I’m not sure, but I think I may have caused a few people to think I was tripping on some pretty heavy lysergics during NEARfest.You see, a lot of people ask me about the bands that are playing, especially if they are unfamiliar with them. So when people come up to me and asked “Bill, tell me…what is this band Trettioåriga Kriget like, really,” (only they’d never really say that, since they were probably stammering over the first word, and in the end possibly getting so frustrated that they’d end up saying in exasperation “That older Swedish band that’s gonna play) I’d reply with the following:
“Well, at their hardest, they’re like what Rush would sound like if they were really a prog band.”
Said questioner would walk off all smiles and excited…only to catch up with me after their performance and say, incredulity on their faces “That didn’t sound like Rush at all.” To which I’d have to reply “No, I said they sound like what Rush would sound like if they were really a prog band…not that they sound like rush.” And I stand behind this to this point…a good mix of heavy and light, lyrics that satirise the state of humanity, and then satirise the people doing the satirising…I think there’s a good degree of connection there. Yes, it’s fair to say that TK is far more symphonic than a band like Rush could ever be; it’d also be fair to say that they are jazzier as well. And perhaps Geddy Lee sounded better in the higher vocal registers than TK’s falsetto singer, but that’s splitting hairs.
People who continue to offer disbelief at my analogy would do well to pick up War Years, the recently released 2 CD live set from the band, available on Mellotronen Records (the same label who has handled all of the band’s reissues and new releases to date). Across the 2 discs in this package, one gets a very good primer on what made this band such a mainstay of many old school progger’s LP and CD collections over the years.
The first disc comprises recordings of the band during their first lifetime, from 1971-1980. Here we have a band hungry for success and acclaim, and pouring it all out on stage. There’s plenty of highlights here…the lengthy guitar and bass excursions on “En kväll hos X,” the dramatic “Krigssång,” and the heaviness and almost punky attitude of “Mot alla odds” or “Dåliga nerver” are just a few of them. The band is full of energy and fire, and it comes across clearly despite the occasionally advanced age of the source material. For those of you who didn’t believe me at NEARfest, this is the disc to hear. You may still not think they’re prog (I maintain that they are), but you can’t deny that they have and had energy and rocked out.
Disc two is made up primarily of material recorded at their first ever (I think) US show, from Progday in 2004. This is perhaps closer in tone to the stuff heard on stage at Lehigh University this past weekend. After an introduction track, we’re greeted with one of my favourite TK tunes ever, “Lång historia.” Driving bass and drums, excellent guitar work, tight composition…this is why I dig Kriget as much as I do. Most of the band’s Progday set is included here (including a smoking take on "Om Kriget kommer"), along with a liberal sprinkling of material recorded in Nacka, Sweden in 2007. The voices may have aged somewhat, but the passion behind those voices hasn’t dimmed a bit. I think it might have been nice had the band included a bit more of what was then their most recent album, but that’s an artistic decision that I can’t really speak for other than to express this desire.
Sound Quality: Throughout the release, sound quality is very good to excellent. Some of the earliest tapes feel a bit hot to me, and there may be a bit of slight crackle around the edges (“Confusions,” filled with overdriven harmonica, seems to suffer the worst of all), but the recordings never become unlistenable. Obviously the 2004 and 2007 recordings feature modern digital clarity, but even here there’s a bit of warmth and roundness in the mix. The material is mastered at a good level…not too loud, not so soft that one must crank up the stereo to get a listenable volume. Finally, the band is mixed quite well, with space for each instrumentalist to be heard.
War Years is packaged in a tri-fold digipak, which sounds nice in theory. Sadly, the first disc is not placed in a tray; instead, it’s slipped into the booklet and held in a pocket on the first fold. I anxiously anticipate that the disc will end up getting scratched over time. I’d have happily paid a little extra for a second plastic tray to mount the Past disc in. Otherwise, the liner notes offer some historical perspective over the band’s history, giving a nice little potted Trettioåriga Kriget biography. Some great historical photos feature as well, placing everything into perspective.
I recommend War Years pretty highly; I think people who were borderline about the band this past weekend may find themselves pushed closer to fandom after a listen or two. Longtime fans will of course love it, and I think people who were disappointed with the performance may find themselves appreciating it a bit more after listening.
CD 1 – PAST:
Introduction Tippen
Confusions - Live 1971
Perspektiv - Live 1974
Handlingens skugga - Live 1974
Krigssång - Live 1977
False start - Live 1976
Krigssång II - Live 1976
En kväll hos X - Live 1977
Den stora kliniken - Live 1977
Mot alla odds - Live 1979
Dåliga nerver - Live 1979
Blues - Live 1981
Som förut - Live 1981
Errolito - Live 1980
CD 2 – PRESENT:
Introduction
Lång historia - Live 2004
Mina löjen - Live 2004
Om Kriget kommer - Live 2004
Andra sidan - Live 2004
Jag och jag och jag - Live 2007
Moln på marken - Live 2004
I början och slutet - Live 2007
Krigssång - Live 2004
Gnistor - Live 2004
Ur djupen - Live 2004
Dagspress - Live 2004
Kaledoniska orogenesen - Live 2007
Musicians:
Stefan Fredin: bass, rhythm guitar, vocals
Dag Lundquist: drums, violin, percussion, vocals
Christer Åkerberg: electric and acoustic guitars
Robert Zima: vocals, guitar
Mats Lindberg: keyboards, saxophone
Olle Thörnvall: lyrics, harmonica on CD 1, track 2
Find out more at:http://www.trettioarigakriget.com/
If waking up Saturday was rough, you don’t want to know how waking up Sunday was. Still, I made the decision this time to have a couple glasses of water first thing, and we stopped off at the Dunkin Donuts before heading down to the venue. That water, and the bottle of OJ, really made the difference, and I had no problems at all Sunday. The place was pretty empty, and the vending rooms were slow. We were excited to see the first two bands, and thus we made sure to get up to the theatre in time for the Sunday opener…QUANTUM FANTAY, from Belgium. So much energy. So much personality. So much more space rock. These guys got a huge response from the sleepy NF crowd…so much so that they sold out of CDs and other merch. They bounded around the stage, wailed on guitar and bass, thrashed the drums, and coaxed swirly synth sounds from their instruments. I wish I had picked up their CD/DVD set, but there’s always mail order. Sunday opener slots have seen some of the most exciting surprising sets at NF…Hidria Spacefolk, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Guapo, and now these guys. Big things lie ahead for them I think.
BEARDFISH followed. I was really looking forward to them, and so was Sharon. Neither of us were disappointed. I love their vintage sound, with loads of great keyboard textures, excellent guitar, and above all, killer songwriting. They didn’t worry about the crowd, playing the ‘controversial’ “Roulette” and “The Gooberville Ballroom Dancer” as early as possible. Nothing like a healthy dose of bikers named Jesus and motherf*^&ers, eh? They played some stuff off the forthcoming album, whose release I now worry about with things getting as dicey as they are (SPV bankrupt, Beardfish and PoS pulled off the Prog Nation tour). I am glad I got to see them, and I hope to whoever is listening that they can be brought back over soon.
Lunch was bison burgers from the vendors outside. They were good. I was tired. The sun was out. We’d been hanging out with Ray and Tom from echolyn a bit, as one does at these festivals. We’d also been hanging out with the guys from Quantum Fantay a bit, and Rikard and the others from Beardfish, who as I said above were awesome. Time was growing short, so we headed in for the third band on day two…
TRETTIOARIGA KRIGET from Sweden. They’re a classic band…for a while, one of the few 1970’s Swedish bands you could find releases from. At their heaviest they are what Rush would sound like if they were a prog band. And yes, they played a healthy dose of the heavier stuff…and a lot of their quieter, more restrained pieces. I like them, and I liked their performance. I think they were the wrong band at the wrong time, really…they were too relaxed for a set late in the afternoon on the second day of the festival. I think DFA’s energy would have worked better here. And I know that people had a major issue with the falsetto vocals. Still, I liked them, and they deserved to be here.
Dinner break arrived, and I packed enough away to make sure I’d get through the final band. I had high hopes yet again, and I had a feeling they’d be met.
PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI did more than meet them. They exceeded them a thousand times over. One always worries when a classic band says they are gonna play a lot of newer material. Well, the songs from Stati di Imaginazione more than belonged in the set…they were every bit as vital as the classic material. And what a selection of classic material…’Dove…Quando,” “Impressioni di Settembre," “Out at the Roundabout.” I was waiting for “E’Festa,” and I was blown away…it take s a lot to get 1000 people at NEARfest out of their chairs, yet PFM achieved this. They got audience participation. I saw 1000 people dancing and jumping. I felt the walls shake. I heard them screaming on request. It was thrilling, and one of the best performances I have ever seen at NEARfest.
But this year’s NEARfest was about far more than the music. It was about meeting up with people I see once a year. It was about repaying the people who so graciously and generously allowed us into the inside, letting us become part of this breathing, living entity. It was about seeing the festival in a whole new light. If NEARfest 2009 was anything, it was a rebirth in so many different ways. I came out better than I went in. In the end, NEARfest 2009 will perhaps be the most memorable one for me.
It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of this unfortunate circumstance regarding Supersister. Below is what was passed on to us from the band...Due to the unexpected illness of Ron van Eck, Supersister regretfully have announced that they will be unable to appear at NEARfest this year. Ron has had to undergo a course of chemotherapy treatment for cancer. His prognosis is optimistic, but the members of the band feel that Ron's presence and well being is vital to any Supersister performance and regretfully have had to make this decision. The band apologize to all of their fans in America who were looking forward to seeing the and perform once more and hope to visit NEARfest as soon as the health of Ron allows it.
They have been replaced by Trettioåriga Kriget.
Trettioåriga Kriget (Thirty Years War) was formed in 1970 in Saltsjöbaden, a seaside resort southeast of Stockholm. In just a few short years, the band developed a sound that set them apart from the mainstream of Swedish rock. Early in 1974, the band struck a record deal with CBS and released their self-titled debut album. This was followed in 1976 with their symphonic masterpiece, "Krissång," a progressive rock tour de force with the entire second side of the LP devoted to the "Krissång 2" suite. Despite gaining international praise from the subsequent tour, CBS dropped the band and they signed with a small Swedish label for the release of "Hej på er" in 1978. The band continued until mid-1980 when they decided to call it a day. However, in 2002 most of the classic lineup reunited to try out new material. "Elden av år" was released in 2004 and immediate burst the band back on to the prog rock radar, even garnering them an invite to ProgDay 2004, where they dazzled the audience at Storybook Farm. Since then, the band has continued to play live and produced excellent albums, including 2007's "I början och slutet."
After the void left in this year's lineup by the unfortunately departure of Supersister, Trettioåriga Kriget has accepted our offer to perform at NEARfest '09. We could not be more excited to welcome them to the NEARfest stage. Please help us welcome Trettioåriga Kriget to the show!
