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Mattias Hellberg

Mattias Hellberg Radio

General Info

  • Genre: Folk / Other

    Location Värmland, Sv

    Profile Views: 169561

    Last Login: 2/21/2013

    Member Since 9/27/2005

    Website www.mattiashellberg.com

    Record Label The White Moose/Devil Duck records

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    Mattias Hellberg, born & raised in Karlstad, has been part of the Swedish music scene since the late 80's. His love for and obsession with music started in the pre adolescence years, and at the age of 14 he started his first band Ugly Jake in 1987. This band transformed into Nymphet Noodlers in 1992. He has played guitar in several rock bands like The Hellacopters and Soundtrack of Our Lives, but it is as a solo act Mattias reveals the sad soul of Scandinavian despair, which also describes the new album "High in the Lowlands". Nymphet Noodlers released 1 ep & 1 album and toured around Scandinavia until they broke up in 1996. The year after Hellberg moved to Gothenburg where he became an important part of a vibrant music scene. Besides working on his own material he sang in short-lived furious boogie rock band Hot Love and played guitar in alternative country band Alimony for a short while. 1998 included a stint as guitarist with The Hellacopters, recording and touring with the band. In 1999 he and one of his fellow musicians from Nymphet Noodlers, Martin Hederos, recorded 8 cover songs meant to be a demo to get gigs in bars. Old friend Niclas Stenholm released the songs on the album M. Hederos M. Hellberg in 2000. Hederos & Hellberg turned out to be a totally unexpected success. Critics went nuts about it and all of a sudden they were a "band" playing sold out theaters all over Scandinavia. Ryan Adams discovered the duo when he was playing his first concert in Gothenburg, and he brought them with him on a European tour as Hederos & Hellberg's second album, "Together in the darkness" was released in 2001. However, at the same time Martin was also busy touring with his other band The Soundtrack of Our Lives, which got a major contract with Universal in the US. Eventually two international careers were too much to endeavor and Hederos & Hellberg had to go separate ways. In January 2003 they did a last performance in a sold out Gothenburg Concert House. Mattias focused on his own material and recorded songs written between 1996 and 2003. The self-titled, first solo album was released in 2004. In 2005 he was asked to sing with legendary Swedish rock unit Nationalteatern's RockOrkester for a summer tour. He has been a full member of the band since, touring with them every year. He also toured & recorded with Swedish artist Stefan Sundström as guitarist during 2004-2005. Sundström is an acclaimed Swedish singer-song writer, which has been releasing albums and touring Scandinavia since 1991. Mattias curiosity and openness has made him seek out and get inspired by music from all over the world, from Nigerian funk to classic rock n' roll. As he states it himself "I love all music with soul and feeling, not as a genre but across genres and continents. Music that convey depth and understanding of human beings, both their moments of happiness and those of despair." This manifested it self- among other things- in reggae/dub/rock project, Kanzeon, which released their self-titled album in 2006. In 2007 he wrote, played and recorded songs with Ugandan/Swedish soul bird Jaqee for what became her album "Nouvelle d'amour". The album was a huge success and Mattias toured with Jaqee for the Nouvelle tour. The collaboration has even resulted in Mattias' own striped down version of the song Nouvelle d'amour on his new album. 2008 was the year of Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose and the album "Out of the frying pan into the woods". The album was written and recorded in only 2 weeks and reflected Mattias urge to revisit more energetic and out going rock n'roll with inspiration from psychedelia and rough grooves. The band was touring in Europe in 2009. The new album "High In The Lowlands" is an intimate collaboration with longtime friend Mattias Areskog. Only the two of them stuck in a cabin for just a week "High in the Lowlands" is the beautiful result of yet another Hellberg masterpiece. Throughout his work Mattias Hellbergs sad souled songs of Scandinavian heartbreak, be it with Hederos & Hellberg, Healing Hand, The White Moose he always did have a somewhat rootsy approach to the ancient troubadour tradition whose linage Hellbergs music clearly represents. The album "High In The Lowlands" is to be released in Europe, the US & Canada. There will also be a release in Jan 2012 of a live album from, what supposed to be, Hederos & Hellberg last concert. There will be tours, there will be fun and what else?.... Stay high in the lowlands, folks!! ""High in the Lowlands" is a sinister set of songs tainted in the darker shades of blue since psychedelic junkies like David Crosby, Skip Spence and British acid casualties like Syd Barret & that bunch. The mellow melancholy of Hellbergs music carries an ethereal echo vergin on the nostalgics of Sweden's woodland folk songs." From the pressrelease by Kenny Håkansson Mattias Hellberg Disco. Nymphet Noodlers 1993. Impeccable Selection EP 1994. Going Abroad Hot Love 1997. vinyl single Hederos & Hellberg 2000. Hederos & Hellberg 2001. Together In The Darkness 2002. Take Care EP Mattias Hellberg 2004. Mattias Hellberg 2008. Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Woods 2011. High In The Lowlands Kanzeon 2000. 3 track vinyl 12" 2006. Kanzeon Mattias also appear as musician/singer on the following chosen albums: Jaqee – Nouvelle d'amour 2007 Ossler – Desorienterad – 2001 Ossler – Den siste som kom ut – 2002 Marit Bergman - 3.00 A.M. Serenades - 2003 Kristofer Åström – Rainaway Town – 2007 Thunder Express - Republic Disgrace – 2007 Mikael Herrström – The Second Waltz - 2007 Valdemar feat. Mattias Hellberg – Saving Grace The Gospel songs of Bob Dylan 2007 The Hellacopters – Grande Rock & some singles & b-sides NationalTeaterns RockOrkester – Live 2006 NationalTeaterns RockOrkester – Live 2006 DVD Stefan Sundström – Pappa kom hem 2003 Stefan Sundström – Hjärtats Melodi 2004 Stefan Sundström – Stolt men inte nöjd – 2004 Stefan Sundström – Fabler från Bällingebro – 2005 The Solution – Will not be Televised – 2008 Alabamica - 2009

  • Members

    Me & friends

  • Influences

    Tomtar, Troll & Shaking hips...

  • Sounds Like

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Bio:

"Nothing swings quite like rock that sounds like it's being written as you listen, music that sounds completely spontaneous and unplanned, and that's something Mr. Hellberg does effortlessly. Late of collaborative efforts with Martin Hederos of Soundtrack of Our Lives fame, as well as stints with the Hellacopters and Nymphet Noodlers, Mattias Hellberg knows his way around a wide range of rock noise: Stones-like opener "Black Cat Fever" plops Soundtrack of Our Lives-like keys and "oohs" on top of maniac bass-propelled Keef strummery, while "A Good Day" basks in dobro-inflected acoustic rootsiness, a la III-era Zeppelin. Later they stretch out for extended psych jams on "Foggy Day" and "Final Call," the latter riding a sitar-riff into the stratosphere. Crucially, these Moose dudes balance well-written and fully realized songs with the kind of stoned good humor that makes this kind of stuff work. Ultimately this is really, really good, thoroughly convincing old school shit." Review of the album from www.smilepolitely.com............................................................. "Mattias Hellberg reminds me of Devendra Banhart. Not only because of his hair and beard. The music he plays along with his band The White Moose is eclectic in a similar way Banhart’s music is. But where Banhart’s foundation is tropicalia Hellberg’s music got its roots in rock’n’roll. No wonder as he used to play in The Hellacopters… Don’t get me wrong. This record sounds neither like The Hellacopters nor like rock’n’roll. It is more like rock’n’roll is their language but what they speak is total druggy gibberish. It’s psychedelic, it’s weird and it’s pretty one of a kind. New Weird Sweden? Maybe… I really like this record because it is pretty unique and hard to categorize but not totally unlistenable or pseudo artsy nonsense. It’s just a good old lsd roadtrip in a pink Cadillac with an Elvis Presley-moose-hybrid life form as your driver. The artwork is silly. And totally amazing! This record is freak folk without folk. If you like music that makes you feel like you have taken drugs come on in!" Review from http://yellowisthenewpink.com
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Member Since:

September 27, 2005

Influences:

Tomtar, Troll & Shaking hips...

Sounds Like:

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Record Label:

Playground Music/Stickman Records

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