How did I start playing in Kalix??
Music has always been in my home on Vassenvägen. Dad played in various orchestras when I was growing up, so the acquaintances we visited were usually musicians with families or they visited us, mostly to play and sing with all the orchestra wives or to rehearse together. After all, my father thought that practicing was a fun occupation, so accordion and music permeated the house.
Then there was his record collection with, in addition to concert music for accordion, a lot of jazz from the 40s and 50s. An exciting combination of musical styles that I haven’t really grasped how it affected me. It is clear that the music felt like something fun and exciting! So then there were piano lessons.
An education into the classical world with music reading as the main tool. As Kenneth writes, maybe those melodies weren’t so hugely attractive when you had grown up with Charlie Parker and Jularbo. I took my own initiative and learned the song that was last in the book, it was fun, but instead of getting praise, I was told that “you MUST take all the pieces in TURN AND ORDER”!
Karl XII
Thus arose a need to also be able to create music! Our parents realized that we needed a context where we could play together with peers and so our first band was formed. With many ropes in the music hall at Manhemsskolan, we gradually learned both to communicate with the music (we could start and stop at the same time) and some skills in the form of chords, em and G.
Serves you right to suffer, we played it for hours!
The music hall was perfect, but it was just below the teacher’s room, so in the end we were evicted on the grounds that we played so hard that the tiles cracked. After the music hall, we scratched in the garage on Vassenvägen, yes the whole house actually (patient parents), at Kjell’s in Djuptjärn, Kaskad, Nystadsskolan.
Kenneth has written nicely about KARLXII but I am attaching some clips and some pictures.
Bernt and Roland
After playing with Karl XII for a while, my paths crossed with Bernt Ek and Roland Strålberg. I had started to make songs and record them with sound on sound on dad’s Tandberg reel-to-reel tape recorder, but Bernt and Roland were already driven to both make music and capture it on tape. In addition, they were so incredibly creative and had both invented their own world, the world of Borealis, for which they wrote music and also managed to set poems by Karin Boye to music.
I was trusted to “hang out” with them and learn an incredible amount about music.
Record listening was an important ingredient and Roland was able to play Zappa’s more alternative album Freak out! and Absolutely free. Bernt had Birds of fire, Appostrophe among others in the disc back. In addition, Bernt lived opposite the record store at the time, so there was a lot of record listening at Bernt’s place. Roland and I played a lot together, but long distances meant that there was no permanent bond.
We were also interested in other art forms, painting, screen printing and photography.
Kalix Kulturforum
Musikforum was founded in Uppsala by, among others, Ingemar Bergman (Kaipa) to promote music making and concerts. Kulturforum in Kalix was one of all local associations. The network became nationwide and brought many bands on tour to Kalix. This was, of course, very inspiring and led to, hmmmm, that looks like fun. Play music and see new places! Some groups that came via the music forum and the Kalix music association (the ones I still remember):
Kaipa, Ragnarök, Jerry Williams, Samla Mommas Manna, Pugh and Nature, Mikael Ramel, Wasa Express, Splash, Chickory Tip, Träd Gräs och Stenar, Solarplexus, John Sold and his Lucky Lips, Mahattma Åhlström Band, Berits Halsband, Kebnekaise, Ragges , (Kornet?) etc. Somehow, I’ve probably forgotten several..
The music parties
The music parties that were organized were the occasions where what had been languishing in the rehearsal rooms around would finally be performed in front of an audience and with excitement in front of the other bands. It was very fun to hear what everyone has been up to lately and not least adrenaline-inducing to play it yourself! It was very important and meaningful to feel such a great community with all the other musicians and to get to know so many who have also remained lifelong friends.
The music parties were organized at Kalix föreninghus, Kaskad, Furulogen, Sandgrynnan’s party place (and probably places I forgot).
Kalix Municipal Music School
Alvar Burman and Inger Johansson and others ensured that there was a musical education also in terms of piano playing, ensemble playing and music theory.
CYK\’s Dining Room
The ultimate gathering place for music was still CYK. There you could rehearse with your band but also meet in other constellations to jam, record or prepare a performance.
For example, we recorded “Christmas Jam” at CYK. Me, Björn Axelsson, Kaj Strang and Kenneth Nelson.
Rolandes Söner
After everyone in Karl XII went their own way, we started ROLANDES SÖNER. I have no real memories of how we practiced or wrote music but there is a recording from our only gig at the pizzeria in Kalix, 24/5 1978.
The band was very important to me despite its short existence because it was the embryo of what would later be called Cabazz. Olle, Gerhard and Kenneth continued to scratch at Framnäs together with Göran Teljebäck and Robert Thörne.
Umeå
After the move from Kalix via Piteå, it was Umeå that became the new base.
It was a very creative environment there and I played a lot during that time.
Some that I have collaborated with:
Pelle Henricsson, studio fox with whom I worked as a studio musician and as
TonTeknik took me to Kylan’s Rock Orchestra, where I got a school in rock. Kylan’s which then became a more synthetic version, namely Kylan’s Rock Orchestra
Local Heroes with everyone from Kylan except Kylan himself.
Caribbean Beat, salsa band
Runar Enberg, film music and his band Naud Produktion
Temporary (as played at a music party in the Lodge).
Benty Öqvist, Mikael Sävenstedt in various bands.
Electric Woodoo
Uppsala
Then the move went to the prog stronghold Uppsala.
The ones I’ve played with the most here are among others
Soul Pack
Bergman Blues
Frida Matsdotter
DocV
Arnesen Blues Band