Mikael Sundtsröm (aka S.T. Mikael) was born in Södertälje, Sweden March the… Read Full Bio ↴Mikael Sundtsröm (aka S.T. Mikael) was born in Södertälje, Sweden March the 27th, 1963. His father was a jazz swinging plumber and his mother was an innocent forest girl. He was a lonely, introspective boy who developed a bizarre imagination and an obsession for everything odd, mysterious and supernatural in life. His head was filled with images from Sci/Fi-Fantasy and Horror movies and books, but he also built his own dream worlds with creatures, characters, phantoms and prehistoric images in his drawings, comics and short stories. At 15 he picked up his mothers old guitar and started improvising and recording music. At the age of 19 - in 1982, he tried to find members for a group, but it took him until 1985 when he joined a garage-combo called ”Dickie Dickhead and the Outcast” as a lead guitarist. Although it brought many laughs and good fun into his heart and the fact that they developed from ”the worst and unintentionally most absurd band in town” to a serious and expressive experimental rock band, he left after two struggling years to form his own group. The trio ”The Twilight Souls” , was where he could sing and play his own compositions. He tried to fuse heavy rock and soul music with psychedelic influences which can be heard on the title track of his ”Unknown”-album. During this time he searched for the psychedelic experience and took his first dose of LSD. Because of exhaustion and inability to secure any gigs the band broke up in 1988. After this he gave up the rock´n roll band dream, understanding that there wasn’t anyone in town that had the same psychedelic ambitions as he had. With no expectations for the future he continued working with his ideas and primitive home recordings.

In 1989 he moved to Stockholm where he met Stefan Kéry, a psychedelic connoisseur, and gave him a cassette with some of his many recordings. To Mikaels great surprise he found that the tape was received with great enthusiasm and an album was soon made out of that very tape. The album was titled ”Visions Of A Trespasser” and was released early 1990 in an edition of 150 copies only. The album cover featured a colorful, organic vortex with images of beings of the galaxy in it painted by Mikael. Each and every record had differently hand painted labels. The album was mainly distributed among friends. It showed his very personal style of music covering all kinds of musical directions, all laced with the psychedelic sound. Among these ”not-meant-to-be-heard-by-others”-recordings you will find unbelievable sound’s from tea-balls, spoons and boilers. Except for the 3 studio tracks which was recorded together with a friend, he played everything himself - singing through his guitar-amp and using a pitched guitar for a bass.

In March 1991 he released his follow-up, ”The Unknown” , an odd home cassette- collection with new old haunting songs. The album was distributed the same way as the first one.

After forming Xotic Mind Productions Stefan Kéry let him go into a 8-channal studio and Mikael built up a whole new album all by himself (the only way he knew to work) step-by-step, beginning with the drums and nothing else but except a good memory! The result: ”Claustromania” (meaning: manic obsession for locking oneself in, which derives from the introspective state of mind he always go into while creating!) . The music is filled with pulsating, organic expressions, always emotionally gripping with his soulful voice. The album has a circular concept: The songs about other worlds, man against infinity and the human mind, soul and spirit are linked together with small musical inventions building a story that never ends, ending the way it started, starting the way it ended. The composition also reflects his past life of loneliness and emptiness that now has been replaced by a new existence of love, happiness and possibilities. Mikael says “Claustromania” also is an homage to LSD which helped him make the transformation possible.

st mikael

His creative years had only begun. In 1994 Mikael wrote a book with novellas in the horror-fantasy tradition crammed with drawings done during the last 15 years and drawn, copied and shaped 4 volumes of comic-fanzines - all still available in Swedish only! He acted in a 16mm film and in his own 3 fantasy video films as well as taking acting- and dancing- lessons! During the years he has been invited to participate on other Xotic Mind projects, like playing sitar on Adam Axelzons well-received ”Eura” album and with sitar and Tablas on the ”Gnostic Mass”-LP by The Entheogens, an improvisation-group he joined together with Adam Axelzon, Måns ”Word of Life”Månson and Stefan Kéry, among others.

In January 1994, people Xotic Mind released S.T. Mikaels new album ”Psychocosmic Songs” which was even better received than any of his previous LPs. The LP was recorded in a modern, high-tech studio. This time the tracks was a mixture of acoustic and electric singer-songs painted with sitar and tabla jams, heavy fuzz guitar sessions and airy, pulsating sounds done in the same step- by-step method like Claustromania! Although it is serious and soulful in tone, ST Mikael himself says he misses the playfulness and vitality which is more prominent in his home recordings.

In the spring of 1994 ST Mikael was living in a rented house with a beautiful garden of fruits, berries and flowers. For the first time he found an immediate presence of self confidence and also a more emotional and limitless way to express himself. In changing direction from somewhat stylish compositions to more improvised-on-the-spot creations he found that the happiness of a live-performance could be caught on a Pot-induced multi tracked solo recording.

During 1994 he made a huge collection of organic home recordings, far away from any inexperienced studio-technician, planning to release some of the material as a new album. With the addition of the extended studio track ”Summer In My Life” , which was recorded by an experienced crew and with additional musicians like Adam Axelzon. Xotic Mind released it in 1996 as a double-album - titled Soul Flower. As always - with a homemade painting on the cover. It can be seen as a rock opera without a plot, an invitation to a small living room full of impressions of many far away places.

During the years that passed since that album, St Mikael seemed to become more secretive and reclusive, but was still making homemade music. Some of this music, still stretching out in many different musical directions, has been done freely and spontaneously in an extremely relaxed and happy environment, and has been compiled into the home-made double CD, "Mind Evolution", which is not really an official album. Since the turn of the century, Mikael has renewed his lifestyle, has found love in Cheska, an American woman, and has travelled around in Europe, and recently in the USA.

source: http://www.subliminalsounds.se/DOK/stmikael.html

My Dream
St. Mikael Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You asked me where can love be found
You don't have to look that far
Someone near and dear, someone who does care
Someone who is there for you

You asked me, "how to make it last?
You don't have to work that hard
Just a little trust, and a kiss and hug

It will flourish in your heart

Somewhere out in the dark
I can feel your deep desires
Reaching through space and time
Holding me tight forever

You ask me what you mean to me
I don't know if there're words to say

You're my gentle rain, you're my shining star
You're the moonlight in my dream

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to St. Mikael's song My Dream appear to be about love and the ways in which it can be found, cultivated and maintained. The first verse suggests that love can be found in someone who is nearby and cares for you. It is not necessary to look far or wide for love, as it is often closer than we might think. The second verse implies that making love last is not as difficult as it may seem. A little trust, a kiss and a hug can go a long way in helping love to flourish in our hearts. The third verse seems to be about the deep connection between two people in love. Despite distance, their desires are able to bridge the gap and hold them together forever. The final verse is perhaps the most personal, as the singer attempts to convey just how much their partner means to them. However, they suggest that there may not be words sufficient to capture the depth of their feelings. The imagery used evokes tenderness and beauty, with references to rain, stars and moonlight.

Overall, My Dream is a romantic and uplifting song that celebrates the power of love. Its message is one of hope and positivity, encouraging listeners to cherish their relationships and hold onto the people they love.

Line by Line Meaning

You asked me where can love be found
Love can be found near you, in someone who cares about you

You don't have to look that far
Love is not far away

Someone near and dear, someone who does care
Love can be found in someone who is close to you and cares for you

Someone who is there for you
Love is found in someone who is always there for you

You asked me, 'how to make it last?
You asked me how to make love last

You don't have to work that hard
It doesn't take much effort

Just a little trust, and a kiss and hug
All it takes is some trust and affection

It will flourish in your heart
Love will grow and thrive in your heart

Somewhere out in the dark
In the darkness

I can feel your deep desires
I can sense your strong longings

Reaching through space and time
Across great distances and time