| Band Members | Jenny Schaub – vocals, accordion, tin-whistle
Martin Schaub – vocals, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, keyboards
Tobias Edvardson – violin, vocals
Ola Karlevo – drums, bodhran, vocals
David Ekh – guitars (electric & acoustic)
Kenneth Holmström – bass |
| Influences | West of Eden was formed 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has since developed into a hard working band, writing and producing their own material. The band has a unique sound, wich combines the musical language of traditional Celtic music with the members' more pop oriented background. Electric guitars, keyboards, drums and bass are mixed with traditional intsruments like whistles, fiddle, accordion and mandolin and on top of all that, the crystal clear voice of the singer, Jenny Schaub.
The first CD, "West of Eden" (1997) was released in Sweden, Spain and in Ireland. It immediateley received a lot of critical acclaim and brought the band to Ireland for thier first tour where they performed at a packed "The Quays" in Galway as well as at the "HQ" in Dublin.
Around this time West of Eden were also featured on several compilations, alongside artists such as Sinead O'Connor, Mary Black and Clannad. Musical discoverie's critic called the band's contribution to the album "Faire Celts" "...The highlight of this magnificent album!".
The much awaited second release "Rollercoaster" was released in february 2001, and went straight up to place 36 in the Swedish sale charts.
The singles from the album recieved a lot of radio play, and during the year the band performed their music at some of the biggest TV-shows and best concert venues in Sweden.
In August 2002 West of Eden released The KISS Tribute, a CD single featuring "Celtic" versions of two classic tracks from the American rock band KISS! These unexpected choice of covers, only avilable from the West of Eden website, caused a lot of interrest from the media. The band also found time in the autumn to make a succesful tour to Holland and Belgium as well as record a new album.
As the company the band were previously signed to folded, West of Eden signed a new record deal. The much awaited CD "A stupid thing to do" was released in 2003. The single “Finders Keepers” received a lot of radio play and the record itself received very positive reviews:
In 2004 the duo Jenny & Martin, the singer and the songwriter from West of Eden, released the album “Kite High”. They studied Celtic music over the summer at the university in Limerick, 2001. And the album “Kite High” was the result of that education. With this CD they journeyed deeper down in the Celtic music tradition and the result was a more acoustic and traditional variation of West of Eden.
In the summer 2004 West of Eden visited Ireland once more. The band did some concerts and they took the chance to, once again, study Irish music. Their visit got a lot of attention and Irish Music Magazine wrote an big article of the Swedish bands visit”.
West of Eden’s fourth album was released in January 2006. The CD was very suitable named “Four” and it’s first single “True Believer” was a big radio hit in their native country. Of course West of Eden claims that “this is the best album we have done so far!”, and those who have heard it tend to degree. From Waterboys influenced songs like ”Anywhere the wind blows” to transaprent ambient ballads like ”Ghost of you”, ”Four” is once again proof that the best contempporary Celtic music around today is written and recorded in Sweden! |
