Johan Frandsen (born 9 September 1982 in Stockholm, Sweden), is the

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

, main songwriter and lead vocalist in the Swedish

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band,

The Knockouts The Knockouts are a Swedish rock band from Stockholm that formed in 1996. The current line-up consists of Johan Frandsen (vocals, guitar), Kennet Stone (double bass, vocals) and Ted Jergelind, (Drums). The band achieved success in 2010 afte ...

. His trademark guitar] is a

Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsc ...

White Falcon. Johan Frandsen is an endorsed artist by Gretsch Guitars,

TV Jones TV Jones is a U.S. guitar pickup manufacturer in Poulsbo, Washington. Best known for manufacturing vintage-style Filter' Tron pickups, TV Jones pickups attempt to recreate the sound of vintage Gretsch guitars by using American-made materials and ...

Fender Fender may refer to: Transport * Fender (boating), a bumper used to keep boats from banging into docks or each other * Fender (vehicle) or wing, a part of a motor vehicle that frames a wheel well * Fender, a "cow catcher" on a tram, see Pilot (lo ...

and Peerless.

Biography

Music career

Frandsen started playing guitar at the age of six and began his music career forming

in 1996 in Stockholm, Sweden. The Knockouts have developed a cult following in Scandinavia and is now considered to be one of Sweden's hardest touring bands. As well as being the main songwriter and frontman of The Knockouts – from 2004 Johan was the lead guitarist with internationally respected Swedish rockabilly band, The GoGetters, having toured over 300 dates with shows all over Europe and the USA. His guitar playing gave them an extra injection energy worldwide - one of the highlights was headlining the Viva Las Vegas and playing with members of the

Stray Cats Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles ...

Guana Batz The Guana Batz are an English psychobilly band who formed in 1982 in Feltham, West London, England. The band are most well known for their frequent appearances at the Klub Foot, an early psychobilly club. History The original group members ...

and

Mad Sin Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to: Geography * Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia * Mád, a village in Hungary * Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code * Mad River (disambiguation), several ri ...

Johan Frandsen started Diamond Prime Music with The Knockouts' manager Coco Rosenfeld in early 2009. Diamond Prime is a Music and Management company based in Stockholm. Diamond Prime is the record label and management for The Knockouts.

The Knockouts

The Knockouts are a Swedish rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1996. The current lineup consists of Johan Frandsen (vocals, guitar), Kennet Stone (

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

, vocals) and Ted Jergelind (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

). The band has risen to fame in 2010 after the release of the album ''

Among the Vultures ''Among the Vultures'' is the Independent Music Awards-winning third studio album by Swedish punk rock band, The Knockouts, released in Sweden 13 November 2009 and worldwide March 2010. It was released by Diamond Prime and distributed worldwide b ...

''. They have released three studio albums and one EP compilation in Sweden and throughout Europe. The album ''Among the Vultures'' was nominated for Best Punk Rock Album at the 2011 Independent Music Awards, and two singles from the album were nominated for best punk song "Heat for the Hunted" and best alternative country song "Ever Been Hurt". The Knockouts added BEST Punk Rock Album to their collection as voted by the industry panel including Joe Perry, Aerosmith,

Benji Madden Benjamin Levi Madden ( né Combs; born March 11, 1979) is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the band Good Charlottefor which he has received various awardsas well as pop rock collaboration the Madden Bro ...

Joel Madden Joel Rueben Madden (né Combs; March 11, 1979) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte. He is also part of the pop rock collaboration the Madden Brothers with his identical twin brother Benji ...

Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin ...

, and

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

. Performing hundreds of jam-packed and sold-out shows, The Knockouts have respectively gained a reputation of delivering, what is now described as a ''“cocky punk rock”'' sound with an aggressive

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

technique.

The Knockouts - recent activity

In 2013 and 2014, ''The Knockouts'' have worked to rehearse, record and release the newest studio album ‘’’5000 Miles from Louisville’’, having signed with Swedish Booking Agency MTA Production AB, ''The Knockouts'' are back on the road and hitting stages throughout Scandinavia with the newest release in their usual high energy gigs! 2012 saw The Knockouts working on new material for the upcoming album. During this time touring schedules were kept to a minimum and work was directed to the songs for the new release (Due early 2013). A special event was held in September 2012 at Debaser Slussen Stockholm, Sweden.

Slim Jim Phantom James McDonnell (born March 21, 1961), known by the stage name Slim Jim Phantom, is the drummer for Stray Cats. Alongside bandmates Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, he spearheaded the neo-rockabilly movement of the early 1980s. Phantom currentl ...

from the world-famous

and Jonny Bowler from the

flew from Los Angeles to join The Knockouts on stage in a once only special event to a soldout show, celebrating Johan Frandsen's 30th birthday. In 2011 The Knockouts supported rock and roll icon and

front man

Brian Setzer Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with ...

, on the ''Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot tour 2011'' They started the European summer with a performance with Brian Sezter on the premiere night of his tour at the 10 year celebration of the Azkena Rock Festival on the June 25,

Vitoria-Gasteiz es, vitoriano, vitoriana, , population_density_km2 = auto , blank_name_sec1 = Official language(s) , blank_info_sec1 = Spanish, Basque , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Spain to crowds of over 50,000 people, then onto sold out dates throughout Germany in Berlin,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

. The tour continued to be sold out through Scandinavia with dates in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, Denmark, Stockholm, Sweden and

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, Finland ending at the

Helsinki Ice Hall Helsinki Ice Hall ( fi, Helsingin jäähalli, sv, Helsingfors ishall) is an indoor arena located in Helsinki, Finland. The arena has a seating capacity of 8,200. History Helsinki Ice Hall has been the home arena of HIFK of Liiga since its co ...

(venue capacity of 8200) in Helsinki. Highlight of the tour was the encore performance at the

on the last night of the tour when The Knockouts frontman Johan Frandsen joined Brian Setzer and

on stage with a special rendition of the rockabilly classic, "

Seven Nights to Rock "Seven Nights to Rock" is a classic rockabilly song written by Buck Trail, Henry Glover, and Louis Innis. It was originally recorded by Moon Mullican on January 26, 1956, and has been covered by a number of diverse artists. History It was original ...

". Setzer called Frandsen to the stage and handed his white Brian Setzer Hot Rod signature

Guitar to Johan to conclude the tour in Scandinavia. The Knockouts' tours have included dates throughout Europe including countries such as, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Czech Republic and Spain. They have played at festivals such as the West Coast Riot and The Peace and Love Festival, alongside

Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing vo ...

and

The Living End The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 199 ...

. They supported The Living End' in 2009 on their first Scandinavian tour date for the ''Raise the Alarm World Tour'' – in Stockholm.

The Knockouts' beginnings (1996 -2002)

Formed by Johan Frandsen in 1996. Their energetic and hard-fought beginnings were captured with the release of their 1998 self-titled debut 7 inch single ''The Knockouts'', produced by Thomas Skogsberg, (

The Hellacopters The Hellacopters are a Swedish garage rock band that was formed in 1994 by Nicke Andersson (vocals and guitar), Andreas Tyrone "Dregen" Svensson (guitar), Kenny Håkansson (bass) and Robert Eriksson (drums). Andersson (sometimes known as Nick ...

) 1999 to 2001 was spent touring, writing and preparing to record the full length promotional album ''Skyline Supernova'', recorded in

Sunlight Studio Sunlight Studios is a recording studio in Stockholm, Sweden which is run by Tomas Skogsberg. It has been a popular choice for Swedish death metal bands such as Dismember, At The Gates, Entombed, Grave, Katatonia and Tiamat. Records 1989 *Trebl ...

, Sweden and released in summer 2000, and various compilation recordings, including ''A Fistfull of Rock'', Devil Doll Records. The success of their album scored them national support and the slot on the

Hultsfred Festival The Hultsfred Festival ( sv, Hultsfredsfestivalen) was an annual music festival held in Hultsfred, Sweden. It took place at the lake Hulingen during three days in the June or July, from Thursday to Saturday. Since the first festival in 1986, ...

, playing in the same year as bands such as

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

and Rocket from the Crypt.

''The Knockouts'' self titled EP (2003-2005)

After devouring two years' worth of gigs, and with a different way of looking at the Swedish punk rock scene, and following from the success of ''Skyline Supernova'', in 2003 the trio went onto solidify its sound with the introduction of longtime drummer Ted Jergelind. Early 2004 saw them head into the studio and record the 4 track EP self-titled ''The Knockouts''. While writing new material during 2004–2006 for their second full-length album and touring Sweden, Germany, Spain, Johan Frandsen (

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of th ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

) toured over 300 dates with internationally respected Swedish rockabilly band, The GoGetters'. The energy and injection of Johan's rockabilly roots and unique "Knockouts" sound, bought a new edge to the GoGetters' and the tour included shows all over Europe and the USA; headlining the Viva Las Vegas, supporting

members, and playing with members from

and The Guana Batz''.

''El Fin de la Guerra'' (2006-2008)

In the midst of a relentless touring schedule between 2006–2008, new songs were bubbling to the surface in what would become ''El Fin De La Guerra''. Recorded in October 2007 and released February 1, 2008 this new album saw the band fly into a massive Europe and USA tour including planned dates in Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, Finland and the West Coast of the United States. Endorsement deals sees a trademark white guitar appear on stage at the start of 2009 and Johan Frandsen appearing at both National and International guitar conventions. They were busy on the festival circuit in the summer of 2009, including playing

Earth Hour Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The event is held annually, encouraging individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights, for one hour, from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. ...

in Stockholm, then with

and

at The Westcoast Riot festival and the Peace and Love Festival.

''Among the Vultures'' (2009-2011)

'', was recorded and produced in six days at The Panic Room,

Skara Skara is a locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 18,580 inhabitants in 2013. Despite its small size, it is one of the oldest cities in Sweden, and has a long educational and ecclesiastical history. On ...

, Sweden. This full length album is receiving multiple accolades and reviews; ''...This album won't leave lovers of quality rock unmoved. It is just so tight, intense, messy, expressive, powerful, explosive...'' The official single, "Under the Light" is attracting radio play and reviews both in Scandinavia, USA and Europe. The song "Heat for the Hunted" was chosen 3rd on Sweden's National Radio Program - Håkan Persson's

Sveriges Radio P3 P3 (''Sveriges Radio P3'' or ''pe tre'') is a mainstream CHR-formatted station operated by Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcasting organization Sveriges Radio. The P in P3 originally stood for Program (''Programme'') but today has ...

as the best top ten songs for 2009

''5000 Miles From Louisville'' (2012-2014)

2012 to 2013 saw the band working on the newest album. ''5000 Miles From Louisville'', was recorded and mixed in ten days in February 2013 at '' Park Studio'' Stockholm, Sweden. It was produced by Stefan Boman, of '' Park Studio'' (owned by Swedish band ''

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

'') and Johan Frandsen of The Knockouts. This full-length album is receiving radio plays and reviews; ''... the catchiness of the beats and melodies grab you, the lyrics hold on tight and refuse to let you go ...'' The official single, ''...'Days Long Gone' hurtles out of the speakers with a confidence and energy that tells me everything I need to know about this record and that is it's going to compete and there's a strength in the outstanding playing and songwriting that places this Scandinavian three piece right at the top of the pack...'' The album also featured

Kevin McKendree Kevin McKendree (born April 27, 1969) is an American electric blues pianist, keyboardist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to having a lengthy and varied career as a session musician, McKendree has released two solo albums. Life an ...

on piano on the song “Stars of Us”.

Awards and nominations

* 2011: The Knockouts' ''

'' was nominated for Best Punk Rock Album at the Independent Music Awards, and two singles from the album were nominated for best punk song ''Heat for the Hunted'' and best alternative country song ''Ever Been Hurt''. The Knockouts added BEST Punk Rock Album to their collection as voted by the industry panel including Joe Perry of Aerosmith,

and

, and

. * 2010: The Knockouts were nominated as best upcoming act at the

Bandit Rock Bandit Rock is a Swedish radio station which plays rock, punk and heavy metal. The station, now a part of the Nordic Entertainment Group, was founded by American ex-pat Thomas McAlevey and began broadcasting in Stockholm in 1994. Under McAlevey's ...

Awards (Sweden's biggest rock radio station). * 2009: "Heat for the Hunted" from the album ''Among the Vultures'' was chosen 3rd on Sweden's National Radio Program Håkan Persson's

as the best top ten songs for 2009.

Endorsements

Johan Frandsen is currently endorsed artist with: *

Guitars *

* Tube Amp Doctor * Jam Gitarrer

Equipment

2010 saw Frandsen debut as an endorsed artist with

guitars as a featured artist on the website with

Chris Cheney Christopher John Cheney (born 2 January 1975) is an Australian rock musician, record producer, and studio owner. He is the founding mainstay guitarist, songwriter, and lead vocalist of the rockabilly band The Living End, which was formed in 1 ...

and

Billy Gibbons William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician who is the guitarist and lead singer of the rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the band the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded a full-length album entitled, '' Flas ...

. This was soon followed up by support and endorsement from

and

. Johan Frandsen is featured in a two-page spread in FUZZ Magazine June, 2011 issue #4 - The number one and only guitar magazine in Scandinavia. Talking about his inspiration. On tour, Frandsen uses four main guitars on tour, two

Guitars and two

Spectra Sonic Supremes’ and the rest are back-ups for the different tunings. Johan TV Jones

Guitars

Chris Cheney Signature G6126TCC *

Prototype GGP 6120 TM (Tiger Maple) *

Model 6120 Setzer Hot Rod Custom "Pinstripe" *

Spectra Sonic Supreme Guitar - Charcoal *

Spectra Sonic Supreme Guitar - Cherry Red * Various other

Guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gibso ...

Models Effects: * Roland Re-301 Chorus Echo Amplifiers: *

Fender Bassman The Fender Bassman is a bass amplifier series introduced by Fender during 1952. Initially intended to amplify bass guitars, the 5B6 Bassman was used by musicians for other instrument amplification, including the electric guitar, harmonica, and pe ...

(Blonde) - 1963 *

Supersonic 60 head

Discography

Studio albums

* 2000: ''Skyline Supernova'' * 2004: ''The Knockouts EP'' Diamond Prime Music * 2007: ''El Fin de la Guerra'' * 2009: ''

'' Diamond Prime Music / Sound Pollution AB * 2013: ''5000 Miles From Louisville'' Diamond Prime Music / Sound Pollution AB

Singles

* 1998: "The Knockouts - Can I Look But Not Touch 7" Vinyl * 2009: "Under the Light" Diamond Prime Music / Sound Pollution AB * 2010: "Ever Been Hurt" Diamond Prime Music / Sound Pollution AB * 2011: "A lie like in Natalie" Diamond Prime Music / Sound Pollution AB * 2011: "I Want you to want me" Diamond Prime Music / Sound Pollution AB * 2013: ''Days Long Gone'' Diamond Prime Music / Sound Pollution AB

Compilations

* 1998: ''Fistful of Rock 'N' Roll vol. 9.'' The Knockouts (Stripshow A Go-Go / Devil Doll Records) * 2011: ''Dancing on Your Graves – A Rockabilly Tribute to The Hellacopters'', The Knockouts', ''Freeway To Hell'' (Wild Kingdom/Sound Pollution)

Other projects

* 2008: The GoGetters "Hot Rod Roadeo" Goofin Records, Title track from the album ''Hot Rod Roadeo''

References

External links

The Knockouts official website

The Knockouts support Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frandsen, Johan 1982 births Living people Swedish guitarists Male guitarists Swedish rock musicians Swedish rock guitarists 21st-century Swedish singers 21st-century guitarists 21st-century Swedish male singers