Former Bonafide Guitarist Releases First Single
November 8, 2014
Unable to commit to Bonafide’s ever expanding tour schedule, guitarist Mikael Fassberg left the Swedish rockers just over a year ago.
Fassberg is now back with his own project and has released a two song single featuring “Parade” and “What’s Your Name” on all digital platforms, the first taste of his upcoming ‘Amusement Park Outlaw’ album. “What’s Your Name” was written by Fassberg and fellow guitar player/producer Rasmus Ehrnborn and finds the former Bonafide member singing duet with no other than Mustasch main man Ralf Gyllenhammar. “Parade”, written solely by Fassberg, is a song dealing with the ups and downs of the rock and roll lifestyle.
‘Amusement Park Outlaw’ will be released in December, when Fassberg will make his solo debut in the UK, sharing the stage with Mott The Hoople and Bad Company guitarist Mick Ralphs and Nashville guitar god Warner E Hodges of Jason & The Scorchers. “I feel the work on the album is going in the direction I want it to,” exclaims Fassberg. “It might turn out a bit eclectic, but that’s me! I work with some very talented friends of mine and we all write and arrange together. It will rock!”
“What I really wanted was to finally be able to be the master of my own destiny — musically and personally,” says Fassberg regarding his departure from Bonafide. “Bonafide developed into a fantastic live band, and I had a very good time doing that thing but I really felt it was time to move on. All the best to them, but I could not follow where they were going.”
Soon after his departure from Bonafide, Fassberg gathered friends and colleagues from UFO, Status Quo, Candlemass and Weapon to record The Sweet’s 1974 single “Turn It Down” for a Swedish cancer charity, and managed to get not only The Sweet’s Andy Scotts sign of approval, but also his participation in the recordings. That project goes under the name Louder Life League and the song is available digitally on itunes. Fassberg also guested on two of The Sweet’s summer shows in Sweden this year and has also made a few appearances with old employer Paul Di’Anno, with whom Fassberg cut his teeth as a touring guitarist for a few years before hooking up with Pontus Snibb to form Bonafide.
“Sweet was my first proper experience in rock’n’roll,” says Fassberg. “My first single, my first album and the first show I ever saw. To be able to make that project happen was a dream come true. I’m extremely proud of that achievement. And it was all for a good cause. No ego. No bullshit. Everyone was very focused on the outcome, and I managed to get all that talent to pull in my direction. Playing with Di’Anno again after all those years was fun. I’m eternally grateful to him for giving me the break he once did.”
A solo album deal was signed in February of this year and Fassberg immediately started talking to friends about hooking up to record something very special. Fassberg sometimes refer to himself as a “lazy” writer, but all of a sudden inspiration kicked in. Fueled by the success of the Louder Life League project, the guitarist started writing and soon had songs enough for an album.
“I guess what I needed was time and someone willing to listen,” continues Fassberg. “Time to reflect on what I wanted to do with my songs, and someone willing to listen to what I have to say musically and lyric wise. I’m not trying to be pretentious, but I want to make my songs sound like me. Not deliberately like someone else.”
Courtesy of www.sleazeroxx.com
