- D. Painter

The road to stardom can be long and tedious.  Just ask Peter, Bjorn & John.  The Swedish trio formed in 1999 and dropped their debut CD in 2002 amidst the Garage band revival that saw The Strokes and White Stripes leap to international acclaim.  Problem is PB&J are not a Garage band.  With personal songs about life and love and a sound that is at once a nod to mod and post punk eras, they crafted something that might not take pop radio by storm but could grab the emotions of listeners...if only they could reach them.  Fast forward 7 1/2 years and 3 albums later to the release of the single "Young Folks".  The song, featuring an ear perking whistle, becomes an international hit as well as the go to song for advertisers to place in movie trailers and product commercials.  Such flirtation with crossing over would drive most musicians to the dark side but the three stayed true to their facade free ethos.  What else would you expect from a group named simply Peter, Bjorn and John.

2009 saw the 5th PB&J album drop.  Living Thing sounds very personal with a stronger organic musical presence than 2006's Writer's Block but is balanced by the more Hip-Hop-ish "Nothing To Worry About" and "It Don't Move Me".  The Living Thing tour brought them to Washington DC's 9:30 Club where Hipster Overkill caught up with Peter at Gibson Guitar's exclusive show room.  Check out our video interview below...