Dregen

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Dregen
Andreas Tyrone Dregen Klaus Hellmerich 001.jpg
Dregen performing in 2018
Background information
Birth nameAndreas Tyrone Svensson
Also known asDregen, Dregen Hellacopter, Åsk Dregen, Jerry Lee Hellacopter, Sue Ellen
Born (1973-06-12) 12 June 1973 (age 51)
Genres Garage rock, punk rock, glam punk, glam rock, hard rock, glam metal
OccupationGuitarist
Years active1987–present
Labels Psychout, BMG, Liquor & Poker, MVG, RCA Records, White Jazz, Lookout!, Infernal, JuJu
Member of

Dregen (born Andreas Tyrone Svensson; 12 June 1973) is a Swedish musician best known as the guitarist of The Hellacopters, as well as Backyard Babies. As of March 2014, Dregen has also served as the newest member of Michael Monroe's solo band, replacing Ginger as guitarist. He was formerly married to fellow Swedish singer Pernilla Andersson, [1] who is also the mother of their first child, a son named Sixten. [2] The couple officially announced their separation on 1 June 2015. [3]

Contents

He is a founding member of Backyard Babies, whom he helped form in 1987. The band announced the start of an indefinite hiatus beginning in 2010. In a 2011 interview with Rocksverige.se, Dregen mentioned the band would eventually come together and be stronger than ever in response to rumours surrounding the band's still ongoing hiatus. [4] During this hiatus, Dregen released a personal autobiography, followed by his first solo record in September 2013. [5] Then, after a 5-year absence, Backyard Babies returned in 2015, going on to release Four By Four later that summer. Its release marked the band's first album in 7 years.

Career

Dregen formed rock band Backyard Babies in 1987 with his childhood friends Tobias Fischer, Peder Carlsson and Johan Blomqvist in their hometown of Nässjö. The band later moved to Stockholm to pursue wider success. The group signed a record deal and released their debut album Diesel & Power in 1994.

Also in 1994, Dregen met singer and guitarist Nicke Andersson who at that time played drums with Swedish death metal outfit Entombed. Together they formed another band, The Hellacopters. The band found success in 1996 with their album Supershitty to the Max! , which won a Swedish Grammis award. It was followed in 1997 by the record Payin' the Dues . The band also toured with KISS. That same year, Backyard Babies released their sophomore and Grammis-winning album Total 13 .

By the end of the 1990s, Dregen decided to leave The Hellacopters and subsequently focused on recording and performing with Backyard Babies. [6]

The album Making Enemies Is Good was released in 2001, and Backyard Babies were awarded a second Grammis award. They toured the world several times and opened for AC/DC during a European tour. [7] Since then, the band have released a number of EPs, singles and albums such as Stockholm Syndrome , People Like People Like People Like Us , Backyard Babies and Them XX. The latter resulted in an anniversary tour in 2010, following which the band announced an indefinite hiatus. [8]

In May 2011, Dregen joined former-Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe. [9] Monroe, writing on his website, said

Dregen is the perfect choice for this band. We are a group of very strong individuals and we really needed a great personality as a guitar player. Dregen has the whole package together – he's a killer guitarist, a brilliant showman, looks great and has the right kind of attitude and taste in music. I feel very glad and lucky that he was willing and able to join us. Dregen is a real star and a true rocker at heart. I can't wait to start rockin' out with him in the band! [10]

As of July 2011, Dregen was working on his first solo album. [11] The album, titled Dregen, was released on 25 September 2013. In 2016, Dregen reunited with The Hellacopters for the 20th anniversary of their debut album. [12] In 2022, the band released their first album in 16 years, Eyes Of Oblivion. [13]

Equipment

Dregen at the 2011 Ilosaarirock festival Dregen - Ilosaarirock 2011.jpg
Dregen at the 2011 Ilosaarirock festival
Guitars
Effects
Amplifiers

Selected discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backyard Babies</span> Swedish rock band

Backyard Babies are a Swedish rock band originally from Nässjö and currently based in Stockholm. The band was formed in 1987 and have released eight studio albums, in addition to winning two Swedish Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicke Andersson</span> Swedish musician

Anders Niklas Andersson, also known as Nicke Andersson, is a Swedish musician best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band The Hellacopters and drummer for the death metal band Entombed. Besides his work with the Hellacopters and Entombed, Andersson currently plays and writes songs for the soul band The Solution, the death metal band Death Breath, the hard rock band Lucifer, and rock band Imperial State Electric.

Supershit 666 or Super$hit 666 were a European rock supergroup consisting of Ginger from The Wildhearts on vocals and guitar, Nicke Andersson from the Hellacopters on vocals and drums, Dregen from the Backyard Babies on vocals and guitar, and Swedish producer Thomas Skogsberg on bass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hellacopters</span> Swedish garage rock band

The Hellacopters are a Swedish garage rock band that was formed in 1994 by Nicke Andersson, Andreas Tyrone "Dregen" Svensson (guitar), Kenny Håkansson (bass) and Robert Eriksson (drums). Andersson had been the drummer for death metal band Entombed and Dregen was taking a break from his full-time band Backyard Babies. Dregen and Eriksson had been roadies for Entombed, while Håkansson was a childhood friend of Andersson's. The Hellacopters were initially conceived as a side project for Andersson and Dregen, but it eventually became the main songwriting and performance vehicle for Andersson. The band, together with The Hives, is considered one of the most important Swedish bands in the garage rock revival and one of the most influential rock bands in Sweden.

<i>Supershitty to the Max!</i> 1996 studio album by The Hellacopters

Supershitty to the Max! is the debut album by the Swedish rock band The Hellacopters. It was recorded in just 26 hours during February 1996 at Sunlight Studios in Stockholm and released in June that year.

<i>Payin the Dues</i> 1997 studio album by The Hellacopters

Payin' the Dues is the second album released by the Swedish rock band The Hellacopters and their last studio album to feature original guitarist Dregen before his departure from the band to focus full-time on his other band Backyard Babies. The album was released simultaneously on both CD and on vinyl; however, "City Slang" was only available on the vinyl edition. The initial pressings were in 2000 units of clear smoke and 2,500 units in purple vinyl. Two additional pressings were later available in two different versions of black vinyl. The Toy's Factory release also featured the bonus track "Oh Yeah Alright".

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Kenny Dick Håkansson is a Swedish musician, best known as the bassist for the Hellacopters. The Hellacopters were founded by Håkansson's childhood friend Nicke Andersson as a side project to his role as a drummer in the death metal band Entombed.

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This is the discography of The Hellacopters, a Swedish rock band active between 1994 and 2008. The band was formed by Nicke Andersson, Dregen (guitar), Robban Eriksson (drums) and Kenny Håkansson. The band released their Swedish Grammis-winning debut album in 1996. Soon the band recruited The Diamond Dogs guitarist Anders Lindström to play keyboard shortly before being the opening act to Kiss With the success of the band's second album Andersson was able to leave his other band Entombed to focus full-time on The Hellacopters. During the tour in support of the album, guitarist Dregen chose to leave the band to focus his time on his other band The Backyard Babies; to fulfill their touring responsibilities the band recruited Danne Andersson and Mattias Hellberg to fill in during the remaining dates of the tour. With Hellberg and Lindström taking the place of Dregen during the recording of the band's third album, the band changed their sound from their dirtier garage rock and garage punk sound to a more classic 1970s rock sound. The band then hired Robert Dahlqvist as a full-time guitarist, solidifying the band's lineup until its breakup. With Dahlqvist on board the band released three more studio albums and a cover album, with many EPs and limited edition releases as well. The Hellacopters disbanded amicably in 2008 so the members could move on to other projects.

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References

  1. "Dregen fick sin Pernilla | Nöjesbladet | Aftonbladet". Aftonbladet.se. 25 July 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  2. "Neon Lights – Glam Metal / Sleaze / Glam Punk". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  3. "Dregen och Pernilla Andersson separerar".
  4. "Intervju: Dregen om Backyard Babies, soloskivan och Michael Monroe - Rocksverige". Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  5. "Official Dregen homepage. Solo artist, guitarist of Michael Monroe, Backyard Babies and the Hellacopters". Archived from the original on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  6. David Bogerius. Blod, svett & darar. Hjalmarson & Högberg, 2005. ISBN   9788777497582. p. 66-73
  7. "AC/DC". Music Might. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  8. "BACKYARD BABIES To Go on Hiatus – Nov. 17, 2009". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  9. "BACKYARD BABIES' DREGEN Joins MICHAEL MONROE's Band". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  10. "Biography". Michael Monro Office Page. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  11. "MICHAEL MONROE, DREGEN Interviewed at Finland's RUISROCK Festival (Video) – July 11, 2011". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  12. Blabbermouth (31 October 2015). "Original THE HELLACOPTERS Lineup To Reunite For SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL Appearance". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  13. DiVita, Joe (17 December 2021). "The Hellacopters Return With First New Song in 16 Years". Loudwire. Retrieved 26 August 2023.