Welcome to the website of Shepherd Moons
News from the band
NEW Life is what happens when you’re busy making
other plans (John Lennon)
NEW New Album 2008
New Song
Collection from Henrik – Now in Arab
The
“Secret” Album Blues has Arrived
Michael
Venneberg Carlsen – the New Guitar Ace
The 6th
Song Collection from Henrik
Life is what happens
when you’re busy making other plans (John Lennon)
(15/11-08)
Greetings from Henrik: Due to the sad
times in March when my wife and I had to place our beloved son Lukas in an
institute for severely handicapped kids, life decided for me to make other
plans. The Animal Mother album is postponed until next summer. The band is,
however, still rehearsing and the recordings will begin in January 2009.
New Album 2008
(10/8-08)
The new studio album Animal Mother will be starting up soon. We need rehearsing
a lot and we need to make the MIDI files etc., so expect the album late in
November. It will be a classic Shepherd Moons album with some of our best songs
from the past in new recordings and arrangements and a lot of new stuff too.
Jazz Ballads Songbook
(10/8-08)
Here is this years songbook from Henrik Jazz Ballads, which is a genuine jazz collection. Henrik used to
play jazz in the late 1980-ies, but this is his first pure jazz songbook. 5 of
the songs, Tree Killers, Daffodils, Hoeve, Fear and Comes as No Surprise, will
be part of next years album.
Yes, we
do plan well ahead sometimes. And sometimes our planes are postponed or
abandoned due to personal reasons. Things happen.
New Songs on our Demo
Sites
(24/12-07)
Now we have new demo songs on MySpace and Soundvenue. Click the Music menu to
listen to the music from our tough record “Blues”.
New Song Collection
from Henrik – Now in Arab
(23/12-07)
Henrik has been writing some interesting songs in July. The new songbook is
called “Andalus”, which is Arab for the
Andalusia province in Spain. And the new songs are all inspired by Arab rhythms
and scales. A couple of the new songs will be featured on the coming “Animal
Mother” record (oh yeah, we have been silent about that too J). By the
way, the Rocket Science single – which our dear distributors have delayed for
over half a year – is part of the new album. On the Animal Mother, we aim for a
heavy rock funk sound with a touch of Arab music.
The Blues is Back
Many of you have been
waiting for the Rocket Science Single to materialize in February. But no one
knew, what we were really doing behind the curtains; producing a pure
blues album with tons of guitars and Gitte as a hard-hitting blues singer.
Let’s have the whole story...
The “Secret” Album
Blues has Arrived
(20/5-07)
After months of preparation, we are now proud to present a brand new “live”
album and a separate single with 2 numbers from next year’s album. And this is
not the only good thing happening to the band right now; we have finally found
a great replacement for Morten, who left us last summer, Let us zoom in on the
good things, starting with the album:
A Tribute to the Blues
(20/5-07)
Satyricon, later renamed Shepherd Moons, has always been based on blues and
Rock’n’roll since it’s early days in the 1970-ies. We recorded Blues for Old
Acquaintance back in 1983, and we had several other blues songs up our sleeves.
But due to the long pause between the Satyricon days in the 1980-ies and the
new Shepherd Moons from 2001, there were no signs of the live band on the first
records. We were in the typical “pop band” situation: recording ballads and
playing the blues on the road.
In 2005,
Henrik decided to do a whole concept album “Blues” with a selection of Shepherd
Moons blues songs from 1974 up to 2006. The new album was to be played “live”
in the studio without effects and tricks. This was serious business, because a
blues record is nothing without a guitar ace in front. So we started
auditioning a number of great guitar players from Copenhagen, and luckily we
found Michael who has now joined the band, both in the studio and live.
Shepherd Moons 2007:
Henrik, Michael and Gitte
“Blues”
consists of the following songs (in order of age):
The
1970-ies
”Drej
000 for hjælp” (1967) is a classic double tempo blues written by the
legendary Danish band Steppeulvene’s Stig Møller and Eik Skaløe. Gitte and
Henrik were young in 1967 and both loved the song, so we decided to make our
own version with Gitte and Jesper in the vocal and Michael on tornado guitar.
“Schizophrenia” (1974) was the first song written for
Satyricon/ Shepherd Moons in 1974. It is a 1970-ies boogie with a furious
Henrik condemning the Lutheran cold-bloodedness.
“Blues
for old Acquaintance” (1975) was originally recorded in 1983,
but the new version with Gitte in front is much more deep and personal. A great
achievement for the Indian girl (see the above illustration).
“Heroes
of the Road”
(1978) is a song to Eric Clapton. Michael delivers a classic solo solving the many
traps in the complicated harmonies. Gitte delivers the blues once again.
“Seacruise
IV”
(1979) is a favourite rocker since the 1980-ies, actually one of the most
popular songs in 4-5 different band versions over 20 years. Jesper takes the
lead vocal with a powerful and cool version. The song was written by Henrik on
the enormous Finnjet ferry in 1979.
Mammy’s in Control, baby
Gitte in the producer’s chair
The
1990-ies
“Wrong
Number Blues”
(1991) is another boogie with the strangest theme in the world (e g g# b | c b
a# b !!!). It is a bitter love song sung by Gitte and Henrik with some real
nice rockabilly guitar from Michael.
“New York Boogie Woogie” (1995) is from Henrik’s musical “Frozen
Positions”. Gitte delivers a poignant version with a true 1948 feeling (the scene
in the musical shows the “eternal” band playing in a Norwegian summer hotel.
Henrik delivers the blues on a severely untuned Danish piano.
The
2000’nds
“Demolition
Man”
(2001) is a prophetic song written by Henrik less than a month before 9th
September 2001. One of the verses has a description of New York drowning in
water. This doomsday picture was actually a part of a science fiction comic
book from the 1970-ies, but it was a chock anyway. Gitte adds a dramatic and
demonic coldness to the evil demolition man, “nature’s son”. The band is
playing as a trio, guitar, bass and drums.
“Too
Close to be Friends” (2001). A slow blues with a touch of jazz especially
in Henrik’s piano. Gitte sings the intimate song with an intense warmth.
“Echelon
Blues”
(2003) is a political song about the alleged American spy ring “Echelon”
reading our e-mails and checking the mobile phones. Whether it was true or not
– it’s a nice plot. Gitte delivers, while the blues trio plays with some
interesting riffs from Michael.
“Farmer
Blues”
(2005) is a bitter “I’m leaving you” song in Henrik’s most sarcastic style (and
he can be mean). The song starts with a selection of the animals in Old
McDonald’s farm. Henrik sings the lead vocal himself and our guest guitarist
Stefan delivers a real tough AC/DC style solo. Short but effective. Michael’s
Hendrix style theme makes for elegant intros to the verses.
“Cliffhanger” (2005) One of Gitte’s favourites, taking
her from outer space to walking the dog (a St. Bernard dog the size of a pony).
The song is based on a great drum track from Flemming, almost like being in the
jungle. Henrik is playing double bass on four of the songs on the “Blues”
album. In this song, the octave slide of the double bass is combined with the
perfect delta slide of Stefan.
“It
is the Truth”
(2005) a steaming hot love affair from 9 to 5. This is a retro swing with a
seductive Gitte and Henrik in front. Michael finishes the meeting room
gymnastics with a classic blues solo.
Michael Venneberg
Carlsen – the New Guitar Ace
(20/5-07)
Michael is 32 years old, with a lot of experiences in his bag. He plays rock,
blues and acoustic folk guitar. And he is a great singer, too. When we go live
in August, Michael will do the guitars and Henrik will play the piano. We plan
on having a single concert (in Copenhagen) with our studio drummer Flemming
live (!) and Henrik on bass.
A Single from Outer
Space
(20/5-07)
As if the 13 songs long album wasn’t enough, the band recorded to new numbers for
a single. The song were written last year. Rocket Science is a space rocker
with an original use of chords and voices.
The B
side is a song to Henrik’s handicapped son, the “love of your father”.
A Guest from Finland
(20/5-07)
Stefan Piesnack is one of the leading Finnish guitar players, known from Hannoi
Rocks and Pelle Miljoona; an old punk rocker. Henrik’s wife is Finnish so he
knows Stefan, who was invited to play on the “Blues” album and delivered a fine
solo and some punk slide guitar.
Tour Plans 2007
(20/5-07)
This years tour will be in Denmark, Sweden and Germany, including concerts in
Berlin and Hamburg. The tour starts beginning of August.
The 6th
Song Collection from Henrik
(20/5-07)
Due to writing a 600 pages piano teaching book, Henrik’s traditional song
collection “Odd Ballads” from
2006 was almost 10 months delayed, but here it is! Two of the songs are already
recorded on the Rocket Science single.
New CD Cover Print
Service
(12/2-06) Front covers – and in some cases
back covers – to all our music CDs is now available at NORDISC Music. Select
the record, print and cut out the cover with a pair of scissors. Easy and free.
Use the Do it Yourself CD Cover Service link. The series cover all
covers for all Shepherd Moons / Satyricon albums and singles.
30 Years of Song
Writing
(15/1-05)
“30
Years of Song Writing” interview with founder and songwriter of Shepherd Moons,
Henrik W. Gade.
We are a Danish project
band founded 1974
by songwriter / bass player H.W.
Gade
Visitor No:
Updated 15 November 2008
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