Millencolin
is a punk rock band that was formed in October of 1992 by Erik Ohlsson, Mathias Färm and Nikola Sarcevic in Örebro, Sweden. In early 1993, drummer Fredrik Larzon joined the band. The name Millencolin is derived from the skateboard trick "melancholy". [1]
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MILLENCOLIN TICKETS
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Biography
The original lineup, consisting of Sarcevic (
vocals &
bass), Ohlsson (
guitar), and Färm (
drums), released their first
demo tape,
Goofy
, in early
1993.
[2] 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.
[3] 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
,
[4] 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.
[5] 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 really 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.
[6]
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.
[7]
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
[8].
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
was released on April 7, 2008. The video for their first single "Detox" has since been released.
Members
- Mathias Färm – guitar, backing vocals
- Erik Ohlsson – guitar, backing vocals
- Nikola Sarcevic – bass guitar, lead vocals
- Fredrik Larzon – drum kit
Discography
Studio albums
- Tiny Tunes
(1994) (re-released as Same Old Tunes
in 1998)
- Life on a Plate
(1995)
- For Monkeys
(1997)
- Pennybridge Pioneers
(2000)
- Home from Home
(2002)
- Kingwood
(2005)
- Machine 15
(2008)
Compilation albums
- The Melancholy Collection
(1999)
Soundtrack albums
- Millencolin and the Hi-8 Adventures
(1999)
EPs
- Use Your Nose
(1993)
- Skauch
(1994)
- Millencolin / Midtown (2001)
Singles
- "Da Strike" (1994)
- "The Story of My Life" (1995)
- "Move Your Car" (1996)
- "Lozin' Must" (1997)
- "Twenty Two" (1997)
- "Penguins & Polarbears" (2000)
- "Fox" (2000)
- "No Cigar" (2001)
- "Kemp" (2002)
- "Man or Mouse" (2002)
- "Battery Check" / "E20 Norr"(2003)
- "Ray" (2005)
- "Shut You Out" (2005)
- "Detox" (2008)
- "Broken World" (2008)
- "Örebro" (2009) [9]
Demos
- Goofy
(1992)
- Melack
(1993)
Videography
#
Millencolin and the Hi-8 Adventures
(1999)
References
- Millencolin Biography
- The Story of Our Band
- Info/FAQ
- Millencolin - Skauch
- Skauch
- http://www.punkbands.com/news/1217/
- Millencolin enter Swedish Album Chart at # 2
- Millencolin Official Website
- Released as the new official song for Örebro SK at the football match between Örebro SK and AIK in Örebro 2009-07-05. As advertised in Nerikes Allehanda 2009-07-05.