During the You Don’t Love Me Yet live tour (2002–2021), organized by Johanna Billing and collaborative partners of the tour, local musicians in up till now 28 different cities were invited to cover the eponymous 1984 love song penned by the Texan singer-songwriter Roky Erickson, in a wide range of interpretations, each version reflected the participants' own personal style. In this project, the “cover version” functioned as a catalyst to research originality as well as artistic integrity both on an individual and collective level. The ambivalence of the love song was simultaneously used to explore the hesitant relationship between music and art, involving collaboration between music promoters from local venues and art institutions as a way to investigate the hierarchies between the different scenes and their respective modes of production, evaluation and expectations of “artistic content.”
The first rendition of You Don’t Love Me Yet took place at Index – The Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation in Stockholm in 2002. Twenty-one acts each performed a version one after another, in what turned out to become a very special repetitive micro-moment and portrait in time and place. What started as a local, and single event soon became an international phenomenon in which other musical communities wanted to share. Over the 15 years, the constant repetition and production, from Stockholm to Toronto via Madrid, has demonstrated an insatiable appetite for collectivism, for coming together and listen to music across genres, for forums that have included both amateurs and professional musicians alike from all ages, enacting the format of the band on tour where limitless performances can only be seen as desirable in opposition to the prestige and rarefication often on offer in the visual art context.
The ever growing archive with documentation from previous events, including the now more than 300 cover versions have been on display during various exhibitions and events. To celebrate the 15 years as well as the multitudinous life of the project, this free online video archive is now launched, making it an accessible point of reference for the first time.
For the Seoul edition in 2021 (part of the 11th Media City Biennal: "One Escape at a Time”) that took place during the pandemic, ten Seoul-based groups and musicians were instead of staging a live concert, invited to produce their musical interpretations in their personal choice of studio or intimate home recording settings around Seoul.
Scroll down to access the full archive through the videos. See full credits below! Further information about the project can be found in the interview from MAC/VAL in 2012 or in the book "Look Behind Us a Blue Sky". Look also here for information about the You Don't Love Me Yet film and studio recording in Atlantis Studio in Stockholm in 2003.
You Don't Love Me Yet, 2002–2017
Documentation material #1–27 from the You Don’t Love Me Yet live performance tour 2002–2017 featuring cover versions of the song You Don’t Love Me Yet written by Roky Erickson (published by R. Erickson 1984)
A project initiated by Johanna Billing
Live tour organized by the artist and collaborating partners of the tour:
Index – The Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation, Stockholm, Bar Alahuone (Nifca), Helsinki, Eskilstuna's Konstmuseum (with Balsta Musikslott), Norrköpings Konstmuseum (with Allmän Kultur, Norrköping), Tingshuset, Östersund, Konstkonsulenten in Jämtlandslän (with Mångkulturkonsulenten and UKM), Konstkonsulenten in Västra Götalandsregionen (with Vara Kommun), Sjömanskyrkan/Gävle Konstcentrum (with Musikhuset and Kultur och Fritid), Ystad Konstmuseum, Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago, Frieze Art Fair, London, Milton Keynes Gallery, Milton Keynes, If I Can’t Dance I Don’t Want to be Part of Your Revolution: Festival a/d Werf, Utrecht, Festival Boulevard, Hertogenbosch and De VeenFabriek, Leiden, the Lab, San Francisco, Basis, Frankfurt, Madrid Abierto: Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, Kammerspiele, München, Munich, Mercer Union, Toronto, ACCA, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art: The Toff, Melbourne, Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, Arnolfini, Bristol, Modern Art Oxford, Oxford, The Mac, Belfast, MAC/VAL, Vitry-sur-Seine, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sidney, Laveronica Gallery/Teatro Garibaldi, Modica, Sicily, Seol Media City Biennal
Performed by:
Per Gäfvert, Karl Holmqvist, Jmy Haze Beat Box, Marit Bergman, Hello Goodbye, Ayesha & Diba, Eric Beyond, Florian, Magnus Vikström & Eva Wiggström, Pistolband, Per Nyström & Martin Linder & Henrik Ahl, Emmon, Laakso, Nina Ramsby, Steven Cuzner, First Floor Power, Sara Lunden, Autohorse, Bosse Lundqvist, Monobrow, Poetry Machine, Stefan Widstrand, Joakim Simonsson, Saidi & Kollektivet, The Rytme Fanaticz, Cornichons, Guitar Sounds, Rakel Spektakel, Slagsmålsklubben feat. Wise Madness, Guten Gut feat. Spånka, Koffy, Name, Fredrik Johansson, Isabells Mostrar, Krster Gladh, Stefan Nilsson & Katarina Åhlén, Daniela Kruth, Inomm, Soardy, Jon Fjällgren, Rit, Koukou, Poesirum, Neil McGonagle, Norwegian Lady, Åbäke, For My Brain, Rakel Spektakel, Lillan, Secondo, Deliberate, Duo Minor Fighters, Stilimba, Christer Nuutinen, Rolf Sebastian, Turbo 2, Markus Renwall, Detox, Lena Keela, Ror (Revolutions On Request), O Samuli A, Fanny, Erik Süss, Annie Forsberg, Miss Mr, Jonas Kjellgren, Olle Oljud, Johan & Kristoffer, Skuttunge, Death/Jazz academy & MC Name, Gadget, Terese Gustavsson, Instrumen, Farmer’s Soul, Böss & Stade, Christian Kjellvander, Edda Magnason, Present Tense, Amit Sen & Students, Monkeystrikes, Delirium Last Night, Projekt Explosion, Dipper, Olgatrass, Jacob Riis, Mats Gustafsson & Per-åke Holmlander, Mikael Jorgenson & Glenn Kotche (Wilco), Miles Raymer, The Lay All Over Its (Jason Ajemian & Nori Tanaka), Rebecca Gates, The Royal We (Kevin Schuhl), John Klos & Liam Hayes, The Bitter Tears, Adam Scott & Dawn Reed & Carl Warnick, Blood Music, The Godscends (Steve Krakow & Ben Pirani), Two Gregs and a Will, Big George, North 13, The Gaze, Simone, In Julia’s Mind-Scene, Zylinderkopf, Jerkstation, Antiphone, L’Express, The Plug-ins, Gigant, God and the Devil, The Lonesome Party, Grasp, Nanoloops, Reinier Bil, Flying Fortress, De Rotte Herders, Revenging Juliet, Non-Aligned, Marijn & IJsbrand van’t Zand, Don Javor Speedblues Band, Jerry Can, Henk The Spy & Jerkstation, World Standard Day, Kremers & The Mark (starring Berg Bergen Kuchlein), Germen Bergervoet, Henrik Andersson, Helsinki, Jan Schellink, Some Weird Sin, Keoni Hawaiians, Devens & Ramses, Sugar Coated Mind Bombs, Yvonne Achterkamp, De Rotte Herders, Electric Lane & The Veenfactory, Pierson Puppeteers, Major B, Témy Angkor Phem, Ingrid En De Motorzagen, Love Aktion Machine, Rene SG, Panic in Detroit, Gabrielle Eckedal, Ledbetter, Barn Owl, The Harbours, Rubies, Elull, Birds of America, Coconut, Jeff Ray, Blood Music, Leyna Noel, Matt Lutz, Mike Therieau, Willow Willow, Bart Davenport, The Finches, The Court & Spark, Reset, Safari, Amin, Hot Drop, Darky Nenas, Sweet Saliva, Gayumbos On Fire, Lab, Clima, Paula Folkes, Cutting Cube, La Pachione Spaniola, Me Dais Poca, Mr. Oso, Jam Sessamo, Nikoteens, Dis*ka feat. Anna McCarthy, Oton – Tom Früchtl & Stefan Schessl & Peter T. Lenhart, Mexican Elvis, Schorsch Kamerun & der Chor der Falckenberg Schule mit Freunden und Gästen, Sputnik, Console, Juno Meinecke & Michael Juraschek, Nick Taylor & Tara White, Liz Hysen, Wet Dirt, Luxury Pond & Snowblink, T H O M A S, Ryan Kamstra, Magali Meagher, Basia, Keith Cole & Cameron Groves, Super Wild Horses, Teeth & Tongue, Francis Plagne, Tic Toc Tokyo, Sophie Brous, David Franzke, Beaches, Melbourne Ukulele Kollective, Olympic Doughnuts, The Broadside Push, German Shepherd, Henry Wagons, Fabulous Diamonds, Zond, Peter, seine Tochter und ich an den Drums, Lingby, Tom Ashforth, Festland, Karlecik/Czybulka/Wratil, Popnoname, Christian Jendreiko, Teresa & Julia, Vert, Early in the Fridge, Olger & Wolger, Stankowski, Donna Regina, Daniel Ansorge, Tomm Child, Francois, Bethany Porter, Dai the Move, Cotham School Choir, Cowman, Maggie and Fred, Paper Hats, Twocsinak, John Parrish, Echoboomer, Borderville, Matt Winkworth, The Oxford Gargoyles, Sealings, Vixens, Brimstone Moth, Wap Wap Wow, Johnny Parry, Spiral 25, Ben Heaney, Ute, Claire Hall, Scorpion Jack, Katie & The Carnival, Serious Trouble, Duke Special, The New Sheriffs, Robyn G Shiels, Ryan Vail, NI Soul Troop, Girls Names, John D’Arcy, Sambuca, Laurent Prexl, Lucid Dream, Concrete Knives, Routine, Charry Family, Vortex, Ensemble Alambra, Maladroit, Golden Cadillac, Oz-one, Goddammadog, Alice Lewis, Wreck Plus, Fiodor Dream Dog, Gachette of the Mastiff, Mon Autre Group, Cat Kiss, Crash Normal, That Summer, Tristan Poupee, Shrouded & The Dinner, Annie McKinnon, Coro, Yvonne Lam & Nomad Percussion, Yvonne Moxham & Nick Kennedy, Alex Cameron & Pavle Vizintin, Eric Demetriou & Travis John, Holly Austin & Fergus Brown, Terza Madre, Jack Ladder, Defolk, Lirico (liceo musicale), Embolia (Salvatore Monaco Pachino), Onda acustica duo, Stefano Meli, Tinto Brass Band, Coro Gli Armonici, Cumlarìa, Studio 53, Accademia del musical Gli Armonici, Big Baby Driver, Cadejo, Hyodo and BASS, Kim Oki, Meaningful Stone, Moskva Surfing Club, Playbook, Wedance, Wona, and Yeong Die
Photos above from the archive installation at Laveronica gallery, Modica, 2018; photograph by Antonella Pulvirenti, 15 years poster design by Åbäke, 2017; and special thanks to Balthazar Berling for assistance with this archive.
Thanks to all amazing artists, musicians and organizers participating and contributing over the years!
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