STOCKHOLM - The Daily Roxette presents the sleeve of Son of a Plumber’s new single, along with a message.

Imagine the power of an iPod. During last winter, spring and summer a man transfered his favorite songs to his mp3-player. At the same time he rediscovered a lot of great pop he had forgotten. Soft pop, hard pop, weird pop, cute pop, tough pop - in short a whole lot of pop. He looked into the mirror and said “Son of a Plumber.” Then he took his guitar and started writing. “C’mon”/”Jo-Anna Says” is the first single from the double-album “Son of a Plumber.”

  “C’mon” is Per Gessle in a way you’ve never heard him before. Prince meets Sweet in a distant studio on the Skåne prarie. “Jo-Anna Says” is a classical song that sticks like an unwanted guest: Scaffold meets Mouth & McNeal in Top of the Pops. Son of a Plumber says “I’ve only tried following something that feels right. It’s been as clear to me to do this album as it was when I did “Mazarin.”

  A splendid time is guaranteed for all! Enjoy.

  TDR would also like to point out that “Keep the Radio On (This Is the Perfect Song)” will be added to the vinyl edition of “Son of a Plumber” as a bonus track and won’t be available on the CD edition.

Update November 1: Now you can listen to snippets of “Jo-Anna Says” and “C’mon” on Son Of A Plumber official website.

• Son Of A Plumber

Tonight on SVT2 at 21.30 CET there’s a show called Musikbyrån (The Music Bureau.)

  Today Musikbyrån will visit Per Gessle, Clarence Öfwerman and Christopher Lundquist in the Grey Aerosol Machine studio and we’ll get a first preview of the new Son of a Plumber album.

Henric Wahlberg contributed to this article.

• Musikbyrån (Link to video stream)

STOCKHOLM - It’s a sunny day here as we arrive in Sweden’s perhaps most beautiful city, and we go directly to Doktor Glas’ gallery to check out Marie Fredriksson’s art exhibit. It’s at the very beginning of the lunch hour, and the place is empty. But the girls behind the counter explain that there’ve been lots of visitors. Among them all, two German girls and a Spanish guy. They also share that a critic came in and praised the drawings without knowing who had done them.

  More drawings arrive as The Daily Roxette is there. All drawings in the exhibition have been sold, and the catalog book is selling very well. Marie Dimberg, Fredriksson’s manager, tells TDR that the book will be sold via musicshop.se and maybe a few other sites. The price will be the same, plus postage. Possibly they will print more copies.

  TDR, along with such other newspapers as Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborg’s Posten had been invited this afternoon to the “inner sanctum” of d&d in Stockholm to conduct exclusive interviews with Marie Fredriksson. When this reporter walks through the office door, we’re greeted by manager Marie Dimberg (suffering from a bad back) and a radiant Marie Fredriksson.

  Dimberg asks us if we want anything to drink so Marie asks for some tea and I get a glass of water. Marie is dressed in black with a nice leopard shirt. She looks just like the popstar we all know. Dimberg serves Fredriksson a lovely cup of green tea flavored with vanilla. “Yummy,” Fredriksson smiles.

  I start by telling Marie that the first time we met was after a Gyllene Tider concert in Avesta (1984) where we discussed her being very nervous about releasing “Ännu doftar kärlek.”

Don’t you think this is a bit the same?

  Marie laughs, “Gosh, that’s a long time ago. But you’re right, that’s very clever!” Marie continues “I’m so excited about all this. Very proud about my first exhibit.”

How did this exhibit come about?

  A few years back I started drawing in charcoal, and I felt this was special, this was it, so to speak. And I felt I just had to let go. I drew tons of pictures!”

  Marie continues by telling TDR that charcoal is a great material to draw with. “It’s so… raw and black… and yet… soft, you know?” We talk a little about her drawing “Trött” (“Tired”), and Marie laughs and says “Yes this one is a man, and he’s so damned tired with his wife, because she nags and nags and nags. He’s so tired!”

No plans to start dabbling in water colors?

  “Yikes no!” she laughs.

  All through the interview Marie laughs now and then. You can tell that this is truly a happy person right now.

So, is your new title “artist” or “popstar”?

  “Both,” she smiles slyly, and adds “maybe a popartist?”

Like Warhol?

  “Hmmm, no that doesn’t work… of course.”

Why did you start drawing?

  “One day I felt the urge to go out and shop for pencils and large pieces of paper. Large! But now when I see the drawings [points to a corner of the office] I think ’Huh? I thought they were bigger?’ I wish I’d made them even bigger!” she laughs. “I just love that big format!”

• Purchase “After The Change” (The book incl. postage to Europe costs 54 Euro)

Read more…

STOCKHOLM - It’s been 15 years since the movie “Pretty Woman” entered the scene, and with that, the now classic song “It Must Have Been Love.” Of course, in Sweden the song was released in 1987 already, as “It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted),” - Roxette’s Christmas single. BMI, one of two organizations like STIM in the US, has now announced that “It Must Have Been Love” has now been played more than four million times on US radio. Per Gessle will therefore get another award from BMI for this. Per comments “It’s of course unbelievable.”

  Four million times is about 36 years non-stop playing…

  But that’s not all, Per Gessle and MP Persson will also receive an award from BMI for “Dance Song of the Year” regarding “Listen to Your Heart,” as these two gentlemen are the writers of the hit. The song has passed the limit for platinum with more than 352,000 downloads.

  In Europe “Listen to Your Heart” by D.H.T. is on the top 10 in Holland and in France.

  The awards will be presented in London, November 29.

• BMI

German trio Cascada has released their version of the 1992 Roxette hit “How Do You Do!”. The progressive trance cover is sung by Natalie Horler, Cascada’s lead vocalist. The song has been released by Zooland Germany both as a 12” single (ZOO 0105) and CD. The release date was October 17.

  Meanwhile, rumor has it that D.H.T. has been signed by Data Records/Ministry Of Sound and their version of “Listen To Your Heart” will be released in the UK on November 22.

Sebastian K contributed to this article.

• Cascada

STOCKHOLM - Swedish TV4 reported about Marie Fredriksson’s exhibition - which secretly opened its doors yesterday - in their afternoon news edition.


  A happy and smiling Marie appeared with her husband Micke Bolyos setting up the exhibition, deciding which frames to hang where, as well as answering to some questions from TV4’s reporter Lasse Bengtsson.


  There will be a longer segment about the exhibition tomorrow morning at “Nyhetsmorgon,” which runs from 08:59 until 11:30 CET. According to TV4, Marie will be on at 10:15.

• TV4

STOCKHOLM - “It’s been three very difficult years,” but in an interview with Jens Peterson published today in Aftonbladet, Marie Fredriksson says she has won her fight against cancer. “I’m healthy,” she says. “I’m not receiving treatment anymore.”


  She also explains that she hasn’t closed “any door” to future work with Roxette. “Sometimes I look forward to it. We will see. I’ll take it easy for now,” she tells Aftonbladet.


  Besides that, Marie and Micke are writing new music. “But it’s nothing yet, it takes the time it takes. I’m just enjoying life right now, I do what I want, I don’t have to release any album,” Marie continues. “It will be released when we feel it’s ready.”

• Aftonbladet’s article (In Swedish, but with photos)
• Café Opera party video (Marie and her husband attend)

Read more…

STOCKHOLM - Marie Fredriksson will exhibit her artwork in a gallery show entitled “After The Change.” The display, at Doktor Glas gallery, Kungsträdgården, will feature 24 of Marie’s most personal drawings, but only for 10 days.


  Marie, besides music, has always drawn and painted, but always privately, until last year. Then Marie got a new instrument for her creativity, the charcoal pencil. She painted the pictures of the cover of her last album “The Change” and when the album was ready and released, Marie went on drawing with charcoal. The result are these pieces of artwork, which she will show in her first exhibition from October 21 until October 30.


  Marie explains in a press release announcing the show:

“I have never felt myself so free as when I draw. One cannot compare it with music or anything else.

The freedom in my drawing feels like one big love, warmth and energy.

Free in the silence of the charcoal pencil’s light.”

Update October 20: As is often the case at gallery exhibitions, TDR has learned that a catalog has been printed. The velvet covered book, containing all of Marie’s drawings will be available for purchase at the gallery. Limited to 2,000 copies, the price is 400 SEK (€45). All 24 works of art on display are for sale, with the price set at 18,500 SEK (€1,970 or $2,340) each. Most have already been sold.

Update October 21: The exhibition is open weekdays between 11:00 and 17:30 CET, Saturdays between 13:00 and 16:00 and on Sundays 12:00 and 16:00. Entrance is free.


Robert Thorselius contributed to this article.

SKÅNE - Per Gessle has, as per usual, videoed most of the time during the recording process of the album “Son Of A Plumber.” So far it is not decided whether the material will be included as bonus material on the album or not. The Daily Roxette can also add that more film has been shot featuring six songs from the album. Per calls this “little promo videos,” but it’s not decided yet what they will be used for. Per and the band has spent two days down in southern Sweden shooting.

  “We have not discussed a ’Son Of A Plumber’-DVD”, says Marie Dimberg, manager of Per Gessle. The EMI representative knows nothing about the footage either.

Robert Thorselius and SleepingSingle contributed to this article.

• Aftonbladet (In Swedish)

STOCKHOLM - A new section has been added to the official Son Of A Plumber website today: Q & A - Ask Per, where - as the name indicates - Per is once again responding to questions from fans.


  In the first batch of replies Per reveals that there are plans for the upcoming album to also be released as a vinyl record – also double – with a bonus track not available on the CD version.


  Per is still cautious when asked about a tour. “It will depend on how the album will be received,” answers Per, but he surely would like to make a small club tour. “It would be great, don’t you think?”


  Per also says that Marie is fine, and that she performed a “couple of blues songs in a club outside Marbella a month ago.”


  Point your browser to the Son Of A Plumber website to read all the replies and, of course, to submit your questions!

• Q & A - Ask Per

STOCKHOLM (UPDATED) - Like The Daily Roxette reported a while ago, due to technical issues the album has been delayed for one week; the new release date is November 23.

  However, the first single will be - in good old Gessle-fashion - a double a-side featuring the tracks “C’mon” and “Jo-Anna Says.” Per comments to TDR that it has been hard to find a single as the album goes in so many directions, and that he didn’t want one this time. The album has to date not been fully mixed and mastered.

  The release date is November 9 with a radio date of November 7.

  On a sidenote TDR would like to point out to anyone that hasn’t already noted - the official Son Of A Plumber and Gessle sites have cracked the door open with the forum so far. More to follow we’ve been promised.

  And yes, the album is a double… but priced as a single album.

  Per says to Aftonbladet “This is the most beautiful and important album I’ve ever done.” He has recorded around 24 songs, but some of them are shorter than a minute long. He describes the album as original. “And weird, many people will probably think it’s weird. It’s sort of a homage to the music I grew up with 1968-1972.”

• Son Of A Plumber
• Aftonbladet’s telegram (In Swedish)

STOCKHOLM - We don’t know if this is a coincidence or not, but no less than two Roxette cover singles are released today in Sweden. Both of them have been discussed more than enough in The Daily Roxette lately, so you probably know what singles they are:

D.H.T.: Listen To Your Heart

(Catchy Tunes/Bonnier Amigo)

1. Furious F EZ radio edit
2. Edmee’s unplugged vocal mix
3. Hardbounze single edit
4. Extended hardstyle mix
5. Extended hardstyle instrumental mix
6. Furious F EZ extended mix
7. Hardbounze extended mix

Dancing DJ’s Vs Roxette: Fading Like A Flower

(AATW/EMI Music Sweden AB)

1. Radio Edit
2. Hardino Mix
3. Extended Mix
4. Alex K Mix
5. Discode Remix
6. Alex K Bounce Mix

Sebastian K contributed to this article.