Way Out West 2010: Swedish band wrap-up

Way Out West in Gothenburg, predictably, showcased some pretty great Swedish bands. 

Miike Snow exceeded my expectations, partly due to crowd enthusiasm... although some teens told me the night before they weren't planning to see Snow because "he's Swedish, we can see him all the time, we want to see the other bands!"  My regret: not purchasing a Miike Snow t-shirt with the Swedish elk on it.

Shout Out Louds looked and sounded good and put on nice set.  Lykke Li, sadly, was not in full voice, so I abandoned her set part way through.  I do plan to try to see her again, as I think the lack of vocal power was anomalous. 

By far the biggest draw of the entire festival, Gothenburg native Hakan Hellstrom rallied the crowd of 25,000+ into a crazed singalong.  I swear that I was one of only ten people who did not know every word to his songs.  How to describe this Swedish singer in a sailor suit? Maybe a cross between Michael Franti and Wayne Newton?  Check the video below to get a better idea of his show.



As a bonus to my stay in Gothenburg, Jose Gonzalez played a free show early in the week at the local Culture Fest.  He sounded the best I've heard him, backed by the Gothenburg String Theory.

Jose Gonzalez @ the Bluebird 10/12/07

We saw everyone's favorite nimble-fingered and hirsute guitarist a couple weeks ago at the Bluebird. After mis-timing a birthday gift, getting lost in Denver like a couple of country rubes, and nearly losing our order at the bar across the street in the assembled Rockies mania, we found ourselves watching Jose Gonzalez at the Bluebird.

The crowd was agitated when we arrived, as Jose seemed to be even later than we were. Good news for us. A persnickety fellow, Jose, with a dead serious focus and emphasis on tuning. I loved it when he instructed the audience to only clap along if they were near the front and if they clapped for the entire song. And everyone obeyed! The set was short but beautiful, his sound was precise and his technique stunning. I preferred the songs from the new album but enjoyed them all. In the past I've felt his songs all sound a bit alike but in person discovered I was mistaken on that.

The big question: why is Jose playing in rock clubs with no seats instead of concert halls with calibrated acoustics? More on this in a coming post!

Sorry my photos are crap, did I mention we were late?

Jose Gonzalez Tour & More

I keep forgetting to post this excellent tidbit of news: everyone's favorite Swedish guitar picker visits Denver's Bluebird Theatre October 12th. Mostly I forgot to post because I was busy emailing friend Nigel who loves loves loves him. She's planning her marriage proposal to dear Jose right now.

If you're in the mood for more Jose Gonzalez, how about the Pfork interview?

It even comes with a nice mp3 of Crosses.

p.s. between the Cure and Gonzalez, is it officially time to start making an October concert calendar? September's booked with Monolith and Arcade Fire, where did summer go?