I first met Leif of The Drowners while working as a Publicist for Devillian, creators of the foldable/collapsible guitar. We kept in touch over the years and I recently got a chance to listen to The Drowners album on MySpace. The band debuted in Sweden in 1993, and have produced five albums and singles so far. Its been fifteen years of musical friendship.

Timetable:

July 1993 – First gig at Trastockfestivalen in Sweden.

Jan 1996 – First single “Teenager” is released through A West Side Fabrication.
Gets a whole lotta airplay in Sweden and opens up doors internationally.

Feb 1996 – First album “Destroyer” is released.
Also comes out in Brazil, most of Asia and Germany.

May 1997 – The single “Summer Break My Fall” is released to radio.
Does really well and charts in Aug. First ever chart position for A West Side Fabrication.

Sep 1997 – “World Record Player” is released in most of Europe.
Leads to touring with bands like Popsicle, Luna, Posies and so on.

May 1998 – First gig in NYC. Showcase for Wind-up Records.

Dec 1998 – Signs with Wind-up in NYC.

Jun 1999 – Moves to LA and records an album with Matt Hyde in Sound City Studios.

Jun 2000 – “Is There Something On Your Mind?” is released.
Single becomes new and active on Billboard. Touring in USA.

Oct 2002 – “Muted To a Whisper” is released. More touring and festivals in USA.

July 2007 – “Cease To Be” is released. Get it through CDBaby!

May 2008 – Beautiful Escape: The Songs of The Posies Revisited is released.

Dec 2008 – The X-mas single My Candle is released on A West Side Fabrication

The Usuals… Leif answers my questions…

Why do you do what you do?
I like the creative process. Doesn’t matter if it’s writing music, designing websites or building a summer house. It’s that feeling of creating something that wasn’t there before.

What makes you want to wake up in the morning?
Being involved in exciting projects with interesting people and of course my family.

How do you get your inspiration to work in the design field as well as being an artist?
Well, as I said earlier, it’s the creative process in itself that’s interesting to me. I can apply that to almost anything. When it comes to music I have always been more interested in songwriting and recording than live performance. Playing live can be awesome, but that magic feeling when a song comes to life in the studio is really hard to beat.

Who is your inspiration?
Don’t know if I have any specific people, I always keep my eyes and ears open for inspiration. It can come from visiting the Picasso museum in Barcelona, listening to Big Pink or watching True Blood. There’s always something that makes me interested.

If you were given the chance to relive your life all over again, what designer would you be?
Oh, that’s not easy. Maybe Arne Jacobsen – the Danish designer behind such classics chairs as the Swan, the Egg, the Ant, the Seven and many other brilliant designs.

What is your favorite dish?
I love Lebanese, Tapas and other mediterranean food, Sushi and also our local specialties in the north of Sweden – Reindeer, Salmon, Moose.

Your three rules to live by?
Don’t give up, do things that you love to do and surround yourself with people that give you energy.

Your must-have musical gadget?
I write most of my songs in my head without any instruments, so I guess my brain would be my must-have musical gadget ;-)

Your city/country of origin?
Skelleftehamn, Sweden.

http://bit.ly/9m2YN

Your proudest accomplishment?
I hope it’s still to come, but playing a packed CBGB’s was a dream come true…

I fell in love with Milan, Italy the moment I set my foot in the city. So many friends suggested that I skip the city and opt for more touristy destinations such as Rome or Venice. I’ve always believed that the best way to see a city is to walk like the locals, talk to locals and eat like locals. When I was there for a week, I traveled on foot, ate at local cafes, visited a church and fell in love with the people.

One of my favorite people…Marcus—an awesome DJ…he agreed to play tunes until the wee hours for a house party I hosted! Thanks Marcus!

A Delhi based model and the heiress of Thapar Industries.

I first read about Ayesha in Elle India…cannot recall the exact story, but Ayesha is the current ‘It’ girl of India. Similarity to Bianca Jagger is uncanny…and I love that she’s launching several businesses and showing her entrepreneur spirit. She was married to a Turkish businessman (divorced now) and spends her time in various continents.

Check this out… from Diiver on Vimeo.

I love shopping in Kathmandu, Nepal–trinkets are mega cheap, artifacts and remains from temples are abundant, and what more, it’s my home town. Here, I’m in Kathmandu City surrounded by flea market goods and century-old temples. Not quite like shopping in Milan but, definitely a memorable event.

I love beans…for me it’s the most versatile type of protein I can eat. It’s probably because I grew up sipping misoshiru (miso soup) — a staple soup of Japanese cuisine. I was so excited when my friend Sunil agreed to teach me how to cook chana, Nepali beans. It was so easy to prepare and I’ve been making it ever since…

What you’ll need…
Garbanzo beans (canned ok)
1 onion (diced)
1 cup tomatoes, diced (fresh or canned)

Sprinkle of cumin
Sprinkle of turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
Sprinkle pinch of salt

Heat Pan
Brown onion and tomatoes
Sauté mixture until soft and brown
Add garbanzo beans
Add all spices and sauté for 15 minutes

I’ve been itching to travel to the Netherlands for a while…it will be my first trip to a Scandinavian country…really the Scandinavians boys are um…oh so gorgeous…the blonde hair, blue+green eyes….quite opposite of what I look like…exotic? sexy?

Ok- so what does this have to do with Domino’s-well…well, they created Domino’s Delivery Points in the Netherlands over the summer…doors that prominently feature the company’s phone number, for delivery people to ring. Cool idea eh? Now, why didn’t someone think about this before?

I took the train from Milan, Italy and went for a day trip to Venice. The city is funky…I felt like I was floating on water. The buildings of Venice are constructed on really closely spaced wood piles and bricks. So I found myself gasping for air once in awhile…felt a tad bit claustrophobic.

I read Guy Kawasaki’s ‘Theory of Schmoozing version 2.0′–and it was unlike anything else I’ve read before…it MADE sense. So, I emailed him and stated that I liked his article and he replied RIGHT AWAY. I mean, this man is a father, a businessman, a bona-fide entrepreneur and he was smart enough to live the lessons he continue to share with his readers.

Why do you do what you do?
I want to help the next generation of entrepreneur to change the world.
That, and I have to make a living too.

What makes you want to wake up in the morning?
Making access to information more efficient via Alltop.com. In other words,
worldwide domination of RSS use.

How do you get your inspiration to inspire others?
It’s what I do. I can’t explain how I get inspired to do it.

Who is your inspiration?
I pretty much travel to my own beat. I’m just trying to be the best that I
can be as an information provider via Alltop, my books, and my speeches.

If you were given the chance to relive your life all over again, which
entrepreneur would you be?
This kind of question is not meaningful. I don’t want to be anyone else.

What is your favorite dish?
Musubis.

Your three rules to live by?
1) Never ask people to do something you wouldn’t do.
2) Under promise, and
over deliver.
3) Help people who cannot help you.

Your must-have gadget?
Some form of Macintosh laptop.

Your city/country of origin?
Honolulu, Hawaii

Your proudest accomplishment?
Parenting 4 children.

I love signs…and have a tendency to snap pictures of it everywhere I go. These picture were taken during the daytime at the Irish Bank Bar & Restaurant in San Francisco. The Irish Bank Bar  is one of my favorite and a great place to hang out after work. Located smack in the middle of downtown the joint offers flavorful appetizers and good selection of beer…and it’s a great place to meet cute boys as well (I thought I’ll add that note for all my single girlfriends out there)!!!

The Irish Bank Bar & Restaurant
10 Mark Lane
San Francisco, CA