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 the great pleasure of being invited to do the Hamburger Küchensessions this weekend. Despite what you might think when you hear the name it has nothing to do with hamburgers. Hamburger Küchensession recipe is basic and genius, artists play a few acoustic songs in a kitchen in Hamburg, Germany.
These videos can then be viewed on youtube or their website (which you can find here!). Hundreds of artists have traveled through Jens and Claudia’s kitchen, and two compilation albums are already available for purchase and the third on is on its way.
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 🙂
Two months ago I put up a Kickstarter project for a live album and a book about the US tour “Drivin’ & Dreaming”. I didn’t know if any of you would be interested in reading about it, after all, I posted a lot on Facebook and my website along the way. But not only did you show me that you wanted to read more about it, you showed me that you support me in what I do and want me to keep on doing it!
The book and the album was funded within 24 hours and now that the project is closed we almost tripled our goal. This has helped me to expand the book from the original planned 200 pages to 300 pages, filled with stories, pictures and recipes – and believe me I could have filled 1000, but 300 is not bad either. So this is me saying THANK YOU for your support, on the tour and now – after the tour.
The whole thing was such an amazing experience and I got to relive it all through making this book. I hope you will feel like it was you going on tour when you read it, and I hope you will love every story just as much as I love them and try all the recipes (especially the Swedish ones).
Some final editing is left for me to do before I send it off to the printer and it should be ready to ship to you in September. I hope you all have enjoyed your digital bonus album and have checked out the videos for all the songs (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL291E31BFD5CB9723).
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.
