Loosegoats

by Tommy GunnarssonWith the Swedish lo-fi scene growing fast in the mid-90's, Loosegoats turned out to be one of the more successful acts. They were formed in Lund in 1994 by singer, guitarist and songwriter Christian Kjellvander, drummer Johan Hansson, guitarist Jens Lowius and bassist Marten Lofwander, when the four teenagers decided that Sweden needed a lo-fi band that had musical strength and good attitude. They rehearsed four times, and two weeks later, the first demo, Back In Slack, was recorded. That resulted in good reviews, gigs and general attention. And they also got the attention of punk based record company Bad Taste Records. In May 1995, their debut mini-CD, Small Lesbian Baseball Players, was released on that label to critical acclaim. It sold quite well for an independent release, and was also released by New York-based Underhand Records. But a planned trip to New York for gigs and recordings was suddenly cancelled when more Swedish offers were accepted. Many big labels wanted to sign Loosegoats, but at the end they decided to go for Startracks, a small but quite successful record company, with artists like Fireside in the line-up. In March of 1996, after Marten Lofwander is replaced by Anders Tingsek, the band records two EP's worth of material in Stockholm with producer Pelle Gunnerfeldt. The first EP for Startracks was released in May 1996, and was called Mule Habits, and in the autumn that same year, Country Crock, hit the shelves to great critical acclaim. The title track is played a lot on Swedish national radio, and Loosegoats started recording their debut album. Before the recordings begin, guitarist Jens left the band, and to replace him, they found Magnus Melliander. On March 23rd 1997, For Sale By Owner is released, with fifteen powerful songs, including a cover of Waylon Jenning's classic "The Dukes Of Hazard Theme." After the release of the album, the band tours heavily in Sweden with several festivals on the schedule, including Hultsfredsfestivalen, Sweden's biggest rock festival. In late summer, Startracks collects the four EP's on a lowprice album, called A Mexican Car In A Southern Field, a record long-awaited by new fans, as the EP's are since long sold out. In late 1997 the band continued touring, and singer Christian produced his brother Gustaf Kjellvander's band Sideshow Bob, whose debut album, Invasive Confusion, was released in 1998. Despite their young age, Loosegoats is a very competent group, both musically and lyrically, with half-American Christian writing all the lyrics.