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Simon Says relaxes after recording Paradise Square
(Left to Right) Daniel Fäldt, Mattias Jarlhed, Jonas Hallberg and Stefan Renström
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1979. The cellar in which Mattias Jarlhed was confined not to disturb the parents' party was empty except for a drum kit. That's where it started. Mattias was five years old. At six he had gotten his father to buy him a drum kit which he hit hard for two years, then switched to the tenor saxophone, playing in various jazz bands for six years. At 14 he dug out the drums from the wardrobe again and the devotion to music really exploded. Mattias qualified for musical high school, practized for "thousands of hours" and then joined a local band - where Daniel Fäldt was the singer - playing extremely intricate progressive rock. In the 90's he joined Simon Says until the band was put on ice. Mattias then co-founded Valinor's Tree with whom he has cut two records. When Simon Says reformed he was the obvious choice: his technical skills and frantic swinging gives Simon Says' music a light, jazzy touch, something the band has always valued.
Jonas, born in '73, has played the acoustic guitar since he was ten. The first two years he thought it was terribly boring. He dreamed of going electric and forming a band. But when he eventually got an electric guitar, it just hung on the wall for a year, since he "didn't know what to do with it". At the age of 13, he did, formed a progressive outfit, inspired by his newly discovered idols Marillion and Genesis and gigged heavily around the West Sweden region. At 21, with an ever growing collection of prog records he went to Minneapolis, USA, to study guitar. On his return he immediately returned to the local rock circuit where he became one of the most sought after session musicians before eventually ending up in Simon Says. His sometimes clownish personality (Jonas is known to record his solos naked) and perfectionist attitude adds both distance and thoroughness to the band. As well as many a good laugh.
Stefan, born in '65, has played music since 1972. Between '74 and '78 he was the flute soloist of a chamber orchestra, playing churches, museums and town halls all over West Sweden. At 14 he needed something new, though, joked about buying a bass and joining a rock band - and then a few weeks later the band asked him where his bass was. The joke cost his parents 800 swedish crowns ... In 1981, he got tired of playing rock'n'roll, turned down an offer to record an LP with a rockabilly group, and instead joined a progressive band for a long ordeal through the 80's, with few gigs, even fewer recordings - but with a lot of musical training. In the '90's, as the third wave of prog started to roll in, he felt the time was ripe. His current band didn't want to make the effort though, so Stefan left and formed what was to become Simon Says. As both founder, songwriter, keyboard and bass player he has a lot of impact on how the band eventually sounds and his classical influences are very apparent in the music. Stefan also plays bass for Space Rock band The Moor
Daniel Fäldt was born in 1975. At four years of age he already was a fan of Jimi Hendrix. At six he listened to everything from Mose Alison to David Bowie to singers from Burundi, picked up his fathers guitar and tried to imitate Frank Zappa and the early hard rock bands. Up to the age of 18 he played in various local rock bands, until ending up in a progressive band with Mattias Jarlhed. At the same time, Stefan Renström made contact and the nucleus of Simon Says was formed. When the band was shelved during the late '90's he went to India where he stayed for two years, learning to play the sitar, then drifted around Asia, not sure if he was ever going to return home. When Stefan eventually reached him in Benares, he bought a one way ticket. Daniel wrote his first song at the age of nine. It went: "All you lonely people, look at me 'cause I'm a crazy man". And on stage, he is the natural focal point of the band, a true performer not dreading the uncontrolled leap into the audience. He also brings a strong folk element to the music. News: Daniel has decided to leave Sweden for awhile. He's currently in Berlin, but has already recorded the vocal tracks for the next Simon Says album. He was talking about the possibility of moving back to India for awhile, but it remains to be seen whether this happens or not. He's still a full member of Simon Says and Renström has said, "I will not record a new album without him, unless he decides to leave the band. Which I guess/hope he never will."
Born in 1964, Magnus Paulsson took up the piano at the age of five, being classically trained until his teens. At eleven he started playing the trumpet, which became his main instrument and the one that brought him to the stage. Playing with a symphony orchestra and a brass band introduced him to both concert theatres and dance halls. During his childhood, classical music was always present, which led him to symphonic rock via acts like Blue Öyster Cult and David Bowie. In the early 80's he joined local rockers Eddie Bej, playing various festivals and clubs on borrowed keyboards until he bought his Hammond organ. In the mid 80's he left the band to concentrate on his studies. He kept his Hammond, though, and in 2002 when he was asked to join Simon Says, he wasn't very hard to win over: "Paradise Square contained so many things I had missed. Music with emotion, power and a sense of humour. Music has been like a mistress for me, she has always been there without demands or conditions. Now she finally began to demand counter measures from me. I hope I won't let her down."
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Last Updated 8/9/06 |
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