Mikael Herrstrom

It's fair to assume that in this country, not many will be acquainted with the hauntingly beautiful songs of Swedish musician/songwriter Mikael Herrstrom.

That�s rather unfortunate, since the Stockholm-based artist has some great tracks to offer, written mostly in the chanson tradition of Jacques Brel or even Serge Gainsbourg. Only difference is that Mikael is Swedish and he performs his repertoire mainly in English.

Currently working on a new album, some of Mikael�s songs are available for download via Soundcloud.com http://snd.sc/crjHbT and really, do yourself a favour and check out the site!
One of his songs on Soundcloud, simply titled �Johnny�, is dedicated to his hero Johnny Thunders. In fact, in the 80�s he encountered the legendary hellraiser in an illegal nightclub called �Pipeline� and what did Johnny ask for? Aaah, cocaine... Sadly, and just like Johnny Thunders, the club no longer exists.

But the connection doesn�t end here. Some years ago, Mikael Herrstrom got to perform with ex-Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers member Walter Lure during a Stockholm gig � singing �Born To Lose�.

Back to the �Johnny� track. It�s a slow and melancholy piano number with some East-European sounding string arrangements thrown in for good measure. The piano play itself has a slight waltz-rhythm to it and together with Mikael�s clear and distinctive voice, the song is a touching tribute to the late New York Dolls guitarist:

�There once was a man who looked like a ghost� pale turned to blue.
What he did, he did better than most but seldom did he do� �

Another brilliant track on Soundcloud is Mikael�s gloomily worded version of the Hanoi Rocks classic �Dead By Xmas� but for whatever the reason, it won�t be included on the new album. Stripped bare of any instrumental accompaniment safe a piano, this one has got to be one of the saddest and most morbid love songs ever! In fact, performed in such a simplistic way it�s almost more dramatic than the original version � and this is coming from someone who counts Hanoi Rocks amongst her favourite bands.

You can find out more about Mikeal Herrstrom by visiting his MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/mikaelherrstrom