Interview with G.A.I.N

'A - Part Two of H.A.T.E'
'A - Part Two of H.A.T.E'
'A - Part Two of H.A.T.E'

I met up with G.A.I.N who have recorded the second part of the H.A.T.E saga, ‘A – Part Two of H.A.T.E’. Here’s their thoughts about the project.

Hi G.A.I.N! You guys are doing “A – part two of H.A.T.E” how is the EP coming along?

It’s coming along very well. It’s all done and waiting to be released. Niklas Stålvind of Wolf produced and mixed. Mike Wead of King Diamond and bibelblack mastered. From the final result we can definitely say that it sounds kick-ass! We’re very proud of what we’ve done and we can’t wait until we can share the result with the world!



Great! Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?

We’re just a couple of metalheads doing what we love. We all come from different places but our love for Metal brought us together. We all live in Stockholm and we like to go out and have a good old dirty time. It happens a little too often but that’s Metal for you!  We live by the motto, Sex, Booze and Tattoos! 



What did you think of the original songs when you first heard them and did you think it was hard to interpret them into your own style or did you get ideas straight away?

When we first heard the songs we wondered what the hell we’d gotten or self’s in to. It was a little hard to “connect” with the songs at first but after a few listening’s they grew on us and now we like them. 
We decided early not to listen to the originals that much too ensure that our versions came more from us, so that they would sound like G.A.I.N. 
Some songs we had ideas for right after the first listen but some came harder. The song that came easiest was probably “King of the Willow Tree” and one that we had to work a bit on was “Glow”.  



Which of the songs are you most pleased with and why?

Our favorites are probably King of the Willow Tree and The War. We really like the raw drive of the riffs in both songs. They are really in our own style and don’t sound like covers at all. Your way of writing really fitted well into our kind of music. They came out just like our own songs.



What’s your favorite gig memory?

Three of us remember on gig in particular. Mr Bandiit was a little too excited and played a bit fast. This resulted in that Gus had to prioritize ether singing or breathing in the last song. He chose to sing… 
He gave his last bit of energy in that song and as a result of that he ended up taking an ambulance ride to the hospital. 



Can you tell us a little bit about the recording sessions and what was most fun with being a part of this project?

We recorded everything in Viper Studios. From this experience we learned that we will never record four songs in two days again. It’s borderline impossible and we don’t recommend it. We finished all the rhythm guitars and the drums in one day and thought we were doing very well. Only lead guitar, bass and vocals left right? The lead guitar and the bass were done at about 8 o’clock the next night. The vocals took another 7-8 hours and would have taken longer if it weren’t for the excellent vocal coaching Niklas Stålvind of Wolf provided. We’re forever grateful for that.
 But on the whole it has been a lot of fun to be part of this project. We’ve learned a lot and would like to thank you for this opurtunity.



What’s next on the agenda for G.A.I.N this fall?

Get out and play. The big damn show! This fall we will focus on getting out and bring our music to the masses. We haven’t played all summer so we’re really excited about getting out there again! We’ll just have to make sure that Gus gets to breath. Do you know where we can get a portable oxygen tank?



Thanks for hanging out! We look forward to hearing the songs.

Listen and pre-order ‘A – Part Two of H.A.T.E’ here!

New video from H.A.T.E

"H - part one of H.A.T.E" by Ball of Mayhem

“H – part one of H.A.T.E” is being released in the beginning of June and you’re going to fall off your chair in excitement when you hear the rock versions of the songs from “L”.

"H - part one of H.A.T.E" by Ball of Mayhem
"H - part one of H.A.T.E" by Ball of Mayhem

Ball of Mayhem is an up and coming band from the UK. They recently won The Battle of the Bands and as you can see in this awesome live video from of their gigs they can even make the toughest (or did I mean to write drunkest? ;)) guys dance! They’re performing my song “Everyone’s Favorite Concubine” from the “L” EP.

X-mas concert in Second Life

Even though I actually played World of Warcraft for a while, and have a lvl 60 gnome called Znorfia, I kind of feel like Penny in the Big Bang Theory when it comes to Second Life. But that makes it even funnier that I’m doing a live Christmas concert in Second Life.

I will be playing at “OneLove”, a wintry stage built especially for this event by Aallotar Takaaki. The Concert will take place this Thursday at 10pm Swedish time. The stage is at Iendi Laville (pronounce “jändi”) and Apollon Allen’s new sim Yadkin Valley, and is hosted by OneLove Events. OneLove Events is a new place in Second Life and is meant to be something for everyone.

One Love stage in Second Life, built for Sofia Talvik's X-mas concert
One Love stage in Second Life

I’m always intrigued by trying out new ways to spread my music so it’s exciting to do a show in Second Life.

I’m playing the same songs as I played at my Stockholm Christmas concert last week, so this is a way for all of you who missed that concert to see me (kind of) live no matter where you live. All proceeds from the concert will go directly to ECPAT for their campaign “Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People”.

You will find the event through this link:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Yadkin%20Valley/185/192/1501

You can also read an interview with me about the concert here.

Merry Christmas and I’ll see you all in Second Life on Thursday!

Sofia Talvik as avatar in Second Life
My avatar in Second Life
Sofia Talvik stage in Second Life
Oh look! The party has already started!

Christmas concert December 1st

Sofia Talvik Christmas Concert
Sofia Talvik Christmas Concert
Welcome to Sofia Talvik's Julmys

I would like to welcome you to my annual Christmas concert “Sofia Talvik’s Julmys” at Clarion Sign in Stockholm, Sweden, December 1st!

We’re going to treat you to a super cosy evening, starting with Christmas songs from the Swedish Lucia candidates to set the mood and then some lovely Christmassy songs from me and my band. I’m also very happy to announce that renowned jazz singer Anna Christoffersson will be joining me for a couple of songs. The evening starts at 6pm (kl 18) and me and my band will be on stage at 8pm (kl 20).

There is no cover charge so bring all your friends!

The evening will also be a little release party for my new Christmas single “Santa” which will be released the same day. This year I’m releasing it in collaboration with The Body Shop’s and ECPAT’s campaign “Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People“.

You will all be able to support the campaign by downloading it for free here on sofiatalvik.com

Thank you Toronto!

Sofia Talvik live at Indieweek Toronto

I had a great time in Toronto! I did 4 shows at Indieweek and played for some great crowds! My favorite show was at Free times café – a wonderful little venue. Thanks to all who came to see my shows and to Indiweek for inviting me!

Here’s a little video from my performance at Free times café.


Sofia Talvik performing “At the End” live at Free Times Café