Despair", it's the beautiful result of a week stuck in a cabin in the woodlands following a boost from friend, co-songwriter and producer Mattias Areskog to get back into the soundscapes of sadness he handles so well. This fusion of nostalgic Swedish woodland folk songs and a somewhat rootsy approach to the ancient troubadour tradition -  whose lineage Hellberg's music clearly represents - be it with Hederos & Hellberg, Healing Hand or Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose. The songs are tainted in the darker shades of blue, bringing to mind psychedelic junkies like David Crosby, Skip Spence and British acid casualty Syd Barrett.

Mattias Hellberg & Nikke Ström - Photo by Josefine Larsson

Mattias Hellberg will play the Peace & Love Festival in Borlänge, Sweden on June 29th and Liseberg, Gothenburg on August 01st. Check the Tour Dates page on the web-site for further news.

Photo by Josefine Larsson

Mattias DJ nights at Moozy Moozy at Pusterviksbaren in Gothenburg every third Tuesday.

Photo by Jonas Kernell

Here is the video for the current single "Oh No" taken from "High In The Lowlands" album.

With sincere thanks to Mattias Hellberg for the Jonas Kernell Photo and to Josefine Larsson for contributing the excellent live photos. You can check out more of Josefine's great photography by visiting her own Blog HERE.