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.
Last year I cooked a Swedish Christmas meal for some of my Florida friends. And my friend Courtney’s brother asked her before the dinner if Swedish meatballs actually exist or if they’re just a myth. I thought that was so funny, so I decided to make y’all some Swedish meatballs in this window of the calendar!
Now you can all make them at home, and I promise they will taste way better than IKEA’s. 😉 Oh and the catchy tune in the background is my disco Christmas single from two years ago called Santa. It’s a free download that you can get here!
A couple of years ago I wrote a soundtrack to a Swedish short film called “Vit som snö” or “White as snow” in English. Neither the movie or the song is made for Christmas, but the lead motive could actualy pass for one of my Christmas songs, so I decided to share a download with you, as well as the short film (which unfortunately doesn’t have any English subtitles). Click the player below to listen or download here: http://soundcloud.com/makakimusic/vit-som-sn
Click here to listen to/ download the song
The movie is about 12-year-old David whos grandfather is terminally ill. David decides that he needs to save him and embarks on a quest to find a way to save him from death. On his quest he meets the mysterious Viggo who takes him around to different rooms and people in the hospital to find an answer he probably already knows. Can you talk to death?
The movie is made by Carolina Rung and Anna Eliasson graduates at the Stockholm Film School in 2008.
A few days ago I released my yearly Christmas single. It’s called “One Last Wish For Christmas” and it’s recorded partly in the US and partly in Sweden (thank you internet). The single has been very well received and here’s a selection of quotes from some writers around the globe:
[quote] “One Last Wish For Christmas” has the feel of a simple and intimate Indie Folk song while simultaneously being rich, full, and immediately pop accessible. It’s sort of Hank Williams meets the Pogues “Fairytale Of New York”, but much prettier. (…) It’s just wonderful! [/quote]
[quote]One Last Wish for Christmas” is “a story about love, loss, and afterthought at Christmas.” It is heartbreakingly beautiful, and like many of her songs, it stays with me long after I’ve finished listening to it.”[/quote]
[quote] During the years I’ve fallen in love with her beautiful alternative folk songs. Especially with the sad ballad Snowy White River (2009). This year I’m pleasantly surprised to learn that Sofia has returned to her roots.” [/quote]
A couple of years ago I did a complete video Christmas Calendar and every year I release a Christmas single. This year I’m doing the Christmas calendar again, although this time it’s not going to be all video. It will be a mix of Christmassy things, for example my favorite Christmas recipes, songs, special giveaways etc.
The BIG reward this year for signing up you’ll be the first to get my new Christmas single “One Last Wish For Christmas”.
One Last Wish For Christmas
So starting December 1st you’ll get a daily update from me until December 25th if yousign up NOW sign up here!
As an indie artist, CD Baby has been my loyal companion and part of my career for many years. I was lucky enough to met the CD Baby people at the Folk Alliance international conference earlier this year and they emailed me a while ago and asked me to write a blog about how to plan and execute a US tour.
When I got the questions I felt like, hey, my answers will be sooo long it’ll turn into a book, because there’s just so much I’ve learned along the way and there’s so many details that I could include. But I tried to keep it brief so that you wouldn’t loose site of the purpose (or your excitment on planning your tour) halfway through all the tiedious details on how to get a US drivers license etc. I hope I covered the basic “need to knows” as well as some good tips for artists, touring or not, and the rest is out there in cyberspace if you google it 🙂 Read it here!
All the states we’ve covered in 9 months of touring
