Jesper Lindell – the born talent
With the release of his third album "Before The Sun" on GG Records/Border on March 1, 2024, Jesper Lindell is well on his way to establishing himself as an important player in the Scandinavian music scene. The album has been celebrated by critics and fans alike, spending many weeks in the top 10 of the Swedish sales charts. Jesper and his band Brunnsvik Sounds are touring through Scandinavia in spring and summer, with most shows sold out. In September, it's time for the first
US tour, including 4 support gigs for country star Morgan Wade. Immediately after the US tour, Jesper Lindell will embark on a major European autumn tour.
At the age of 13, Jesper Lindell was the most talented football player in his hometown of Ludvika, a Swedish working-class town a few hours northwest of Stockholm. During a game, Jesper broke his leg and was confined to his childhood room and a wheelchair. His older brother Anton tried to cheer him up with an acoustic guitar and taught him a few chords. Once he recovered, Jesper decided to give up football to focus on music. He formed a band, replacing the football field with a rehearsal room. This episode taught Jesper two things. The basics of music and that it is possible to turn adversity into something good. Early on, Jesper's friends and family understood that music was his true element. The shy young man found a new way to express himself. Not only through playing guitar, but especially through songwriting and singing. "For my brother, everything was so easy and natural that I couldn't help but envy him," says Anton, who was Jesper's bassist and #1 supporter all along.
When he was seventeen, Jesper moved away from Ludvika to attend a "rock high school" in Örebro. There, he co-founded the '70s rock band Almost Nature, inspired by bands like Savoy Brown, Grand Funk Railroad, and Thin Lizzy. Two of the other co-founders, André Kvarnström and Kristoffer Schander, later played in the internationally successful blues rock band Blues Pills.
During his time with Almost Nature, Jesper introduced one of his own songs for the first time outside of his family. "I've been writing songs since I was 13, but that was the first time I felt like music was becoming something more than just having fun, drinking beer, and dreaming of becoming a rockstar. It was an overwhelming feeling and since then I've carried that feeling with me every day. That's when I realized that making music is my thing. Every new day is a chance to write better songs, find my true voice, and develop into the kind of musician, singer, and songwriter that I would like to listen to myself."
After graduating, Almost Nature disbanded and Jesper moved to Gothenburg, where he worked as a postman. "Many musicians also work as postmen, and during work, I met the guys who would become my next band, King Harvest."
The band name comes from the song by The Band and gives us a hint of the direction Jesper's songwriting was taking. "We didn't really sound like The Band, but I listened to them a lot. And soul, Van Morrison, and contemporary Americana, which I had only recently discovered. That was a time when I found many of the influences, songs, and sounds that are still a big part of my musical universe."
At this point, Jesper's musical career truly begins.
"The head of BMG in Stockholm heard a song I had written and invited me to his office." King Harvest was about to dissolve, and BMG wanted to sign Jesper as a solo act and songwriter for the label and publisher. "My dream was to play live and go on tour. And now I saw a great opportunity to make that dream come true."
However, the move to Stockholm and the contract with a major label did not go as Jesper had hoped. "We recorded songs for an album, but I never really got a response from BMG. I suspect they just thought it wasn't good enough. I still have the album on my laptop, and today I probably agree with that. BMG also hoped to utilize me as a songwriter and singer for commercial pop and EDM. I tried, but it didn't work at all."
For Jesper, this was an important turning point and a lesson to learn for the future. "The lack of feedback on my music was a blow to my self-esteem. And trying to make music that I didn't even like was really depressing. It made me realize what I can and cannot do, what I need to do, and what I shouldn't do. If I can't express my true feelings in my music, I lose my creativity and motivation. I have to trust my instinct and only do the things that feel right."
A tour as a guitarist opening for old-time hero Bryan Ferry restored his self-confidence, and Jesper felt the urge to make music again. After the tour, he began working on an EP for BMG, together with producers Benkt Söderberg and Steen Booberg, both from the successful Swedish band Lolita Pop from the '80s. While preparing for the recordings, Jesper developed his guitar playing and songwriting, and as he became familiar with the songs, he also found his true voice. Jesper recalls the recordings as a really enjoyable experience: "I was in the studio with Benkt and Sten and played most of the instruments myself, except for the drums. Benkt's daughters Klara and Johanna Söderberg, of First Aid Kit, came to the studio to listen to the recordings, and suddenly they appeared behind the microphones and sang my songs. It was a totally organic process and a lot of fun since I'm a huge fan of their music." The EP was released in 2017, and the track "Moving Slow," featuring beautiful vocals by Klara Söderberg, became a small radio hit. Today, the song is a streaming favorite with nearly 5,000,000 streams on Spotify. Jesper's friendship with Klara and Johanna earned him an invitation to the First Aid Kit Leonard Cohen tribute at the prestigious Dramaten theater in Stockholm.
"I was incredibly nervous, but I learned a lot. It's exciting that the show was recently released as an album and seems to be a big success. I even sing on three of the tracks on this album." After the success of "Moving Slow," Jesper received the green light (and the budget) from BMG to record an album. But as the recordings with Zack Anderson from Blues Pills as co-producer progressed, some classic major label problems arose.
The people who had originally signed and believed in Jesper disappeared. After a complete album was recorded and there was no real support from the label, Jesper decided to exit the contract.
"It was a terrible situation with Zach and all the musicians who had worked so hard in the studio. I bought myself out of the contract with BMG and released the album 'Everyday Dreams' on my own label in Sweden in 2019.
Eventually, the small, cool label Super Alive Natural from California picked up the album to release it outside of Sweden. The single "Whatever Happens" received a lot of play in Sweden and the USA and was also featured in the American TV series "The Council Of Dad." With the success of "Everyday Dreams" and Jesper's regained independence, the old dream of touring and live performances was within reach. He moved back to his hometown Ludvika, built a studio, and started rehearsing with a band of old friends. In the fall of 2019, they went on their first tour, and in February 2020, they embarked on another major tour in Scandinavia with the Memphis band Liz Brasher. Two weeks before the end of the tour schedule, the pandemic struck, and the remaining gigs were canceled. And the 50+ gigs summer tour through Scandinavia and Italy. As if that wasn't enough bad luck, Jesper was reminded of his congenital kidney disease, and his health deteriorated rapidly. A transplant soon became the only option. While waiting for his father to be approved as a donor, Jesper underwent dialysis three times a week. The waiting time during the Corona year was even longer due to the overwhelmed healthcare system. The bright blue sky suddenly had a few big, nasty black clouds. The twenty-eight-year-old Jesper was back in his childhood room. Remember that shy football guy in a wheelchair in the same room, with a guitar in his lap. He was still just as shy and quiet, but his determination to fight against all odds was just as strong. During the past year in isolation, Jesper wrote and recorded a lot of music that became the acclaimed album "Twilights" in 2022.
"Twilights" was nothing less than a statement. Jesper Lindell is not a helpless victim of circumstances. He is a world-class songwriter and a powerful singer with a clear and uncompromising vision. Once his new kidney was implanted, Jesper and his fabulous six-piece band began touring tirelessly. In one year, they played around 150 gigs in Scandinavia and in Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the UK.
In the short breaks between tours, Jesper found time to write and record 5 songs for his solo project "Windows, Part 1," which was released in September 2023. To support "Windows," Jesper undertook a 10-day Scandinavian tour with the famous violinist Scarlet Rivera, who left a lasting impression on rock history by playing on Bob Dylan's "Desire" and accompanying him on the Rolling Thunder Revue.
Together with his touring band, Jesper recorded a very successful album with Swedish star Magnus Carlson, featuring country-soul in Swedish. A second album will be released in 2024.
Copyright: Lina Nylander
Doors open: 7:00 PM
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
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