STEVIE KLASSON on STEVIE KLASSON
Born on July 28 in 1968 in Södertälje, Sweden. I started playing in punk bands at the age of 13. Spent my teenage-years playing with Linus and the Loosers, Fridays Angels, Neon Leon and Intergalactic Overguist.
Started up the Pipeline Club with Kenny Silver in 1986 and spent the nights cutting my teeth with 100s of musicians passing thru Stockholm.
In the summer of 1987 I made friends with Johnny Thunders (bless his heart) who took me under his wings. That started a collaboration that lasted until Johnny's death in 1991. I spent most of those years on the road in North America or hanging out in New York City, but after Johnny tragically passed away, New York lost it's magic and I moved my base of operations to London. There I made my living playing sessions, dealing vintage guitars and writing songs with Patti Palladin.
In 1999 I went back to Stockholm to hang out for a bit... and I never went back. While I had been away Stockholm had developed a great music scene and I started hanging with some really hip players; Surjo Benigh, the finest bass player ever made from flesh n' bone, Janne 'Captain' Peterson Piano Professor Supreme, and next up Louisiana’s finest, Brady Blade... and voila...
The Mighty Hightones were born and we played our first gigs in January of 2000. Since we were all working musicians we would all be out working other gigs and sessions, sometimes together backing other artists, but still we would do about a few gigs a year.
During this time I also toured and recorded with Diamond Dogs, Conny Bloom's Groovies Inc., Hanoi Rocks (please pay me!!), Freddie Wadling, Spain, Magnus Lindbergh, Master Henry Gibson, Big Walker, Jimmy Dawkins etc.
Then in 2006 me and Surjo were sitting around rappin' a little after a gig somewhere and he'd go, "For Christ's sake Klasson, we've been camping together for 6 years doing High Tone/ Fat Chance-gigs, isn’t time we made an album..!?!!" And the rest is history.
With a little help from a lot of low friends in high places, Nick Royale (Hellacopters), Robert â€Strängen†Dahlqvist (Hellacopters), Vigilante Carlstroem (Hives), Mattias Bärjed (Soundtrack Of Our Life), Peter Svensson (Cardigans), Chris Wilson (Flaming Groovies), Darrell Bath (Vibrators / Uk Subs), Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris) & Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols)! and the magic ears of Conny Wall, here it is...
Stevie Klasson 'Dont Shoot the Messenger'