A Canadian Decibel Geek In Sweden-Day 3, June 6th, 2013

OK ladies and gentlemen, fellow Decibel Geeks, children of all ages as the case may be, The Meister is alive and well in Solvesborg, Sweden for 2013’s Sweden Rock Festival!  Here’s my account of day three of the adventure, the second day of rock shows.

Thursday June 6, 2013

3am-I awake in a terrible chilled to the bone shiver. I've never been so cold and apparently the weather here in Sweden is just like back home in Canada this year which is to say friggin’ crazy with hot one day and freezing the next!  I don more clothing, almost everything I have in my bag and try to ward off the cold.

5am-I have given up on getting warm or sleep and decide to get up and wander the grounds, hoping to at least get the circulation of blood again flowing through my veins.

6am-The Sweden Rock Supermarket opens for business, so I bought some bread and cold cut meat and things for breakfast and lunches.

7am-I've found my way to the press tent, not sure I’m supposed to be in here this early, but it’s warm and I can use the charging station for my camera, cell phone and laptop without disturbing anyone or a hassle unlike later in the day as I’m the only one here.

9am-Ran into my photographer friend as he came into the press tent.  He had nowhere to sleep last night and ended up sleeping in one of the security huts for a while and then finishing the night in the Jagermeister backstage lounge.  He must have been cold; maybe I did not have it so bad!  Anyways, tonight my friend you may share my tent if you don’t get something else sorted out.

Mia Klose (UK)

11:30am-The first band is set to start off the first full day of rock at the festival and that honor is presented to Mia Klose on the 4Sound Stage.  I had tried to search her music prior to leaving Toronto, but could not find any for purchase.  The first song was called Open Your Eyes I believe anyway and was really good.  The attractive blonde led her band into Drive Me Crazy next and then paused to address the audience.  She let us know that the first two songs that we had just heard were from the debut release called London, so the music is out there somewhere.  They launched into what she informed us was a new song entitled Living For Love followed by Can’t Stop Me (if I had to guess by the chorus any way).  About here I lost a bit of track on Mia’s performance as
another crowd member had noticed my “Monsters of Rock Cruise” hat and he was sporting the shirt!  We shook hands and he introduced himself as Mark.  Mark led me over to another gentleman also adorned in the Monsters logo shirt and we took our photo for a countdown shot.  We exchanged numbers and will try to organise a better theme and countdown shot in the next few days.  I left Mia Klose’s show and began making my way over to the Sweden Stage for Demon’s scheduled quarter after noon set.

Demon (UK)

12:15pm-Survivors from New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Demon was a show I was interested to see, only having just discovered them recently with their newest and excellent CD Unbroken.  Starting with a recorded intro consisting of mainly guttural growling, the band made their way on to the stage, with the lead vocalist, Dave Hill following a few moments later.  As he hit the stage they blasted into Night of The Demon.  Dave informed us that the next song would be from the Unexpected Guest record as they ripped through Work Of The Devil a track that I was not familiar with, but probably should be.  When Dave asked the audience “What shall we play next?” he was given an answer that I couldn't hear but to which he responded, “No, not that”, and asking instead, “How about Sign of the Madman”?  This was a well received suggestion and the crowd was chanting the chorus along with the band.  From the Unbroken record they next went to the title track and it came off very well.  Standing On The Edge followed by Heart Of Our Time were next on the roster as Dave asked us “Are you drinking lots of expensive beer”?  “This song is about our last time here at Sweden Rock”, he said next as they charged through Fill Your Head With Rock from the newest album and it was the chosen theme song for the festival in a past year if I’m not mistaken. As they began playing Life On The Wire I could suddenly no longer ward off the pangs hunger and ventured to a nearby
 food kiosk for a hot dog.  During my snack purchase a gentleman began a conversation with me about the king of Sweden, saying that this was him as he showed me the back of a coin.  He then said he would throw it on the ground and piss on it because he doesn't like him.  Then he followed up with “I only like that he’s a drunk who goes to strippers and likes to fuck hookers”, yes that’s a direct quote!  I moved away and headed on to the next item on my agenda as Demon started into The Plague.

1pm-I walk past the Rock stage which is presently housing Raubiter and there’s a huge crowd it seems for them.  After pausing for a moment I quickly discerned that they were not my style at all.  I continued on my way to DBHQ for lunch as the hot dog surely wasn't enough and a quick change into some shorts.  I also finally found out where the showers were, thank God, it was getting rough inside the tent!

2:45pm-Feeling quite refreshed, I ventured to the backstage VIP bar to see if anyone was around.  I saw no-one about, but well, since I’m here a cold beer would certainly be in order before I head out again to catch Days Of Jupiter.

Days of Jupiter (Sweden)

3pm-at the Rockklassiker stage Days of Jupiter were already under way and commanding the stage as I approached.  Scheduled for a 40 minute set, I was about 10 minutes late in arriving, joining during Superman.  During song breaks I can clearly hear the carry-over sound from the Rock stage as they began Don’t Let Me Fall which was followed by band intros.  Crash was next and I knew the song from the music of
theirs that I had been able to purchase prior to leaving Toronto.  I first heard a sample of their music on the Sweden Rock website and liked their modern sound and compositions instantly.  It was great to see that there were a decent crowd here considering that they are up against bigger names such as Morgana Lefay and Survivor (where I’m heading shortly) all on different stages at the same time.  Still Feel You Breathe and Bury Me Alive closed out the set.  Days of Jupiter are part of NEMIS which is an acronym for new music in Sweden and it’s great to see the support for this, what I believe to be a burgeoning music scene almost similar the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement.

Survivor (US)

3:30pm-Survivor has a big draw at the Rock stage and it is packed near the back of the crowd.  I’ll just check it out from here as, to me, Survivor is not worth the effort of pushing forward, so I’ll save that for someone I’m more interested to see and let this one be more of a hear.  They were into High On You as I took some pictures of the giant TV screen broadcasting scenes from the stage for the benefit of those way back like me.  Rockin’ Into The Night was next and I’m mostly guessing at the song titles here as I’m not too familiar with Survivor’s music other than Eye Of the Tiger of course, finding it a bit too poppy sounding for my tastes.  They are actually rocking and I’m pleasantly surprised here.  I have no idea what the next song was, but following that was announced as Rebel Girl and I made a mental note
(which my poor memory will lose track of I'm sure!) to check out some Survivor recordings.  And then they killed all interest and momentum that they had just started building in me with a keyboard solo of all things!  I began to make my way over to investigate the official band merchandise booth (they seem to be adding new shirts each day) as the keys wrapped up and The Search Is Over began.  After tuning out a bit in my dreams of t-shirt purchasing and probably missing a song I was brought back from my reverie as the famous Eye Of The Tiger brought a huge surging charge of people as they all rushed in to join the pack.

Huntress (US)

4pm-4 o’clock found me at the 4Sound stage for Huntress.  I'm not sure where I found out about Huntress and I have an inexplicable desire to like them that is slowly succeeding, but was a tough sell at first.  I'm sure that in part it has to do with the fact that the vocalist is rather hot, but I keep listening to The Spell Eater album, trying to catch the buzz.  I'm not quite there yet, but I keep trying.  One thing for sure that I just discovered is that she sure can scream live!  I actually enjoyed the first two songs quite a bit and loved the third which may have been titled Destroy Your Life, although I didn't recognize either from The Spell Eater CD.  Ah ha!  She just announced that the last songs were from the forthcoming CD and I forgot the title basically the moment she said it, see what I mean about my memory?  Spell Eater was next and I found
myself recognizing the tune and bobbing my head along with the rest of the audience.  It sure is mesmerizing to watch and hear such an attractive blonde lady give such low guttural growls like that and then scream high pitched at the next turn.  Senicide followed which was also from Spell Eater before she announced another new one which I'm pretty sure she said was Star Bound Beast, but I could be mistaken.  Just as they went to launch into it, the bass player needed to tune, so she stalled well with a good sense of humour, reminding us that we are the first to hear these new songs played live and that they plan to be at the merchandise booth later to sign autographs (odd because I've not seen any Huntress swag over there).  I abandoned ship around this time left with the images of her crawling/crouching down all around the stage, almost looking evil.

4:30pm-I passed by Rick Springfield playing Done Everything For You on the Festival stage on my way to see the accreditation booth about something that I just remembered.  Along the way I finally found out where to re-fill my water bottle, a definite necessity in this blistering hot sun all day.  I noticed several times already that they are excellent at cleaning here at the festival.  Staff in orange vests are always raking up the plastic beer bottles and paper after a performance.  In my wanderings today I've also seen only one KISS painted face (Paul), which I find shocking being used to better than 50% of the crowd painting their faces at a show in Toronto.  I also discovered what I’ll call “The Secret Bar” on the top of the hill at the back of the crowd at Sweden stage area.

Rick Springfield (US)

5pm-Time to check out Rick Springfield on the Festival stage, but this will again be something that I’ll do from afar, not willing to make the effort to push closer.  Rick was announcing that this song he had written with Foo Fighters, Just Like The Man I Never Was as I saw more KISS faces, a group of three Genes.  I was surprised to hear a Rick Springfield guitar solo next as I lumped him in with Survivor in the too poppy for me category and it was not bad either (as guitar solos go) as he got down from the stage and played it in the photo pit.  A little Crossroads came before Don’t Talk To Strangers for the chorus of which he was again down in the photo pit with an extra mike holding it out to people in the crowd to sing the line.  Back on the stage Rick announced Human Touch next during which he was piggy backed through the audience, slapping hands along the way, to the sound booth (a fair distance away through a packed crowd).  He then climbed the rigging and sang a few lines from atop the scaffolding of the sound booth before walking back through the crowd to the stage to finish out with Jessie’s Girl.  The crowd is just a sea of
clapping hands and sing-a-longs and Rick is obviously a great performer earning a new respect from me on his stage show alone.  A beating heart sounded through the speakers giving the appearance of a looming encore.  Rick took center stage to inform his fans that it would not be the case as they had turned him off, but promising to play more the next time.  I was actually a little disappointed as I would have enjoyed to see and hear another couple songs……dear God I hope I’m not becoming a Rick Springfield fan!

5:30pm-it’s back to the VIP bar for a beverage and I see Mia Klose hanging out and getting pictures with my photographer friend.

Backdraft (Sweden)

6:10pm-I passed by the Rock stage and Status Quo, hearing Paper Plane, but I did not linger as I was late for Backdraft on the 4Sound stage.  Backdraft, like Days of Jupiter, I had heard samples of on the Sweden Rock website and prompted to purchase the music from there.  They have three albums out, but I could only find one, Here To Save You All from 2001.  I learned that this was actually their fifteen year anniversary and their third time at Sweden Rock.  I also read that they were taking the stage with three guitarists, everyone who had ever been
 in the band and true to that as I approached I counted them.  I’m not sure the titles of the first two songs that I walked in on, but I sure loved their sound.  It’s sad to see that there’s only a small crowd here for them being in competition with Status Quo, Devin Townsend Project and Imber on the other stages.  They sound great overall and are playing hard, giving the few fans everything they have.  Devil’s Hand from my CD preceded No Love during which I saw that one of the guitarists had his fly totally open, how embarrassing!  They next did a cover of The Allman Brothers song Blue Skies followed by Angels High, also from my CD.  Out Of Here was pounding out as I was forced to move on to catch Imber before they were over.

Imber (Sweden)

6:35pm-Finds me at the Rockklassiker stage for Imber.  Imber is comprised of four ladies (2 guitarists, the vocalist and drummer) and a lone, some would say lucky, dude on bass.  I know nothing about Imber, but I liked the sound and even the look (something about chicks with instruments) and will definitely try to find their music for purchase, which could be hard outside of Sweden as they are another NEMIS band.  Sadly it appeared that they would be ending their set a bit early as they left the stage after the one song that I had walked in on.  But wait, they’re back for one last song, a little Huntress style and screamy at times, but I really enjoyed it.  I’m not sure of the significance of it, but they all had black camouflage style grease paint over their arms and a little on their faces.

6:45pm-Pausing near the back of the Status Quo crowd I heard Creepin’ Up On You and In The Army Now.  They have a gigantic crowd again, but I just can’t catch their buzz at all and the drum solo killed it for me as I backed away in search of nearby sustenance in a slice of pizza.  Roll Over reached my ears as I finished my pizza and moved on.

7pm-Saw me over at the Sweden stage again to check out fellow Canadians The Devin Townsend Project.  Their heavy style was not my type, but I liked how they were all dressed in red and white hockey jerseys, now that’s Canadian!  I came in part way through a song and the next one was called We’re On A Train, but I left before it was over.

7:15pm-I passed by the 4Sound stage and got a picture of the Manilla Road banner and set-up on my way to Five Finger Death Punch on the Festival stage at 7:30pm.  Better stop by Rockklassikker for The Dead And Living first.  Dressed totally in black with their faces painted white, they did not sound like something that I was into and when they paused playing to address the crowd in Swedish I could hear Status Quo overpowering them.  This stage sound carry over is not too bad considering the close proximity, but would of course be better without.

7:40pm-Five Finger Death Punch are a bit late in starting, they have been announced, but not taken stage as yet.  A recorded intro “War is the answer” begins Burn It Down from the War Is The Answer album that is in my collection.  This Is Your Salvation was next and again this is not really my style, finding that the music is mostly just thumping noise all sounding the same with some “cookie monster” style vocals thrown in for good measure.  I keep listening to War Is The Answer trying to catch their buzz, but I guess I have some work to go as the live show is not winning me over in a hurry.

8:25pm-I saw the “Bullet Bus” on my way to catch Manilla Road and snapped a quick picture (in hindsight I should have stopped and seen if the band was on board).  They put on a great show last night and were a highlight for me, knowing that the chances of them making it to Canada are pretty slim.  One of my early Decibel Geek articles was a bio piece on Bullet and you can check out the previous day's diary for a short review on the show.

Manilla Road (US)

8:30pm-Manilla Road had been in progress for about 15 minutes by the time that I got there and they paused to introduce themselves as being from Witchita, Kansas after finishing up the song that I walked in on.  Metalstorm was next and I noticed how much older the guitarist was than the rest of the band, so I will assume that he would be the only original member, but I have not researched it.  I do know that this is their first appearance at Sweden Rock and they sounded great with a good
 mix of thundering bass and drums but audible guitar as well, sounding very much like the CD.  I’m not sure, but I would guess that the next one was titled Tonight We Fight, after which came Grey God Passes as well as Only The Brave both from the latest release, Mysterium.  They let us know that they had arrived late last night, but got a chance to watch the awesome Candlemass (which I missed, opting for sleep instead) as they broke into Divine Victim followed by Road Of Kings from the Open The Gates CD.  The soft intro of the next song from their Metal album gives way to the biting riffs as it gets going, but it’s time to move along again and catch the next in line of the bands.

Thunder (UK)

9:10pm-At the “Secret Bar” at the back of the crowd in front of the Sweden stage for Thunder.  I can still hear Manilla Road quite clearly from here, but I am surprised that there is not more carry over given the close proximity of the stages and the sweet volume of the music.  Thunder’s intro music starts emanating from the stage and drowning out Manilla, its AC/DC’s Thunderstruck.  The crowd is chanting along with the familiar recording “thunder”, “thunder”, “thunder”.  I found a little chair in front of a hot dog cart that appeared vacant and took the much needed opportunity to take a load off my feet and rest these weary bones a bit.  Thunder can be enjoyed from here, no need to stand up front (you can tell how beat I am as I usually am not interested unless I can be leaning on the stage)!  There’s a fair crowd for them as the singer, Danny Bowes, called out to see everyone jumping as they started to play.  Dirty Love was the first selection and I recognized it from my You-tubing prior to departing Toronto as Danny joined in the jumping.  I can already feel the cold seeping into my body as I sit here in this chair; I hope that expensive foam camping mat that I bought at the Sweden Supermarket does its job tonight!  River Of Pain was the next selection, followed by Higher Ground.  I checked the time and saw that the KISS press conference was in 15 minutes, but was on a first come, first serve basis and seeing as there are over 600 accredited journalists here, I think I’m too late and I’m enjoying Thunder anyway.  I don’t need to go see them answer five (that’s the restricted limit total for all journalists) questions and take a couple of pictures! What I think was called Playing on the Radio came next before I started to get lazy and drowsy sitting here, so I’d better move on before I fall asleep in this chair and freeze to death for sure, or get robbed or something.

9:50pm-Walked by Amon Amarth on the Rock stage and didn't even entertain the idea of checking out this band from the little bit that I heard on the way by.  But, I do however need to wake up a bit or I’m gonna be out for the rest of the night and they do have a cool Viking ship on stage.  OK, I can’t even last a full song, so I snap a couple of pictures and rapidly “get out of Dodge” as they say.

Jaggernaut (Sweden)

9:55pm-Let’s check out Jaggernaut on the Rockklassiker stage, can’t be any worse than Amon Amarth right?  Much better, they have a power metal-ish sound and they seemed really into their show, possessed almost.  The sparse crowd here is really enjoying it with fists in the air and heads banging all around.  After the song I joined during the middle of we got Scavengers Of The World as it was announced and then band introductions.  I’m not a big supporter of this kind of thing during a shortened set of 40 minutes as it just takes time away from the music which should be winning you over new fans.  Maybe if it was without the few seconds instrument playing when you’re introduced it would be much better, but none the less I liked what I heard and will try to find their CD’s.  Dancing Fools was a great sounding composition as I wandered off in search of food, beer and a good spot for KISS in about 40 minutes.

KISS (US)

10:25pm-Re-fueled with sustenance I worked my way up to KISS settling for about 25 people back from the stage, not as close as I've ever been to my heroes (The club tour prior to the Revenge release saw me leaning on the stage).  The crowd was buzzing with excited chatter, which even though was mostly in Swedish with the song titles spewing forth I could tell that it was probably a bet on the opening song.  I hate to tell you folks, and you probably wouldn't understand me if I did, but KISS has had basically the same set list for a long, long time and I didn't suspect that a new, cool
looking mechanical spider would change that!  They opened up with Psycho Circus and I thought of my Decibel Geek cohort Wallygator Norton as I heard it.  You see, Wally is not a fan of that release so much, but I feel that it has a place in KISStory, more so than a few of the others that come to mind.  It’ll be interesting to see what happens in The World Series of KISS coming to Decibel Geek during our KISSmas in July.  Shout It Out Loud followed closely on the heels of Psycho Circus and got a great reaction from the audience, many of whom were now sporting the KISS face paint of various members.  I remember dressing up as Gene for Halloween a few times and I even still have most of the home made costume, maybe someone will invite me to a Halloween party one of these days and I can spend two and a half hours putting on the make-up again.  Let Me Go Rock And Roll was next and is a great favourite of mine in the KISS catalogue, but I couldn't explain why, some KISS songs just are and some are not.  I was really enjoying this and singing along as loud as I could (sorry to anyone standing nearby, I'm a horrible singer!).  KISS is my band and have prime real estate on the top of my arm in the full sleeve “in progress” tattoo I'm steadily working on, but I'm never pumped to see them until I get there and then it’s the best thing ever and I always wonder why I'm not more amped up to see them.  Paul took control of the mike for a little crowd incitement as is usual during a KISS show.  He split he audience into two halves and did the old this half cheer louder than that half routine, which when I was a kid seeing KISS the first few times was awesome and I was right into it all the way.  Now I just find it cliché and a general waste of time in which they could be fitting in a new song on the set list, something like
Parasite that they played during that Revenge club tour and came off great being another big favourite of mine or a whole host of other classics that never get the live treatment.  With that said I should mention that I was cheering and screaming right along with everyone else when Paul called for our side and happy to do so….OK, I'm a hypocrite and a bit divided here maybe as it’s cliché sure, but fun and a KISS show is all about fun.  I Love I t Loud came next and kept the crowd singing and fists punching up into the air.  I remember seeing the video when I was young and being torn.  I didn't know much about KISS then, but loved it all the way, however it appeared a little demonic at the time to me in my youth and I was torn between the fear of devil worship and parental disapproval.  I do love it loud and KISS and music defeated all else in my life in those formative mind shaping years to make me who I am today, it may not be much but I'm happy and I Love It Loud!  The new track from 2013’s Monster, the best KISS album in many years, Hell Or Hallelujah was next and the crowd kept singing along as if it had been one of the early songs and everyone knew it well, a difference from Toronto last year, maybe the track had not been out as long then, but I'm just not sure that this music has the impact in North America as it does here.  War Machine followed up and I'm glad that they play this one live as in my opinion it’s the best cut on the whole Creatures Of The Night album (and I’ll probably get some flak for saying that, but I can’t always explain my favourites as I mentioned earlier).  Then it was back to the 70’s for Calling Dr. Love, which has never been a favourite of mine, nor has the album Rock and Roll Over, but they sounded great and I sang along as they thrilled the audience.  Off to the début self-titled classic album next for another KISS staple that even though has never left the set
list would be just wrong without it with Deuce.  Deuce came complete with the patented (I'm sure it is if Gene can get his hands on it anyway) triple guitar swaying/bowing in unison.  The boys then threw me for a loop here with the addition of the next track.  Again I'm divided as it’s great to hear a new addition to the set list, but of all songs how the hell did you choose this one guys?  I’d rather hear Gene’s deplorable tragedy, When You Wish Upon A Star than the generic crap of the song Say Yeah from Sonic Boom.  Tommy Thayer (let’s not even get into whole costume, make-up wearing debate here) took control of the mike now for Shock Me including a medley with Outta This World, his composition from Monster in the middle.  After which we got a little duet with Tommy/Ace and Eric/Peter before Paul called out to the crowd again. By this time Paul had shouted out “All right Sweden” or other such phrases several times and every time I found it strange to hear as I'm so used to hearing Toronto in there but none the less, Gene was now prepared for his bass solo and he did so in the fine

form that has become a trademark, popping the blood capsule and spitting the fake blood onto the stage and down his chest before being hoisted up to the top of the body of the new stage set giant spider.  The spider has been moving from time to time during the set and now housed Gene for God Of Thunder before he dropped back down to the stage.  Lick It Up helped to heighten the frenzy of the audience before Paul proclaimed that he wanted to come out and see us.  These age old, never changing gags and gimmicks may be cliché and all that, but I love every minute of it while it’s in progress as Paul whizzed along the wires

 to the sound booth scaffolding to sing Love Gun.  The classic and ridiculously over played to death, but still awesome every time even though it turns my stomach Rock And Roll All Night finished up the regular set as they left the stage briefly.  Coming back and taking a couple of crowd photos, which seems to be the new “in” thing for bands to do, Paul then claimed that we were a better audience than last night’s in Helsinki and proclaimed us a rock city and they ripped through Detroit Rock City.  The smell of sulphur in the air with all the fireworks and pyrotechnics was abound, but that’s what I expect from a KISS
show.  If they’re not blowing shit up or shooting stuff into the air, it’s not KISS!  The amped up formerly disco tune I Was Made For Loving You graced us now and during the solos, I could see on the big video screen that Tommy had blood running down his hand, apparently cutting himself along the way, but not letting it slow him down at all.  Paul then gave us a short solo, which included a snippet of Stairway To Heaven, while I'm sure Tommy got patched up a bit, before they closed out the show with Black Diamond with Eric handling vox and a ton of pyro and fireworks to send us off into the night.

1:15pm-I had planned to catch the end of the Corroded show as I had quite enjoyed what I heard of theirs before departing Toronto, but I was exhausted and cold, so I made my way to DBHQ to get some sleep.  Goodnight, big day tomorrow!

*****All photography (except the banner and logo at the top of the page) taken by The Meister on location in Sweden, June 4th, 5th and 6th, 2013.*****

Cheers from Sweden,
The Meister

League of Rock Week 3 - Rise and "SHINE"

After last week's frustrating practice I had every intention of working my ass off the entire week to prepare for this Wednesday. Good intentions that unfortunately fell apart as "life" got in the way. Work threw some obstacles my way and then some unexpected "situations" took more time away as my daughter injured her ankle at a baseball game resulting in a trip to the ER, some Xrays and now a very fashionable "air boot" to keep it immobilized as she heals.

Now I wasn't completely slacking, I made sure to run through our set list a number of times throughout the week but it seemed to come in just 20 minute sessions and not a really good all encompassing practice session.


Booked into the same rehearsal room as the previous week, we plugged in, turned on and proceeded to rock... Up first was Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love and right from the start it felt good. Laurie was on a mission tonight and sang with such conviction and emotion that she proceeded to give us all goosebumps, this is what rock n roll is all about!!! When we get this song down solid, it will certainly be the crown jewel of our set list. We worked out an ending for the song and ran through it once more. Again it felt good, far from perfect and I know I missed a few notes here and there but we made it through and there were moments that felt really tight. Instead of Johnny Cash just flipping us the bird, he was telling us own the song and rock the shit out of it.

From there we moved forward with Wildflower and ran through it once and it too was starting to come together nicely the first time through. Enter our coach for the week guitarist/vocalist Michael Zweig who sat down and got a feel for what we were doing. After hearing about the songs in our set list he said his day was looking up and he asked us to head back into Wildflower. We took it from the top and what seems to be a trend for us happened again. Once there is a coach in the room we seem to tense up a bit and fall apart. It's funny because personally, I don't feel any more nervous when they are there but sure enough we went off the rails midway through the song and Michael had us breaking the song apart and trying to repeat certain sections over again. He coached us to jump back in at certain parts within the song and not to waste precious time always starting right back at the beginning as thus can actually become detrimental to our passion of the song.


We were also joined by Topher Stott (co founder of the League of Rock/Drummer) who stayed with us after Michael had left. He really dug in and had us breaking down the song showing us how to better lock in to each other stressing that it's not as important to emulate the recorded versions but to make them our own. I have to say after he left, we played the song better than we ever had, his advice on the importance of supporting the guitars and making my eight notes pronounced and aggressive during the right times really helped me out.

Next up AC/DC Whole Lotta Rosie, the fast balls out rocker is four on the floor fun but a little tricky to stay in sync. We certainly have to work out our arrangement for this number but it's feeling better and the groove is tightening up. Having spent so much time on Wildflower, we decided on q quick run through of Janis Joplin's Move Over. It's a great song that we will turn our attention to later as this is our bonus 4th song.

As the night drew to a close we did decided to give Whole Lotta Love one last try as it seems to really bring out the best in us. Laurie hit the road to rest her voice as we certainly played a little too loud this evening and we stayed back for Scott and John to work through the guitar solo part for Wildflower. Overall this practice went far better than the last and I think we made some real progress with the songs and arrangements starting to come together. That said, we have booked an extra practice for this weekend. Nothing like some extra ROCK N ROLL time, rise and SHINE!

A Canadian Decibel Geek In Sweden....first and second days

Well fellow "geekers", it looks like I made it safe and sound to my destination in Stockholm.  I departed Toronto at about 9:20pm on Monday June 3^rd on a rather lengthy flight (a little under 7 hours) in which I busied and amused myself with a nice balance of movie watching, reading a novel, sleep, listening to music and writing for Decibel Geek.  I have decided to present my Swedish adventure with time stamps throughout the day, starting with my travels and first day in Stockholm.

Tuesday June 4^th, 2013

6:30pm-I arrived at Toronto International airport in good time for my flight.  I was excited and nervous, hard to believe that this all came together in the end on such short notice I hadn’t had any time to give it any thought until now.  I found my check in counter for British Airways and joined the short line formed there.  I was struck by how fitting it was as I heard a song from Saxon’s latest release, Sacrifice, ebb through my headphones, Standing in a Que as I waited to approach the ticket counter.

7:15pm-Once you’re at the airport the trip has begun in my world, so after the security checks, the off with the shoes-on with the shoes routine including a rather cool chemical screen testing procedure that I’d never seen before.  I located my escape hatch (departure gate) and settled in for the wait to board, starting off with a beer and a burger and fries…..the diet is officially off for the next 6 days!

8pm-In the lounge killing time for the boarding procedures and a piece of the drop ceiling fell down, landing next to a young boy.  Luckily no-one was hurt by the mishap.

10am-I’m now on British time (I calculate it to be 5am EST back home about now) as I’ve just landed at Heathrow for a two hour stopover before continuing on to Stockholm.  Well, I’d better get some breakfast….and since they’re serving a beer as well.....  I chose a Greenwich Meantime Lager to go with my bacon and eggs, a weird combo I know, but I was living dangerously.  One things for certain and I’m glad I’m a seasoned traveler as it’s a lot easier to bring some local currency even for airport stopovers as the conversion is easier to do and I wisely spent most of my Great British Pounds in the airport.

2:30pm-Swedish time, so one hour ahead of Britain and 6 ahead of Toronto now) The flight was uneventful as I enjoyed “The Grand Siesta” for the duration, having the ability to stretch out across the empty seats in my row.  I awoke and saw that a nice view was provided as I looked out the window while we passed over Alberg, Denmark.

4pm-On my disembarkation from the aircraft I couldn't help the stereotype of Ikea that popped into my head as I passed through the airport’s lime green stairways.  Absolutely fly through customs in Stockholm and make my way to the Arlanda Express, the high speed train connecting Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport with the city center.  I could have taken a bus or commuter train for a cheaper price, but I thought with the limited time I had that it was better to spend the 260SEK (approx. $41CDN) and get into the city faster.  Of course the machine doesn't take cash, I can’t remember my credit card PIN# (tried several times, resulting in the card being frozen!) and it says that there’s a chip error with my debit card!  Some directions and assistance from an Arlanda employee led me back to a ticket counter for cash purchases and we were once again on the way.

I'm sure that doesn't mean what I think it does!

6pm-I've found the hostel and checked in, pausing to freshen up a bit and then it’s back to the train station to search out a payphone to collect call the bank and sort out my card issues.  I wandered that station for quite some time, asking many people for directions and assistance to no avail looking for a pay phone.  I guess since mostly everyone has a cell phone now, pay phones are a thing of the past, but after some time I succeeded in my mission!

7pm-I strolled through the streets of Stockholm around the Central Train Station.  The city seemed to be an even mix of modern and classic (old) mixed together with parks spread throughout.  I noticed that many intersections would highly confuse the North American as they are a basic clusterf**k of lights and lanes for bikes, cars, pedestrians. One in particular had about 8 different lights on one corner.

7:45pm-With not much good sleep and the time differences I was beginning to wear down, so I stopped at the Bishop’s Arms Pub for dinner and of course a beer.  This time I had Landsort Lager, a traditional Swedish Lager it says on the bottle and I’m told a local beer.  After the heart attack of seeing the price (even after the conversion rate) it was definitely time for sleeping and I made my way back to the hostel to prepare for an early rise tomorrow to catch the train to Solvesborg.

Wednesday June 5^th, 2013

3:30am-the birds are chirping extremely loudly already, I guess my worry over waking up to an alarm on my watch is a thing of the past!  I’m not too sure how light it was then as I didn't bother to remove my melon from its rather comfortable place nestled under the covers.  But I do know that when I peeked out finally at 4am it was obvious why the birds were chirping as it was light as day outside.  Obviously very short nights here in Sweden and I recall hearing that at points of the year there is no night at all!

5:30am-finding both McDonald’s and Burger King closed (neither opening until 7 according to the posted hours), I purchased what I think are 2 chicken Caesar wraps at a 7-Eleven to start the day and sustain me on the train ride as well.

6am-I’m obviously on the right train as there are several apparent Swedish Rock goers aboard, two attractive young ladies were struggling with a weak looking two wheel dolly cart loaded with at least 5 cases of beer cans!  Ahhhhh, I must be in the right place!

10am-I arose from an uneasy slumber, at first fearing that I may have missed my transfer point, but soon realized that the train was delayed.  All announcements were of course in Swedish, but once again as a seasoned traveler, I had printed out the train route before leaving Toronto and could tell where we were by the stops we were passing by.  That and I just followed the lead of the other obvious Sweden Rockers who did not seem panicked to still be on the train!

12pm-Wow!  I thought I got lost on the ship my first time on Monsters of Rock, but that was nothing compared to the spread that covered the grounds here for Sweden Rock Festival.  Immense is just not a big enough word!  I checked in at the Accreditation booth with no issues and after some (OK, a lot of walking and asking) I finally discerned where my campground was.

1:30pm-Camp Decibel Geek is built and ready to go!

2-3:30pm-were spent wandering the massive expanse of the festival, browsing the many vendors and stalls and the stages.

Even The Meister can figure this one out!

The Last Band (Sweden)

3:30pm-The festival kicked off with the first band, ironically named The Last Band on the 4Sound Stage.  The drummer approached center stage with his drum sticks clutched above his head in one hand and sporting a yellow Power Rangers costume.  The rest of the band joined him and they were all in the Power Rangers outfits, so if you’re dressed as such I guess what better way to open your set than with The Power Rangers Theme?  The sound seemed to be good which was contrary to some internet reviews that I’d seen on last year’s festival.  The Last Band pounded through their set of original songs, removing the masks into the third song.  I met a photographer friend and he provided me with the following very truthful quote for the day, "the girls are amazing"!  I didn't stay for the whole set and I was heading away as they ripped into a version of Blondie’s Call Me that sounded quite good. 

Stacie Collins (US)

4:20pm-Stacie Collins started her 40 minute performance on the Sweden Rock Stage and had drawn more of a crowd than I expected that she would after hearing some of her country flavored music before trekking out from Toronto.  She definitely did not sound as country playing here live and I now see her fitting in quite well with the festival.  Again, the sound was great and she had everyone in the crowd from all ages and walks of life tapping their feet along with her.  I noticed that many of the festival goers were also dressed in costumes of sorts with different wigs and hats and one brave or odd gentleman also wearing what appeared to be pink ladies underwear and nothing else!

The Scams (Sweden)

5:15pm-It was back to the 4Sound Stage now for one of my "Treasured Swedish Trio" with The Scams.  This show was one that I had highly anticipated, loving their Bombs Away CD since I`d purchased it upon reading a brief internet review.  They opened with the song Bombs Away and pounded through Heavy Load and Get Up And Move Along.  All three were awesome through and through and I was so glad that I`d been able to make the trip for this festival and catch these guys live.  At one point I had asked lead vocalist Tobias Ander for an email or phone interview, but we have been unable to correlate it as of yet.  I decided today by the third song of their set that I will pursue that a little bit harder.  The bass player took over the center stage microphone next for my favorite Scams song and also the theme of the festival for me in Thrill Is On with Pour Me One More following close on the heels.  Tobias was back handling vocal duties for a track that I didn't recognize and I assume is from one of their earlier recordings that I have as yet been unsuccessful in finding for purchase.  I`m Not Alone thundered next followed by what Tobias announced was called Black Widow, another track I was unfamiliar with.  It was hard to understand the announcements of songs as everything that Tobias was saying was of course in his native Swedish language except for "Black Widow", so could be an old song or maybe a new one, in either case I have to redouble

 my efforts to find their other music for purchase.  Die Tonight preceded what was called Fuck Like A Priest and I would be intrigued to see the lyrics to the latter, but I did catch the line of something about "down on your knees", so I think I can figure out the general gist!  They finished up with Killer Machine and left me wanting more as I made a note to pass by the merchandise booth (of which there is only one for official band merchandise and it`s not as big as the one for Sweden Rock Festival merchandise……this is an oversight I think! 

6pm-After The Scams I headed to the urination area and opted for a stall in the trailer as opposed to the aluminum trough this time.  As I was voiding my bladder I could hear the quiet and soft but none the less unmistakable sounds of two people getting it on in the next stall!  Now that`s a rock festival…lol!

6:15pm-it`s a quick jaunt back to camp for a chapeau as my bald melon is getting a bit crisp!  On my way back to re-enter the festival I can hear the group of seven nine year old kids covering KISS' Heaven's On Fire.  The name of the group eludes me, but I recall seeing something about them before I left Toronto.  There are seven of them, all nine years old and they play in a rock cover band, very cool kids I think!  Also on my way back I passed by a young lady who looked rather familiar and after some time later I realized it was the very same girl that I saw doing the famous "walk of shame" the morning after The Rockerz Gone Wild Pool Party in Florida before the Monsters of Rock Cruise. 

Threshold (UK)

6:30pm-Threshold was to take the Sweden Stage at 6:30pm, but there were some technical difficulties and the lead singer came out to talk to the crowd for a minute, promising to see us in a few.  After being introduced (in Swedish again as were most of the intros) they began the first song, stopping after a few bars for more technical issues.  The singer kept the crowd entertained, talking while they frantically worked to solve the problems.  They got underway again and I'm not sure what the original problem was, but now there was only bass, drums and vocals that I could hear from the left side of the stage.  From two guitar players I could not even hear a note!  The problem was steadily corrected during the song and by the end seemed much better.  I moved on after the first two songs in search of the backstage press-VIP area.

7:10pm-The backstage VIP bar and lounge area is rather cool, quite obviously sponsored by Jagermeister as their logo and name were plastered everywhere.  There were pinball machines, a couple of black jack tables, ping pong tables and lounge couches and chairs as well as food stands and the press tent area.

7:30pm-while waiting for Sister Sin to storm the Rockklassiker Stage for the second of my greatly anticipated "Treasured Swedish Trio" I had to make use of the "street urinal".  I saw these a fair bit on my travels through Europe and it`s basically the size of an outhouse, but at each of the four corners it`s a urinal, with your back open to the public I might add!

Sister Sin (Sweden)

7:45pm-Sister Sin stormed the stage opening with Judgement Day and Liv had a little platform at center stage so she could be elevated.  They sounded amazing and there was a really good crowd for them, several, like myself sporting Sister Sin shirts.  Liv herself looked amazing as well and she even seemed to have a certain glint in her eyes showing her happiness to be on stage.  Fight Song came next as the band ramped it up bringing a hard energy and looking possessed with the crowd singing along, fists in the air.  Hearts Of Cold (which I didn't get to hear live in Toronto) showed me exactly what it was all about.  The crowd and the band seemed to understand each other here in their homeland and this is definitely the place to see Sister Sin perform as this is a strong audience for them.  Dave Sundberg looked happy to be behind the kit, feeling the music (as told by the expressions on his face) and could be seen mouthing along with the words.  Liv paused for a few brief moments which entailed her taking a photo of the audience before they bashed through into One Out Of Ten.  Bassist Strandh could be seen throughout the set smiling and pointing from time to time at audience members and they charged full steam ahead into The Chosen Few.  The intensity and concentration could be seen on the guitarist (whose name eludes me at this point) and Liv`s venom and piss and vinegar attitude oozing from the stage as she enticed the crowd into chanting "Hey" as the lead in to Outrage.  I would certainly support this band and buy more merchandise except that I already have the t-shirt and anything else available is mostly girlie related and I really can`t use a pair of Sister Sin panties!  U.D.O.`s 24/7 was next and I still say that Sister Sin takes the original and tops it all the way, sorry Mr. Dirkschneider.  Next was a
 bit of a treat as I hadn't heard it in Toronto with Beat `Em Down followed by On Parole from the first CD Switchblade Serenades.  Another treat in Love/Hate came next and Liv`s hair was whipping all around as she was a head banging frenzy on stage.  For Sound Of The Underground Liv was hoisting her mike stand high in the air over her head and all three were bouncing in unison.  Better Than Them finished the set and they left the stage, Liv blowing kisses to the crowd as they went.  After about five minutes they returned for a final bow, Liv blowing kisses once again and even passing the set list to a fan down in front of the stage.  Liv had told me in our interview that she preferred performing on the big festival stages and I see that now.  What a show, what a band!

Sweet (UK)

9:05pm-had to make a trip back to Decibel Geek HQ to obtain a sweater and on my way back into the grounds I could hear Sweet starting their first song, New York Groove.  While it sounded great, I much prefer Ace Frehley's version from his 1978 KISS Solo album, but then I am a huge KISS fan, so maybe I'm biased!  KISS play tomorrow night and I`m looking forward to that for sure!  Hellraiser was next, followed by Turn It Down and they sounded much heavier live and were obviously happy to be back on stage.  Sixteens was next as I decided to move along and see what other trouble I could get into.  Holy crap it's getting crowded as I try to move on, Sweet has a large draw, but they're just not my flavor.

9:30pm-as I entered the VIP Backstage bar once again, I saw Liv and Dave from Sister Sin exiting the other side and I'm too old and they're too far away for me to chase them down to say "hi".  They brought it tonight all the way, but maybe I'll get to see them later on.  A few people are around at the VIP bar, but no one that I recognize and I'm extremely tired and beat up from being in the hard sun all day as well.  Beers have been kept to a minimum overall , surprisingly, probably due to the cost, so anyways I think I’ll catch Bullet and call it a night.  I've checked the press tent a couple of times now and there are no open charging stations, I’ll have to try a new plan of attack and go with “the early bird gets the worm” play or my camera will never last through the day!  While having the last Sofiero beer of the night  at the VIP lounge area I noticed that while it was really hot in the heat and sun of the day, it's down right chilly out now.  It’s gonna be a cold night at Decibel Geek HQ tonight!

Bullet (Sweden)

10:30pm-on the way to Bullet's performance I just remembered that earlier today I saw some idiot (a 40 year old man) in a Justin Bieber concert shirt walking around here….probably a good way to cause harm to yourself sir!  Bullet took the stage under a lighted sign displaying the band name at promptly 10:30pm.  One thing's for sure and that's that they seem to keep pretty good to time here as everything has been on schedule so far barring the technical difficulties at Threshold.  Bullet opened with Midnight Oil and I could already tell that I would not be disappointed with the final act of my "Treasure Swedish Trio".  Lead vocalist, Dag “Hell” Hoffer is a big guy so there’s not much jumping around from him as he belted out the lyrics with his powerful voice dressed in a regal looking Full Pull  album cover cape.  They ripped into Turn It Up Loud for the next track in this straight ahead, balls out rock barrage.  They use fire pots and flash pods, flames and fireworks to accent their set, the first of the likes I've seen here so far today.   The title track from the newest CD Full Pull was next and the crowd were jumping almost in unison.  The area is rather packed and I couldn't (didn't feel like) fighting my way any closer to the stage .  Dag paused during the songs, looking out at the audience expecting and listening to us sing the choruses of the tracks while the rest of the band was quite ramped up.  As the music suggests (even recorded) the high energy vibe was seething through the air on the wisps of the smoke from the smoke machines.  Rolling Home took us to a recorded intro during which the band left the stage for a few moments prior to Highway Pirates.  Dag then addressed the crowd, in Swedish of course, so I could understand nothing, except the two English words that he spoke during the Swedish monologue which were "Stay soft!"  Not sure where he was going and in retrospect maybe better that I didn't comprehend it!  They then launched into Stay Wild (a favorite Bullet
 track of mine) followed by Dusk Till Dawn.   Dag almost prances around the stage as if he’s holding some kind of court in his stately Full Pull robes as they charged through Ramblin’ Man next and his good strong voice took us into We’re Back after that.  Bite The Bullet aptly closed the assault and at the end all three guitarists lined up, holding their instruments over their heads and flipped them around revealing that each had a word clearly printed on the back.  They spelled Bite The Bullet and if I recall that was the title of an early in my career bio article that I did on Bullet in my novice days at Decibel Geek.

11:45pm-I made my way to the exit gates and it looks like I was not the only one as a lot of folks seemed to be leaving the concert area, maybe Candlemass is not a huge draw, but more likely there are just so many people here that it doesn't make a difference!

*****All photography (except the banner at the top of the page) taken by The Meister on location in Sweden, June 4th and 5th, 2013.*****

Cheers From Solvesborg, Sweden
The Meister

Episode 87 - Bizarro Covers 4

As most regular listeners know, we like to mix it up as far as themes/format on the Decibel Geek Podcast. Over the 2+ years of our existence one of our most popular formats seems to be our Bizarro Covers series where hard rock/metal bands perform songs that, shall we say, are not typical for what they would perform.

We've had three very popular installments of this theme with many requests from listeners for a volume 4. With the glut of cover songs out there; many of which are not good, we sifted through and think we've pulled out some real gems that you'll enjoy. If not, it's some good comedy either way.

We start things off with the Revolting Cocks taking on a 1979 Rod Stewart classic and pondering  if you think they are sexy. Strange question coming from a band that's "revolting." You can pick this one up on their 1993 album Linger Ficken' Good.

While Michael Jackson had quite a history of r&b hits, the closest he ever flirted with hard rock would probably have to be 1982's 'Beat It" from the iconic Thriller album. Featuring a some strong riffage from Steve Lukather and a scorching solo from Eddie Van Halen, the song was massive all over the world. We hear a much harder (yet still true to the original) spin on this track as Raintime, an Italian progressive/power metal band, blast out their version from 2007's Flies & Lies album.

Nine Inch Nails converted a lot of people to a different type of rock (good or bad) in the early 1990's. A big part of that was the Pretty Hate Machine album. We hear a feminine vocal approach to 'Head Like a Hole' from Lullacry's Crucify My Heart album from 2003.

Closing out segment one of the show is a song by Danish metal genre-mixers Volbeat. This band has really started to break through into the mainstream consciousness with their new album Outlaw Gentleman & Shady Ladies. We take a look back, however, at their extremely creative cover of a Johnny Cash song that will grab you by the tongue.

One band that knows a lot about combining different elements of music under the metal umbrella is Anthrax. Their knack for taking hip hop foundations and building hard driving riffs on top has turned on fans of numerous genres to something they normally wouldn't tap into. We take a listen to their awesome update to a Beastie Boys track from the Beavis & Butthead Experience soundtrack.

In the 2 years that we've been doing this show we never envisioned playing a montage song from a Rocky soundtrack. Actually, we did it a couple weeks ago but that was an obvious choice due to the vision theme of the episode. With that said, a show listener brought to our attention a fantastic cover performed by Bullet for My Valentine of a song from the Rocky IV soundtrack. We must break you.

Up next is possibly the strangest song that we've ever played on the show (until later). The Black Ingvars are a band that has been in contention for airplay on a Bizarro Covers special but haven't quite made the list....until today. If any song fits the Bizarro category, this Swedish dance-metal band covering the Backstreet Boys certainly qualifies. Please take it in a lighthearted form and don't unsubscribe!

Before we get to our next pick, we hear from listener Amy via our voicemail hotline (540) - DBGeek-1 if you'd like to call. Amy takes us to task for not including Dream Theater in our Epic Episode or our Big in Japan episode and asks if we have a personal beef with the band. We try to clear up any confusion as we spin a great Dream Theater cover of a Deep Purple song that will make us all closer.

Two stories going on in the world of rock include Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek passing away as well as the most recent breakup of Stone Temple Pilots. We decided to have both stories cross paths with a great Doors cover performed by STP in happier times.

Closing out today's show has to be the only song more Bizarro than the Black Ingvars offering. Stahlhammer is an Austrian metal band that's been around since 1992. Ironically, we spin a cover by the band of a song that was big right around that time in a much different world. Ever wondered what an Austrian metal band covering MC Hammer might sound like? Well, your wait is over. And we're outta time. See ya next week!

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Revolting Cocks
Raintime
Lullacry
Volbeat
Anthrax
Bullet for My Valentine
Black Ingvars
Dream Theater
Stone Temple Pilots
Stahlhammer

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A Canadian Decibel Geek in Sweden?..........Meister travels to Sweden Rock Festival

Sometimes I get ideas.....that's not always a good thing though as sometimes these ideas tend to get me into trouble or just basically in over my head.  The latest and greatest brainwave is no exception to the precedents that I've already set in this vein.  I have always, since hearing about and seeing the line-up for Wacken Open-Air (German Festival) several years ago, wanted to travel to Europe and see a proper hard rock music festival, something that we are severely lacking in here in North
America even though we make the attempt with some festivals in Canada but more in the USA.  How do I know that they're better at these festivals over there if I've never been??  Well, aside from the fact that it stands to reason given that Europe kept this genre of music alive while everyone in North America threw away the bands in favour of the ascending grunge era or the dark era of music as I like to call it.  Not only that, but many of my favourite bands are European and then all you have to do is look at the line-ups.  for example this years Sweden Rock (my chosen victim) roster of 83 bands.....yes 83 bands!!

In a flash of the pan the decision was made, although I wasn't quite aware of it yet  and I was searching flights to Sweden, dreaming of actually going.  I quickly mumbled my dreams of going to Sweden at work and received a bit of an offhand, evasive and vague "should be OK, but wait and see" type of remark, which in my own little mind I promptly twisted into approval to go!  I purchased a flight touching down in Stockholm, by way of Heathrow in London on the 1st of June and flying out of Copenhagen, Denmark, again through Heathrow Airport on June 13th.  My plan was simple, if I was going to go all that way, I was going to see some things while I was there, I do LOVE to travel and who knows if I'll ever get to Sweden or Denmark again in
my lifetime.  I had banked on spending June 1st, 2nd and 3rd in Stockholm staying at a hostel and experiencing what this famous Scandinavian city had to offer.  On the morning of June 4th I would catch a train from Stockholm to Solvesborg, a 5 hour train ride away, where the festival is being held.  Then I would camp in the media/press camp ground for my accommodations during the festival and I would have the afternoon and evening of the 4th to set up, meet some people who also would surely be preparing for the festival and maybe even see the sights of Solvesborg.  Sweden Rock festival begins on the 5th of June with the first bands taking the stages (there are 5 of them!) beginning at 3:30pm.  The last band finishes at 2am on Saturday June 8th, so sleeping off the sure to be mass quantities of adult beverage intake and preparing to leave the camp site late afternoon Sunday June 9th, catching a train to Copenhagen Denmark for June 10, 11, 12 in that city before heading home to Toronto would round out my adventure.  What an awesome trip!  I was so excited and began reading travel sites and books for things to do in those cities.  I also searched out the many bands playing at the festival that I was unfamiliar with, learning the music and discovering some new favourites.  Then it was like Zeus's mighty "Hammer of the Gods" came crashing through my vision and shattered my plans.

Things with a new store opening were behind schedule at work and when it came to light that I was leaving from May 31st to June 13 all hell broke loose (yes, pun intended as KISS is playing at Sweden Rock!).  There was suddenly absolutely no recollection of the brief conversation in which I believe that I garnered approval to go and it was not well received seeing as I had just had a week off to head to Florida for The Monsters of Rock Cruise (what I really need is someone to pay me to cover rock shows and events....that would be a dream come true....lol).  Any ways I nearly lost my job in the process and if I kept up with my plan and ventured to Sweden I surely would lose my employment.  The flight that I had purchased was non-refundable and so I would lose that money if I didn't go.  I was extremely bitter, but hey, I have to pay the bills, so I resigned to the fact that not only would I lose my investment, but I would not be able to attend this wondrous event.  I buried myself in work and did what no-one else in the company could do as well as I (no, I'm not just tooting my own horn) and I got the store off the ground and running well, then having the idea that maybe I could compromise with everyone and try to change my flights for a shorter time away.  This was agreed with everyone (many stating how good of a job I had done with the store) and so, now we are where we are today.

I still have a job (one that I love....mostly....lol) and I'm going to Sweden!  I had to sacrifice the extra time in Stockholm and Copenhagen and now I land in Stockholm late in the afternoon of June 4th, stay one night in the hostel there and rise early to grab a 6am train to Solvesborg, arriving at the festival camp ground around noon.  I should still have lots of time to set up my tent and saunter into the grounds for the first band at 3:30pm.  It will be a bit of a push on Sunday June 9th as after Avantasia shuts the festival down (slated to exit the stage at 2am on Saturday) and I grab a few hours sleep before having to break down my tent and catch an early train to the Copenhagen airport, but totally worth it!

The first day is an exciting one for me, containing 3 bands that I'm totally hyped to see, all Swedish bands no less.  Here's how it's shaping up so far:  The Last Band  from Sweden ironically is on first at 3:30pm followed by country flavoured Stacie Collins from The US, both these bands are scheduled for 40 minutes of play.  Then we come to the first of my "treasured Swedish trio" with The Scams, whose Bombs Away CD gets a fair bit of play around the Meister stronghold.  This CD is great start to finish and jam packed with fast paced rockers.  I ordered it on a whim after reading a review on the internet and I was not disappointed.  As the lead song on the album says.....the Thrill Is On (THRILL IS ON OFFICIAL VIDEO).

UK progressive metal outfit Threshold has a 45 minute slot after that on another nearby stage, so I'll check them out while waiting for the second of the "treasured Swedish trio", Sister Sin.  I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing vocalist Liv Jagrell when they were here in Toronto in February, opening for Doro (who is also at the festival) (LIV JAGRELL INTERVIEW/CONCERT REVIEW).  They are awesome live and Liv's intensity just envelops you and pulls you in especially on tracks like their cover of U.D.O.'s 24/7 in which they absolutely destroy (in a good way, that is) the original (24/7 OFFICIAL VIDEO).  They are remastering and releasing their first recording Dance Of The Wicked soon on Victory Records and I've received a promo download from Victory, so I'll be listening on the lengthy flight over, watch for my review coming soon.  Their set is slated for an hour, so hopefully I'll get to see and hear a few more tunes than I did when they had the opening time slot in Toronto.

Then I'll check out Sweet from the UK and their classics Ballroom Blitz (covered by Krokus who is here at Sweden Rock) and Fox On The Run (a cover of which appeared on Anomaly from Ace Frehley, whose former band KISS is also at the festival) before the last of my "treasured Swedish trio" in Bullet, who I discovered by accident and love their AC/DC style.  One of my first articles for Decibel Geek was a bio piece on Bullet (I BIT THE BULLET ARTICLE).  Bullet are scheduled for an hour and a quarter set, so that should be enough to encompass their four releases, all jam packed to the brim with straight ahead, no frills balls out rock and I'm looking forward to a high octane live set.  Their newest album hit stores in late 2012 entitled Full Pull.

Sweden's Candlemass gets the closing slot of the first night, slated to wrap up at 2am.

I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm a bit nervous as this will be my first trip to a foreign speaking country by myself and even the sheer immensity of the festival itself is a bit intimidating as you can see in the grounds map.  The festival seems extremely organized and the organisers are excellent at keeping generally everyone informed through Facebook and sending emails with updates and press information.  I'm sure I drove the accreditation person absolutely nuts with my barrage of nervous, random, non-accreditation questions, but I'm looking forward to the adventure and hopefully meeting up with Liv and the Sin boys and maybe Nigel Glockler (Saxon drummer) among others as well.  I had planned to do in depth bio articles on the bands, interviews and history of the festival, but with the late go ahead in actually going, it fell by the way side, so here we go, wish me luck and I'll post my adventures as I go if possible....if not upon my return I'm sure I'll have lots of cool shit to yak about!

SWEDEN ROCK WEBSITE          SWEDEN ROCK FACEBOOK PAGE

Cheers,

The Meister