MANDO DIAO…Interview. They Came, to Stay Forever!
NOVA ROCK FESTIVAL 2022- Pannonia Fields II, Nickelsdorf, Austria.
This song from the first album of MANDO DIAO ΄΄Bring ‘Em In΄΄, reached # 37 in the Swedish charts, from then until today, the group has many fans all over Europe, releasing many amazing songs!
That day, 19 years ago, we will say that there was a starting point on the occasion of the song ΄΄ Mr. Moon΄΄, to love the alternative rock band from Sweden with the name MANDO DIAO, witch was ΄΄born΄΄ in the year 1999, in the industrial city, of Borlänge, Dalarna County!
MANDO DIAO until to date, has released 10 remarkable studio albums which have sold millions of copies worldwide!
They have appeared as protagonists, in more than 1500 live and in over 30 countries!
Members of the band are Björn Dixgård on vocals and guitar, on bass Carl-Johan Fogelklou, Jens Siverstedt on guitar, Daniel Haglund on keyboards and Patrik Heinkipieti on drums!
It is worth noting that MANDO DIAO mainly from their live appearances have gained many fans in Greece, but the main base of their fans is in Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Japan and of course Austria!
In 2022, starting on March 30, MANDO DIAO, start a new big tour in Europe, with concerts that will give in Norway, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain, Finland and the Netherlands!
Athenscalling.gr team and some of our friends from Greece, who will travel in Austria this summer , will have the opportunity to enjoy MANDO DIAO this summer, live on Saturday June 11/ 2022,in one of the largest festival in Europe, the amazing NOVA ROCK FESTIVAL 2022, in the Pannonia Fields area of Nickelsdorf, which takes place from 09-12 / 06/2022 this year, features the most important names of the rock scene such as MUSE, FOO FIGHTERS, SKILLET, VOLBEAT, KORN, MANESKIN, THE OFFSPRING, , DISTILLERS, KORN, RISE AGAINST , IN FLAMES, EVANESCENCE, THE PRETTY RECKLESS, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, BAD RELIGION, TURBOBIER, WIZO, QUERBEAT,TRETTMAN, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNC, BILLY TALENT, AIRBOURNE, , STEEL PANTHER, , SEILER & SPEER,FIRE FROM THE GODS,WIZO,KRAFTKLUB,HEILUNG, , HADDAWAY & DR.ALBAN and many more…!
For more information and everything related about NOVA ROCK FESTIVAL 2022, visit the NOVA ROCK FESTIVAL website https://www.novarock.at/en/
Athenscalling.gr a few days ago MANDO DIAO live tour 2022, had a very interesting chat, with the front man of the band… Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård.
Athenscalling.gr: Hi my friends it is an amazing moment for us chatting you! Welcome in Athenscalling.gr webzine of culture.
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): Thanks!
Athenscalling.gr: And after the difficult first pandemic days of Corona, look I believe that something new is born for all the people and I hope everything goes well, with the COV-19… that destroyed our lives.What is your opinion about it?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): It has made people be creative in a new way. This is good. We have had time to record and have made things we never otherwise would have and that is so great to feel like something good has come of it. I think people also realized how important music, culture is for our wellbeing and miss it and are excited to get it back!
Athenscalling.gr: Well and how you feel where you will once again come in contact with the world, with your live performances of the goop?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): We are very excited. We miss the audience, the excitement and the party atmosphere. We are a live band mostly and it is important to us to play live.
Athenscalling.gr: Tell me please, how catastrophic, is the pandemic days for the music world and for MANDO DIAO?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): Well it’s really tough for the up-and-coming bands because they got lost with no chance to meet an audience but like I said it also has created new opportunities and people have been forced to think new and that is always exciting to see what people come up with.
Athenscalling.gr: Let’s talk now about your new album, I Solnedgången. I think that it is a great album, also my opinion is that the album, maybe is a new day of sound for MANDO DIAO… ?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): Thanks. We went in and tried to record old-school. Just one mic in the room. It’s all live you know. Like Elvis did in the early days, move the mic around to get a good balance and just go for it. The Swedish music is a little different from our English music but that may have to do with the lyrics and the melancholy of Swedish tradition. Not sure. There are videos of us playing outside and it’s the same thing. Just a few mics, simple recording but you capture the real sound.
Athenscalling.gr: Tell us about the lyrics and the music of all the album songs?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): We to start with some of the lyrics are from famous Swedish poets, Gustaf Fröding, Nils Ferlin and Karin Boye. Some others are written by my parents. I think if people want to learn more of those lyrics they should look up the poet because they all had their own reasons for writing. Here are a few…
Själens skrubbår is about – it was written as a tango. Ita about all the things we carry around inside, the scars on our soul.
Långsamt – is about taking time refect, take notice of things that are important to you.
Sparven is about power and greed and how even simple creatures have the right to exist as much as anyone else.
Stigen. The importance and recognition of how important childhood is for us and how it forms us on our walk through life.
Athenscalling.gr: I like very much the song titled ΄΄Sorgen΄΄. Tell us about it?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): Nice! It was written by Jens. He says it’s a observation of the hard times in life. All the things we go through and carry with us throughout our lives.
Athenscalling.gr: Lets travel now in the past and my question is about the name of the band… MANDO DIAO and who was the Godfather of the name?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): It came to me in a dream! I just woke up a said the band should be Mando Diao.
Athenscalling.gr: Your music it is very interesting! But it is very difficult for me to give a name of your music genres. So how we characterize it?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): Labels are hard because it puts you in a box. We have been very lucky to have been able to be creative, go our own way, follow what inspires us. We are chameleons. We have always liked a variety of music and it shows maybe in how we write. That’s what is so fun we don’t limit ourselves.
Athenscalling.gr: And about other Singers or Bands who are they your best?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO):Oh. Janis Joplin was a huge inspiration. It changes all the time. One day it’s “the Band” the next it is Dj Koze. There are bands in Sweden but one of the cool things is traveling and hearing Austrian bands, Germany bands, Spanish bands or Greek bands!
Athenscalling.gr: In the year 2021, MANDO DIAO and the single ΄΄Vi Lever Nu΄΄. Tell us about it.
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): That was a song that was used in a commercial. There was a young lady who did a cover and that was really nice too. We were happy to get the opportunity to be part of the campaign.
Athenscalling.gr: Now let’s talk about your tour days in the year 2022. Where it starts and when it ends?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): It’s a crazy year. We have the Swedish tour that has been moved then the summer festivals, some big shows in Sweden with the Sounds and the Hives, then a big performance run with the Malmö Symphony orchestra. We have new music coming out in Swedish and English, and exciting things coming!
Athenscalling.gr: Well we will have the opportunity, with Athenscalling.gr team to enjoy your live MANDO DIAO band on stage Sat. 11 June 2022 at the NOVA ROCK festival in Pannonia Fields II, Nickelsdorf, Austria. So tell us what do you have to say about NOVA ROCK FESTIVAL?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): We love Nova Rock. We have been here many times and it is always a lot of fun. The audience is great and the people running it we have worked with so much it are like a family. Austria is fun. We look forward to seeing you there!
Athenscalling.gr: Give your message please for the fans, of the NOVA ROCK FESTIVAL
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): See you all there and let’s have a fun party together!
Athenscalling.gr: Just before the end of the interview let’s travel south. What do you know about my country, Greece?
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): We have been there a few times and played in Athens and Thessaloniki. We have a lot of fun and when we went out after the show to a club there was a traditional Greek band playing and then they played Dance with somebody on a bouzouki!
Athenscalling.gr: Thank you and all the best for the great band MANDO DIAO and remember that … MANDO DIAO, have come to stay forever!
Björn Hans-Erik Dixgård (MANDO DIAO): Thanks!
A Special notice: Photo by Gustaf Elias
