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.
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.
Home made water leak dryer duct
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!
Janne Manninen producer of 'V - Part Three of L.O.V.E'
For the third part or the L.O.V.E saga I had my bass player Janne Manninen lay his electric fingers on my songs. It’s now just a few weeks left before it’s released and we need your support to make it through the final stages of production. Thank you so much for pre-ordering the EP HERE! For this update we caught a few words with Janne in the studio!
Hi Janne! You’re the producer of ‘V – part three of L.O.V.E’. Please tell us a bit about the sound of the new EP! My idea was Sofia Talvik but with an electro touch. More synth bass and more retro drums. But in a new modern style. Not as stripped down as her music usually is and with that extra electro vibe. And I also wanted to introduce the electric guitar that I know Sofia has in her closet …
What’s your main inspiration for the production of this EP? All the good music I listen to… its a secret! And also a bunch of friends who I’ve met in my life that have inspired me with their musicality and their great ideas!
You’re usually the bass player in Sofia’s backing band. How do you feel that this experience has been different from when you usually play with Sofia? Finally I get to decide which instrument should be the loudest one in the mix! Otherwise its not much difference, music is always music to me whether you are the bass player or the producer.
What have you been up to this summer? Mostly hanging out with my son and my girlfriend. My son is almost a year old and he is a great inspiration by just being himself. And I have been touring in Norway with the Swedish singer Melissa Horn and that has been a good tour but also a hard tour due to the terror attack that happened in Oslo in the end of July! The Norwegians are great people, but it’s expensive in Norway.
What’s your favorite memory from touring with Sofia? The US tour in 2010. Three weeks of tennis in Hawaii, a lot of time in Rafe Dogs car, riding the mechanical bull in Austin and meeting friendly and funny people. Discussing taxes with Americans is always an adventure đŸ™‚ And the motel in Van Horn – the place to be if you wish to see a guy that looks like the psycho from the movie ‘No country for old men’ … uuuuuuu
Check out the guy on the phone in the background
You chose ‘Jonestown’ to do a ‘re-make’ of, which version do you like the best, yours or the original one? The Original! Im so tired of producing and mixing my version! But if the original had some pedal steel that would be even better… đŸ™‚
Tell us three things we can expect from ‘V – part three of L.O.V.E’? Synth bass, drum machines and pedal steel guitar!
And finally, is your favorite color purple? If you want to know the answer of that you’ll have to ask the clerk in the souvenir shop on USS Midway in San Diego. According to Rafe Dog the entrance fee is only 5 bucks but I would be prepared to pay a liiiiitle bit more. than that …
We’ve played at the Hartley Historic Mansion in Everett, WA and the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle. These kinds of gigs are always quite different as there’s such a mixed crowd. You have the people who know your music there and the people who come because they have a Nordic heritage and want to listen to a Swedish singer. Fortunately no one asked me to play ABBA as one guy that came up to me in the middle of my set on Hawaii. We sold out on all our albums so that was very nice and the audience was so great, really attentive and respectful. It’s such a nice change from bar gigs where there’s always people who talk and don’t care about the music.
Karen Pauley from the radio show Nordic Roots and Branches did an excellent job with the gigs. She was the one who first invited me here last year so I’m happy we could include it in our tour this time! Check ou her radio show here!
A big thank you to all that came to the shows! We had such a great time! Stay tuned for som video clips.
Playing at the Nordic Heritage Museum
The guys made friends with the guy that sold beer!
After two lovely gigs in Hawaii it’s time for us to leave the sunny islands for Seattle. We’re playing at two venues so if you can’t make it on Friday you’ll have a new chance to chatch my gig on Saturday. Check out www.sofiatalvik.com/gigs for tickets and information.
I’ve just arrived in Hawaii to do my first gigs! The weather here is awesome and as the sun thirsting Swede I am I have already got a little sunburnt. It’s been almost 7 months since I saw any sun so who can blame me.
I’m really looking forward to all the gigs that we have lined up, a little sad that we’ll only be in San Francisco one day as that is one of my favorite cities and there’s so much there that I’d love to show the guys in the band. I’m thinking I have to at least take them down for a clam chowder at the Warf.
I’m also really looking forward to coming to San Diego (buy tickets here!) where I’ll be playing at Acoustic Music San Diego. When my latest album “Jonestown” was released in the US last year I was interviewed by “The Jonestown Report” which has its officie in San Diego. After the interview was published a former member and survivor of People’s Temple and the Jonestown tragedy contacted me personally, which you can imagine was quite overwhelming but also one of the sweetest and most heartfelt feedbacks I’ve ever had to my music. You can read the interview here.
Here’s a few photos from the tour so far!
Janne, Jocke and Marcus on the airport in Sweden
A short stop over in NY
Tired, but happy to arrive in Hawaii after a 22 hour flight!
Pretty view from my hotel room window! (don’t you just love the Histamatic app for the iPhone)
