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# Johan Niemann

Bass Player

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://johan77niemann.se/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Blog](https://johan77niemann.se/blog/)
- [”Sky Gazing”](https://johan77niemann.se/sky-gazing/) - This album was conceived a bit differently than my other ambient records. This time I got a basic idea down, then I would improvise the overdubs and added layers. On previous records I would work on something until I ”had it”. This was much freer and more open. It’s all guitars, no keyboards. I used
- [Iron Maiden, Paris, June 22nd](https://johan77niemann.se/iron-maiden-paris-june-22nd/) - Drop-and-go today, same as last time. ”Bring all you need for the day because the bus will be parked outside of the city”. Oh. Sweet. Lord. This arena, La Défense, is enormous. Apparently holds 45,000 people. Had breakfast in a catering area that was bigger than some venues we’ve played. Coffee, sandwich. Good stuff. Had
- [Iron Maiden, Amsterdam, June 10th](https://johan77niemann.se/iron-maiden-amsterdam-june-10th/) - Woke up to the sound of ”it’s a drop-and-go”, which means that you have to take what you need for the day because the bus will be parked elsewhere. Stood outside the Ziggo Dome arena waiting for clearance to get in. Got in. Not much to do, but wait for soundcheck. Lunch was amazing. I
- [”Celestial Traveller”](https://johan77niemann.se/celestial-traveller/) - This is record is inspired by the music of bass player/producer/all-around creative genius Bill Laswell. The music is bass-driven, spacey, slightly ambient, but with a beat. Faux Dub, if you will. My main objective for this album was huge bass and dreamy spaciousness. And as always, all instruments and production by me. /Johan
- [Day 41 Stockholm](https://johan77niemann.se/day-41-stockholm/) - Final show of the tour and a hometown show for me (and the Katatonia guys). Nice venue, never been here before. Not the best catering, kind of bland and uninteresting. But there was coffee, so I’m happy. At soundcheck we ran through ”Cold Dreams” with Jonas Renkse, as he will sing it with us tonight.
- [Day 40 Karlstad](https://johan77niemann.se/day-40-karlstad/) - Nöjesfabriken is definitely one of the best venues on this tour. Big, spacious, clean. Lovely people working there. I missed breakfast, so my breakfast was lunch. Traditional Swedish Christmas food. Not my favorite, but it was very well-made. Did some more recording. Fun soundcheck. Dinner was amazing. Roasted pork and potatoes. Chocolate mousse and sticky
- [Day 39 Copenhagen](https://johan77niemann.se/day-39-copenhagen/) - Good breakfast. Coffee and sandwiches (what else?!) Tried using my Darkglass pedal as an audio interface today. I didn’t know I could do that. Worked like a charm. That means I don’t have to bring a separate audio interface on tour in the future. Starting to get really tired now. Not very strange. It has
- [Day 38 Day Off](https://johan77niemann.se/day-38-day-off/) - Day-off on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Nothing much to do - just the way I like it. Had a coffee on the bus. Received some more songs to record, so I sorted those files and prepared the sessions so I can just record when I have time. Had forgotten that I was reading ”The Compass
- [Day 37 Antwerp](https://johan77niemann.se/day-37-antwerp/) - Ah, Trix. This venue used to be called Hof Ter Loo, which an old guitar tech, Kevin, said was an anagram for ”middle-of-fucking-nowhere”. Good venue, though. Good breakfast. Had a couple of sandwiches and some coffee. Recorded some more bass today. Couldn’t send the files, because the computer wouldn’t connect to the wifi. Dinner was
- [Day 36 Day Off](https://johan77niemann.se/day-36-day-off/) - Woke up with a headache today. Not fun. Coffee. Had some Pizza Hut for lunch with Rikard and our bus drivers. Then hooked up my computer to record some bass for songs I’d been sent. Recorded two songs. Had the two last slices of pizza for dinner while watching an episode of ”Ghost Adventures”.
- [Day 35 Amsterdam](https://johan77niemann.se/day-35-amsterdam/) - Had some time to record today, so that was nice. Then another listening session with a big Dutch magazine. He seemed to like the new album. Buy-out today. Boring. Burger King. Boring. Packed place today, almost sold-out. Tons of people at the merch after the show.
- [Day 34 Cologne](https://johan77niemann.se/day-34-cologne/) - Another great venue. Breakfast was very nice. Had some coffee and watched ”På Spåret”. We then had a listening session with a big German metal magazine. One of our super-fans came by with gifts, which was amazing. Lussebullar. And I got a packet of ”Johan’s Bass Brew” coffee. Soooo cool!! Thank you, Cora! Dinner was
- [Day 33 Frankfurt](https://johan77niemann.se/day-33-frankfurt/) - Couldn’t sleep this night either. Batchkapp today, but this is a different venue than the one I remember. Turns out they moved to this location three years ago. Fantastic breakfast. They had sausages, eggs, beans, the whole nine yards. Did some more recording. Managed to do two songs. I have a weird sensation in my
- [Day 32 Luxembourg](https://johan77niemann.se/day-32-luxembourg/) - A certain tiredness has started to creep up on me, which isn’t very surprising. It’s the kind of tiredness that you can’t fix by just sleeping. You need deeper rest. Considering the amount of visual and aural impressions over the last few weeks, this is not strange. Nice, big, clean venue. Decent breakfast. Spent most
- [Day 31 Paris](https://johan77niemann.se/day-31-paris/) - Nice to be back in civilization. Breakfast! Coffee! Not cold! Sat and practised for most of the day. That felt really good. Continued with the Bach suites, which (I have to admit) I haven’t worked on much since the last tour. Fun stuff. Dinner was buy-out, so Stephen and I went to Pizza Hut. Pepperoni
- [Day 30 Travel Day / Day Off](https://johan77niemann.se/day-30-travel-day-day-off/) - Surprisingly easy border control this night/morning. Stayed on the bus when we went on the ferry. Fell asleep. Woke up at 16:20 with a headache, great. Sat downstairs in the bus for a while. Went toilet hunting. Found a restaurant and had a tiny coffee. Bought some McDonald’s and went to the bus. Watched ”Pulp
- [Day 29 Bristol](https://johan77niemann.se/day-29-bristol/) - Bristol - the city with its own scale (google it). Bread, cheese, meats, fruit, water, sodas. Are we still in the UK? This is already 100% better than yesterday. No coffee, but we have that on the bus. And the dressingroom is warm, too! Buy-out today, so me and Stephen went to McDonald’s. Good show,
- [Day 28 Manchester](https://johan77niemann.se/day-28-manchester/) - Didn’t sleep well last night. Took forever to fall asleep. So, a bit tired today. No catering in the venue until 14:30. Great! By then I will have starved to death. Anything to get off this island. (Not really, but kind of yes) Although this is a nice venue, clean and warm, there is something
- [Day 27 Glasgow](https://johan77niemann.se/day-27-glasgow/) - Feel better today. Still some leftover s*** from yesterday. No catering whatsoever in this place, so no coffee, sandwiches or anything. UK, eh? And it’s colder than…something that’s really cold. 10£ buy out. Enough for a burger at KFC. My first meal in two days, almost. No energy during the show. Probably takes a couple
- [Day 26 London](https://johan77niemann.se/day-26-london/) - Woke up feeling really ill. It’s torture when you can’t use the bus toilet for anything but peeing. Once inside the venue, I did what I had to do. Feel slightly better, but stomach and body hurts. Try to sleep. Nope, more puking! And more number 2. Haven’t felt this bad in years. Jesus, somebody
- [Day 25 Travel Day / Day Off](https://johan77niemann.se/day-25-travel-day-day-off/) - Woke up for the border-thing in Calais. Usually, it’s in the wee hours of the morning, but this time it was in the middle of the day. Nice for a change. Very rough sea. Had beef stew and rice on the boat. Quite unexciting. Anxiety popped in for a visit. How nice. Went back to
- [Day 24 Toulouse](https://johan77niemann.se/day-24-toulouse/) - We played here once before, on the ”Storm Within” tour. Very nice, clean venue. Great catering. Coffee and sandwich for breakfast. Great sound at soundcheck. I love when you can feel the sound on stage, the vibrations in the stage floor. I think my mind is playing tricks on me today. Inventing things and scenarios
- [Day 23 Barcelona](https://johan77niemann.se/day-23-barcelona/) - Didn’t sleep very well. The heat came back and it smelled like gasoline or something. Can’t be good, right? Another drop-and-go today. At least we have enough room backstage and it’s not cold. First case of ”tour stomach” today. This could get interesting. Guess we’ll have to wait and see how this unfolds. A bit
- [Day 22 Madrid](https://johan77niemann.se/day-22-madrid/) - I’m so happy I don’t drink anymore. Woke up and felt normal. Whereas someone else on the bus (not in our band/crew) drank himself into a stupor last night and made ”a bit of a mess” upstairs. I have done similar things, so I know how that feels. Not fun. So today, I’m thankful for
- [Day 21 Travel Day](https://johan77niemann.se/day-21-travel-day/) - Loooong drive to Madrid. 17 hours! Watched some tv. Had some coffee and watched ”Sunday with Ola”. We finally got to Madrid. I’ve got a new album to record, so I set up my little studio and managed to finish one song. So grateful for these opportunities. Had KFC with Stephen for dinner. Chicken burger
- [Day 20 Lyon](https://johan77niemann.se/day-20-lyon/) - New venue for me. Nice, clean. Coffee and sandwich for breakfast. Laundry today. Much needed. String change. Very productive day. Otherwise, not much to do but sit around. Lasagne for dinner, was ok. Fun show. They seemed a bit quiet at first, but I think we got them in the end. After the show, Tom,
- [Day 19 Zürich](https://johan77niemann.se/day-19-zurich/) - One of the guys in Klogr got food poisoning yesterday evening, so everyone has been very careful about everything today. I hardly ate anything for breakfast. Sorted some files and did some preparation for more bass recording. Had some coffee and watched an episode of ”Ghost Adventures” on YouTube. Good soundcheck. Seems like it always
- [Day 18 Milan](https://johan77niemann.se/day-18-milan/) - I know I’ve been here before, but I don’t recognise it at all. It almost feels like they switched venues but kept the name. Either way, very nice place. Good catering, great coffee. There was food all day long. The sound on stage was very subby, meaning a lot of low frequencies, very bass-y. For
- [Day 17 Day Off](https://johan77niemann.se/day-17-day-off/) - We’re parked on a camping site on the outskirts of Milan. Nice weather. Nothing to do today, but watch movies and tv-shows and just hang out. Had some coffee. Looked at my phone. More coffee. More looking. Went to my bunk to charge my phone in the afternoon - fell asleep. Woke up, had dinner
- [Day 16 Stuttgart](https://johan77niemann.se/day-16-stuttgart/) - I haven’t been to this venue in years, but it looks exactly like I remember it. From what I can see, last time was in 2011, though I could be wrong. Good catering, great coffee. Finally done with the songs I was recording. I had so much fun with this. Once again, great sound on
- [Day 15 Munich](https://johan77niemann.se/day-15-munich/) - Rainy day here in Munich. Nice catering. I like this place, it’s cozy. Just sat around, had some coffee, waiting for soundcheck. Good sound today, as well. This in-ear thing really works. A bit anxious today. I feel a slight pressure in my chest, a tightness. Chronic over-thinker here. I need to get out of
- [Day 14 Day Off](https://johan77niemann.se/day-14-day-off/) - Woke up late. Had a coffee and watched the Swedish tv-show ”På Spåret”. Then did some YouTube-ing. More coffee. It was so quiet on the bus, most of the guys were out. I loved it. Had some tasteless chicken and mashed potatoes from a couple of days ago. Coffee. Then watched some ”Cunk On Earth”
- [Day 13 Vienna](https://johan77niemann.se/day-13-vienna/) - Another ”drop and go” - this is getting really old, really fast. Even smaller dressing room than yesterday. Ok breakfast, I guess. Coffee’s on point. Went for a walk with Stephen to a guitar store. Cold and windy outside, but it was nice to do and see something else. Sounded great on soundcheck. Dinner was
- [Day 12 Prague](https://johan77niemann.se/day-12-prague/) - Today was a so-called ”drop and go”. That means that everything and everyone gets dropped off at the venue and the bus goes elsewhere for parking because there’s no room at the venue. Usually, this is not a problem if the dressingroom situation is adequate. No such luck here, however. One small room for two
- [Day 11 Leipzig](https://johan77niemann.se/day-11-leipzig/) - Woke up at noon today. Back feels better. Super cold venue here today. Even the people who work here are wearing jackets and hats. Nice catering. Sandwich and coffee for breakfast. Cold. I listened to the last song I recorded, just to double-check that everything sounds good. It didn’t. I heard some clicks or pops
- [Day 10 Berlin](https://johan77niemann.se/day-10-berlin/) - Holy shit, there’s a bright, warm thing in the sky today. Haven’t seen one of those in a couple of weeks. Very nice breakfast at the venue: bacon, eggs, sausages, different kinds of bread. Coffee! Back to work with the songs I’m recording. Soon done and ready for more! The catering was really on point
- [Day 9 Warsaw](https://johan77niemann.se/day-9-warsaw/) - Nice, big venue today. Haven’t been here in years. Great catering, except for the fact that there’s no coffee. Ha! Found the coffee. It was on a lower floor. Now the day can begin. Doing some more work on the songs I’m recording. This is so much fun. I love being able to record music
- [Day 8 Travel Day](https://johan77niemann.se/day-8-travel-day/) - Ah, the glorious experience of Polish roads woke me up. Rough and very uneven. But a lot better than 25 years ago. Jeez, I just realised that I’ve been a touring musician for 25 years! 25!!! I’m very thankful to still be able to do this, and that people are still interested in live music.
- [Day 7 Hamburg](https://johan77niemann.se/day-7-hamburg/) - Had a sandwich and some coffee on the bus while watching ”Sunday with Ola” on YouTube. A good way to start the day. I then spent the next few hours in the tiny backstage room doing absolutely nothing. Grey and bleak in Hamburg, I don’t want to do anything today. Sounded great at soundcheck. This whole
- [Day 6 Gothenburg](https://johan77niemann.se/day-6-gothenburg/) - Woke up at 8:00 in the morning. A bit too early, though, so I went back to sleep. Woke up at 12:00!! Had a coffee and a sandwich on the bus while watching ”På Spåret”, a Swedish TV show. Took a short walk and then came back and set up my mobile recording rig in
- [Day 5 Oslo](https://johan77niemann.se/day-5-oslo/) - Woke up with all my clothes on. Must have been very tired yesterday. Had some coffee on the bus, then went for a walk in the freezing Norwegian capital. Me, Tom and Rikard went to an Indian place to have lunch, which was quite good. Changed strings on my bass. Played half a song for
- [Day 4 Travel Day](https://johan77niemann.se/day-4-travel-day/) - Woke up at around 7:00 to get on the ferry to Stockholm. Once on the boat, I set up my portable ”studio”. Thought I’d get some recording done today. However, I didn’t realise that my strings were totally dead. In fact, I could hardly tell what the notes were on the lowest string - that’s
- [Day 3 Helsinki](https://johan77niemann.se/day-3-helsinki/) - Amazing venue today, as well. House of Culture, apparently. I must have done something stupid today. My back hurts. It’s like when you lift and turn - instant cripple. Oh, well… I spent most of the day getting familiar with these songs I’m about to record. Sounds really good. Poppy, catchy, well-written. Dinner was really
- [Day 2 Tampere](https://johan77niemann.se/day-2-tampere/) - Another great venue today. Big and clean. Good breakfast. Coffee and dark bread. Sat with my laptop all day, downloading files for a project I’m about to record. It’s for a Swedish artist and a big-name American producer. Being able to record remotely while on tour is amazing. I’m not missing out on work and
- [Day 1 Turku](https://johan77niemann.se/day-1-turku/) - Travel day yesterday. We took the ferry over to Finland. Met our friends in Katatonia and Klogr. Great seeing the guys again. Uneventful evening, for me. Went to bed almost immediately. Today, we’re in Turku. Very nice venue. Big. Had breakfast (coffee and a sandwich. Very nice bread) and listened to Olafur Arnalds ”A Dawning”.
- [Upcoming Tour](https://johan77niemann.se/upcoming-tour/) - Soon (on November 10th) we have a tour coming up. This time it is a European tour, opening for our friends in Katatonia. It will take us all over Europe until the 20th of December. I’m thinking about possibly continuing the Tour Diary thing. It was kind of fun. For me, at least. And I
- [”Wutaishan”](https://johan77niemann.se/wutaishan/) - I’ve been enamored with Asian culture and music for a long time. There are some amazing musicians in that corner of the musical landscape, like Guo Gan, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Min Huifen, Takeo Izumi and Guo Yue to just name a few. For a while I was obsessed with trying to make my bass sound like
- [Recording Bass for the new Evergrey album](https://johan77niemann.se/recording-bass-for-the-new-evergrey-album/) - For the past week or two, I’ve been tracking bass for the new Evergrey album. It’s been quite a different way of working compared to the previous albums we’ve done. In the past, me and Jonas Ekdahl (ex-drummer) would record bass and drums together, live. Then the guitars would be added, as well as keys,
- [”Fractured”](https://johan77niemann.se/fractured/) - I recently saw a clip of Rick Beato interviewing Maynard James Keenan. They were talking about creativity, songwriting and all that good stuff. It was very inspiring, so much so that I wrote a song. I tried to keep it to just a few ideas and dress them in different suits, rather than coming up
- [It’s been a while…](https://johan77niemann.se/its-been-a-while/) - …since I last posted. Lots of stuff going on. We’re currently writing material for the next Evergrey album, which is exciting. I love the creative process of coming up with ideas, riffs, sounds and putting things together. I’m really curious to see where this album is going. I am also working on my own music,
- [”The Vast Expanse”](https://johan77niemann.se/the-vast-expanse/) - My instrumental guitar album is now out on Bandcamp. I, like always, do everything on it - guitars, bass, mixing etc. It was a lot of fun to do. I had no plan to do an album like this, because 1: I’m friends with (and related to) some of the world’s most amazing guitarists, so
- [New music](https://johan77niemann.se/new-music/) - I’m sitting on two finished records. One is a guitar album and one is a more ”world music”/Asian-sounding thing. I love different kinds of music and having the opportunity and means to record whatever that comes into my head is so rewarding. I am very thankful for that. Anyway, the guitar album is kind of
- [Practicing and getting things done.](https://johan77niemann.se/practicing-and-getting-things-done/) - Yesterday was the first day I practiced bass since the tour ended. I’ve played bass and recorded some stuff, but I haven’t sat down and actually practiced, you know, with focus. Still working on reading through the Bach Cello Suites. It is really good practice. Reading, technique, musicality. I’ve also been working on new music. I
- [Starburst](https://johan77niemann.se/starburst/) - I love doing ambient music. Finding the right sounds for the vibe and feel I’m aiming for. Whether it’s on bass, guitar or, in this case, keyboards. It has such a soothing effect on me. So if you’re interested, put on ”Starburst”, get comfortable and drift off. /Johan
- [2025 - A Space Odyssey (not really…)](https://johan77niemann.se/2025-a-space-odyssey-not-really/) - Hope you had a nice and relaxing time over the holidays. It was great to come home and de-compress after that massive tour. So now I am ready to start working on music again! Got some cool things coming up this year. I played on a song by a guitarist/singer I admire. Really liked his
- [Day 51 Helmond](https://johan77niemann.se/day-51-helmond/) - Very nice venue. Coffee and sandwich for breakfast, of course. The last day of a tour is always weird. On one hand, I can’t wait to get home to my family. Both my head and my body need a rest. On the other hand, I’m going to miss my touring buddies. It’s always the same.
- [Day 50 Andernach](https://johan77niemann.se/day-50-andernach/) - Long-ass drive from Colchester to Andernach. Customs and ferry went well. We got here at 16:30. Very late. Did a meet-and-greet. Nice to see some familiar faces. Starting to feel weird. Headache. A bit dizzy. Left ear hurting a little. Loud ringing. Maybe an ear-infection is on the horizon? Hopefully, it’s just an irritation. Dinner
- [Day 49 Colchester](https://johan77niemann.se/day-49-colchester/) - We were in an old church today, reworked to be an arts center. Nice place. Pre-made sandwich and instant coffee for breakfast. Trying to save energy so I didn’t do much at all today. Finished the Henry Sugar short films by Wes Anderson. Dinner was bean chili with rice. Quite good. Seems like everyone is coughing,
- [Day 48 Dublin Cancelled](https://johan77niemann.se/day-48-dublin-cancelled/) - Due to the damage caused by the storm ”Darragh”, the ferries to and from Ireland were cancelled. That sucks. We were really looking forward to play Dublin. It’s always great there. Instead, we have an involuntary day-off in Milton Keynes. Not much to do about that. Most of the touring party went to a nearby
- [Day 47 Glasgow](https://johan77niemann.se/day-47-glasgow/) - We got in the venue at 14:00, and usually the catering is ready. But not today. There was nothing to eat or drink until 16:00. Because someone at the venue ”forgot”. How nice. Had a meet-and-greet. Then got our buy-out money and went to get something to eat. We found a Mexican restaurant and had
- [Day 46 Sheffield](https://johan77niemann.se/day-46-sheffield/) - The city of Def Leppard and David Coverdale. Another ice-cold venue. Instant coffee and sandwich for breakfast. Buy-out again, so we went to find a pub somewhere. Had a burger for dinner. Average. The show was fun. Rikard had a brain-fart during ”Distance” and couldn’t remember his parts, which was hilarious. Then the power went
- [Day 45 Manchester](https://johan77niemann.se/day-45-manchester/) - Woke up with pain in my left-hand knuckles. Doesn’t help that the venue is really cold. How come these British venues don’t have functioning heating? Late breakfast/early dinner was instant coffee and a sandwich with guacamole and cheese. Feels like I’m just counting down the days until I get home, though I’m trying to enjoy
- [Day 44 Bournemouth](https://johan77niemann.se/day-44-bournemouth/) - Today we’re at The Old Fire Station, which coincidentally, used to be an old fire station. Cool place. Sandwich for breakfast, no coffee in this venue. Practiced for a bit. Felt good after not having touched the bass for a couple of days (other than playing live). Still coughing, but it’s getting better. Dinner was
- [Day 43 London](https://johan77niemann.se/day-43-london/) - Had to get up at 6:00 in the morning for border control, but it was surprisingly smooth. Sandwich and instant coffee for breakfast. Really cold in the venue. Tom’s birthday today. His daughter came to surprise him and some other friends, too. We went to dinner at this great Indian restaurant that we always try
- [Day 42 Sint Niklaas](https://johan77niemann.se/day-42-sint-niklaas/) - Beautiful venue today. Good coffee, tasty sandwich. Went and bought some cold medicine, painkillers and throat pills. Guess it’s my turn to have issues with my in-ears. Getting different levels of the instruments for some reason. Realised now that it could be because I have a cold and my ears aren’t working properly. Chicken and
- [Day 41 Trier](https://johan77niemann.se/day-41-trier/) - Did nothing much today either. Hmm, I’m sensing a theme here… Been coughing all day. Headache, too. Managed to get some practicing done. Dinner was quite good. Fried potatoes and pork-something. What felt like an impossible mission (the show) actually turned out fairly well. But a few songs into our set, I felt my throat contract
- [Day 40 Mannheim](https://johan77niemann.se/day-40-mannheim/) - Cold dressingroom. In fact, so cold they had to put in space heaters and the staff wore hats and jackets. Sandwich with guacamole and cheese. And good coffee. Watched a movie. No soundcheck. No practicing. Just tired. Schnitzel for dinner, which was really good. Fell asleep on a couch after dinner. Great show. Fun and we
- [Day 39 Munich](https://johan77niemann.se/day-39-munich/) - After a very slow day off, we’re back at it. Some minor nuisances, like sore throats and colds, so we’ll see how this goes. Breakfast consisted of the usual, coffee and sandwich. The coffee was really good. Didn’t really do much of anything today either. Just hanging out. Played a bit at soundcheck. Not because
- [Day 38 Munich Day Off](https://johan77niemann.se/day-38-munich-day-off/) - Decided to sleep for as long as I possibly could. That turned out to be 14:30. Got up, the only other people on the bus were the two drivers. Found a sandwich, watched a movie. Took a short walk. Found a cafe and sat with a cup of coffee for a while. Walked back to
- [Day 37 Dornbirn](https://johan77niemann.se/day-37-dornbirn/) - Slept really late, think I woke up at 13:30. No fever, but there’s something in the back of my throat and nose. We’ll see what happens. Did absolutely nothing today. Sat on a couch the whole day, drinking hot water with ginger and lemon, trying to conserve energy. No practicing. Curry chicken stew for dinner.
- [Day 36 Burglengenfeld](https://johan77niemann.se/day-36-burglengenfeld/) - Grey and rainy. The usual for breakfast, coffee and sandwich. Slightly below average, I’d say. Practicing the (you guessed it!) Bach Cello Suites. That’s probably the only thing I will practice in the foreseeable future. Penne Bolognese for dinner. Very bland. I had a weird show today. I made so many careless mistakes. It was
- [Day 35 Budapest](https://johan77niemann.se/day-35-budapest/) - Return of the border control. This time at 3:00 in the morning. I was juuuust about to fall asleep. Breakfast was a sandwich and coffee. Coffee was a 2 out of 5. Today was a difficult day for me. I got nothing done and just felt off the whole day. The only good thing today
- [Day 34 Banja Luka](https://johan77niemann.se/day-34-banja-luka/) - The dreaded border control was at 7:30 in the morning, so that was ok. No wifi and the ”regular” net costs a fortune to use AND is limited, so no internet today. Sandwich and coffee for breakfast at a nearby cafe. The rest of the day I sat with the Cello Suites again. I might
- [Day 33 Zagreb](https://johan77niemann.se/day-33-zagreb/) - Had a sandwich and some coffee for breakfast. The coffee was good. Signed some records for our merch guy to sell at his table. Still working on the Cello Suites and making progress, I’m happy to say. Short soundcheck with Henrik and Simen. Henrik still has problems with his custom made in-ears, so he wanted
- [Day 32 Belgrade](https://johan77niemann.se/day-32-belgrade/) - Slept for 10 hours, a short wake-up for border control, slept another 4 hours. Pre-made sandwiches and coffee for breakfast. Not bad. Did an email interview today, for the biggest metal portal in the region. Was nice to do for a change. Me, Henrik and Simen soundchecked for a bit because Henrik has some issues
- [Day 31 Athens Day Off/Travel Day](https://johan77niemann.se/day-31-athens-day-off-travel-day/) - Couldn’t sleep. Think I fell asleep at 6:00 in the morning. Woke up at 14:00. Felt a bit dizzy, thought I’d take a short walk, get some air and buy some socks. Took a shower. Walked back to the bus with Simen. Anxiety started to come creeping up on me. Day-offs are good for bodily
- [Day 30 Athens](https://johan77niemann.se/day-30-athens/) - Due to the weather we couldn’t leave Thessaloniki on time, so we stayed parked until morning. All night the wind and rain were beating down on the bus. Tree-branches kept hitting the roof of the bus and it was rocking back and forth. Couldn’t sleep. Finally got to Athens and, since it’s a day-off tomorrow,
- [Day 29 Thessaloniki](https://johan77niemann.se/day-29-thessaloniki/) - Rainy, grey and cold today. Sat in the dressingroom all day. Got some practicing done. Read for a bit. Had some coffee, which was ok - no more, no less. Dinner was good, chicken, beef and fried potatoes. Some more coffee. Then, Johan Edlund of Tiamat came by. I haven’t seen him in a few
- [Day 28 Sofia](https://johan77niemann.se/day-28-sofia/) - Damn, that had to be the worst road in Europe. Feels like I didn’t sleep at all. Every bump in the road woke me up, it felt like. Ham and cheese baguette for breakfast. And good coffee. Managed to get through the Bach cello piece I’ve been working on. We did one song on soundcheck
- [Day 27 Bucharest](https://johan77niemann.se/day-27-bucharest/) - Couldn’t sleep, most likely because I spent so much time in bed yesterday. Finally washed my stage-pants. Good coffee in the venue. Worked on the Bach Cello Suites. Changed strings. Continued with the Cello Suites. Dinner was dry chicken and fries. The fries were really good. More practicing before the first opening band started playing
- [Day 26 Cluj-Napoca](https://johan77niemann.se/day-26-cluj-napoca/) - The longest drive of the tour, 16 hours, so I spent most of the day in my bunk. Started reading ”The Compass of Zen” by Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn. Today is a much better day than yesterday. Got up and had a bus-coffee with Henrik, talked to our merch guy, Jan, about shows we’ve
- [Day 25 Krakow](https://johan77niemann.se/day-25-krakow/) - Woke up feeling a bit off. Unpleasant feeling in my body, like I had a nightmare but I don’t remember it. Yeah, first time on this tour that I don’t feel very good at all. Home-sickness. Good thing I have friends around. And my bass. Picking up the Bach Cello Suites where I left off.
- [Day 24 Poznan](https://johan77niemann.se/day-24-poznan/) - Had a salami and cheese sandwich for breakfast. And coffee, of course. They had a washing machine at the venue, so I washed my stage jacket for the first time this tour. Much needed. The guys from KnK Shields came by today. They make protective shields for different audio equipment and they brought one for
- [Day 23 Berlin](https://johan77niemann.se/day-23-berlin/) - Lido is the venue today. Never been here before. Coffee was good. Bread, peanut butter and cheese. Yum! Had my first practice session on this tour today. I’ve been having some issues with my fingers in the mornings. They feel swollen. I do stretch before a show, usually start about one hour before showtime. But
- [Day 22 Weissenhäuser Strand](https://johan77niemann.se/day-22-weissenhauser-strand/) - It’s a festival today. The Metal Hammer Paradise. I played here with Tiamat once, years ago. Woke up at around lunchtime. Walked into the catering and immediately saw some friends. Guys from Dark Tranquillity and Moonspell were there, along with some of their crew. Good times. Early gig today, 18:15 and a one hour show.
- [Day 21 Hamburg](https://johan77niemann.se/day-21-hamburg/) - Good breakfast. Coffee and pre-made sandwiches. We discussed the setlist for Saturday, which songs to remove since we only have an hour to play. It’s always hard to remove songs from an already existing setlist that you know and are familiar with. Went for a walk in the rain with Rikard and Tom. Found a
- [Day 20 Leipzig](https://johan77niemann.se/day-20-leipzig/) - Cold as…something that’s really cold. Even inside it’s cold. Sandwich and really bad coffee for breakfast. That’s about it for catering. Nothing much happened today. Just tried to keep warm. Had some tea and some more tasteless coffee. The dinner was a meat stew, of sorts, with boiled vegetables. Highly average. Fun show, packed room.
- [Day 19 Hannover](https://johan77niemann.se/day-19-hannover/) - Hannover - the birthplace of The Scorpions. Grey and cold. Venue coffee was really good. Breakfast was pre-made sandwiches. The dressingroom and the venue were in separate buildings. Odd. Today, we did a soundcheck. Sort of. Me, Henrik, and Rikard on drums. Just jammed for a bit, super fun. Met a friend at the meet-and-greet
- [Day 18 Würzburg](https://johan77niemann.se/day-18-wurzburg/) - We arrived very late (15:30 instead of 11:00) due to something with the cooling system on the bus broke. Good coffee at the venue. Dinner was pasta with meat in tomato sauce. Slightly below average. Met a friend who I hadn’t seen in years. Really nice to talk for a bit and catch up. The
- [Day 17 Paris Day Off](https://johan77niemann.se/day-17-paris-day-off/) - A day off in a rainy Paris. We stayed at an AirBnB that was very nice. Slept late, then went for lunch at a restaurant we always try to go to in Paris, called La Marmite. Had the Boeuf Bourguignon, as always, and it was great. For dessert we all had creme brulée and cafe
- [Day 16 Paris](https://johan77niemann.se/day-16-paris/) - On the previous European tour we did, in 2022, the last show was at the same place we play tonight - Petit Bain. And one of the bands on that tour is on this tour, too. We walked around Paris for a bit before the meet-and-greet. Beautiful city. Dinner was burger and fries. Some kind
- [Day 15 Nantes](https://johan77niemann.se/day-15-nantes/) - Sold-out tonight! Tiny backstage area with kitchen, dressingroom, shower and toilet all in the same room. It’s small for one band, but we are three bands plus crew! Me and Henrik did an interview for a radioshow, that was fun. Venue-coffee was so-so. Dinner was some kind of sausage in tomato sauce and rice. Average.
- [Day 14 Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://johan77niemann.se/day-14-vitoria-gasteiz/) - I’ve been wanting to tweak my bass sound for a couple of days now. It sounds great out in the PA, but in my in-ears it’s a liiiittle too midrange-y. So I decided to try a different IR (a copy of a speaker, sort of) in my Darkglass Infinity pedal. I settled on a Celestion
- [Day 13 Valladolid](https://johan77niemann.se/day-13-valladolid/) - Interesting start of the day. A ”drop and go”, but the bus stayed at the venue, so we got off for no reason. Kind of small-but-cozy venue with an almost non-existent dressingroom. No shower. Had breakfast at a nearby cafe. Coffee and a potato-omelette-sandwich. Not bad. Instant coffee at the venue. Worst so far. Went
- [Day 12 Mos](https://johan77niemann.se/day-12-mos/) - Very uneventful day today. Did pretty much nothing the whole day. No soundcheck, because everything sounds the same every night. Really cold here. I heard we’re close to the sea, so that’s probably the reason. Good venue coffee. Nice meet and great. The dinner was great. Grilled chicken and rice. So, so good. Chatted a
- [Day 11 Porto](https://johan77niemann.se/day-11-porto/) - Beautiful Porto today. Woke up with a sore throat. Probably due to being in that moldy hell-hole yesterday. We did a so-called ”drop and go”, which is when you unload the bus and you take all you will need for the day and then the bus takes off and parks somewhere else. Went for a
- [Day 10 Lisbon](https://johan77niemann.se/day-10-lisbon/) - Woke up with a headache today. Perhaps because of the heat in the bus. We seem to be having issues with the air-condition system. A bottle of water and a cup of bus-coffee made it slightly better. The venue today was…rough, shall we say? Sounds better than ”a real shithole”. No toilet-seats, no locks on
- [Day 9 Madrid](https://johan77niemann.se/day-9-madrid/) - Went for a walk to Lidl with Rikard, had to buy some shower stuff. Made a pot of coffee at the venue when I came back. Had a cup while watching Sunday with Ola on YouTube. Then had another cup and watched a documentary about Thich Nhat Hanh. Sat outside for a while, just chilling.
- [Day 8 Barcelona](https://johan77niemann.se/day-8-barcelona/) - Very long drive from Switzerland to Spain, but here we are. Sunny and warm. Met some friends right as I got out of the bus. Signed records and took some photos. The coffee machine at the venue was interesting, you could choose whether you want hot or cold coffee. Either way, it was great. The
- [Day 7 Monthey](https://johan77niemann.se/day-7-monthey/) - Beautiful weather in a beautiful place. Been here before, but can’t really remember when. Could have been with Kamelot, perhaps? Went for a walk for about 45 minutes. It was nice to get some fresh air. Venue coffee today was a 3 out of 5. Small venue. Pont Rouge, it is called. Soundcheck was me, Henrik
- [Day 6 Sarnen](https://johan77niemann.se/day-6-sarnen/) - UrRock Festival today. We had a bunch of kids watching the soundcheck today, which was fun. Nice venue. Good coffee. Grey, dull weather today. Not cold, but a kind of humid chill in the air. They had arranged food trucks outside of the venue so me and Simen went for Mexican food. I had pulled-pork
- [Day 5 Siegburg](https://johan77niemann.se/day-5-siegburg/) - Today’s venue is Kubana and it’s one of my favorites. It has a spa facility in the same building, it’s awesome! Different saunas, jacuzzi, outdoor pool. We were there for a few hours, sooo relaxing. The venue coffee was on point today, as well. I had fusilli con pollo (chicken pasta) for dinner. Very, very
- [Day 4 Bochum](https://johan77niemann.se/day-4-bochum/) - After a mostly uneventful day off, it’s nice to be back. Zeche is the name of the venue. Last time I was here was…(wait I have to look it up) on November 21st 2001. I played with Therion and Evergrey was support! Almost to the day 23 years ago. Jeez…. Best venue coffee so far.
- [Day 3 Bochum Day Off](https://johan77niemann.se/day-3-bochum-day-off/) - This was fun.
- [Day 2 Herford](https://johan77niemann.se/day-2-herford/) - Woke up late, really tired. Still, feeling good from yesterday. Made myself a grilled cheese sandwich and had some coffee at the venue. Good coffee today, the sun’s shining, early show. Watched Rikard watch football. Played some more Block Blast. I really should be practicing, but I can’t be arsed. No soundcheck today, as there
- [Day 1 Apeldoorn](https://johan77niemann.se/day-1-apeldoorn/) - Took a walk around town with Rikard, weather was nice. Not much to do until dinner time since it’s a festival and there are no soundchecks or anything. Found a coffee machine, had a cup. Meh. Dinner was vegan lasagne, vegan penne pesto, vegan everything. Meh. Signing session was fun. Nice to see some familiar
- [Rehearsal Day](https://johan77niemann.se/rehearsal-day/) - Production rehearsal was on the menu today, which means playing through the setlist with full lights and sound, making sure all the guitar changes, tunings and transisions between songs are on point. Rehearsals felt great, so much fun to be back doing what we do best. Simen had to go and buy new cymbals because
- [Travel Day 1](https://johan77niemann.se/travel-day-1/) - Woke up at 4:50am to pack the last of my trinkets. Uneventful train ride to Gothenburg, except for the screaming baby. Praise the lard (yes, lard!) for earplugs. Could actually get some sleep. Was really nice to see the guys and our wonderful crew again. Speaking of the crew, they had the unenviable task of
- [Tour Dates Added](https://johan77niemann.se/tour-dates-added/) - As our massive European tour draws nearer, I thought it would be fitting to add a Tour Dates page. Click on the Menu to find your way. This tour takes us almost all through Europe, starting on November 2nd and finishing on December 22nd. Home right in time for Christmas. I will keep this page
- [Discography Added](https://johan77niemann.se/discography-added/) - I just updated the Discography page. Tracked down all the records I’ve played on. First time I’ve ever done that. Took a bit of time, as there were more than I thought. It was quite fun to go through all those albums - some I had even forgotten about. But it was a fun trip
- [I´m on Bandcamp!](https://johan77niemann.se/im-on-bandcamp/) - My album "Karnivore" is now available on Bandcamp. My other recordings will follow shortly. So click the link here and support my work. Thank you! /Johan
- [New Endorsement!!](https://johan77niemann.se/new-endorsement/) - I’m very proud to announce that I’ve joined forces with legendary string manufacturer Rotosound. They are the originators of the roundwound string. Developed with John Entwistle of The Who, the roundwound string offered more clarity and sustain than other types of strings. This caught the attention of several important players, such as Chris Squire, Geddy
- [Site update](https://johan77niemann.se/site-update/) - I just added a new section called My Music, which is where you can find - you guessed it - my music. This will be updated as I release more music. I’m also considering adding a discography section, where I would attempt to list all the records I’ve played on. Sound like a good idea?
- [Hello world!](https://johan77niemann.se/hello-world/) - Welcome to my page! I´m new at this, so please forgive me if things are a bit sketchy. If you have any questions, click the contact button and fire away!

## Pages

- [Home](https://johan77niemann.se/) - - Johan Niemann - Bass player and member of Evergrey, Hollingshead and Håbrand. I also make music under my own name. For recording inquiries, hit me up and let´s make music. Contact - Latest News -
- [My Music](https://johan77niemann.se/my-music/) - Karnivore (Album, 2023) The Impostor (Single, 2023) Always With Me, Always With You - Joe Satriani cover (Single, 2024) Anhedonia (EP, 2024) Frankly... (Album, 2024) Kalpa (EP, 2024) Starburst (Album, 2025) The Vast Expanse (Album, 2025) Fractured (Single, 2025) Wutaishan (Album, 2025) Celestial Traveller (Album, 2026) Sky Gazing (Album, 2026)
- [Gear Logos](https://johan77niemann.se/gear-logos/)
- [Gear Links](https://johan77niemann.se/gear-links/) - Gear Links Johan Niemann proudly endorses: http://www.solar-guitars.com http://www.darkglass.com http://www.rotosound.com http://www.intunegp.com http://www.richterstraps.com https://www.knkshields.com/ https://www.dimarzio.com/
- [Tour Dates](https://johan77niemann.se/tour-dates/) - Katatonia/Evergrey/Klogr 2025 10.11.2026 FI TURKU Logomo11.11.2025 FI TAMPERE Tavara-asema12.11.2025 FI HELSINKI House Of Culture14.11.2025 NO OSLO Rockefeller15.11.2025 SE GOTHENBURG Pustervik16.11.2025 DE HAMBURG Gruenspan18.11.2025 PL WARSAW Progresja19.11.2025 DE BERLIN Huxleys20.11.2025 DE LEIPZIG Täubchenthal21.11.2025 CZ PRAGUE Palac Akropolis22.11.2025 AT VIENNA Simm City24.11.2025 DE MUNICH Backstage Werk25.11.2025 DE STUTGART Longhorn27.11.2025 IT MILANO Alcatraz28.11.2025 CH ZURICH Komplex 45729.11.2025 FR
- [Discography](https://johan77niemann.se/discography/) - Discography Evergrey Glorious Collision (2011) Hymns for the Broken (2014) The Storm Within (2016) The Atlantic (2019) Escape of the Phoenix (2021) A Heartless Portrait (2022) Theories of Emptiness (2024) Hollingshead Stay Dead (2020) Trail (2024) Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra • The Escapologist (2025) Sectu Nefarious (2014) Talisman Never
- [Gallery](https://johan77niemann.se/gallery/) - Photos by: Patric Ullaeus, Alex Parpinel, Pontus Kronenborg, V Photographie, Robert Paulsen, Rogerio Talarico, Effie Trikili, Atur Tarczewski, Henry Nyman, Terje Dokken, Tim Finch, Hutchie224, Oscura Leite Fotografia, KJ Melgoza. Apologies for any omissions. Please contact me if you are not credited.
- [Hom](https://johan77niemann.se/hom/)
- [Menu](https://johan77niemann.se/menu/)
- [Contact](https://johan77niemann.se/contact/) - Contact Contact me for sessions, questions or whatever.

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://johan77niemann.se/category/uncategorized/)
- [blog](https://johan77niemann.se/category/blog/)