CB3 is shortened from Charlotta’s Burning Trio. The "Charlotta" in that longer version of the moniker is Charlotta Andersson who writes the music, plays electric guitar and provides vocals. She is really the band leader, too. The other members of the trio are Pelle Lindsjö (eectric bass) and Natanael Solmonsson (drums). The group hails from Sweden, and plays a type of sound that is unique, seeming to merge things as diverse as jazz, stoner metal and psychedelia. I got to ask the whole group about their music and much more. 

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Can you catch the readers up on the history of your involvement in music – sort of a  "highlight reel?" 

CHARLOTTA ANDERSSON: Started out playing fiddle and folk music as a kid at a place called something like “Culture/Music School." I lived in the countryside and I would probably never be  playing or doing music if it wasn’t for that place. Later I started playing electric guitar, got into improvisation, fusion, rock and jazz. I started to study improvisation and jazz at different schools and during that time I started the band CB3. We’ve been playing at several venues and festivals mainly in the north and Europe. Besides playing in CB3, I also play in other different projects and teach guitar at a “Culture School,” and it is very fulfilling. It’s where it all started for me, so it feels great to give back.

WC: If you weren't involved in music what do you think you'd be doing? 

CA: Back in the days I wanted to work in journalism or be a physiotherapist. Nowadays  maybe an electrician or physiotherapist. To do something that makes a difference  and feels fulfilling is important to me.

PELLE LINDSJÖ: Jewelry

NATANAEL SALMONSSON: Probably something with IT .

WC: How did the name of the group originate? 

CA: At the time I was studying jazz I felt there was an “anti-shred” thing going on and that “should not play like this and this and this…”. I just wanted to create and explore music so that’s why I used the word “burning” in the band name, to tease a little bit with everyone that thinks you should or should not play in a certain way. Also every  band name was first name, last name and how many people in the band. So I wanted to do a fun version of that. (The full name of the band is "Charlotta's Burning Trio – Dark Starr.)

WC: Who would you see as your musical influences? 

CA: When it comes to guitar playing and composing to CB3 I have many musical influences like Alice Coltrane, John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, MOTORPSYCHO, SLIFT, Courtney Barnett, DINOSAUR JR. and more. But also other art forms, TV-series, meeting people.

PL: Big question. It feels like the older I get, the broader my musical influences  become. And also that I find it easier now to find inspiration in non “musical” things. As in visual art, books, conversations etcetera. But some albums that affected me a lot are: 

LORENZO SENNI - “Scacco Matto” 

NANCY MOUNIR- “Nozhet El Nofous”

RP BOO - “Legacy” 

BULGARIAN VOICES ANGELITE      “Huun Huur” 

TUR - “Fly, Fly My Sadness” 

LUIZ BONFA - “Solo in Rio 1959” 

CAROLINE SHAW -      “Partita for 8 Voices” 

And more… 

NS: From a drummer's perspective: Elvin Jones, Mitch Mitchell and John Bonham.  More recently Brian Blade and Ari Hoenig. A lot of Jazz-guys mostly. 

WC: What's the best thing that's ever been said about your music? 

CA:  A journalist once wrote us up as “The King Crimson of Malmö”. That is pretty cool.

NS: That they felt moved and inspired by it. That’s a pretty cool thing to be able to do. 

WC: There's no question that the last couple years have been hard on the music world. How has the pandemic affected you personally, and do you think that there are lasting changes from it? 

CA:  We had a dream tour in Spain/Portugal planned when the pandemic came. That was  really sad. No gigs, and my work as guitar teacher went digital. It was okay, but after the pandemic and during it I understood how grateful I am for doing what I’m doing  and also of the importance of music and art and when it happens between people, bands and audiences. 

Perhaps not lasting changes but in Sweden I feel that people go less to concerts and cultural events than before. I think some people are still scared of going to places with many people.

PL: It has been hard. I think the pandemic really taught me, more clearly why I work with this. I have a bigger understanding of the importance of playing live and having a community. But also to play with other people. Something that I always know to be important to me, but it becomes more clear during a pandemic, when you didn't have it. I think partly also it made me more grateful for those things. I remember the first tour after the pandemic. I noticed myself really enjoying the bus rides, flights, soundchecks, airport security...things I usually saw as a boring “have to” before. 

NS: Sure! I started teaching full-time, which takes a lot of time away from playing. I had to take a hard look at where I was and really reevaluate the situation. A plus is that I take music a lot less for granted now. Every show could potentially be the last you ever get to do. 

WC: What's ahead for you? 

CA:  We will record “Exploration II” - part two of our space adventure trilogy in Spring. We have some very cool festivals coming up and a tour in Europe, but all depends on getting funding, which is a big bummer.

WC: I know many artists hate to have their music pigeonholed or labeled, but how would you describe your music? 

CA:  Nowadays I would say "experimental rock." Our music has improvisation, some kind of  jazz, it’s progressive, it is rock like shoegaze, stoner - so fuzzy and melodic with riffs. 

If you like MOTORPSYCHO, SLIFT, DINOSAUR JR., you may like us!

NS: BLACK SABBATH-fusion 

WC: Are there musicians with whom you would like to play in the future? 

CA: Would be cool to do collaborations, maybe with a synth person who is into making noise. But I would actually like to collaborate with another art form, like a dancer or light designer - maybe that is for “Exploration III”?

NS: OZZY OSBOURNE would be pretty fun? 

WC: Do you think that illegal sharing or streaming of music is a help or hindrance to the careers of musicians? 

PL: It's a hard question, and it depends. I think the problem lays in the overall attitude of buying music. That it is a very small percentage of music consumers that are ready to pay for recorded music. However, the advantages of streaming are also huge. That suddenly we have so much music within reach. And the fact that you don't need a lot of money to hear a lot of music. That is huge. 

I just made the switch from Spotify to Bandcamp. Mostly because I feel that Spotify don't like music. They like money. It’s still very new, but the fact that I buy the music also makes me value it more. And the knowledge of my money is going to the creator of it makes me happy. However it's a lot of music that Spotify has that Bandcamp does not. I am missing a lot of music. But right now, i feel it's worth it. 

WC: In a related question, how do you feel about fans recording shows and trading them or posting them online? 

CA:  I think it is okay if the person who make the video does it with good intentions. It means a lot to a band if someone takes the time to share and spread your music to broaden your audience.

PL: You go! I think the problem would be if it was made with a commercial intention. But 99% of the people that film a concert, do not have that intention. 

WC: If you were a superhero, what music person would be your arch nemesis and why? 

PL: I don't know. Maybe ULTIMA THULE, or Bedårande barn. 

NS: KENNY G. Even though he’s probably a nice guy. I think just about anyone who doesn't respect music as a craft or art-form. The whole “only in it for the money” crowd 

WC: If you were to put together your ultimate band (a band you'd like to hear or catch live), who would be in it and why?

NS: I would pick John Coltrane's quartet straight up. Just because I'm too young to have heard them live. 

WC: If you were in charge of assembling a music festival and wanted it to be the ultimate one from your point of view who would be playing? 

CA:  For the moment I think it would be cool with a festival based on collaborations between bands and art forms. Also with a different type of stage, perhaps a rotating stage would be  cool!

WC: What was the last CD you bought and/or what have you been listening to lately? 

PL:  HUERCO S. - “Plonk”. Not a physical CD though. Great album, It was an album I immediately liked. It is something with that album's meticulously composed rhythm and sounds. Together with  very eerie overall soundscapes that caught my attention. 

NS: I just ordered “Wired” – JEFF BECK, and that’s what I’ve been listening to today since I heard the news of his passing. 

WC: Have you read any good books lately? 

CA:  “Grim” by Sara Bergmark Elfgren .

PL: No. I have read a few bad books. But maybe it's not worth mentioning. 

NS: I haven’t really read anything new in a while, but I re-read “Dune” by Frank Herbert  fairly recently. That’s a great book. 

WC: What about the last concert you attended for your enjoyment 

PL: I think it was AROOL AFTAB INKONST in Malmö 

NS: I think it was a Swedish pop-artist named Veronica Maggio a few blocks from here. Not something that I listen to a lot, but it was a good bit of fun! Most shows I attend are those that I’m playing before and/or after. 

WC: Do you remember the first concert you attended? 

CA:  I think it was ELECTRIC BANANA BAND. 

NS: Must have been some small talent show back in my home town of Gellivare. 

WC: Have you come across any new gear recently that you love? 

CA:  The Mandolin. I have played fiddle and it’s the same tuning. Would love to have an electric mandolin or mandola in the near future!

PL: I am in the process of building a new neck for my bass - a neck that allows me to play quarter tones. But it's not a fretless. It is a bass that has seven extra frets up until the 12th fret. I haven't tried it yet, but I think it's something I will enjoy immensely.

NS: I picked up a new bag of cymbals from Danish cymbalsmith (and good friend) Lasse Funch! Those babies sing! 

WC: Do you have a musical “guilty pleasure?” 

PL: No not really, I am not really “ashamed” of anything I listen to. But something that people seem to be surprised that I listen to is Barry White. I love Barry White. 

NS: Not really. Maybe DIRTY LOOPS? But those guys are fricking amazing! 

WC: What has been your biggest Spinal Tap moment? 

CA:  When we played in Berlin at a bar and the drum chair was a big wooden stump, taking up most of the stage.

WC: If you could sit down to dinner with any three people, living or dead, for food and conversation, with whom would you be dining? 

NS: John Coltrane, Karl Marx and Muhammed Ali. That sounds like a pretty fun  evening 

WC: What would be on the menu?

NS: Tapas of some sort. I find that that kind of eating aids the conversation. And wine.

WC: Are there any closing thoughts you would like to get out there? 

NS: Thanks for having us! Great job going for 25 years, and we hope we can do this again for the 50th .

CB3