Biography:
In 1993, singer Magnus Carlson and percussionist Thomas Sundgren started as a country and rockabilly cover band and were then asked by members of Stefan Sundström's band Apache to play with them. In 1994, the project named themselves Weeping Willows but was still more a side project, now playing covers of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, The Walker Brothers and similar artists. In the following years the band started doing club gigs in Stockholm and recruited german guitarist Nico Röhlcke as their seventh member. The other members of the band were drummer Anders Hernestam, bassist Stefan Axelsen, guitarist Ola Nyström, and pianist Mats Hedén.
In 1997 finally the first album saw the light of day and "Broken Promise Land" with it's emotional songs fitted perfect in that era and so the Weeping Willows became popular for a small but delicate fan-base in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Germany.
For the next two years the band did a lot of festivals, appeared on numerous TV shows and even appeared in the Oscar nominated film Under Solen, before they finished the work for their second album "Endless Night" which was released in 1999. Expectations were high for that follow-up and so "Endless Night" rose to the top of the charts, sold well, but didn't get the overwhelming critical acclaim the first album had received.
This was just an extra motivation for the passionate musicians and so the work for the new album was even more intense and for the first time the band worked with a producer (Johan Forsman) who added a more "modern-rock-touch" to the music without losing the unique feeling Weeping Willows songs blow into the hearts of their listeners while singer Magnus Carlson released his first solo album ("Allt är bara du, du, du", 2001).
Album number three, "Into The Light", was released in Sweden in November 2001 (2002 in all other countries) and climbed the swedish charts all the way up to the top and reached number 1. "Touch Me", the first single-release, got great reviews as well and so Fredrik Strage (Dagens Nyheter) stated: "The new single Touch Me is not only the best song the band has ever made, it is also the song, Depeche Mode Fans (and even Depeche Mode themselves) have tried to write in the last 20 years". What a praise!
The self-assessment of the band itself sounded like this: "We have enhanced ourselves, became more "rock" and it sounds different even though the feeling and the bittersweet melodies have stayed the same. This album is more honest, our own identity, our own manifestation!"
The band also became a little more openminded and started experimenting with other genres which resolved in Big Beat-, Techno-, House- and
Hip Hop-Remixes for "Touch Me" and "Falling". Everything seemed possible. They even started a Ska band, with Papa Dee and members of Tic Tox and Monster, called "The Tulos". Meanwhile, members of The Tulos started another band called "Club Killers", while Keyboarder Mats Hedén left The Weeping Willows after their spring tour and was replaced by The Tulos keyboarder Robert Cronsioe in the summer of 2002. The Weeping Willows started another tour in North Europe and was even rumoured to support Depeche Mode on their European Tour. A tour that got cancelled.
Magnus Carlson finished his second solo album ("Ett Kungarike För En Kram", 2003) and from summer 2003 on, they worked with Carl-Michael Herlöfsson on new Weeping Willows material. This lead to the release of number 1 album "Presence" and during the follow-up tour, the concert in Helsinki was filmed to be released on DVD.
The Weeping Willows worked all through 2006 on new material and the first result was the single "The Burden" which was released on January 3rd, 2007, followed by a new album "Fear&Love" (which reached number 2) on Valentines Day 2007.
You can find lots more info on the band, pictures and links at www.weepingwillows.nu .
Discography:
Albums:
2007 : Fear & Love
2005 : Singles Again (2-CD Best Of Compilation)
2004 : Presence
2002 : Into The Light
1999 : Endless Night
1997 : Broken Promise Land
Singles:
2007 : Shiver In The Morning Light/We Are The Prey
: The Burden / The Moon Is My Witness
2005 : I'm Gonna Let Love Find Me / Brighter Day
: Lost Love / I Was The One
: You Weren't Even Close / This Love Has died
2004 : Stairs / Call me anything (Acoustic Version)
2002 : Falling (Radio Edit) / Falling (Masse Remix)
: Falling Remixes : Falling (Radio Edit) / Falling (Masse Remix) /
Falling (Spatio Kass Old School Mix) /
Falling (Spatio Kass Club Mix)
2001 : Touch Me Remixes: Touch me / Touch me (Cajun House Mix) /
Touch me (Filter Fokker Remix) /
Touch me (Happy Daze Re-Touch)
2001 : Touch Me / Somewhere
: While I'm Still Strong / Endless Night
: When You Are Asleep / Waiting For My Tears To Dry
: By The River / I Close My Eyes
1999 : True to You Maxi: True To You / When Our Hearts Were Young /
The Truth Is In Your Eyes / You're Everywhere
1999 : True to You / When Our Hearts Were Young
1998 : Blue and Alone / Louisa (live) / Runaway (live)
1997 : Eternal Flames / Blue Velvet / Midnight Train
1997 : December Songs: Christmas In Prison / My Wish Came True /
I'm Going Down
1997 : Broken Promise Land / Your Eyes / A Reminder
DVD
2005 : Live In Helsinki
Magnus Carlson (Solo Albums)
2003 : Ett kungarike för en kram
2001 : Allt är bara du, du, du
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