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.
Thanks for watching the first episode of my Drivin’ & Dreaming show. This is the second episode of the show and we’re going through the Smoky Mountains, the RV breaks down, we show up one day early for a … well watch it and you’ll see. Please keep sharing to keep viewings up. I’ll keep doing the show as long as I have enough viewers 🙂
Big thanks to everyone in this episode White Horse, Black Mountain, The Acoustic Coffee House in Johnson City, TN 202 Market in Roanoke, VA and Beliveau Estate in Blacksburg, VA. You can see pictures from all my shows on my Facebook page here!
As usual all music in the episode can be found here! Help me keep the “Drivin’ & Dreaming Tour” on the road. Donate Gas, Food and Beer – Click this link and follow the instructions http://pic.twitter.com/7dEothYK
Want to see me play at the BIG Bonnaroo festival this summer? YOU can help me get there by throwing a vote for me here? Would you give me a minute of your time to do that? You can earn 2 VIP tickets and join her for the ride! Click the image to go to the voting page and you’ll get a free download once you’ve voted!
It’s been almost three months and it’s about time I post the before and after pics of the RV. It might show that I’ve got a history being Art Director for an Interior Magazine… haha.
As you know we bought this old beauty in FL in November to become our home for the next two years. Naturally we weren’t keen on keeping the turqouise carpet. And when pulling off the old pinkish wallpaper a whole bunch of waterleaks apperad as well. But most of it has been taken care of now. We spent two weeks rippng everything out and putting in new floors, wallpaper, tile, the lot. And here’s how it looks now. For info about each and every photo click “show info” on top right side of the page. And if you don’t want see this as a photo slide you can click here to view the images in your own pace.
Here’s a little map that shows our current gig schedule in the US for the Drivin’ & Dreaming tour. We’re booking as we go along and our plan is to hit most states in the US. Hawaii and Alaska my be a challenge for the RV though. See my full gig schedule here! I will keep adding to it every week! (And if you feel like booking me to your venue, please click here!)
Speaking of the RV we just had some major rain falls in Atlanta, GA and discovered that the overhang still wasn’t properly sealed. So now we’ll have to tape it together some more. I bought a dryer duct at Walmart that we taped to the heater in the driver’s compartment and put up there to dry it out while we were driving to Auburn today like the white trash McGyvers we are. Hopefully it won’t rain more but you never know.
At least Auburn, AL is warmer than NC. We even had the windows open today wohoo!
I’m psyched to be going to New Orleans for a couple of gigs. I’ve been watching the Treme TV show, and it seems like a cool town, that is unless you get robbed, shot and raped. Let’s hope none of those things happen to us. So far everyone have been really nice and taken care of us. Would be totally awesome to find a private spot to park in NOLA.
Well, that’s all for now! I’ll see you on the road!
“…Not dread but a connection with our past is what we feel, a thread running back to the artless creatures we once were when we first heard the oboe-like notes from the Great Horned Owl. In Paleolithic times, we suspected omens in its voice, heard in it questions we were unable to articulate, but which have stayed within us, incomplete and taunting. We are certain that ancient, taloned bird sees what we do not, knows what we never will. And some night, silent as a gliding feather, its immensity will engulf us at fireside to tell us things we want to know as well as those we don’t. In the shadowed forest we’re pulled by that lurking and alluring ghost and we are enthralled.”Welcome to Twin Peaks: Access Guide to the Town
2011 was a busy year for me. I worked hard to get an artist visa to the US, preparing for a tour that might go on for as long as two years. At the same time I wrote and recorded a new album. Now that I’ve landed in my tour in the US it’s also time for my new album to land. “The Owls Are Not What They Seem” is a collection of 12 new songs. My musical journey started out in 2004 when I recorded Blue Moon and me and my musicians all gathered in a basement studio in Stockholm recording acoustically and almost all the instruments at the same time. After that I tried a more common way of recording in layers, adding instruments upon instruments. For my third album I hired a producer, Tobias Fröberg and for my fourth album Florida i experimented with a bigger soundscape with more drums than I had ever used before.
For “The Owls Are Not What They Seem” I went back to basics. After having done an acoustic solo tour for my album Florida Acoustic in 2010 I felt I was in my best element when I was playing and singing at the same time without the restrains of headphones and click-tracks. So I decided to make an ablum that was the essence of that me. Just something I could record in my bedroom without the pressure of a big production, time and opinions from others. All the songs on “The Owls Are Not What They Seem” are recorded that way. Me – playing and singing at the same time, then sparsely adding other instruments to enhance and highlight where I thought it was needed. My goal was to keep it down and make an acoustic album with a live, organic feel to it. I had no interest in changing the world or inventing something new. I just wanted to make a beautiful acoustic album. And here it is: “The Owls Are Not What They Seem”
You can now pre-order the album here. You’ll get a free track straight away. Physical signed albums will only be available through my website until the release. I also have two special guests on the album; Martin Hederos is playing the piano on “Nothing quite so gentle” and Pontus Borg has lent his voice to “7 miles wide”. Please hit the share button to tell all your friends.