Gustaf Heden

Gustaf Heden (born 10 May 1985) is a Swedish musician, writer and actor. He is most known for the album Spectorbullets, the play Just a Few Hundred More and the screenplay Flaket.

Music

In 2005 Heden founded the London band The Michelles with Tim Lalonde. After recognition from BBC and XFM radio DJ Rob Da Bank, the band was picked up by German record label Kitty-Yo.[1] Heden's song "Springtime" was released as a 7" single in 2006, and was also used in the Julie Delpy film Two Days in Paris[2]".

In 2007 Heden left London and The Michelles for the U.S. After a show at Alan McGee's Death Disco LA, booked by actress Joanna Pickering.,[3] Heden was introduced to producer Nik Leman and started work in Los angeles on solo material, which resulted in the three track single "Fucking Hippies".

Heden then moved to New York, and with Pickering on board as his promoter Heden toured solo shows in London, Paris, Berlin and New York as "Gustaf Heden & Distracting Noises".[4] Pickering introduced Heden to Innes Reekie, former label manager at Re-Action Records, which in turn led to the acquaintance of Russell Burn, formerly of The Fire Engines and WIN. Heden and Burn quickly bonded, and a couple of years later started working on an album together.

Burn's production of Heden's songs evolved into the band Spectorbullets, and in 2010 they released their eponymous debut album on Innes Reekie and Burn's new label Mayakovsky Produkts. For most part the work of a duo, with Burn on drums and Heden on remaining instruments and vocals, the album also featured poet and writer Paul Reekie (1962–2010)[5] performing the vocal on opener "He Needs It", lyrics for the track "Drop" by Pickering, as well as contributions from Malcolm Ross and Davy Henderson.[6]

Heden used Pickering for the Spectorbullets album cover as well as using her photography for the inner sleeve notes. [7] [8] Pickering is credited in sleeve notes as the inspiration to material which spanned from 2007 to 2014.[9]

The album received 4 stars out of 5 from The Scotsman >, The List and Uncut Magazine , as well as praise in the blogosphere, with Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads including "Goldmine" in her online radio stream . The Scotsman described Spectorbullets as "the missing link between Syd Barret and The Libertines".[10]

A video for "Goldmine" was shot by director duo Conjunction with Pickering and his friend and film maker Max Herlander.

In 2012, back in New York after lengthy excursions in Sweden and Argentina, Heden started the band "The Zen Archers" with Benjamin Brubaker, Christopher Trombley and Cosmo Nims.

In 2013 Spectorbullets released "The Final Ending", with lyrics and vocals by Joanna Pickering as well as artist/designer Fiona McIntosh.[11]

On June 5 2016, Heden released his first solo album "The Wayward Set" which was inspired by his times from 2012 - 2014.[12] Much of the material was recorded in bedrooms and attics of friends.[13]

Heden is currently a member of the bands Saraband and Spectorbullets, and recording a new solo album in Stockholm, Sweden.

Theater

In 2013, Heden's play "Just A Few Hundred More" was selected into Thespis Theater Festival, New York. Heden staged the play for a four night run at the Cabrini Repertory Theater, and recorded a soundtrack of new music for the play with members of The Zen Archers and Brent Kirkpatrick, under the name The Amphetamines, a fictitious band which appeared in the script.

In 2014 Heden staged the play again, this time at Brooklyn dive bar Rbar. The cast changed to no longer star actress and then fiancee, Joanna Pickering,[14] and was rumoured to continue in breach of Pickering's contract, timed with the couple's breakup.[15] To promote the play, a video to one of the The Amphetamines' songs from the soundtrack, "Jungle Cactus" was made by Fabian Svensson and Isac Stridsman, featuring Heden, Kirkpatrick and Eric Meier in an East Village Jungle.

After moving to Sweden, Heden continued writing plays, started theater and music group The Athletes and staged a reading of "In the Sand" at Häng Bar, Malmö, with among others Marika Lagercrantz in the cast and followed by a live performance of the soundtrack.

Film

Heden wrote the screenplay to Fabian Svensson and Jens Klevje's Flaket, which premiered at Gothenburg Film Festival in 2016 and was co-produced with SVT. The film featured a cast of legendary Swedish actors – Marika Lagercrantz, Reine Brynolfsson, Stina Ekblad, Lars-Erik Berenett and rising star Iggy Malmborg.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Kitty-Yo The Michelles http://www.kitty-yo.net/wp/artists/the-michelles/
  2. ↑ Two Days in Paris imdb http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0841044/
  3. ↑ Louder Than War, Interview with indie actress Joanna Pickering http://louderthanwar.com/actress-joanna-pickering-actress-model-and-legend-a-fascinating-tale-of-living-life-to-the-full-in-the-modern-times/
  4. ↑ Gustaf Heden and Distracting Noises Myspace https://www.myspace.com/gustafhedennoises
  5. ↑ Herald Scotland, 15 June 2010 http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/obituaries/paul-reekie-poet-writer-iconoclast-1.1034799
  6. ↑ Pleasures of the Harbour http://pleasures-of-the-harbor.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html, 8 November 2010
  7. ↑ http://www.joannapickering.com/producer.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ http://www.edinburgh-shop.com/ms-spectorbullets-b.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ http://www.joannapickering.com/producer.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ The Scotsman on Sunday http://www.scotsman.com/news/album-review-spectorbullets-spectorbullets-1-478991, 31 October 2010
  11. ↑ CD Baby http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/spectorbullets
  12. ↑ https://gustafheden.bandcamp.com/album/the-wayward-set. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ↑ https://gustafheden.bandcamp.com/album/the-wayward-set. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ http://newyorktheaterfestival.com/summerfest-theater-festival/productions-2013-summerfest-theater-festival/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ http://m.imdb.com/name/nm2984746/trivia?ref_=m_nm_dyk_trv. Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

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