The working title for the next album is "Bringing Down the Sky", which is a line from one of the songs. No final decision made regarding which songs will be on the album as yet, though five or six of about twenty or so seem pretty much on the safe side. Release date? No promises, but hopefully some time in October.

I'll keep you updated. Cheers!

Old Lost John is going to the UK! These are the dates:

22 May - Tudor House, Wigan

23 May - The Orange Tree, Nottingham

24 May - The Grapes, Sheffield

26 May - The Sheepwalk, London (supporting DADDY)

27 May - The Green Note, London (supporting David Olney)

30 May - Stag's Head, London (supporting Southern Tenant Folk Union)

Check the Gigs page for more details!

Cheers,

Tomas

The link is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Lost-John/255462416082

Hope to see you all there, cheers!

Tomas

In the meantime, check out the new video for Come Saturday, made by my friend Joel Nevrup, by clicking on 'Video' in the navigation bar above!

Stay humble, and best wishes for 2010!
Tomas of Old Lost John

A UK tour is scheduled for May, most dates already in place, and new songs are continuously written, waiting to be recorded. Some video works are also waiting in the wings. Well, as most anyone, I'm rather busy at this time of year, but I'll update you further as we enter 2010!

Take care and stay humble!

Tomas

"Swedish folk noir that manages to sound fresh and new

Swedish, moody, and wrapped up in that American folk-noir vibe seemingly de rigueur in his homeland, Tomas Thunberg AKA Old Lost John however has an altogether wider sphere of influence on which he draws for his work. Alongside the obvious nods to the roots tradition there are elements of the carnival-esque roguishness of Waits mixed with winsome orchestrated, down-played grandness of, say, a stripped down Willard Grant Conspiracy. It all adds up to an excellent album of strong, absorbing songwriting and simplistic yet novel musical accompaniment.

Introspective tales of love lost, gone but not forgotten, is the order of the day here all supported tellingly by intermittent bursts of accompaniment from lone horns, waifish harmonies, or dark, distant mandolins. It makes for a wonderful un-hurried listen that gets even more appealing with repeated plays. Fellow ertwhistle Swede Thomas Denver Jonsson is on hand to keep stoking that lo-fi fire which, in these parts, is always most welcome. A noticeably different take on the traditional singer-songwriter approach so common place these days, Faceless is an altogether more intriguing proposition and a record well worth searching out."

Date review added:  Monday, October 05, 2009
Reviewer:  Del Day
Reviewers Rating: 8/10

http://www.americana-uk.com/auk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=4969

"Having released a handful of CD-R’s, Tomas Thunberg now graces our ears with his first official CD album, the beautiful and delicate “Faceless”, a collection of songs that are filled with a sadness and acceptance, not depressing but awash with wistfulness and wisdom. Opening track “Broken” finds the spirits of Towne Van Zandt and Leonard Cohen, walking across a desolate coastline, a mournful trombone adding gravity to the picked guitar phrases. On “Fairies and Fools”, a bowed saw and delicate backing vocals from Frida Astrand, create the perfect sonic landscape for the inherent sadness, some fine guitar fills completing the songs beauty.

More upbeat, “Come Saturday” has a sparkling guitar motif, simple and effective, the trombone again adding atmosphere, the lyrics not as cheerful as the bright tune would suggest. As with the rest of the tunes, the instrumentation on this song is pitched perfectly, allowing the listener to get lost within the small sketches and sad tales. After the graceful “In from the Cold”, complete with mandolin fills, things are slowed down for the droning “Tremble”, a pump organ and the sound of wine glasses used to devastating effect, an atmospheric delight that sounds better every time.

Consistent in its sound yet varied enough to hold the attention , this album maintains the quality throughout, with “Railway Car” reminding me of Iron and Wine with its hypnotic rhythm, whilst the bleakness of “Nothing Good” is an icy breath of surrender, lost love and memories, the line containing the word “elephant” bringing a surreal smile to your lips!

To close the album, the wyrdness of “Dagger Dagger” will make you listen, as memorable a song as I have heard this year, the eerie atmosphere drawing a veil of mist around your ears, sounding like Kevin Ayers at his most atmospheric.

Low-key and personal, this is fast becoming one of this year’s favourites, try it and see for yourself. (Simon Lewis)"

http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Reviews_October09.htm

OLD LOST JOHN Faceless CD - $15 (world wide, shipping included) So, get it now, and enjoy! Cheers, Tomas

Fans, friends, fairies and fools! The time has come to proudly present the new Old Lost John album! Launching my own label, Tight Grain Recordings, "Faceless" will in fact be my first properly manufactured album after a string of demos and limited CD-R releases.

At the core of it all is my voice and quiet fingerpicking, embellished by occassional other instruments in a purely acoustic setting. The album was recorded during late nights at my private home studio, and features inspired performances from a small cast of musicians. There are Göran Abelli's exquisite trombone fills, the eerie spells of Frida Åstrand's bowed saw, mandolin by Olof Jennfors and four various backup singers: Ida Gustafsson, Frida Ekerlund, Frida Åstrand and critically praised songwriter and fellow Swede Thomas Denver Jonsson. There's also a vast array of various acoustic instruments, like guitars, mandolin, mandola, melodeon, pump organ, tremelo harmonica and tin whistle, that I took care of myself.

The track list goes like this: 01 Broken, 02 Fairies And Fools, 03 Come Saturday, 04 In From The Cold, 05 Tremble, 06 She Won't Listen (remastered), 07 Railway Car (remastered), 08 Nothing Good, 09 And She Looked Down, 10 Dagger Dagger (remastered).

The album will have its full release on the 17th of September through CDBaby and their digital partners Itunes, Rhapsody, Napster etc. However, it will be exclusively available already to those attending my upcoming UK shows between September the 7th and 10th (see Calendar). The official release gig in my home town of Malmo, Sweden, will not take place until October the 7th, when hopefully all or most of the people performing on the album will be able to take part.

I'll get back to you with links and more detailed info about how to order the album when I'm back home again after my UK trip!

Stay humble! Cheers,

Tomas of Old Lost John