love the space you create

Wow! Whom ever said that time flies should get the Nobel Prize. but he/she would of course aswell have explain the concept of time. Fascinating subject in my world. I once wrote a song called " Time is Money"  This is way before I wrote "all bout the Money"... guess I have always been wondering of that....thing with time..... what IS time?  can we really control it? can we really count on it? How does it co-operate with our brain? Some seek more time, others want time to fly,  Our whole society built up on a clock. We no longer look to  Mother Nature to connect with the time. We create our own. Is that really a smart moove in the long run? Well.... here´s where I´m at tonight:):) thinking  of time and space and quantum physics. Saw the move" what the bleep do we know" the other night. Did u see that one? Makes life more fascinating... opportunities.... curiosity..... what about if ???? If you have not seen it yet, I highly recomemnd it. It´s not too heavy, it´s playful and fun!!   Oh... also, I started on the new album now.  It will be out 2013.  by the way..... More to come....Peace  Meja

Life goes on.....

......and time flies. While writing for the new album, my world kind of crashed as my beloved grandmother passed away. We have been so close, since the first time my eyes caught the light of this world, and I miss her terribly. 93 years on earth and she was a loving woman with an extremely wonderful sense of humor.

I have no more words, so I´ll share  a photo of the last time I saw her, held her and felt her just hours before she took her last breath. RIP Grandma I will always love you.

Wedding in Vegas....

After months and months of writing, traveling and enjoying myself it suddenly felt like it was all coming to an end. The album was about ready to reveal itself. We had a few sessions booked at Dave Ways place again, where we did the tracks of Chasing Butterflies and At The Rainbows End.

My producer Martin Landqvist was over in LA and we sat at his hotel down on Venice Beach writing new songs and finalizing the old ones. We took a hike up the hills to see Jim Huff, and to finalize "Waiting for the Rain" in his lovely backyard. I´ll always remember that month.....cuz my car had broken down, and the garage was kind enough to lend me a Mazda Miata from 95. It was the most fun car to drive...A little red cab...THAT was love!  Just driving up to Laurel Canyon, get a coffee at the Country Store and then go home would put a big smile on my face.  One night we had dinner at "Pace" just below the Country Store. We came to talk about weddings, our friends from " Carolina Liar" me and my producer with his girlfriend and their little baby.

Something must have started there, because the morning after, Martin calls me up and says. " We´re ready, baby!" In 24 hours he had arranged the whole thing and not long after we were 8 people in a van going to Vegas for their wedding. A 2 day wedding in Vegas that was just totally a blast.....and yes, as you say.." whatever happens in Vegas......" it´s not only a saying...
The ceremony was held at the bottom of Grand Canyon, by the river. We flew in with the helicopter and it was just a majestic sight. Nature at it´s best. It is the best place I have ever been performing in so far.  I sang one of Martins songs called "Holding the River". Goosebumps all over.

One of the most beautiful weddings I have been to. Back in LA we continued the mission. Everything falling into place and ready to be taken home to sweden for mixing. But before that...photo shoot for the cover in Laurel Canyon..........

Waiting for the Rain...Urban Gypsy Diary...

I settled in my apartment on the corner of Gardner and Oakwood, and decided not to have too much stuff and keep my life minimalistic. I had all I needed for now. My computer, a guitar, recording equipment, a bed and a kitchen table. And Mr Bonzai. My little Silver Wolksvagen Beetle. Many lyrics were born there,  thoughts and plans for the future. Some fulfilled, others still waiting.
I continued working down at the Nightbird Studio and David Gamson (Scritti Politti) came along. He made 2 wonderful productions of  "Don´t look Down" and "Surrender" amongst other things...David is a master dude!!

David Gamson and Jed Leiber at Sunset Marquis

The following months I had a blast. Life is a roller coaster ride, yes...but mostly full of good stuff. I met and became friends with such great people both in and outside the hotel. Countless stories and wonderful memories. Jason Rowe was recording downstairs and both me and Daphna Dove were doing backups...Little did they know back then that they would get married a few years later.):)

Jason Rowe and Me

Days went by just hanging, writing and spending time with wonderful people. You could say I was collecting impressions, experiences and inspiration  as that is what life is about for me. I just felt like being home. A small fish in a big pond but still strong and determined. The album was far from ready but I had to give time to the process. And so I did. I spent my days writing and hanging....

Robert Ferrone, me and Billy Gibbons having a great lunch..

with a dolphin

with Tom De Luca and his parrot

with a bunch of Happy Campers....

with my girlfriend and GREAT guitar player Rayne Fitton

hanging w Gunnar..

and by the Pier in Santa Monica.

All Good. ....to be continues....

Don´t Look Down

I continued working down at the Nightbird studio at the Sunset Marquis. Jed and I started a collaboration, and he brought on his old time friend Jeff Barry. A part from being a super soulful and wonderful man, Jeff is also a songwriting legend. His creativity spans over long time and having songs like " Sugar sugar" or "Chapel of Love" from the 60´s up until today, the man is fanatic. Get accointed:  this is music history!!   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Barry

Jed Leiber, Me and Jeff Barry at the Sunset Marquis

A very close friend of mine was in trouble, and I wanted to write a song for him, to cheer him up and keep fighting the bad stuff. A song of encouragement and comfort.
I have always had the dream of me standing on a cliff, and in every dream different things happen on that cliff. I had the image of us standing up there, and it was awfully high.
I told my friend that if you look up, you won´t feel the fear the same way you do when you look up. As an experiment, try to look up to teh sky and think a negative thought. It is very difficult.
So, whenever your feeling down, Look Up!!
Jeff nailed the lyric with our hours of conversation and one night, we went up to the bar in the hotel. Jed introduced me to Billy Gibbons, who just happened to be around. He was in songwriting mode so he joined in to finish the song. It was a very special evening and one of those moments I love so much,  when things just fall into place and you are open for anything to happen. I mean, who would have known about this, when I woke that morning? Sometimes it is good to have no set plans, cuz it open sup to chance. I reckon it is also very typical for that hotel. I mean, where in the world would I end up having a drink in the bar  with Bryan Adams??

Coming down to the studio and time for vocals on Don´t look down, it looked like this in the vocal room. That´s love! The staff sure knew how to treat vocal chords:):)
When the song was ready and done, Billy invited us over to his radio show where he sends live every weekend.
That was the first time Don´t look Down was played, newly baked from the studio oven .  Since Billy love  classical cars, the radio show was held in the Classic Car center in LA.  Countless really cool, stylish cars were displayed, among them his huge private collection. I fancy old cars, and at the time I had a Morris Minor 58, so I kinda felt like one in the gang...:)

Billy Gibbons and Miss Meja

                                                             Back to the studio we continued writing more songs.
One of them is "Surrender". for some reason we did not finalize it, and I am still working on the lyrics. Some songs take longer time to mature, others are written in a heart beat. That´s just the way it is.
 Like Keith Urban once told me, so wisely " You can not force songs to be written, you just have to wait until they demand to be born"
So, "Surrender" is definitely on the upcoming album. I even have painted a huge painting for it.....symbolizing the open arms, surrender into the great wide open!

The Marquis Sessions

Session at Night Bird Studios at the Sunset Marquis

After spending 2 days at Dave Ways fab homestudio in the Hills I figured it would be a good thing to continue the recordings at the Nightbird Studio down in the hotel. We had some great days of music, friends dropping by and creativity. I am a total fan of both the hotel and the studio, and the whole setup is brilliant. Not only on the technical side where the studio holds basically all you want ( and more) but the vibe is there. The vibe to me is the most important thing. I gathered the guys.....

Pete McNeal, Dave Wilder, Jeremy Ruzumna, Me, Lyle Workman

If I could I´d play with these guys forever.  We recorded a whole bunch of songs, and some of them will be on the upcoming album. Friends dropping by in the process, Billy Steinberg came down as we recorded out song " I know how you feel" that we wrote a week earlier ( with Josh Alexander), Bruce Lampkov joined the band doing handclaps on the live on the spot written song " Still Wondering"
We had 30 minutes left before time was up, so we just said, what the heck. let´s jam a song together....turned out great ( also coming up.......) and Jeff Barry, the wonderful I can not say enough good things about this man, who shaped up the song "enough" with his brilliant lyrics. (also coming up....)

Jeremy Ruzumna, Me, Jeff Barry

I got a wonderful bracelet as a gift from Jeff. I have worned it out and it breaks my heart. Still keep the beeds..... Sometimes it is nice to hold on to the passed. Even though it has already passed.):)  Maybe that´s one of the reasons why I do this " blog from yesterday" right now....It was such a great period o fmy life and we had such a blast, and musically it was an adventure.  The Hotel is like the good old Hotel California that The Eagles sing about.  You can check in but you can never leave... Living, eating, breathing, singing, recording in the same space. I rarely got out of there. Occasionally visited the best Japanese little whole in the wall place round the corner, but that´s it.

Me n Lyle Workman at the Marquis

Jeremy Rusumna, the man the myth the DUDE!!

One night I was heading out for dinner, when I found this guy sitting in the stairs outside the hotel. He looked at me,  bit gloomy and asked me for a lift to the Roxy.  I had no clue who he was, but yeah, sure...jump in...On the short trip from the Marquis to The Roxy he was singing for me the whole time. "- What do you think of this melody ??" he asked and changed to something new. I was amused, he was probably stoned.  As I stopped the car, he looked at me for the first time....said thank you very much for the ride, now time for work! " and then he left. I say the signs outside the club saying " Tonight The Lemonheads" I had just driven the singer to his gig.
We continued recording, Oh, gotta mention the master technician himself by the mixing board Barry Rudolph. He was a lovely fella. You know. I have been lucky ...of all the peeps I have bumped into, very very few have been assholes.

Jason from Nightbird, Me and Jed Leiber

Back to LA on the Path, Sunset Marquis Hotel

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In February I went back to LA. I had a bunch of songs to record and wanted to write new ones with my collabs there. But where to record and with who was yet a mystery. Via my publishing-company Kobalt I was booked to stay at Hotel Sunset Marquis. I thought it would be just another hotel, but it really didn´t turn out to be just only that. Arriving early evening to the hotel, checked into my room and went down to get something to eat before my eyelids hit the floor.....The hotel has a quite small room for dining inside, and there I sat by myself enjoying a lovely meal, when a man comes up to me, says hi and welcome to the hotel..".-you just arrived ehh??you must be an artist???"   "-Yes I replied" in my daze... "-Well you are here all by yourself and there are 2 gentlemen in the bar sitting by themselves, would you mind if I introduced them to you?  Before I even had time to take a breath 2 happy guys stood at my table. They were giggling and friendly and I asked them to sit down. We started talking about everything else except what we were working with..but later of course that came up. The wonderful guys were Stuart Price and Steve Sidelnyk, working down in the studio in the hotel with the new Madonna album. So, the big world in LA became very small when first, Stuart, who´s been working with Madonna for a long time, of course knew my friend Jonas Åkerlund who makes a lot of her videos etc, but Steve, who suddenly became quiet and said "-sooo you are THAT Meja, whos album I played on a few years ago????? "It turns out that Hamish (Stuart) who produced my "Mellow" album, were best buddies w Steve and called him in for some drum additions in London. 2 degrees of separation...
One afternoon I was doing down the elevator to the studio to see the guys. The door opened and a blond spiky haired stranger stood there and said " Hi Meja! How are you doing???" He was also going down to the studio, that he apparently was the owner to. For a weird reason it felt like I had known him forever. That´s how I got introduced to Jed Leiber. Timing.

Jed Leiber and Meja

I decided to start the recordings at Dave Ways studio in his house in the Hills. It has a great vibe and Dave is one of the most talented people I know. As I trust him dearly he gathered the band. And the band...I loved "my" band. Keyboards :Jeremy Ruzumna, Bass :Dave Wilder, Guitar : Lyle Workman and on drums for day one Brian McCloud.  We started recording Roses in December. All the takes live and the song straight thru as is should be. The vocals are just one long take with no corrections what so ever. That´s what we ended up with and that´s what´s on the album.
I owe Dave thanks for these wonderful sessions!! Really!!

Brian McCloud and Dave Way 

Jeremy Ruzumna and Dave Wilder

Jeremy and I

to be continued......