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!
Sofia Talvik live at the Historic Grand. Photo by Levi Phillips.
I played a concert at the Historic Grand Theatre in Salem, OR earlier this fall and it’s now airing on CCTV all month along with a Salem Songwriter session of my new Christmas single “One Last Wish For Christmas“.
The 30 minute Salem songwriter session with me will be aired in January. Salem Songwriter Sessions is a new program on CCTV (Salem, OR.). Songwriters have the opportunity to talk about their music and to play several of their songs in a relaxed atmosphere. Host Tom Phillips interviews songwriters about their interests, influences an inspirations.
You can check out the Salem Songwriter Session Facebook page here!
Indie distributer CDbaby just recently chose my new album The Owls Are Not What They Seem as their editor’s pick, gave it 5 stars and wrote this lovely review!
[quote] In 2008, Sweden’s Sofia Talvik put out an impressive album — Jonestown — which wowed me with its lush orchestrations and catchy, melancholic 60’s-pop songs, tunes that wouldn’t have been out of place on any of Goldfrapp’s NON-disco albums. The following year, Talvik released an equally ambitious, subtly-searing album called Florida that was haunted by the ghosts of Dustbowl folk and countrified Southern Gothic. In 2011, the prolific indie-songstress put out 4 EPs that previewed remixed versions of songs that would end up on this year’s full length, The Owls Are Not What They Seem. The new record is a departure for sure — still catchy in its way, though the earworms have more room to sprawl— still lush, though the flute and string accompaniments are more restrained and the tremolo guitars serve only as punctuation. What’s different this time around? Mood: Owls is a slow-burning folk pop gem that wanders and searches as if dreaming itself into being. Think Nick Drake, Kings of Convenience, and Blue-era Joni Mitchell. Talvik’s voice can be both rich and whispery, and each breath seems to bend toward some hidden sadness, as if tugged by an undercurrent we can’t quite see; but we feel its force as the music unfolds, swirls, and closes around us.[/quote]
Hey, it’s Christmas soon and I know for sure that in Sweden they have a massive amount of snow right now.
I’m currently having a few days off on my US tour before Christmas, so now I’m hiding away from the cold down in California. I’ve done a couple of concerts around San Diego and I wanted to share some Christmas spirit with my audience. On the last concert I did, I recorded this video of my song “When Winter Comes“. It’s not really about snow or winter, but I thought it was fitting for this time of season.
I knew I couldn’t be the only Swedish artist to tour the US in an old van! So today’s window is a Christmas card from another Swedish band who also like to do that. Folk-Rock band Secret Circus who are kindly sharing their song “Waves” as a free download with all the followers of my Xmas Calendar!
Secret Circus was started by twins Klas and Joel Åhman in 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden. The maiden voyage sent the brothers bumming around Europe, playing their way from town to town. They immediately discovered that music was their calling and decided to give music their all. They quit their jobs and spent the following year writing and recording their debut album “This is Secret Circus“.
Every year they flee the cold winter of Sweden and spend the season in their studio in Roswell, NM where they’ve recorded most of their material. And on January 18th I’ll be joining them for a concert in Roswell, NM (aliens anyone?) so don’t miss out on that if you’re in the neighborhood. Go to https://sofiatalvik.com/gigs for details.
