new SWEDEN Music

A couple of years ago, I used to manage a band called Parkwright. I remember when they played the Kennett Flash. It was a good turnout and a great bill. The Flash is a really nice venue... BYOB, right in the middle of historic Kennett Square, PA. The Flash actually won a WSTW Homey Award this year for "Best Venue."

Anyways, Parkwright played a great set, and so did Hippocampus, but if my memory serves me correctly also on the bill was a guy that went by the name "another fellow." I may stand corrected, but I do remember watching this guy's set and thinking to myself... now that's someone that "gets it." He had captivating showmanship, great stage presence and not to mention an awesome, folky voice. His songs and performance made me feel as if I had been swept away to some private party held by Saddle Creek, along a river bank, in the middle of Omaha, Nebraska. It was memorable... and when the set was over, I made sure to go up and grab the two CDs he was handing out. I told him he had a great performance, and that I was looking forward to seeing him play again soon. Then, I scurried off to my secluded, mad scientist laboratory to continue building and organizing Monster, which is what I've done for the past two-three years.

Well, another fellow continued on his course, and is now singing for a band that has made quite a bit of noise over the past year. New Sweden is what happens when you assemble passionate, talented musicians, and lock them in a room full of energetic, Americana-infused fairy dust. They play because they want to. It's lightning in a bottle, or on a stage, or in a parking lot under a sign with their name on it.



New Sweden was established in November 2009 along the unconquered banks of the Delaware River, a region commonly known as Wilmington, DE. The genesis s of New Sweden, and subsequent growth, stems from a combined interest to create powerful, heartfelt, and innovative tunes that capture the roots of American spirit and exploration. One can hear the influence of traditional Folk (Woody Guthrie, Burl Ives) combined with an explorative indie edge (The Avett Brothers, Bright Eyes) meshing together to form an emotional sonic slurry. In other words, grab a tambourine and staple it to an old wooden chest; throw some drifting viola over a droning pump organ; slam a bass line on top of a grinding guitar and banjo; New Sweden aggressively create their sound by whatever means possible in order to capture emotions of joy, sadness, anger, and confusion.

Citizens of the Mid-Atlantic region have been able to experience New Sweden throughout 2010 in bars, restaurants, opera houses, coffee shops, and riverbanks. A relentless and energetic live act, New Sweden has become a household name in the state of Delaware, gaining titles of Spark Summer Music Series and Out & About's Musikarmageddon.

Currently, the band is in the midst of recording their first full length album, due for release in Spring 2011. New Sweden’s collective eyes, ears, and other body parts are fixed on expanding the New Sweden territory in 2011 by playing Philly, New York, Boston, D.C., and any other spot that wants to hoedown. After all, live music and sharing emotions are truly what New Sweden is about. "Out to sea, the big wide sea, I wonder what we’ll see.” - NS

New Sweden is William Dobies- guitar, vocals, boots, handyman; Caroline Stratton- viola, pump organ, bells, nuclear fuel; Dan Weirauch- bass, vocals, noisemakers, oceanography; Jimmy Dukenfield- banjo, vocals, pump organ, guitar, mandolin, hipster; Zac Dukenfield- drums, wooden chest, xylophone, scrapper.



Congrats to Delaware! Joseph "Joey" Graham, Joe Biden, Sugar Ray Leonard, Freelance Whales front man-Judah Dadone, Revolution, I Love You, Monster Entertainment LLC and now "new SWEDEN" :)

I-M