Name

Mattias IA Eklundh

Mattias IA Eklundh (nato nel 1969 a Göteborg, Svezia) è chitarrista e cantante, conosciuto per i suoi lavori con i Freak Kitchen, Frozen Eyes, Fate e Jonas Hellborg trio; Ha anche realizzato diversi album come solista. Mattias inizia suonando la batteria all’eta di 6 anni; a circa 13 anni, inizia a suonare la chitarra. Le sue principali fonti di ispirazione furono artisti del calibro di Frank Zappa, Kiss, Miles Davis, Slayer e molti altri.

A circa metà degli anni 80, forma il gruppo Frozen Eyes, che però si divise subito dopo il loro primo album realizzato nel 1988. Successivamente si unì ai Fate, gruppo Metal Danese, come chitarrista principale, con cui incise l’album Scratch ‘n Sniff del 1990. Più tardi tornò in Svezia e formò la sua band, i Freak Kitchen, nel 1992, composta dal batterista Joakim Sjöberg e dal bassista Christian Grönlund, entrambi della vecchia formazione dei Frozen Eyes. Suonarono insieme per 8 anni, fino a quando Sjöberg e Grönlund abbandonarono nel 2000 per essere poi rimpiazzati da Christer Örtefors e Björn Fryklund. Fuori dei Freak Kitchen, Eklundh incise diversi album solisti e partecipò come “ospite” per alcuni gruppi Heavy Metal Svedesi come gli Evergrey e i Soliwork.

Nel 1995 ha pubblicato il suo  primo video didattico per chitarristi, “Freak Guitar vol. 1″ (Thunderstruck prod.).
Eklundh è spesso in tour in tutto il mondo per tenere  seminari e concerti dal vivo. Nell’ autunno del 1999 fu notato dal grandissimo Steve Vai che lo mise sotto contratto con la sua etichetta Favored Nations per un nuovo lavoro solista intitolato “Freak Guitar”. Composto da 20 brani originali, il disco comprendeva anche le personali ed originalissime interpretazioni di “Detroit Rock City” (KISS) e de “La Bamba“.
Nel 2005, si unì al bassista e compositore Svedese Jonas Hellborg nel The Jonas Hellborg Trio con il batterista Niclas Campagnol e suonarono al loro primo concerto a Mumbai (India), seguito da un Tour sempre in India.

Mattias è oggi considerato uno dei chitarristi più innovativi .

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Mattias Ia Eklundh started out as a drummer at the age of six after buying Kiss’ “Destroyer” (a bribe from his mother to let her cut his hair…bad move). Son of father Bernt and mother Inga, Mattias has also four elder sisters; Nettan (Anette), Nilla (Gunilla), Gittan (Birgitta) and Mulle (Karin). Seeing Frank Zappa when he was 11 changed his view on music forever and he has been a huge fan ever since. Mattias consider his major influences to be the inimitable Zappa and Kiss.At the age of 13 he changed to guitar and began practicing fanatically. Self-taught on the instrument Mattias borrowed books from the library to learn music theory.

After forming the group Frozen Eyes and recording a strange self-titled album in 1988 (Bums records) Mattias moved to Copenhagen to join Danish band Fate. In 1991 Fate released “Scratch ´n Sniff” (EMI) and Mattias was hailed as “The guitar player of the 90’s” in Japanese magazines. After getting a thorough insight how the ugly showbiz-industry worked Mattias decided it was time to move on and formed Freak Kitchen in 1992.In 1995 Mattias released his first instruction video, “Freak guitar vol. 1” (Thunderstruck prod.).  Among other things, Mattias demonstrates how to use hose-clips and remote controls in a very unorthodox video. He plans to shoot a “sequel” to “Freak guitar vol. 1” simply called “Freak guitar vol. 2…the revenge!”.

Eklundh frequently travels around the planet holding seminars in his strange playing style.In the fall of 1999 the beefy solo-effort Freak Guitar was released, a monumental, six-stringed roller-coaster ride. Freak Guitar’s success took everyone by surprise and it is still being released in various territories around the world, most recently by Steve Vai and Favored Nations in a brand new pressing. Consisting of 20 original tracks, Ia also included his very own interpretations of KISS´ “Detroit Rock City” and “La Bamba”. Must be heard to be believed. Before dedicating his time and effort on the work of writing, recording and producing the fourth Freak Kitchen album in winter/spring of 2000 “Dead Soul Men”, Mattias contributed an instrumental called “Yngwie 2000” on a Malmsteen tribute entitled Guitar Odyssey.Mattias is today considered one of the most innovative and ground breaking guitar players around with a fast growing global following from fellow “guitar nerds” to simply true music freaks. Mattias’ minimalist, home-brewed, and stripped down approach to the guitar has surprised record buyers and journalists around the world.

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