SEPTEMBER 2016 "SOUR GRAPES" AVAILABLE NOW IN THE WEBSTORE
What are you waiting for?
Order now.
JULY 2016 NEW ALBUM "SOUR GRAPES" OUT NEXT MONTH
Official Press Release
One of Sweden’s legacy melodic rock acts
HOUSE OF SHAKIRA are ready to deliver the best serving of Sour Grapes you’ve
ever been fed.
Keeping the momentum going since lead singer Andreas Novak
joined the band, Sour Grapes is the band’s third since Andreas’ 2012 debut. And
as like the last album, the band has taken things to the next level, with more
harmonies, more chorus hooks and more layers of everything….including for the
very first time – keyboards!
Says frontman Andreas Novak: "A witty
bio-update would be nice...just really can't figure out what...it’s the same
line-up...Feel free to improvise on that one, Andrew - it doesn't even have to
be true, just as long as it's good."
Label CEO Andrew McNeice:
"Following Andreas’ instructions, I’d like to claim that owning Sour Grapes will
improve your standing with the opposite sex; it will cure you of any hangover;
playing it loud to your neighbors will indeed boost your reputation as the
coolest person in the street and best of all, buying a CD will infinitely
increase the riches of the band and the record label, allowing us all to retire
that little bit sooner to the tropical island we have put a deposit on.”
House Of Shakira are a Swedish rock formed by guitarists Mats Hallstensson
and Anders Lundström that started out in Stockholm around 1991 under the moniker
The Station. The mid 1990's saw the band change their name to House of Shakira,
named after a London bordello.
In their 25 year history the band has
released seven previous studio albums, all of which have left their mark, making
the band one of Sweden's best known musical exports as well as hometown heroes.
Their famed debut album "Lint" remains a genre classic.
The House Of
Shakira line-up of Mats Hallstensson (guitars), Anders Lundström (guitars),
Andreas Novak (vocals) and the blistering rhythm section of Basse Blyberg (bass)
and Martin Larsson (drums) locked themselves away in the studio, in what’s
become a ritual designed to produce more glorious Scandinavian melodies.
Following the albums “House Of Shakira" and "Pay To Play"; the brilliant new
“Sour Grapes” will be released worldwide via MelodicRock Records/Cargo
Records on CD August 26 and via digital outlets two weeks later
on September 9.
And we are excited to debut the first brand new 2016 song for HoS right
now. Here's 'Trial By Fire'!
October 2014
MELODICROCK FEST 4 THANK YOU
MRF4 ChicagoFestival was great and
we got a lot of cred for our performance. We had a fantastic time and it was a
delight to play for some of our American fans. We hope to see you again
soon. In the meantime some fan comments are below.
"House Of Shakira are not the same anymore - they're better than ever. New
singer Anders Novak fits perfectly to the new sound of HoS that were just
awesome. Great show of another Sweden-Gang: There must be something in the
water..."
"Usually it's pretty easy to pick "the" performance of the fest, but not this
time. Johnny Lima, Paul Laine, Grand Design, Heaven's Edge, House Of Shakira and
H.E.A.T were all unbelievable"
Mats, Andreas, Blasse and Martin meet
MelodicRock head Andrew McNiece at MRF4.
"House of Shakira - the band I was looking forward to most. If I had my
druthers, I would have like to hear a few from Lint and On The Verge, but I
recognize that was a prior lineup. In Your Head was a pleasant surprise."
And finally some fan footage...
August 2014 LIMITED EDITION
LIVE EP COMING 19 SEPTEMBER
House of Shakira and MelodicRock Records
are releasing a very Limited Edition EP from the band - "Paid
To Play Live" on September 19.
The 9 track
extended EP, or "Official Bootleg" was Recorded live at the “Pay To
Play” album release party at O-baren, Stockholm, Sweden, September 23,
2013.
The 7 track set is included in full on the EP. It was pro-recorded and
features the songs:
1 Bending The Law
2 Pay To Play
3 When The Cat’s Away
4 All You Want
5 Give Me More
6 Dopamine Junkie
7 Draw The Line
In addition, there were two additional songs not included on the "Pay
To Play" album, which are now included here as bonus tracks:
The EP is
$10 + $5 shipping worldwide. Just like all regular MRR releases, the EP
comes with full artwork, jewel case and is shrink wrapped. Because of
the low pressing number, the disc is a pro-duplicated CDR w/full color
disc art.
The EP will
be launched at MelodicRockFest 4 in
Chicago, where House Of Shakira are
scheduled to play on Saturday October 4. Tickets at: www.melodicrockfest.com
STRICTLY LIMITED TO 200 UNITS - FIRST IN FIRST SERVED.
June 2014
NEW GIG
ANNOUNCED
Our
assault of Stockholm continues on 16 July at the Black Carpet.
Check www.blackcarpetstockholm.se
for full details.
May 2014
HOS TO
ROCK PUB ANCHOR We
are delighted to say we will once again be playing the finest rock bar
in Stockholm, the always awesome Pub Anchor on 12 June 2014.
Be there, its as simple as that.
REHEARSALS STILL
ONGOING Such
is the dedication to making our upcoming gigs this year the best we can
deliver we are still deeply ensconced in the rehearsal room.
^ RAWWWKKKKK!!!!!
^ Anders doing his finest Nigel Tufnel impression.
March 2014
In case you don't follow us on the book of face (if
so why not?) then here's an overview of what's been happening so far in
2014.
REHEARSALS IN PROGRESS
We have just started live rehearsals for live dates in 2014.
If you
are in the vicinity of Stockholm, Sweden in July this year, you don't
wanna miss this festival!
So book now! Along with bunch of other great bands, we'll promise you a
vacation you'll never forget!!
"PAY TO
PLAY" REVIEWS STILL COMING IN...
Rocktopia posted a new and very nice review for
"Pay to Play"!
By Carl Buxton "An album House Of Shakira can be proud of."
"The title track has a double meaning with their veiled tongue-in-cheek
attack on the current music business where bands have to buy onto tours
or gigs..."
The
legendary Janne Stark (THE walking encyclopaedia of Swedish rock and
metal) reviewed PTP on his blog page
"All in all this actually turns out to be one of
the strongest HoS albums to date, in my opinion. A perfect mix of
melody and riffing, a great crispy mix, performed with excellence."
USA,
WE WILL BE IN YOU IN 2014!
We are delighted to announce that we will be playing at Melodic
Rock Fest 4 in Chicago on 4 October 2014. Keep upto date with
latest band additions etc @ http://www.facebook.com/melodicrockfest
HOS
WILL ROCK VASBY ROCK FESTIVAL 2014
We are also delighted to announce we will playing at Vasby Rock
Festival in 2014, full info/tickets etc @ http://www.vasbyrockfestival.se
INTERVIEWS
Andreas has the pleasure of discussing "Pay To
Play" with the delightful people at Rock United.com, read it all @ http://www.rockunited.com/hos_ptp.htm
October 2013
THIS
MONTH'S HAPPENINGS
What's been happening for HOS since the last update?
As the Autumn nights draw in and the temperatures begin to drop more
great reviews for "Pay To Play" continue to come in...
HOUSE OF SHAKIRA SIGN
TO BOOKING/MGMT COMPANY DOT MUSIC:
We are proud to announce a new deal with Booking
and management company DOT Music in Sweden Enquiries and bookings to: niclas@dotmusic.se
NEW
ALBUM "PAY TO PLAY" OUT THIS MONTH!
Our awesome new album "Pay To Play" is released on
23rd September via MelodicRock Records with a digital release to follow
2 weeks later on 7 October 2013.
"There is a call to action feeling of each
track. Most of the songs are upbeat and fun, and that makes you want to
bang your head and tap your foot. “Draw the Line” has very good riffs
and such an anthem-like sound with the combination of the members
singing the lyrics. “Dog Eat Dog” is another amazing track that makes
you instantly want to sing along. The riff catches your attention, and
then, the song continues to build to keep your appeal. The “hey, hey,
hey, hey” within the lyrics keep the buoyant sound alive by making you
want to thrust a fist into the air as you sing along. “Talk of the
Town” starts out with a higher pitch of voices singing, and there is an
initial riff that gets more and more intense as the song plays on. The
voices lose the higher pitch and the attitude of the song sets in. It
continues to give the album the attraction that has been expected by
this expert band. Overall, each song does the album justice. There is
not a song that doesn't disappoint the classic rock roots or the new
sounds you hear today. There is something enjoyable on this album for
everyone. The sound is right, the instruments provide the right amount
of balance, and the lyrics are amusing and fit well in combination.
This is definitely a recommended album." 8/10 ~ Jenn Carbaugh, Hard Rock Haven
www.hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/09/house-of-shakira-pay-to-play-cd-review
"House of Shakira are part of the Melodic Rock
scene since 1997. Their albums “Lint” and “III” were some of the best
Scandinavian Melodic Rock albums released in the late 1990's. Due to
some label- and line-up problems the band got out of step in the last
years, but with the new album the band finally picks up some courage.
“Pay To Play” can't keep up with the aforementioned albums, but with
good songs like “Bending The Law”, “Dog Eat Dog” or “Talk Of The Town”
the band is back on track again! Give HOS a second chance and give “Pay
To Play” a try… " Marco Spath,
AOR Heaven Newsletter.
"The recruitment of ex-Mind's Eye singer Andreas
Novak has been an inspired move for these Swedes. Pay To Pay is the
group's seventh album in total, their second with Novak. With songs
that mock industry injustice, peer plagiarism and the usual
relationship issues, it's a spirited, playful and irresistible romp."
8/10 ~ Dave Ling,
Classic Rock Magazine.
In addition on the release day we have a release
party booked. All are welcome.
PAY TO
PLAY RELEASE PARTY DETAILS
Date: Monday, 23 September 2013
Time: 19:00 in UTC+02
Location: Obaren, Stureplan, Stockholm, Sweden
Doors open: 19.00
Stage show: 21.30
Admission: No charge at the door!!!
Special release price for new album "Pay to Play" at event.
Also very special price for all other merchandise.
It's not yet 18 months since their critically
acclaimed House Of Shakira album "HoS" hit the market, but the band has
been working on a sequel ever since. It's about time to let the new
opus "Pay to Play" see the light of day. And MelodicRock Records is
going to be the label to deliver this new classic to the masses.
The upcoming seventh studio release marks the second CD with lead
singer Andreas Novak, and is accordingly their best album so far. The
band chose a small label, in order to maintain highest priority
throughout the process, instead of falling between the lines in the
hands of a bigger label.
Says frontman Andreas Novak: "MelodicRock Records is our
weapon of choice, whose enthusiasm we trust with our lives. I'm proud
to say this is by far the best release I've ever been involved in. This
album has been a true pleasure and walk in the park to compose, since
we're immune to pressure. It's all for the love of good music. Fame and
fortune should not be anybody's goal - then it becomes an obstacle
instead. We just wanna play."
March 2013
NEW
ALBUM IN THE WORKS
Ok it's been a while since the last update but we
can confirm we haven't been slacking off in that time, instead we've
been working on the next album which should see release in
2013. More details to come soon. In the meantime check out
some live action from last year.
September 2012
LIVE AT
LAST ON A LEGENDARY NIGHT!
House of Shakira got the honour of opening for
Legends - Voices of Rock (Steve Augeri, Bill Champlin, Fergie
Fredriksen) in Stockholm on 24 of August.
Venue Kägelbanan has a nice, cosy club feeling to it and the placed was
crammed with enthusiastic music lovers. The roof took off as the band
opened with "Brick Wall Falling" from their latest album "HoS". A
smiling, cheering crowd made it all an unforgettable gig. 30 minutes
and 8 songs later, House of Shakira left the stage on fire, for the
following headlining legends.
Some images from the night...
Anders about to bribe Steve Augeri for Neal
Schon's guitar secrets.
Live and in yer face.
Andreas nailing mic stand pose #71
...before sliding effortlessly into mic stand pose
#134
You won't like Basse when's he's angry.
Mr Larsson is there on drums in the sea of red
light.
Andreas finding time to admire Kägelbanan's fine
interior architecture.
Sammy Hagar might think there's only one way to
rock, here HOS give you three.
Mats showing off his custom guitar.
Vocal harmonies? Yep we got 'em.
Mats remembering the need for a stomp box change.
Quasi devil horns at a HOS gig? cool :)
"Fall to your knees and repent if you please".
The home stretch...
August 2012
LIVE
DATE CONFIRMED
Its been a long time coming but we are pleased to
announce a new live date.
House of Shakira will proudly open for Legends -
Voices of Rock on August 24 in Stockholm, along with three other
Swedish rock bands. You don't wanna miss it!
UNRELEASED TRACK
FEATURED ON MELODICROCK.COM COMPILATION
We are pleased to have contributed the unused track
from the "HoS" sessions to the new melodicrock.com MRCD9 compilation
"15 Years Later".
Like what you hear? Head over the store and put a copy in your shopping
cart.
May 2012
CARRY MY
LOAD PROMO VIDEO
Second of three promo videos over the coming weeks
is now available, share at will.
ANDREAS
NOVAK INTERVIEW ON METAL MESSIAH RADIO
Andreas spoke to DJ Syn of Metal Messah Radio all
about his entry to the band, not to mention a few words on the new
album and his desire to support Van Halen. Here it in its
entirety at
http://djsyn2.podomatic.com/entry/2012-03-17T13_14_48-07_00
ZODIAC
MANIAC PROMO VIDEO
The first of three promo videos over the next three
months is unveiled.
Enjoy and please spread!
April 2012
PROMO
VIDEOS IN THE WORKS
The past weekend (14-15 April) has seen us shoot 3
promo videos for tracks from the current "HoS" album. The
first will be ready for unveiling in a few weeks time but until then
we'll keep you guessing on what tracks are getting the treatment.
Andreas prepares his "moves" for shooting.
Mats felt that 1 amp and guitar wasn't quite "Tap"
enough.
Anders also felt the need to go a little "Tufnel".
Rabbit caught in the headlights impression? Check.
Andreas prepares for the money shot!
Drummers.... what can you say?
GREAT
REVIEWS CONTINUE TO COME IN
Like this one from the world famous journalist Janne Stark
On the 26th of January 2012, House of Shakira threw a release party to
celebrate their new album "HoS". The album has received stunning
reviews and the band proved why, as hundreds of old and new fans showed
up and supported them at Pub Anchor in Stockholm, Sweden.
We performed the majority of the album live, and
the CD was sold at very special price. Also previous members showed up
and shared the evening, such as Andreas Eklund, Per Schelander Tony
Andersson, Bernt Ek and Michael "Zifa" Ericson. The band enjoyed
signing the CD, talking to the guests and actually had a beer or two…
Andreas Novak comments, “It was a pleasure to meet and greet
new and old fans, especially to talk to some of the guys that was in
the band way before me. Trying out the new tracks live, in front of an
enthusiastic crowd was a real kick, thanks everybody that showed up!”.
Mats Hallstensson added, “We were a bit nervous of how people
would react on the “new HoS” but everything went fine and it was a
great evening. It was very fun playing with the newcomers, I really
enjoyed myself."
January 2012
RELEASE PARTY REPORT
A big thanks to everyone that showed up at the
release party last night!! We had a blast and hope that everybody
enjoyed it. The new album is now out, see you out there in a near
future.
NEW
ALBUM 'HOS' NOW ON ITUNES & CDBABY
The
digital version of the new album is now available on all leading
digital platforms.
NEW
WEBSITE UNVEILED AND NEW ALBUM RELEASE PARTY!
Welcome to the new House of Shakira website. Most of the
basics are present and more features will be added over the course of
time. If there is anything you want to see that's missing
fire us an email.
NEW
ALBUM RELEASED 27-01-2012
Yes the wait is over. Our new album featuring new members
Andreas Novak, Basse Blyberg and Martin Larsson sees release on 27
January 2012 via Lion Music. We are delighted with the
results and superb press is coming all the time.
INTERVIEWS + PRESS Look
out for interviews in Sweden Rock magazine, Rock It magazine (Germany),
Rock Tribune (Benelux), Fireworks (UK) and many more
webzines.
Some excerpts from leading
rock/metal webzines:
An
album that I am sure will make a few year end best of lists. Fans of
the band are in for a treat and if you have never tried this band
before, what are you waiting for?
www.getreadytorock.com
Hopefully it
won’t be forgotten when it comes time for websites and magazines to
make up their top ten releases of 2012 as it surely will be one of them.
www.hardrockhaven.net
It’s a “gotta
own album” if you are just like me; weak for melodic rock with a lot of
guitars, marvellous melodies, clean high male vocals and perfect
production. www.powerofmetal.dk
This the sound
of a band revitalised and perhaps with a point to prove in 2012. Fans
of honest hard rock with a strong dose of melody are well advised to
check this out pronto. A contender for melodic rock album of the year
already.
www.virtuosityone.com
HoS is a
welcome return to form for House of Shakira. Here's a strong and
diverse album of edgier melodic hard rock from a fine band. Recommended. www.dangerdog.com
Sour Grapes MelodicRock
Records
26 August 2016 (CD)
