Beardfish (band)
{{Short description|Swedish progressive rock band}}
{{better sources needed|date=December 2024}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Beardfish
| image = Beardfish, We Låve Rock 2024 - 53794853051.jpg
| landscape = yes
| caption = Beardfish performing at We Låve Rock 2024
| alias =
| origin = Sweden
| instrument =
| genre = Progressive rock, progressive metal
| occupation =
| years_active = 2001–2016, 2023–present
| label = InsideOut Music
| associated_acts =
| website = {{URL|http://beardfishband.com/}}
| current_members = Rikard Sjöblom
David Zackrisson
Magnus Östgren
Robert Hansen
| past_members = Gabriel Olsson
Petter Diamant
Stefan Aronsson
}}
Beardfish are a Swedish progressive rock band formed in 2001. Their style resembles progressive rock bands from the 1970s, such as Yes and Genesis. The band's most prolific line-up consisted of founding members vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Rikard Sjöblom and guitarist David Zackrisson, along with longtime drummer Magnus Östgren and bassist Robert Hansen; who joined the band in 2001 and 2002 respectively; this line-up existed from 2003 (following the departure of keyboardist/guitarist Stefan Aronsson) until the band's dissolution in 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.beardfishband.com|title=Beardfish|publisher=}}
History
The initial lineup of Beardfish consisted of frontman Rikard Sjöblom, guitarist David Zackrisson, bassist Gabriel Olsson, and drummer Petter Diamant. Before the end of 2001, Diamant had been replaced by Magnus Östgren, and early in 2002 the band's lineup was augmented by keyboardist Stefan Aronsson. Later that year, Olsson was replaced by Robert Hansen, and it was this lineup that recorded the band's debut album, Från En Plats Du Ej Kan Se, in 2003. Following the release of the album, Aronsson left the band, leaving Beardfish with the four-man lineup which existed for the rest of the duration of the band's existence.{{cite web|url=http://www.beardfishband.com/biography/|title=Biography|work=BEARDFISHBAND.COM|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613045218/http://www.beardfishband.com/biography/|archivedate=2013-06-13}}
Following the release of the band's second album, The Sane Day, in 2006, the band were signed by InsideOut Music, and also performed their first concert in the US at the legendary Progday festival in North Carolina. Beardfish have remained on InsideOut ever since, releasing six more albums to date, the latest of which was 2015's +4626-COMFORTZONE.{{cite web
| title = Beardfish: "Sleeping In Traffic: Part One"
| publisher = InsideOut Music
| url = http://www.insideout.de/catalog/images/BeardfishSleepingenglisch.pdf
| accessdate = 2008-12-12
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110102033805/http://www.insideout.de/catalog/images/BeardfishSleepingenglisch.pdf
| archive-date = 2011-01-02
| url-status = dead
| title = Beardfish: "Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two"
| publisher = InsideOut Music
| url = http://www.insideout.de/catalog/popup_bio.php?pID=608&osCsid=d036f5de8dd3e2906853b200903f95d4
| accessdate = 2008-12-12
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081120105710/http://www.insideout.de/catalog/popup_bio.php?pID=608&osCsid=8b2ad813e433faf78c756b37aa163e18
| archivedate = 20 November 2008
| url-status = dead
In 2008, Beardfish toured with fellow progressive rock band The Tangent.{{cite web|url=http://www.beardfishband.com/category/tour_diary/2008-tour-ritual-thetangent/|title=2008 Tour diary w RITUAL and THE TANGENT — BEARDFISHBAND.COM|work=BEARDFISHBAND.COM|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140624024907/http://www.beardfishband.com/category/tour_diary/2008-tour-ritual-thetangent/|archivedate=2014-06-24}} The following year they were scheduled to tour North America during the summer as part of Progressive Nation, a tour organized by Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy; however, they were forced to withdraw from this event after InsideOut lost funding because its distributor, SPV, declared bankruptcy.{{cite web |author=Mark Bredius |url=http://www.dreamtheater.net/news_dreamtheater.php#pnlineup |title=The Official Site |publisher=Dream Theater |accessdate=2011-04-05 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414204149/http://www.dreamtheater.net/news_dreamtheater.php#pnlineup |archivedate=14 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}
In September 2012, Beardfish were the opening act for all European dates of the band Flying Colors, and in May 2013, were one of the opening acts (along with Sound of Contact) for all European dates of the band Spock's Beard.{{cite web|url=http://www.beardfishband.com/2012/09/be-sure-to-check-our-tour-diary-as-we-travel-throughout-europe-with-flying-colors/|title=Be sure to check our tour diary as we travel throughout Europe with Flying Colors|work=BEARDFISHBAND.COM|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821053338/http://www.beardfishband.com/2012/09/be-sure-to-check-our-tour-diary-as-we-travel-throughout-europe-with-flying-colors/|archivedate=2013-08-21}} The band followed this up by touring with Sound of Contact in support of Spock's Beard during 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.beardfishband.com/2013/02/insideout-music-20th-anniversary-presents-spocks-beard-on-tour-with-support-from-beardfish-and-sound-of-contact/|title=InsideOut Music 20th Anniversary Presents Spock's Beard on tour with support from Beardfish and Sound of Contact|work=BEARDFISHBAND.COM|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821053353/http://www.beardfishband.com/2013/02/insideout-music-20th-anniversary-presents-spocks-beard-on-tour-with-support-from-beardfish-and-sound-of-contact/|archivedate=2013-08-21}} In 2014 the band commenced work on their eighth studio album,{{cite web|url=http://www.beardfishband.com/2013/11/beardfish-talk-about-their-upcoming-record-b-sides-compilation-and-being-stereotypically-progressive/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140615155405/http://www.beardfishband.com/2013/11/beardfish-talk-about-their-upcoming-record-b-sides-compilation-and-being-stereotypically-progressive/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-06-15|title=BEARDFISH Talk About Their Upcoming Record, B-Sides Compilation And Being Stereotypically Progressive|work=BEARDFISHBAND.COM}} with Sjöblom also joining the band Big Big Train in the capacity of touring guitarist.{{cite web|url=http://www.beardfishband.com/2014/01/big-big-train-recruit-beardfishs-sjoblom/|title=Big Big Train Recruit Beardfish's Sjoblom|work=BEARDFISHBAND.COM|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20140415032029/http://www.beardfishband.com/2014/01/big-big-train-recruit-beardfishs-sjoblom/|archivedate=2014-04-15}} In October it was announced that Sjöblom would remain with Big Big Train in an official capacity.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/bigbigtrain/|title=Log into Facebook - Facebook|work=Facebook}} The following month Beardfish announced the completion of their eighth studio album, entitled *+4626-COMFORTZONE (+46 is the international telephone country code for Sweden, (0)26 is the area code for Gävle/Sandviken, where the band comes from), scheduled for release in January 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.beardfishband.com/2014/11/11/beardfish-announce-release-of-new-album-4626-comfortzone/|title=Beardfish announce release of new album '+4626-COMFORTZONE'|work=BEARDFISHBAND.COM|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224093220/http://www.beardfishband.com/2014/11/11/beardfish-announce-release-of-new-album-4626-comfortzone/|archivedate=2014-12-24}} For the tour dates commencing in early 2015 the band extended their touring line-up with the addition of keyboardist Martin Borgh.{{cite web|url=http://echoesanddust.com/2015/02/interview-rikard-sjoblom-from-beardfish/|title=Interview: Rikard Sjöblom from Beardfish|work=echoesanddust.com|date=4 February 2015 }}
In July 2016, the band announced they had broken up.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/beardfish/photos/a.86598215666.93884.86548410666/10153662223970667/?type=3|title=BAND STATEMENT|work=facebook.com}}
In September 2023, the Asker Culture House of Asker, Norway announced in a Facebook post that Beardfish would be playing on a bill with The Chronicles of Father Robin at the We Låve Rock Festival, taking place in May 2024. This would be the first time the band performed since 2015. At the time, it was unclear whether band had reformed, or if it was simply a reunion show. In November 2023, an official Beardfish account was created on Instagram. On 15 December 2023 it was officially announced by the Sounds Fair organisation that Beardfish were booked to play at the Gefle Skivmässa (a record fair plus live concerts) in their hometown of Gävle, in May 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=656431256697005&set=a.477089424631190|title=STATEMENT|work=facebook.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gefleskivmassa.se/|title=Gefle Skivmässa website|work=gefleskivmassa.se}} Over the course of the next few months, the band shared roughly a dozen different videos from studio sessions which seemed to suggest a new album was in the works. Over this same period, the band (also via Instagram) also shared the dates of a few other live performances. Finally, in an April 2024 Instagram post, the band confirmed a new album was on the way and that it was, "starting to take shape." 4 May 2024 saw the official reunion gig at the Gefle Skivmässa.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=739292525077544&set=gm.749734437315183&idorvanity=663344759287485|work=facebook.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gefleskivmassa.se/|title=Gefle Skivmässa website|work=gefleskivmassa.se}} Later that month, on 17 May 2024, the band revealed that they had re-signed to InsideOut Music, and announced a reissue and vinyl run of their 2009 album Destined Solitaire for its 15th anniversary.{{Cite web |last=Ewing |first=Jerry |date=2024-05-17 |title=Beardfish re-sign to InsideOut Music and will reissue fifth album Destined Solitaire |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/beardfish-re-sign-to-insideout-music-and-will-reissue-fifth-album-destined-solitaire |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Louder Sound |language=en}} On 30 August 2024, they released their first song since reuniting, entitled "In the Autumn", and announced that their next album, entitled Songs for Beating Hearts, would be released on 1 November 2024 on InsideOut Music. The single features guest vocalist Amanda Örtenhag, and was accompanied by a music video.{{Cite web |last=Ewing |first=Jerry |date=2024-08-30 |title=Beardfish share first new music since reuniting. Listen to In The Autumn here... |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/breardfish-share-first-new-music-since-reuniting-listen-to-in-the-autumn-here |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Louder Sound |language=en}}
Members
File:Beardfish, We Låve Rock 2024 - 53793908897.jpg|Sjöblom
File:Beardfish, We Låve Rock 2024 - 53794853116.jpg|Zackrisson
File:Beardfish, We Låve Rock 2024 - 53793908942.jpg|Östgren
File:Beardfish, We Låve Rock 2024 - 53795072368.jpg|Hansen
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Current members
- Rikard Sjöblom- lead vocals, keyboards, guitars (2001–2016, 2023–present)
- David Zackrisson - guitars, backing vocals (2001–2016, 2023–present)
- Magnus Östgren - drums (2001–2016, 2023–present)
- Robert Hansen - bass, backing vocals (2002–2016, 2023–present)
{{col-2}}
;Early members
- Gabriel Olsson - bass (2001-2002)
- Petter Diamant - drums (2001)
- Stefan Aronsson - keyboards, guitars, flute (2002-2003)
;Touring musicians
- Martin Borgh - keyboards (2015)
{{col-end}}
=Lineups=
| class="toccolours" border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 style="float: width: 375px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;" width=99% |
| bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=20% | 2001
! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=20% | 2001 – 2002 ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=20% | 2002 ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=20% | 2002 – 2003 ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=20% | 2003 – 2016, 2023 – present |
|---|
valign=top |
| valign=top |
| valign=top |
| valign=top |
| valign=top |
|
=Timeline=
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
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Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/2001 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}}
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:2001
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:2001
Colors =
id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals
id:Flute value:tan2 legend:Flute
id:Guitars value:green legend:Guitars
id:Keyboards value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:Lines value:black legend:Albums
LineData =
at:01/01/2003 color:Lines layer:back
at:10/23/2005 color:Lines layer:back
at:05/21/2007 color:Lines layer:back
at:05/20/2008 color:Lines layer:back
at:07/24/2009 color:Lines layer:back
at:03/25/2011 color:Lines layer:back
at:08/24/2012 color:Lines layer:back
at:12/01/2015 color:Lines layer:back
at:11/01/2024 color:Lines layer:back
BarData =
bar:Sjöblom text:"Rikard Sjöblom"
bar:Zackrisson text:"David Zackrisson"
bar:Olsson text:"Gabriel Olsson"
bar:Hansen text:"Robert Hansen"
bar:Diamant text:"Petter Diamant"
bar:Östgren text:"Magnus Östgren"
bar:Aronsson text:"Stefan Aronsson"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Sjöblom from:01/01/2001 till:07/11/2016 color:Vocals
bar:Sjöblom from:01/01/2001 till:07/11/2016 color:Keyboards width:7
bar:Sjöblom from:01/01/2001 till:07/11/2016 color:Guitars width:3
bar:Zackrisson from:01/01/2001 till:07/11/2016 color:Guitars
bar:Sjöblom from:09/15/2023 till:end color:Vocals
bar:Sjöblom from:09/15/2023 till:end color:Keyboards width:7
bar:Sjöblom from:09/15/2023 till:end color:Guitars width:3
bar:Zackrisson from:09/15/2023 till:end color:Guitars
bar:Olsson from:01/01/2001 till:07/01/2002 color:Bass
bar:Hansen from:07/01/2002 till:07/11/2016 color:Bass
bar:Hansen from:09/15/2023 till:end color:Bass
bar:Diamant from:01/01/2001 till:07/01/2001 color:Drums
bar:Östgren from:07/01/2001 till:07/11/2016 color:Drums
bar:Östgren from:09/15/2023 till:end color:Drums
bar:Aronsson from:01/01/2002 till:07/01/2003 color:Keyboards
bar:Aronsson from:01/01/2002 till:07/01/2003 color:Guitars width:7
bar:Aronsson from:01/01/2002 till:07/01/2003 color:Flute width:3
}}
Discography
- Från en plats du ej kan se... (2003)
- The Sane Day (2005)
- Sleeping in Traffic: Part One (2007)
- Sleeping in Traffic: Part Two (2008)
- Destined Solitaire (2009)
- Mammoth (2011)
- The Void (2012)
- +4626-COMFORTZONE (2015)
- Songs for Beating Hearts (2024)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.prog-sphere.com/2010/06/07/rikards-questions-in-an-infinite-universe/ 2010 interview with Rikard Sjöblom on Prog Sphere] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830005845/http://www.prog-sphere.com/2010/06/07/rikards-questions-in-an-infinite-universe/ |date=30 August 2010 }}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Swedish progressive rock groups
Category:Musical groups established in 2001