Allsång På Skansen, Lotta På Liseborg, Sommarkrysset and Other Forms of Swedish Torture

It's summer time – (Sommartider Hej, Hej Sommartider) – and it is the time of year in most countries where bad TV reigns. There are reruns and summer reality shows (So You Think You Can Dance is excluded from this category, because it is just plain awesome). But Swedish summer TV is a special form of painful. It remains that one nugget of Swedish culture that is a complete mystery to me.

I realize that all Swedes don't LOVE Allsång På Skansen, Lotta and Sommarkrysset - three similar yet separate Swedish TV shows - but the audience is always made up of such a diverse bunch that I always end up scratching my head. There are the old folks with blue hair. There are the young kids in Crocs (Foppatofflor). There are teenagers who sing along. There are folks in their twenties, who should be at a bar or nightclub. There are a wide variety of parents.

This is probably the most Swedish bunch you will see in Sweden, because I think the amount of immigrants who might frequent this type of event are negligible. Because seriously, we don't get it. Really.

The artists are an assortment of folks singing harmless pop songs. There is folksy commentary. For the life of me I cannot think of an American equivalent. Think of American Bandstand, but with boybands and country music.

This summer we travelled a bit with some Swedish family, so I have seen a great deal of these shows.

I had the pleasure of learning about what a Jedward was (I apologize now if you decide to find out for yourself). I also saw a bunch of Swedish 'country singers' as I tried to bury my nose deeper in a book.

Sure, Måns Zelmerlof is easy on the eyes, but none of this show is easy on the ears or your tastebuds.

Seriously if you want a crash course in Swedish culture, look no further. You will totally understand the whole Abba thing like you never have before.

  Per Gessle gets a free pass, because he gave the world Roxette. But here is a taste of him on Allsang pa Skansen

Typical coversong fare on Lotta Pa Liseborg - You are warned!

Jedward on Sommarkryssat - Great Moments in TV history

Best Concert in Sweden – Hands Down – Soundtrack of Our Lives

Before we headed off on our roadtrip this summer, The Swede and I made some attempts to try to plan our wedding anniversary. With kid in tow, and on the road, it would be tricky. But we would be swinging by some friends of ours and checking out their new cottage on the way, maybe we could manage to finagle a babysitter as well?

When we checked with said friends, not only did they 'yay' on the babysitter idea, they also suggested we check out this place: Slussens Pensionat.

So we did. What can I say but Thank you Thank you Thank you! A quick trip to the website left me scratching my head – Soundtrack of Our Lives were playing? At this little inn? Could that be right? Well if so, it would be totally sold out the week before, right? So I sent off an email and got a quick response. “Nope, we still have some good tables left for that night.”

What? OK. So it wasn't cheap, but it was our big night out, so we booked the tickets.

And it was the greatest concert I've been to in Sweden. In fact, I would go so far as to say it definitely makes my top 5 concerts of all time, and during my college years I made it my mission to go to as many concerts as humanly possible.

Before I went, my knowledge of Soundtrack of Our Lives was pretty limited. If you haven't heard of them, check them out. I'd heard a few of their hit songs, I think we have one of their albums on CD somewhere. I've enjoyed their stuff, but never really gotten to into it. A BIG regret, can I say.

Anyway, the band was tight. The crowd started off as a nice cozy little dinner crowd, and then somewhere during the course of the four hour long show, things went a little nutty. There was actually no stage, so eventually the crowd and the band merged together as one. At the end, no one was sitting down – it was my first Swedish concert where everyone got out of their seats. And no, you couldn't really blame the booze. It was too friggin expensive for a large majority of us to consume too much.

I have a new favorite guitarist. And maybe a slight crush on the keyboardist who looked like that indie guy from Criminal Minds totally jamming out. But most of all I had fun. A lot of fun. I danced, I clapped. I laughed and smiled.

It was fun. I am a fan.

Thank you babysitting friends, Thank you Slussens Pensionat and Thank You Soundtrack of our Lives

Apparently they do these gigs at least once a year. If you have a chance - check them out!

(You can check out some of the footage from older shows on their website here)

Music to get you through the day

It's been a long day – and I've still got 20 things left on my to do list. So I'm relaxing for five minutes listening to some good Swedish music – and watching Stellan Skarsgard. This video has a bit of a Twin Peaks feel to it, for me. I like it.

Amazing Moment in Swedish Music History

OK, so after my ComHem breakdown and online rant - I really needed a pick me up. So I dug around a little bit and found this. And danced around the kitchen to it far too many times for it not to be embarrassing.

What can I say, Peps always makes me smile - even in darkest weather. And Oh Boy! Vilken vacker   skånska!  (ETA: eller vilken vacker skånska eller kanske härlig skånska?)