Posted on August 31, 2009 - by Mark Zonda

It’s a fine art

If you’re into indie music and the juicy fruity pop selections form your favourite friday indie club, “The Fine Arts Showcase”, Malmö, surely needs no introduction. Yet another Editor clone? Maybe, but provided with an heart, beating for ketchy dancable toones and good ideas. Let’s find out the head and the heart of the band then, and get to know Mr. Gustaf Kjellvander.

Mark Zonda: The Fine Arts Showcase. How did you decide to get together and why the name?

Gustaf: After my first two “proper bands”, Sideshow Bob and Songs of Soil, had broken up I found myself bandless so I started moving torwards getting a band together. I had written hundreds of songs that i really, really wanted to play live. Me and Dan Englund (guitars/piano/synth etc),who I had played with in Songs of Soil,  started rehearsing a few of those songs in my kitchen around 2003. We found a bassplayer and a drummer and put together the first line up of TFAS.(the same lineup that recorded Gustaf Kjellvander proudly presents THE FINE ARTS SHOWCASE & the electric pavilion).  Me and Dan knew that we played well together but it took us a while to find the right people to fill out the gaps in the band. We went through alot of drummers and bassplayers untill we finally became the band both me and Dan knew we could be: with the inclusion of “georgemartinist”  Mathias Oldén in 2005, bassist Joachim Leksell in 2006 and drummer Fabian Ris Lundblad in 2007  The Fine Arts Showcase was complete. The name The Fine Arts Showcase comes from an event held by the mercer island schooldistrict (where i grew up). Children would perform for their parents to showcase the schooldistricts fine arts-programs. Kids who took dancing lessons would dance, kids who took dramalessons would play out little skits and the kids who were learning instruments would play a tune or two. I liked the sound of the name and, to me, it represented something beautiful and innocent.

Mark Zonda: Why do bands break up?

Gustaf: Well a band is, in most cases, a four or five way marriage and,just like with any other close-knit relationship, its hard to keep together. There are as many reasons for bands splitting up as there are reasons for marriages ending. I think TFAS have it a bit easier because,even if we are a band, I write all the songs: I know the only band ive been in with two songwriters,Songs Of Soil, was terribly problematic and turbulent. Then you have bands like the Fall or The Brian Jonestown Massacre that start off as bands but end up being soloprojects after a few years. I’m always kind of amazed by bands like Sonic Youth that keep going for so long! I don’t think they will ever split up.

Mark Zonda: Are you pushed to write music for a inner need to express feelings and emotions or are you aiming right to the gist of being cool?

Gustaf: I don’t think I, or we, worry too much about being cool in other peoples eyes:Sometimes what we do is considered cool and sometimes it’s not. Personally I think we are the coolest band in the world but I won’t be losing sleep if people don’t agree with me. My primary concern is writing good songs and having a good time with my friends in the band.   I am very driven. I’m an expressive person and can’t really turn it off. I don’t  always like writing; when I get stuck writing a song and can’t finish it I feel horrible. On the other hand there is nothing in the world that can beat what I feel after having written a really good song… sex doesn’t even come close.
Mark Zonda: Second coolest band ever?

Gustaf: When I say that The Fine Arts Showcase is the coolest band ever I DO MEAN IT but that first place is a tie between us and at least 100 other bands and artists that I love: The Fall, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Neil Young, The Byrds, Supremes, Fad Gadget, Loosegoats, Neu!, The Velvet Underground, Ramones, Inside Riot, Theoretical Girl, Olivia Tremor Control, Beachwood Sparks, Dinosaur Jr(first three records), Teenage Fanclub, Television Personalities, Ratatat, Spacemen 3 etc. etc. etc. The list could go on and on and on. So I dont know the 300 bands that tie for second place… Ha ha ha!

Mark Zonda: Lennart Persson: who was this guy and why was so important in Malmö?

Gustaf: Lennart Persson was an extremeley passionate music-journalist who owned a record shop in malmö. He wrote books/articles about music and often appeared on TV.  His record store was amazing, he was a very sweet ,intelligent man and  one of swedens best critics. Lennart was, by way of influence, the “John Peel” of Sweden. The last time I saw him, just a short time before he passed I was buying a Bessie Smith cd at his store, Musik & Konst, and he told me how much he liked “Dolophine Smile” wich meant a thousand times more to me than any other good review.

Mark Zonda: What’s behind the success of “Chemical Girl”? Do you think this could be your most representative song? Do people need to feel they can relate with a common story and sympathize with the singer or is it just a fucking good song?

Gustaf: I think that the success of “Chemical Girl” is based on the fact thats its a good song and that it came along at the right time. It was also featured in a spanish romantic comedy call “8 citas”.  I think I speak for everyone in the band when I say “Chemical Girl” is one of our best songs. It is a representative song but I think most of our songs are just as representative. “London, my Town” off our latest record “Dolphine Smile” is our biggest hit in Sweden and just as good (I think). Personally I need to be able to relate to a song in order to become really affected by it but there are so many ways of relating to music: emotionally, intelectually, sexually, etc etc.

Mark Zonda: I’ve seen that one of your recent listening is dealing with “In the aeroplane over the sea”. What are your feelings on this album and how did you came to listen to Elephant 6 collective?

Gustaf: I plan on living forever but If I, against all odds, do die one day I want the song “In the aeroplane over the sea” to be played at my funeral.  That album  is one of my favourite records of all time! My first ´proper´ band, Sideshow Bob, had the privelidge of playing a few shows with NMH in 1998 and they were AMAZING!
The world we have going on in Malmö kind of reminds me of the Elephant 6 collective in Athens,GA but without a name. Here in malmö everyone helps each other out. We all play on each others records and inspire each other to do great things. Everyone is friendly with everyone and there is very little competition….It is basically a really great environment to create things in…

The Fine Arts Showcase – “Friday on my knees”

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