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.
My guitar player Marcus Högquist came down to Berlin from Stockholm the other day and we’ve been in the Mahoni studio to record some guitar. Here’s a glimpse from the recording and some of my new songs. I’m not doing a Kickstarter or other crowdfunding project for the album, but if you feel like you want to support indie music there is another way of doing this. Read more about my new donation system here! Or watch the two minute video by clicking here! And if you want to help out with the making of the new album feel free to click the donate button at the top of this post.
A huge thanks to Mathis for all the help with recording and for inviting us into his studio! Visit his website here.
When you make a crowfunding project, one of the steps is to make updates about your progress. Well, my donation system is not your average crowdfunder, but I hope that you will still feel like the updates (and especially all the work) I share is worth something and hit the green donation button on the top of this post. If you feel like a coffee is too much to donate you can always type in your own amount 😉
Today was day three of recording vocals and guitar for the new album. The first day started out great and I finished 5 songs!!! I was convinced I’d be done recording after day two… which didn’t go so well. I had started out with the songs that I am picking on and it’s much harder to record strumming songs when you sing and play the guitar at the same time (I won’t go into details, it just is). So day two I think I got three songs done, I say “think” because I was too tired to listen through the tracks when I called it quits. So today I was going to record two more strumming songs.
The first thing that happened after I recorded for about an hour was that my microphone stand broke. I had a microphone screen mounted on the stand, and obviously that was too heavy and broke the stand right off when I tried to move it. At this point being crammed in between my bed and wardrobe with three chairs to keep a computer screen, keyboard and mouse on was starting to get on my nerves. I had to put my laptop outside the room because the fan was too loud and had cords and cables all over. So I re-arranged everything and put the computer in the wardrobe instead. This gave me a little more space. I recorded (the same song) for three more hours but just wasn’t happy with it. So finally I deleted all the tracks I had recorded and closed the shop for today. I will make a brave new attempt tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a little video to show you my set-up.
Thanks for helping me fund this album by hitting the donate button above.
I’m still recording demos for the new album in my Berlin bedroom recording studio. This is a short song that will need some work in the production stage later on. If you want to support independent music and help me out making this new album feel free to hit the donate button on the top of this post. You can decide for yourself if you think this video and song is worth as much as a coffee at Starbucks, or a gym card or maybe even more. You can also decide your own contribution. Anything will help me get to the finished product 🙂
In September I’m releasing my new album “Drivin’ & Dreaming LIVE” with live recordings we did in different venues on the US tour. It will be a full length CD with a mix of songs from all my albums, recorded with room mics and from the sound board to give you the ultimate live experience, just like you were at one of my concerts.
Many of you asked me about the Swedish folk song that I sang in my concerts. It will be featured on the album.
The album is up for pre-order now, and if you pre-order it before August 2nd you will get an exclusive download of “There’s A Man In A Smiling Bag” free of charge, directly to your inbox. The download is acoustic versions of all the songs from my latest album “The Owls Are Not What They Seem”, recorded outside in scenic locations around the US.
To pre-order go here! and scroll down to “pledge $25” in the menu on the right hand side. Click that box and follow the instructions.
The pre-order for the live album and the book will be open until August 2nd, but even if you order now you will not be charged until August 2nd when the pre-order closes. Note that pre-order is the ONLY way to get the book and it will only be printed in a limited edition. So after August 2nd, there will be no way and nowhere to get a copy unless you pre-ordered.
The order is made via Kickstarter and Amazon, so if you have shopped at Amazon before it will be easy as pie to just log in and order. (If you are unsure how to order, here’s a video that will guide you.
Everyone who places an order for the live album or the book will get a complimentary download of the acoustic version of my album “The Owls Are Not What They Seem” direct to your email.
Some info about the album and the book:
Drivin’ & Dreaming – One artist’s odyssey through America
I spent a year and a half from 2011 to 2013 traveling across America in an old RV, playing over 250 shows in 37 states. I named the tour “Drivin’ & Dreaming”. During the tour I met amazingly wonderful, weird and inspiring people, and I got to see and experience every corner of the US.
This book is the product of all the stories and pictures from the “Drivin’ & Dreaming” tour that I collected along the way. The book is in coffee table format with beautiful pictures and funny short stories. You will be able to open the book to any page and just start reading. It will be around 200 pages and you’ll get to experience the life on the road, breakdowns, the wonderful people that came to our rescue, weird gigs, breathtaking places and smiling faces. The book also contains a collection of my favorite recipes that we cooked in the RV.
Drivin’ & Dreaming LIVE – full length album (CD)
We recorded almost all of the 250+ shows on the tour and have chosen the best of the best to be featured on this live album. If you weren’t able to make it to any of the concerts, here’s your chance to experience it, just like you were there in the room with me. All the recordings on the live album were recorded with room microphones and direct sound from the board. The final product will be a high-quality live album mixed and mastered from these source recordings. Many of you asked about the Swedish folk song that I sang on the shows, this song will be featured on the album!
You can get the book + live album for $100 (including shipping in the US, +$5 for outside the US) or the live album alone for $25. There is also a possibility to get some other cool stuff, like your name in the thank you notes in the book. Check it out here!
When the pre-order closes on August 2nd the album and the book will be sent to the printers. You will have your copy approximately a month later.
