Underskog

- – - – - – - – Alain Johannes – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – Serena Maneesh – - – - – - – - -

^{2. – 4. september 2010}

DOBBELTKONSERT MED ALAIN JOHANNES OG SERENA MANEESH – Hovedscenen

Det vil kanskje komme som en overraskelse på noen at en av årets mest interessante rockebegivenheter skjer på Punkt (Kristiansand 2.-4. september). Men fredag 3. september er det duket for dobbelkonsert med Alain Johannes og Serena Maneesh på Agder Teaters hovedscene.

Multiinstrumentalist og vokalist Alain Johannes er kjent fra de millionselgende kritikerfavorittene Queens of the Stone Age, og turnerer nå også med superbandet Them Crooked Vultures, sammen med medlemmer fra QOTSA, Foo Fighters/Nirvana og Led Zeppelin. Til Punkt kommer han for å spille en eksklusiv solokonsert basert på materiale fra sitt nye album ”Spark” (release 31. august 2010). For samme inngangsbillett (evt. med dagspass/festivalpass) får Punkt-publikummet oppleve Sør-Norges kanskje viktigste rock-eksport, Serena Maneesh, som nylig ga ut sitt kritikerroste andrealbum på den britiske prestisjelabelen 4AD.

ALAIN JOHANNES

Alain Johannes is a Chilean born guitarist/singer and producer, probably best known from the million selling critical favourites Queens of the Stone Age. He comes to Punkt to perform an exclusive solo set at the Agder Theatre Main Stage, as part of a double bill with Serena Maneesh.
In 2005, Alain Johannes joined Queens of the Stone Age to play guitar as well as bass on Lullabies to Paralyze. He had previously guested on Lullabies`s predecessor, Songs for the Deaf, having also co-written the track “Hanging Tree” during one of The Desert Sessions. He would participate in the tour for the album and appears on the live DVD, Over the Years and Through the Woods. Johannes once again contributed a main role to Lullabies` follow up, Era Vulgaris.

In August 2009 he joined as a touring member of the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures with Foo Fighters frontman/ex Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age`s Josh Homme and former Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones. Johannes is currently contributing guitar, bass, keyboards, and backing vocals on their 2009-2010 tour. He is currently also a member of Brody Dalle`s post-Distillers effort, Spinnerette.

Alain Johannes is about to release his new solo album, entitled “Spark”. Due out August 31st, Spark is a heartfelt, honest and hypnotic collection of songs that Alain penned to commemorate his late wife and creative partner, Natasha Shneider. It`s more than a tribute though; it`s the purest celebration of her spirit through song. Alain plays like his soul depends on it during album opener “Endless Eyes.” Through tribal percussion and cigar box guitar strumming, the song breathes organically. Meanwhile, there is a poignant lyrical poetry at the center of “Make God Jealous” and “Spider” that resounds just as powerfully as the album`s fretless guitar hum and the somber cello on “Speechless.”

^{Endless Eyes, new Single from Alain Johannes’ upcoming album Spark (release date 31. august 2010):}

From co-founding Eleven with Natasha to collaborating with everyone from Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures to Chris Cornell and Mark Lanegan, Alain remains a prolific force. Spark shows listeners every side of this unique songwriter, producer and composer.

Eleven was formed in 1990 and released their debut album Awake in a Dream in 1991, which included the pop based singles “Rainbows End” and “All Together”. They followed this with regular releases Eleven in 1993, Thunk! in 1995, Avantgardedog in 2000, and Howling Book in 2003.

Other collaborations: Johannes was the only other contributor on the 1996 debut album by Jason Falkner, Jason Falkner Presents Author Unknown. He was also a significant contributor to Chris Cornell`s 1999 solo album, Euphoria Morning, both as a guitarist and producer. He also toured as part of Chris Cornell`s band in support of this album. He mixed and played on Jack Irons` first solo record, Attention Dimension, released in 2004, and he co-wrote on Danish stonerrock outfit The Royal Highness.

SERENA MANEESH

Serena Maneesh`s brilliant new album “Abyss in B Minor” was released on the legendary British 4AD label in March, and received great reviews internationally. The Daily Telegraph summed it up: “This is massive. Just go with it.” On September 3rd, Serena Maneesh enters the Punkt stage as part of a double concert with Alain Johannes.

Their rise was swift and surprising. Back in 2005 Norway`s Serena Maneesh found themselves championed by Pitchfork on one side of the Atlantic and Drowned In Sound on the other, and suddenly the band’s self-titled debut (initially released on Norwegian indie HoneyMilk, later reissued on Playlouder) became one of those rare things: a genuine word of mouth success.

In a year that yielded such uncomplicated music delights as Hard-Fi and Kaiser Chiefs, here was an album that you could lose yourself in and a band you could believe in. Carefully constructed from the familiar (My Bloody Valentine, The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, Neu!) and the not so familiar (black metal, Norwegian composers such as Grieg and Fartein Valen), their wall of sound was unlike anything you’d ever heard before.

^{Serena Maneesh’ new video “I Just Want To See Your Face” (Director: Neon & Sons + Rockadee):}

Today, the band plays live as a five-piece and on record there are too many contributors to list here, but Serena Maneesh is essentially Emil Nikolaisen. Born in the remote village of Moi into a musical family (one sister Hilma plays bass with the band, while another, Elvira, sings on Serena Maneesh`s records and is a pop star in her own right), Emil is Norwegian rock royalty; it’s hard to find a band there that he hasn’t either played with or produced (I Was A King are the latest to make an impact in the UK) and he has even been nominated for a Spellemannsprisen, the Norwegian equivalent of a Grammy. He`s not just influential in Norway either: Sufjan Stevens plays vibraphone, flute and piano on the new album, The Dandy Warhols, Nine Inch Nails and Oasis have all invited Serena Maneesh to tour with them and they are set to release a split single with Fucked Up.

MER INFO

• Punkt 2010 på Underskog:

• Punkt 2010: fullstendig program