Unmistakably Nordic in flavor, Sofia Talvik somehow still conforms to American interpretations of her own original music, a North Sea siren blending sparkle and melancholy, creating a special niche of folk music.
The last part of the H.A.T.E saga is coming to en end. Swedish rockers Akribi is releasing the EP “E – Part Four of H.A.T.E” December 1st and a year of music has gone by. I’ve had such a great time hearing my songs in new suits. First with all the L.O.V.E EPs which were each produced by one of the guys in my band and ranged from acoustic to pop to electronica to americana. And then the biggest difference of all with the awesome four metal bands Ball of Mayhem, G.A.I.N, Badmouth and Akribi who turned my songs into thundering hard rock! It proves that a song never has to be stuck in one genre – at least if it’s a good song 😉
You can listen to all the EPs HERE and pre-order Akribi’s EP HERE!
We caught a few moments with Chris LeMon from Badmouth to hear what his thoughts about their new EP “T – Part Three of H.A.T.E” are. “T – Part Three of H.A.T.E” will be released November 1st and you can pre-listen and pre-order it here!
Badmouth, Photo by Michael Johansson
Hi Badmouth! You’re making “T – Part Three of H.A.T.E” would you start by telling us a little bit about your music and your band? Badmouth started 4 years ago, we released our debut album in 2008 and our second album this summer, which is produced by Chips Kiesbye. When we got the offer to do this EP we just couldn’t resist, such a cool thing to be part of, so even though we just released the album we called Chips and he was up for it … Badmouth is rock’n’roll, its about having a good time, we are having a great time and we want the crowd to smile as they see us live, its all about the love for music …
You’re usually writing your own songs, so what did you think was the hardest part of making Sofia’s songs feel like your own? Actually nothing was hard … haha … It’s great songs! The hardest one was “To watch the bridges burn” we had a different version going first but it was just strange … haha … but then we tried the way it is now and it sounds great! So it has only been a lot of fun!
T - Part Three of H.A.T.E
Which one are you most happy with and why? I guess it depends who you ask in the band, for me personally I would say Jonestown, I think the arrangement turned out great and it is truly a great song, but I also think Bridges turned out great in a different way, to me its a radio hit! I think it’s cool that all four songs turned out so different from each other so I would say I am really happy about all four ...
Rumor has it you’re on tour with Gilby Clarke from Guns & Roses, how did that come about? Totally true, actually sitting in the tour bus right now on our way to the last show, it’s been a great tour, 8 shows in Sweden … Well, I also work as a booking agent and I booked this tour and Gilby needed a band and it wasn’t hard for me to suggest the best band to him 😉
Chris LeMon and Vinnie Sharp from Badmouth with Gilby Clarke
What’s your all time favorite tour memory? There’s a lot, and some things that shouldn’t be mentioned here 😉 But right now I would say this tour, to be on a stage with Gilby Clarke is truly a dream come true!
Making rock music out of singer/songwriter tunes isn’t something bands do every day. What did you think about the experience and would you do it again? I would love to do it again, this shows that good songs are good songs no matter which category you place them in … We actually said that if this EP becomes a hit we will have Sofia write our next album! 😉
What’s your recipe for success? Be yourself and love what you do!
What’s in store for you this fall? Well, the release of the EP is the next thing and we have a release party for it in Stockholm on November 4th at RoQ. As soon as we are back from the road we will start planning the next tour, the main goal is to play live as much as possible and get out the word of BADMOUTH!
Thanks for chatting with us, can you tell us your three favorite songs right now? Thank you! Wow that’s difficult but right now I would say “Jonestown”, “Heavy Metal Parking Lot” (Badmouth) and “Tijuana Jail” (Gilby Clarke)
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
We had a great time in Texas and played 6 gigs at SXSW this year. I just want to say thanks to all of you who showed up and supported me. I hope to be able to come back and play in Austin again sometime.
Here’s a couple of shout-outs we got after our SXSW performances:
“her poignant songs had the audience enraptured”
aurgasmsxsw.us
“After listening to a few of her silky smooth tunes I was hooked.”
San Diego: dialed in
“Crafting delicate moments of peace on her acoustic guitar Sofia is independent in every sense of the word”
spinner.com
“this Swedish singer/songwriter packs enough serious doses of emotion and catchy melodies to make put her on the industry buzz list in a big way and make her a trailblazer.”
lp33.tv
“our favorite Swedish Singer/Songwriter “
cnt music
It’s the last day of our tour. To be honest it was probably the last day Saturday as we did our last gig then. We had a great time playing for a wonderful crowd at the Wyndham Hotel. It feels a little sad to go home, but I’m also longing so much for my husband that I can’t wait to get on the plane.
My favorite gigs have been The Mint, The Swedish Showcase and probably our last gig at the Wyndham. But few memories from this tour will be stronger than meeting Suzanne Vega in person. That was way cool!
Here’s som final pics from the tour. Enjoy and I’ll see you next time!
Live at the Swedish Showcase (photo Carolina Eriksson)
Crazy crowd on 6th street
The boys in Austin
A hippiemobile
Austin skyline
I visited Iron Works BBQ for some beef ribs before heading home to Sweden
