Stefan Olsdal
Encyclopedia
Stefan Olsdal is the bassist
/guitarist
of the alternative rock
band Placebo
and is part of the electronic dance/DJ and remix
act Hotel Persona.
when he was young and went to the American International School of Luxembourg along with fellow band member Brian Molko
(though the two did not cross paths at this time). Olsdal began playing music in his school's orchestra in 1987. He completed his high school education in Sweden and moved to London
with his parents, where he attended the Musicians Institute. He is openly gay
and in a relationship with a Spanish man he said he met one week before the band was formed. He came out publicly in an interview in Melody Maker
in 1996.
. The two of them formed Ashtray Heart
, a lo-fi duo, playing mostly on toy instruments. They wrote four songs, but decided to try out as a serious band, so they invited Steve Hewitt
who could not be in the band because he was already signed to another record company. After that, Olsdal invited old schoolmate Robert Schultzberg
(who was at the time studying in UK) to join as Placebo's drummer (Hewitt would later replace him as the full-time drummer).
Together with Molko, he is credited as co-author on every Placebo song to date (except "Ashtray Heart
" from Battle for the Sun
which was credited solely to Molko) and co-produced Black Market Music
and some b-sides
.
, Placebo and She Wants Revenge
.
Their debut album In the Clouds was recorded and mixed in London, Madrid and New York over two years and features a wide array of additional vocals from various artists including Brian Molko
, Samantha Fox
, Miguel Bosé
and Alaska
of Fangoria
.
era, he also used an Epiphone Flying V Bass for live performances of "Nancy Boy
", "Come Home
" and other occasional songs (mostly rarely played songs from the first album), which appeared on the Infra-red video, although this guitar was smashed by Olsdal at the end of their 2006 Reading Festival set. Recently, he is seen playing an olympic white Fender Jaguar Bass
, in the "For What It's Worth
" video, and is seen playing a white Rickenbacker
bass in live performance on television programs. Today he is playing a Charger bass, built by the luthiers TAO Guitars in Brussels.
His amplification is a mixture of Ampeg
(for basses) and Marshall
(for guitars) amplifiers. He also plays the xylophone
in acoustic performances of some songs from Meds ("Pierrot The Clown", "Post Blue"). In Hotel Persona live shows he mostly uses a Fender Telecaster also used when performing "Scared Of Girls", "Slave To The Wage" and "Evil Dildo". In the early years (1994–1996) he used Boss
bass pedals when playing live, but this practice ended after Bill Lloyd became a full time touring member.
Olsdal contributes backing vocals sparingly in Placebo's live performances and recordings as well as lead and backup vocals on most Hotel Persona tracks.
Bassist
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...
/guitarist
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...
of the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
and is part of the electronic dance/DJ and remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
act Hotel Persona.
Biography
He moved to LuxembourgLuxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
when he was young and went to the American International School of Luxembourg along with fellow band member Brian Molko
Brian Molko
Brian Molko is a songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the band Placebo. He is known in particular for his high-pitched vocals, androgynous appearance, and unique, Sonic Youth-influenced guitar style and tuning.-Early life:Born to an American father of French-Italian heritage and a Scottish...
(though the two did not cross paths at this time). Olsdal began playing music in his school's orchestra in 1987. He completed his high school education in Sweden and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with his parents, where he attended the Musicians Institute. He is openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and in a relationship with a Spanish man he said he met one week before the band was formed. He came out publicly in an interview in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
in 1996.
Placebo
Olsdal met Molko by chance outside South Kensington tube stationSouth Kensington tube station
South Kensington is a London Underground station in Kensington, west London. It is served by the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines. On the District and Circle lines, the station is between Gloucester Road and Sloane Square, and on the Piccadilly Line, it is between Gloucester Road and...
. The two of them formed Ashtray Heart
Ashtray Heart
"Ashtray Heart" is the third official single from Placebo's sixth studio album, Battle for the Sun. It was released in all of Europe, except for the United Kingdom and Norway, while "The Never-Ending Why" was released in these countries a week before, on September 14, 2009.The B-side song "Fuck U"...
, a lo-fi duo, playing mostly on toy instruments. They wrote four songs, but decided to try out as a serious band, so they invited Steve Hewitt
Steve Hewitt
Steven James Hewitt is the singer and guitarist in Love Amongst Ruin, having previously been the drummer for Placebo between mid-1996 and October 2007.-Personal life:...
who could not be in the band because he was already signed to another record company. After that, Olsdal invited old schoolmate Robert Schultzberg
Robert Schultzberg
Robert Schultzberg was the original drummer for alternative rock band Placebo. Schultzberg had known Stefan Olsdal from a band in school in Sweden they were both in in 1993 and joined Placebo when the band formed in September 1994, helping them to record their first studio demo in April 1995,...
(who was at the time studying in UK) to join as Placebo's drummer (Hewitt would later replace him as the full-time drummer).
Together with Molko, he is credited as co-author on every Placebo song to date (except "Ashtray Heart
Ashtray Heart
"Ashtray Heart" is the third official single from Placebo's sixth studio album, Battle for the Sun. It was released in all of Europe, except for the United Kingdom and Norway, while "The Never-Ending Why" was released in these countries a week before, on September 14, 2009.The B-side song "Fuck U"...
" from Battle for the Sun
Battle for the Sun
Battle for the Sun is the sixth studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo, released in 2009 on Solitary Man Records, Vagrant Records, Universal Records, and PIAS Recordings.-Production and recording:...
which was credited solely to Molko) and co-produced Black Market Music
Black Market Music
Black Market Music is the third studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo, released in 2000 by Hut Records.- Background :Black Market Music took nine months to record, the longest that the band have ever spent recording an album to date, and is dedicated to the memory of Scott...
and some b-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
.
Hotel Persona
Hotel Persona began when Olsdal and David Amen started providing dance tunes to friends' house parties; Javier Solo was recruited to sing Spanish vocals, and Olsdal sang the English versions. As the music was coming together, Olsdal and Amen did DJ work under the Hotel Persona name in such locations as Milan, Paris, London, Barcelona and Rio. They have also remixed songs by various bands, including Queens of the Stone AgeQueens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
, Placebo and She Wants Revenge
She Wants Revenge
She Wants Revenge is an American musical duo, based in San Fernando Valley, California. The group's debut album She Wants Revenge was released in early 2006, with three singles to follow...
.
Their debut album In the Clouds was recorded and mixed in London, Madrid and New York over two years and features a wide array of additional vocals from various artists including Brian Molko
Brian Molko
Brian Molko is a songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the band Placebo. He is known in particular for his high-pitched vocals, androgynous appearance, and unique, Sonic Youth-influenced guitar style and tuning.-Early life:Born to an American father of French-Italian heritage and a Scottish...
, Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
, Miguel Bosé
Miguel Bosé
Miguel Dominguín Bosé is a Latin Grammy-winning Spanish/Italian musician and actor.-Early life:Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of the famous Italian actress Lucia Bosé and the legendary bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín. He is also a cousin of Carmen...
and Alaska
Alaska (singer)
Alaska is a Spanish - Mexican singer, dj, and TV personality famous in Spain and Latin America. She was of the main characters in the so called Movida the cultural movement following the Franco dictatorship in Spain...
of Fangoria
Fangoria (band)
Fangoria is an electro-pop band, the brainchild of Alaska and Nacho Canut. They have sold over 1,200,000 CDs.In 1977 Alaska, along with Nacho Canut and Carlos Berlanga, formed the band Alaska y los Pegamoides. Later, in 1982, they changed the name to Alaska y Dinarama...
.
Equipment
Olsdal uses a variety of instruments, including a Gibson Thunderbird (three of those, one vintage used since 2003,one modern black which replaced the Flying V in 2006 and one white used since 2009), Fender Jazz Bass, Fender Bass VI, Gibson Les Paul Custom and a Gretsch Anniversary. In live versions of "Teenage Angst", "Centerfolds" and most acoustic performances he uses a Technics keyboard. During the MedsMeds
Meds is the fifth studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo, released in 2006 on Virgin Records. It was released in most countries on 13 March 2006, although it was released three days earlier in Australia and New Zealand...
era, he also used an Epiphone Flying V Bass for live performances of "Nancy Boy
Nancy Boy
"Nancy Boy" is a song by British alternative rock band Placebo, released as the third single from their self-titled debut album. It was released on January 20, 1997 and became their breakthrough single, reaching #4 in the UK charts and making them known to mainstream audiences. As with their first...
", "Come Home
Come Home (Placebo song)
"Come Home" was the second single by alternative rock band Placebo. This is a different version of the lead track from the eponymous debut album. It reached #103 in the UK Singles Chart, and it was available on CD and 7" record. "Oxygen Thief" appears on no other releases.-Single information:It...
" and other occasional songs (mostly rarely played songs from the first album), which appeared on the Infra-red video, although this guitar was smashed by Olsdal at the end of their 2006 Reading Festival set. Recently, he is seen playing an olympic white Fender Jaguar Bass
Fender Jaguar Bass
The Fender Jaguar Bass is an electric bass guitar manufactured in Japan by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.-Design:In appearance, the Jaguar Bass is largely faithful to the original Fender Jaguar, with exception of the neck, bridge, and pickups taken from the Fender Jazz Bass...
, in the "For What It's Worth
For What It's Worth (Placebo song)
"For What It's Worth" is the first official single from Placebo's sixth studio album, Battle for the Sun.-Release:It was released on April 20, 2009, in a similar fashion to "Battle for the Sun", i.e...
" video, and is seen playing a white Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
bass in live performance on television programs. Today he is playing a Charger bass, built by the luthiers TAO Guitars in Brussels.
His amplification is a mixture of Ampeg
Ampeg
Ampeg is primarily a musical instrument amplifier manufacturer headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, though they also manufacture guitars to a small extent...
(for basses) and Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
(for guitars) amplifiers. He also plays the xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
in acoustic performances of some songs from Meds ("Pierrot The Clown", "Post Blue"). In Hotel Persona live shows he mostly uses a Fender Telecaster also used when performing "Scared Of Girls", "Slave To The Wage" and "Evil Dildo". In the early years (1994–1996) he used Boss
Boss Corporation
Boss is a manufacturer of effects pedals for electric guitar and bass guitar. It is a division of the Roland Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer that specializes in musical equipment and accessories...
bass pedals when playing live, but this practice ended after Bill Lloyd became a full time touring member.
Olsdal contributes backing vocals sparingly in Placebo's live performances and recordings as well as lead and backup vocals on most Hotel Persona tracks.