This weekend, February 2 & 3, Rootsy Winter Fest ’24 will take place in Falkenberg, Sweden. For singer-songwriter Jesper Lindell, who is on the lineup in a couple of different configurations/collaborations, it won’t quite be a hometown show. Ludvika, the small Swedish town he hails from, is located nearly 500 km north of Falkenberg. Still, to the Rootsy artist, the setting will be quite familiar. Last summer, videographers and session magicians I Know We Should were on hand when Lindell performed at Rootsy Summer Fest ’23.
On the banks of the Ätran, beside Tryckhallen – Rootsy Summer & Winter Fests’ home venue – Lindell offered two songs in simple, stripped down, acoustic performances. On a balcony overlooking the rushing water and festival stage, he sings “It Ain’t Easy,” a song of long-suffering and devotion from his 2023 EP, Windows Vol. 1. Lindell’s voice is powerful and soulful, but at times it’s also tender and fragile. On Windows, his passionate vocals on “It Ain’t Easy” are joined by reverby keys and wide-pocketed percussion. Here, Lindell’s bandmate, keys player and vocalist Carl Lindvall, backgrounds instead – with a subtle assist from the river and distant birdsong.
Lindell’s second performance, “Life is Good,” begins with a fingerpicked strumming shuffle that evokes the Mississippi delta and the roots music triangle – Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, and everywhere in between. The lyrics paint a variable picture of travel and the road, of palm trees and fleeting crushes. “Life is sweet / On this dead end street,” he sings, a winking pun that acknowledges how interminable and unforgiving roaming can feel, even while life is good.
At Rootsy Winter Fest ’24, Lindell and his band will appear with Magnus Carlson and he will appear in duet with Scarlet Rivera, as well. As these Rootsy Summer Sessions illustrate, his music is not to be missed. Find more information on Rootsy Winter Fest ’24 here.
Video Credit: Brad Wagner, I Know We Should
Audio Credit: Juan Soria, I Know We Should
