Fans, friends, fairies and fools! Don't miss the Old Lost John live session for Songs From The Ark in Brighton this Friday (3rd Sept) at 6 PM on Radio Reverb 97.2FM. Streaming LIVE on www.radioreverb.com
NOTE! This event is streaming LIVE at 6 PM in Britain, so times differ depending on where in the world you are. In Sweden, for instance, it's 19:00. Cheers!
Going to the UK! - August 31, 2010
Fans, friends, fairies and fools! I'm going to the UK for a handful of gigs again and kick off at The Basement in Brighton on Friday 3rd September. Emily Jane White headlines, and Matt Bauer & Dana Falconberry perform as well, so there are several good reasons to check it out if you're anywhere nearby. Tickets are £ 9, but that's a bargain considering the talent gathered.
There are still a couple of question marks about the following gigs, so I'll get back to you when everything's been confirmed.
Cheers,
Tomas
Recordings underway! - July 18, 2010
The Swedish summer has been pretty hot and exhausting this year. Nevertheless, recordings for the next album is underway, and this week I've had lovely Brightonian Val Aviv in the studio, adding harmonies to three of my songs as well as nailing some of her own material. The results are very promising, though it's a long way to go before the final mixes.
The working title for the next album is "Bringing Down the Sky", which is a line from one of the songs. No final decision made regarding which songs will be on the album as yet, though five or six of about twenty or so seem pretty much on the safe side. Release date? No promises, but hopefully some time in October.
I'll keep you updated. Cheers!
UK Spring Tour 2010! - May 3, 2010
Fans, friends, fairies and fools!
Old Lost John is going to the UK! These are the dates:
22 May - Tudor House, Wigan
23 May - The Orange Tree, Nottingham
24 May - The Grapes, Sheffield
26 May - The Sheepwalk, London (supporting DADDY)
27 May - The Green Note, London (supporting David Olney)
30 May - Stag's Head, London (supporting Southern Tenant Folk Union)
Check the Gigs page for more details!
Cheers,
Tomas
Join Old Lost John on Facebook! - January 9, 2010
Fans, friends, fairies and fools! I've created a page for Old Lost John on Facebook, so please join in and become fans. An easy way to follow what's going on, interact in discussions and comment on updates, check out who your fellow fans are and connect ahead of gigs in your area.
Fans, friends, fairies and fools, thanks to all of you who supported Old Lost John during 2009, and everybody I've had the pleasure to work with on stage and in the studio, as well as those of you who were otherwise involved in the creation of the Faceless album. Let's see... Olof Jennfors, Göran Abelli, Ida Gustafsson, Frida Ekerlund, Frida Åstrand, Thomas Denver Jonsson, Johan Malmberg, Jan Hellman, Mattias Ljungren, Paul Ström, Anton Axelsson... Apologies if there's someone I forget to mention!
The reviews for the album have been quite stunning, and I'm looking forward to start working on the next one. I won't hurry things though, so don't expect to hear the first tracks until the spring or summer. UK residents may look forward to my next tour in May, with seven or eight gigs already confirmed.
In the meantime, check out the new video for Come Saturday, made by my friend Joel Nevrup, by clicking on 'Video' in the navigation bar above!
Stay humble, and best wishes for 2010! Tomas of Old Lost John
Midwinter greetings! - December 21, 2009
Merry Christmas to everyone concerned and Midwinter Greetings to you all, fans, friends, fairies and fools!
A UK tour is scheduled for May, most dates already in place, and new songs are continuously written, waiting to be recorded. Some video works are also waiting in the wings. Well, as most anyone, I'm rather busy at this time of year, but I'll update you further as we enter 2010!
Take care and stay humble!
Tomas
Americana UK review - 8 out of 10! - October 5, 2009
Fans, friends, fairies and fools! Here's another excellent review of the new album, this one from the renowned Americana UK website!
"Swedish folk noir that manages to sound fresh and new
Swedish, moody, and wrapped up in that American folk-noir vibe seemingly de rigueur in his homeland, Tomas Thunberg AKA Old Lost John however has an altogether wider sphere of influence on which he draws for his work. Alongside the obvious nods to the roots tradition there are elements of the carnival-esque roguishness of Waits mixed with winsome orchestrated, down-played grandness of, say, a stripped down Willard Grant Conspiracy. It all adds up to an excellent album of strong, absorbing songwriting and simplistic yet novel musical accompaniment.
Introspective tales of love lost, gone but not forgotten, is the order of the day here all supported tellingly by intermittent bursts of accompaniment from lone horns, waifish harmonies, or dark, distant mandolins. It makes for a wonderful un-hurried listen that gets even more appealing with repeated plays. Fellow ertwhistle Swede Thomas Denver Jonsson is on hand to keep stoking that lo-fi fire which, in these parts, is always most welcome. A noticeably different take on the traditional singer-songwriter approach so common place these days, Faceless is an altogether more intriguing proposition and a record well worth searching out." Date review added: Monday, October 05, 2009 Reviewer: Del Day Reviewers Rating: 8/10
Fans, friends, fairies and fools! Here's a fantastic review from the Terrascope website:
"Having released a handful of CD-R’s, Tomas Thunberg now graces our ears with his first official CD album, the beautiful and delicate “Faceless”, a collection of songs that are filled with a sadness and acceptance, not depressing but awash with wistfulness and wisdom. Opening track “Broken” finds the spirits of Towne Van Zandt and Leonard Cohen, walking across a desolate coastline, a mournful trombone adding gravity to the picked guitar phrases. On “Fairies and Fools”, a bowed saw and delicate backing vocals from Frida Astrand, create the perfect sonic landscape for the inherent sadness, some fine guitar fills completing the songs beauty.
More upbeat, “Come Saturday” has a sparkling guitar motif, simple and effective, the trombone again adding atmosphere, the lyrics not as cheerful as the bright tune would suggest. As with the rest of the tunes, the instrumentation on this song is pitched perfectly, allowing the listener to get lost within the small sketches and sad tales. After the graceful “In from the Cold”, complete with mandolin fills, things are slowed down for the droning “Tremble”, a pump organ and the sound of wine glasses used to devastating effect, an atmospheric delight that sounds better every time.
Consistent in its sound yet varied enough to hold the attention , this album maintains the quality throughout, with “Railway Car” reminding me of Iron and Wine with its hypnotic rhythm, whilst the bleakness of “Nothing Good” is an icy breath of surrender, lost love and memories, the line containing the word “elephant” bringing a surreal smile to your lips!
To close the album, the wyrdness of “Dagger Dagger” will make you listen, as memorable a song as I have heard this year, the eerie atmosphere drawing a veil of mist around your ears, sounding like Kevin Ayers at his most atmospheric.
Low-key and personal, this is fast becoming one of this year’s favourites, try it and see for yourself. (Simon Lewis)"
Fans, friends, fairies and fools! To buy the new album, Faceless, click the button below and pay via Paypal, and I will personally handle your order and send the album to you immediately. This is the quickest way, and also lets me keep most of the money myself!
OLD LOST JOHN Faceless CD - $15 (world wide, shipping included) So, get it now, and enjoy! Cheers, Tomas
The new album is here! - September 6, 2009
Fans, friends, fairies and fools! The time has come to proudly present the new Old Lost John album! Launching my own label, Tight Grain Recordings, "Faceless" will in fact be my first properly manufactured album after a string of demos and limited CD-R releases.
At the core of it all is my voice and quiet fingerpicking, embellished by occassional other instruments in a purely acoustic setting. The album was recorded during late nights at my private home studio, and features inspired performances from a small cast of musicians. There are Göran Abelli's exquisite trombone fills, the eerie spells of Frida Åstrand's bowed saw, mandolin by Olof Jennfors and four various backup singers: Ida Gustafsson, Frida Ekerlund, Frida Åstrand and critically praised songwriter and fellow Swede Thomas Denver Jonsson. There's also a vast array of various acoustic instruments, like guitars, mandolin, mandola, melodeon, pump organ, tremelo harmonica and tin whistle, that I took care of myself.
The track list goes like this: 01 Broken, 02 Fairies And Fools, 03 Come Saturday, 04 In From The Cold, 05 Tremble, 06 She Won't Listen (remastered), 07 Railway Car (remastered), 08 Nothing Good, 09 And She Looked Down, 10 Dagger Dagger (remastered).
The album will have its full release on the 17th of September through CDBaby and their digital partners Itunes, Rhapsody, Napster etc. However, it will be exclusively available already to those attending my upcoming UK shows between September the 7th and 10th (see Calendar). The official release gig in my home town of Malmo, Sweden, will not take place until October the 7th, when hopefully all or most of the people performing on the album will be able to take part.
I'll get back to you with links and more detailed info about how to order the album when I'm back home again after my UK trip!
Stay humble! Cheers,
Tomas of Old Lost John
New song from forthcoming 2009 album! - June 18, 2009
Fans, friends, fairies and fools! If your speakers are on, there is a new track filling your ears as you read this. Titled Broken, it's taken from the forthcoming Old Lost John album, and features backing vocals from Frida Ekerlund, trombone by Goran Abelli, and spooky fills of bowed saw from Frida Astrand.
More info about the album and its release date etc will follow soon.
Cheers,
Tomas of Old Lost John
Old Lost John on What's Kickin' compilation! - June 11, 2009
Fans, friends, fairies and fools!
Volume IV in the What's Kickin' series, an album compiling artists who performed at the renowned americana club What's Cookin' in London over the year, includes one exclusive track from Old Lost John.
Titled Smooth Lover, it features, as well as myself, trombonist Goran Abelli and backing vocalist Ida Gustavsson, and is not available elsewhere.
The album is released through Stove Pony Records and launched at What's Cookin', The Sheepwalk, in London on June 17. More info on who's performing that night etc on http://www.whatscookin.co.uk/wcwhatson.html Unfortunately, Old Lost John will not take part, as I'm being busy back in Sweden.
I'll provide a link to buying the album online after its release, so stay tuned!
Cheers,
Tomas
UK Spring Tour 2009! - May 11, 2009
Fans, friends, fairies and fools,
A brief little UK tour this week, four gigs in total:
May 13 Cup of Tea Folk @ Lee Rosy's, Nottingham (supporting Dana Wylie Band)
May 14 Acoustic Rooms @ The Soak, Selly Oak, Birmingham (plus Sarah Gough, Rogue State Circus)
May 15 Ditch the TV @ Newbold Comyn Arms, Leamington Spa (plus Malc Evans Band, Fola)
May 16 What's Cookin' @ The Sheepwalk, Leytonstone, London (supporting Shirley Lee)
More details to be found on the Calendar page. Hope to see you if you're in the neighbourhood!
Dagger Dagger gets good review! - February 25, 2009
Fans, friends, fairies and fools! The Australian compilation Beyond the Pale from Sideways Through Sound was recently reviewed by the Terrascope website. "Wyrd and creepy, Dagger Dagger is one of my favourites on the comp, the deep gravelly voice of Old Lost John adding acres of atmosphere to the tune, as does the old pump organ". Read the whole thing at http://terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Reviews_February09.htm#Beyondthepale
Here, there and everywhere... - February 7, 2009
Fans, friends, fairies and fools!
The compilation album from last year's FAWM challenge, "14 Songs in 28 Days, Vol IV", is now available. It features fourteen songs picked by a jury, including Railway Car by Old Lost John, and it's available here: http://fawm.org/donate/
The very same song is also part of another compilation, "Handmade and Homespun", put together by american songwriter and americana enthusiast Joel D Canfield. See here: http://handmadehomespun.com/hh/
But it doesn't end there. The Australian radio show Sideways Through Sound has just released a glorious double CD package with some of their favourite artists from the show, and Old Lost John is one of them. The album is called "Beyond the Pale", and the gloomy classic Dagger Dagger was chosen for inclusion. Go here: http://www.sidewaysthroughsound.com/message.html
Stay humble, cheers!
Tomas of Old Lost John
And yet another year again... - December 31, 2008
Fans, friends, fairies and fools, thanks to all of you who supported Old Lost John during 2008. Many thanks to everybody I've had the pleasure to work with on stage: Olof Jennfors, Mattias Ljunggren, Johan Malmberg, Unni Zimmerdahl, Goran Abelli, Ida Gustafsson, Mikael Persson and Mattias Otfors.
So, another year gone and closer to death. Looking back, did I keep my head on my shoulders? My heart in my chest? Yes, I did, this year I did!
I'm not gonna give too much away, but I think 2009 looks quite promising. The FAWM jury picked one of my songs for inclusion on the Fawmpilation 2008 album, about to be released within short. http://blog.fawm.org/ (FAWM is an annual songwriting project on the web, attracting hundreds of songwriters.) There's a couple of other compilations I'll be on as well, but that's a little further ahead. And the Old Lost John album, is it turning out a 'lost' album? (No pun intended.) Well, I've changed my direction once or twice about what songs to put on it, what kind of arrangements and production to go for and whatever, but it has all settled and I'm moving forward.
Upcoming gigs and tours? I'm going back to the UK in late April and/or early May I think, but I've just started working on it, so we'll see. Next up anyway is Restaurang Möllan, on home ground here in Malmö, Sweden, January 13.
Stay humble, and best wishes for 2009!
Tomas of Old Lost John
Summertime... - July 5, 2008
Fans, friends, fairies and fools!
Halfway through the year of 2008, and a good time to look back and reflect upon the past six months. It's been a reasonably eventful year so far, including my first UK tour, a couple of German dates and of course a few gigs on Swedish home turf as well. Despite being an unsigned artist, managing myself, I have nevertheless gained exposure through several blogs and podcast shows, and lately enjoyed radio airplay in various European countries as well as the US and New Zealand.
The UK solo tour in particular was a good move. Most of the venues really nice ones with a good audience, and obviously rewarding to perform in front of a crowd in their own language. I've made some valuable contacts and good friends and I'm eager to get back whenever possible.
A swift look ahead. Only a few gigs booked for the summer, but I'll write and record some new material, and hopefully get an album out at some point. I'll keep you updated. Now take care of yourself and your loved ones, and have a wonderful summer!
Tomas of Old Lost John
UK South East Spring Tour 2008 starts tomorrow! - May 6, 2008
Fans, friends, fairies and fools!
In a few days I leave my dear old Sweden and fly to London to begin
my UK South East Spring Tour 2008! Eight dates within ten days (the support slot for Jason Ringenberg at What's Cookin' on the 12th just added), see
details below, and even further details on the Gigs page:
May 7, 9PM
El Club Cobra (Sunrooms) Southend-on-Sea
May 8, 9PM
Shangri La (Railway Hotel) Southend-on-Sea
May 10, 8PM
Cavendish Arms (Stockwell) London
May 11, 6PM
Come Down and Meet the Folks (The Apple Tree) London
(supporting Southern Tenant Folk Union)
May 12, 8PM
What's Cookin' (The Sheepwalk), London
(supporting Jason Ringenberg)
May 14, 8PM
The Bee's Mouth, Brighton
May 15, 9PM
The Rooms, St Leonards-on-Sea
May 16, 8PM
The Smugglers, Hastings
I'm going solo, though bassist Mikael Persson will join me in
Brighton and possibly St Leonards. So, if you're living in the area,
very welcome! And if you don't but know someone who does, tell them
not to miss it! Cheers!
Tomas
FAWM is over! - March 1, 2008
FAWM 2008 is over and I made it again, wrote 14,5 songs during the 29 days of the month! To hear all the songs and read my fellow songwriter's comments, go to http://fawm.org/writers.php?id=908. Then have a listen to some of the others' stuff as well!
Another year... - January 1, 2008
Fans, friends, fairies and fools, thanks to all of you who supported Old Lost John during 2007. Also, thanks to everybody I've had the pleasure to work with on stage: Ida Gustafsson, Johan Malmberg, Lars Borg, Goran Abelli, Joel Nevrup, Unni Zimmerdahl, Olof Jennfors and Markus Narvik. In the studio, I've had visits from Orkester Gul, Rebecka Karlsson and Searching for Luke aka Frida Astrand.
So, another year gone and closer to death. Looking back, did I keep my head on my shoulders? My heart in my chest? Well, most of the time anyway...
A handful of gigs booked so far, Berlin in February and the UK in May. More will be added, so keep an eye on the calendar. And have a look at the comments page, there's a couple of nice things added recently that I found when I googled.
Stay humble, and best wishes for 2008!
Tomas of Old Lost John
Finally - the new album is here! - April 20, 2007
Yes, I've kept you waiting way too long, but the time has finally come! The first copies of the new Old Lost John release, "The Ghost of Calder Mountain", have now materialized! Twelve songs and about 45 minutes of haunting music, delivered in a neat package with full lyrics.
Here's the track listing: 1) Don't Lean On Me, 2) Join The Circus, 3) Boy With A Fever, 4) Would Coffee Do The Trick?, 5) Sick Mary, 6) Hey Lady, 7) Back Into The Zone, 8) Toads, 9) Dagger Dagger (Halloween Song 2006), 10) The Ghost Of Calder Mountain, 11) On My Side Of The River, 12) Sensitive Too.
It will be available through CD Baby within short, just go the the 'shopping' page and press the button!
(Swedish customers may find it easier to do it the primitive way, put the money in the hollow oak after sundown and I'll have one of my pigeons deliver the CD. But send an email first to make sure we get that oak correctly located!)
Fourteen new songs!!! - March 2, 2007
Fans, friends, fairies and fools! The month of February is over, and so is the annual FAWM project, where participating songwriters aim to come up with fourteen new songs within four weeks. I'm happy to announce that I made it, though I had to throw in a couple of rough sketches towards the end.
This has been an interesting experience and great fun. Amazing to see what you can deliver when you focus and get your creative muscles working. I've been lucky to be able to set off plenty of time for this, and only lost a little momentum when I had a couple of low-profile gigs last weekend.
Actually, I think I'll consider about half of the songs keepers, material for gigs and the next album. I'll even keep a couple of recordings pretty much the way they are. The songs will be up for listening on the Music page for some time, so please go lend an ear. For lyrics, click on titles. You can also go to my page on FAWM, http://www.fawm.org/writers.php?id=908, and read superlative comments from my (mostly) american songwriter colleagues.
Next thing to take care of will be the album I've promised you for some time. (Too many songs in the can!) I'll also get a smashing live band together for upcoming gigs, so stay tuned!
And, of course, stay humble and keep an open mind!
Tomas of Old Lost John
Old Lost John enters FAWM 2007! - February 15, 2007
I don't know how you guys spent your Valentine. Personally, with no romantic adventures knocking at my door, I decided to join the FAWM project and agree to come up with fourteen new songs within the month of February! FAWM is short for February Album Writing Month, and you can find out more about it on www.fawm.org if you're interested or would like to join. Two weeks gone when I sign, which means approximately one new song each day. Now there's a challenge!
Anyway, so far so good. The first song is called Sensitive Too, and you find it at the bottom of the Music page, under the heading FAWM Project 2007. It's my usual kinda stuff, minor key, fingerpicking, words like "night, moon, breath" and so on, bla bla bla... (Oh, I forgot "rain"...) Only thirteen songs left to write!
Stay humble and don't get hung up!
Tomas of Old Lost John
Happy New Year! - December 31, 2006
A Happy New Year to all you fans, friends, fairies and fools supporting Old Lost John! Thanks also to all of you I've had the pleasure to work with on stage or in the studio during the year: Moppis Andersson, Mikael Persson, Maria Davidsson, Johan Malmberg, Thomas Jarbo, Ida Gustafsson, Frida Åstrand and Eddie Didriksson. And thanks to Peter Kaarle for getting me gigs and lending the amp, to Carson in Canada for the airplay, to Acoustic Shack and any other webcast station that included Old Lost John in their playlists during the year. And thanks to anyone else I forget to mention that deserves it.
This has been a reasonably good year for Old Lost John, writing and recording a healthy amount of new material, gaining good reputation and increasing the fan base. Alas, I didn't get the new album together, and I didn't tour the UK. I don't want to make any promises for 2007 that I won't be able to keep, but on the other hand, not making any promises is not the way to make things happen. So I promise I'll push myself to focus on what needs to be done, keep my heart in my chest and my head on my shoulders and pull on through.
As you notice, I've opted for a new website design. Hope you like it.
Stay humble, and best wishes for 2007!
Tomas of Old Lost John
