I met Daniel Bellqvist and Frederik Zäll from Eskobar in a café at Mariatorget, Stockholm, a few days ago to talk about the upcoming tour as guest artist during Roxette’s XXX Anniversary tour in Europe, the band in general, creativity, upcoming projects and more. To find out more about the band and follow them on tour check their Facebook page. I have also prepared a playlist on Spotify (check at the end of the interview) with some of their hits so you can start learning the lyrics. First stop will be Madrid.
Judith (J): Thank you very much for taking some time for this interview. I know you are quite busy. So how are you? Daniel (D): Lots of preparations before the tour, finishing up some things. We did a small tour in Denmark in March, we were just three of us, Frederik – who plays about 1000 intruments – , a drummer and me. We liked the setting so much, we decided to record an album in that setting to sell during the tour. So we recorded it some days ago, now we are finishing it. And we are trying to find something to travel in during the tour where we can all fit in.
J: That sounds like a lot of planning. Let’s start from the beginning in order to present the band to the Roxette fans. When did you start as Eskobar? D: We released our first album in 2000, but we had played together many years before, six maybe? Frederik (F): Yes, at least 6 years. I had a strange grunge band back then, and I needed a bass player for one show, I knew Daniel could play the bass, so I asked him to play in my band. And in return Daniel asked me to play guitar in his band, so we started helping each other, and one day we just decided to work in a band together. We have been brothers in arms since then. D: Yeah! We went to the same music class in school, that’s how we knew each other in first place.
J: How did you choose your band name? Some Spanish fans have been wondering if it is related to the Spanish singer Manolo Escobar. D: When we got our first record deal with V2 records we didn’t have a name for the band. We were so focused on music that we didn’t care that much about the name. Our first record deal doesn’t even mention the name of the band but just the names of the three of us who formed the band back then, Frederik, Robert and me. So we asked around for suggestions for the name, and the manager of another American band suggested Eskobar, we liked it and we said ok. F: I think it was a few days before the first single was about to be printed, so the record company told us we really have to put a band name on it, and we were like “but it’s just about the music!” but well, in the end we found a name that we love.
J: So no connection to Manolo Escobar… D: No, not directly at least. F: We don’t know where the American guy got it from, I think it’s a typical surname. D: We know Manolo Escobar, and he has this one song “Porompompero” that was translated into Swedish and sung by the Dutch-Swedish singer Cornelis Vreeswijk, it’s an amazing song and we had listened to it a lot, but we didn’t know it wasn’t his original song. So when we found out that it was Manolo Escobar’s song, we thought it was funny, like there is a connection between our name and the song that we like so much. F: Indeed, I remember we used to sing this song on the tour bus even, so it’s a fun connection.
J: How did you start making music? F: I started playing classical piano when I was five or so, I think I read music sheets before I could read, so I was really early in that, then I learnt to play saxophone, guitar, everything felt easy to learn and it was fun. I also didn’t think of starting a band back then, I just wanted to play. It was when we started high school that I thought, hey, we could actually start a band!. D: Sort of the same for me, my grandfather was a folk musician, he always had lots of instruments around, he could play everything, like him (pointing at Frederik). The first instrument I started to play was drums, then bass, guitar.
We have wanted to interview Pelle for a long time, and we actually did last year in April, just right after Marie’s tour. We hadn’t found an appropriate time during the tour and when we were waiting for the Arlanda Express to take us to Stockholm the day after Marie’s tour last concert in Umeå , Pelle just showed up and offered to do the interview right there, right then. So we found a place on the train and we started to shoot questions. Unfortunately, some technical issues made it imposible for the interview to be published so we went for an e-mail interview instead and sent our questions to him towards the end of last year. Pelle’s been very busy with touring with Roxette and finalizing the first album with his own band, Down Harrison, so understandably, it took some time until he could sit down and answer our shocking number of Qs some days ago.
(C) Judith S. Taken during Marie Fredriksson’s solo tour 2014
Down Harrison’s debut album with the same title as the band’s name was released on March 28th. The band, besides Pelle Alsing on drums, consists of Tommy Cassemar (bass), Jesper Willaume (singer, songwriter) and Mikael Wedberg (guitar, keyboards). Ola Gustafsson joins the band from time to time on guitars and pedal steel.
Check out their album on iTunes, Spotify or Tidal and if you are into what they are doing, you can follow the band on Facebook as well.
Now back to where we started, here you can read the interview with Pelle, the “keep-it-simple” guy. Most of his answers will make you smile or even laugh and some of his extra short replies will leave you curious to know more about Pelle Alsing. Don’t be shy to ask him if you meet him on tour. At the beach or in a bar. 😉
RXB: – Hi Pelle, thank you for your time. How are you doing after the first two legs of the Roxette 30th anniversary tour? Pelle: – I’m doing fine! Both legs were great! It’s always great to come back to Australia! 2 weeks left until the European tour, yippie!
RXB: – What have you been doing between tours? You recently came back from New Zealand and Australia with Roxette… Pelle: – Working with my own band DOWN HARRISON! Both before and after NZ and Australia!
RXB: – Let’s go back to the beginning. When did you start playing the drums and why? Pelle: – My big brother Hans bought a drum kit when I was 9-10 years! I couldn’t resist the kit!
RXB: – What do you think makes a drummer unique? Pelle: – The groove!
RXB: – When you listen to another drummer, what do you listen for? Pelle: – The groove!
RXB: – What are your favourite bands and who are your favourite drum players? Which ones made the biggest impact on you? Pelle: – Wilco, The Band, Little Feat, Jackson Browne, and a thousand more bands and artists! The Beatles!
RXB: – Do you attend many concerts? If so, you rather go to pubs to enjoy live music or to see big bands performing in arenas? Pelle: – No, not that many. Both!
RXB: – What was the last big concert you watched from the crowd? Pelle: – James Taylor.
RXB: – Which is your most memorable concert (not necessarily Rox-related) of all time? Pelle: – Gentle Giant 1975 and Genesis 1977 in Stockholm.
RXB: – What other bands or artists do you play with besides Roxette, Marie or The Husbands? Pelle: – Billy Bremner live and my own band DOWN HARRISON in the studio.
RXB: – In April last year you mentioned you were recording an album with your band. Do you have any news for us? Pelle: – Yes I have! We have just released our first album with DOWN HARRISON on iTunes, Spotify and Tidal! Check it out!!! Enjoy!!!
RXB: – What kind of music do you make? Pelle: – Americana with a touch of pop and country.
RXB: – What are you the most proud of during your career? Pelle: – Many things! DOWN HARRISON and Roxette for instance.
RXB: – Is there anything you would skip or change if you could start it again? Pelle: – No.
RXB: – Do you listen to a lot of music? New music? What’s your actual favourite album? Pelle: – Yes, sometimes! Right now Jackson Browne and Jeff Tweedy’s new albums.
RXB: – We know you are into sports. What was the last sports event you went to see and where? Pelle: – Hammarby football club in our new arena in Stockholm!
RXB: – What do you think you bring to the bands you play with or is your trademark? Pelle: – Humor and play simple.
RXB: – What is it like to be in the back on the stage? Do you concentrate on your drums or do you have time to look at the audience, see what’s going Pelle: – Fantastic! Both.
RXB: – Has anyone ever asked you to teach him playing the drums? Have you ever had “students”? Pelle: – Yes.
RXB: – When we did an interview with Mikael Nogueira Svensson, he said he decided to play the drums after he met you as a child, backstage in Gävle on the Joyride tour. How does it feel knowing that someone started playing the drums because you made an impact on him with your playing? Pelle: – It’s great when people get inspired by what you’ve done!
RXB: – We know guitar strings are changed very often, but how often is it necessary to change the heads on your drums? Pelle: – Every 5-6 shows.
RXB: – Is there any special exercise to keep your wrists fit on tour? Pelle: – Tap dancing at 6 o’clock, every morning!
RXB: – Did it ever happen during your long career that you got injured during your playing? Or if the drumsticks fell out of your hands so you had to stop playing for some seconds or longer time? Pelle: – I put the stick up my nose last tour and started to bleed, haha! Sometimes you loose a stick, then you have to play with one stick for a couple of bars, until you get a new one!
RXB: – It’s strange that now there was no song when you came to the front. Even during “The Heart Shaped Sea” and “Queen of Rain” when everyone else came to the front you stayed in the back. Was it you who insisted on staying there? Pelle: – No, but I prefer to sit behind my drums!
RXB: – You have been playing drums with Roxette for many years. In between you also joined Marie during her solo tour last year. What was the biggest difference for you? Pelle: – All the songs I’ve never played before.
RXB: – You have also known Clarence for many years, and of course, also Marie and Per. How is it to play with people you know for so long? Are you afraid it may become a “routine”? Pelle: – No, never! I love working and hanging with these guys!
RXB: – You also work in the studio with Roxette, not only on tours. Do you come up with the beats “on the fly” in the studio, or give ideas how something would sound better? Pelle: – I listen to the songs, to be prepared! It differs from time to time.
RXB: – What about live? Do you like to improvise? Pelle: – It depends on what music you play.
RXB: – Which Roxette song is the most fun for you to play live? And which is the most “boring”? Pelle: – “Joyride” and “Listen to your heart”. “Goodbye to you”, hihi!
RXB: – Any tricky songs where you have to concentrate more on your hands or when to join in with the drums? Pelle: – No, not really.
RXB: – How much are you involved in the design of your drum kit? Do you have several set of drums and for example, the one you play on the Roxette tour is only for Roxette and you play another with other bands? Or do you use the same set with all acts? Pelle: – I’m involved in the design, but also open for ideas. I have several drum kits and use a couple of them with Roxette only!
RXB: – How many drum sticks do you use during a concert? Do they become worn during one concert or you can use them at more gigs? Pelle: – 2-4 sticks per show and I can use them again.
RXB: – Do you have any drum sticks from any of your idols? If no, whose drumstick would you love to have one day? Pelle: – No. Ringo Starr.
RXB: – Once you said you also like to visit the places you go to when you are on tour. What did you see during this tour so far? Pelle: – Bars and Beaches!!
RXB: – Do you plan these trips or visits before going to the countries or cities or is it more a spontaneous thing depending on weather, mood? Pelle: – I plan it.
RXB: – You grew up and live in Stockholm. I think it’s a beautiful city and every time I am there I just love the view from Slussen/Fotografiska. What do you like about Stockholm? Pelle: – I live just above Fotografiska! Södermalm where I live and the Archipelago!
RXB: – Do you try to “discover” new places in your own city as well? Pelle: – Yes, everyday.
RXB: – What do you like the most about tour life? And the least? Pelle: – Everything! Nothing!
RXB: – Per is often kidding you in backstage videos and interviews that you are always late and you tell the same about him that you all always have to wait for him. So who of you is more of a late person? Pelle: – Definitely Per!
RXB: – Does it happen nowadays that you play e.g. table hockey or any other game during the tour, like you did in the past? Or is it like everyone is rather on their iPhones and you meet up only for a walk or having dinner or a drink together? Pelle: – More bars and iPhones nowadays!
RXB: – We heard how the plush koala got on stage in Russia and since then we could see it next to your drums on each concert last year. Did you give a name to him? Pelle: – Yes, Sibyllfibia!
RXB: – Thank you for the interview and your awesome drum playing! See you soon again. Pelle: – Take care and see you in Europe this summer! Tell everybody you know about DOWN HARRISON!!!!
During the past months many interviews with Per popped up in several countries. Anyone in for a little Hungarian this time? Piece of cake. OK, if you’d like to skip the lesson, just read the summary in English below.
Lángoló Gitárok is a well-known Hungarian music blog. Ádám Magyar, one of the LG bloggers did a quite nice interview with Mr G, having some interesting questions to him. There is nothing really new for a hardcore Roxer in it, but still, I’m always happy to read anything Rox-related in Hungarian newspapers or on websites. And yeah, I could read about / listen to Per’s thoughts and views on music 24/7. I know there are many more out there sharing this feeling. 😉
In the interview, to the question what motivates him being constantly on stage Per replied he’s not constantly on stage, but is constantly working. He writes, re-writes and re-re-writes songs, planning or he’s just in the studio. Touring is another part of the creative work, but he really likes it, because it feels wonderful to stand on stage in front of tons of people who love what they’re doing.
To the question what inspires him when writing songs he replied writing songs is just natural for him, since he started writing already as a teenager. He could not live without writing, it’s an important part of his personality. Per is writing constantly, but it doesn’t mean he finishes all the songs or that the audience will get to hear all of his songs.
Per says today’s mainstream pop music is very one-sided and he blames it on the major record companies and radio stations. He thinks it’s much easier to follow in the footsteps of an already successful production than to do something fresh and innovative. His favorite songwriters are those who still try to move out of the ordinary frames, while writing great melodies and doing interesting albums. He says he loves well-written songs.
Of current music trends Per says sometimes things don’t come through, because he thinks those songs don’t speak to him. But that’s just the way it should be. Pop music should always reflect the actual era and so it does.
To Lángoló Gitárok‘s question, if he ever recognized the impact of Roxette on today’s music Per replied he is not used to think about it at all.Music works like you hear something, you find inspiration in it and then write something new.
Lángoló Gitárok asked Per what kind of music he is listening to nowadays. He says he is listening to different kinds of music. He returns to Joni Mitchell or 70’s pop songs quite often, but healso likes new stuff, such as Lana Del Rey, Röyksopp, José González, Nine Inch Nails and Daft Punk. He finds French bands usually very good. But according to Per, there are good songs of Katy Perry, Tove Lo or Ellie Goulding, too.
To the question what he thinks of the future of music Per replied pop and rock music have changed a lot in his life. When he was a child, musicplayed a huge role in their daily lives, but today there is much more competition in the entertainment business. There is the internet, the fantastic computer games, etc.
The point is that the possibilities are endless and this is a huge difference compared to earlier times. Sometimes I feel that the role of music in everyday life in today’s society is not as dominant as it was decades ago. On the other hand, more people listen to music today than ever before, and it‘s amazing how much easier it is to access music. Of course, pop and rock music will live on, but who knows what role they will play in the future.
Per talks about his great memories from the tours.He says they are very lucky and grateful that they could attract so many people to their shows all around the world over the years.
To the question when he thinks he will retire from music he replied:
There are no such plans, as it has just started for me.
When asked about his free time, Per mentions he likes car sports, especially F1. He talks about his hotel being also an entertaining thing to deal with. He tells he’s interested in architecture and art in general.
But actually, I’m an incredibly boring person. I spend 99% of my time with my family and music.
Regarding travelling Per says he loves Europe and when he’s travelling he feels really European. Australia is a very good place, especially Melbourne. Brazil and Argentina are also super. His favorite cities are probably New York and London, he has a lot of his friends living there.
Lángoló Gitárok asked Per whether Chris plays local songs also in other countries or it was only Hungary where he played a local tune (Tavaszi szél) in 2011. Per explains Christoffer plays some local tunes every night. He says Chris is a great musician and learns extremely fast. He’d never be able to do what Professor Lundquist is doing.
Per mentions he was in Budapest only a couple of times so far and they only came to play here, but he saw that Budapest is a beautiful city and of course, he is excited to be there again.
Regarding the new album Per says it will be out in autumn and that they plan to make a classic Roxette album, but at the same time they want it to sound fresh.
Regarding further plans for the future Per says he will follow his gut feeling.
Roxette’s first concert in Sweden this year is on 18th July in Kalmar and according to the organizer’s, Nöjet Konsert’s forecast, the gig might be sold out soon. As Östra Småland informs, the attendance record at Fredriksskans stadium was set on 4th September 1949, when 15243 people were there to see a football match between Kalmar FF and Malmö FF.
Gyllene Tider played at the same stadium in 2013 and they almost hit the record with 14946 people in the audience. The organizers expect Roxette to attract around 15000 people, so this way Roxette would hit the number of attendee’s of the GT show.
Talking about Kalmar being soon sold out and seeing that there are 3 gigs of other Swedish artists on the list of Borgholm concerts this summer, but the day after Roxette’s Kalmar show is still free at Borgholm Castle, can’t help dreaming about an extra show being added to the already impressive list of European tour stops. In case you haven’t voted yet, you can still do it in THIS article from last December. Just for fun. 😉 Dream on!
If you don’t have your ticket for the Kalmar concert yet, HERE you can buy it.
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands organized a photo contest on Instagram. Their Junior Chamber Club has 2 tickets for Roxette’s Amsterdam concert (27th May) to give away. The contest seems to be open for anyone in the world, so you don’t necessarily have to be a Dutch citizen to enter.
All you have to do is to follow @sccnl on Instagram and upload a true Roxette-fan-picture with the hashtag #JCCcompetition before 1st May. The 2 most creative pictures will be picked and their owners will win a ticket each. Do not forget to tag @sccnl, so they won’t miss your contribution!
Amsterdam was a magical place in 2009 (IMHBL; TL) and Roxette definitely did magic there in 2012, too (Silver Blue; HDYD / Dangerous). Wanna see how the 2015 Amsterdam gig will be? Enter the contest! Good luck!
In case you don’t win, you can still buy your ticket for the show HERE.
I met Daniel Bellqvist and Frederik Zäll from Eskobar in a café at Mariatorget, Stockholm, a few days ago to talk about the upcoming tour as guest artist during Roxette’s XXX Anniversary tour in Europe, the band in general, creativity, upcoming projects and more. To find out more about the band and follow them on tour check their Facebook page. I have also prepared a playlist on Spotify (check at the end of the interview) with some of their hits so you can start learning the lyrics. First stop will be Madrid.
In the interview, to the question what motivates him being constantly on stage Per replied he’s not c
