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Lars Ro | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lars David Rosenblum |
| Also known as | Lars Ro, Lars Rosenblum Sorgenfrei, MC Flatfoot |
| Genres | Indie Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Founder of sfu-ma-to, Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar Vocals Drums |
| Years active | 1989- |
| Labels | Purr Mama Resistor d'Oorhinge l'Orange (formerly Purderous Magina Records BSBTA |
| Website | / poofish.com/pmr/larsro.html / |
Lars David Rosenblum Sorgenfrei (born Lars David Rosenblum on 15 July 1974), better known by the stage name Lars Ro, is a Danish-American[1] musician, poet, peace and environmental activist, philosopher, artist, record critic, astrologer, and itinerant traveller.[2]
Born in downtown Philadelphia to Danish immigrant Eva Brinkmar (29 February 1944 - 31 October 1994) and American Jew G. David Rosenblum (born 24 August 1944), Ro grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs. From a young age, he was enamored by visual arts. As his parents quickly divorced, he split his time between being alone with his mother, and being one of a family of five with his father, step-mother Pam, step-brother Travis (born 1974), and half-brother Zachary (born 1982). As a teen, he started delving more and more into music, as well as getting involved in advocacy for the homeless of Philadelphia, and peace activism with the onset of the Gulf War.
Upon graduating high school with honours, he moved to Montréal, Québec, Canada to attend McGill University, where he received a B.A. in Political Science[3] His first post-high school band, LAMPshADe; met with modest success at best, although it did plant the seeds, not only of sfu-ma-to, but of the solo career of Catherine Feeny. In 1993, he founded Purr Mama Resistor (initially Purderous Magina Records), a record label and poetry imprint with no fixed address. While in the midst of an academic exchange to Danmark (his 'motherland'), his beloved mother succumbed to cancer. This had a profound effect on Ro's development in the ensuing years.
In 1996, he moved across the Atlantic to Danmark, began the nationalization process, and formed the band sfu-ma-to. Two years later, he married long-term girlfriend Esther Sorgenfrei (thereupon changing his last name to Rosenblum Sorgenfrei), and the couple moved to Berkeley, California for two years so that Ro could pursue an M.A. in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness at The California Institute of Integral Studies. In early 2001, they returned to Danmark, whereupon their marriage unraveled.
On 19 October 2001, Ro and Bo Richardt initiated Fredsvagten[4], an ongoing, seven-days-a-week peace demonstration against the 'War on Terror' located at Christiansborg, right next to the Danish parliament (or Folketing) in København, Danmark. It is to date the longest running permanent peace protest in Danish history.
A month later saw the beginning of the nomadic phase of Ro's life - since then he has spent more of his time on the road then off of it. As of 2003, he started shifting his homebase to France, and his life since December 2005 has been virtually non-stop travelling, with China becoming his fiftieth country in Spring 2008.
Discography edit
- v/a - L'Affection Affection (Purderous Magina Records, 1993)
- Lars Ro & Justin Bedard - Experiments with Life and a Tape Deck (Purderous Magina Records, 1993)
- v/a - Au foyer At home (Purderous Magina Records, 1996)
- Lars Ro - Distant Music (Purderous Magina Records, 1996)
- v/a - L'automobile The car (Purderous Magina Records, 1999)
- Lars Ro - Do Not Want What Haven't Got (Purr Mama Resistor, 2009)
Bibliography edit
- QWERTYUIOP (Purderous Magina Books, 1997)
- # (slimside, Purderous Magina Books, 1998)
- stoned (the mongrels, the daisies) (slimside, Purderous Magina Books, 1999)
- my loneliness fits me like a shroud (Purderous Magina Books, 2002)
- do you sleep? (redeemer=m) / drowsy eyelids (r=motherfucker) (slimside, Purderous Magina Books, 2003)
- Iraqi Refugee Voyage (Purderous Magina Books, 2003)
- one, by land! two, by sea! three, by air! (Purr Mama Resistor, 2007)
Further reading edit
- X-Puck (the sub-terranean zine) issue #1 (1993)
- Ruru
External links edit
Notes edit
- ^ [Richardt, B: http://www.fredsvagt.dk/historien.php "FredsVagtens begyndelse"] 23 December, 2001.
- ^ [Pedersen, S.B.: http://www.geiger.dk/anmeldelser/anmeldelse.php?id=1287 review of sfu-ma-to's 'The Las Zadan ep', Geiger Magazine] 13 August 2004.
- ^ [McGill Reporter: http://reporter-archive.mcgill.ca/Rep/r2815/people.htm "People & Places"] Volume 28, Number 15.
- ^ Nej til Krig og Terror: http://debat.modkraft.dk/read.php?7,19255,19255,quote=1 "Fredsvagten Christiansborg Pressemeddelelse"] 25 October, 2001.
Category:Living people Singer-songwriters Category:Danish singer-songwriters