E – Update #6

Marcus and Sofia playing live. Photo: Jonny Andersson

I’m so happy to announce that we met our goal in the pledge and thanks to all of you who pledged we will be able to release the last part of L.O.V.E next week. If you haven’t pledged you can still pre-order the physical CD, T-shirts and other goods up till November 1st. After that the EP will only be available as a digital download.

For this update I thought we’d grill the producer a little bit, so I tied him to his amplifier and made him answer all these questions…

Marcus Högquist recording some guitar
Marcus Högquist recording some guitar

Marcus Högquist, you are the producer of “E – Part Four of L.O.V.E” and you are also the guitarist in Sofia’s band since many years, how do you think this recording was different than the others you’ve made with Sofia?
More guitars 🙂 The previous recordings I´ve done with Sofia have all been different from each other. For example, the first one we recorded almost completely live with just two microphones. All of us sitting in the same room and playing together. And for that one we used mostly acoustic instruments. For the following records we have been doing more and more overdubs, recorded separetly and used more electronic sounds. This time I’ve tried to capture the essence of Sofia’s songs and let them guide me toward where I was going. Maybe in some cases I’ve put them in a slightly new context, soundwise.

What’s your favorite song on the EP and why?
I like them all. But if I have to pick just one I’d say If  I had a man. I’m really pleased with how it came out.

If you would describe this EP as the love child of two bands/artists, which would that be?
John McEnroe and Mats Wilander 😉

If you would have had an unlimited budget, is there anything you would have done differently?
I think I would have recorded the songs live with the band in a big fancy studio somewhere in the countryside. We would stay there for a few days and be totally focused on making the best record ever. For relaxation between the sessions some of us would play some tennis, Christian would go fishing in the lake just outside the studio and Sofia would probably get a nice massage.

How come you chose “Lower Case Letters” as your re-make song?
Actually the new rhythm feel of that song came out of a mistake during a rehearsal that Sofia and I where doing for a promotion tour a few years ago. So for the following tour we decided to stick with that new rhythm arrangement and we did on our last US tour with the band as well. Then, when I was asked to pick an old song for this recording I just thougt it would be nice to record it that way.

Marcus and Sofia playing live. Photo: Jonny Andersson
Marcus and Sofia playing live. Photo: Jonny Andersson

What was your biggest challenge as a producer?
Because I recorded a lot of the stuff myself, I’d say being the the producer and the musician at the same time.

Exactly how many guitar tracks can we expect on “E – Part Four of L.O.V.E” ? 😉
Billions!!!

What’s your best words of wisdom when producing an album?
Keep an open mind. It might be good to have a plan for how you want the songs to sound. But be open for new ideas during the process and let them inspire you.

Thanks Marcus! We look forward to hearing your awesome creation!

“E – Part Four of L.O.V.E” is being released November 1st.

E – Update #2

Notes for "If I had a man" by Sofia Talvik
Marcus playing the guitar on "E - Part Four of L.O.V.E"
Marcus playing the guitar on "E - Part Four of L.O.V.E"

“E – Part Four of L.O.V.E” is coming along nicely! Here’s some pics and videos from our first recording session. Marcus was a bit annoyed with me for making him have wine before recording but we had a good time and as you can hear it sounds great too 🙂

Notes for "If I had a man" by Sofia Talvik
Notes for "If I had a man" by Sofia Talvik

Please help ups make this EP by pledging here!

Here’s how it works:

The EP “E – Part Four Of L.O.V.E” is the last part of a four piece saga called “L.O.V.E” – Help me fund them today!
http://www.sofiatalvik.com/v-part-four-of-l-o-v-e/

“L.O.V.E” consists of four separate EP’s with four tracks each, that will be released every 3 months during 2011.

I had a great response raising the money to release the first 3 EPs, not only were the fans influencing and enabling the releases, they also got access to the making through exclusive videos, demo releases, blogs and my musical journey.

This is how you can be a part of this:

1. Make A Pledge
Invest in an exclusive package from the list on http://www.sofiatalvik.com/v-part-four-of-l-o-v-e/. The packages includes signed memorabilia and other personalized treats.

2. Enjoy Updates
I’ll be posting exclusive videos, mp3’s, photos, and blogs throughout our journey. You’ll be able to comment, so if you have any interesting ideas, let me know.

3. Receive the download first
Once completed, you’ll be the very first to receive the download of the album. I’ll then be making all of your items, and the Pledge project will then come to a close.

I run my own label, produce everything by myself and I’m very hands on with the music and everything around it. All the bundles are endorsed and personally produced. They represent a personal part of me and I want to share that with you.

Please do keep checking back for updates and you can always hang out with me on http://www.facebook.com/sofiatalvikmusic and I look forward to our journey together.

xoxo
Sofia Talvik

Drivin’ & Dreaming Tour!

Sofia Talvik 2011

Thanks to all of you wonderful people who contributed with clever, creative and crazy name suggestions for my tour. With a twenty something suggestions on his list it’s no wonder that Paul Rosenberg rode home the winning name with “Drivin’ & Dreaming”. I love the name because it referrers to the vast distances I will be driving across America to play for all of you, and the fact that I also follow my dream by doing so. It also reminds me of a favorite song that’s called “Falling and Flying” from the movie “Crazy Heart”. Paul, a CD and T-shirt are on their way in the mail to you!

On a close second place was Nikolas Huffman with his “Interstate Hootenanny Tour”. It’s quirky and yet bears a lot of meaning in it. Nikolas, you get a free download of one of my albums.

Thanks to everyone who contributed I had so much fun reading all of your suggestions!

Name my tour!

New Sofia Talvik Florida t-shirt

Now you have a chance to give my upcoming US tour a name and win a Florida t-shirt and CD at the same time. Here’s how you do it:

1. Become a member of my VIP fan group on Facebook here

2. Write your suggestion on the post dedicated to the competition

The name of the tour should not be related to any of my albums and can be totally creative, fun, serious, weird, fantastic or anything you choose it to be. You can write as many suggestions as you like. The chosen name will appear on the website, posters etc. To participate, you have to post your suggestion on the competition post in the VIP group, no other suggestions will be taken into consideration.

(we keep the right to not appoint a winner if we don’t find a suitable name amongst the suggestions)