The Thousand Dollar Playboys

Sweden's alt-country group Thousand Dollar Playboys originated in 1996 when singer-guitarist Lars Bygdén assembled the project, whose most recent configuration includes drummer Jens Höglin, acoustic guitarist Gotte Ringqvist, and bassist Magnus Sedin. Peter Svensson from the Cardigans encountered the musicians during a Stockholm club performance and underwrote their initial studio sessions at Tambourine Studios in autumn 1997, yet the resulting recordings languished without a distribution agreement until the band secured a deal with independent imprint Massproduktion in 1999. That label issued the self-titled The $1000 Playboys the same year, an album produced by Linus Larsson that incorporated three tracks salvaged from the earlier Tambourine sessions. The ensemble followed with Stay! in 2002, a set captured live at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm under the guidance of producer Micke Herrstrom.