Unmistakably Nordic in flavor, Sofia Talvik somehow still conforms to American interpretations of her own original music, a North Sea siren blending sparkle and melancholy, creating a special niche of folk music.
I’ve had a pretty fab first week touring. We’ve been on the west coast of Florida and it’s been great. Not to mention the RV life. The RV turned out so nice after we fixed it up and it really feels like a home now. Especially since we got the brand new queen size bed and the cozy king size duvet. And it’s so nice to wake up to different places every day too. One day it’s on the beach, the next in a fruit tree garden. I’ve even overcome my fear of driving the beast.
Waking up on St Pete's BeachOur cozy bedroomTruckin' & Dreaming 😉
This week I played at the Independent in Tampa and St Petersburg. Got invited to a real southern lunch at Otis and Sian’s place and was treated to a great massage at the Warm Mineral Springs where I did a sold out intimate concert at the spa café. Yesterday was a long day with two gigs. One in the daytime at the Flamingo Flea Market in Bonita Springs and later on a house concert followed by a bluegrass jam. Bluegrass seems to be the melody of this neighborhood and even though I tried to pitch in, I think I’d better stick to folk music. But Roger Borg who set me up with the gig treated us all to some awesome Swedish meatballs, so I felt right at home anyway.
With John, Sian and Otis at the Independent, St PeteFeatured act at Flamingo Flea marketFlamingo Flea marketTrying to understand the bluegrass business
Thanks to all who came out to see me this week. To everyone who has been so kind to invite us to their homes and to all the venues!
Don’t miss out on downloading me free Christmas single and support ActionAid in their fight against poverty here:
The tour has finally begun for real, meaning that we’ve started touring in the RV. The maiden voyage went to Lakeland where I did a gig at the awesome Evolution Records along with Brian Clark Miller. Me and Jonas then headed up to Bartow where we very graciously were allowed to boondock in Arlenas yard.
We then headed to Publix supermarket to get a lot of basic stuff that we needed in the RV kitchen, like ketchup, spices and stuff like that. We spent way too much time shopping and then had to speed our way to the Tampa radio station WNMF 88.5 where I played some songs and had a chat with DJ John Palmer.
I love the name of this product 🙂Visiting WMNF 88.5 in Tampa
In the evening we played at The Independent in Tampa, or Seminole Heights to be exact. We had a great time and met some awesome people.
Thanks to Evolution Records, WNMF and the Independent as well as everyone who came to see me!
Don’t miss out on downloading me free Christmas single and support ActionAid in their fight against poverty here:
Last night I played a gig at Natura Coffee and Tea in Orlando. I had a lot of friends coming to the gig as we’ve stayed in Orlando, both two years ago and now while we’re fixing up the RV. It was a fun gig and I had a great time! Today, we’ve almost finished the RV and tomorrow we’re taking it to Lakeland for a gig at Evolution Records.
I’m so happy to announce that we met our goal in the pledge and thanks to all of you who pledged we will be able to release the last part of L.O.V.E next week. If you haven’t pledged you can still pre-order the physical CD, T-shirts and other goods up till November 1st. After that the EP will only be available as a digital download.
For this update I thought we’d grill the producer a little bit, so I tied him to his amplifier and made him answer all these questions…
Marcus Högquist recording some guitar
Marcus Högquist, you are the producer of “E – Part Four of L.O.V.E” and you are also the guitarist in Sofia’s band since many years, how do you think this recording was different than the others you’ve made with Sofia? More guitars 🙂 The previous recordings I´ve done with Sofia have all been different from each other. For example, the first one we recorded almost completely live with just two microphones. All of us sitting in the same room and playing together. And for that one we used mostly acoustic instruments. For the following records we have been doing more and more overdubs, recorded separetly and used more electronic sounds. This time I’ve tried to capture the essence of Sofia’s songs and let them guide me toward where I was going. Maybe in some cases I’ve put them in a slightly new context, soundwise.
What’s your favorite song on the EP and why? I like them all. But if I have to pick just one I’d say If I had a man. I’m really pleased with how it came out.
If you would describe this EP as the love child of two bands/artists, which would that be? John McEnroe and Mats Wilander 😉
If you would have had an unlimited budget, is there anything you would have done differently? I think I would have recorded the songs live with the band in a big fancy studio somewhere in the countryside. We would stay there for a few days and be totally focused on making the best record ever. For relaxation between the sessions some of us would play some tennis, Christian would go fishing in the lake just outside the studio and Sofia would probably get a nice massage.
How come you chose “Lower Case Letters” as your re-make song? Actually the new rhythm feel of that song came out of a mistake during a rehearsal that Sofia and I where doing for a promotion tour a few years ago. So for the following tour we decided to stick with that new rhythm arrangement and we did on our last US tour with the band as well. Then, when I was asked to pick an old song for this recording I just thougt it would be nice to record it that way.
Marcus and Sofia playing live. Photo: Jonny Andersson
What was your biggest challenge as a producer? Because I recorded a lot of the stuff myself, I’d say being the the producer and the musician at the same time.
Exactly how many guitar tracks can we expect on “E – Part Four of L.O.V.E” ? 😉 Billions!!!
What’s your best words of wisdom when producing an album? Keep an open mind. It might be good to have a plan for how you want the songs to sound. But be open for new ideas during the process and let them inspire you.
Thanks Marcus! We look forward to hearing your awesome creation!
“E – Part Four of L.O.V.E” is being released November 1st.
Guys! It’s just over a week left until we have to finish “E – Part Four of L.O.V.E” and get it out to you in all the corners of the world. But I need you to help me get to the goal of the pledge. It’s just 30% more and we’re there. So go and support your favorite artist (me!) today!!
This little video blog is from the studio when we recorded vocals for my song “If I had a man”. You’ll also get to hear an exclusive preview of the finished song. How great is that?! Enjoy! (and pledge here!)
