Rydholm/Säfsund is the brainchild of the two Swedish AOR/westcoast musicians Anders Rydholm (bass, rhythm guitars, keyboards; Art Of Illusion & Grand Illusion) and Lars Säfsund (vocals; Work Of Art, Art Of Illusion)!
After releasing 5 singles in advance, the Swedish duo unleashes the full-length debut album “Kaleidoscope”! Featuring numerous high class guests like Tim Pierce (guitars), Robert Säll (guitars), Matt Bissonette (bass), Chuck Findley (trumpet) and Wojtek Goral (sax) amongst others, this release brilliantly showcases their new sound which includes some new elements as well! The band comments: “Some people wonder why we have chosen to use a new name, Rydholm and Säfsund, for the release of the coming songs and the reason for that is that the new music comes with slight change of direction for this album. Not as heavy as the Art Of Illusion songs and more funky. It even has horns on it. So hard to describe music but if we try, it’s a mixture between melodic rock, west coast and a little bit of pop. We just hope that the new music will be reviewed on its own and for what it is. It’s so easy to compare with our old stuff, but as a signal that it’s intentionally different, we have chosen to release it under our names instead of using Art Of Illusion. That doesn’t mean that we will stop making melodic rock or love it any less. This album is just another exploration of our music passion and a try to grow as musicians and songwriters. It has also been a lot of fun because it’s great and really groovy songs with tons of melody.”Release date: April 12, 2024
01. Now And Forever
02. Hey You
03. What’s Not To Love
04. Seven Signs of Love
05. Don’t Make Me Do It
06. 4th of July
07. The Bet
08. Sara’s Dream
09. Bucket List
10. The Plains of Marathon
11. Kaleidoscope
12. Love Will Find A Way
Anders Rydholm – bass, rhythm guitars, keyboards
Lars Säfsund – lead and background vocals, synth-solo on “Love Will Find A Way”, bass-synth on “Don’t Make Me Do It”
Frank Nilsson – drums
Joel Kibble – background vocals on “Seven Signs Of Love”
Kristian Larsen – guitar solos
Robert Säll – guitar solo on “The Plains Of Marathon”
Tim Pierce – guitar solo on “4th of July”
Stefan Olofsson – piano on “What’s Not To Love”
Wojtek Goral – sax solo on “What’s Not To Love”, “Don’t Make Me Do It”, ”Bucket List”
Håkan Malmberg – sax solo on “Sara’s Dream”
Pelle Holmberg – rhythm guitar on: “Love Will Find A Way”, guitar solo on ”Bucket List”
Matt Bissonette – bass on “Now And Forever”
Ola af Trampe – rhythm guitar on “Now And Forever”
Larry Salzman – percussion
Nicolas Lazo Zubieta – congas on “Now And Forever”
Pablo Cepeda – congas and bongos on “Sara’s Dream”
Martin VerDonk – percussion: “Love Will Find A Way”, “What’s Not To Love”