Simon Steensland

[MJ-Plagued]

A couple of years ago I discovered this fellow - bass player (multi-instrumentalist really) and composer from Sweden. He'd just had a CD released on AltRock and I heard it, was blown away by the uniqueness of it, the variety of instruments, the harmony, the passion and expression versus a "we're trying to impress" quality. It's smart, powerful AND beautiful. I started emailing with Simon and discovered that we are truly 'brothers in arms', as it were. Apparently he's not very known, esp. on this side of the pond. And that's a pity. Meanwhile he has a new CD out on AltRock, Farewell to Brains, and it's a stunner. Here's a short teaser...the harmony struggle between melody, bass and chordal parts just KILLS me - I suggest y'all give a listen, if you don't know Simon's music:

[NogbadTheBad]

Among my favorite current artists, Farewell To Brains will probably be in my top 5 of the year. Fat Again is probably my favorite release by him.

[thedunno]

I love this album, although not quite as much as his previous release fat again.

The absolute highlight on Farewell to Brains for me is the last track 'the idiot'. Listen to this with headphones and the lights off.

[Scrotum Scissor]

One of the most underrated progressive musicians currently at work, IMO.

His very first release was arguably a bit TOO "sleeve'ish" (UZero, Zoyd, Zappa, Hollmer etc.), but The Zombie Hunter and Led Circus (on which he once again plays almost all the instruments involved) were both serious kicks in the balls, with Phantom of the Theatre a most welcome insight into his other artistic/musical realm, namely that of composing for the stage, dance and jingle (which apparently is how he's actually able to finance his "rock career").

Fat Again and Brains showcase both his impressive formal developments as well as his increasing will to expose his idiosyncracies. Ironically - and sadly - the fact that an alleged "progressive" audience wouldn't even know where to begin with this guy, serves as yet another illustration of just how shallow the whole concept of such an audience might be interpreted.

BTW, that live album of his from a decade back, Gang-Gang (featuring his buddy Morgan Ågren a.o.), is awesome as well - and makes for a good introduction to his work and approach.

[Udi Koomran]

How did you discover him ?

[NogbadTheBad]

I probably found him from a recommendation on here 5 or so years ago.

[Udi Koomran]

I hve followed him since the late 90's and think his recent is his best one yet ( not because I mastered it )

[Scrotum Scissor]

How did you discover him?

Udi, in my case it was with meeting a bunch of whackheads on a prog festival in Stockholm in 1996 (at Berns Salonger, in fact; Record Heaven arranged it, and they had Deus Ex Machina, Trettioåriga Kriget, Kenny Håkansson and a couple of less interesting names, one of the first Flower King performances IIRC). Anyway, those dudes kept talking of Steensland, and the latter indeed released The Zombie Hunter the following spring. I duly got it and dug it, having trouble understanding why people who were otherwise into stuff like Änglagård wouldn't find this equally enthralling. "Because we're not as sick as you", they would respond then.

[thedunno]

How did you discover him ?

I am an Altrock junkie. So naturally I bought 'Fat Again' shortly after it has been released. Did NOT regret.

[Kavus Torabi]

Big fan here too. It was a recommendation of Live Gang Gang about ten years ago that got me started.
I'd never heard of him before. It's curious that even in the niche world his music inhabits he's not better known.

[BrianG]

I found Led Circus on a review website with samples about 12 years ago. It took me a while to find the hardcopy, but I've been stalking his releases ever since.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^

Listened to "Instant Jesus" (first tune from Led Circus) this Saturday, and that 16+ mins sucker is still one of the most insanely overwhelming opening pieces I've ever heard. The section with the psychotic female screams dualling with Mats Gustafsson's freebase alto sax is sheer anarchic bliss, and the overall sound as well as atmosphere is that of an incendiary chaos motion. Come to think of it, there's probably not much wonder as to why most "proggers" don't/wouldn't know of him. This guy is the real deal for sure.

[Phlakaton]

I've had it sitting in my wishlist on bandcamp for a time now ---- so... the time is NOW. Thanks for the kick in the pants Mike! After saturating myself in the new Homunculus Res this past week I need a small change.

[Just Eric]

He's been on my wishlist for years but I've been very passive about the search. After listening to these samples I may have to move him to the top!

[Guitarplyrjvb]

Reading about him, he seems to have no formal musical training or technical knowledge. If that's the case, I wonder how he communicates his fairly complex music to the other musicians? He has a bunch of collaborators.

[Baribrotzer]

There are guys with an ear and a memory that good, particularly in jazz. And, as well, not just in jazz - from what I understand, Bob Drake can't read a note and put together all those Thinking Plague songs completely by ear, just from Mike playing them to him. You can also put recordings together bit by bit, learning and punching in each phrase one at a time, and modern software recording makes that particularly easy. Finally, who is to say that Simon didn't teach himself to figure out music and write it down? You don't need formal training or much theory background to do that, and it's not all that hard, especially if you're in a situation where you can do it slowly.

[Guitarplyrjvb]

Well, Simon himself says that he has no technical proficiency. I just find it pretty amazing, is all.

[Scrotum Scissor]

There are guys with an ear and a memory that good, particularly in jazz. And, as well, not just in jazz - from what I understand, Bob Drake can't read a note and put together all those Thinking Plague songs completely by ear, just from Mike playing them to him.

Bob D. is a classic case, but there are others as well; Gary Green, Ian Anderson (who apparently was assisted by John Evan in notations) and those crazies in Rascal Reporters come to mind - and the music of the latter was at times seriously challenging in pure intricacy. I believe I read somewhere about how Chris Cutler came into reading music, and that it was actually through studying classical charts while listening to recordings of the given works. I've done that myself, and while I'm better at reading now than before, I wouldn't venture into writing much myself - except for solo instruments. Orchestration or ensemble arrangements? Forget it, I wouldn't know where to begin with voicings et al.

Simon Steensland's lack of formal training is probably one of the reasons why his music comes out as it does. This guy does in no way confine to convention.

[Guitarplyrjvb]

He (Simon) obviously must have some sort of system to communicate his ideas to other musicians. I can't imagine how someone like Mike, from Thinking Plague, would be able to construct his music without a thorough technical grasp of musical notation. Supporting musicians, on the other hand, might be able to muddle through; however, I think their jobs would be much easier were they able to read their parts. Certainly, much less frustrating for the composer!

This is much less of a problem with rock or improvisational music. The former being simple and easy to understand and the latter being more subject to the whims of the player.

[Scrotum Scissor]

He obviously must have some sort of system to communicate his ideas to other musicians.

Hisashi Sasaki, the last (final?) Ruins bass player, once uttered something to the effect that when he first was approached by Tatsuya Yoshida with invitation of joining the duo, he was expecting written charts or something akin - and instead he apparently received chart papers with this wide variety of drawn little men running in different formations on, between and across the lines. Turned out Yoshida had developed a system mode of bizarre figurations to signal certain given techniques, tricks and hits for communicating his ideas where his actual abilities at notation came short.

[Zeuhlmate]

Daniel Denis (Univers Zero) and Allan Holdsworth doesnt read notes either.

[Bob Drake]

He (Simon) obviously must have s's, I think was ome sort of system to communicate his ideas to other musicians. I can't imagine how someone like Mike, from Thinking Plague, would be able to construct his music without a thorough technical grasp of musical notation. Supporting musicians, on the other hand, might be able to muddle through; however, I think their jobs would be much easier were they able to read their parts. Certainly, much less frustrating for the composer!

I love it!! Hey Mike, do we need to say anything about how I was "able to muddle through" while you and I were the core of TP? tee hee.
Back to Simon: I first heard him thanks to Chris Cutler back in the 90's, I think it was "Zombie Hunter". I thought even then that there were similarities to Mike's music, and noticed his dirty bass sound right away. Also thought it was cool he played all the instruments too. I haven't heard this new album yet, but will do so as soon as I'm less busy, if ever!
BD
www.bdrak.com

[Guitarplyrjvb]

I love it!! Hey Mike, do we need to say anything about how I was "able to muddle through" while you and I were the core of TP? tee hee.
www.bdrak.com

I would be very interested in this! I don't see how Mike's music can be played without being able to read the scores, which Mike has posted on occasion. Trying to communicate these type of musical ideas, like Simon's, seems to be an insurmountable task without some sort of communications system.

[zombywoof]

Bought the album, it didn't do too much for me. I think I heard it on Kavus' show once and was impressed so I'm eager to give it another shot. Sometimes you have to be in the right mood.

[Bob Drake]

I would be very interested in this! I don't see how Mike's music can be played without being able to read the scores, which Mike has posted on occasion. Trying to communicate these type of musical ideas, like Simon's, seems to be an insurmountable task without some sort of communications system.

This should probably be in a different thread, I feel a bit sheepish for hijacking the Simon thread.
But in a way it does directly relate to Simon, since I only wanted to do my little part to remind anyone interested (why? I honestly don't know!) that it really isn’t necessary to read musical notation or have “formal training” in order to play, learn, compose or imagine musical things which go beyond the seemingly ordinary and that there are plenty of people who do it. I don’t know what to say about it without sounding corny or self-glorifying; the music I do (and have done) and all the others who do it, whoever they are, ought to say enough about that.

With Mike in Thinking Plague, he would show me ideas he had, and we’d work them out together. I’m a very good arranger so he’d sometimes have a few as-yet-unconnected ideas which he felt belonged together but hadn’t found a way to connect them - and we’d figure out how to make them into one piece. There were times he would leave a part of an otherwise finished idea incomplete so we could make it into something, or come to the end of some chord sequence he want to continue and ask me “where should it go next?!” We were very free in trying things like when I attempted to play the melody of “Possessed” on a dilapdated balalaika, bowing it. It was all out of tune and squeaky, we loved it! There were also times when Mike would scratch his head at my wacky suggestions, but I'd do them anyway and he'd end up liking it. (Does that sound kindof how it was, Mike? It’s been a while now!) I know his way of working is different now than it was then, but remember we are talking about the 80‘s and the very early 90‘s when I was working with him.

BD
www.bdrak.com