Cardboard Cowboy spluttered into life in 2002 in the form of Dave and Ant, formerly drums and bass respectively in future wave Leeds popsters Brazil.   “Bless My Soul”, still a crowd favourite, was recorded by these two mere mortals and showed enough scuzzed up raw swagger to get people all frothed up on both sides of the Atlantic.  Claire Sturgess on xfm proclaimed it “such a glorious racket – it works for me!”, indie mogul Alan McGee and LA label Medicated records heartily agreed, the latter faxing a record contract to the office of Dave’s crappy pen-pushing job and lining up Jim Reid from The Jesus & Mary Chain to produce their debut.

Sadly, this is one of those “it wasn’t to be” tales but after such an auspicious start, Dave and Ant figured it would be churlish to do anything other than plough straight ahead.  They were blessed by stumbling on piano pounding, guitar twanging Pat and the hardest hitting, disco bomb dropping drummer around, The Cardinal.

They played a lot of gigs around Leeds and London, honing their sound; a ragged, raging, glorious blend of old time country and the kind of indie rock and roll that’s the birth right of every northern girl and boy.

Another lucky accident was getting to know Jez, drummer from 90’s shoegaze legends Swervedriver, who ended up producing debut album “Unload Your Head”.  Uncut magazine reckoned we’d cracked the sound of “Primal Scream in a Texan roadhouse” and leedsmusicscene.co.uk lavished it with a glowing 5 star review calling it “addictive...a uniquely fine album of great songs”.

The band played the hearts out of these songs up and down the country over the next few months, all the while building up songs for the follow up “Shorthand For Love”.  Once again produced by Jez, it stretched the band’s horizons still further; their country leanings even more apparent with the high lonesome ache of “I’m Not Sleeping”, shades of Astral Weeks in “Lady Brown”, the Velvet Underground in “You Don’t Need To Cry” (with a guitar sound courtesy of Pete Doherty’s trench coat) and the Strokes-y urgency of “When I Set Sail”.

That summer, the band played the BBC unsigned stage at the Leeds festival and rounded things off with a US tour.  Their jet-lagged midnight show in Detroit is a shining moment the band will never forget.  Ending on this high, the band went their separate ways in 2007, raising families and playing with other musicians.  2014 saw Dave move back to Leeds after years in London and someone noticed it was 10 years since the first album was released – why not play a reunion gig and have a party?  This they did on a glorious summer’s afternoon, realising that, not only was it still massively exciting to play these songs together, but that they are now an even better band.  They’re hooked and so, if you can, we’d really recommend you catch them when they’re round your way. 

Ragged voiced Garage rockers The Jailers Daughter blend the honest sounds of Lo-fi Punk with catchy surf beats and heavy grunge. 

Birthed from the incubator of the Tri-Cities burgeoning indie-slacker scene, the group combines 4 individuals with chequered artistic backgrounds. Close since high school (some since birth), the band is a tightly knit unit well known for their hard-hitting, straightforward compositions and electrifying live performances.

The Jailer's Daughter recently completed their debut release at the renowned Beach Road Studios on the beaches of Lake Huron, Ontario with Juno award-winning producer, engineer, and mixer Siegfried Meier (www.siegfriedmeier.com/). 

This brand new full length record is scheduled for release in early 2016. Be on the lookout for The Jailer's Daughter as extensive promotional touring to support this debut record is scheduled throughout Ontario, Quebec, and the maritime provinces over the coming year.

Mattias Hellberg, born & raised in Karlstad, has been part of the Swedish music scene since the late 80’s. His love for and obsession with music started in the pre adolescence years, and at the age of 14 he started his first band Ugly Jake in 1987. This band transformed into Nymphet Noodlers in 1992. He has played guitar in several rock bands like The Hellacopters and The Soundtrack of Our Lives, but it is as a solo act Mattias reveals the wide and colorful spectra of influences and beauty of his ragged soul in a most personal and funky way.

Nymphet Noodlers released 1 ep & 1 album and toured around Scandinavia until they broke up in 1996. The year after Hellberg moved to Gothenburg where he became an important part of a vibrant music scene. Besides working on his own material he sang in short-lived furious boogie rock band Hot Love and played guitar in alternative country band Alimony for a short while.
1998 included a stint as guitarist with The Hellacopters, recording and touring with the band.

In 1999 he and one of his fellow musicians from Nymphet Noodlers, Martin Hederos, recorded 8 cover songs meant to be a demo to get gigs in bars. Old friend Niclas Stenholm released the songs on the album M. Hederos M. Hellberg in 2000. Hederos & Hellberg turned out to be a totally unexpected success. Critics went nuts about it and all of a sudden they were a ”band” playing sold out theaters all over Scandinavia. Ryan Adams discovered the duo when he was playing his first concert in Gothenburg, and he brought them with him on a European tour as Hederos & Hellberg`s second album, ”Together in the darkness” was released in 2001.
However, at the same time Martin was also busy touring with his other band The Soundtrack of Our Lives, which got a major contract with Universal in the US. Eventually two international careers were too much to endeavor and Hederos & Hellberg had to go separate ways. In January 2003 they did a last performance in a sold out Gothenburg Concert House.

Mattias focused on his own material and recorded songs written between 1996 and 2003. The self-titled, first solo album was released in 2004. 

In 2005 he was asked to sing with legendary Swedish rock unit Nationalteatern’s RockOrkester for a summer tour. He has been a full member of the band evernsince, touring with them every year.

He also toured & recorded with Swedish artist Stefan Sundström as guitarist during 2004-2005. Sundström is an acclaimed Swedish singer/song writer, who's been on the scene in Scandinavia since 1991. 

Mattias curiosity and open ears has made him seek out and get inspired by music from all over the world, be it Nigeria, India, Jamaica, Mali, Finland, classic rock n` roll & soul etc. As he states it himself “I love all music with soul and feeling, not as a genre but across genres and continents. Music that convey depth and understanding of human beings, both their moments of happiness and those of despair.” This manifested it self- among other things- in reggae/dub/rock project, Kanzeon, which released their self-titled album in 2006.

In 2007 he wrote, played and recorded songs with Ugandan/Swedish soul bird Jaqee for what became her album ”Nouvelle d’amour”. The album was a huge success and Mattias toured with Jaqee for the Nouvelle tour. 

2008 was the year of Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose and the album ”Out of the frying pan into the woods”. The album was written and recorded in only 2 weeks and reflected Mattias urge to revisit more energetic and out going rock n`roll with inspiration from psychedelia and rough grooves. The band was touring in Europe in 2009.

2011 The album ”High In The Lowlands” was an intimate collaboration with longtime friend Mattias Areskog (Brothers of end). Only the two of them stuck in a cabin for just a week "High in the Lowlands" is the beautiful result of yet another Hellberg masterpiece. Throughout his work Mattias Hellbergs sad souled songs of Scandinavian heartbreak, be it with Hederos & Hellberg, Healing Hand, The White Moose, The Fur Heads he's always had a somewhat rootsy approach to the ancient troubadour tradition whose linage Hellbergs music clearly represents.
The album ”High In The Lowlands” was released in Europe, the US & Canada. 
For the tour of the album Mattias put together a band that he named The Fur Heads. Johan Håkansson on drums, Nikke Ström on bass & Jonas Kernell on keyboards..

2012 A live album from, what was supposed to be, Hederos & Hellberg last concert was released. Followed by a short scandinavian tour by the duo. Recordings of the upcoming MH album Gurimolla! were done at different locations during the summer and fall. This time it's a pure band driven album and the sessions were very creative with great inputs from everyone involved. As on "HITL" it's a collaboration with the great songwriter & producer, Mattias Areskog. 

2013 The album Gurimolla!'s first single Coffee & Croissant is a super catchy rock & pop rocket of a song, celebrating love and lust inna cheerful way. 
Second single Wait for the morning is a soulful groover with soothing lyrics, true lovers rock.
Gurimolla! the album is a genuine celebration of different genre's . "Music is love" as David Crosby once said and this inspired piece of work fits totally under that description. Mattias's been around for a while on the music scéne and you can tell that he is a true beliver in the power and healing of rhythms & sounds always looking for new stuff to get influenced by. Thru out the year Mattias also joined forces with swedens biggest rock act Håkan Hellström for a summer & winter tour of scandinavia. Ending at the 7th of june 2014 at a sold out Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. 69343 people attending, making it the biggest show ever by a swedish act in Scandinavia.
Gurimolla! also won the Manifest Award for best singer/songwriter album of 2013!

Fall 2014. So now it's time to recognize 20 years as a recording artist. On the new album, In Egolectric Harmony. Mattias is for the first time, completely alone in the studio with his electric guitar, doing his own solo interpretations of songs from his first band Nymphet Noodlers up 'til songs of present days. It sure is a soulful take on these tunes with Mattias's ragged voice and dynamic electric guitar in adventurous harmony. Intimate, never smooth, soulful & rough. Another statement from Mattias Hellberg, still one of swedens best kept "secret's" as a singer & musician.






Mattias Hellberg Discography

Nymphet Noodlers 
1993. Impeccable Selection EP 
1994. Going Abroad 

Hot Love 
1997. vinyl single 

Hederos & Hellberg
2000. Hederos & Hellberg 
2001. Together In The Darkness
2002. Take Care EP
2012. Bless me (live)

Mattias Hellberg
2004. Mattias Hellberg
2008. Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Woods
2011. High In The Lowlands
2013. Gurimolla!
2014. In Egolectric Harmony

Kanzeon
2000. 3 track vinyl 12” 
2006. Kanzeon

Mattias also appear as musician/singer on the following chosen albums:
Jaqee – Nouvelle d’amour 2007
Ossler – Desorienterad – 2001
Ossler – Den siste som kom ut – 2002
Marit Bergman - 3.00 A.M. Serenades - 2003
Kristofer Åström – Rainaway Town – 2007
Thunder Express - Republic Disgrace – 2007
Mikael Herrström – The Second Waltz - 2007
Valdemar feat. Mattias Hellberg – Saving Grace The Gospel songs of Bob Dylan 2007
The Hellacopters – Grande Rock & some singles
NationalTeaterns RockOrkester – Live 2006
NationalTeaterns RockOrkester – Live 2006 DVD
Ulf Stureson - Allt jag ville säja 2003
Stefan Sundström – Pappa kom hem 2003
Stefan Sundström – Hjärtats Melodi 2004
Stefan Sundström – Stolt men inte nöjd – 2004
Stefan Sundström – Fabler från Bällingebro – 2005
The Solution – Will not be Televised – 2008
Alabamica - 2009


Chicago-based noise-pop band Forgotten Species wouldn’t be a band without modern-day bootlegging, a classical metal band and a Ouija board.

 Forgotten Species started, as most bands do, as bar talk. Drummer Matt Zemburski and bassist Lizz Kannenberg were bartending at the bar owned by keyboardist Chris Nixon when they met singer and guitarist Blake Smith, who frequented the bar for its “house” beer, an unnamed farmhouse ale smuggled over the border from Wisconsin and served from a conspicuous antler tap handle. In addition to good beer the foursome soon discovered a shared history playing music – Smith in major label acts Fig Dish and Caviar, Nixon in Sono, Zemburski in quirky Chicago trio Eiffel Tower and Kannenberg in bedroom pop group Grammar.

 “What we first noticed about Blake was that he loved our house beer and hated every DJ we had in the bar,” says Zemburski. “He would start sending shots to the DJ until the poor dude was too drunk to operate the turntables. Then he’d hide the guy’s box of chillwave 7”s and put on the copy of The Jesus & Mary Chain’s Darklands he carried everywhere. I can’t say we didn’t appreciate it from time to time.”

 Five years later the band is set to release Hades Fades, their debut EP of noisey, guitar-driven power-pop. The five-track EP will be released digitally on November 18th via Long Nights Impossible Odds and on limited edition 12" vinyl in January 2015.

But it took a few exceptional instances to get to this point. Bar talk about starting a band didn’t actually become Forgotten Species until a classical black metal outfit they sometimes drank with asked if they wanted to share a practice space. Despite the illustrations of dark rituals and incantations scrawled on the walls, they wiped the years of filth from their gear and moved in. 

“The bar stopped serving the house beer and the DJs started playing Dinosaur Jr.’s You’re Living All Over Me more often, so we took it as a sign that it was time to occupy ourselves a little differently,” says Smith. “We took went to look at the practice space and found a 4-foot-high pentagram with “PORK: LA OTRA CARNE BLANCA” scribbled above it, and we knew we’d found our home.”

 The prevailing styles of sparkling electro-pop and the "hey! ho!" folk-rock of art school students dressed like civil war buffs felt rather wan and gutless to this foursome, so instead they busied themselves with seeing how many fuzz and delay pedals they could string together without blowing their amps. They molded and formed in this shared, strange preference for sophomore albums over seminal debuts and mutual abhorrence of bands that whistle.

 From the riot of cables and tortured signal chains, melodies bloomed in the gloom. From squawk and clang came ragged pop. Before their first show, they set up a wax splattered Ouija Board they found behind the beer fridge in the practice space and implored those from the other realm to name them. Those from the other realm ignored them, so they decided to call themselves Forgotten Species.

Ragged voiced Garage rockers The Jailers Daughter blend the honest sounds of Lo-fi Punk with catchy surf beats and heavy grunge. 

Birthed from the incubator of the Tri-Cities burgeoning indie-slacker scene, the group combines 4 individuals with chequered artistic backgrounds. Close since high school (some since birth), the band is a tightly knit unit well known for their hard-hitting, straightforward compositions and electrifying live performances.

The Jailer's Daughter recently completed their debut release at the renowned Beach Road Studios on the beaches of Lake Huron, Ontario with Juno award-winning producer, engineer, and mixer Siegfried Meier (www.siegfriedmeier.com/). 

"The Bath Salts EP" will be released Saturday August 22nd, 2015. Be on the lookout for The Jailer's Daughter as extensive promotional touring to support this debut record is scheduled throughout Ontario, Quebec, and the maritime provinces over the next year.

Nordlys aka Cherub Catkin aka Gregory Delabelle

In his music you will find wide open beautifull space, voices that I hear, drones, water and metal convolusions and electronic emotions on one side and intens hard beat sometimes core tracks.

Tentative, greedy, by night they came, drawn to the ..VIBES.. drawn to the light. Their shadow organs pulsed beneath bellies distended as Falstaff’s, backs a tarnished armor studded with the rosettes of some obscure disease… .. What of their victims, the cannon fodder, Welsh soldiery thrown each night against the muzzle flare? Ragged, high-strung moths, green lacewings streamlined like F-16s……… ……NORDLYS.., like great officers and kings, took them into their ..EARS.., more or less at leisure, with a gratifying snap… .. Silently, of course, through the pane of glass, where death comes only on a smaller scale

Stealing its moniker from a bolt-gun wielding maniac who could just about pass for a "normal" looking human being, Chigurh also belies its look - red-meat-devouring-ragged-beer-swilling-prog-metallers anyone? - to float considered and memorable vocal lines over proper riffs... you know, the cool, groovy, metal kind your older sibling used to listen to that made you piss in your pants.  

For fans of Tool, High On Fire, Meshuggah, Electric Wizard, Slayer, Deftones, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Karnivool, A Perfect Circle.

Chioma Nassim is following