The Making of Urban Gypsy...part 1 Mallorca

Me, Gota, Nico Belotto and mystery woman....

Summer is soon over here....woke up this morning at 6 by a serious thunderstorm. Like a stroboscope in the sky. Amazing to watch, and man did it make me feel small. Made me realize who I really am. Just one small little person on a very big and powerful planet somewhere in space.
I have started writing on the new album, well I did start a few  moths ago but now it´s serious....and this new one is NOT going to take me 4 years to make.  As always while making an album I travel down memory lane a bit. Like one step forward two steps back... kinda..... listening thru all the old songs and who knows, maybe one of them ( 100 tracks) will fit right in.  For me, album making is kind of a blue print of where I am right now. it´s personal and heart felt and scary as always and and the same time such joy and blessings to work with really wonderful people. And like a drug. I just have to do it. Urban Gypsy took a lot out of me. The roller coaster ride of making that album was ..wow....
I have so many great pictures and memories, and somehow I want to share that with you. I realize it´s a liiiitle late...cuz all that sharing is what people normally do during their albummaking in real time.:) I´m a bit slow..what the heck.........this is for my own ego sake.. to leave that behind me, clearing out the old to welcome the new.  And you are more than welcome to join

inspiration

Here is " The Making and Inspiration of the Urban Gypsy"
The Journey starts in Mallorca Summer 2005. I sat on the rooftop terrace to the apartment in Palma, or on the beach...with my Gibson, named Gretchen. In the sunlight I sat writing songs like "Who am I trying to fool" and " Ready To Love." songs that are not recorded yet, but they might be now...When I was not writing I spend time in the art studio with my mentor Maja Dannegard. I had an exhibition coming up in Sweden late august and knew I had to get ready. I got a lot to thank Maja for. She is a wonderful soul sister and teacher and somehow, she´s always there.  I had one of the strongest musical experience there. This one day I felt run over by a truck. Nothing came out of me, all was stuck inside like glue. Maja went to the CD and she said. " OK now I will put a song on, I don´t know if you know it, but it does not matter. Just sing along with the song and just let your heart cry out! " that was the order...then she put on " Cry Baby" with Janis Joplin. Of course I had heard it, but did not know the song by heart.. I kinda mumbled along..like a mouse, really shy, but the more I got into the painting, wider expressions came out, more movement and and suddenlu my whole body was alive and I heard myself screaming on the top of my lungs " Cryyyyy cryyyyyyy Babyyyyyyyy" and I just didn´t seem to care what it sounded like or what happened. I just lost myself in the creation and I didn´t even notice the tears flowing down my cheeks until way later. It was a magical moment for me, and a guide line to what is is to totally surrender to the feeling. No judging voices in my head, just one solid expression. The neighbors came out from their houses, wanting to know who was singing....and Maja looked like she had seen a ghost. Then she started laughing hysterically.

no time for lunch

At the same time, my long time friend Gota Yashiki (www.gota.com) came down to the island to do some writing with me. We had a blast, came down with some cool ideas and met some more friends along the way. Chill out ambient master Steve Miller (Afterlife, http://www.myspace.com/stevemillerisafterlife) and vocalist Cathy Battistessa were performing at Puro Beach so I joined in....

Cathy Battistessa and me, Puro Beach

Me, Steve Miller (Afterlife) and Cathy B Puro Beach

My vernissage was coming closer, and I had to make sure the paintings were delivered safely from Mallorca back to Sweden. For that show, called " Hidden Words" I did a collaboration with former Puro Beach DJ Fabian Wetzel who created ambient tracks to every painting. It became a really cool atmospheric experience with the light/airy/spaced out paintings and his music. The Vernissage was a success  ( you can see some of the art on www.sevensistersnetwork.com) and really proud I could leave the painting for a while to continue the quest of making the album.  Fall 2005 I started my songwriting trip in Nashville.........