Leif-Billyz: Jämtgubben, polka av Rune "Gnesta-Kalle" Gnestadius

October 22, 2009

I am so glad that silverbassharpa changed his YouTube settings to allow embedding because it allows me to share this wonderful video with you! The tune they are playing is "Jämtgubben (Guy from Jämtland) av Rune "Gnesta-Kalle" Gnestadius", which seems like it could be danced as either a polka or snoa. It's interesting that they [...]

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There's no doubt…this is fearless guitar playing

October 12, 2009

This past weekend, I featured the Norwegian band, Hellbillies, on Multe Music. You can listen to it here. The tune I used to open the show was "Tvil på travbanen (Doubt on the Racetrack)", a tour de force instrumental guitar piece by Lars Håvard Haugen, lead guitarist of the group. Haugen is one of Norway's [...]

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Hellbillies: På Ål Stasjon

August 7, 2009

I can never say enough great things about the Norwegian band, Hellbillies. They are, in many ways, the Norwegian equivalent of The Eagles or the Allman Brothers Band — the latter of which was and remains a great inspiration for them. They are called "country rock" but their music goes far beyond that and they [...]

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The most requested Nordic tune in Minnesota…

July 8, 2009

… nursing homes (alderheimer)? Johan på snippen. Really. A few years ago, a friend of mine went to a concert given by three prominent accordionists from this region. They were playing both full-size and diatonic accordions and lots of music from all over Europe. During the program, they mentioned that the Swedish tune "Johan på [...]

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An appreciative Shout Out to these artists and recording companies…

July 5, 2009

The Multe Music crew would like to thank the following artists / recording companies / distributors for copies of CDs that we've recently received over the last few weeks. Etnisk Musikklubb (Norway) Funi (Iceland) GIGA (Sweden) Kvarts (Norway) Ingebjør Sørbøen (Norway) Nordafjells (Norway) Osterøy Spellmannslag (Norway) Svøbsk (Denmark) Tom Willy Rustad (Norway) Trent Bruner (Canada [...]

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Cornerstone laid for Geilo "Culture Church"

June 26, 2009

This evening, the Geilo community will lay the grunnsteinnedleggelse (foundation stone) for the new "Kulturekyrkje (Cultural Church)", also known as "Kulturkirken". The church will be located in a lower area of the valley where Geilo is located, near the river and central to all of Geilo. It is being built in an ecological and environmentally [...]

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Where were the rest of the accordions?

June 24, 2009

We've now spent most of the day listing to the solo durspel/trekkspill junior and senior competion/qualifying rounds here at Norway's national folk music/dance competition. The category is for  solo players of diatonic accordions (mostly one and two rows) and chromatic accordions. Each competitor must play two tunes, each of a different type. Most choose to [...]

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Midsummer in Ål

June 24, 2009

It was a midsummer to remember in Ål as the 2009 NM i Folkemusikk (Norwegian National Championships in Folk Music) began with the first competition and a public dance at the local Folkepark. Well-known Norwegian recording artist Odd Nordstoga opened the evening with a very clever and well-done speech about the historic nature of this [...]

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It's Sankthans / Juhannes / Midsummer!

June 23, 2009

The cultures that seem to appreciate light the most are the ones that go without it for large parts of the year. That is why the summer season is so important for the inhabitants of the Nordic nations. Today, June 23 is Sankthans in Norway — also known as Midsummer / Midsommer / Midtsummer / [...]

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Dancing on the Rim with Pols etter Ola Rønninga

June 18, 2009

Norway's National Folk Music & Dance Competition begins next week in Geilo and Ål, Hallingdal — and some of the Multe Music crew will be there. This year the competition is called "NM i folkemusikk" (Norway's Master Cup in Folk Music) and is larger festival because they have combined two festivals this year that previously [...]

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The farmer seeks a wife…

May 27, 2009

This week the theme for Multe Music on Saturday will be "Farm Report" and we'll feature interesting — and fun — tunes about farming and farming life. There will be tunes based on manuscripts from the Middle Ages and modern songs. Here's one great example of a recent release, "Bonde söker fru (Farmer seeking wife)" [...]

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Twang Gang: The Final Countdown

March 23, 2009

Regular Multe Music listeners and readers know that we are eagerly awaiting a visit soon from the Norwegian band, Kvarts. Kvarts' guitarist, Erlend Styve, is also active in another Norwegian band — Twang Gang (not to be confused with the American band, Twang Gang). He's the lead vocalist and guitarist. Twang Gang's web site describes [...]

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HamBAO and Bach…

March 20, 2009

The traditional Allsång på Skansen (Allsang at Skansen) in Sweden usually has some unforgettable moments. One of my personal favorites was the time that Swedish comedian Robert Gustafsson interupted a BAO (Benny Anderssons Orkester) performance as  "Sten Broman", a well-known Swedish music critic. At first, the announcer introduces BAO to play a hambo (a hamBAO?) [...]

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Hellbillies: Mørkemann

March 10, 2009

I'm celebrating today, so I'm going to pick one of my favorite bands to feature on a special day — Norway's top country rock band, Hellbillies. I may have become one of their first fans in the USA when a Norwegian friend introduced me to their music in the mid-1990s. And while I have all [...]

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Smoke On The Water…on chromatic accordion

February 27, 2009

Friday  is usually a day for "anything goes" — and it's no exception this week. Welcome to "Smoke On The Water" done by a Norwegian YouTube user who calls himself "SqueezeEasy". It's a classic. Sing along! "Smohke ahn da vah-tter…" // Related Posts:Hellbillies: På Ål StasjonNordafjells: Kristen Nakje, springleikLeif-Billyz: Jämtgubben, polka av Rune "Gnesta-Kalle" GnestadiusThe [...]

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