Sweden
was always renowned for their excellent progressive rock bands from
the late 70s and 80s and of course, theres ABBA
with 40+ years of history. Not much attention was really ever paid
to Swedens many fine bands who break with the mother tongue
but thanks to the work of Peter Holmsted of Hemifrån who, thanks
to his vast knowledge and refined musical taste, has helped his fellow
countrymen spread the word far and wide about the new wave of Swedish
pop in the 21st centuryyoung bands with fresh ideas and new
voices including the band called Buford Pope who have an excellent
2012 CD called Matching Numbers. Apparently,
theres a whole new wave of Swedish singer-songwriters espousing
the wonders of West Coast pop circa 1971funny enough the year
Buford Pope main man Mikael Liljeborg was born. Actually assuming
the name Buford Pope as a stage name, the singer-songwriter, backed
up here by a fine band, and sounding influenced by both Robbie Robertson
and Steve Stills, cites Bob Dylan of course among his main influences
and even some of this sounds kind of influenced by the music of A
Man Called E back in 1992, albeit twenty years later. Several of the
catchier songs really connect and theres also a few tracks that
will be played by radio. Four albums into their career, with Matching
Numbers Buford Pope hits a new high for Swedish musical excellence.
www.BufordPope.com
/ www.hemifran.com
mwe3.com presents an interview with
MIKAEL LILJEBORG
of Buford Pope
mwe3: Congratulations on the new Matching Numbers CD.
For the listeners outside of Sweden and Scandinavia can you tell us
when Buford Pope was formed and what were the fortunate events that
brought you to the release of the Matching Numbers CD? Also
is there a story behind choosing the name Buford Pope as a band name?
MIKAEL
LILJEBORG: Thank you very much. You might say I was late to it.
I started playing the guitar and write songs when I was 30. Well,
I heard the name Buford Pope in a movie for about ten years ago, it
sounded like good music so I took it as my name as a performer and
songwriter.
I never had the confidence and I didn't see my self as a songwriter
but one day I just bought a guitar and started to write. I never thought
about how it would sound. Songs are a lot easier to write when you
feel you've got something to say, that was what happened, I wanted
to say something!
Matching Numbers is my fourth album and to me it seems like
a lot of the songs were born on the road and on the stage.
mwe3: You were born in 1971 so you werent exposed to
the original folk-rock and early rock boom of the late 60s and
early 70s. When did you become interested in rock and folk music
and especially the folk-rock sound of Dylan, Jackson Browne and later
Springsteen? What other influences helped form you musical make-up
so to speak and how did it impact your singing and song writing?
ML:
A good friend of mine introduced me to Bob Dylan when I was 15 years
old, I was amazed by him so he made me interested in other singers
and storytellers in that field of music. As a songwriter, life itself
always has something to offer, good or bad it becomes a song .
mwe3: Whats the current scene like for your music in
Sweden and Scandinavia and whats been the reaction to your new
Matching Numbers CD in Sweden and elsewhere? What other groups
and singers do you admire in Sweden, the E.U. and the States?
ML: This album really has covered some ground in Europe, good
reviews and a lot of airplay, so we're planning a big tour...
There are just too many bands and singers that I admire all around
the world but to name a few that always get my attention: Gillian
Welch, Son Volt, Buddy Miller, Ryan Adams, Jakob Dylan, Ryan Bingham...
mwe3: What was your early musical training like and what instruments
were you first introduced to? Can you add in something about your
choice of guitars and what guitars are you featuring on the new Buford
Pope CD?
ML: I never had an early musical training, but even though
I didn't play I always kept my eyes on guitars. I loved the sound
and the look of them and how easy it was to bring them everywhere
.
On
stage I'm using a Gibson J45, that's my favorite. When we recorded
the album I used a Martin OM 35 a great guitar for studio sessions.
mwe3: Who plays with you on the Matching Numbers CD
and who else was directly and indirectly involved in the making of
the new Buford Pope CD?
ML: Bass And Harmony Vocals: Jörgen Lindström
Piano, Hammond, Accordion And Harmony Vocals: Amir Aly (Also the producer
on Matching Numbers)
Drums: Mattias Pedersen
Electric Guitar, Lap Steel, Dobro And Harmony Vocals: Pelle Jernryd
This is my band on stage and in the studio. On the recording you can
also hear my sister in law, Anna Liljeborg: Harmony Vocals and Filip
Runesson: Fiddle
As a singer and songwriter you do a lot of solo gigs but the last
couple of years I've done a lot of gigs with my band. They are great
musicians and I love to hang with them so I'm very proud and happy
about that...
mwe3: What are your plans for spreading the word about Matching
Numbers and what other plans do you have for Buford Pope as far
as recording and performances as 2012 winds down and we move into
2013?
ML: I've got big plans for Matching Numbers and I really think
that this record deserves a shot at it. Life is very inspiring, I
love being on the stage to perform and also to write music, If I don't
listen to music, I write a song. My plans are to keep doing what I
do. There are so many people involved in this, and I would like to
thank you all for your support.
Thanks to Mikael Liljeborg @ www.BufordPope.com