G2 (Official Fan Page)

Bluegrass Unlimited praises the band for playing bluegrass that, “…still retains its original flavor without coming off as ironic or retro.” The Bluegrass Blog lauds the album for capturing the band’s “technical prowess.” G2 turn heads thanks to their fresh sound and original material, connecting to a younger audience as well as paying respect to the bluegrass tradition. The five band members met while jamming at a festival in Sweden in 2006. When they played together for the first time Christoffer Olsson, Jens Koch, Erik Igelström, Tobias Strömberg, and Jimmy Sunnebrandt realized almost instantly that they had something special. They clicked musically and personally and their collaboration quickly borne fruit. Only one year after the band was formed they were awarded #1 European Bluegrass Band in 2007. The award made it possible for G2 to visit the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) in Nashville, TN. The guys made a big impression and it didn’t take long before they had themselves a booking agent, Jim Roe (roeentertainment.com). G2 have released two critically acclaimed albums, “Where The Tall Grass Grows” in 2007 (Cosmos Records) and “Untapped Routes” (Cosmos Records) in 2010. Untapped Routes features guest artists like Kurt Nilsen (World Idol winner 2004), Ron Stewart and Cherryholmes. G2 have appeared on national television in Sweden, they have toured Europe, supported acts like Jim Lauderdale, opened for Kris Kristofferson and played at the famous IBMA Awards Show at the legendary Ryman Auditorium. Christoffer is G2’s prolific songwriter and lead singer. Since the age of seven he has written songs and has always felt the urge to tell a story. His compositions reflect life’s moments that we all face and those emotions that we just have to capture in a song. Christoffer is a skilled drummer but handles the guitar playing in G2 with a finesse and touch that is unique to him. Erik grew up playing folk and old country music on the guitar, taking after his dad. The LP ‘Will The Circle Be Unbroken’ sparked his interest in bluegrass and the mandolin. Not until he many years later got the instrument in his hands, he felt like it was always meant to be there. The combination of Swedish folk music along with old style country music is sensed in his free-ranging style of mandolin playing. Jens got his first banjo from his uncle for Christmas at the age of twelve. It was difficult getting started on the banjo in Sweden, so he made a number of trips to the U.S. in his teens where invaluable meetings further developed his banjo playing. Jens is strongly rooted within traditional Scruggs-style, nevertheless he enjoys exploring the banjo’s possibilities in a variety of contexts. Tobias grew up hearing his dad sing songs like ‘Sunny Side of the Mountain’ while they herded sheep together. However, he played mostly punk rock until the age of 20 when he accidentally slipped into bluegrass from the rockabilly that he and his friends were playing. Funny how it happens, huh? He soon heard the dobro for the first time at a festival in Sweden and he was hooked for life. Jimmy grew up listening to first generation bluegrass like Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin etc. and he has played the fiddle since he could walk. He still loves the fiddle but his interest for rhythm manifested in playing bass in a bluegrass band with his dad. His solid bass playing lays the foundation for the band’s rhythm and his harmony vocals form a tight seamless blend. G2 delivers a progressive acoustic sound rooted in bluegrass with a wide blend of influences ranging from pop, folk, traditional Swedish and house.