Euroboys
Encyclopedia
Euroboys is a Norwegian
band. They were formed in 1990 under the name Kåre And The Cavemen, but changed their name to Euroboys in 1997 for releases outside of Norway. In 2000 they changed their name to Euroboys for all releases including inside Norway.
called Harestua
, and started out as a Beastie Boys
inspired hip hop/punk band with founding members Kåre João Erik Pedersen (bass, vocals), Knut Schreiner (guitar) and Werner Holm (drums). They soon concentrated on punk rock, as Dag Gravem relieved Pedersen of his bass duties. In the fall of 1990, the group's musical orientation changed permanently to '50s and '60s instrumental garage rock heavily influenced by Link Wray
, as Holm left and Pedersen took over the drums.
During the early nineties, Kåre And The Cavemen established themselves firmly in the Norwegian garage underground, supporting acts like The Cosmic Dropouts and Peau de Pêche while still in their teens. Garage rock entrepreneur Arne Thelin heard the band live as well as on their 1990 demo tape Rock With The Cavemen, and recorded a number of tunes by the group in the fall of 1991. Of these recordings, only the tune Monster-a-Go-Go has surfaced, on hobby ornithologist and leatherwear enthusiast Thelin's 1993 sampler LP Penguins and Bondage.
In the spring of 1993, Kåre And The Cavemen recorded a number of radio jingles for the Norwegian National Radio's brand new P3 channel. These jingles were used throughout the nineties on P3's Rocksrevyen (Rock review) show.
Around this time, Schreiner and Pedersen started concentrating on other musical projects, among these The Abusers, The Cavebones and the Thelin-lead Kwyet Kings. A rare Kåre And The Cavemen performance took place in the summer of 1994, when the band held a release party for Pedersen after he had served a DWI sentence.
's seminal Pulp Fiction
movie and its soundtrack was starting to influence mainstream popular cuture. This development created an unexpected interest in Kåre And The Cavemen's music, which now also incorporated elements of easy listening
and exotica
. Still young and fluent in the styles of Link Wray
and Dick Dale
, the band suddenly became a popular live act at media kickoff parties as well as biker
conventions. The group again entered the studio, and released the EP The Mood on Hit Me! Records in the spring of 1996. During these sessions, material for an entire album was recorded. Of these recordings only a cover version of Hava Nagilah on a 1996 radio promo single has surfaced. (Some of these songs, including Hava Nagilah, were re-recorded for Kåre And The Cavemen's 1997 debut album Jet Age.)
In the summer of 1996, the band was invited to the Quart Festival
, Norway's most important rock festival of the nineties. Anders Møller, previously of The O-Men and Gluecifer
joined the band permanently on percussion. Soon after, Kåre And The Cavemen landed a deal with Norwegian National Television's brand new NRK2
channel. For two seasons they were the house band on the comedy/talk show called Direkte Lykke, gaining media attention for music and antics alike. About the same time, they signed a three album recording contract with Virgin Records
.
In the spring of 1997, Kåre And The Cavemen's debut album Jet Age was released, peaking at #7 on the Norwegian album charts. In many ways a summing-up of the musical styles the band had developed through the years and presented on TV, the record established Kåre And The Cavemen in the Norwegian rock elite and was critically acclaimed. In the early summer, 19-year-old Per Øydir joined the band on organ and electric piano, adding new dimensions to the band's sound. Kåre And The Cavemen toured extensively in Norway, did the key Scandinavian festivals as well as a tour of the European continent and the USA, after a Virgin Records
subsidiary released the album stateside. In connction with these gigs, they changed their international name to Euroboys.
on lead guitar, taking the stage name Euroboy
. His playing and producing skills, largely gained through playing in Kåre And The Cavemen, soon proved to be instrumental in making these suburban death punks one of Europe's most feared and respected underground bands. Around the release of Turbonegro's 1998 classic Apocalypse Dudes, Kåre And The Cavemen laid low for a while. After Turbonegro singer Hank von Helvete
's mental breakdown in the fall of 1998, Schreiner again turned his attention to Kåre And The Cavemen as recordings for their second album Long Day's Flight 'till Tomorrow commenced. This album is generally considered to be the finest Kåre And The Cavemen release. It owes much of its artistic success to Per Øydir's contributions, although Schreiner remains the main composer and producer. A musically matured and more focused effort than Jet Age, Long Day's Flight... offers a many-faceted yet distinctive blend of a wide range of musical influences, ranging from easy listening through psychedelia to progressive rock. The album debuted at number three on the Norwegian album charts, and the group once again toured Scandinavia and the continent following releases in various countries (US release on Man's Ruin Records
).
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
band. They were formed in 1990 under the name Kåre And The Cavemen, but changed their name to Euroboys in 1997 for releases outside of Norway. In 2000 they changed their name to Euroboys for all releases including inside Norway.
Beginnings
Kåre And The Cavemen originally came from a smalltown north of OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
called Harestua
Harestua
Harestua is a small town in the south of Lunner, Oppland county, Norway. It has approximately 2500 inhabitants , and serves as a commuter town to the capital Oslo. It is served by two railway station on the Gjøvik Line: Harestua Station and Furumo Station. Harestua maintains 6 neighbourhoods;...
, and started out as a Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
inspired hip hop/punk band with founding members Kåre João Erik Pedersen (bass, vocals), Knut Schreiner (guitar) and Werner Holm (drums). They soon concentrated on punk rock, as Dag Gravem relieved Pedersen of his bass duties. In the fall of 1990, the group's musical orientation changed permanently to '50s and '60s instrumental garage rock heavily influenced by Link Wray
Link Wray
Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer....
, as Holm left and Pedersen took over the drums.
During the early nineties, Kåre And The Cavemen established themselves firmly in the Norwegian garage underground, supporting acts like The Cosmic Dropouts and Peau de Pêche while still in their teens. Garage rock entrepreneur Arne Thelin heard the band live as well as on their 1990 demo tape Rock With The Cavemen, and recorded a number of tunes by the group in the fall of 1991. Of these recordings, only the tune Monster-a-Go-Go has surfaced, on hobby ornithologist and leatherwear enthusiast Thelin's 1993 sampler LP Penguins and Bondage.
In the spring of 1993, Kåre And The Cavemen recorded a number of radio jingles for the Norwegian National Radio's brand new P3 channel. These jingles were used throughout the nineties on P3's Rocksrevyen (Rock review) show.
Around this time, Schreiner and Pedersen started concentrating on other musical projects, among these The Abusers, The Cavebones and the Thelin-lead Kwyet Kings. A rare Kåre And The Cavemen performance took place in the summer of 1994, when the band held a release party for Pedersen after he had served a DWI sentence.
The breakthrough
Disillutioned with their other projects, Schreiner and Pedersen regrouped with Gravem in 1995. At the same time, Quentin TarantinoQuentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's seminal Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
movie and its soundtrack was starting to influence mainstream popular cuture. This development created an unexpected interest in Kåre And The Cavemen's music, which now also incorporated elements of easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
and exotica
Exotica
Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same title, popular during the 1950s to mid-1960s, typically with the suburban set who came of age during World War II. The musical colloquialism, exotica, means tropical ersatz: the non-native, pseudo experience of Oceania...
. Still young and fluent in the styles of Link Wray
Link Wray
Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer....
and Dick Dale
Dick Dale
Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
, the band suddenly became a popular live act at media kickoff parties as well as biker
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
conventions. The group again entered the studio, and released the EP The Mood on Hit Me! Records in the spring of 1996. During these sessions, material for an entire album was recorded. Of these recordings only a cover version of Hava Nagilah on a 1996 radio promo single has surfaced. (Some of these songs, including Hava Nagilah, were re-recorded for Kåre And The Cavemen's 1997 debut album Jet Age.)
In the summer of 1996, the band was invited to the Quart Festival
Quart Festival
The Quart Festival was an annual popular music festival that took place in Kristiansand, Norway in the beginning of July. It was the most visited music festival in Norway....
, Norway's most important rock festival of the nineties. Anders Møller, previously of The O-Men and Gluecifer
Gluecifer
Gluecifer was a hard rock band based in Oslo, Norway. Formed in 1994, they produced several underground releases during their first years of existence and soon claimed to be "kings of rock"....
joined the band permanently on percussion. Soon after, Kåre And The Cavemen landed a deal with Norwegian National Television's brand new NRK2
NRK2
NRK2 is one of the TV channels of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation . It was launched in 1996. It has traditionally concentrated on more on cultural and in-depth programmes than its mother channel NRK1 and has also shown drama series, comedies, and news. When not broadcasting regular...
channel. For two seasons they were the house band on the comedy/talk show called Direkte Lykke, gaining media attention for music and antics alike. About the same time, they signed a three album recording contract with Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
.
In the spring of 1997, Kåre And The Cavemen's debut album Jet Age was released, peaking at #7 on the Norwegian album charts. In many ways a summing-up of the musical styles the band had developed through the years and presented on TV, the record established Kåre And The Cavemen in the Norwegian rock elite and was critically acclaimed. In the early summer, 19-year-old Per Øydir joined the band on organ and electric piano, adding new dimensions to the band's sound. Kåre And The Cavemen toured extensively in Norway, did the key Scandinavian festivals as well as a tour of the European continent and the USA, after a Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
subsidiary released the album stateside. In connction with these gigs, they changed their international name to Euroboys.
The apex
In 1996, Schreiner had joined TurbonegroTurbonegro
Turbonegro is a Norwegian punk rock band that was initially active from 1989 to 1998, and later reformed in 2002. Their style combines glam rock, punk rock and hard rock into a style the band describes as "deathpunk"....
on lead guitar, taking the stage name Euroboy
Euroboy
Knut Schreiner , better known by his stage name Euroboy, plays lead guitar in Turbonegro . Noted internationally for the album Apocalypse Dudes. As Euroboy, Schreiner usually appears on stage in an all black attire, sporting a Schutz-Staffel Totenkopf officer's hat...
. His playing and producing skills, largely gained through playing in Kåre And The Cavemen, soon proved to be instrumental in making these suburban death punks one of Europe's most feared and respected underground bands. Around the release of Turbonegro's 1998 classic Apocalypse Dudes, Kåre And The Cavemen laid low for a while. After Turbonegro singer Hank von Helvete
Hank Von Helvete
Hans Erik Dyvik Husby , also known as Hank von Helvete, Hertugen and Hærtis, most famous for being the former lead vocalist of the Norwegian death-punk band Turbonegro. While not explicitly addressed to date, the name Helvete was adopted due to its meaning "hell" or "a place of suffering" in...
's mental breakdown in the fall of 1998, Schreiner again turned his attention to Kåre And The Cavemen as recordings for their second album Long Day's Flight 'till Tomorrow commenced. This album is generally considered to be the finest Kåre And The Cavemen release. It owes much of its artistic success to Per Øydir's contributions, although Schreiner remains the main composer and producer. A musically matured and more focused effort than Jet Age, Long Day's Flight... offers a many-faceted yet distinctive blend of a wide range of musical influences, ranging from easy listening through psychedelia to progressive rock. The album debuted at number three on the Norwegian album charts, and the group once again toured Scandinavia and the continent following releases in various countries (US release on Man's Ruin Records
Man's Ruin Records
Man's Ruin Records was an independent record label, owned and founded by Bay Area artist Frank Kozik. After the 1994 release of Man's Ruin's first record, entitled Experimental Audio Research : Delta 6, Kozik worked with artists who he wanted to release; he also designed all of the sleeve art for...
).
Disintegration and new beginnings
In the fall of 1999, Kåre And The Cavemen recorded and released their last domestic release under their original name, the 1999 man EP which reached number three on the Norwegian singles charts. On this recording, it was evident that the band was leaving their exclusively instrumental musical direction. Tensions were growing within the group, and during the recording of the band's third album Getting Out Of Nowhere (2000), Pedersen, Gravem and Øydir quit. Schreiner and Møller finished the album and continued with new members as Euroboys.Aftermath
While Schreiner and Møller have released yet another Euroboys album (Soft Focus, 2004), Schreiner has largely been concentrating on the resurrected and much more successful Turbonegro. Schreiner and Møller are co-owners and engineers/producers at Crystal Canyon Studios in Oslo. Øydir has focused on his '60s beat groups The Indikation and Peter Berry And The Shake Set; both considered among the most uncompromizing and competent bands in their genre. Pedersen and Gravem have continued their collaboration through the psychedelic rock band Kåre João on the Sideman (2002) and 2 (2005) albums. May 24, 2006, Kåre And The Cavemen reunited for a single concert in Oslo with the line-up of the Long Day's Flight era as part of a Link Wray tribute show. The instrumental music of Kåre And The Cavemen may still be heard as radio jingles and on soundtracks, but also in its own right on connoisseur radio shows such as Little Steven's Underground Garage.Past and present line ups
- Knut "Euroboy" SchreinerEuroboyKnut Schreiner , better known by his stage name Euroboy, plays lead guitar in Turbonegro . Noted internationally for the album Apocalypse Dudes. As Euroboy, Schreiner usually appears on stage in an all black attire, sporting a Schutz-Staffel Totenkopf officer's hat...
, guitar/vocal. (1990–present) - Anders Møller, Drums. (1995–present)
- Christer "Chris Summers" Engen, drums/percussion/vocal (1998–present)
- Mats "Matt Summers" Engen, bass/vocal. (2000–present)
- Trond Mjøen, guitar/vocal. (2002–present)
- Erling Norderud Hansen, keyboards. (2001–present)
- Kåre "João" Erik Pedersen, vocal/drums. (1990–2000)
- Dag Falang Gravem, bass. (1990–2000)
- Per "Kid" Øydir, keyboards. (1997–2000)
- Stefan ”Rockman” Høglin, keyboards. (2000–2001)
- Ole "First Valley" Øvstedal, guitar. (2000–2001)
- Werner Holm, drums. (1990)
Albums
- Jet Age (1997)
- Filadelfia (1998)
- Long Day's Flight 'till TomorrowLong Day's Flight 'till TomorrowA Long Day's Flight 'Till Tomorrow is the second album released by the Norwegian band Euroboys. Like in most of their previous works, the album is made up mainly of instrumental songs.-Track listing:#"Deliverance" - 8:28#"Filadelfia" - 4:06...
CD/2LP (1999)
EPs
- The Mood 7" (1996)
- ...reverberation! CD/7" (1996)
- Girlfriend in Tacoma (1997)
- Down the Road of Golden Dust (1999)
- 1999 Man (1999)
Demo/Promo
- Rock with the Cavemen (1991)
- Hava Negilah/Spanish Kiss (1996)
- Rubber City Revolution/Spiral Slider (1997)
EPs
- 1999 Man (1999)
- Party Animal/Witchbanger Pict. 7"
- Turn That Sound Up/Scarborough Fair (2000)
- Hot Rod (2001)
Demo/Promo
- Mr. Wild Guitar 7" (1998)
- Filadelfia (1998)
- Scarborough FairScarborough Fair"Scarborough Fair" is a traditional ballad of the United Kingdom.The song tells the tale of a young man, who tells the listener to ask his former lover to perform for him a series of impossible tasks, such as making him a shirt without a seam and then washing it in a dry well, adding that if she...
(2000) - Looking For a Break In (2001)
- One Way Street (2004)