Yesterday I featured the Sibling Rivalry again, two siblings from Asbury Park, New Jersey. Then I realized that I had siblings on the blog already on Monday with The Kinks’ Ray & Dave Davies. Now, today I continue the siblings thread with three ladies from Sweden.
Yeah… Swedish ladies. Oh I have only good experiences with ‘em… only in the most professional way, of course.
Ten years ago, on a Friday morning, I was flying out of my office in Helsingborg into a three nights rush through the clubs at the New Jersey shore and NYC, back to Helsingborg again. So there is another connection here, see! One of the best trips of my life! And don’t ask, if my Swedish boss appreciated the condition under which I appeared back at the office on Tuesday morning. I payed my dues! 
Sweden as a country, besides other major contributions to the development of mankind (like being the home of the big blue box furniture giant in your neighborhood), is a musical Superpower. Even without the obvious reference to the likes of ABBA, Europe or Roxette, there have been times when more top-ten hits all over Europe were coming out of Sweden, than from any other European country. But unfortunately, an awful lot has been plastic pop and one-hit-wonders… remember Jan Harpo Torsten Svensson anyone?
Nowadays, beside the industry spotlight, the considerably small country (with a population of only 9.000.000) seems to be a powerhouse amongst Europe’s independent music scenes agian. Mando Diao, The Cardigans, The Hives, Eskobar, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Dungen, Kent, First Aid Kit, Lykke Li, Shout Out Louds, Fever Ray, Life on Earth… are touring the world and the woods in your neighborhood. (I have to confess that I had to look up some of the band names for this post!)
Let’s kick that topic off as another small series in this little blog…:
Here we have: Greta, Stella und Sunniva Bondesson a.k.a. “Baskery”, taped at a show for WDR Rockpalast at the Harmonie in Bonn (click the link to watch the whole show), Germany. A Rockpalast editor called them “Dixie Chicks on Speed”… and I like that! The three ladies already have a history as the “Slaptones”, a group that included their dad on drums. So we certainly have no one-hit wonder with the Bondessons here!
In 2005 they were invited by Brian Setzer to support him on two major tours, one in Europe during the summer and a Christmas tour in the States. Their two albums “Simplify”, 2003, and “Amplify”, 2004, were released by EMI Sweden and their new album, “New Friends” is due to release later this spring on Blue Rose Records…
For me, Baskery are one-of-the-best-big-things coming out of Sweden. Just because they don’t want it to be just that… BIG. They just do what they love, they know how to do it, and they spread a breath taking energy when they do it. There ain’t no plastic bullshit around here. They’re real!
Bruce Springsteen once pumped up the old folk songs of Pete Seeger with a band the world has not seen before a couple of years ago. Now these ladies take their own material and walk in their own footsteps…
But I’m sure, old Pete would just love what they do!
Make sure, you’ll catch the Baskery playin’ on a summer festival near you!
Visit: Baskery – Official Website
