ABOUT THE PLACE:
STRANGE DAY'S EXPERIENCE CLUB

This street-level venue is a small and intimate live music club and art performance scene hidden away on Mjölnaregatan 1.  

Upon entry one finds something close to a creative laboratory - with a night club vibe - part theatre, part gallery — first and foremost, in the words of the club’s owner and founder, local singer-songwriter Alex Sharp Cole, it is an incubator for up and coming performative musical art.

--a place where no one’s a stranger." Alex Sharp Cole quips, having lived in Gothenburg long enough to enjoy a good pun.

Music lovers reading this probably recognize the fact that, in small venues, a special sort of intimacy and connection can be achieved, of a kind which is all but impossible in a larger show.

Alex Sharp Cole is no stranger to rock and roll; nor, is he to art.  He studied fine art at the masters level in the Usa and Sweden, having a career as a canadian-swedish singer songwriter as well, recording five albums to date under his own label.  

He made a splash as a university lecturer at the California Institute of the Arts, and has also worked professionally as a sound designer for the Disney Red Cat Theatre in Hollywood.

He is a composer, playwright and filmmaker.  Whichever medium he happens to be using in the moment to express his artistic vision, he says he probably does carry in him a mindset of a storyteller, in some way, and a performer, and also his belief in the power of words. 

In Gothenburg, he says, in the act of founding this club he is fully committed to giving a stage to underground or "undiscovered artists" and bands who’s work reflects a passion and genuine authenticity.   This is because he wants at heart to make the world a better place.

"As a songwriter," says Alex Sharp Cole, "I sometimes have needed to take a step back from the process and ask myself, ok, what is this song really about?  What would make me care more about it. 

"To be a good writer, I at least need to be emotionally available, to be somewhat aware of myself," he says.  "You have to stay honest,expose yourself, your vulnerabilities. Sure it’s hard. But that's exactly the difference between real art and corporate, fake art... real music and its imitation.  Reality is a place where tomorrow's unknown, and that's always a risk to dive headlong into something totally new to you.  This means by definition that the music is also real to you....in other words, something real is at stake on a human level.  It involves real, human emotions," he says.

"When I have a student, sometimes I need to encourage him or her to see if they maybe can go some place deeper in the third verse. I try to get them to take a chance on doing or saying something their own way as an artist, instead of just producing a copy of what they heard a pop song is supposed to be like."

His gaze drifts momentarily out the window as he contemplates the beautiful view of Gothenburg's sunlit harbour below.

"You need to have the courage to even look possibly foolish.  Only then can you be ready to take that creative leap of faith -- suddenly, it's like a moment of letting-go, you find that your own lyrics are leading you.  It feels magic.  I almost think it feels like channeling, like channeling spirits or something. We call it 'being inspired...' and the word literally comes from the Latin "to be filled up"with something or some energy / entity.  

Most musicians I have talked with over the years about songwriting, in some way or another, agree -- the really good songs write themselves.  It's weird ... the best songs aren't necessarily the ones that are hardest to write."

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Having been an artist for much of his life and collaborating with so many others in different cities and countries around the world, he says it helps him to spot new, unrecognized talent now, for his music club.

"I seem to be able to tell, quite quickly actually, if someone has that crazy sort of special spark.... I love discovering new lights."

 

THERE'S A NEW SCENE IN GOTHENBURG (contd.)

The interior of the music club aims for good live acoustics.   With the help of his theatre and sound design knowledge the interior gives an audience the feeling of hanging out backstage at a rock concert.

To these lucky, 12-people, they might feel like they are sitting-in on a live, studio recording session with their favorite band.  And unlike a typical concert, Alex's guests are allowed to stretch out on giant pillows and beanbags on the floor if they so desire. They can even watch movies on the ceiling!

CLUB OWNER ALEX SHARP COLE'S ACADEMIC & ARTISTIC BACKGROUND

He studied theatre sound design and taught at California Institute of the Arts, receiving his MFA in Music (Komposition) from the University of Göteborg.  His B.F.A. was in fine art (film / video).  He was also at the fri konst program at malmö konsthögskolan for three years, where he focused on filmmaking and performative sound art.  

Performative musical art is the name he gives to his specialization which might, for example, involve theatre, video, dance, in a wholistic kind of relational aesthetics... part of the reason a visit to Alex's shows can be unpredictable.  

Overall, one could safely call what one usually sees here "experimental" -- but it is also entertaining.  This combination seems to be something rare today, befitting perhaps of more playful eras.  

Remember -- since it is a small club, it has limited space -- tickets should be booked in advance!

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Yours Truly,   

Timothy Wild (of the New Swedish Mods)