Träd, Gräs & Stenar

Träd, Gräs & Stenar ("Trees, Grass and Stones") is a Swedish rock band formed in 1969, from previous incarnations Pärson Sound, International Harvester and Harvester. The group was one of the front acts of the Swedish progg scene, although noticeably less political than their contemporary counterparts. Their sound has been described as raw, psych rock jam, by the writer David Pescovitz, who also notes the band would invite their audiences to improvise and collaborate.[1]

Background

Pärson Sound, International Harvester and Harvester

The band Pärson Sound was formed during the summer of 1967 by members of progg band Mecki Mark Men. Then original line up consisted of Bo Anders Persson (guitar), Thomas Tidholm (vocals, saxophone, flute), Arne Ericsson (cello), Urban Yman (violin), Torbjörn Abelli (bass) and Thomas Mera Gartz (drums).[2] Inspired by the minimalist music of Terry Riley, the plan explored drones, heavy repetition and use of tape loops. This constellation, which were playing an experimental style of psychedelic rock never released any official records, although a collection of recordings from 1967-1968 were released as the double CD Pärson Sound (1967-68) in 2001 and as a 3 LP deluxe box set on the record label Subliminal Sounds in 2010. In August 1968 the band changed their name to "International Harvester" and later the same year their debut album Sov gott Rose-Marie was released. In 1969 the name was shortened to "Harvester", under which the album Hemåt was released. In addition to music, the band was involved with Happenings, art and theater as part of a larger group collective.[3]

Träd, Gräs & Stenar

In the summer of 1969 the band reformed as Träd, Gräs & Stenar, now consisting of Bo Anders Persson (guitar, vocals), Torbjörn Abelli (bass, vocals), Arne Ericsson (now on keyboards and occasionally still cello) and Thomas Mera Gartz (drums, vocals); Thomas Tidholm left the band as he deemed their new material too commercial.[4][5] 1970 saw the release of their self-titled debut Träd, Gräs & Stenar, sometimes called "the green album", which included cover versions of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and The Rolling Stones' hit song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". After the release of their debut album, they were joined by guitarist and vocalist Jakob Sjöholm.

Träd, Gräs & Stenar, then consisting of Bo Anders Persson, Torbjörn Abelli, Thomas Mera Gartz, and Jakob Sjöholm, toured the United States in 2004 and 2005. Reine Fiske joined in 2008, on guitar. Abelli and Gartz died in 2010 and 2012, respectively,[6][7] and were replaced by Sigge Krantz (bass, 2010) and Nisse Törnqvist (drums, 2012). Träd, Gräs & Stenar, now consisting of Jakob Sjöholm (guitar), Reine Fiske (guitar), Sigge Krantz (bass), and Hanna Österberg (drums), are touring as Träden in Scandinavia and the United States in 2018.[8][9][10]

Discography

As "Pärson Sound"
  • Pärson Sound (1967–68) (CD – 2001)
  • Pärson Sound 3 LP Box Set (LP – 2010)

As "International Harvester"

As "Harvester"

Träd, Gräs & Stenar[5][8]
  • Träd, Gräs & Stenar (1970 – LP; reissued by Anthology Recordings with bonus tracks)
  • Djungelns Lag (The Law of the Jungle) (live; 1971 – LP; reissued 2016 by Anthology Recordings with bonus tracks)
  • Rock för Kropp och Själ (1972 – LP)
  • Mors Mors (Hi, How Are You?) (live; 1972 – LP; reissued 2016 by Anthology Recordings with bonus tracks)
  • Gärdet 12.6.1970 (1996 – CD)
  • Ajn, Schvajn, Draj (One, Two, Three) (2002 – CD)
  • Hemlösa Katter (Homeless Cats) (2009 – CD, Gåshud)
  • Kom Tillsammans (Come Together) (live; 2016? Anthology Recordings; "from the same 1972 recordings as Mors Mors"[5])
  • Tack För Kaffet (So Long) (2017 – CD)
  • Träden (2018, Subliminal Sounds)

Personnel
Pärson Sound / International Harvester / Harvester personnel
  • Bo Anders Persson – guitar, organ, piano, tape recorders, vocals (1967–1969)
  • Thomas Tidholm – soprano saxophone, flute, vocals (1967–1969)
  • Arne Ericsson – cello (1967–1969)
  • Torbjörn Abelli – bass (1967–1969)
  • Urban Yman – violin, double bass (1967–1969)
  • Thomas Mera Gartz – drums, vocals (1967–1969)
  • Kjell Westerling – violin, soprano saxophone (1968–1969)


Träd, Gräs & Stenar / Träden personnel
  • Bo Anders Persson – guitar, vocals (1969–1972, 1980–1981, 1995–2008)
  • Arne Ericsson – keyboards, cello (1969–1972, 1980–1981)
  • Torbjörn Abelli – bass (1969–1972, 1980–1981, 1995–2010; died 2010)
  • Thomas Mera Gartz – drums, vocals (1969–1972, 1980–1981, 1995–2012; died 2012)
  • Jakob Sjöholm – guitar, vocals (1970–1972, 1980–1981, 1995– )
  • Reine Fiske – guitar, vocals (2008– )
  • Sigge Krantz – bass, vocals (2010– )
  • Nisse Törnqvist – drums (2012–2016)
  • Hanna Österberg – drums, vocals (2017– )

Timeline

References
  1. Pescovitz, David. "Video premiere: music documentary about incredible late-1960s Swedish psych band". BoingBoing. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  2. Gustafsson, Mats; Jackson, Lee (January 2003). "For fans of seriously damaged psychedelic excess only: Pärson Sound". The Broken Face (15). Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  3. Sjöholm, Jakob; Weir, Jim. "Jakob Sjöholm on his years with Träd, Gräs Och Stenar". thewire.co.uk. Wire. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  4. Weir, Jim (January 2008). "Once upon a time in...Sweden". WIRE (287). Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  5. Masters, Marc (April 8, 2016). "Träd, Gräs och Stenar: Djungelns Lag". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  6. Törnmalm, Kristoffer (23 August 2010). "Rockstjärnan dog i borrelia". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
  7. "Thomas Mera Gartz Musiker, dog den 29 april, 68 år gammal". Fokus nr. 22. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  8. "Träd, Gräs och Stenar". Anthology Recordings. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  9. "Träd, Gräs och Stenar...Thu, October 4, 2018". The Hideout Inn. 2018. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  10. "Träd Gräs och Stenar, Träden". Träd Gräs och Stenar. 2018. Retrieved 2018-06-16.

See also
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