“The most important lesson I think I've learned is to be yourself. Do what you feel you wanna do. Write your stuff the way you wanna. Then you won't regret anything. Fame isn't of such importance here. You have to feel good about your music paths.”

Lord Bolt: Cookin’ & Dancin’ Blues & Roll

On his new album, Cookin' and Dancin' (2025) Swedish drummer/singer/songwriter Lord Bolt expands his bluesy, roots-rock template with flourishes of jazz-inspired R&B, bringing new flavors to his musical melange. "I really wanted to make a blues album," he notes, "but not a totally traditional one. I wanted all the songs to have a blues feeling, but bring in brass arrangements and things of that nature to stretch it an old school R&B / small jazz club feeling." Inspired by the new love in his life, Cookin' and Dancin' (two of their favorite pasttimes), the album has deep echoes of '50s grooves, but re-envisions them to keep things current. This isn't a tribute to the past, but an update with the patented Lord Bolt stamp. "These rootsy rock, rockabilly and blues songs are in my blood, so when I start writing they come out rather quickly. I haven't really used horns in the past, so this approach really gave me the chance to add all these new layers to my music, and I love the results!"                                   (Photo: Lord Bolt)

The nine songs on the album go from smoky and sultry to full-on hard R&B with an almost punk edge, and they all work together channeling the aura of the past with fresh modern energy. Lord Bolt, says: “I love to create music, it gives me so much pleasure and makes me feel good. So many musical ideas going on in my head all the time...I always have pen and paper close by just to write down lyrics that come flying to me — especially when I'm writing music to my true love; my driving force is just about that.”

Interview by Michael Limnios                 Special Thanks: Larry Kay (Night Train PR)

What do you learn about yourself from the blues and what does the blues mean to you?

I learn new things from the blues whenever I sit down in my studio. New feelings, new harmonies that come to mind together with all the other musical genres I love to work with. I've always been connected to the blues through many different artists and songs, and also through life. Texas blues with early Fabulous Thunderbirds and early ZZ Top, among others, and now Mike Morgan and Shawn Pittman are artists I listen closely to. But my blues strain falls back to Jimmy Reed, BB King (with all his great brass orchestrations), Muddy Waters. there's many I could talk about who has influenced me in my blues music. Blues is an essential part in all of my music creation. It is always present in bits and pieces here and there, and sometimes in whole songs.

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? What is the driving force behind your continuous support for your music?

My sound is totally me! I mix freely between all the genres I love in music - Rock n roll, Blues, Soul, Jazz, Country - I like to have the sound clean, naked, simple and not plastic and mainstream - I'm not into making elevator music here. My music philosophy can best be described as writing "music for different moods." Whether it may be happy, sad, longing, missing, loving, or just telling a story....AND the beat and rhythm of the song is very important so the listener can feel the mood of the song.

I love to create music, it gives me so much pleasure and makes me feel good. So many musical ideas going on in my head all the time...I always have pen and paper close by just to write down lyrics that come flying to me — especially when I'm writing music to my true love; my driving force is just about that. Writing and recording music makes me feel good, and expressing my feelings for my Love in my music is a tremendous feeling for me. My songbook is all about these great genres of music I love and have been listening to all my life - Blues, early ‘50s rock n roll, jazz and the fantastic Swing era of the ‘50-’60s with Bobby Darin, Sinatra, Tony Bennett and all these great performers. There's also Country in my blood, which I really love because of it's simplicity and honesty. So there you have it, I like to mix genres together and the outcome is Lord Bolt.

”I think music still can have a good impact on the socio-cultural implications, but it has come through NOT being drowned by the massive social media noise like Snapchat, Tik Tok, and all the other platforms.” (Photo: Lord Bolt, expands his bluesy, roots-rock template with flourishes of jazz-inspired R&B, bringing new flavors to his musical melange)

Are there any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

Many years ago I had a band called The Nightriders, and we played a couple of gigs in Spain, in a packed English Pub. They wanted us to play more than just the one set we had agreed upon, so we did four extra numbers we never really had rehearsed. After we finished the last one, Chuck Berry's "Little Queenie," some of the audience didn't want us to stop playing and were shouting "you're the new Beatles!” On another gig in Stockholm, two guys from the audience jumped up on stage, dancing frantically, and knocked down a couple of amplifiers.... luckily nothing happened with any of us in the band or the two dancing guys... and the sound kept on going.

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of music?

I grew up with listening to the radio and buying vinyl records, so I totally miss that. To come home with a newly released album, on vinyl. Sit down, pull out the inner sleeve, read the lyrics and maybe something about the artist/band while playing the record. And all the fantastic cover art! That's an era gone.... sad. There aren't as many places where small, new bands can play live anymore—here in Sweden, anyway— and that's a real pity. The music business has gone in a wrong direction, I think. But it has always been "money talks," so now, when all this is about social media, I think there's less focus on the artist or songs than just having something in your earphones.

I don't know about "hopes" for the future of music. The days when it was about writing and recording good songs with meaning, happiness and hope are long gone. Now it’s mainstream, plastic streaming media that rules.... there is some really great music coming out, but it’s becoming more and more difficult to find it. The big fears, I believe, are already here - all this streaming of music, where the artist gets almost nothing and still you have to be out there on Spotify and all the other sites, just to get some kind of chance of being discovered by the audience.

What is the impact of music on the socio-cultural implications? How do you want the music to affect people?

I think music still can have a good impact on the socio-cultural implications, but it has come through NOT being drowned by the massive social media noise like Snapchat, Tik Tok, and all the other platforms. Today it's so much more difficult to get your music out there and get it heard. I want music to affect people in the way it is written - a song that expresses happiness, I do hope the people who listen to it feel a happy feeling. The same with all the diffrent moods in music. Love songs; I hope and I think people feel the love in the words and the music. The blues is also a great genre for emotions; blues can also be happy, as well as longing, sad, and mournful.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

The most important lesson I think I've learned is to be yourself. Do what you feel you wanna do. Write your stuff the way you wanna. Then you won't regret anything. Fame isn't of such importance here. You have to feel good about your music paths.

”I grew up with listening to the radio and buying vinyl records, so I totally miss that. To come home with a newly released album, on vinyl.” (Photo: Lord Bolt)

Why do you think that Sweden Blues / Roots Rock Scene continues to generate such a devoted following?

I think that Blues / rockabilly and roots-rock have always been a big thing in Sweden. Lots of cover bands come up and continue to play all these great ‘50s and '60s songs, together with their own material.

Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really want to go for a whole day?

I would take my true love with me and go and see Elvis in Las Vegas 1969. Elvis has always been one of my absolute favorite artists. A fantastic blues and rock singer. He could sing any genre and make it his own. The time when music had so much more impact on life than it has now.

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