|
HELLACOPTERS
A
Week With The Foremost Soldiers Of Rock n’ Roll
Liquor
and Poker
by
Todd K Smith
Cutting Edge
 Four
years is a long time for any band to be away from their fan
base - especially in fickle ‘ol USA. Only a select few
can pull that off and get away with it. Heavy hitters with lots
of radio play like Boston and Def Leppard come to mind, but
without a constant “airwave” reminder, a band can
be doomed. Recently several Scandinavian bands have experienced
quite different results. The resurgence of Turbonegro and Backyard
Babies, after what many considered a permanent hiatus, has taken
many by surprise. Add that to the rising popularity among the
street-wise punkster crowd of Gluecifer, Millencolin and The
Flaming Sideburns, and you’ve got a nasty little nest
of rock and roll hornets.
With
the Hellacopters, it’s complicated. Formed
in 1996 as a side project for drummer Nicke Andersson of Swedish
death metal act Entombed and guitarist Dregen of Scandinavian
rockers the Backyard Babies, the band had a surprise hit in
Super Shitty To The Max (1998) their first LP out of
the box. Granted it was rough and tumble, somewhere between
Motorhead meets the Stooges – full on distortion, frantic
and hell-bent to change the face of rock ‘n’ roll.
It did, and won a Swedish Grammy for best new rock record of
the year. The band flew to America and met with major record
labels from Geffen to BMG. The US was hurting for decent rock
and threw the band free meals, hotel upgrades and  loads
of chicks. The “Copters decided to signed with SubPop,
a small independent label with a big reputation out of Olympia,
Washington. That pissed the majors off.
At
the time the band consisted of Andersson (vocal, guitar), also
know as Nick Royale, Dregen (guitar), Robert Eriksson (drums)
Kenny Hokansson (bass) and Bobby Lee “Boba” Pett
(electric organ and grand piano). Two amazing slabs of vinyl
came of the band’s association with SubPop; Grande
Rock (1998) and Payin’ The Dues (1999). Many
regard these two records alone as putting the band on the road
to immortality. With a tighter production and a maturing songwriting
style developing between Andresson and Dregen, the band forged
their own formula of straight-up North American rock in the
vein of Grand Funk Railroad and Bachman-Turner Overdrive with
the Detroit one-two-punch of Stooges meets MC5. They also got
a say in how their music got packaged. BIG fans of vinyl, the
Hellacopters released their singles as 45’s and countered
each CD release with a vinyl gatefold.
After
a triple US package tour with Wayne Kramer and The Supersuckers,
co-founder Dregen left to concentrate more fully on his writing
with the Backyard Babies. Robert “Strings” Dahlqvist,
of the Faces-styled Diamond Dogs stepped in just in time for
the Hellacopters Gearhead/Universal debut High Visibility
(2002). Dahlqvist’s long golden hair and tall lanky look
had “rock star” written all over it. Together with
Andersson they settled on a searing twin guitar ala Thin Lizzy
presentation, which bolstered not only their musical efforts
but their image. Videos for songs “Toys And Flavors”
and “Hopeless Case Of A Kid In Denial” saw the band
perfectly situated for late night TV. They had the whole package,
the hip clothes, hooky songs with memorable licks and all the
right poses.
2002
saw another North American tour, this time with DC cult-rockers
Adam West and the Gaza Strippers, showcasing the full power
of the Hellacopters as they preached their brand of high-energy
rock to mid-sized clubs. The three-week tour was documented
by filmmaker Jim Heneghan and released as a DVD titled Goodnight
Cleveland. The “Spinal Tap-like” rockumentry
followed the band from town to town for a first hand look at
the rigors of the road. Though the band fully supported the
film, it’s single camera angles, shaky pans and poor sound
quality didn’t do much to elevate the band’s potential.
Yet, they returned home to Stockholm eager to work on the next
platter.
Andersson’s
voice was becoming more and more palatable for what was now
a well-oiled machine. A hybrid of Robert Younger (Radio Birdman)
meets Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) with passionate Steve Marriott-like
howls became his signature delivery. His guitar playing also
found it’s voice landing somewhere between Hendrix, Wayne
Kramer and Ace Frehley. When he was off the road, Andersson
was spinning records at a weekend dance club allowing him to
play his favorite albums ‘till all hours of the morning.
An avid fan of soul and R&B, he was soon bringing those
elements into his songwriting. By The Grace Of God (2002)
heard the results in the title track, “Down On Free Street”
and “Rainy Days Revisited.”
Sadly,
due to contract issues, the record didn’t see a US release
for another eighteen months - and no US tour. But that didn’t
stop the Hellacopters from playing sold-out shows in Australia
and Europe including opening for The Rolling Stones. Unphased
by their inability to crack the States, the band forged ahead
finally signing a North American distribution deal with Century
Media imprint Liquor and Poker. It seemed the band might have
another shot at the US after a two-year hiatus. Then a jolt
can. Suddenly fans were alarmed by what appeared to be a complete
dismantling of the band’s website. A static page stating,
“Rock and Roll is Dead” was all that remained. With
no other information, other band websites like Gluecifer, Datsuns
and Turbonegro were inundated with inquires about the Hellacopters
current status.
I
joined the Hellacopters three dates into their current US tour.
Their first in four years. They are traveling with label mates
Nebula and joined by New Yorkers Bad Wizard and New Zealand
band the Datsuns. My first question, as I set on the couch with
Nick Andersson, was in regard to the band’s website.
“We were recording our new album and at the same time
decided to change the website,” says Andersson. “There
was no real thought process. We had to fix the website - which
took some time and wanted to be involved in the layout and design.
We had the title for the record in mind so we thought we’d
put it on there. We didn’t mean to scare anyone or have
them think the band broke up. But I must admit we did find all
the commotion a bit funny.”
The
band decided to call the record “Rock and Roll is Dead”
after a Rubinoos song off that band’s 1977 debut. “I
like the song and it makes a statement,” continues Andersson.
“I’m not trying to be political, but today’s
rock is dead compared to how exciting it was in the Seventies.”
Though a cover of the song is not found on the new Hellacopter
disc, they do add it to their live set, the first song of the
encore, with Andersson intro ducing
it as “three classic chords.” Determined to bring
back the edge in rock, the Swedes crafted 13 tracks that follow
the lines of their heroes – catchy, powerful and full of
swagger. Among those are two singles “Everything Is On
T.V.” and “I’m In The Band” that followed
the European release of the record last fall and are featured
prominently in the live set.
Chaos
set in early for the Hellacopters this time around. After clearing
customs, the band were told all their equipment was held up
in Germany and wouldn’t show until their Baltimore or
New York gig. Several people came to their assistance including
Randy Gregg, American bassist for the recent incarnation of
Thin Lizzy. Playing on borrowed gear and Nebula’s backline
made for a challenging 75-minute set. Yet the advantage of playing
with Nebula paid dividends. Consummate professionals,
the California trio set the stage with their tuned down stoner
riffs. Just the mood setter in Philadelphia. So when the Hellacopters
took the stage, a hysterical frenzy greeted each song. The packed
the Khyber Pass seemed undeterred by Andersson’s numerous
tuning breaks and with rabid passion cheered the evening’s
headliners on in a sweat-soaked chorus.
“I’ve
been listening to soul and R&B for a long time,” Andersson
admitted after the show. “I write songs and I don’t
really think about it too much. That’s really the only
way to do it. Maybe I hear a new chord – something like
that. Like the Chuck Berry “Sweet Little Sixteen”
rip off which introduces ‘Before The Fall’.”
The guitarist/vocalist is candid about his passion for rock
and roll. He loves, Kiss, The Stooges and The Rolling Stones.
“We did two shows with The Stones in Europe,” says
Andersson. “We opened for them in Finland with ZZ Top.
That was a huge arena. But, the coolest show was the Stockholm
show ‘cause that was a tiny club for them – like
1,500 people. To see The Stones in a small place like that was
unbelievable.”
The
gear never showed for Baltimore. The crowd was more subdued,
the band more pissed off. Andersson and Dahlqvist locked horns,
time and again raising their guitars to the ceiling in perfect
unison - literally wailing their way through the set. Drummer
Robert Eriksson beat himself past exhaustion slumping over his
kit as the spotlight lit the  “Grace
Of God” logo on his bass drum. Thunderbird over the shoulder,
bassist Kenny Hokansson stood on the edge of the stage, his
hands in a prayerful a-frame, bowing to the audience. “It
could be 20 more years or it could be over in a month,”
said Andersson as we walked to the bus. “Who knows how
long we’ll last. A live record would be great, maybe even
a classic double vinyl gatefold.” His voice trails off
as he thinks about it. Sure, were ready for another “Alive
II” or “Live in Budokan.” Leave it to the
Hellacopters to bring back the medium.
New
York was sold out. The Datsuns followed Nebula
playing their distinct brand of AC/DC-styled rock. Singer/bassist
Dolf De Datsun looks like a young Pete Way with his low-slung
bass and jet-black hair. Their rising star is guitarist Phil
Datsun who, through small in stature (his guitar almost dwarfs
him) plays some of the hottest licks conceived. There was a
longer than usual set change and once the stage lights fell
on Andersson’s brimmed hat I knew he was not a happy camper.
Still playing his rented guitar, he thrashed through “Action”
stopping after every song to re-tune his guitar. Typical of
a New York crowd, they shouted for him to leave it alone and
get on with the show. Only the sweat on his face cooled him
down. “I know what I like to listen to and that’s
how I write music,” Andersson told me later on. “You
play what you want to hear. I think, I hope, I might be listening
to us if I weren’t in the band.”
Boston
was perfect. Went off without a hitch. The gear finally showing
up, it was an early show and the Hellacopters proved they are
probably the hottest band on the planet. Smiles replaced the
week’s pensive expressions. They looked fresh, vibrant
and ready. True to form, they destroyed the place with a set
so perfect, so in tune and so ballsy that even I, after seeing
them four times in a row, raised my glass. The Swedes were happy
– so it was right that they spend the night celebrating.
I didn’t catch them again until two weeks later in San
Francisco. The ever-jovial Robert Eriksson greeted me with a
smile and caught me up on the rigors of the road since we last
spoke. He commented that I’d missed a brilliant show at
SXSW, food poisoning in Salt Lake City (it’s always chicken
Chinese that gets ya) and in Vegas, some bastard broke into
the bus and stole a load of equipment including Dahlqvist’s
personal computer with a number of song demos.
Keyboard
extraordinaire Boba vented his frustration. “Everything
been lost, some stolen, and everything that could possibly go
wrong has,” he says. “Still, the crowds have been
very enthusiastic and people have been helping us out with everything.
That makes it worthwhile, otherwise we’d have been on
a plane back to Scandinavia weeks ago.” He went on to
comment that, “the shows have not been the best, but it’s
been worth it ‘cause people are into it and glad we’re
back. The energy level never drops.” Even Robert “Strings”
Dahlqvist found the upside of a costly spring 2006 tour. “We’re
glad we did it, the fans have been great and we’ve been
able to see a lot of our friends we haven’t seen in a
long time. What’s most amazing is the crowds knew the
songs – even the new ones, and sang along with us. It’s
like we were never away.”
Setlist:
Action, Move Right Out Of Here, Before The Fall, Monkeyboy,
Better Than You, Toys And Flavors, Put Out, No Song Unheard,
Everything Is On T.V., Carry Me Home, Like No Other, No Angel
To Lay Me Away, It’s Good, By The Grace Of God, I’m
In The Band, Soulseller
Encore:
Rock And Roll Is Dead, Hopeless Case Of A Kid In Denial, Kick
Out The Jams
Wedsites:
Hellacopters,
Liquor and Poker
|
|
