Mattias Eklundh
Mattias IA Eklundh | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Also known as | IA |
Born | [1] | 6 October 1969
Genres | Progressive metal, experimental, heavy metal, Speed Metal, power metal, Hard rock |
Occupation(s) | musician, songwriter, producer |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, zither, banjo, mandolin, Kelstone |
Years active | Since 1989 |
Labels | Favored Nations, TSP |
Associated acts | Freak Kitchen, Freak Guitar, Jonas Hellborg |
Mattias IA Eklundh (born 1969 in Gothenburg, Sweden) is a guitarist and vocalist, known for his work with Freak Kitchen, Jonas Hellborg Trio and Art Metal; he has also produced several noted solo Freak Guitar albums released by Steve Vai and Favored Nations and holds his annual Freak Guitar Camp in the woods of Sweden every summer for dedicated guitar players from all over the world.[2] He was also prominently featured playing his trademark-style solos on the first 4 Soilwork albums.
Biography
Mattias began drumming at the age of six; when he was thirteen, he began playing guitar. He has named Frank Zappa and Ace Frehley of Kiss as his two major musical influences, but his record collection also included gypsy jazz, Miles Davis, and Slayer among many others.[3][4]
In the mid-80's, Mattias joined the band Frozen Eyes, a few years later he quit because their manager was holding their money, and they never had a good share of it, until mattias did the math. Frozen Eyes split up soon after their self-titled album was released in 1988 and Mattias subsequently joined Danish metal band Fate as lead guitarist. Mattias appears on their 1990 album Scratch 'n Sniff. He later returned to Sweden, forming his own band Freak Kitchen in 1992 with former Frozen Eyes drummer Joakim Sjöberg and bassplayer Christian Grönlund.[5] The band played together for 8 years, until Sjöberg and Grönlund left in 2000, only to be replaced by Christer Örtefors and Björn Fryklund. Outside of Freak Kitchen, Eklundh has recorded several solo albums, and made appearances as a guest musician for Swedish heavy metal bands like Evergrey and Soilwork. His two Freak Guitar solo albums are released on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label, and include drawings and other artwork by friend Anders Nyberg. In 2005, he grouped with Swedish bass guitarist and composer Jonas Hellborg in the Jonas Hellborg Trio along with drummer Niclas Campagnol and played their first gig in Mumbai, India and followed with a tour of India. His album "Freak Guitar – The Road Less Traveled" features a rock/metal-like remix of not title theme, but the background theme from the 1985 film Fletch.
In 2006, Eklundh's song "Zoo Me", was contributed to the album project Artists for Charity – Guitarists 4 the Kids, produced by Slang Productions, to assist World Vision Canada in helping underprivileged kids in need.[6]
He also annually hosts and teaches at the Freak Guitar Camp.
Eklundh does not smoke and is a vegetarian.[7]
Discography
Solo
- Mr Libido – Sensually Primitive (1996)
- Freak Guitar (1999)
- Freak Guitar: The Road Less Traveled (2005)
- Freak Guitar: The Smorgasbord (2013)
With Freak Kitchen
- Appetizer (1994)
- Raw (1994)
- Swedish Hard Rock and Heavy Metal 1970–1996 (1996)
- Spanking Hour (1996)
- Junk Tooth (EP) (1997)
- Freak Kitchen (1998)
- Dead Soul Men (2000)
- Move (2002)
- Lost in Bordeaux – promotional single (2002)
- Swedish Hard Rock & Heavy Metal – bonus CD (2002)
- Nobody's Laughing DVD single (2002)
- Organic (2005)
- Land of the Freaks (2009)
- Cooking with Pagans (2014)
Other
- Frozen Eyes – The Metal Collection III (1987)
- Frozen Eyes – Frozen Eyes (1988)
- Fate – Scratch 'n' Sniff (1990)
- Road Ratt – Road Ratt (1992)
- Is this tough or what? – Compilation (1992)
- Pagan – The Weight (1993)
- Triple & Touch – T & T (1993)
- Tornado Soup – Tornado Soup (1994)
- Hans Lindell – En del av bilden (1996)
- Sven Olander – Air Blue (1997)
- Locomotive Breath (1997)
- Hans Sahlin – Hans Sahlin (1997) (Unreleased)
- Evergrey – The Dark Discovery (1998)
- Torben Schmidt (1998) (Unreleased)
- Janne Lucas (1998) (Unreleased)
- Soilwork – Steelbath Suicide (1998)
- Soilwork – The Chainheart Machine (1999) song – Machinegun Majesty
- Guitar Oddysey – A tribute to Yngwie Malmsteen (1999)
- Soilwork – A Predator's Portrait (2001) song – Needlefeast
- Warmth in the Wilderness – A tribute to Jason Becker (2001)
- Bumblefoot – 9.11 (2001)
- Plug In (2001) (Unreleased)
- Mister Kite – All in Time (2002)
- Locomotive Breath – Heavy Machinery (2002)
- Soilwork – Natural Born Chaos (2002) song – No More Angels
- Johan Randen – Lead Guitar (2002)
- Audiovision – The Calling (2005)
- United – DVD (2005)
- Petrus – Come What Might (2005)
- Martin Motnik with Gregg Bissonette – Bass Invader (2005) songs – YYZ and Bee on Speed
- Artists for Charity – Guitarists 4 the Kids (2006) song – Zoo Me[6]
- Art Metal – Art Metal (2007)
- Chris Catena – Discovery (2009)
- Destrage – Jade's Place (2010)
- Stephan Forte – The Shadows Compendium – Song – De Praestigiis Daemonum (2012)
- Panzerballet – Tank Goodness – Song – The Ikea Trauma (2012)
- Art Metal – Jazz Raj (2014)
Instruction Videos:
- Freak Guitar Vol 1 (1995) (VHS)
- Hyper Freak Exercise (1999) (Audio CD)
- Hyper Freak Exercise DVD (2001) (DVD)
- Super Virtuosity DVD (2004) (DVD)
References
- ↑ http://www.ratsit.se/BC/ReportSmall.aspx?ID=kfi7YqXLiDGVv_syyvfdP6dDyVVLiM8CG-wG4KOeqLI
- ↑ Tolis Zavaliaris,'The Freak Show,' Guitar Techniques (June 2007), p82
- ↑ "Mattias IA Eklundh Interview". Guitarhoo!. Guitarhoo.com. 3 June 2005. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ↑ Tolis Zavaliaris, 'The Freak Show,' Guitar Techniques (June 2007), p82
- ↑ Tolis Zavaliaris, 'The Freak Show', Guitar Techniques (June 2007), p82
- 1 2 "Slang Productions – Guitarists 4 the Kids". Slang Productions. 11 September 2006. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ↑ Gricourt, Nicolas (20 September 2014). "Grilling Mattias « IA » Eklundh (Freak Kitchen)". Radiometal.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
External links
- Mattias' Website
- Mattias' Facebook
- Mattias' Bio at Favored Nations
- Official MySpace
- Freak Kitchen among Anders Nyberg' CD covers