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.
Sometimes I wish I had a band. Well I do have a band and I love them to bits, but we are not a band. They are my boys and I am their artist. They are my friends but they are not my confidants. Sometimes, when I see things like this lovely pledge by My Bubba and Mi, I wish I had a band, where everyone were equals. Where we planned together and fought together. Where we were annoyed at critics and happy for our music together. Sometimes I feel like it’s just me, and they are just tagging along for the ride.
I’ve tried a couple of times making my band into my band. At first I gave them a name, The Tallboys, so that they would feel like a band and not just musicians backing up a singer/songwriter. It didn’t really work, but it doesn’t matter because now, 6 years down the road, they’re still with me and I don’t think any of them feel like just a back up musician anymore. It’s probably for the best, as I can be quite bossy and stubborn and tend to decide everything but sometimes I feel I’m struggling all alone. Like last year when we were on tour and there were just so many things that were going wrong, and I felt like I couldn’t tell them and had to pretend that everything was alright so we wouldn’t all be depressed and worried.
This year my guys are showing their skills as more than musicians playing behind me. They are each producing an EP for me in my 4 piece L.O.V.E saga. I wonder if they will feel as protective about their EPs as I do when I release an album. I wonder if they know just how much I appreciate and love them. Even if they’ll never be my band.
I’m always trying out new ways to promote my music and interact with my fans, and as you know I had a pledge at pledgemusic.com for my new EP. So i figured I should ask some of the pledgers how they thought the pledge went and why they decided to participate. Here’s a little interview with Henrik Wannheden from Sweden and Dane Wachs from the USA who both decided to pledge.
Dane Wachs
Henrik Wannheden
Hi guys! You pledged for “L – part one of L.O.V.E”, how did you first hear about the project and what was your first reaction to it?
H – I’m subscribing to Sofia’s Twitter feed so when the proposition came up that I could participate I jumped on it. I think this is the whole point of social media; for me to be more involved in issues close to my heart, and for artists to connect to their fans. This was a golden opportunity. D – I learned about the project through Sofia’s Facebook fan page, and it sounded interesting. My first reaction was check out her Pledge Music page to see how I might be able to get involved.
The idea of the pledge was to make the fans more updated and involved in the actual process of making the EP, did this make a difference to you as opposed to a regular release?
D – I think it made a huge difference. I watched the introduction video Sofia created and thought what she was doing for the pledges was awesome. I can’t think of too many songwriters, musicians, or artists that actually involve their fans into process of the project they are creating. The approach she took was very ambitious, and above and beyond anything I’ve ever seen — without a doubt she’s got some very lucky fans.
How do you feel that this is different from the way Sofia’s released albums before?
H – It’s much more personal, and I like the way I get to show really how much this music is worth for me. I get a continuous contact with Sofia during the process and in the end, I’ve received value far beyond a plastic disc.
Why did you decide to pledge, and did you think it was easy enough? D – Sofias music should be heard, and I want to help. It was super simple to make a pledge.
Sofia is declaring the era of plastic discs over, and that her fans are now her record label, pr company and financiers. How do you feel about all the new responsibility?
H – I’m up for it! As a technocrat pouncing on every new technology I can get my paws on I feel that the music industry as a whole been at least ten years behind me. I’ve often been forced to piracy as the only way to enjoy the music I love, and it has not been by my design. And it sucks!
Sofia has always been very accessible in that regard, and now she takes another step closer to me and my way of consuming music. And I love it!
It really isn’t the piece of plastic I’m after, it’s the music printed on it I’m enjoying.
Knowing that just a small fraction of the money I spend on a regular music CD actually reaches the pockets of the artist I’m not very keen on spending my money that way anymore when there’s alternative ways for me to getting the music. It’m not being served by a long supply chain, so why pay for it? I’ve been looking for ways that seems better for me and the artist alike and a pure digital digital delivery method seems like the way to go. iTunes, Piratebay and Spotify is my cup of tea.
The problem with the latter two is that I don’t pay nearly as much as I’d like and It’s been very hard for med to make it right.
Sofia’s pledge fit my aching conscience perfectly! At last I get to show my appreciation. And I know that she got the message directly. Awesome!
In May “O – part two of L.O.V.E” is being released, what would you like to see on the next list of pledge items?
H – I’m looking forward to complete the whole series, so t-shirts and a posters are on my list. I’m not the artist so I’m just curious what Sofia may come up with. I’m sure it’ll be awesome whatever it is!
What items did you pledge for and did they meet your expectations?
D –Technically I pledged for the personalized Postcard, although my true intention was a pledge to/for Sofia. I would have pledged for nothing if it was an option. I would definitely do it again.
H – I pledged $70 for a signed EP, a poster and a t-shirt and the items more than lived up to my expectations. I’ve already got several compliments for the t-shirt and it felt very good to tell the story behind it. Now I’m looking forward to framing the poster, but I might wait until I get the O, V and E posters too 🙂
I’m so happy to announce that we are releasing “L – Part One of L.O.V.E” – the first of four EPs in the L.O.V.E saga today on Valentine’s Day!
First of all I would like to say thank you to all my fans who have made this EP possible by taking part of the production through pledgemusic.com. It’s been great having you along on the journey and I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.
Here’s some pictures of the unique merch you guys ordered, all of it custom made for the release. I’ve been busy as a bee the last couple of days manufacturing all the goodies that will be sent to you this week. All pledgers also get the digital download today in your inbox!
The only physical copies were the preordered ones... and I made all the covers by hand as you can see here!Pär pledged for "I will paint your portrait" and this is how it turned out, Acrylic on canvas... as did Oliver, Acrylic on panneau..and the last one to pledge for a portrait was RandyI've screen printed each and every one of the tshirtsI also screen printed 8 uniqe posters in red, black and goldAnd here's the cover art
As you may know by now I’m having a pledge for my upcoming EP “L” the first of 4 EPs to be released 2011 and here’s the deal. You can pre-order the EP and thereby help me fund it – or if you want to be even more involved you can choose one of the many options on the site – it’s up to you how much you want to help. Check it out here:
This is how it works: if you pledge no money will be withdrawn from your account until the whole pledge is over at the end of January. If the pledge doesn’t come through and we don’t reach 100% no money will be withdrawn from you at all, but you also won’t get the things you ordered. So it’s crucial for you and me that this pledge comes through because you want some great music and some great stuff and I want to get some great music out there!
I’ve just posted an update where you can listen to one of the new songs! How about that. Check it out now!
