All Categories - ANDREASSJENSEN

Ordinary People (Video)

2/10/2023

On the desolate Danish island of Fyn, while driving a hired car from a songwriting camp on the island/Isle of Samsø on route to Copenhagen, I broke down. There was almost no traffic on the narrow back road where I brought the car to a holt, steam and boiling water shooting out of the bonnet. I knew that letting the engine cool down and topping up the water might very well solve the problem, but it was a ridiculously hot day and I had nothing drinkable left in the car.
After having tried to flag down passing cars without luck for almost an hour, I ventured up a dirt track to a farm I had spotted in the distance. As I approached the main farm entrance I was greeted by a warning sign “No trespassing” and to my astonishment a couple of riffle shots was fired in my direction. This convinced me that the shooter probably meant business and I quickly ducked behind the nearest elderberry bush, shaking like a Polaroid picture.
“Ahoy, Ahoy I come with only peace, love and sinful songs my friend !”, I yelled out.
A swift answer came back followed by a rough cackle: “Hello stranger. Is that a geetar in your hand there? Get it out boy and come play with me”, the voice commanded. A woman popped her head around the corner of a multi coloured favela looking row of shacks behind the main farm building. It looked like she had been in the process of feeding the chickens and had spotted me from there. She pulled out a 5 string banjo from the haystack next to her as we sat down next to each other. “So whatcha got for me boy?”, she said. The first thing that sprung to mind, was an old, almost forgotten song called Ordinary People, which I had written years before with my old writing partner Joe Killington. It goes like this:

Love & War (Song Story)

7/9/2020

I was really looking forward to meeting this guy. I had a clear feeling that there would be a connection: Southern country bum meets somehow failed big city producer on a come down…. When I listened to his voice on the mp3’s I had been sent I was hearing a strung out Lou Reed with a country twang. When I read his lyrics I was imagining a 1970’s backstage party upstairs a run down honky tonk, a mysterious goth princess -and with a voodoo twist.

As he entered The House Of Songs, a weathered wooden bungalow in downtown Austin,Texas, Dustin lived up to all my expectations: All dressed in black, Ray Bans, cowboy boots, a head of unkempt black curls, looking like some paranoid outlaw gipsy. Plastic bag with beers, car keys and cigarettes in one hand, and a totally battered guitar case in the other. He was polite but reserved. Welcoming but with a slight distance and a quiet cool....a cool which, judging by the smell of his breath, might be a cover up for last nights 5am post gig drinking session. Or maybe he was just too cool to worry ‘about shit like that. Way before Dustin had opened the case unveiling a battered 6-string covered in dents, scratches, inscriptions and badges I was intrigued.

I politely turned down a beer, thought the guy could do with a cup of coffee, at least for starters. After all it was only 10.30 in the morning. We could (and would) soon get around to the beers, but in the meantime he excused himself and made his way to the back porch where he lit up a hand rolled (obviously) cigarette. I joined him with a couple of mugs of strong coffee, and fifteen minutes of half hearted resistance later my old cigarette addiction gave in, I bummed a Marlboro and joined him on his third “fag” -a British expression for cigarettes that somehow didn’t seem to work in Texas.

We smoked, talked and drank coffee. I was not suprised to learn that behind his tough front Dustin was artistic, intelligent and unpredictable. We slowly talked ourselves closer to what is was all about: Songwriting. As I watched intrigued, Dustin picked up the guitar and began slowly and meticulously to put on 3 metal finger picks. This only added to the whole cow punk mystery of the man, and somehow reminded me of Edward scissor hand: The hyper sensitive with the tough looking front.

“Well, I’ve got this thing I’ve been playing a round with…..am kinda stuck”, Dustin mumbled head down while tuning the guitar. Seconds later the room was filled with a beautiful finger picking pattern and when he started singing along I got goose bumps all over and chills running down my spine. It was earthy, natural, inspired and just SO Texas. I totally loved it and I really wanted to be able to add something to it.

I made a few attempts. Stopped. Considered. Analyzed. The fear started creeping in……. could I ever come up with something that could match or live up to this amazing piece of music ? I started thinking, instead of just feeling, reacting and trying…..-which really is what songwriting is all about. If you start holding back and doubting yourself -then you are about to lose it.

I knew that I had to play to my strengths: Melody, emotion, development, hook and arrangement, But the fear that whatever little I would be able come up with would never be able to match this amazing song idea, had planted it’s seed in the back of my mind…. I fought and I fought….. I refused to let it happen ! - I hadn’t written for a while and had had very little sleep and lot’s on my mind as I left the UK the day before. But already on the plane from Heathrow, London to the Chicago transfer had I taken a decision: That whatever happened and however stressed out I might be at this particular moment, I was NOT going to let it bug me down on this trip. I was gonna write, I was gonna open up, I was gonna shine ! -Back in the room we worked on the song for a few hours, and we arranged to meet up a few days later to finish it off.

That evening I made my way through the frosty Texas night down to The Hole In The wall a classic haunt for up-n-comming bands in I had heard mentioned several times.
When I later left the bar again I was all fired up, invigorated and inspired. In the cab back to The House Of Songs I started thinking about ideas for Dustin's song. I was imagining an anthem of some sort. Like a Bryan Adams/ Bruce Springsteen song but with more grit, something you could imagine a stadium singing along to. BOOOORN IN THE USA or THOSE WHERE THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE, the American equivalent to a big U2 song: An Anthem ! I imagined people waiving banners like a mix of a big Demo and a arena concert.

As soon as I staggered in to the front room of The House Of Songs I grabbed the guitar and I bashed a few chords out. A-D-G. Big open chords….BA-BA-DAM and the chorus seemed to just form it self, it just came out of my mouth though the words at the time went: “Oh Oh Oh with a banner in the air Oh Oh Oh I see you everywhere”. I wasn't sure what it meant or what the connection was with the rest of the song, but I liked it. It had that anthemic thing going on and it worked well with that verse idea Dustin had come with.
I went out on the porch, fired up a Marlboro, took a sip of a can of Texas Lone Star, and felt very cowboy as I looked into the clear cold night. It felt like there was frost in the air. Like frost had had arrived coinciding with me flying in to town. “The colder northern spirit to the hot blooded rootsy, vibe of the south” perhaps….I thought full of self importance…… I wondered how cold it could get down here and thought about the hundreds of cowboy movies I watched growing up, where the lone gunman wakes up by the fire at 6am freezing to the bone. I figured it probably could go near 4-5 degrees Celsius, but probably not much lower, as we weren't in the mountains…… I looked up again and the sky was covered in little yellow stars like the Texas lone star had been multiplied by what seemed like thousands.

At our next writing session a few days later, I threw everything into it. I was strong willed and refusing to give in to my demons. Dustin had nodded, even smiled when I played him the chorus and we where on a roll. We worked on the song for a few hours, but hadn’t finished it and he left with the promise of another return and an open invitation for me to drop by and check out his gig at a local venue later that week.

I caught only the last half of a song of Dustin's band as they finished their regular gig that night. However, I showed up and he liked that. He introduced me to his magic guitar player sideman Jeremy Nail who I later got to know very well and have since written several songs with. I also got introduced to Dustin's girlfriend/future wife Kayla plus a couple of her friends, who seemed to be up for a party. So later we hit The Continental -a classic Austin venue.

I felt skinny, pale and British in the surroundings. This was Austin before the IT-hipsters completely took over. Before $300,000 luxury condos, before men in snapped-off-by-the-ankle denim trousers with big beards drank organic craft beers in glass bars. Back when men was men and even hippie men where…. -or at least there wasn't that many of “them hipsters” ‘round.
-That’s at least what it feels like, thinking back…..

We where downing bottles of Lone Star, laughing and swaying to the blues rock band that was playing. I tried to get to talk to Dustin, but he seemed busy networking, walking from table to table, saying hi to some, getting introduced to others. Kayla caught my eye, laughed and shrugged, as if to say “That's just how he is....”, but I felt a hint of sadness from her. And I felt like we somehow where in the same situation. Waiting for Dustin’s attention. I wanted to know more about this guy, about Texas and all. We had a party going on but he didn’t seem to join in, just doing his own thing,and I was kind of in a funny situation with his girlfriend…..

The next band of the night came on, it was a 4 band night. A steel guitar was brought out, two Telecasters, drums, bass and a fiddle. Minutes later country music filled the room, the kind of country music you haven't heard if you have never been to Texas or traveled in the South.

A handsome looking cowboy came up and asked one of the girls we where partying with if she wanted to dance. The next girl got asked out and Kayla turned around and smiled at me with a cocky look. “I bet you’ve never danced two-step”, she drawled and continued: “Come on here, lemme teach you”.
And as if I had had a chance she swiftly reached out, grabbed my hand and pulled me out on the dance floor. I was quickly being showed a couple of basic steps and then whirled into this full-on country music barn dance. It was so much fun. I was obviously ridiculous at it and was very self aware, partly also because of the fact that I was dancing with my new friends girlfriend and I really didn’t completely understand the dynamic between them.

I looked around, couldn't see Dustin but I felt his eyes at the back of my neck. When I finally saw him I knew I probably had gone too far. He looked like he felt threatened, and the last thing I ever wanted was to ruin this great new songwriting relationship we where developing. I was torn in two; I was on the other side of the world and having a great time with new friends. There was nothing sexual in the dancing or in our interaction and there was no intent from me to take it any further, and we where a part of a whole group of people having a drink and a laugh. However, that's easy to say when you are the “intruder” with nothing to lose, and not the one who’s in a (perhaps unstable) relationship feeling threatened. I backed off. Said my goodbyes and stumbled up the backstreets of downtown Austin. Back to The House Of Songs.

That night, as snow started falling over Austin for the first time in 20 years, I wrote the middle 8 part of our song in one go.

Love & War -Video Story

6/11/2020

I have struggled a bit with writing down the actual events that lead to the creation of the lyrics to my new single Love & War, -as I see them. I am also not a big fan of explaining everything about a song, because I think it can take away a bit of the magic. However, I would still like to like to say something regarding Stories and here's my first go at it:

There are often several stories involved in writing a song. Especially when it’s written by two or more people. When you then ad a video into the picture even more stories are added. Every person involved brings there own story to the table. IE "what does this line mean to me", "what does that picture mean to me" ....even down to what does that phrase or that guitar solo mean to the guitar player.
When the videographer Birgitte Bjørn and I shot the video for Love & War we didnt really talk much about it, and we didnt have a storyboard done in advance. It was more like a spontanious play-around, arty kind of thing. We had set aside two days to shoot a video and it was supposed to be done in Enghave Park in Copenhagen. However, when we met on the morning of the first day it was raining, so we quickly came up with an alternative plan.

We checked the weather forecast for places near Copenhagen where rain wasn’t predicted and then borrowed a car and drove down to a beautiful Island called Møn, a couple of hours south of Copenhagen.
On Møn we first drove around and checked out some locations. Then we had lunch with Bjørns sister Merete who lives there, and she gave us more location ideas and then we just went out and started shooting. We would basically just jump out and roll the camera and while driving around looking for locations we met Claus Green (who stars in the video as the driver) and the boys on the mopeds.
For me the video is about two (split) personalities in a person. The happy positiv out look and the dark heavy cynical side. I think most of us are struggling with this. Some more than others.

-Birgitte Bjørn from A bear and a half production is a top Danish videographer who also happens to be a professional musician (an excellent guitar player) and she also does the most amazing handmade, arty, wacky lamp shades that she sells from her website Loudlamps. We had a lot of fun doing the video.

If you like the song or video PLEASE LIKE and SHARE it to your friends. -And sign up to my mailing list..... xxx Andreas

Single release dating v decision making..... -my worst enemy.

5/4/2020

I dont know about you guys, but I am really struggling with decisions making. For many years the smallest decision could push me out of controle of a situation, and I can spend weeks deliberating so I often tend to just go with the flow and let other people decide just to get rid of the choice problem -even though it might not always be what I really wanted....... However, you just can't do that if you are running your own project. So I often miss having a manager, label or other sparring partner.

The only time I feel really comfortable about decisions is when I write songs. I might have to have a litle break from a song at some point, or several ones. But I trust my gut instinct when I listen back to a demo or look at a lyric. Obviously there are times where even THAT becomes a problem, but that rarely happens. I have learned to follow my instinct on that one.
When I have written a good song I feel powerful. Here is something I really am the only judge of it's good or bad. When there's a writing partner involved though it's a different process, where its more about maneuvering between two ideas og bouncing off each other, which the great thing about it.
So putting down a final date for my single release has been a total nightmare. I was in good time, I thought I was well prepared, but every little task seemed to turn into a week which is often the case when you are self financing and on the cheap. And as I'm a perfectionist and not always good at visioning things clearly or explaining what I want -or demanding it- it can sometimes get a bit long winded and I can drive people nuts. I really try to be more to the point and follow my instincts, but I often doubt them.... Though in the end we usually get there.

So I've forced myself through it and I'm really happy to announce that my new single Love & War will be released on Friday May 8th, where I also will be playing a little live set online at 8:30PM UK time / 19:00 CEST... (in Denmark for instance) Check this page regularly for more news).
And now on to choose which photos to use....... I know some world class photographers, so I'm spoilt for choice......... AAAAAAAAARH !

The look ! The style ! The dance moves !

1/4/2019

The other morning, just as I was about to have a shower, I suddenly got to think of a long forgotten band. I followed the thought back to when I was about ten years old.

Me and my new mate was hanging out at his parents house, drinking tea and listening to his step mums old albums. We where home alone and we could crank it up as loud as we wanted.
Now, I didn’t grow up in a particularly musical family. There just wasn’t a lot music around at home, so I loved to hang around mates that had more than five albums in the house. This was a time before Youtube and streaming, and music was valuable in a completely different way; Basically your circumstances heavily limited what you got to hear.

My mate pulled out the cover of an album called Sloppy Seconds and started introducing me to the band. He went through each and every band member, explaining what instrument they played, which songs they sang and what it was about. He even told me each members drug of choice….. Yes I was only ten, and my best friend had just introduced me to rock ’n’ roll, and the band was the amazing Dr. Hook.

This greasy haired gang of 1970’s slackers was never seen as a being particularly “cool”. They where for many basically just a stupid southern pop band, obsessed with their own drug abuse and backstage antics. But in my opinion their lyrics, written by Shel Silverstein, where about a thousand times more witty, clever and interesting than most other bands comes up with till this day …. They where also an extremely funky, bluesy, groovy and well playing band with at least two amazing singers and they had their style and image all sorted.
Yes, they went downhill musically in the late ’70s when they started becoming a “serious” cheesy pop band. But in the early years they where great ! They just had it all, and their music still holds up to this day.

All this was going through my head as I showered and then packed my gear into my car, getting ready for the gig that evening. Later, on my way home from the gig, at around 2AM, i turned on the radio. The News came on and announced that Ray Sawyer had died and they played Silvias Mother (which was actually sung by the other vocalist). I was gutted !!! but also a bit spooked as I had just thought of the band that morning.

Now, I know that it was the other dude (whats his name…with the greasy hair….) who sang lead vocals on most of their songs. But to me Ray Sawyer will always be the REAL Doctor.
Ray had the look, the style, the dance moves ! His cockiness, his ranting, the maracas (!) -Ray was the full package….. AND he was a great singer too…… -Honestly, who can actually seriously tell the difference between the two main Dr Hook voices ? Try comparing Cover Of The Rolling Stones with Freakers Ballwww.youtube.com/watch?v=uo9bKdIG_Yw.
Guitar player George Commings low voice would pop out occasionally, only getting featured when a sleazy enough song craved it, but the other two guys sang and harmonised like they where the same person….

But perhaps they actually where quite different. Perhaps Ray just wasn’t pushy enough to sing the main lead vocals, or maybe he got nervous when recording. Maybe he felt he was too old and it was better for business to let the younger greasy haired Dennis go first, or maybe the other guy was just better and faster at sucking up to the producer, manager or record label….. Who knows, to me there was only ONE Dr. Hook frontman -And that man was my man Ray Sawyer. R.I.P.

3 days in September

9/20/2018

Last week I did a little three day tour with my solo stuff. It doesnt sound like a lot, but It was a hectic few days, that started out by flying out to Copenhagen Tuesday afternoon and going straight into rehearsal's with double bass player Mads Bendsen. The following day I picked up drummer Jack Cowens in Copenhagen Airport, then drove on to the studio in Nord Vest, where rehearsals with Mads continued. The sound of the songs being performed with vocal, acoustic guitar, double bass and drums was super exciting ! It's an amazing feeling hearing ones songs performed with a different orchestration. Like "one-two-three Go" and suddenly the room is filled with something so familiar, yet so new. I first met and played with Mads a few years back. We did a set of my songs with drummer Grev Lyhne, at the venue Operaen, in the famous 50 year old Copenhagen phenomenon Freetown Christiania, and it was great fun playing with him again.
Thursday afternoon I rehearsed with guitarist Peter Nielsen, who couldn't make it down the day before, and an hour after rehearsals we had picked up the band, double bass and all and where on route to that evenings gig, at the venue Drop Inn in central Copenhagen.

My grand cousin Søren Siegumfeldt showed up with his baritone sax and played along on three songs, and when he hit the first note the entire band turned around in bemusement. I had underestimated how LOW a baritone sax can go, and I expected to hear something at least an octave or two higher up in the register. However, the sound was radical !! John Zorn at the Knitting Factory in New York sprung to mind....and I loved it !

After the gig we dropped of the drum kit, Mads and his bass and managed to get just about 3 hours sleep before reconvening at Copenhagen Airport for a flight to London Stansted. Here Peter and I parted ways with Jack (who unfortunately couldn't do the next two gigs), and within hours we where back in rehearsals, at Bonafide Studios in Muswell Hill -this time with Lamb's drummer, the amazing Nikolaj Bjerre:

9PM we where on stage at the famous Hotvox Presents night at Spice Of Life in Soho. -It was RAD !! The crowd was up beat and cheery, and they happily sang along to most of the songs. A really good night, with several other great bands one.

The next day we where back out again and on stage at 2PM @Acklam Village in Portobello, West London, where people where sipping beers in deck chairs and the vibe was just pure chill and bliss.

However, the moment we finished I was out of there and on my way to a "money gig" in Norfolk, =to pay for the party.....
Thanks to all the musicians, sound engineers and everyone to came out to see us play.

Goodbye Pistols, Hello TO THE NEXT STAGE

3/18/2018

Lee Scratch Perry at Beatherder Festival 2017. (Photo by Bill Borez)

Some of you might wonder what happened with the Dub Pistols, the band I was a member of for over six years between 2011-2017. Last summer, just before I released my album Disturbed, I quietly left the band and passed the torch back to the living legend that is Jean Claude King, better known as Johnny Rockstar -the original guitar player in the Pistols. Johnny had had time off the road, working on his solo album with the Jap Sluts and was ready to get back into the battlefield. I, on the other hand, was feeling more and more that I was compromising my own music by spending so much time on the road: in travel, on planes, in hotel rooms and backstage at gigs….just waiting…..waiting for that one hour of music per night. I didn’t feel there was enough time in my year, or hours in the day, to be creative. The Dub Pistols is an extremely busy band and as with any ambitious band on a roll, time off (or sleep) is also not really a priority, which really can drive you mental at times. I felt it was time for a big change. Simply put I needed to follow my heart, move on and focus on my own thing. Not that my heart wasn’t in the Dub Pistols, it definitely was -it’s one of the best live bands I have ever played with- but I was never really a part of the creative process and I have always really enjoyed songwriting and producing, and I see that as that being one of my strongest suits. I also write a lot of songs that could never have been used in that context anyway.

It was mid July, we where once again halfway through a year with another amazing festival season. We had been playing around 35 festivals every year since I joined the band, had won several awards, the band seemed to be going from strength to strength and it had all been a fantastic journey to be a part of. But this year all my energy and headspace was filled up with the release of my own album. It had been building up over the previous years while I was working on my album -this feeling that I needed to be brave and step out with my own thing. You can continue to be a member of peoples bands your whole life, and it’s great to be a band member….but if you have something you strongly feel for and you want to go for it, you need to be brave, step up, and step out.

Electric Castle, Romania 2017.

This summer I felt pressured and stressed and was probably not being completely reasonable to the people around me, which also resulted in some unreasonable arguments with members of the band and after a long hectic weekend, guided by sleep depravation, I sat down and wrote an email to Barry, drew a deep breath and pressed Send. I quit !

With the Cuban Brothers, Lagos, Portugal 2017.

Beatherder 2017 was my last gig as a regular member. It was a nice one to go out on. As always the festival had a great lineup and it was amazing to be sharing the stage with: Sugarhill Gang, Kelis, Trentemoller, Stereo MC’s and Adrian Sherwood etc. I was standing on the side of the stage when Toots and the Maytals went on. I smiled to Lee Scratch Perry, who later that day was performing with his own band and who was standing right next to me. The band started out and the crowd went wild. However, I wasn’t really feeling the vibe. There was something that wasn’t right, something that wasn’t grooving, it was sort of ok but not fantastic. I glanced over at Mr. Perry and caught his eye. He looked like he was feeling the same way. He hesitated for a second, but no longer than that, then he walked out on the stage and straight up to the bass player, whispered something in his ear and walked back to the spot next to me. The moment Lee had turned his back to the bass player the song just started grooving like MAD ! -I can’t put my finger on it, I’m a bass player myself and couldn’t hear any change in the notes….just in the swing. And I really can’t describe it. I leaned over to Lee and shouted over the music: “whatever you just said to him really did the trick”, and a big smile appeared on Lee’s face. -It was fantastic to see a master in action ! I regret I didn’t ask him what he had actually said.

Toots and The Metals, Beatherder 2017.

It was a hard to take the decision to leave the Pistols. Perhaps one of the hardest in my life. All I ever dreamed of was playing those big festival stages, the back stage craziness, the travels and the good vibes. But I have been lucky to have had a good long stint in the music business, and been up and down many times, and I know that sometimes it’s just time to move on from a situation…..

My highlights with Dub Pistols include: Beatherder Festival (I have played it five or six times, so can’t really decide which ones was the best), Glastonbury (especially the time we played Shangri-La Saturday at 2AM), headlining Splore Festival in New Zealand and Electric Castle in Rumania (again can’t pick which year was the best), Exit Festival in Serbia, Mumbai and Bangalore, Snowbombing in Switzerland, and of course some of those great, great nights at the smaller festivals and clubs all over the UK and Europe where magic just happens… -Oh yeah, the best gig might in fact have been that night we played at at a workingman’s club on the Isle Of White (The Legioneers perhaps….), on two (differently branded) floor monitors with one send and to small Mackie speakers as PA, performing to a double full 150 people capacity that went absolutely mad on the dancefloor! We could barely move on the tiny stage, we couldn’t hear our own instruments, but the vibe was amazing and it was so hot that the condensation of sweat from the crowd was dropping down on us like rain. The funniest thing was that after the gig Ben Elton (!) comes up to me, shakes my hand and says “I love you work mate” !!?….Like a spoof writer, straight out of a movie.

Of course I can remember many other great Dub Pistols gigs……but honestly, a lot of it all blends in to one after a while. You just move on to the next one.

With Dub Pistols Barry Ashworth, Bosnia 2016

I would love to play with the Dub Pistols again, if just for a one nighter, a short string of dates, a tour or whatever. I’m sure it will happen one day as we all are on good terms…… But I’m in no rush, these guys will be family forever.

Lots and lots of love to my amazing amigos and pistoleros in the Dub Pistols: Barry Ashworth, Dave Budgen, Jack Cowens, Seanie T, Tim Hutton, Bill Borez, Johnny Rockstar, Steven “Saxby” Cracknell, Marcel “Sir Real” Atteen, Rodney P, Dan Bowskills, Dave Medland, Tom Bone etc etc.

With Dub Pistols and friends, backstage 2017.

My next gig with my own songs will be in Copenhagen on April 26th at Zeppelin Bar on Vesterbro. Tickets can be bought at the door (50kr) or online at Billetto (+booking fee).

SKANDERBORG d.14/12- (A Danish post, sorry)

12/9/2017

"SKANDERBORG ! HJEM TIL DIG OG SKANDERBORG -ÅH-UU-ÅH…”, -som På Slaget 12’s store firser hit kunne...eller skulle.. have gået.

Skanderborg, betyder for mig noget med slægten…..at vende hjem. Ikke at jeg nogensinde har boet der, men jeg har vel besøgt….selvom jeg ikke erindrer noget fra det…..og området omkring Skanderborg er så tæt beslægtet med hvor jeg kommer fra og hvem jeg er. Mine rødder, min slægt….mine ærindringer/minder….. (ja unskyld hvis jeg lyder som talen til en 70 års fødselsdag…..).
Men der er jo fætter Mads Murer i Ry, Esben og Annemarie i Hasselager med kusinerne, Bedstefar Peder Jensen der voksede op på Edslev Knude og døde i Kolt (-fra Knuden til Kolt, så at sige…) og der er familie fra/i Beder, Viby og Århus. Der er Smuk Fest, som jeg har spillet på flere gange, Tranbjerg skoletandlæge, som da jeg gik der, var rimeligt løse med uddelingen af lattergas (vi ELSKEDE at gå til tandlæge…) og byfest på Foldboldbanerne bag Mårslet Skole, hvor jeg for første gang så et rigtigt Live-band: Bamses Venner. Ja, det var stort -også selvom det kun var lydprøven jeg fik set, da jeg modsat min storesøster Johanne var for lille til at være med til selve festen, der først startede kl. 7 (!!) om aftenen.
Og så er der mindet om Farmors 65 års fødselsdag. Den sidste rest af oprindelig bondekultur i vores familie: Der var budt til gæstebud. Slægt og gode bekendte kom fra nær og fjern, -og hvor blev der trakteret ! Efter suppe, steg… og is med cognac, kaffe og cigarer, stod røgen tyk ved langbordene -mens kvinderne vaskede op i køkkenet….
Tre spillemænd spillede op til dans og som genert, femtenårig teenager, krøb jeg langs væggene mens jeg ledte efter en undskyldning for at komme i snak med kusinen, som også havde vokset siden vi sidst spillede crocket i farmors baghave.
Det var en farlig affære at være en indendørs på det tidspunkt af aftenen, og man holdt blikket nede, da der var livlige og småfulde landsmandskoner på gulvet, med blik for ledige ungersvende. Men på trods af anstrengelserne kunne man ikke undgå at blive fanget…og hevet med. Først rundt i hele salen om alle bordene til “Skome’rdrengen er et svin, for han drikker brændevin”. Herefter blev man hevet ind ved en godt svedig og fyldig landkone barm, tilhørende en grand tante af en art….hvem vides ikke helt….-men helt sikkert fra Holstebro.
Ikke ret meget senere, måske år, måske måneder, måske dage stod jeg på scenen på en af de første Skanderborg Festivaler (nu SmukFest) med børnerockbandet Parkering Forbudt, og som jeg husker det kom vi tilbage -måske flere gange i løbet af de næste år, mens festivalen voksede sig til fuldmoden, professionel størrelse. Senere var jeg der med datidens anmelder-kæledægger, start-halvfemser-fænomenet Simcess. -Alt sammen gode minder, fra før Vesterbronx, London, Hitlister og Melodi Grand Prix.
Måske er det her store afstande for jer lokale. For jer har Mårslet, Tranbjerg og Arhus måske ikke så meget med Skanderborg at gøre. Men for mig som har boet udenlands i mange år….…. er en halv times transport, desværre, det samme som at køre til bageren….. -Og hvor har jeg dog brugt mange år af mit liv i trafikpropper…..
At komme til Skanderborg og spille med min egen musik og mit eget band, er stort -ihvertilfald for mig.
Jeg håber I allesammen vil komme til min koncert på torsdag d. 14. december på Walthers Musikcafe.

Kh Andreas

Me,Tonic and Terry Hall

5/1/2017

On Thursday April 29th, I played a gig with Dub Pistols for the british charity Tonic. Tonic is a charity that challenges stigmas about mental health issues and promotes healing through music. After the gig we all got given a bag of swag (a Tonic badge, a Tonic sticker, a t-shirt etc) and I found this postcard with me and Terry Hall from the legendary The Specials, from a previous (Tonic-) gig. Terry is a patron as well as the Dub Pistols are and I grew up listening to The Specials, they kind of got me into reggae (as well as the The Harder They Come movie did), so I just suddenly got really emotional about it all: Life is crazy, and a lot of us are probably too.....and we meet through music....and suddenly it's all not that bad..... Fuckin' brilliant !!

Album Update

4/24/2017

This week I'm talking to people who can help with the release of my album, singles and videos. -It's taken a long time to get to this stage. Here's some photo's from the mastering session, a couple of weeks ago....

A Feminist Mothers day

3/26/2017

-I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW I'm moving into dynamite area even mentioning this.... but I have really mixed feelings about all this Mothers Day business. Obviously it's to do with my background, and I would never discourage ANYONE from praising or showing appreciation for their mother.....BUT....
My... feminist(-and Single) mother taught me that "Mothers Day is a load of rubbish created by the big commercial multinationals in order to sell us all more shit, AND the whole idea of -only one day a year- celebrating the mothers of the world (who works their arses off for the family) is CHAUVINISTIC and DEGRADING to ALL women, AND the ONLY intention with this Mothers-Day-Rubbish is to stop women from complaining the rest of the year and to keep them at home, cooking and scrubbing the floors !!!!"

THERE YOU GO !!! I SAID IT !!!

I KNOW this might create debate (at least on my personal Facebook page). But honestly...... it seems to me that this whole idea of (only once a year...) celebrating mothers, too often ends up in tears because of unfulfilled expectations, just like all the OTHER days Walt Disney/Monsanto/Coca cola/The Illuminati invented (...Fathers Day, Valentines Day, New Years Eve etc) to sell us more shit we don't need !!

OK. So there you go ! Now, GO ON AND KILL ME ! (Just remember I'm only repeating what MY mother taught me...... and btw Mothers Day is finished in about 20 minutes time anyway, so you can forget about getting upset (-till next year !)

My mountain

10/26/2016

In spring 2016 my good friend Jeremy Nail from Austin,Texas released his brilliant debut album My Mountain. The album was produced by punk, roots, alt country legend Alejandro Escovedo and received lots of good press from the critics.
Jeremy and I have a bit of history together as we cowrote the song Unchanged from my EP Disconnected, and I kind of feel like we have a deeper connection both musically and personality wise.
Anyway, I recommend you all check out Jeremys video for My Mountain and give it a Like on youtube if you dig what you hear.

More info on www.JeremyNail.com

WHAT a summer !!

10/12/2016

And WHAT a year ! It's been fantastic so far and here's som pictures from our Dub Pistols gigs at Glastonbury (Hell Stage and Glade Stage)....and from Festivals all over the UK, Bosnia, Romania, Italy, Macedonia, Greece, Switzerland, France, Australia and the AMAZING Splore Festival in New Zealand ! Lovin' it !!

East MEETS WEST

9/19/2016

Hi people.

I thought I'd share this great new tune with Sam And The Womb I helped produce and arrange.

WHEN EAST MEETS WEST ALL WE'RE GONNA DO IS PAAARTY !!

The proof that god excists !

9/29/2015

Right. I'm not comparing myself to the big G-man here....so keep reading.
Last month I played a little sneaky acoustic solo gig at Mums in Bowes Park, as a warmup, and and am now moving on to bigger adventures with a gig on October 13th at The Finsbury in Manor House (30 seconds walk from the Tube Station....). Other acts on the bill are headling act Ealswitha and Chloe Davis.

I sincerely hope to see as many of you as possible !
Not just for the music, but also to hang and have a drink etc.
(Check the signage below)

....having said that, for the non-devil-worshippers there's nothing wrong with a cup of tea....:

Closet country !!!

8/20/2015

OK folks, hands up (...) I admit to it: I am a bit of a closet country rock songwriter..... -I never really play these songs for anyone but TONIGHT's THE NIGHT (!!). A few of these little hidden gems will be incorporated amongst my usual indie pop whiners...
So if you fancy a a bit of greek food, or just a drink and some Skandy-Brit-Country then come on down to my FREE gig @ Mums Lounge TONIGHT. I'm On stage from 8-10PM and
It's just opposite Bows Park overground station / five minutes walk from Bounds Green Tube.

weekend GIG

8/11/2015

The attendance at our Dub Pistols headlining gig in Szczecin, Poland this weekend was pretty good.....the figure 100.000 people was mentioned....

The fireworks wheren't bad either, ha, ha....

PUB NIGHT GiG @ Mums in Bowes Park

8/7/2015

I am finally beginning to make my way back to the "real" world ...of music again. Doing up my flat has taken forever....aaargh. Luckily I have also had time to finish off some more songs. Some of them are gonna go on my album....and some of them is probably going on the next one.
To celebrate this I have set up a night at Mums Bistro in Bowes Park, Thursday AUGUST 20th, from 8PM. It's gonna be a really chilled night where I will play a lot of my quieter acoustic songs that you probably haven't heard before....but obviously also a few of the more uptempo ones towards the end.
Entrance is obviously Free.
Mums is a lovely little greek bistro, where you can eat and drink, drink and eat....or just drink! (-or eat...). It's literally right across from Bowes Park overground station, or a 5 minute walk from Bounds Green Tube Station.
-I hope some of you guys that I haven't seen forever, will come down and celebrate with me, that my flat is.....nearly finished.....

Live Video, Bass Guitar Magazine and Camden Rocks.

1/28/2015

First of all, thanks so much to everyone who came down to our gig at Nambucca last week !! Unfortunately Chloe couldn't make the gig, but it was fun to play as a three piece with me on bass. Talking of Chloe: the girl had write ups in both #‎bassguitarmagazine‬ and #ibassmagazine this month ! Go Girl GO !!

WILL WE PLAY AT CAMDEN ROCKS ?
We would LOVE to get a slot at Camden Rocks 2015 !
But we would need YOUR help to make it happen !!
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO is follow this link and submit Andreas S Jensen. You will earn eternal love... -forever !!!

LIVE VIDEO
I have just uploaded a raw live video of the song Hope Is My Anchor from our gig at Nambucca on January 23rd. Check it out !

AND the single Take My Heart And Go is still going strong, and was played nearly every day last week on Shift Radio.
You can REQUEST THE SONG being played on Shift Radio,on this page.

Please feel free to comment or ask questions at any time. Thanks for now folk, see you out there !!!

NEXT GIG JAN 23rd

1/2/2015

We will be playing our first band gig of the year on JANUARY 23rd at the beautifully newly refurbished Nambucca on Holloway Road.
The night is called WAR GAMES and we will be performing alongside Arms, Pennyroyal, Dull Knife & Jon Ian Clarke.
A night of bands and DJs from 7pm to 3am @ Nambucca 596 Holloway Road, N7 6LB.

Nambucca is a classic North London venue with a lot of history(see below photo).

In the mid-part of the 2010s Nambucca provided a platform for many of the forerunners of the London nu-folk scene, with artists such as Frank Turner, Marcus Mumford and Laura Marling performing there regularly. It also was a staple of the burgeoning indie-scene led by The Libertines and many successful bands performed early gigs there including The Holloways who were actually formed at the venue and played their first gig there.

On December 17, 2008 a fire at the venue caused massive destruction and it was almost two years before it reopened. [2]

On October 31st 2014, after another closure, a massive refurbishment and a change of ownership, the bar reopened. Many long-running and successful events have now found a new home at the venue in its latest incarnation.

Nambucca is now a 300-capacity music venue, with the re-positioning of the stage to the back of the room as opposed to its former position at the left-hand side of the venue, allowing a clear view for all gig-goers. The venue has a 30-channel Soundtrack Si-Compact mixing desk and state-of-the-art PA system.