NEW RELEASE: SOPHOMORE ALBUM “MAUGA” FROM KING HOBO OUT MAY 31, 2019

KING HOBO TO RELEASE THEIR SOPHOMORE ALBUM “MAUGA”

MAY 31ST 2019

With CLUTCH's Jean-Paul Gaster on Drums/Percussion

The transatlantic trio that is KING HOBO are announcing the release of their album Mauga on Weathermaker Music.  The KING HOBO band members are Thomas Juneor Andersson (Kamchatka) on vocals, guitars & percussion, Per Wiberg (Kamchatka / Spiritual Beggars / Candlemass / ex-Opeth) on vocals, bass, and keys, and Jean-Paul Gaster (Clutch) on drums.

The album was produced by Tobias Strandvik and recorded at his studio in Varberg, Sweden. 

The album cover is designed by Per Wiberg himself.  Per says:
”I wanted to pay homage to all the great labels that inspired the music we play, like Chess, Atlantic, Vee-Jay, Prestige & Blue Note for example.  All these labels had a classy design in their heyday which was immediately recognizable.  That’s why our image is in tri-tone, and the names of the band members together with the label and stereo logo are mentioned on the front cover.  The sci-fi imagery is our little twist.”

Mauga Track Listing:

1. Hobo Ride
2. Dragon’s Tail
3. King Blues
4. Good Stuff
5. Mauga
6. How Come We’re Blind
7. Listen Here
8. Move To The City
9. Twilight Harvest Pt. I & II
10. New Or-sa-leans*

*Bonus Track on the digital release only

The first single from Mauga is “Hobo Ride“ and will be released April 19th, 2019 as an instant gratification track at iTunes and Amazon. That single will be followed by “Listen Here“ (May 3rd), and “Dragon's Tail“ (May 17th). 

Weathermaker Music will release a limited 12" LP in a gatefold format which has been autographed by the three musicians on the inner sleeve, and a digital 10-track version that includes the song "New Or-sa-leans" as a bonus. 

Jean-Paul Gaster on how KING HOBO began:
“Per and I met in 2003 when Spiritual Beggars and Clutch were touring Europe together. Within the first hour of meeting him, he and I had an in depth conversation about the blues and funk and how the Bad Brains were one of the most important bands of all time.  Even though we grew up in countries thousands of miles apart we had an immediate kinship thru our love of the music. 

In the summer 2005 Clutch and Opeth were on the Sounds of the Underground tour. Per was playing with Opeth at the time. After the show he and I would often hang out enjoying a cold beer and listening to everything from Captain Beyond to Black Uhuru and Miles Davis. On a hot and humid evening somewhere in the mid-west one of these listening sessions led to us setting up gear in the bus parking lot and holding an open jam in what we called the funk tent. These jams are where the King Hobo seeds were planted. 

It was at one of the Sounds of the Underground tour dates that Per played me a new release by a Swedish band called Kamchatka. I was blown away by the man playing guitar! He had a soulful voice and played like Stevie Ray Vaughn. This was my introduction to the powerhouse singer and guitarist Thomas Anderson.”

Thomas Juneor Andersson on the sound of KING HOBO:
“In a metaphorical way this is the sound of two continents meeting; Europe, particularly Sweden, and the United States and here particularly the East coast.  When we play, all hell breaks loose.  Our music can, at times be intense and loud, and then again almost like a whisper. Per and JP are my role models, as persons and musicians and it's a huge honor to play with them. We play what we feel and that's the sound of this album. We are three musicians from different parts of the world, friends actually, who are having a musical conversation, as grownups do.”

Per Wiberg on the recording of Mauga:
“We recorded this album the same way as the first, live in the rehearsal room. It’s quite a liberating process compared to how a lot of albums are recorded these days. We set up our gear in a circle and go full on, no headphones or screens to seal off the amps or drums. We jam all through the day to see what we come up with, arrange it on the spot and record.   I really like the fact that it doesn’t feel like a regular recording situation with monitors, click tracks and what not. It feels a lot more exclusive and kinda like a proper gig actually, plus we don’t have to worry what it’s gonna sound like live either, cause this is live in the raw!

The hang out part and easy going vibe adds a lot to how we play together as well and none of this would happen if we didn’t have a guy we trusted in the studio. Toby Strandvik did a tremendous job this time with the technical side of things as this way of recording might not be an engineers’ wet dream so to speak.

The journey is just as much worth as the destination to us and I think we found the Hobo way of capturing the moment."

KING HOBO:

Thomas Juneor Andersson on vocals, guitars & percussion.
Per Wiberg on vocals, bass, and keys
Jean-Paul Gaster - Drums/Percussion

Ninth Season of The International Voices Project (IVP) Includes Ten Readings Featuring Plays from Around the World Including Spain, Ireland, Finland, Romania, Serbia, Germany, Australia, India, Wales and Sweden

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

INTERNATIONAL VOICES PROJECT ANNOUNCES THE 2018 FESTIVAL AT

INSTITUTO CERVANTES, 

MAY 1 – 31

The Ninth Season Includes Ten Readings Featuring Plays from Around the World Including

Spain, Ireland, Finland, Romania, Serbia, Germany, Australia, India, Wales and Sweden

International Voices Project (IVP) is proud to announce this year’s five-week celebration of international plays. The ninth season of play readings by playwrights from around the world takes place at Instituto Cervantes, 31 W. Ohio, May 1 – 31 with performances at 7 p.m. (full schedule below and can be found here.) The series is presented in collaboration with consulates and other cultural institutions throughout Chicago and this year’s engagement features plays from Spain, Serbia, Poland, Syria, Finland, French Canada, India and Germany. A reception follows each evening’s reading. The International Voices Project is the largest event of its kind in the country and introduces Chicago audiences to some of the most exciting voices on the international theater scene. Performances are free to the public and reservations are requested.  For the complete program, more information about IVP, or to reserve your seat, visit IVPChicago.org.

“This year’s International Voices Projects promises to be one of our most exciting. IVP returns to the location of our first festival eight years ago, Instituto Cervantes, and we are presenting new powerful works from Spain, Romania, Serbia and more. As our audience grows, we strive to curate the Festival with strong and thought provoking work and this year will be no different,” stated International Voices Project Executive Director Patrizia Acerra. 

Pleased to host this IVP season, Instituto Cevantes’ Teresa Hernando Rojo said, “One of the missions of the Instituto Cervantes is to foster knowledge of Spanish-speaking cultures around the world. With International Voices Project, we are able to fulfill this mission and expand on it giving Chicago an opportunity to encounter theatre and cultures from around the world in one locations, our downtown home. We look forward to the rich variety of audiences and experiences to be had here this spring from International Voices Project." Instituto Cervantes is Chicago’s not-for profit center for Spanish language and cultural exchange.

Presented in collaboration with each country’s consulate general and/or a country’s cultural institution, the International Voices Project celebrates the voices of international playwrights with eight premiere concert-style readings. A professional cast performs each play to allow audience members’ imaginations create the world of the play. After each reading, there is a post-performance discussion with the cast and audience, followed by a reception.

IVP 2018 Schedule is below and can also be viewed by clicking here.*
NOTE: Schedule is subject to change. Online schedule will be the most current

Tuesday, May 1 at 7 p.m.
From Spain
Arizona, in collaboration with The Blue Parrot Chicago
By Juan Carlos Rubio
Directed by Jacob Janssen
Translated by Laureano Corces

George and Margaret are defending the Southern Border of the United States. But when Margaret starts asking too many logical questions their absurdist plot spirals out of control.

Thursday, May 3 at 7 p.m.
From Serbia
A Hypnotic Love, in collaboration with Vitalist Theatre
By Dušan Kovačević
Directed by Elizabeth Carlin-Metz
Translated by Dennis Barnett


On a mysterious eve, a young woman looks to the stars with an unshakable faith in a love that will descend and transform her, as her injured parents bicker and try to hold her on a planet as damaged by strife as they are themselves. This lyrical and slightly absurd comedy reflects the fragile return to Serbia of hope, faith, and healing following decades of repression and war.


Tuesday, May 8 at 7 p.m.
From Poland
Trap Door Theatre returns for its ninth installment. Details forthcoming.

Thursday, May 10 at 7 p.m.
From Syria
Mihbaj, in collaboration with Columbia College Chicago
Written and directed by Riad Ismet

A gripping play that sheds light on the Syrian tragedy: Near the areas occupied by ISIS in northern Syria, a widow struggles to to keep her three sons together, who represent three conflicting points of view, while an international proxy war spreads sectarianism, extremism and hatred in a country that was once a harmonic grinder of all religious ethnicities, like a Mihbaj which prepares coffee beans for hospitality.

Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m.
From Finland  
Internalized Theory of Love, in collaboration with Akvavit Theatre
By Vera Kiiskinen
Directed by Breahan Pautsch
Translated by Merja Talvela and Leslie Hyde

Tuesday, May 22 at 7 p.m.
From French Canada
Haven
By Mishka Lavigne
Directed by Anna Bahow
Translated by Neil Blackadder

Haven is the story of Elsie, who's just lost her mother, and of Matt, who's searching for his past. They're brought together by the hole that opened up in the asphalt and the contents of the car lying at the bottom.

Thursday, May 24 at 7 p.m.
From India
A Muslim in The Midst, in collaboration with Rasaka Theatre
By Anand Rao

September 14, 2001: Three days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on American soil, on the other side of the world in the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore, a poor Muslim family is stranded. Desperate to reach a relative’s home in a distant suburb, the new immigrants to the city are struggling to find a ride late in the night. Watching them closely from inside a car is an American-Indian Hindu couple, executives of American companies. The westernized and affluent couple offers to take the traditional and rural Muslim couple along. In the car, their conversation quickly takes an unexpected turn. Fueled by a pro and anti-Islamic rhetoric and warnings about potential terror threats playing on the radio, the characters fight with their prejudices and fears even as they attempt to look beyond the obvious differences and worldview to unravel a common fellowship based on humanity. 

Thursday, May 31 at 7 p.m.
From Germany
Bang
By Marius von Mayenburg
Directed by Warner Crocker
Translated by Maja Zade

“Bang" is a play about "political emotions. About the irrational desire for explosions and sensations in the political sphere," a biting satire of the "longing for macho men, leaders who provide simple solutions for complex problems." (Marius von Mayenburg)

*All performances, participants and locations are subject to change.

OPENING TOMORROW: ChiIL Mama's Video Interview With The Flying Steps From Red Bull's Flying Bach #VideoInterview

ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List:


It sounds like a wacky mash up straight out of a sitcom or children's book. 3 B-Boys (hip-hop break dancers from Germany) hook up with a Swedish ballerina and hit the road, on tour with modern street dance to a score by Bach! Believe it or else... it's true. This show is opening right HERE in Chicago THIS Friday, and they've been playing all over the world to rave reviews. 

Check out their insights on how this show is uniting old and young audiences and fans of quite divergent genres, and bringing packed houses back in cities where theatre and dance had been dying off. We also asked them "What's in your ipod?" and more. Catch our interview and clips from a hip-hop class they taught below:

ChiIL Mama was invited to Joffrey Tower earlier this spring, to do a video interview with 4 of the dancers. 

WHO:  Four dancers from the Berlin-based dance crew The Flying Steps, four-time break dance world champions, including Swedish contemporary dancer Anna Holmström and break dancers Mikel, KC-1 and Lil’ Ceng…





These fierce 4 were a treat to meet. They were personable and incredibly talented. 







We chatted off camera a bit,too, after the formal interview, and asked the B-boys if they lived for touring and if it kind of sucked to have to teach classes or vice versa, since teaching and taking the stage sometimes require different talents and personalities. Of course, the guys admitted they dig performing and touring the world, but they also said one of their favorite things to do is teach hip-hop to KIDS in Berlin! Love it. They've even run their own school since 2007! I bet they're fantastic at it, too.

WHAT:  Talk to press and host break dance workshops with local troupes and students at downtown Chicago dance studios including beginner and advanced sessions with high school and college students. 

We can NOT wait to see their show opening THIS Friday 6/20, and we'll be there to review opening night. Check out our exclusive video interview and photos from their workshop right here. Then get your tickets to see them LIVE. They're here for SIX performances ONLY. We've been promoting this show since way back in March, but if you're still hesitating, don't. This is one multicultural, genre defying mash up you must see to believe. 





Here's the Scoop:

DISCOVER THE HIGH ART OF GETTING DOWN.

High culture meets urban art: In the clash of cultures Red Bull Flying Bach turns a international classical world upside down. Their creative performance visualizes and revives Johann Sebastian Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier crossing the borders of serious music and youth culture. Note by note. Step by step. With piano, harpsichord and electronic beats.

• When: June 21-22 & June 27-29 (Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, Sunday afternoons at 2pm)
• Where: Civic Opera House
• Cost: $24 to $88 via Ticketmaster or at the Civic Opera House box office

This June, Chicago scores a major coup in the arts & performance sphere: The Flying Steps, four-time break dance world champions, perform Red Bull Flying Bach, a show making its exclusive U.S. stop in Chicago only for six performances at the prestigious Civic Opera House, June 20-29.  This follows a sweeping tour with sold-out shows in over 24 European cities plus Japan, Australia, Canada and Chile.

Red Bull Flying Bach blends eye-popping urban dance – power moves, head spins, flairs, freezes, popping & locking – with live classical music performed by Christoph Hagel, opera director and pianist extraordinaire.  Swedish ballerina Anna Holmström joins the seven international members of The Flying Steps.  German-Lebanese b’boy Vartan Bassil is the show’s lead choreographer.  The music?  J. S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, of course, plus electronic beats.  Two disparate genres like classical music and break dance come together in amazing and surprising ways.

EXCLUSIVE U.S. ENGAGEMENT

of Red Bull Flying Bach Brings World-Renowned Dance Crew The Flying Steps

to Chicago for six performances only, June 20-29

For the first time in the United States after three seasons of sold out performances around the world, the celebrated and distinguished dance crew The Flying Steps will bring Red Bull Flying Bach to Chicago, making its debut in an exclusive U.S. engagement for six performances only downtown at the historic Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, June 20 – 29, 2014.

Bach and breakdance don’t go well together? The four-time breakdance world champions The Flying Steps and opera director Christoph Hagel prove the contrary with their breathtaking performance, Red Bull Flying Bach. With their interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, they shift and overcome the borders between classical and urban culture. By combining Bach’s classical masterpiece with modern electronic beats and clever choreography, the audience of each performance truly experiences a powerhouse production invoking visual amusement with delightful sound.

Red Bull Flying Bach has sold out theaters around the world, such as Sweden, Australia, Germany, Iceland, Chile, Russia, Japan and Austria. The show itself is a beautiful blend of the minds of Artistic Directors Vartan Bassil (choreography) and Christoph Hagel (piano, musical director). The Civic Opera house, playing host to this one-of-a-kind performance, is eager to have the show debut on its famed stage later this year.

“We're really excited to host Flying Bach for their U.S. premiere this June,” said Rich Regan, Director of Facilities at the Civic Opera House.  “It's a groundbreaking blend of traditional and contemporary entertainment that will be completely new to Chicago audiences.”

Swedish ballerina Anna Holmström joins the seven male break-dancers of The Flying Steps, fusing key elements of urban dance culture with precision ballet.

Tickets, ranging from $24 – $88, are now on sale by visiting at: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Red-Bull-Flying-Bach-tickets/artist/1595623 or by visiting the Civic Opera House box office. Red Bull Flying Bach will be performed over two weekends only:  Friday and Saturday evenings, June 20, 21, 27 & 28, at 7:30pm, and Sunday afternoons, June 22 & 29, at 2pm.

ChiIL Mama's Photo Favs:

ABOUT RED BULL FLYING BACH

High culture meets urban art: In this clash of cultures, Red Bull Flying Bach turns the international classical world upside down. The creative performance visualizes and revives Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier crossing the borders of serious music and youth culture. Note by note. Step by step. With piano, harpsichord and electronic beats. With head spins, power moves and freezes. With visuals and a storyline, 70 minutes long.

ABOUT THE FLYING STEPS

The Flying Steps are consecutively one of the most successful urban dance crews worldwide with breathtaking shows and one-of-a-kind choreographies, appealing to a diverse audience. The group was founded by Vartan Bassil and Kadir “Amigo” Memis in 1993 in Berlin. The Flying Steps specialize in urban dance styles like b-boying and popping-and-locking, and have won several world championships, like the Battle of the Year and Red Bull Beat Battle.

In 2007, they opened their own dance school in Berlin – The Flying Steps Academy. With a mission to guide the next generation of urban dance and offer young prospects an opportunity with social projects, the Academy is how the Flying Steps set the stage for the next generation of dance.

TONIGHT: Swedish Metal Band Meshuggah Rock HOB Chicago (all ages) #originalshowshots

ChiIL Live Shows--Meshuggah at House of Blues, Chicago 5/15/2012

ChiIL Live Shows caught their show last May at Chicago HOB, and they were excellent.   Highly recommended if you dig extreme, genre jumping, experimental metal!

Sweden has the most metal bands per capita in the world!  

And these Swedes know how to bring it LIVE.   They've played world tours for years and show no signs of stopping soon.   

Chi-town metal fans are world class and HOB Chicago is sweet venue for shows, with great sound.

Scion Presents: Meshuggah

Scion Presents: Meshuggah concert tickets for the show at House of Blues Chicago Friday 02/22/2013 Doors: 06:00 PM Show: 07:00 PM  Prices:  $27.50 - GA - Advanced by Section $30.00 - GA - Day Of by Section Ages: all House of Blues Chicago 329 N. Dearborn Chicago, IL 60654 (312) 923-2000  Driving Directions Headlining Artist: Meshuggah Other Artists at this Event: Animals As Leaders Intronaut Event Info: Lineup: Meshuggah Animals as Leaders Intronaut *All support acts are subject to change without notice Additional Info: • tickets subject to all applicable facility fees and service charges • applicable fees and charges apply to all ticket sales • NO REFUNDS / EXCHANGES / CANCELLATION Listen to Meshuggah Songs Bleed Combustion ObZen All signs point to the House of Blues for concert tickets, great food and special events.

Check out Meshuggah's main site here for more info.

Heard their latest release from 2012?





Tour dates:

Meshuggah  Metaltown!

2/20/2013

Meshuggah is doing their only Swedish festival appearance this summer at Metaltown!

Get your tickets here!

Meshuggah - Devin Townsend Project

2/2/2013

Meshuggah and Devin Townsend Project coheadlining the Brixton Academy in London May the 3rd!

Don't miss this!!

Get your ticket HERE as they will surely run out fast!

2013 European Tour Dates!

12/26/2012

2nd slithering of The Ophidian Trek tour through Europe is starting April 21st.

Check Alive for ticket links or go to theMeshuggah Facebook for more info!

2013 North American Tour!

11/28/2012

North American headlining tour with support acts Animals As Leaders and Intronaut starting February 11 in Orlando FL.

Advanced presale tickets & V.I.P bundles are available via Artist Arena.

Check Alive or the Meshuggah Facebook for further info on dates!

Tickets will go on sale through normal ticketing outlets on Friday, November 30th.

Meshuggah Announce 2013 Scandinavian Tour!

11/15/2012

MESHUGGAH will be taking their sonic arsenal and production that has already bulldozed UK and USA to Scandinavia on “The Ophidian Trek” tour, which launches April 18th in Seinäjoki, Finland. Support acts are to be announced.

Tickets will be released Friday 16th of November, please visit Meshuggah's sites and the Alive section for details.

Brutal Assault Festival 2013!   

10/16/2012

Yes, Meshuggah is coming back to the lovely Brutal Assault Festival in 2013! 

CLOUDSCAPE Debut New Video on Nightmare Records YouTube Channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRn9E3SRWcY&feature=youtu.be

Sweden's CLOUDSCAPE are debuting their new video for the track "Your Desire". The song is taken from the bands upcoming album New Era due to be released September 11th via Nightmare Records.  The video was filmed and produced by Rainer Holmgren.  Check it out.

New Era to be Released September 11th via Nightmare Records 

The digital single "Share Your Energy" is available for purchase on  iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby.

New Era is available for pre-order on AMAZON and the Nightmare Records Website.




CLOUDSCAPE is a melodic power metal band with progressive touches from southern Sweden.  CLOUDSCAPE's compositional ambitions have always bridged progressive metal and straightforward melodic rock/metal, creating music accessible to a wider audience by virtue of its intense melody, but with enough complexity to satiate the ears of casual and serious music enthusiasts.

Since 2004 CLOUDSCAPE has called the prestigious Roastinghouse Studios in Malmö, Sweden their home for all of their albums to date.  CLOUDSCAPE continue to progress with each record, breaking new boundaries in their style and continue to mature in their writing and composition  New Era, the band's fourth album is without a doubt the band's crowning accomplishment to date.  The record was produced and mixed by Micko Twedberg.  Twedberg was assisted on the mixing by Anders "Theo" Theander. The mastering was also handled by Theander. 


CLOUDSCAPE Discography:
Cloudscape (2005)
Crimson Skies (2006)
Global Drama (2008)
New Era (2012)

For More Info Please Visit:
http://www.cloudscape.se/  
http://www.facebook.com/cloudscapesweden 
http://www.nightmarerecords.com  

LIPSTIXX 'N' BULLETZ Bang Your Head Streaming In Full on SleazeRoxx.com

LIPSTIXX 'N' BULLETZ Bang Your Head Streaming In Full on SleazeRoxx.com

Deluxe Reissue Available Now From End of the Light Records
LIPSTIXX 'N' BULLETZ is a hard rock and sleaze rock band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The quartet formed in 2004 and plays an energetic, yet unbelievably catchy style of glam metal.

Bang Your Head is their debut album which reminds listeners of the best moments from bands like L.A. Guns, Pretty Boy Floyd, Faster Pussycat, Motley Crue and Tigertailz, to name a few. 

In conjunction with the album's release, SleazeRoxx.com is hosting a stream of Bang Your Head.  Check out the album in full, then be sure to order the reissue in a deluxe digipak edition from End of the Light Records HERE.

Bang Your Head Tracklisting:
1. Bang Your Head
2. Rock Me
3. Lipstixx 'N' Bulletz
4. Do Or Die
5. Scream It Hard
6. My Heart Belongs To You
7. Wild At Heart
8. You Poison Me
9. Be Mine Tonight
10. Love in a Needle

Lineup:
Andy Lipstixx - Vocals/Guitar
Jaime Teaze - Bass
Mickey Sweet - Drums
Rikki Bullet - Guitar

For More Info Visit:
http://endofthelight.com/ 
http://www.facebook.com/EndoftheLight