Millencolin
Encyclopedia
Millencolin is a punk rock
band that was formed in October 1992 by Nikola Šarčević
, Mathias Färm
, and Erik Ohlsson
in Örebro
, Sweden
. In early 1993, drummer Fredrik Larzon
joined the band. The name Millencolin is derived from the skateboard
trick "melancholy".
), Ohlsson (guitar
), and Färm (drums
), released their first demo tape, Goofy, in early 1993. Soon afterwards, Larzon joined the band to play drums, allowing Färm to perform as the second guitarist. In the summer of 1993, they recorded a second demo tape, Melack. The band sent the tape to Burning Heart Records, a new record label formed earlier that year. They signed Millencolin to do a CD single, which culminated in the release of Use Your Nose
in November 1993. Success of the single prompted Burning Heart to sign the band to release a full album. In July 1994, the band released Skauch
, initially planned to be a single for their new album. However, the band decided to record four cover songs as well and released it as an EP
instead. They put out their first major release, Tiny Tunes, in 1994. The recording and mixing of the album took two weeks. Legal trouble with Warner Brothers over the title and cover artwork of the album led the band to re-release it in 1996 under the name Same Old Tunes.
Millencolin continued to tour and in 1995 brought out their second full length album Life on a Plate
. This coincided with Millencolin beginning to tour outside of Scandinavia
. At the end of 1995, the US record company Epitaph
wanted to release Life on a Plate in the US, and the band agreed. They then toured further afield, touring Japan
, Australia
, Brazil
and Canada
, and played as part of the 1997 Warped Tour
.
Further albums For Monkeys
and compilation The Melancholy Collection
followed, but the band's popularity increased in 2000 with the release of Pennybridge Pioneers
, an album with more of a rock influence than the band's previous skate punk
sound. The recording took six weeks and they started their first major worldwide tour. Millencolin played in Wellington, New Zealand, followed by an Australian tour. This led to an early release of the album in Australia and New Zealand.
Millencolin wrote on tour and brought out Home from Home
in 2002. While it was not as well received as the previous effort, songs like "Happiness for Dogs" and "Afghan" showed a stronger and rockier sound which would greatly influence their next album Kingwood. In 2003 the band won the award for Best Swedish Rock.
Kingwood
, released in March 2005, marked the band's return to a faster and more traditional punk rock
sound, collaborating it with their recently founded rock sound, and completed a world tour in follow up of the album. The album debuted at #2 in the Swedish chart.
In mid 2007, lead guitarist Erik Ohlsson announced plans for a new full-length album, a follow up to their DVD Hi-8 Adventures and a new website, amongst other things.
On October 22, 2007 the band entered the studio to start writing and recording songs for their seventh album Machine 15.
The band has hosted a skateboard contest at their own skatepark in Örebro, Sweden named the Millencolin Open. They say they started this annual contest because skateboarding is what brought them together and now they have the chance to make something good of their town and of skateboarding.
Sarcevic is currently promoting his second solo release Roll Roll and Flee
, and Färm is currently promoting his new band Franky Lee
.
In addition they will be playing a few festival dates across Europe, starting the August 26 and ending with the Fear & Fury festival in Bochum in early September.
Their new album is entitled Machine 15
and was released on April 7, 2008. The video for their first single "Detox" has since been released.
They wrote and released a single dedicated to their hometown football club Örebro SK
titled Örebro in 2009. It was played in the stadium for the first time on May 11, 2009 in the home game vs Hammarby IF
.
In 2010, they toured in Canada and South America, where they played Pennybridge Pioneers
from start to finish. It was also announced they would be playing the 2011 Soundwave Festival in Australia.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band that was formed in October 1992 by Nikola Šarčević
Nikola Sarcevic
Nikola Šarčević is the bassist, vocalist, and primary songwriter in the punk rock band Millencolin. He lives in Gothenburg, Sweden with his wife Lisa, and three daughters....
, Mathias Färm
Mathias Färm
Mathias Färm is a guitar player, best known as a member of the Swedish skate punk band Millencolin. He is also the frontman of a punk band named Franky Lee, a side-project of Millencolin....
, and Erik Ohlsson
Erik Ohlsson (musician)
Erik Ohlsson is the lead and rhythm guitarist of Swedish punk rock band Millencolin. He currently resides in Örebro, Sweden. He designs most all of the band's artwork, including their t-shirts, logos, cover artwork, and their official . Ohlsson edited and designed Millencolin's 1998 video...
in Örebro
Örebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In early 1993, drummer Fredrik Larzon
Fredrik Larzon
Fredrik Larzon is the drummer of the Swedish skate-punk band Millencolin. He currently lives in Örebro, Sweden.He runs another project named Kvoteringen....
joined the band. The name Millencolin is derived from the skateboard
Skateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
trick "melancholy".
Biography
The original lineup, consisting of Sarcevic (vocals & bassBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
), Ohlsson (guitar
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
), and Färm (drums
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
), released their first demo tape, Goofy, in early 1993. Soon afterwards, Larzon joined the band to play drums, allowing Färm to perform as the second guitarist. In the summer of 1993, they recorded a second demo tape, Melack. The band sent the tape to Burning Heart Records, a new record label formed earlier that year. They signed Millencolin to do a CD single, which culminated in the release of Use Your Nose
Use Your Nose
Use Your Nose is the first EP by the Swedish punk rock group Millencolin, released on December 4, 1993 by Burning Heart Records. All of the songs from the EP were re-released on the 1999 compilation album The Melancholy Collection. The phrase "use your nose" refers to a skateboarding trick in...
in November 1993. Success of the single prompted Burning Heart to sign the band to release a full album. In July 1994, the band released Skauch
Skauch
Skauch is an EP by the Swedish punk rock group Millencolin, released on July 23, 1994 by Burning Heart Records. It was originally intended to be a single for the song "The Einstein Crew" from the album Tiny Tunes, but the band decided to record additional cover songs and extend the single into an EP...
, initially planned to be a single for their new album. However, the band decided to record four cover songs as well and released it as an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
instead. They put out their first major release, Tiny Tunes, in 1994. The recording and mixing of the album took two weeks. Legal trouble with Warner Brothers over the title and cover artwork of the album led the band to re-release it in 1996 under the name Same Old Tunes.
Millencolin continued to tour and in 1995 brought out their second full length album Life on a Plate
Life on a Plate
Life on a Plate is the second album by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin, released on October 11, 1995 by Burning Heart Records. It reached #4 on the Swedish music charts upon its release and was certified gold in sales in 2002 after selling over 50,000 copies in Sweden...
. This coincided with Millencolin beginning to tour outside of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. At the end of 1995, the US record company Epitaph
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
wanted to release Life on a Plate in the US, and the band agreed. They then toured further afield, touring Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and played as part of the 1997 Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
.
Further albums For Monkeys
For Monkeys
For Monkeys is the third album by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin, released on April 20, 1997 in Sweden by Burning Heart Records and on May 20, 1997 in the United States by Epitaph Records...
and compilation The Melancholy Collection
The Melancholy Collection
The Melancholy Collection is a compilation album by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin, released on July 29, 1999 by Burning Heart Records. The album combines the band's first two EPs, b-sides from their singles, and other rare and unreleased tracks...
followed, but the band's popularity increased in 2000 with the release of Pennybridge Pioneers
Pennybridge Pioneers
Pennybridge Pioneers is the fourth album by the Swedish punk rock group Millencolin, released on February 22, 2000 by Epitaph Records. It was the band's first album recorded outside their native country of Sweden, and their first to be certified gold in sales after selling over 35,000 copies in...
, an album with more of a rock influence than the band's previous skate punk
Skate punk
Skate punk is a sub genre of punk rock, originally a derivative of the West Coast hardcore punk scene, that is named after its popularity among skateboarders and association with skateboarding culture. Skate punk most commonly describes the sound of melodic hardcore bands from the 1990s with an...
sound. The recording took six weeks and they started their first major worldwide tour. Millencolin played in Wellington, New Zealand, followed by an Australian tour. This led to an early release of the album in Australia and New Zealand.
Millencolin wrote on tour and brought out Home from Home
Home from Home
Home from Home is the fifth album by the Swedish punk band Millencolin, released on March 12, 2002 by Epitaph Records. The songs "Kemp", "Man or Mouse", and "Battery Check" were each released as singles with accompanying music videos.-Track listing:...
in 2002. While it was not as well received as the previous effort, songs like "Happiness for Dogs" and "Afghan" showed a stronger and rockier sound which would greatly influence their next album Kingwood. In 2003 the band won the award for Best Swedish Rock.
Kingwood
Kingwood (album)
Kingwood is the sixth album by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin, released on March 30, 2005 in Sweden and April 12, 2005 in North America. Two singles from the album were released: "Ray" and "Shut You Out"...
, released in March 2005, marked the band's return to a faster and more traditional punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
sound, collaborating it with their recently founded rock sound, and completed a world tour in follow up of the album. The album debuted at #2 in the Swedish chart.
In mid 2007, lead guitarist Erik Ohlsson announced plans for a new full-length album, a follow up to their DVD Hi-8 Adventures and a new website, amongst other things.
On October 22, 2007 the band entered the studio to start writing and recording songs for their seventh album Machine 15.
The band has hosted a skateboard contest at their own skatepark in Örebro, Sweden named the Millencolin Open. They say they started this annual contest because skateboarding is what brought them together and now they have the chance to make something good of their town and of skateboarding.
Sarcevic is currently promoting his second solo release Roll Roll and Flee
Roll Roll and Flee
- Track listing :#"From Where I´m Standing"#"Soul For Sale"#"Let Me In"#"Love Is Trouble"#"Tybble Skyline"#"Roll Roll And Flee"#"The Law Of John T."#"Horse Bay Blues"#"Thin Air"#"Married"#"Don't Kill The Flame"- Lineup :...
, and Färm is currently promoting his new band Franky Lee
Franky Lee
Franky Lee is a rock band from Sweden formed in 2006 by Mathias Farm , Fredrik Granberg and Magnus Hager .The band was formed at a party that all three members attended, and takes the name Franky Lee from a Bob Dylan song called "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest".The band's first album...
.
In addition they will be playing a few festival dates across Europe, starting the August 26 and ending with the Fear & Fury festival in Bochum in early September.
Their new album is entitled Machine 15
Machine 15
Machine 15 is the seventh studio album by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin. It was released in 2008 on various dates in different regions: March 22 in Australia, April 7 in Europe, May 6 in North America, and May 21 in Japan. Millencolin recorded parts of the album with the Swedish Chamber...
and was released on April 7, 2008. The video for their first single "Detox" has since been released.
They wrote and released a single dedicated to their hometown football club Örebro SK
Örebro SK
Örebro SK, also known as ÖSK or just Örebro, is a Swedish football club based in Örebro. The club, formed on 28 October 1908, is currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan.-The first years:...
titled Örebro in 2009. It was played in the stadium for the first time on May 11, 2009 in the home game vs Hammarby IF
Hammarby IF
Hammarby Fotboll is a Swedish football club based in Johanneshov - just south of Södermalm, the southernmost district of Stockholm city centre...
.
In 2010, they toured in Canada and South America, where they played Pennybridge Pioneers
Pennybridge Pioneers
Pennybridge Pioneers is the fourth album by the Swedish punk rock group Millencolin, released on February 22, 2000 by Epitaph Records. It was the band's first album recorded outside their native country of Sweden, and their first to be certified gold in sales after selling over 35,000 copies in...
from start to finish. It was also announced they would be playing the 2011 Soundwave Festival in Australia.
Members
- Nikola ŠarčevićNikola SarcevicNikola Šarčević is the bassist, vocalist, and primary songwriter in the punk rock band Millencolin. He lives in Gothenburg, Sweden with his wife Lisa, and three daughters....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, lead vocals - Mathias FärmMathias FärmMathias Färm is a guitar player, best known as a member of the Swedish skate punk band Millencolin. He is also the frontman of a punk band named Franky Lee, a side-project of Millencolin....
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Erik OhlssonErik Ohlsson (musician)Erik Ohlsson is the lead and rhythm guitarist of Swedish punk rock band Millencolin. He currently resides in Örebro, Sweden. He designs most all of the band's artwork, including their t-shirts, logos, cover artwork, and their official . Ohlsson edited and designed Millencolin's 1998 video...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Fredrik LarzonFredrik LarzonFredrik Larzon is the drummer of the Swedish skate-punk band Millencolin. He currently lives in Örebro, Sweden.He runs another project named Kvoteringen....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Studio albums
- Tiny TunesSame Old TunesSame Old Tunes is the debut album by the Swedish punk rock group Millencolin, released on October 28, 1994 in Sweden by Burning Heart Records under the original title Tiny Tunes....
(1994) (re-released as Same Old Tunes in 1998) - Life on a PlateLife on a PlateLife on a Plate is the second album by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin, released on October 11, 1995 by Burning Heart Records. It reached #4 on the Swedish music charts upon its release and was certified gold in sales in 2002 after selling over 50,000 copies in Sweden...
(1995) - For MonkeysFor MonkeysFor Monkeys is the third album by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin, released on April 20, 1997 in Sweden by Burning Heart Records and on May 20, 1997 in the United States by Epitaph Records...
(1997) - Pennybridge PioneersPennybridge PioneersPennybridge Pioneers is the fourth album by the Swedish punk rock group Millencolin, released on February 22, 2000 by Epitaph Records. It was the band's first album recorded outside their native country of Sweden, and their first to be certified gold in sales after selling over 35,000 copies in...
(2000) - Home from HomeHome from HomeHome from Home is the fifth album by the Swedish punk band Millencolin, released on March 12, 2002 by Epitaph Records. The songs "Kemp", "Man or Mouse", and "Battery Check" were each released as singles with accompanying music videos.-Track listing:...
(2002) - KingwoodKingwood (album)Kingwood is the sixth album by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin, released on March 30, 2005 in Sweden and April 12, 2005 in North America. Two singles from the album were released: "Ray" and "Shut You Out"...
(2005) - Machine 15Machine 15Machine 15 is the seventh studio album by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin. It was released in 2008 on various dates in different regions: March 22 in Australia, April 7 in Europe, May 6 in North America, and May 21 in Japan. Millencolin recorded parts of the album with the Swedish Chamber...
(2008)
Soundtrack albums
- Millencolin and the Hi-8 Adventures (1999)
Singles
- "Da StrikeDa Strike"Da Strike" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album Tiny Tunes . It was released as a single on December 16, 1994 by Burning Heart Records, including two b-sides from the album's recording sessions, "Softworld" and "Niap", along with a live recording of "Shake Me"...
" (1994) - "The Story of My LifeThe Story of My Life (Millencolin song)"The Story of My Life" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from their second album Life on a Plate, released as a single on September 20, 1995 by Burning Heart Records. The CD single also includes "9 to 5" and "Dragster", which are b-sides from the album's recording sessions. These...
" (1995) - "Move Your CarMove Your Car"Move Your Car" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album Life on a Plate. It was released as a single on October 26, 1996 by Burning Heart Records, including two b-sides from the album's recording sessions, "Entrance at Rudebrook" and "An Elf and His Zippo"...
" (1996) - "Lozin' MustLozin' Must"Lozin' Must" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album For Monkeys. It was released as a single on April 6, 1997 by Burning Heart Records and Epitaph Records, including two b-sides from the album's recording sessions, "Israelites" and "Vixen". These two tracks were...
" (1997) - "Twenty Two" (1997)
- "Penguins & PolarbearsPenguins & Polarbears"Penguins & Polarbears" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album Pennybridge Pioneers. It was released as a single on January 24, 2000 by Burning Heart Records, including two b-sides from the album's recording sessions, "Queen's Gambit" and "Dinner Dog". An accompanying...
" (2000) - "FoxFox (song)"Fox" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album Pennybridge Pioneers. It was released as a single on June 5, 2000 by Burning Heart Records, including the b-side song "Kemp" from the album's recording sessions and live versions of "Penguins & Polarbears" and "No Cigar"...
" (2000) - "No CigarNo CigarNo Cigar is an EP by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin, released on May 8, 2001 by Burning Heart Records in Sweden, Epitaph Records in North America, and Shock Records in Australia. The title track is a single from the album Pennybridge Pioneers, and the EP itself is an extended single release...
" (2001) - "KempKemp (song)"Kemp" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album Home from Home. It was released as a single on February 18, 2002, by Burning Heart Records, including two b-sides from the album's recording sessions, "The Downhill Walk" and "Absolute Zero"...
" (2002) - "Man or MouseMan Or Mouse"Man or Mouse" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album Home from Home. It was released as a single on September 30, 2002 by Burning Heart Records, including two b-sides from the album's recording sessions, "Bull By the Horns" and "Into the Maze"...
" (2002) - "Battery CheckBattery Check"Battery Check" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album Home from Home. It was released as a single on July 3, 2003 by Burning Heart Records in two versions: One with the album version of "Battery Check", sung in English, as the lead track, and the other with a Swedish...
" / "E20 Norr"(2003) - "RayRay (song)"Ray" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album Kingwood. It was released as a single on March 14, 2005 by Burning Heart Records, including the b-side song "Phony Tony" from the album's recording sessions and a live recording of "Bullion"...
" (2005) - "Shut You OutShut You Out"Shut You Out" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album Kingwood. It was released as a single on October 24, 2005, by Burning Heart Records, including the b-side song "Ratboy's Masterplan" from the album's recording sessions...
" (2005) - "Detox" (2008)
- "Broken WorldBroken World (song)"Broken World" is a song by the Swedish punk rock band Millencolin from the album Machine 15.The song was first released as a radio/promo single which was not for sale, but It was released exclusively at the iTunes Store on July 23, 2008 with a bonus of two live songs recorded during P3 live...
" (2008) - "Örebro" (2009)
External links
- Millencolin at Burning Heart RecordsBurning Heart RecordsBurning Heart Records is an independent record label formed in 1993 and based in Örebro, Sweden. It has a close affiliation with Californian label Epitaph Records, who own the rights to distribute Burning Heart's output in North America...
- Millencolin at Epitaph RecordsEpitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...