Mindstunt[1] is a Swedish rock band and recording project. It´s main members are Ben Ewens, Mattias IA Eklundh (Freak Kitchen) and Robin Kalmeborg but also Morgan Ågren (Frank Zappa, Mats/Morgan) and Jimmy Zavala (Eurythmics, Rod Stewart) contribute.
Early years
Mindstunt was founded by songwriter Ben Ewens in early 2009 in Vetlanda, Sweden. He was a big fan of instrumentally challenging and interesting musicians like Ron Thal, Steve Vai, Mattias IA Eklundh, Roy Harper, Julian Lage, Virgil Donati, Denis Chambers, Morgan Ågren, Jonas Hellborg to name a few and also bands like Mars Volta, Kaizers Orchestra and Smashing Pumpkins. Ben wanted to make pop/rock music with the song in focus but with instrumentally interesting stuff going on.
Robin Kalmeborg and Ben Ewens had known eachother since childhood and began recording together in 2006 with there hardrock band Misshaped Biscuits. They learned and grew together making three albums together in Robins studio before teaming up with Mattias IA Eklundh in late 2010 after Ben got guitar lessons and impressed him with his songs after being a camper at Freak Guitar Camp[2]. They decided to start a recording project and make an album. This was when Mindstunt turned from band to mainly project because Mindstunt as band was breaking up due to members Joel Häggkvist and Jonatan Nilsson decision to move to study in Lund. Morgan Ågren joined after Ben and Robin talked to him after a show in Stockholm in 2011 and Jimmy Zavala also joined the project later that year.
Esoterica
In 2012 Mindstunts debut album Esoterica[3] was released with 15 songs written and recorded over a three and a half years time. It captured youth and excitement, longing, sadness and joy and was a personal triumph for Ben and Robin who got to work with there idols. It was fueled by having something to prove. Ben saw Esoterica as an experience in three parts, the first five tracks being mostly upbeat pop/rock songs, track 6-11 mostly being a bit deeper and heavier with more strings and lastly track track 12 -15 being the most emotional and personal and according to Ben the greatest songs of the album. Two music videos were made for Esoterica, Det Vi Ej Vill Se[4] and Lonely Vice[5], they were recorded and edited by Mattias IA Eklundh.
Bright Morning
In early 2013 Mindstunt decided to make another album and during the time Bens dad died and Robins first child was born therefore the albums central theme became hope. The album was called Bright Morning[6] and was in a vague way a concept album about going through night and waking up to a light (the light of morning) which either brought you down or bringed you up, this was much about Bens ongoing heavy opiate addiction. During this time he often woke up depressed over the situation he was in, having no home, girlfriend of nearly three years dumping him, no job, addiction and the loss of his father. One morning after a heroin binge ended with a night on amfetamine the light when morning came was so beautiful it inspired the song Bright Morning and he decided to ”get his shit together”. The album is based on the light and the feeling of life being worth fighting for that he felt that morning. Also as mentioned Robins girlfriend was pregnant and they were excited, hopeful and inspired. The album was meant to have grander stringarrengements and be a generally a greater production, the next step for Mindstunt. Justine Persson sang backup vocals replacing Amanda Edström who sang on track 6 and 14 on Esoterica. The final track of the album is called Bright Morning[7] and is according to Ben and Robin Mindstunts greatest work. One video was made in 2017 for the song Sober Day Long Gone[8] with Anton Wessman playing the drum parts recorded by Morgan Ågren and Johan Almgren playing the bass parts recorded by IA. Johan, Anton and Ben where ment to be a live act for Mindstunt in early 2017 but Johan left becouse of overbooking as session musician.
For What It´s Worth
In 2014 Ben started renting rooms in Gothenburg and eventually moved there permanently. There he began writing Mindstunts third album, For What It´s Worth[9]. Robin Kalmeborg had moved outside of Växjö and started a family so he and Ben were not able to work together the same way anymore and because Mindstunt always wants the next production to surpass the previous Ben and IA decided to make the new album from scratch in Applehorn Abasement studio. The album was sporadically written and recorded between the year 2015 and 2017 and released in the summer of 2017. Mindstunt – For What It´s Worth was a close recording collaboration between Robin, Ben and IA who had replaced Morgan Ågren (who was scheduled for on the album) as drummer because he knew the song better and had expressed a wish to record them himself. Therefore the entire album except the harmonica solo on track 5 is recorded by Mindstunts main members – Ben Ewens, Mattias IA Eklundh and Robin Kalmeborg. A music video for the albums opening track Få Pulsen Att Slå was recorded with Johan Almgren and Anton Wessman. The albums lyrics are typical for Mindstunt, they are about finding a place in the world, good and bad, longing, hope, emptiness and joy.
In late february 2018 Mindstunt started recording the fouth album.