Norway's The Lionheart Brothers will play their final show with drummer Peter Rudolfsen on December 11 at Revolver Bar in oslo as he is leaving the band to spend more time with his family.

Norwegian artist Martin Hagfors (HGH, Home Groan) will release his debut solo album "Men and flies" in January. Said record was produced by Lars Horntveth (The National Bank, Jaga Jazzist) and will be celebrated with a release concert at Rockefeller in oslo on February 5 featuring contributions from KORK, Eirik Øien, Askil Holm, Kenneth Kapstad and others. More info and samples: http://www.martinhagfors.com/

Norwegian act The Alexandria Quartet will support Travis on a few European dates next month:

12/07 - Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
12/08 - Rockefeller, oslo (NOR)
12/10 - Melkweg, Amsterdam (NL)
12/12 - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels (BEL)

MP3: Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose - Why is it so?

After a couple failed interview attempts with artists who shall go unnamed, our Göteborg Spotlight Series is back with this week's guest Mattias Hellberg. For those of you with your heads in the ground, Mattias has been around for many years performing with acts such as Nymphet Noodlers, The Hellacopters, Hederos & Hellberg, The Solution, Nationalteatern besides working under his own name and is now back with a new group, The White Moose. That group's debut album "Out of the frying pan, into the woods" came out earlier this month and so I tracked down Mattias for a few questions...

You're still based in Gbg, right? What's kept you there all these years? Ever considering picking up and relocating somewhere else?

Yes I'm still here. Well one reason is I'm quite happy to have an apartment... some kind of safety thing I guess. I'd love to have a little shack in the Caribbean to go to in the wintertime though.

What makes the Gbg music scene special, if it's even special at all? The people, the geography, the weather... what are the primary characteristics that define the city and its artists?

I dunno if there is a special scene here. Think there's quite a good diversity of scenes/bands/clubs. People tend to say that the music from here is more working-class with a more "rough" touch. Maybe it used to be that way, but I don't think it's a general "tag" to put on the Gothenburg "sound" anymore. Maybe I'm wrong...

So you've started to do shows with Martin Hederos (The Soundtrack of Our Lives) again as Hederos & Hellberg -- why resurrect that project now? Why'd you even stop playing together in the first place?

Well, we were asked to close the Way Out West festival this summer in a big beautiful church. An offer we couldn't refuse. It was a bit scary but great fun at the same time and it was an amazing vibe in a packed church way after midnight. And of course nice to play together again. Then we did a weekend in our old hometown Karlstad and oslo in November. But now we both got new albums to tour and promote (TSOOL & mine), so now there wont be much time for anymore reunions for a while...

Why we stopped playing together was because the project started to grow out of proportion, we had to say no to some quite good offers (tours) because it would interfere with TSOOL. So it was better to call it off and quit.

And now the new band The White Moose - how did this group come together? Do you see it as an extension of your solo career or it is more of a full band project?

I wrote the songs early this year and had already talked to Ludwig (Dahlberg, The (International) Noise Conspiracy) about him playing drums with me. Then I just asked Olle and Henke (Hagberg, Whyte Seeds and Lindén, Fox Machine respectively) to join in and the band was goin'.

I don't think I've had much of a "solo" career. This is something new. It can't really be a full-band project as I have to consider the other guys got other bands. We'll find a way to make it work though.

Obviously you keep yourself very busy with all sorts of musical adventures - got any more surprises we should look forward to? Anyone in particular you'd really like to worth with?

I'd love to learn how to play the Oud. I also have a dream about going to some foreign country and making music with local musicians.

Lastly, got a song you'd like to share? Tell me about it.

Ok I choose "Why is it so?" from the new album "Out of the frying pan, into the woods". It's actually the first song I wrote after Nymphet Noodlers split up back in '96.

I think I had some plans for a solo album back then already, but I was not much of a songwriter, so it got put on hold for sometime... The original version was an acoustic Stooges kinda "ballad" with different lyrics, same refrain though. This new version is something else... Maximum White Moose Jazz.

Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose - Why is it so?

Online mag Textura lists Swedish's Kning Disk and oslo-based Miasmah as two of their current top 10 favorite record labels: http://www.textura.org/reviews/tenfavouritelabels2008.htm

Norwegian metal act She Said Destroy has signed with Tabu Recordings and will be releasing their sophomore album "This city speaks in tongues" in Norway on November 17 with a full European to release to follow on February 2. The band will also play a record release show at Elm Street in oslo on November 14. Hear the title track at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ssdband

Upcoming Årabrot tourdates in November:

11/05 - Rote Flora, Hamburg (GER)
11/07 - Vortex Club, Siegen (GER) w/Murder Junkies
11/08 - La Zone, Liege (BEL) w/Birushanah
11/09 - Hokaben Festival, London (UK) w/Sun Ra Arkestra
11/10 - le Happy Days, Le Mans (FRA)
11/11 - El Inca, Bordeuax (FRA)
11/12 - Caravan Serail, Toulouse (FRA) w/Habsyll
11/13 - Chiodo Fisso Music Pub, Venezia (ITA)
11/14 - Lucrezia, Genoa (ITA)
11/15 - Cascina Torchiera / TRoK, Milano (ITA)
11/16 - Kunstkeller, Fürth (GER)
11/18 - JetClub, Prague (CZ)
11/27 - Gamle Slakthuset U-18, Haugesund (NOR)
11/28 - Landmark, Bergen (NOR)
11/29 - Gunfest @ Skur 40, oslo (NOR) w/Nachtmystium

The date on the 28th is the release party for the new Årabrot/[concept.virus] "Absolutenegativism" EP. Read more about the project here: http://tabaskoartists.com/index.php?/promotions/absolutenegativism-project/

Lasse Marhaug (Jazkammer) and Jon Wesseltoft (Thorns) will play a one-off show as noise duo Cock of Corpse at Revolver in oslo on November 6.

This year's Swedish/Norwegian music industry conference The New Union will be taking place in oslo on November 18 and will feature seminars on live music promotion, publishing and more. Details at MI: http://www.musikindustrin.se/artikel/185/Det_drar_ihop_sig_for_The_New_Union.html (in Swedish)
You can also go directly to the conference website here: http://www.thenewunion.se/

Norwegian act Pirate Love will have their album "Black vodoun space blues" released internationally on both CD and vinyl via Voodoo Rhythm Records/Get Hip with new artwork and an extra song from their now-OOP "Death surf negro spirituals" EP. The band will have a release party at the FunHouse in oslo on October 30 and then will be heading to London for a few dates in early November. Samples and details at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thepiratelove

New tourdates for Lykke Li:

11/24 - Button Factory, Dublin (IRL)
11/25 - Arches, Glasgow (SCO)
11/27 - Academy 3, Manchester (UK)
11/28 - Koko, London (UK)
11/29 - Gloria, Cologne (GER)
12/01 - Maria, Berlin (GER)
12/02 - Ubel und Gefaehrlich, Hamburg (GER)
12/05 - Doornrosjie, Nijmegen (HOL)
12/06 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (HOL)
12/09 - Le Trabendo, Paris (FRA)
12/10 - Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
12/11 - John Dee, oslo (NOR)
12/12 - Kägelbanan, Stockholm (SWE)

Norwegian industrial/metal act V:28 is heading out on one last tour this fall:

10/10 - Mukkes, Leeuwarden (NL)
10/11 - De Azijnfabriek, Roermond (NL)
10/12 - The Little Devil, Tilburg (NL)
10/14 - Le Klub, Paris (FRA)
10/15 - La Rumeur, Lille (FRA)
10/16 - Negasonic, Aalst (BEL)
10/17 - Aurora Infernalis Festival, Arnheim (NL)
10/18 - Black Paradise, Wismar (GER)
12/18 - Rockefeller, oslo (NOR) w/Enslaved
12/19 - Hydranten, Hamar (NOR) w/Enslaved
12/20 - Arendal Kulturhus (last gig ever), Arendal (NOR)

New European dates for Witchcraft followed by a Scandinavian tour supporting Motörhead:

11/29 - MTC, Cologne (GER)
11/30 - W2, Den Bosch (NL)
12/02 - Universum, Stuttgart (GER)
12/03 - 59:1, Munich (GER)
12/04 - Arena, Vienna (AUS)
12/05 - Cheminice, Prague (CZ)
12/07 - Knaack Klub, Berlin (GER)
12/08 - Logo, Hamburg (GER)
12/09 - Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
12/10 - Scandinavium, Göteborg (SWE)
12/12 - Löfbergs Lila Arena, Karlstad (SWE)
12/13 - Hovet, Stockholm (SWE)
12/14 - Spektrum, oslo (NOR)
12/16 - Jaahalli, Helsinki (FIN)

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Kurt Nilsen - Rise To The Occasion
02. Espen Lind - Army of one
03. Kathrine Moholt - Sweethearts
04. Knutsen & Ludvigsen - Dum og deilig -beste
05. Vassendgutane - Xo
06. Åge Aleksandersen - Katalysator
07. Madrugada - Madrugada
08. Too Far Gone - Livåt
09. Return - Best Of Both Worlds
10. Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart
11. Malin - Pang
12. Hilde Marie Kjersem - A Killer For That Ac
13. Ane Brun - Changing Of The Seasons
14. Ingrid Olava - Juliets Wishes
15. Lars Horntveth - Kaleidoscopic
16. Erik og Kriss - Verden vil bedras
17. Karin Krog - oslo Calling
18. Thom Hell - God If I Saw Her Now
19. Morten Harket - Letter From Egypt
20. Kaizers Orchestra - Maskineri

Nick Olivera (Queens of the Stone Age, Mondo Generator) and Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks) will be making a guest appearance with Turbonegro at Øyafestivalen in oslo tomorrow, August 7.