Roxette fans — especially those in the US — are jumping for joy this weekend as WICF moves up three notches to #26 (from 29) on R&R’s (Radio&Records) Adult Contemporary airplay chart.

Furthermore, R&R has given the song a “bullet,” which means they think it has strong potential to keep climbing.

The RoxAttaqUSA team continues to ask for your help in calling radio stations and requesting the song. Fans are being credited with helping “Wish” do well in the States, and this is an especially critical time in the “lifespan” of a potentially hit song.

• RoxAttaqUSA (See “Forum” for Special Action Request!)

Read more…

During this week, Julieta Vasta and Jorge Diaz have been working on a site where fans will be able to write what they feel about the demolition of T&A. The messages will then be sent to Halmstad’s major Göran Hegen.

Julieta and Jorge are asking Hegen to consider the facts that the T&A building has special historical significance and demolition of the building would mean losing 20 years of the city’s own history. T&A has also, in part, increased tourism in Halmstad as Roxette fans from all over the world have travelled to visit the place.

“So, please, remember that your little help is crucial now…” asks Julieta. Go and sign the petition now!

• Save “Tits & Ass” Studio (Sign the petition!)

Roxette’s upcoming Promo Tour in the United States continues to take shape. Here are some of the highlights:

September 2000

 

22 Arrival - USA

23 WBMX MixFest - Boston

Venue: Suffolk Downs

Showtime: 11:50 am, probably after 12:00

25 WB In The Morning, TV show

Performance time: 7:45

Travel to NYC afterwards

 

26 NYC - Press Day

27 Virgin Megastore Appearance
In-store Performance at 5 pm, followed by signing session.

Performance will be taped for possible Webcasting by Retro Rewind

 

28 WWMX Baltimore

Showtime: 5,6 or 7 pm. (Band’s decision)

 

29 Nashville

 

30 WLNK Charlotte

 

October 2000

 

1 KQKQ Omaha NB.

Venue: The Music Box

Showtime: 8:00 pm

Attendance: 300 - 500 people

 

2-4 Los Angeles radio visits: KIIS, KBIG trades, HITMAKERS, HITS, R&R, NETWORK 40

 

6 KDND Sacramento

 

7 KPLZ Seattle

Venue: Experimental Music Project (new rock & roll museum, founded by Microsoft partner), 325 5th Ave. N at Seattle Center

Attendance: Must win tickets on-air.

 

9 KDWB Minneapolis

 

10 WZEE Madison

Venue: Marriott Madison

Showtime: 12 or 12:30 pm

 

11 WKRQ Cincinnati

Due to the nature of a promo tour, this information is subject to change.

• RoxAttaqUSA (Fan-based US support campaign.)

There are plans for Gyllene Tider and Roxette’s recording studio, where Per Gessle developed some of Roxette’s world hits, to be demolished to make way for a new road.

The Halmstad Kommun plans to construct the new “Coast” expressway right were the studio is located. Plans are for the contents of the studio to be moved to central Halmstad where Mats Persson, guitarist in Gyllene Tider who wrote some of Roxette’s most known songs together with Per, has already bought a building to be used for a new studio.

Studio Styr, renamed T&A Studio at the suggestion of Anders Herrlin — who got the idea from the Rolling Stones song “Little T & A” — has been used as a recording studio for the past 16 years. Four US #1’s, “The Look”, “Listen To Your Heart”, “It Must Have Been Love,” and “Joyride” have taken form there.

The door, full of messages from fans, will be placed in Leif’s Lounge at the Hotel Tylösand.

In addition to a recording studio, the rear of the building has been used by the Boy Scouts.

Many fans are upset by these plans, and a “petition” drive is underway in an attempt to save the building.

• Hallandsposten article (In Swedish)

Per will leave for the US promotional tour in better shape than ever. He actually dropped his weight 10 kilos in a rather short time. “It was the slipped disc that forced me to change my lifestyle and start training,” he says in Aftonbladet. Now goes jogging and works out in a gym. He didn’t need a strict diet to lose weight. “You don’t need one when you train,” Per says.

Per speaks about how easy it is to become lazy when one gets older. Now, however, he thinks he’s in a good shape. “I will be Sweden’s answer to Warren Beatty,” he says laughing.

• Aftonbladet’s Swedish article (nice pics!)

Marie received in yesterday’s ceremony a 100,000-SEK award from Halland Academy. The award was given to three people from Halland county because of their efforts to promote their home county. TDR first reported about the award in June.

• Hallandsposten’s Swedish article

29 with a bullet!

Radio and Records, a weekly industry newspaper, reports that Roxette’s “Wish I Could Fly” is the 29th most played song on adult contemporary (AC) radio stations this week.
Billboard, widely viewed as the US chart authority, tends to lag behind Radio and Records, who compile their charts based solely on airplay statistics. The song’s debut on R&R is a possible indicator, therefore, of what’s coming up on Billboard.
In Canada, where Roxette are signed to EMI, the song reached #67 on the AC chart.

• R&R Online

Per says in FLT’s interview published in Hallandposten, that some of the songs recorded for the forthcoming Roxette album sound almost like those of the producer guru William Orbit. Orbit has worked with many top-selling artists, such as Madonna (“Ray of Light” album) and Melanie C (her solo debut “Northern Star”).

“There has been progress in that trend of pop music. Our producer Clarence Öfwerman is also very keen to it,” Per says, but continues: “Though [on our album] there will be a whole bunch guitars too.”

Per also talks about the coming US mini tour and the release of greatest hits album and radio single “Wish I Could Fly”. “Very many people call to the radio stations and ask for our songs, so I hope our compilation helps us to rise from death [in the US],” says Per.

• Hallandsposten’s Swedish article

The annual Momarkedet-show will be held this Saturday in a place called Mysen, Norway. The show will be broadcasted live on the Norwegian TV-channel NRK1 20.55 CET, and Marie is among the artists who will perform. Other artists include Eurovision winner The Olsen Brothers and Secret Garden.

• Momarkedet
• About the TV broadcast

The Swedish TV4 celebrates their 10th anniversary this year. In their big birthday gala, they will have live performances from every artist who has won “song of the year” Grammis in the 90s. In 1996, Gyllene Tider won the prize with “Gå & fiska”. The band is going to reunite once more. Per has nothing against it.

“I enjoy every second I spend with Gyllene Tider. We have so much fun together,” says Per in Aftonbladet.

• Aftonbladet’s Swedish article