About

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Background

I have been writing songs since the middle of the 80s, and I have also been playing in several rock bands in the 80s and the 90s in my former hometown Varberg, Sweden. In 2003 I formed the band Yellow Express and performed my songs in the band as vocalist/guitarist. I consider myself a singer/songwriter and nowadays I perform either alone with my acoustic guitar and piano, or together with a band.

I try to do sincere and soulful music that is easy to listen to but at the same time unique. My lyrics are often reflective thoughts about life, and inspirational poetry with a positive and hopeful undertone. Some texts are about freedom and some are specifically about freedom for the Chinese people.

2004/2005 I studied music full time for about 9 months, focusing on vocals and classical guitar. I live in Gothenburg in Southern Sweden and work with digital photo retouch.

Genre
A mixture of rock, soulful pop and American roots/folk music (Americana).

Sounds-Like
Gram Parsons, The Eagles, The Band, Van Morrison, Black Sorrows

Influences
Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen (early years), The Eagles, Lowell George, Ry Cooder, Little Feat, Bob Marley, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Band, Elvis Costello, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Alison Krauss, Van Morrison, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder.

Instrumentation
Acoustic guitar, bass, drums, steel guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, accordion, violin, flute, percussion.

Published recordings
In March 2003 the CD single Walk on! with Yellow Express was released. The other song on the CD is One Way Ticket Back To The Truth. I wrote both songs. In June 2009 I released my first CD in my own name. It’s actually an EP with six original songs and the title is Music For Freedom. It was recorded in the Marcus Music studio in Gothenburg, Sweden during the spring of 2009.

Activism
I have been engaged in the fight for human rights in China since many years. This commitment is reflected in some of my songs. For instance They Can’t Make Me Waver is a homage to the Chinese Falun Gong practitioner Liu Chengjun who did many great things to stand up for Falun Gong in China. He died in December 2003 after 21 months of torture. The song The Chinese Way tells the story of the suffering and frustration of the Chinese people, but also about a positive development; Chinese citizens are now withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party in a large scale.

Websites
www.anderserikssonmusic.net
www.musicforfreedom.net (blog)