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.
I had a great time in Illinois and did a lot of radio and interviews. Here’s a few of them.
Sofia Talvik in the River Cities Reader
[quote] With her light, airy soprano and haunting, faraway melancholy, it’s easy to imagine Talvik herself hypnotizing crowds in a small-town biker bar, right before vanishing into the ether (…) continue reading here [/quote]
Mike Schulz, River Cities Reader
Sofia Talvik in Quad Cities Dispatch Argus
[quote] In 2008, Ms. Talvik became the first Swedish female singer to play the Lollapalooza festival. This year, she was showcased at the International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, Tenn., and South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. (continue reading here) [/quote]
Sofia Talvik is doing her 100th gig on the tour tonight
Today May 29th I’m doing the 100th gig on the Drivin’ & Dreaming tour! We’ve had such a journey, been all through the deep south, in Texas for SxSW and back to the east coast, and now we’re hitting number 100 in New York City tonight at Pianos (7pm).
The tour has been amazing so far. I’ve experienced so much and met so many wonderful people. But it’s by no means over. We’re fully booked until August in NY, MA, ME, CT, PA, OH, IL and IA and we will keep on trucking towards the west coast. I hope to see so many more friendly faces and keep spreading my music like a wildfire over the US. If you haven’t got my new album yet there’s a limited amount of physical CDs for sale here!
Tonight only there will be free Drivin’ & Dreaming t-shirts for everyone (first come first served) so don’t miss out on celebrating my 100th gig with me at Pianos in NYC!
Here’s a selection of what people has said about my shows so far:
[quote] Of all the voices – and man, they seem to issue them at birth to Swedish women – Talvik has the most faith in hers in an “I don’t need a theatrical gimmick” kind of way.” [/quote]
– Austin Chronicle
[quote] Listening to her music, an otherworldly edge, surprising twists and powerful, haunting vocals make her much more than just another pretty folk-pop-acoustic performer.”[/quote]
– Atlanta Retro
[quote] Sofia Talvik is absolutely freaking gorgeous, and her charming stage presence drew me in, all the more. Not only is she a great singer, she fingerpicks her acoustic flawlessly, reminiscent of the steady subtle perfection of Nick Drake’s Pink Moon. [/quote]
Last week I attended the Folk Alliance International Conference in Memphis, TN.
I spent a few hectic days attending seminars, networking and playing showcases. It was a lot of fun and we met a bunch of great people there that I hope to reconnect with further down the road. It was interesting to be totally surrounded by folkies for a while. I’ve always counted myself into the genre but haven’t quite been part of the scene if you know what I mean. Folk – being such a small genre in Sweden, I’ve always been a part of the pop scene anyway and that’s what I know so it was cool to see how the folk sceene thrives in the US.
Jonas took a bunch of pictures from the conference and you can see a selection here! Feel free to tag yourself if you find yourself in any of the pictures.
The Cumberland Collective at FAI
I’ve been down with the flu for a week now, there were a lot of bugs circulating in the AC system at the hotel those days and I’ve heard a lot of attendees got sick. I’m glad to be (almost) well again though as I have some great gigs in Texas ahead of me.
Here’s the ones ahead:
Wednesday, 03/07 Lindale, TX Art of Coffee
Thursday, 03/08 Texarkana, AR Hopkins Icehouse
Friday, 03/09 Dallas, TX Opening Bell Coffee
Saturday, 03/10 San Antonio, TX G.I.G On The Strip
At first it seemed like a real challenge to book gigs in Alabama and Mississippi, and some people actually told us we would probably be better off skipping them altogether. Well, let me tell you I’m pretty happy we ignored that advice. If I haven’t played the best venues there is in Alabama, I think my head is going to explode because the places I’ve played here have been some of the best gigs on my tour so far. In beautiful Birmingham I was invited to play Moonlight on the Mountain and got to discover a great singer/songwriter called Nathan Reich who also happens to play guitar in the new hip band Flights. In Auburn I played the low key intimate The Gnu’s Room and in Tuscaloosa I played at The Bama Theatre with local Sparrow and the Ghost and also did a show at the Alabama Art Kitchen. In Cullman I had standing ovations at the 60’s style coffee house Berkely Bob’s Coffee House. Alabama has been so great, it’s actually the only state where I’ve had ONLY good shows.
So here’s a few pics and videos. See you in Arkansas and Texas!
Performing Delusional at Bama Theatre
Sofia Talvik live at Moonlight on the mountainKeith, Sofia and Nathan at Moonlight on the mountainSofia Talvik live at Berkely Bob's Coffee House
We’re on the road. Stuck in a too small pick up truck. The only upside is the Jack Daniels for the guys and the scenery for me. Tonight we’re staying at a really lousy motel. Motel 6 would look like the Hilton compared to this ;-). Well at least I have wifi so I can do my blogs, check my emails and all that. We’ve been joking about staying at a motel like the ones in “No country for old men” and now we are. We walked to a Mexican restaurant across the street and while we were in there the guys spotted a man that looked EXACTLY like the guy in “No country for old men”. I tried to take a picture of him with my iPhone, it’s not great but you’ll see.
I’m really looking forward to coming to Austin so we can decide our own pace and our own stuff and have some fun and play some music.
