Mecki Mark Men

Swedish psychedelic prog band, originally emerged from the dance band Mecki Mark 5 in 1967. The group played experimental jazz and broke through during the experimental jazz festival in Stockholm in July 1967. It debuted with the single "Midnight Land" and made its TV debut in the autumn of the same year in the program Popside.

Lead by keyboardist and vocalist Mecki Bodemark, the band is considered one of the first big Swedish psychedlic acts. They released an eponymous album in 1968 but soon after, Bodemark went his own way and teemed up with a threesome called the Baby Grandmothers. In 1968, they were the supporting act for Frank Zappa & The Mothers at Stockholm’s Concert House, as well as for Jimi Hendrix during his Swedish tour. In 1969, they released a second album called “Running in the Summer Night”, made TV appearances and were part of the Swedish cast of the popular musical “Hair”. The following year, they went on a U.S. tour and played at rock festivals headlining The BYRDS, SLY & THE FAMILY STONE and JETHRO TULL among others. However, the tour ended up in chaos. They had stayed there for 3 months yet their visas were only valid for 6 weeks; they were also stuck in a hotel room they couldn’t afford. So they made a deal with their manager, returned home and paid their debts by recording a third album (“Marathon”). They then broke up, with most of the cast soon resurfacing as Kebnekajse. They released a fourth album in 1979 under their original name, where Mecki Bodemark features as the only original member.

Data provided by Discogs