https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMvPXOdJ2w4
― rip nyc chicken (am0n), Thursday, 7 July 2011 18:48 (twelve years ago) link
ok i love this! the combo of song/incidental noises/birds is so dreamy.
― Fa la la (La Lechera), Thursday, 7 July 2011 18:51 (twelve years ago) link
whoa"i mourn you" is so good -- sounds like it's underwater, but it kinda reminds me of listening to unpracticed marching bands for some reasonoverall, A+ thank you!!
― Fa la la (La Lechera), Thursday, 7 July 2011 19:37 (twelve years ago) link
I am a huge Arbete och Fritid fan.Swedish prog folk^First (and maybe only?) ILM thread I started.
― Trip Maker, Thursday, 7 July 2011 19:55 (twelve years ago) link
listened to international harvester tonight and it is totally hypnoticlove
― Fa la la (La Lechera), Wednesday, 27 July 2011 03:42 (twelve years ago) link
I binged on them after this thread revive.Gonna bring Parson Sound to the radio show tomorrow night.Check that one out, for real. It's got a cool radio session medley of It's Only Love->I Mourn You->Sov Gott Rose Marie.And two more hours of unbelievably great Swedish power drone psych wizardry.
That Swedish Prog Folk thread is totally not the only ILM thread I've started lol
― Trip Maker, Wednesday, 27 July 2011 04:03 (twelve years ago) link
I have no idea what took me so long, but I finally heard the Parson Sound s/t album. LOVE. I'll just repost what I said 7 mo ago:
― Fa la la (La Lechera), Thursday, July 7, 2011 1:51 PM (7 months ago) Bookmark
― Laura Lucy Lynn (La Lechera), Sunday, 12 February 2012 18:40 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp6ldaGVjEY
― RudolfHitlerFtw (Hungry4Ass), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 03:39 (twelve years ago) link
best track on their final lp imo.
― one dis leads to another (ian), Wednesday, 29 February 2012 01:00 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnQgKjdwc9A
― Trip Maker, Saturday, 3 March 2012 20:03 (twelve years ago) link
i am listening to this ^^ right now in order to drown out my coworker's conversation. it's working!
― Laura Lucy Lynn (La Lechera), Tuesday, 13 March 2012 19:27 (twelve years ago) link
fuck, awful news. thomas mera gartz, the drummer from pärson sound and träd, gräs och stenar has died, just a couple of days ago. apparently he fell ill and was rushed to the hospital but died the following day, just like that. RIP.
― sonderangerbot, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:28 (twelve years ago) link
Oh, that's sad. RIP.
I just found this and it's really good -- long instrumental solo in the middle-end, as I had hoped. anyone heard his solo stuff? I never have (until today). kinda reminds me of bill fay?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukobdt7J-jM
― former personal denim advisor to the mayor, (La Lechera), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:34 (twelve years ago) link
:(
― the endless white snow has never felt more textile (loves laboured breathing), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:31 (twelve years ago) link
aww damn. RIP. guy was a monster drummer.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:47 (twelve years ago) link
Seconded
― Trip Maker, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:55 (twelve years ago) link
RIP.
― C.C. Sabbathian of the Doom York Yankees (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Wednesday, 2 May 2012 04:35 (twelve years ago) link
RIP, time to play the Parson Sound box
― sleeve, Wednesday, 2 May 2012 04:51 (twelve years ago) link
shit i loved his drumming. he was the best part of seeing them live, very fluid.
― am0n, Wednesday, 2 May 2012 19:33 (twelve years ago) link
his solo album was posted to mutant sounds apparentlyi can't check to see if the link still works b/c i am at work, but http://mutant-sounds.blogspot.com/2007/05/thomas-mera-gartz-sngerlp1976sweden.html
― former personal denim advisor to the mayor, (La Lechera), Wednesday, 2 May 2012 19:42 (twelve years ago) link
coooool, never heard that. link appears to still be functioning. i take it it's not available to buy?
― tylerw, Wednesday, 2 May 2012 19:59 (twelve years ago) link
I can't say, but I can now vouch for it being totally 100% worth checking out. Shamanjobbarens Sång may inspire some spontaneous folk dancing if played at the appropriate time during the course of an evening. As a whole, it's rather jubilant!
― former personal denim advisor to the mayor, (La Lechera), Thursday, 3 May 2012 03:32 (twelve years ago) link
That's not to say that there aren't lots of contemplative moments too. There are, and freakouts too. It's v enjoyable!
― former personal denim advisor to the mayor, (La Lechera), Thursday, 3 May 2012 03:36 (twelve years ago) link
never heard that, thanks
― am0n, Thursday, 3 May 2012 20:46 (twelve years ago) link
i believe this was thomas mera gartz youtube channel, its got a lot of videos by him and featuring his musichttp://www.youtube.com/user/Meramorr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spvxUKZeibw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qcRS587VN8
― am0n, Friday, 4 May 2012 19:00 (twelve years ago) link
this has some early footage of live trad gras och stenar @ 1:02
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXqDKV4MOFA
― am0n, Friday, 4 May 2012 19:03 (twelve years ago) link
Stephen Malkmus was given a live album with Träd Gräs och Stenar by some Swedish friends - and it knocked him off his feet.So when Malkmus appeared in Sweden for concerts in Stockholm and Gothenburg, he asked the old progg dudes if they wanted to be his support act. "Of course," they said.Sonic asked, of course, if Malkmus wanted to interview his Swedish heroes. "Sure," he said.Stephen Malkmus, former frontman of lo-fi pioneers and slacker kings Pavement, was amazed by Träd Gräs och Stenars progressive improvisations as soon as he heard them, on the album "Gärdet 06.12.1970”.- I've always liked groups like Velvet Underground and Can. And Trees, Grass and Stones sounds like a Velvet Underground with traditional Swedish tunes. Some of their stuff is just astonishing, he says.It's after the concert at the Göta Källare in Stockholm and in the provisory back stage area a quite peculiar combination of American indie rock musicians about thirty and Swedish prog veterans in their fifties are squeezed in.For Torbjörn Abelli, Jakob Sjöholm, Bo Anders Persson and Thomas Mera Gartz in Trees, Grass and Stones the gig was special. They had not been committed to an American artist/band since they were called International Harvester and played the support slot for The Doors Concert Hall in 1968.- The first time I heard about Stephen was when he talked about us in "Musikbyrån" about two years ago, says Torbjörn Abelli. I only have his latest album. First, I didn’t get it. The songs are so modest, it does not seem to matter if you play a bit off in terms of lo fi. But the album grows with each listening and now I love it.Malkmus smiles at the praise and seems to completely forget to live up to the media image of himself as a difficult and cool indie intellectual. Instead, he seems almost childishly delighted by the chance to interview his favorite Swedish band. Cause that's why we're here.A half-empty bottle of Finlandia is on the table, a few cans of Fanta is passed around, the tape’s rolling.Stephen Malkmus (SM): The live album from that concert you did outdoors, which was released on CD not long ago, there is a picture of a girl who does this (waving his arms). Who is it?Thomas Mera Gartz (TMG): That’s Sonja, used to be Bo Anders wife.SM: Did she live in your commune?TMG: Yes, Bo Anders had a little house in the south of Stockholm, where I and my girlfriend, he and his girlfriend and some other friends lived. And some other people.SM: You just hung out there, cultivating vegetables?TMG: Yes, but it was also a community characterized by music, art, literature and film.SM: Did you ever play music to the films?TMG: Absolutely, we even made our own movies.Bo Anders Persson (BAP): We used them when we jammed, Super 8 movies.TMG: We had a light show of slides and served food. People could use our instruments and we arranged a lot of happenings. We tried to live as our audience.SM: OK, which of you was in the group Harvester?TMG: I, Bo Anders and Torbjörn and a few others that we do not have contact with.SM: I have that album too. I got it from a guy in Malmö. It’s very expensive in the U.S., a real collector's item.TMG: (Laughs flattered) Harvester resembled Pärson Sound.SM: Yes, about the same guys playing in both groups, right? Pärson Sound sounded very primitive too, almost ancient.TMG: So you have an album of Pärson Sound?SM: I just got hold of it. Awesome. How was that thing with Jimi Hendrix? I've heard that you jammed with him.BAP: Yep, it was Thomas who did that.SM: Was he cool?TMG: Yeah, very. I was in a group called Mecki Mark Men in those days and we did some gigs with Jimi in Sweden. As a support act, of course. Off stage, he was very calm and relaxed. Jimi talked alot, especially at night.BAP: He played as effortless as we speak, it was as natural as birdsong.SM: Yeah.BAP: I remember one time. Jimi played under a remarkably beautiful, big, open sky and he looked up at it and ... it was like he disappeared off into the sky. He just flew away. Whoossshh!SM: Yeah. Well, what did you see in the Rolling Stones? You’ve done a few covers of their songs. One was "Satisfaction" and the other was "The Last Time." "The Last Time" is great.BAP: Nah, you know what, we probably shouldn’t have done that.SM: Was it the blues of the Rolling Stones music that appealed to you?TMG: Nah, it was their proletarian-rock'n'roll.SM: What?TMG: They made music for the working class.SM: Once upon a time, yes. But then they turned into something completely different.TMG: That is correct. But for a while their music was of the English working class and the Stones were more appealing than the Beatles art pop.SM: Do you like the Beatles now?TMG: Well, yes.BAP: There are many Beatles albums that just sweeps you away.TMG: But back then, at the time, I felt they were not for me.SM: I can see what you mean, but sometimes you're amazed at how much the Beatles could get out of a song.TMG: They were nice, wrote wonderful songs, but they lacked focus.SM: Did you ever tour abroad?TMG: We toured Scandinavia only. Denmark, Finland…Jakob Sjöholm (JS): But we toured a lot.SM: Oh, so you could make a living off your music?TMG: We tried. It worked occasionally but mostly we were very poor.BAP: But professional. Professional, poor people on the left. Poor lefties (laughs). We grew our own food that we took with us everywhere.SM: What did you grow? Beans?BAP: Beans, potatoes, onions, carrots ...TMG: Especially carrots. They are easy to grow.SM: What was it that made your commune fall apart? Was the food too bad?JS: (Laughs) No, the ideals faded away. This was around 1972.TMG: The political situation worsened and became more difficult to manage. Heroin and speed became more common, and it destroyed a lot. Police and drug pushers, that combination eventually became unsustainable. It was a disaster. The ”progg movement” also became more involved with populist tendencies in politics and eventually died out.SM: Hmm.BAP: I actually thought that your set was best in the beginning, when it was a bit more stripped down and simple.SM: Huh? Oh. Well, we went in and ran through some pop songs in the beginning after your experimental set. Four or five "ba-ba-ba"-songs for the kids you know.BAP: I think it saved the evening.SM: Oh, stop it, you got good response from the audience.BAP: You had a very nice attitude, but the bass was too loud. It erased the nuances and almost ruined the over all impression. Boom-boom-boom...SM: Blame it on the sound engineer.TMG: Your guitar playing was good.SM: Thank you. Some things are rehearsed, others I make up along the way. I don't care if I miss a note or two.TMG: The thick bass meant that I could not hear as much of your singing though.SM: It gets a little loud at times.TMG: In Sweden, your music’s usually called lo-fi.SM: Yeah. At least that’s what it was called when I was in Pavement. We recorded ourselves - without really knowing how it was supposed to be done - and apparently that became lo-fi. You really ought to come and play in the U.S., you would probably go down really well in New York.JS: Maybe we should, do you think it would work?SM: Sure.BAP: Nah, it's time to go home. My wife’s waiting. Do you know the way to dance the old Swedish folk dance ”polska”?SM: No.BAP: Then I'll show you how. Tomorrow.SM: Really looking forward to that. Rock on.
― am0n, Sunday, 6 May 2012 22:15 (eleven years ago) link
^that's niceJust listened to Mors Mors. Their cover of "The Last Time" is great.
― Trip Maker, Sunday, 6 May 2012 22:31 (eleven years ago) link
It's unfortunate that it took his death to call my attention to his music, but I've listened to Thomas 'Mera' Gartz's album that I posted about upthread so much this year. It has brought me a lot of happiness. His vocals still remind me a lot of Bill Fay, but with a more ecstatic/joyful sound to the music and songs, generally speaking. Shamanjobbarens Sång only has 8 listeners on last.fm :(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGTaPTSMOjI
― passion it person (La Lechera), Monday, 17 December 2012 00:02 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=433399
― MaresNest, Thursday, 27 December 2012 17:08 (eleven years ago) link
Thomas Mera Gartz is one of the two drummers on the upcoming Fire! Orchestra album Exit! on Rune Grammofon. I think it might be his last recorded appearance. It's a great record, too; large-scale free jazz (31 people in all) meets Krautrock.
― 誤訳侮辱, Thursday, 27 December 2012 17:29 (eleven years ago) link
nuh uhthat sounds GREAT, can't wait to hear it. too bad he has to be dead :(
― passion it person (La Lechera), Thursday, 27 December 2012 17:36 (eleven years ago) link
thinkin about these guys today while i cleaned the kitchen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrkCgwtNtE4&feature=youtu.be
― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Sunday, 27 July 2014 15:24 (nine years ago) link
hey i had a terrible/great idea yesterdayTG&S-esque cover of Don't Fear the Reaper -- slowed down, spaced out, -cowbell/+methomas mera gartz was really a fantastic drummer. RIP.
― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Tuesday, 7 October 2014 22:55 (nine years ago) link
i'd be down for that
― example (crüt), Tuesday, 7 October 2014 23:03 (nine years ago) link
aaaaawesomei'll keep practicing it! i totally love their approach to classic songs
― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Tuesday, 7 October 2014 23:06 (nine years ago) link
hmmmhttp://photos-g.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t51.2885-15/10246129_1634159286812134_1828689062_n.jpgposted on endless boogie's instagram acct
― tylerw, Monday, 19 January 2015 23:49 (nine years ago) link
just trying to imagine what they'd do with the mighty quinn (would love to hear this!)
― no lime tangier, Tuesday, 20 January 2015 01:18 (nine years ago) link
I know! Hard to imagine. Hopefully it is being prepped for release.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 20 January 2015 02:42 (nine years ago) link
Seriously! I don't even like that song very much but this band slayed everything so
― groundless round (La Lechera), Tuesday, 20 January 2015 02:44 (nine years ago) link
holy guacamole!http://www.anthologyrecordings.com/albums/box-set/
― tylerw, Tuesday, 26 January 2016 18:19 (eight years ago) link
That works!
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 26 January 2016 18:27 (eight years ago) link
ugh just saw that the unreleased stuff will only be on the $$$$ vinyl set? UGH.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 26 January 2016 18:52 (eight years ago) link
that description makes no sense, refers both to 3xLP and 6xLP, refers to the unreleased one as a double so that would mean a 4LP set?!?!?
― the 'major tom guy' (sleeve), Tuesday, 26 January 2016 18:59 (eight years ago) link
yeahhseems like it's Djungelns Lag = 2LPMors, Mors = 2LPKom Tillsammans = 2LP? and then the CD version is just Djungelns Lag + Mors, Mors?lamesville, I can't afford these vinyl box sets!
― tylerw, Tuesday, 26 January 2016 19:03 (eight years ago) link
Phil F. suggested that it means the vinyl set is the only way to get the unreleased stuff ON vinyl, whereas the CDs for each release will be sold separately. It is pretty damn strangely worded.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 26 January 2016 19:03 (eight years ago) link
hmm yeah maybe!
― tylerw, Tuesday, 26 January 2016 19:07 (eight years ago) link
Actually, I don't think the CDs will be individually packaged, either - I think it's just a 3CD set. I'm in, though. (I've emailed the label about getting an advance so I can pitch a review to The Wire, of course.)
― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Tuesday, 26 January 2016 19:29 (eight years ago) link
that's fine - if it's a 3CD set w/ everything for $20, it's a steal.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 26 January 2016 19:34 (eight years ago) link
Absolutely. And I'm as excited about the remastered albums as the new material - my copies of those are MP3s sourced from old vinyl.
― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Tuesday, 26 January 2016 19:40 (eight years ago) link
have been listening to the new record traden a lot last month or so. it's excellent! "tamburan".... mmm. getting excited to see them later this week!
― (⊙_⊙?) (original bgm), Wednesday, 26 September 2018 05:06 (five years ago) link
man, they were really great last night. everyone locked into this beautiful, fluid sound. loved it.
thought their current drummer hanna was particularly good. her heavy, lumbering playing driving things forward. perfectly complimented the rest of the band.
― (⊙_⊙?) (original bgm), Saturday, 29 September 2018 21:33 (five years ago) link
finally got the träden record months after seeing them with endless boogie, and just here to say how good it is.
― dronestreet, Sunday, 20 January 2019 20:47 (five years ago) link
i hadn't listened to the new träden until a couple weeks ago and uhhh yeah it is amazing!
― tylerw, Sunday, 20 January 2019 20:50 (five years ago) link
I didn't know this band, but they are playing Marfa Myths in April and after listening to Träden I am v. excited to see them play live!
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 14 February 2019 17:56 (five years ago) link
nice! you will enjoy -- and if you do there is a lot more where that came from!
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 14 February 2019 20:20 (five years ago) link
Awww man I missed they had a new album???
― aquaman goes to college (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 14 February 2019 21:52 (five years ago) link
it's really good!
― sleeve, Thursday, 14 February 2019 21:59 (five years ago) link
I'll give it a listen this weekend!
― aquaman goes to college (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 14 February 2019 22:01 (five years ago) link
The old speakers of Träd, Gräs och Stenar is up for sale on Swedish eBay. Hand built and just simply beautiful. A work of art! pic.twitter.com/2KJCZwVZLs— Beta Max (@rhizome_in_) June 4, 2022
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Saturday, 4 June 2022 08:56 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SXOItN8zEw
― MaresNest, Monday, 5 June 2023 20:57 (ten months ago) link
The band's oral history book is out now in English, so I made it and them the subject of this week's Substack newsletter.
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Wednesday, 29 November 2023 16:53 (five months ago) link
thank you for pointing this out; book looks great. hopefully my family also reads burning ambulance and are getting some good ideas for christmas presents
― budo jeru, Wednesday, 29 November 2023 17:17 (five months ago) link
this revive has made me realize that I can buy the LP-only tracks from that huge live box digitally via Bandcamp, hell yeah
I think there are even another two tracks that are digital-only? https://tradgrasochstenar.bandcamp.com/album/tr-d-gr-s-och-stenar
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Wednesday, 29 November 2023 17:27 (five months ago) link
Hoping my book gets here soon.
On another note, does anyone know anything about the label Arcangelo? Amazon shows listings for three upcoming releases from International Harvester on the label - Remains 1, Remains 2 and Remains 3. Looks like a CD reissue of the Remains box set, but weird that it's broken into three discs @ $32 each.
https://www.amazon.com/Remains-2-International-Harvester/dp/B0CL4L21FB
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 6 December 2023 15:30 (four months ago) link
Ordered my book the other day, very happy for that!
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 6 December 2023 16:19 (four months ago) link
Discogs says Arcangelo is a Japanese label specializing in prog reissues and archival stuff, so this could be a legit license (and could explain the price).
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Wednesday, 6 December 2023 16:40 (four months ago) link
Thanks, just curious. I've been hoping that would get a CD reissue at some point.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 6 December 2023 16:41 (four months ago) link
Me, too, since there was never any digital version at all — the files I downloaded have (very mild) vinyl crackle because they come from someone ripping their (presumably brand-new at the time) LPs.
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Wednesday, 6 December 2023 16:51 (four months ago) link
Recorded over their two day residency, 9.9.16 spans the pastoral, the brooding, and the free-form progg moments of Trad Gras in one oozing zip folder. Their seemingly endless, bucolic bass lines and humble DIY approach create an ever expanding atmosphere of good will - these are surely the nicest guys in rock? The opening 'track' is a 25 minute wigged out version of Harvester's 'När Lingonen Mognar', and 'Stina' is a never before recorded folk-rock track written by the band's close friend Mats G Bengtsson. Spread the word my friends. Reine Fiske / guitar, vocalsSigge Krantz / bass, vocalsTom Watts / drumsJakob Sjöholm / guitar, vocalTracklisting:1. När Lingonen Mognar - 24:182. Kaffe med Tårta - 12:523. Down in the Basement - 11:07 4. Stina - 7:125. Sommarlåten - 13:54 6. Silverffloden - 11:39Recorded live at Cafe OTO on the 9th and 10th of September, 2016 by Simon Holliday and Shaun Crook.
Reine Fiske / guitar, vocalsSigge Krantz / bass, vocalsTom Watts / drumsJakob Sjöholm / guitar, vocal
Tracklisting:
1. När Lingonen Mognar - 24:182. Kaffe med Tårta - 12:523. Down in the Basement - 11:07 4. Stina - 7:125. Sommarlåten - 13:54 6. Silverffloden - 11:39
Recorded live at Cafe OTO on the 9th and 10th of September, 2016 by Simon Holliday and Shaun Crook.
https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/shop/trad-gras-och-stenar-9916/
― Barnaby, Hardly, Wednesday, 10 January 2024 07:45 (three months ago) link