An in-store concert in Stockholm, with Lasse Forsberg on guitar and Tomas Ericsson on percussion joining Joe Matera.
Greetings from London.
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I am writing this week’s Musical Musings from the environs of my hotel room in Notting Hill, as I am currently on tour with legendary English pop-rock group The Korgis. Many readers, who are old enough to remember, would know of them from their 1980 worldwide hit Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime.
I’ve been collaborating with the group over the past several years, co-writing material together and adding my guitar and vocals to some of the material. We have a new single out currently titled Red Flag Day; check it out on Spotify. The tour will see me perform both as opening act and then joining the group on guitar for live performances of our material. It’s the first time that our collaborative material is being performed live together anywhere in the world.
By the time you read this, we will be wrapping up rehearsals with our first show on Friday, November 8 at The Wharf in Tavistock, Devon, officially kicking off our tour. A few days ago, I made my way to Stockholm, Sweden to perform a special in-store acoustic concert at a fabulous record store in Stockholm called Hot Records, where I was also joined by Swedish musician Janne Borgh. And Monday saw me conduct a book talk and Q&A to an appreciative audience on my latest book, Louder Than Words: Beyond The Backstage Pass which went to number one on the Amazon Music Book Chart in Sweden a few months back.
Another great group I caught up with in Stockholm were Safari Season, a duo comprised of Anders Lindgren and Lars Ryen. The group has become one of Sweden’s finest surf pop-psych rock groups. Their latest album titled, Forevermoor has been garnering glowing reviews in the USA and Europe. Ryen also runs one of the coolest record stores in Stockholm, The Beat Goes On. If you’re ever passing through Stockholm, drop in and say hi and check out his vast collection of new and old vinyl and CDs. I believe Australians would find the group’s music to their liking, and with summer upon us soon, what better time than now to check them out. For more info go to www.safariseason.wordpress.com
Another Swedish singer-songwriter starting to make waves on the world stage is Otis Kerp, which is the international moniker used by award-winning Swedish language artist Stiko Per Larsson. Kerp has set his sights on becoming an international act in the Americana tradition.
Back in London, the weather has been overcast and unusually mild for London; a total contrast to Stockholm’s icy cold weather. While in London, I caught up with several record label people to get all the latest news on all the upcoming new music, and what I can say is, music fans can look forward to some superb new music and tours coming our way in 2025. As we head towards the end of the year, I’ll be revealing what they’ll be.
Those who have been to London would be aware of the many buskers that ply their trade at Trafalgar Square. There are many talented musicians performing on a daily basis, with many coming from all over the world. One musician who stood out for me while I’ve been in London was Carlos Garcia from Spain; a brilliant guitarist who performed some unique renditions of several classic rock songs. Particularly noteworthy was his take on the Pink Floyd classic Shine On You Crazy Diamond. I wouldn’t be surprised if Garcia makes the leap from the busking stage to the concert stage sooner rather than later. He’s a talent worthy to be heard by the ears of the masses. Now on to some music news.
Music news
London, as always, is a hive of musical activity. Last week, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and his wife Rachel Fuller were at Foyles bookstore in central London, conducting a book discussion on their new book, The Seeker to a sold-out audience.
Last week also saw Australian prog-metallers Ne Obliviscaris in town as part of their current European and UK tour, where they performed a stunning headline gig at London's The Garage. Also on a UK tour at the moment, are reggae pop group UB40. Goth-hard rockers The Cult are also on the road here in the UK, while 80s pop legend Adam Ant is also doing a run of UK dates which culminates at London’s Roundhouse on November 9.
During my stay in Stockholm, Myles Kennedy was in town for a show, as was indie alt-folkie Iron and Wine, while prog-metallers Dream Theater will be in town for a show later this week.
As I’ll be heading to Wales shortly, groups who have recently performed there include Squeeze (remember their 1979 hit, Cool for Cats) and Badly Drawn Boy who teamed up for a show last week. Australians Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds played Cardiff earlier this week while Irish outfit The Corrs will be heading to Cardiff next week for their own show.
Fun fact
While Queen's Brian May has a PhD in astrophysics, there are many other musicians with similar degrees. For example, Boston's Tom Scholz has a degree in mechanical engineering, while The Offspring's Dexter Holland has a PhD in molecular biology, and Greg Graffin from punk-rockers Bad Religion has a PhD in zoology.
Safari season, Anders Lindgren (left) and Lars Ryen.
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