by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Razika - Eg Vetsje (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Razika - Nytt Pa Nytt (MP3)

Norway's Razika make their U.S. live debut this Friday at Cameo Gallery. The band's debut album, Program 91, came out in August on Small Town Supersound and is a pretty charming 34-minute listen.

Childhood friends since they were six years old, the band formed in 2005 when the four girls were just 14 and began as a pop-punk band until they discovered reggae. These days, Razika draw comparisons to 2-Tone and Lilliput/Kleenex and you might even hear a little of Camper Van Beethoven's balalaika ska in there too. You can download two tracks from Program 81 at the top of this post -- "Eg Vetsje" is particularly stick-in-your-head catchy.

The band are here in NYC shooting a video and go back to Bergen after the Cameo show so it's you're only chance to see them for now. Razika share the bill with Ski Lodge (Smiths-y indiepop) and the laptop soul of Brooklyn-via-New-Zealand artist Lips.

Video below...

Continue reading "Razika are visiting from Norway (MP3, video & 1 NYC show)"

by BBG

Vreid at the first BV-BBG CMJ in 2008 (more by Leia Jospe)

It has been almost three years now since Norway's Vreid played their third ever US show at the first BV-BBG CMJ event back in 2008 (with Trap Them, Rival Schools and Made Out of Babies) at the old Knitting Factory (Norway's Shining played the same room hours later).

Now Vreid is returning and embarking on a North American tour TONIGHT that will see them headline dates with Kampfar & Necronomicon including this Sunday (8/28) at Europa in Brooklyn. Tickets are still available for the show that will also feature an appearance from Grafvolluth. All dates are listed below.

Montreal Mirror recently caught up with Vreid and asked how the recent tragedies in their home country affected them. Bassist Hváll said:

It affected us deeply. Our drummer worked in the government office that was destroyed, but thankfully, he was on vacation and wasn't at work that day. He didn't lose any of his closest co­workers, but it hit him personally as he worked with people who lost friends. He could hear the bang of the explosion from his house when it happened--his whole department was shattered to pieces. It was one of the most brutal things we've ever seen in Norway. This was a complete madman hell-bent on destruction. We all have children and when tragedy like this happens you just think about protecting your child. The slaughtering at the youth camp was one of the most savage things I think we've seen in modern history. If this could happen in Norway, it's proof it could happen anywhere.

Continue reading "Vreid, Kampfar & Necronomicon touring North America (dates)"

Just wanted to take a second to also say that our thoughts and condolences are with the people of Norway today.

The above is a selection of tweets from Norwegian musicians that have graced the pages (and stages) of BrooklynVegan in the past. Blabbermouth has a list of reactions from more in the metal community (from Norway and elsewhere), including the above-pictured message from Enslaved who said, "Our deepest condolences and thoughts go out to everybody touched by the fathomless tragedy that struck Norway yesterday. This is indeed a day for afterthought."

Jaga Jazzist at Oya 2009 (photo by Jan Erik Svendesen)

Plenty of your hipper bands might vary their influences list with acts like Tortoise, Charles Mingus, and the Neptunes just to prove they are cool. With the risky, sprawling, and somehow serene Jaga Jazzist, you can actually hear it. The ten-piece jazz-meets-electronics band from Norway came to life in 1994 when their main brain and songwriter, Lars Horntveth, was only 14. Two years later their debut album, Jævla Jazzist Grete Stitz, appeared, and Norwegians got their first taste of the band's combination of jazz chops and electronic quirkiness. Two years after that the Magazine EP appeared, but it was 2001's A Livingroom Hush that grabbed all the attention due to rave reviews and distribution by Warner Bros. in their homeland. Coldcut's label, Ninja Tune, picked the album up for worldwide distribution in 2002 and BBC radio listeners crowned it the Jazz Album of the Year. The remix-based Animal Chin appeared at the end of 2002 and was followed in 2003 by Stix, an album that found the band using more electronics without the help of remixers. What We Must followed in 2005 before a five-year break took the band out of the studio and off the road. Jaga Jazzist returned in 2010 with One-Armed Bandit, featuring new recruit Stian Westerhus on guitar. [AllMusic]

Jaga Jazzist posted a video expressing their excitement when they announced the North American tour. Check that out along with some recent live videos, other Jaga Jazzist videos, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Jaga Jazzist are on tour, playing LPR (2011 dates)"

by BBG

Altaar at By:Larm (more)

Altaar aren't content with coming all the way from Norway just to level Austin three times (an appearance at the BrooklynVegan/Profound Lore show at Lovejoys on 3/19, the Profound Lore Official Showcase, and the Chaos in Tejas/Stereogum/Sacred Bones show). The Norwegian doom destroyers have added TWO last minute NYC dates this weekend, and a Boston show to boot! Altaar will join fellow Norwegians Deathcrush to play the Acheron in on 3/12 with Occultation, and Silent Barn on 3/13 with Explosive Improvised Device. From there they head to O'Brien's in Allston, MA for a 3/14 show before continuing to Texas.

BUT FIRST: Sten Ove Toft aka TOFT from Altaar will play a solo show TONIGHT (3/11) on an impressive bill that look like this:

1st: TOFT
2nd: Man Forever Duo (mems. of Oneida/Lone Wolf)
3rd: Tall Firs
4th: Scarcity of Tanks
5th: Chris Grier & Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers) Duo

Some video and flyers for Altaar's SXSW dates, are below.

Continue reading "Altaar add two NY shows before SXSW, one solo show w/ Tall Firs, Man Forever Duo, Gibby Haynes & more (TONIGHT)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Bloodgroup - My Arms (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Megaphonic Thrift - Candy Sin (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Lines - El Matador (MP3)

The Megaphonic Thrift

This year's SXSW festival is a month away and some of you may be sick of hearing about it already. Especially if you're not going. One nice thing about New York is a lot of the international acts play here either on their way to or from Austin, and usually doing longer sets than you'd get at the fest.

In that spirit, like last year, we're gonna bring a little of the SXSW spirit to Brooklyn -- minus the inability to find a cab at midnight. The BrooklynVegan & Tiger Mountain pre-SXSW Party will be at The Rock Shop on Monday, March 14 with Bloodgroup, The Megaphonic Thrift and The Lines. Tickets are only $8 and on sale now.

Bloodgroup

Iceland synth pop collective Bloodgroup headline the night. Maybe you saw them at CMJ last year. The band's 2009 LP, the slinky, seductive Dry Land, drew favorable comparisons to The Knife. KEXP's blog wrote of their 2010 CMJ performance, "Bloodgroup could be this year's The xx, if enough people take the time to stop and listen." Stop and listen to Bloodgroup's single "My Arms" at the top of this post.

The Megaphonic Thrift (who share members with Casiokids and The Low Frequency in Stereo) played in NYC last March on their way to SXSW as their new album, Decay Destroy, had just come out in their home country of Norway. It's taken a year for the album to get an American release -- out next month on Sonic Union -- but it's probably good timing as their sound fits in well with the '90s indie rock resurgence we're experiencing right now.

Check out the "Candy Sin" -- part Sonic Youth, part Swervedriver -- at the top of this post. I've seen them a couple times. If you dig loud, shoegazy rock The Megaphonic Thrift do it very well. If you can't make the Rock Shop show, the band plays the night before (3/13) at Mercury Lounge where they'll play with Endless Boogie and Arboretum.

The Lines

Openers are The Lines who hail from Wolverhampton, UK (home of Slade, Goldie and Ned's Atomic Dustbin) and, like Bloodgroup, were here last in October for CMJ. Check out their single "El Matador" at the top of this post which should appeal to fans of Two Door Cinema Club, Bloc Party, and other danceable UK indie.

Should be a fun night, especially because we're giving away Strongbow Cider to those who get there early (while it lasts). Videos and all tour dates for all three bands, below...

Continue reading "The Megaphonic Thrift, Bloodgroup & The Lines are playing the BrooklynVegan pre-SXSW party in Brooklyn (and other dates)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Casiokids - Finn Bikkjen! (MP3)

Casiokids, who just wrapped up a short tour of the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, will be heading back to the States next month for a few select dates, including an Oct 3 stop at Glasslands. Tickets are on sale now. They haven't played New York since our pre-SXSW party at Knitting Factory back in March.

Since then, it's been a busy year for these Norwegians. Casiokids' album, Topp stemning på lokal bar, was released earlier this year on Polyvinyl which collected all of the band's singles from the last two years. Both the CD and the vinyl come with a bonus disc worth or remixes. You can download single "Finn Bikkjen!" above, and the charming video for the song is at the bottom of this post.

More recently, Casiokids were awarded one million Kroner ($160,000) by the band A-Ha (who are retiring this year) as one of four winners in a competition to find Norway's most promising acts. Hopefully they won't spend it all on new equipment -- the rummage sale keyboards are certainly part of the band's charm.

All Casiokids tour dates, plus that "Finn Bikkjen!" video, are after the jump.

Continue reading "Casiokids schedule some dates, got money from A-Ha"

I caught the Norweigian, David Byrne-approved, all-girl group Katzenjammer while I was in Norway for the by:Larm Festival earlier this year. Naturally, I never posted the pictures, so here they are in honor of the group's current tour which brings them to Mercury Lounge in NYC TONIGHT (7/6). They're a little corny, but super energetic and fun, and Mercury Lounge is a way smaller venue than where I saw them play in Norway to a highly enthusiastic crowd.

Jon Parales referred to them as "a Norwegian version of the B-52's" (and the B-52's just so happen to be playing a NYC show tonight too). More pictures from Norway and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Katzenjammer on tour - 2010 dates & belated by:Larm pics "

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Alcest - "Percees De Lumiere" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Woe - "Alone with Our Failures"
DOWNLOAD: Have a Nice Life - "Bloodhail"
DOWNLOAD: Have a Nice Life - "I Don't Love"

Alcest at their first ever live performance in Bucharest (more by Stefan Raduta)

Wardruna at the 2010 edition of by:Larm in Norway

April is supposed to be the gateway to rejuvenation; spring is around the corner and warm sun awaits. Yet Thursday, April 29th is a dark day in NYC despite upward swinging forecasts, as the city will host a pair of black metal events.

First up, is the seminar 'A Blaze In The Northern Sky - Norwegian Metal and The Culture That Spawned It", a discussion featuring Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone), Gaahl (ex-Gorgoroth, Wardruna), and Harold Fossberg (Turbonegro) at Scandinavia House (58 Park Avenue):

In the last two decades, a bizarre, intense, and violent musical subculture called Black Metal has emerged in Norway, and has subsequently become a worldwide phenomenon. In a unique seminar-meets-radio show format moderated by Patrizia Mazzuoccolo (also known as Miss Pee), the lecture will explore and promote the genre and its country through audio clips of bands, interviews with musicians and special guests (see below for details), and an audience Q & A session.

Nocturno Culto recently played Roadburn 2010 as part of Sarke, part II of Kim Kelly's review is on the way.

Wardruna, Gaahl included, recently played Folketeateret at the by:Larm Music Festival in snowy Norway (on Saturday, Feb. 20th) . An unposted set of pictures from that show, which was one of the major highlights of the long weekend, is continued below.

Details on how to win those Alcest tickets, some videos, and flyers for both events are below too...

Continue reading "Alcest is almost here (win tix), a Norwegian Metal seminar in NYC (w/ Gaahl, Nocturno culto, more), Wardruna pics & more "

DOWNLOAD: Seabear - Lion Faced Boy (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Soley - Theater Island (MP3)

Seabear @ by:Larm

Seabear was one of the bands I made sure not to miss when I ventured to Norway for the by:Larm festival in February, but I came away with mixed feelings about the band whose leader Sindri Már Sigfússon has been called the Icelandic Beck. Maybe I had jet lag and was sleepy or they were sleepy or they just make sleepy music. That's not to say the 7-piece band completely scared me away. If they had, I wouldn't be writing this post to point out that you can download the perfectly pleasant track "Lion Faced Boy" above (and listen to more like it at their MySpace), and that you can see them when they make their NYC debut at Mercury Lounge tonight (3/25) and when they play their 2nd NYC show at Southpaw on Friday (3/26). Both shows are with their tour-mates, Chicago's Via Tania, and Friday (and most of the tour) also includes a set by Soley aka Seabear's Sóley Stefánsdóttir. Check out an MP3 from her up there too.

Naturally, the band is visiting from Iceland for a trip that included SXSW where they played a bunch of shows last week. The trip was also timed to coincide with the release of their new album We Built A Fire. It's out now on Morr Music which is also the label that will release a new Soley EP on the day of the Southpaw show (both MP3s above are from those records).

Some live videos from SXSW, more pictures from by:Larm (where they performed at a club called John Dee), and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Seabear is here from Iceland w/ a new album, Via Tania & Soley, played SXSW & by:Larm - pics, video, MP3s & tour dates"

I've seen a ton of great bands [in Oslo] so far. Most are new to me. I'm trying to avoid bands I've seen or will definitely see soon. Serena Maneesh fall into both categories (SXSW = the "see soon" part), but I couldn't help myself and went and checked them out [Friday] night at [Sentrum] Scene in Oslo. They went on after Johann Johannsson who went on after Efterklang (it was 4AD night). I actually watched all three and even saw some bands in nearby venues during set change... there's a band on somewhere every half hour, and all bands only play for 30 minutes.... so if you're quick you can see at least 25 minutes of a 30 minute set twice an hour for about 7 hours straight...except Serena Maneesh actually who got 45 minutes as tonight's big headliner... actually [I think] Johann played longer too, but I left before he finished). [me, over the weekend]

As mentioned above, Efterklang played the same venue the same night, but the pictures I posted yesterday were from the show they played one night later. Both Efterklang and Serena Maneesh have shows coming up at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC. Both will also be at SXSW.

More pictures from Oslo below...

Continue reading "Serena Maneesh @ Sentrum Scene (by:Larm) in Oslo - pics "

DOWNLOAD: Oh No Ono - Internet Warrior (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Oh No Ono - Helplessly Young (MP3)

Denmark's Oh No Ono played two nights in NYC earlier this year in January. Of the band's new record, Eggs, Bill previously wrote: "It's psychedelic, baroque, glammy, 70's AM, with some synth pop and the occasional church choir thrown in. And very catchy stuff too." The two tracks above definitely showcase that eclecticism.

Since then I saw them this past Thursday (2/18) at by:Larm in snowy Norway. Three things: they were super tight, they are kind of getting huge over there, and my new name nickname for them is MEWGMT. The show took place at a third floor venue called Samfunnsalen which seemed to double as some type of lodge or government-run room. There were paintings and busts of men who could have been politicians since passed on the walls of the room which included a huge stage and plenty of standing space. Or maybe it was a school. That's what it reminded me of as I went up the three flights of tiled steps which included art sculptures on each floor's landing. Pictures from that show continue below.

The band next comes to the U.S. for SXSW which is followed by another visit to NYC for two more shows. They play Mercury Lounge on Wednesday, March 24th. Tickets are on sale. They'll also be opening for Little Dragon and VV Brown at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Thursday, March 25th. Tickets to that are still on sale.

Live videos from their last NYC stint, more pictures from Norway and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Oh No Ono played by:Larm (pics), playing SXSW, NYC (dates) "

Eclectic Norwegian quartet Katzenjammer have a new video our for their song "Tea with Cinnamon," the new single (out March 2nd) for their forthcoming album, Le Pop, which is due June 1st on Nettwerk. We're premiering that video. Watch it below.

They'll be at by:Larm (in Oslo) this weekend (2/18) (like Hanne Hukkelberg and many others), and on the Lilith Fair tour this summer (dates TBA). Last year the band's US shows included the David Byrne-curated stage at Bonnaroo and Mercury Lounge. The video and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "new Katzenjammer video + 2010 dates (Lilith Fair, by:larm)"

by Dominick Mastrangelo

One night after opening for The Watson Twins in Brooklyn, Norway's Hanne Hukkelberg headlined her own show (an early one) at the Mercury Lounge on Saturday (2/13). Hukkelberg's set consisted mostly of songs from last year's full-length, Blood From A Stone. Saturday's show - which was full but not sold out - was the second night of a short, four-show, two-city tour that wraps tonight (2/15) in Boston. Then it's back to Norway for the by:Larm Festival later this week.

Norway's ruling party celebrated its election victory in a rock venue; more than 20% of the population attends a music festival every year; and it's not unusual to find gigs taking place in a mausoleum. Oslo is the music-mad capital of this music-mad nation, and the city's modest population of 550,000 sustains numerous venues, outstanding record shops and countless festivals.

Annual events cater for a wide range of tastes including metal, jazz, folk, world and electronica, while the Øya rock festival puts most larger UK equivalents to shame when it comes to bands, organisation and environmental credentials. And while showcase industry events Folkelarm and by:Larm attract music business figures from around the world to check out the talent, Norway's social democratic principles ensure that the gigs are also open to the public. [Guardian]

Continue reading "Hanne Hukkelberg & Ravens & Chimes played Mercury Lounge in NYC (pics) --- by:Larm kicks off Thursday in Norway"

by Andrew Frisicano

If you can imagine it, Norwegian singer Hanne Hukkelberg used to carry vocals for doom metal band Funeral before settling into her own atmospheric folk. She's in NYC this weekend - her first show is at the Bell House on Friday, February 12th with The Watson Twins (who are at the Living Room tonight, 2/11 - for WFUV members only) and La Strada. Tickets are still on sale.

She headlines Saturday, February 13th at Mercury Lounge with Ravens & Chimes Tickets are on sale.

Hanne Hukkelberg is one of the many Nordic artists participating in By:larm, a regional showcase/festival in Oslo, Norway on February 18th-20th (a fest we'll be attending... more on that later). The full list of artists participating in that is below.

Her album Blood From a Stone came out last year on Nettwerk. Videos from that and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Hanne Hukkelberg playing NYC shows & by:Larm (full lineup)"

by BBG

Immortal likes their corpse paint. Still. (photo by Peter Beste)

After triumphant shows in LA & NYC (BB Kings) in 2007, Black Metal pioneers Immortal are returning to our shores. Norwegian black metal comes to NYC just in time for... spring. And Easter. March 30th, to be exact. The Blackened Music Series hosts the show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple and tickets are now on sale in two levels, regular and VIP, which includes a meet & greet pre-show, laminate, a poster, and many other goodies. The show is part of short tour dubbed "Blashyrkh in North America" according to the foursome:

"North American hordes, we are coming your way! After the fantastic experiences we had in New York and Los Angeles in 2007, we are returning next year, and this time we will make sure we visit our Canadian hordes on the East coast as well! We will see you during Easter 2010, which will be a dark and cold one!"

The only other US show is again in LA. A few Immortal videos with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Immortal returning to North America - 2010 Tour Dates "

photos by Bao Nguyen

Sissy Wish's trip to NYC from Norway was in a bit of disarray at first, but she/they still ended up playing four shows while they were here. The final one was last night (7/25) at Union Hall. The two before that were both on Wednesday at Pianos (7/22). That's because they played their originally scheduled slot of 7pm, and then were immediately asked by the venue if they wanted to play again that same night at 11:00 (they said yes). The Grates played the same show at 10:00, their 2nd of a three-week residency at the LES club.

I missed The Grates (two weeks in a row so far), but I made it to the early Sissy Wish set. Though I didn't love about half of the songs they played - pop songs in the vein of Robyn, Lykke Li, and Annie (Tori Amos and Kate Bush get thrown around a lot too), overall they were good, with a few hits to make up for the boring ones.

"I'm not sure why Norway's Sissy Wish hasn't gotten more attention in American. Maybe it's the name, which is off-putting. "What am I doing tonight? Going to see Sissy Wish in concert." I digress. Unfortunate moniker or not, her music is really appealing, not that far off from what Lykke Li has everyone in such a tizzy. Her latest album, Beauties Never Die (nominated for a Norwegian Grammy), is dancey, but with an organic feel to it that separates it from the glitchy, Frenchy, dirty, chopped-up sounds that are so in fashion with club-fillers." [Bill Pearis]

Front-woman Siri Wålberg, wearing a shirt made of actual cassette tapes (see above and below), jumped around and asked for crowd participation, and she expressed her appreciation for everyone at the show (her 'new friends'). Her Scandinavian accent and non-mastery of the English language came across as endearing all the time, though her male partner in the band (he was wearing an Atari t-shirt) wasn't that happy when she announced how happy they were to have not messed up any songs yet ("you shouldn't have said that"). He played keyboards, guitar, and computer. Strangely, an unrelated band named Sissy Clemens went on right after them (complete coincidence apparently).

How were the Grates? Sissy Wish's Beauties Never Die is out in the US on 22nd of September. More pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "Sissy Wish & The Grates @ Pianos in NYC - pics "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Sissy Wish - Dwts (MP3)

Norwegian electro-pop singer Sissy Wish is back in New York this week with two shows at Pianos: tonight (7/20) with Cincinnati's Slow Claw and locals Ghost Robot Ninja Bear, and on Wednesday (7/22) with The Grates. Both shows, Sissy Wish is on first. There may be a free show tomorrow as well at Bell House but that is still being sorted out.

It was almost a year ago exactly that Sissy Wish (real name Siri Ålberg) was in town. Her 2007 album, Beauties Never Die, has been available digitally since last year but is finally getting an official U.S. release on September 22. Pitchfork gave it an 8.0 in April:

The pseudonym may initially evoke images of cardigan-clad musicians strumming playground-set songs, but Ålberg's music is anything but twee and naïve. Rather, the name Sissy Wish implies a combination of playfulness and wistfulness-- two qualities in good supply on Ålberg's third full-length. Originally released in Norway in 2007 and finally getting a U.S. release this spring, Beauties Never Die balances maturity and wonder as it takes a hard left turn away from the guitar-driven rock of the first two Sissy Wish albums. Instead, Ålberg and producer Jørgen Træn toy with computers, synths, and a few live instruments to animate these 10 inventive, diverse tracks. As such, the album shares some similarities with recent efforts by fellow Scandinavian dancing queens Annie and Sally Shapiro, but it sounds as though Ålberg has arrived at this new sound not through a well-stocked record collection or a thorough knowledge of pop history (although one expects she has both), but by giving full rein to all her personality quirks and musical curiosities.

Continue reading "Sissy Wish is here - MP3, 2 or 3 NY shows (1 w/ the Grates)"

Spoon @ Oya Festival 2007 (more photos)

The annual Øya Festival is happening August 11th-15th in Oslo. If you can't get from NYC to Norway, don't worry -- its lineup includes many bands that will or have recently played in the NYC area. That's not to say the fest won't be a great time though. Bands in both Oya and NYC this summer include Wilco, Grizzly Bear, Jenny Lewis, Band of Horses, Dirty Projectors and Vampire Weekend. Beirut, a group that's yet to announce any summer shows beside Pitchfork Fest and a pair of July shows in Toronto and Montreal, will be there as well. Five-day passes for the Norwegian festival are sold out, but one day tickets are still on sale.

We've already discussed the summer "folk" and "blues" fests in Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary (which is also hosting Sled Island Fest)...well, Edmonton and Winnipeg are planning similarly well-appointed festivals. The lineup for the Winnipeg Folk Fest, which runs from July 8th-12th, includes Neko Case, Okkervil River, Elvis Costello & The Imposters and Iron & Wine, among others. Neko Case and Iron & Wine will also be at the Edmonton Folk Festival, which will happen August 6th-9th. Joining them at the fest will be Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Great Lake Swimmers, Steve Earle and more. Passes for the Winnipeg Fest are still on sale. Individual tickets for Edmonton are available too.

Full lineups below...

Continue reading "ØYA, Winnipeg & Edmonton Folk Fest - 2009 festival lineups"

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

"They came on like a Norwegian version of the B-52's, pounding a beat and chirping random phrases in unison, but that didn't last. Soon they were bouncing to a polka (complete with trumpet), or singing in pure close harmony that suggested Scandinavian traditional music, or delivering a cherry-pie recipe over a ukulele-strumming tune suggesting 1920's jazz (with close-harmony "diddley-diddley-diddleys), or going near-Goth with a raspy song about "walking in the big black woods," or sharing an a cappella dirge (with a drumbeat) about a dust storm. Accordion, banjo and kazoo came and went; their finale was a bluegrassy bounce. There was no telling what they'd do next, except that it was sure to be deft and charming." [Jon Parales]

Continue reading "Katzenjammer @ Mercury Lounge (video) & Bonnaroo (pics) "

DOWNLOAD: Katzenjammer - A Bar in Amsterdam (MP3)

SXSW 2009 surprise discovery - KatzenJammer girls (Travellers Diary)

David Byrne has invited the women who are Katzenjammer to play at the 2009 Bonnaroo. Byrne has assembled a number of performers for the first artist-curated stage at Bonnaroo. On the evening of Friday, June 12 Byrne, who is performing the "Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno," will host his recent collaborators Santigold, the Dirty Projectors, and, of course, Katzenjammer.

Turid, Solveig, Marianne and Anne Marit will also make a stop in NY for an special early show on Tuesday June 16th at The Mercury Lounge.

Continue reading "Norway's Katzenjammer playing David Byrne stage @ Bonnaroo, Mercury Lounge in NYC & other dates"

DOWNLOAD: I Was a King - Norman Bleik (MP3)

I Was A King... (by Fotonils)

Norway's I Was A King are in town this weekend. They'll play Saturday, May 30th at Mercury Lounge, with the Rural Alberta Advantage and Elevator Fight, and Sunday, May 31st at Union Hall, with The Wowz. Tickets for the Mercury Lounge show, as well as tickets for Union Hall, are still on sale.

Before both of those shows, I Was A King will play a free in-store on Saturday, May 30th (4pm) at Permanent Records in Greenpoint (181 Franklin St).

The band's self-titled debut LP is out now on Control Group Records. The disc is streaming now on the label's site; or check out "Norman Bleik" from that record, above.

I Was A King also recently added dates to its May/June US tour, which includes West Coast dates with Crystal Antlers and Constantines (Constantines are playing the Central Park Summerstage on June 30th, too.)

All tour dates with two live videos from April 2009, below...

Continue reading "I Was a King in NYC - a free in-store & more 2009 tour dates"

by Black Bubblegum

"Varg" Rathbone and Varg Vikernes... Guess which one is the actor

Varg Vikernes is a free man. According to Blabbermouth, the once Mayhem-er (before the whole murder thing) and artist currently known as Burzum recently confirmed to Norway's Dagbladet that he had indeed been set free and "will have to report [to the parole officer] for one year -- initially every two weeks, and then once a month".

Varg Vikernes was originally sent away to prison for the brutal murder of Øystein Aarseth, who was found stabbed twenty-three times on August 10th, 1993. There have been many stories regarding the events of that night, motives, etc... one version of which was recounted by Vikernes himself on his website. Another version of the events on 8/10/93 can be found in a book that Vikernes has described as "brain-dead" - the highly popular Lords Of Chaos.

Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground is a book by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind... The book focuses on the scene surrounding the extreme heavy metal sub-genre black metal in Norway between 1990 and 1993... The book... details the April 1991 suicide of Mayhem front man Per Yngve "Dead" Ohlin and the formation of a radicalized "inner circle" around Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth, based out of his small black metal retail shop Helvete (Norwegian for "hell") in Oslo, Norway.

In 1992 and 1993, members of the group became connected with a series of crimes, starting with the arson of the Fantoft stave church on June 6, 1992, although the book mentions that there had previously been a "small, ineffectual fire at Storeveit Church.". Church arsons continue but with a steady decline up until the year 1995. On August 10, 1993 Aarseth is murdered by Vikernes, who receives a 21 years sentence for the murder and several cases of arson related to the church burnings.

posted by : Neil Young's Cocaine Booger
5/21/2009 12:05:50 PM

I heard a rumor that Jamie Foxx is gonna play Euronymous, Justin Timberlake is gonna play Dead, and that douchebag from High School Musical is gonna be Snorre Ruch.

Continue reading "Jackson Rathbone to play Varg Vikernes in Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground"

DOWNLOAD: Dylan Mondegreen - Girl in Grass (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dylan Mondegreen - Wishing Well (MP3)

Olof Arnalds kicks off her four-night, four-venue NYC run tonight at Union Hall in Brooklyn (5/4). Opening tonight's show will be Norway's Dylan Mondgreen. It's his only US gig, and his first-ever US gig. MP3's above. Video below...

Continue reading "Dylan Mondegreen plays his first US show (tonight) at Olof Arnalds's first of 4 NYC shows this week"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: I Was a King - Norman Bleik (MP3)

Oslo, Norway's I Was a King are headed to America for a fairly extensive US tour, including two stops in NYC: May 30 at Mercury Lounge (with UK's great The Wave Pictures) and May 31 at Union Hall. The band's self-titled debut came out earlier this month via The Control Group, who have released albums by The Figurines and El Perro Del Mar.

For all intents and purposes, I Was A King are a duo: Frode Strømstad, who's a Norwegian indie gadabout and owner of Hype City Records) and Anne Lise Frøkedal (who also fronts her own excellent band, Harrys Gym). The album was actually made in Brooklyn, at the Ladybug Transistor's Marlborough Farms studio with big help from head Ladybug Gary Olsen and fellow Norwegian Emil Nikolaisen of Serena Maneesh. Sufjan Stevens helps out on a few tracks, as does Danielson. Live, the band is fleshed out to a five-piece, including ex-Serena Maneesh member Håvard Krogedal on bass.

If you like '60s pysch pop, '90s psych pop (Elephant 6), Dinosaur Jr. and Teenage Fanclub, chances are you're going to like I Was a King. Teenage Fanclub, actually, are punnily namechecked on the band's first single, "Norman Bleik," which you can download at the top of this post. Video of them performing the song on Norwegian television and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "I Was A King (from Norway) - 2009 Tour Dates, video & MP3"